Image via Complex Original
The Titanfall beta is over and March 11 can't seem further away.
Yes, the world seems a little dimmer now that we're no longer able to rodeo our way to happiness. But, anticipation makes the heart blah, blah, blah, we want to blow some shit up now. We hit our level caps, used up our Burn Cards, and came away a little wiser about the whole outing. We got stomped into paste and blown into a fine red mist and we came away hungry for more.
We also learned a lot. These tactics will help keep you alive once Titanfall drops and ensure that you aren't ground into meat jelly on day one.
10 Tactics to Keep You Alive in Titanfall
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10. Don't Hike Across the Map
Since your Titan is on a cool-down/build cycle, make sure that you're not calling for a Titan fall while you're on the other side of the map. You're going to have to make your way through both enemy and titan fire to get to your cockpit. Keep your Titan close when calling and if you can't, set that bastard to follow mode and meet 'em halfway.
9. Your Titan is Awesome, not Immortal
While intimidating and powerful, your Titan isn't immortal. It may not always be the smartest move to call down your Titan as soon as its ready. Sitting on your drop and waiting for the most opportune time to call it down can be far more effective. Does the enemy have three Titans on the map? Save your drop or else you're just a giant target. Two on one Titan fights can get real ugly, real quick.
Rodeo an enemy Titan and call down your Titan right on top of the enemy for one of the coolest fucking moves a pilot can accomplish. Remember: your Titan is just as vulnerable as it is powerful.
8. Cloak Hard, Cloak Often
Every pilot comes equipped with a standard, personal cloaking device. It's a timed cloak and it's the quickest way to avoid being stomped to meat paste by passing Titans. If you have to cross open ground during a battle the cloaking device will disrupt the Titans' optics long enough to get airborne or get to cover. Cloak works on grunts and other pilots, but it's far less effective and easier to spot who's cloaked while on foot. Certain burn cards can increase the duration of your cloak, but always remember that it's there.
7. Buck That Bronco
This where we spent most of the time in the beta. There was something so incredibly gratifying about rocket jumping onto the back of a Titan, kicking open the protective CPU casing and emptying your weapon into the Titan's brain. A few things to keep in mind: make sure you're on your primary weapon NOT your anti-Titan weapon, keep an eye on enemy pilots looking to snipe you off the back of the Titans, and some Titans will be armed with electric smoke as an anti-rodeo counter-measure, this will kill you.
If you find yourself getting overwhelmed in the middle of a rodeo, press X to let go of the Titan and quickly press the jump button. This will launch your pilot far into the air and let you either land on a rooftop or get enemy Titans. This technique, called the Super Bounce, is perfect when the tide of an attempted rodeo starts going south.
6. This Pistol is a Fucking Genius
One of the more divisive pieces of armament in Titanfall, the Smart-Pistol is aimed at helping new players level up by auto-aiming.
The Smart Pistol will lock onto multiple targets simultaneously and execute them all with a single trigger pull. Grunts and Spectres can be killed with a single shot, while player controlled pilots take a few rounds to fell. Many in the beta thought the weapon was over-powered and unfairly advantageous, but it'll be interesting to see what changes are made to the pistol after the game launches.
A neat trick is to use the Smart Pistol to target your own grenade. Instead of cooking your grenade or waiting for it to detonate, use the pistol to quickly cause an explosion to clear a room.
5. Burn the Decks
After you rank up a few levels, you'll get access to Burn Cards.
Burn Cards are one of the savviest ways Titanfall differentiates itself from other FPS. The cards are one-time use boosts that can be used mid-match. You will select three Burn Cards at the start of the match, and there's no changing your cards once the match has begun.
Extra experience points, reduced build time on Titans, new weapon loadouts, and increased damage are all pretty common cards. Rare cards offer players to revive themselves after death or speed up the Titans damage core ability. Feel free to stack multiple cards of the same ability in your hand before the match starts, suit your Burn Cards to your play style and use wisely.
4. Shields, They're Not Just for Titans Anymore
After calling down a Titan, a shield barrier well generate for a few seconds to give both pilot and Titan time to orient themselves to the battlefield.
Instead of clambering into the seat of the cockpit as fast as humanly possible, one of the most effective tactics we came across was staying on foot and staying inside the shield barrier. From foot, you can fire a few rounds of your anti-titan weapon before jumping into the cockpit.
3. Waste the AI
Grunts and Spectres have caused no shortage of controversy.
Many thought though the AI controlled soldiers would be taking the places of actual players, but they serve a pretty crucial role while still allowing for 6v6 matches.
First, lower level players will be able to stack kills by wasting AI, especially if you're using a Smart Pistol.
Secondly, Grunt and Spectre kills count towards speeding up your Titan gauge. More experienced players should target Grunts to decrease the cool down rate of your Titan's construction time.
And lastly, if you're feeling particularly fiendish, you can escort platoons of AI soldiers to go after other player-controlled pilots. Think of AI as extensions of your tool kit as opposed to teammates.
2. Use Them Thrusters
During the beta, players only got access to one of the three Titans that will be available once the full game launches.
The well-balanced Atlas Titan is a middle-of-the-road option that is equally mobile and armored. When the game launches, we're looking at the Stryder. Hard.
The Stryder's boost jets allow it to dodge quicker than both the Atlas and the heavily armored Ogre. The Stryder is going to be good for quick, guerrilla style battles. Avoid using the Stryder like it's just as tough as the Atlas and keep moving.
1. Fire From a Knifehold
One of the neater tricks in the game, and a perfect way to flank a pursuing enemy is the knife hold.
During a wall-run, stab your knife into a wall and hang in place. This will allow you to pick off enemies with your sidearm. It's perfect for dropping down on a pack of enemies below, but keep in mind that you'll be very, very vulnerable.