Or as I like to call it, becoming The Terror of the Tower. The purpose of this guide is to show how to effectively suppress and farm a tower with a Bolt Action Sniper Rifle (or Scout Rifle) while avoiding CQC (Close Quarters Combat). I've found that there are certain areas on a tower that many people turn a blind eye to. And even if one of the people you've previously killed comes back, they usually grab Light Assault and go up to the top of the tower, thinking a sniper will always take advantage of the high ground. Here, you do not. Not the very top of the tower at least. *Note that while sniping at this range, with a standard Bolt Action rifle it will take one shot to the head (with or without a suppressor, and two shots with a semi-auto or scout rifle. I HIGHLY recommend using a suppressor using this method, as it will keep you from appearing on enemy minimaps and will drastically reduce the noise of your shots. *Also note that in this guide I am using a build that I myself have found to be the most useful. Feel free to deviate from it as much as you want or use your own build. Important Infiltrator Certifications: Hunter Cloaking: Maxing out this ability type is incredibly important. While it doesn't allow you to stay indefinitely cloaked, it does however reduce the time you spend out of it. Maxed at Rank 6, it halves it. Spend as many points as you can possibly spare, it is well worth every one. While Nano Armor Cloaking can be useful when you are being shot at or running away, your purpose should be to remain hidden as long as possible and to avoid detection at all costs. Ammo Belt: While you may prefer a different ability in your suit slot, there is no denying the usefulness of having 20 extra rounds (Bolt Action) or 40 Extra rounds (Scout Rifles). This means you have the potential to have 20 extra kills. Some may argue whether or not you'll even last long enough to use them. With a little bit of luck and some good aim, you will run out of ammo. It happens to me often, three times this weekend alone. And not because I miss often. Feel free to differ or stray from this guide if you find having an extra grenade or two, but I've always found twenty more rounds to be preferable. EMP Grenades: And here is a moment where you might disagree with me. I've found EMP grenades to be far more useful than any other type. Sure, frag grenades might net you some kills, but anybody with half a brain can see the trajectory it came from to help locate you, or dive out of the way. EMP grenades do not show on an enemy players HUD, and detonate shortly after thrown. Whole groups have been wiped out while trying to camp a tower that I've been perched on because they can only see static. It's not about outright killing people, it's about creating opportunities. *Don't forget you can use these to detonate enemy mines and C4. Empire Specific Explosives (Proximity Mines, Claymores, Bouncing Betty's): Two is always better than one, I say. This should be your substitute for frag grenades. You can place it in areas where there is heavy foot traffic, or even to defend your perch. There have been times where I've gotten massive kills just tossing it like a frisbee into a footzerg trying to push into a tower. Be creative with these, you can do a lot of damage. *I will not be going into using the Recon Detect Device. I hardly use it because it's an obvious giveaway as it is noisy and bright. Be smart, have high situational awareness, LISTEN, and pay attention. This will get you further then being able to see red dots on your minimap. Important Vehicle Certifications: Ejection System: This cert alone will allow you to bypass nearly everything that might see you on the battlefield while trying to creep up on a tower. This cert will, in fact, allow you to place yourself anywhere (not just towers), usually impossible to reach spots where nobody suspects anybody to even be, ever. Do note that when using this and ejecting from your cockpit, you will be placed slightly behind where you think you have ejected over on the minimap. Don't panic, you can guide yourself down with the WASD controls, just like with Drop Pods. *If you cannot spend 500 Certifications on the Ejection system: The poor mans version usually consists of a Flash with Turbo/Stealth/Radar will suffice. It is far more challenging to approach a hotly contested tower from the ground than the air however, so your life will be more difficult until you can afford the ES. Vehicle Stealth: This cert is also useful for approaching unannounced (unless spotted of course). It prevents you from automatically appearing on the radar of all enemy players. They won't know you're there unless they're looking at the sky. The radar bonus is only tied to the first rank, so if you'd like to put more points into delaying lock-ons by all means, go ahead. Approaching and Positioning: Now that we've established how you're going to get there, some important things you should be aware of on the trip to a tower: Where are the AA Turrets? Where are the Lifts? Which way does the drop down Spawn Room balcony face? You can answer most of these questions by simply looking at the map, each of those are identified when you fully zoom. In this map you'll see that this is an NC held Crossroads Tower. I've highlighted the four upward/downward lifts, the two AA turrets, and the balcony many campers like to stand on when your faction is defending and losing a tower. If you drop on Crossroads probably the best spot you can position yourself is under the north east landing pad. I highly recommend that you drop on the sides that do not have AA turrets. If you mistakenly land on any turret, you WILL DIE regardless of the ejection system. Sometimes landing on ledges that are angled can cause problems as well. You will retain your momentum but be bounced off the tower. You'll still survive the impact, but be far away from the tower, negating any advantages the Ejection System might provide. Ok, video time with Uncle NUKA! Here is an easy way to show you how to position yourself once you've landed: As you can see I'm not stealthed in this example. However, what you should do when using a lift is (while sprinting) is to simply think you're going to run through it. This will carry your momentum right up onto the platform with the strut that you can walk up to, and crouch under. This will be a little tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it. This is the position where I carry out most of my killing, as it provides an excellent vantage point. What you can see when you're here: Turrets: One of the great things about a tower under siege (if its enemy held) is the amount of XP hungry Engineers who LOVE to repair. You can farm these players as they come in droves. Not only does this aid you in your experience gain, it also will keep the tower from being able to defend itself, as their turrets will stay broken. *Do note: Use EXTREME caution when there is a manned AA turret. They will search the skies often, but they can still angle down enough to shoot you in this position. I recommend cloaking if they are turning in your direction, and decloaking when they begin to angle away. Air Terminals: As you can see you have a full viewing to three air terminals. This is great too, because many pilots will sit in front of these while waiting for their ESF, or Liberator to come off cooldown, tweak their loadout, or just waste time. This is a place where they must sit still prior to pulling their aircraft, which gives you the perfect opportunity to line up a swift shot to the head. Balconies: Here is another area which can situationally rack up some kills. Many players are so focused on attacking the enemy that comes out of your spawn room that they don't think to look up. This is the perfect opportunity to toss down a few Proximity Mines, etc. Also, a good spot to chuck a grenade. If you do decide to use the EMP Grenade, I highly suggest you throw it towards the lift that is furthest from you, so the explosion won't affect you. Landing Pads: This will provide you an opportunity to snipe the lonely pilot as he steps out to repair his aircraft. This is often deviously douchey, and I've gotten a few hate tells to remind me so. Do note that you won't be able to hit every pilot that comes down, as they vary in their approach and positioning while landing. What to do when you've been found: Don't fret! If you suspect an enemy is about to find you, try and sneak your way into a different position to keep them guessing. Good spots are directly on the wiring just behind this current spot (you'll need to do some shimmying to get through the cracks), or up against the base of the tower. You can use both these positions to let your shields and/or cloak recharge, while continuing to keep them guessing. You can also redeploy if you're in a safe area to preserve your K/D, if you care that much about it. Notes: This isn't a perfect tactic that will get you zillions of kills with no consequences. I've been driven from towers because I know certain players know my spots. I've had a single kill drop to 40+ kill drops. Simply move to another tower or enjoy some long range sniping on another battlefield or continenet. Constantly mix it up! About me: I'm NUKABAZOOKA on the server Connery. Glory to Vanu! PSU Profile: http://www.planetside-universe.com/character.php?stats=NUKABAZOOKA My current headshot to kill ratio is about 36% (at time of posting), and I have two Auraxiums, and numerous Gold medals. I've been playing PS2 since release and I played the original shortly after release. I love the Infiltrator class, and while I'm sure it could use some help, I've been making the most out of what I've been given.
If you have any questions, shoot me a message on the forums as well as in game! If I have the time I'll gladly answer.
Good post. I snipe from the same place you do a lot. I would like to add, that you will also have LOTS of targets on the ground level, where engies will be repairing tanks. If you do this on a tower where the other 2 factions are fighting, but not yours, you can run out of ammo before anyone even suspects you... defenders will not be looking for you, since your tracers will be going in the direction they are shooting, and the attacking forces will have far easier target to shoot at.
Damnit Now everyone's going to start doing this and this will start being one of the first spots that gets checked.
Haha that's what one of my friends said to me. It's ok, not everyone reads the forums. I've already gotten two Auraxiums with this position so I thought I'd share it with people that didn't know.
I like how half an hour after I read this some damn VS infil ran up to me when I was in that spot and killed me (accidentally stealthed so i coudln't fire ><). Looked at the name, oh hey an all caps name, seems familiar....
I would have posted this weeks ago... except that it was too good to give up. Oh well, I've gotten enough kills out of this setup that I am OK with losing it. There are always more places to infiltrate. A few things to add - I've been countered a few times by people using the NV scope. They are the smart ones. When tower population slows down, I frequently will drop down to hack the guns and kill the gunners. Sometimes I man the guns, other times I just wait for an infiltrator to come back and retake the turret... only to take a round to the head. Also, when you need to mix it up, go to the ground floor and pop the guys spawning vehicles - when you are killing VS at the crown or crossroads, there are often 5-10 guys standing still waiting to get in their precious magrider Good guide. Thanks for ******* my game up!!!
Holy thread necro! I'd like to point out that some of the information is now dated with the tower changes. Just recognize it and adapt!
By which he means people like me are constantly looking at the points highlighted in this post with a paranoia approaching madness.
