Zaaeed Massani
Mics Only Dust
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Posted - 2014.01.23 15:36:00 -
[1] - Quote
Hello Rez,
I personally also had an extensive background in BF3 when I came over to DUST. I was a crack sniper (1000yd headshot max) and an ace chopper/jet pilot.
The sniping here is a lot different. You'll find that you'll be able to see a stationary target and when you line up a shot on them, you don't hit them. It seems to me that the range is limited on some of the sniper rifles. Also, it is worth noting the efficiency rating, as someone else has mentioned (<100% = body shot, >100% = head shot). You should go for headshots all the time, in the interest of ammo efficiency if for no other reason.
The aircraft physics in this game are so different that I temporarily gave up piloting after my first attempt, at least until I was able to save up some extra ISK and buy a few ships to practice with. I recommend practicing with the Viper rather than the Gorgon, at least at first. It's a bit more squirrely, but much more responsive. Once you get the hang of the mechanics then I suggest practicing with both Gallente (armor-based) and Caldari (shield-based) vehicles. Also, there will be times that flying a dropship may not be feasible (like if the other team has multiple AV guys gunning for you). For that reason I find it a worthwhile investment to invest in both LAV's and HAV's. Then if you deem it too dangerous, land somewhere safe, recall your dropship and call in a tank or truck.
You'll find that as you buy more and more expensive ships (ex: Gorgon < Grimsnes < Incubus), the ships become much, much more durable and agile. I was horrified by how poor the Gorgon handled, but when I bought and flew my first Incubus, I was ecstatic. I experimented with various characters and put skill points all over the place before settling on the specific SP investments I wanted to make on my main. After that I eventually decided that I preferred the assault rifle style of play over the sniper rifle style.
There are two tips I'll give you that will help you immensely:
1. Invest in drop uplinks to level 3. You'll then be able to get the R-9 Drop Uplink, which allows you to have two of them deployed at one time. Make a loadout with a Militia Light Frame (I prefer Minmatar because it's the fastest and gets a bonus to Nova Knives, which I enjoy using), submachine gun, R-9 Drop Uplink, and 2x Militia Cardiac Regulators. If you put and points in Grenadier (which you should, eventually), throw on flux grenades as well. This is a very, very cheap loadout that you can whip out in Ambush, start throwing drop uplinks down, and rake in the dough. It's not unusual for me to clear 300k ISK in one Ambush match with this loadout. If you're in need of ISK, that's the most efficient way I know of to get more. In addition, you might be surprised how much punch the flux nades/submachine gun packs. Submachine guns are very effective against armor...combined with flux grenades and a light suit you are, quite literally, a heavy's worst nightmare. You can strafe around him faster than he can turn, and your submachine gun will chew through his armor like a shark through a surfer.
It's also worth noting that this method, through garnering a huge amount of WP, allows you to not only generate ISK faster, but SP as well, letting you cap out for the week more quickly. As someone that works full time, commutes to school full time, and is working on planning a wedding, I rarely get to cap out. This makes what little time I get to try and get some SP of paramount importance. (Thank CCP for passive SP, or I'd have given up long ago).
2. LEVEL UP SUBMACHINE GUNS. They are a sidearm and therefore relatively inexpensive in terms of SP. Submachine guns with points thrown into ammo capacity, reload speed, dispersion, and proficiency can rival an assault rifle. You can use a cheap submachine gun to save money and still be effective, but I promise you won't regret the extra points you put into the other submachine gun skills because they improve the effectiveness of any submachine gun dramatically. In addition, it's rather funny when you see someone trying to flank you, you pull out your sidearm, hit them with a flux nade to strip their shields, and then kill them before they know what happened. A good sniper is one thing, but a good sniper with chops in CQC is quite a force to be reckoned with. This playstyle actually led me to design a new character strictly for this role...minus the sniper rifles. It's quite fun.
TL; DR:
1. Go for headshots (look for efficiency % >100).
2. Purchase and use all varieties of vehicles, not just dropships.
3. Invest in drop uplinks to level 3, get R-9 uplinks and if you need ISK throw them everywhere in Ambush matches. Priority goes to places that allow your team to flank the enemy or spawn out of the line of fire.
4. Level up submachine guns and use them in conjunction with flux grenades.
See ya out there! |