So I bet you've all seen threads like this before but I have some specific questions on improving my infiltrator play. Firstly I want to thank all of the people who have written brilliant guides on different parts of play they really have helped me improve alot (specifically @ Jawarisin, CuteBeaver, and Iridar). So I've primarily settled into playing smg infiltrator at the moment cause it's close to my playstyle in other games I play. I think I suffer from 3 primary issues awareness, aim, and movement( A substantial amount of the game XD). I have seen improvements in both my aim and movement and I think really the only way to get better at those is to have it evolve organically through practice. My main worry is awareness; coming from playing spy in TF2 I'm used to predicting the movement of at max 9 opponents on a fairly small map, generally by knowing traversed routes etc. I find that in PS2 I suffer from information overload and tend to die to flanks and people in other rooms that I didn't see when I go for engagements. So I figure the solution to this is darts, problem being I always find the minimap incredibly cluttered and never really am able to glean much from my darts that alters my play. Could somebody elaborate on how to properly use darts and make decisions based on the results that I get from them? My other question revolves around working with an organized squad/platoon. I am in an outfit that tends to like to do tactical assaults etc. I find that if the only time that I as infil am able to contribute is when we need to hack in order to pull sunderers etc. Thus I often switch to medic or something with a more traditional squad role and only really play infil solo, any advice for supporting a squad as an infiltrator? Then finally comes the question of how to spend certs. I'm thinking I want to perfect an smg loadout before maybe certing into some sort of stalker loadout as well. As of now I have the Armistice with a silencer, extended mags, and the softpoint which is working pretty well for me. The difficult choices come in with utility and cloak. I've heard mixed opinions on NAC vs Hunter for an smg infil. Currently I have lvl 5 hunter and lvl 2 NAC. Trying to decide if I should spend certs on the Hunter or the NAC would love some insight. I heard something about the emp grenade being nerfed and that an implant cancels it out but I think I'll still get it because I don't see the point in the frag grenade or the decoy. Then I was thinking med kits over a claymore to extend killstreaks but please inform me if I am wrong in this. I also went for shield cap on an impulse. Could somebody tell me where I should be spending my certs first etc?
NAC provides an even ground (or sort of), since you're losing 100 shields as an infiltrator, it is therefore a must-have if you want to be competitive in 1v1s. Sure, you can flank and try to play it stealthily, but detection devices make it impossible to make 2 steps without popping up on your enemies' maps, and the 35% damage reduction can provide some survivability if you can manage the shorter cloak time. As for utility, medkits are universal (unlocked across all your classes), it's literally a no-brainer, considering how overpowered they are for the price they require. About darts, just spread them, and fire away especially when you've got an ammo box on your position, as you'll be providing some 2D wallhacks to your squad/platoon, and this on a large area. Just don't forget to renew the darts regularly whenever you get some ammo. In fact, those darts are your hears and eyes 99% of the time, so they can turn a person who lacks situational awareness into a wallhacker. Weapon choice is decent, if you want to gain more range, use flash-hider (optional) and forward grip, you'll gain those meters of damage fall-off and extend that 4-headshot range by quite a lot (silencer's effects are harsh, -5m for max damage range, -20m for min range, and something like 30% velocity decrease, not sure about the correct number on this one).
You can enlarge the minimap by pressing H and zoom in and out by pressing brackets: [ and ]. Motion Spotters > Recon Darts for SMG Infiltrator, as Motion Spotters gives you real time information within 20m, and you can flank enemies based on just the minimap. Very powerful stuff. Also, doesn't require reloading and lasts much longer. During point holds with an outfit, your only real job is to put down a Motion Spotter or spam Darts while standing on an Ammo Box. Multiple darts do stack for more frequent updates. Otherwise, feel free to hold off enemies with your SMG. When fighting over a base in a more relaxed setting, as SMG infil you thrive by flanking enemies that are engaged in combat with your allies. There really is no clearly cut answer to that. Both have pros and cons. Hunter is better for more open bases and fewer enemies. NAC is better when a ton of people gets cramped into a small base for an intense fight. As SMG infil, you should be using Nanoweave for your suit slot. Feel free to sit at rank 4 for quite a while. EMP Grenades are still good. They don't drain ability power, so the main effects are the shield drain and fuzzy screen. There is an implant, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't be using EMP. Claymores are useless. Even when they are working properly, they get you a couple of kills per life at most. That's nice if you struggle to have K/D over 1, but fairly useless otherwise, and med kits are a much better choice. Claymores are also buggy as hell, they float around, deploy sideways, and I can't tell you how many times I've been flanked and killed while trying to deploy a Claymore, or failed by a Claymore when I trued to lure an enemy on it. If it wasn't for Directive for C4 ARX, I'd throw them out and forgot they exist.
I'm a relatively experienced sniper and stalker and I am now thinking of running SMG infil with NAC and EMP 'nades. I'm still of the mind that ambushing people in or near the big fights is the way to go (why else have a cloak that lets you get close then get out again?) - but engaging nearer to the action than previously rather than in the thick of it. I have avatars on all factions and I bought the NS7 PDW ages ago on a whim, so they all have something to start with. I believe it has lower RoF than some ES SMGs but a bit better range. Thinking about the Tengu as well although I hear there are ES SMGs that are better than the NS stuff. Maxed out terminal hacking and recon dart gun already. Medkits for SMG infil definitely. But which implants? currently I run Regen on every class plus ammo printer for infils and battle hardened for all the others.
