Hellchick's Favorite Support Strats (And Yours)

i donno if anyone have tried this, but it works for me, but first, a simple kind of "must do" tactic to help your team:

if you just died or otherwise just got into your base and you have to run to the enemy base again, HEAL EVERYTHING IN YOUR WAY, i usually do that and then find out that, that little overcharge i gave that Pro or Bot, made our push/defend THAT much easier
- the slightest change can make the big difference

and now what i do about Assassins (this is with the Standard Support Class, havent had the chance to really make my Custom Support Class )

ive run around a quiet bit as a Support now and ive survived 8/10 Assassin Grapples cus i usually see them coming. ALLWAYS keep an eye out for assassins, you can see their footsteps sometimes when theyre cloaked (theres dust by their feet) so if you see them coming, begin jumping and shoot at them with your shotgun as it will still hurt them and try and get to either some bots or other players ORRRR you could try and get Grappled from the front which leaves you at about 15-25% HP and be sure to be by your FireBase so it shoots at them. Now, with the Assassin exposed to your turret and (i found it easier with the Healgun) your Heal/Hurt gun, BEGIN JUMPING AROUND to avoid the Assassins psycicly swinging sword and start killing them with the drain attack as it HEALS YOU in the meantime thus keeping you alive for longer
ive killed MANY assassins this way

and a little tip i found out while playing, if you got your Heal/Hurt gun out, you can "pinpoint" cloaked assassins close by, by pressing the Left Trigger(default - i donno if theres other configs) and it shoots at the assassin for about 0.5 sec till it finds out "oh yeah, i cant shoot at cloaked assassins, gotta stop that"
just keep tapping that left trigger (not spam it tho, just once every sec or so) it helped me in alot of situations

and if you finally see an assassin just behind you, try to jump and turn around, and start shooting, it could save your life

so to fight assassins turn into an italian jumping bean?

naah... not an italian jumping bean... they arent as dangerous as a Support with either his shotgun or Heal/Hurtgun...

thanks for the good info here!

cant wait to get online and try some of these strats.

Secure yourself a Shavice turret early on!

I used to alwyas spend my $300 on upgrading hack and turret. By the time I got enough money too secure a shavice nodule thingy they were all taken with cheap lazer blazers. So instead purchase a shavice (in a good tactical location obvioussly! around a corner is awlays nice) then place your firebase near it. Hang about keeoping both turrets healed up and you will get so much cash from all the bots it slows and kills, assasins will fall to your shotgun as soon as they become visible, even if you get caight offguard by a pro chances are they will gt slowed and cant get away from your firebase fire soon enough.

Standing under a bridge you know a sniper is on top of, or a support with a turret, and throwing an airstrike at your feet, so it hits them above you and they have no idea because they cant see the icons.

You know the little underground tunnel on Ammo Mule? Go down there and airstrike...especially if there are people up top in the oval room. Tee hee.

well theres a few things with support id like to share

If your playing blitz hack a shavice turrnet level 3 to 3.3
it will slow EVERYTHING down
put at least 4 of them up near the enterences (when they walk into the area by the money ball) this will slow down the gangs and let things kill easier

Having all rockets 3.3 is nice but they cant shoot as quick unless you do this.

Now for custom stats... everyone has their own favs but lets get down to play
Most people will pick: armor gold, rate of fire silver, bronze skill points
or gold skill points, silver armor, bronze health recovery or something in the mix up

Those who like the shotgun might want : gold rate, silver clip size, crt bronze

His missile strike works well when your on a ledge and dropping it on people who cant see you or jumping up an jump pad and launching it as you go up (kills campers up top)

His heal gun over charged on a shavice 3.3 will give it super health and most bots will try and shoot this so your other turrents get a break.

Best way to play a support i think is behind a gunner/tank/assassin and keep healing them as they go in or sit back and be the turrent scientist.

Support is not a bulldog type of character ... going in with a shot gun and trying to be like a tank=death.

Main problem you will have is vs snipers as they will pick away at your things and make life hell for you

This is a really good idea. I'll definitely have to try it tonight.

completely epic

I use the gunner/support strategy

One gunner tears up the place and I heal him, pretty basic but effective when wiping up noobs.

Easy kills:

- Get to the opponents spawn.
- Place the turret in between 2 of the three openings.
- Randomly drop air strikes under one of the two openings (so they can't see it coming).
- Shotgun blast anyone coming out (can beat anyone, especially with turret support).

You can normally get this setup after overhealing bots / pros / turrets on the way to the opponents base and get juiced.

While juiced, take out one of the turrets by the moneyball, purchase the opponents jump pad to get the spawnpoint and have fun mowing down pros while your teammates destroy the moneyball.

I can't tell you how many games I've been in where the MB shields have been taken down early but then been saved by putting up Laser3.3's and nursing them for awhile until the attackers back off or have been killed by the turrets or teammates. Not only are they cheap, but they are quick to overcharge and their firepower is intense. Even though they are pretty easy to destroy, 3.3's are easy to keep around as long as you are watching them. Since they heal so quickly, you'll be surprised what they can withstand while you are babysitting them. They're basically huge versions of your FB when you think about it. Once the attack has been withstood, switch off of defense and try to get map control back with a smart FB deployment and by pushing your bots a little. Try to time this when the other team is mass respawning. The only time this won't work is when the opposing team is very organized and will team rush your turrets over and over.. but if its just an Assassin or two, or a couple of gunners/snipers/mortars, keeping a 3.3 laser around is easy. On Ammo Mule it works out really well because if you do the 2 front insides (by the ramps) as laser3's then the two back as laser 3.3's the back ones will almost always kill some assassin or whoever that is trying to attack the front sets. Who cares if you lose some laser 3's? They're so cheap and they build so quickly.. it doesnt really mess with your money flow and they even make up for it quickly through bot and pro kills. Using them as bait is fun and a good way to knock someone off their game through frustration. They also keep people from camping in the open on the bridges near your base due to their speed and distance/reach.

An essential point when trying to build Laser 3's and hack them up while your base is underfire... Keep upgrading their levels as fast as you can to protect them from oncoming fire. As soon as you hit the upgrade button for level 3 on a turret, start hacking it while it's build container is up. A lvl2 hack will be @ like 90% completed by the time the upgrade is done, and the container around it will protect you from gunfire. Once the hack is done and the build container drops... duck to the side and keep your heal gun focused until the attackers have run off or the bots are dead.

On LaserRazor, always keep a hacked turrent on the left side near the side entrance door. Wether its the the default lvl1 Rockit that is there at spawn or a built turret.. it will save your rear and will delay the inevitable side entrance attack for a little while longer so that you can try to grab the momentum first. Since one of your teammates (usually a sniper) will also often camp that area at your base, the combined effect can really help out in the long run. It is worth keeping that turret hacked. An Ice turret right by that entrance and a lvl3 laser ahead of that near the normal entrance is also smart because it'll keep those suckers from running out at the turret. Same goes for the other side, but the side with the rear entrance is def. the weak side because it gives such an opening for Pros to `nade or snipe out your base/turrets.

+ Overheal everything, all the time. The benefits and the eventual Juice reward is one of the best things about support. That and unloading a shotgun into Assassins faces (oh, how i enjoy that...).

++Leave your base! The Support's FB is essential to map control. If you are always in your base you are only doing a 1/3rd of your job. Try to help gain/sustain map control early right after spawn with a smart FB placement and by overcharging your teammates (esp. Gunners.. gunners are almost always aware of this too and will hope/expect a support to help get control of an area). And I mean Run. Every map has at least one great choke point for a FB that is decently protected from airstrikes/distant crossfire.

Steel Peel is the hardest map to sustain a FB in a good choke point, but it has several. The "popular" areas on Steel Peel for FB's arent exactly the most useful areas (plus theres a good chance another team Support or a Tank/Gunner will already be in the same area), so try to be creative. On weak teams the typical spot by their front bridge where their spawn jump pad goes (but away from an airstrike position) is good, but against good teams it wont do much of jack! Control the middle by finding a spot that'll help you control at least one side of the map. If the other team manages to get total control of the Central platform, you're in a world of hurt. I'd tell you some exact spots, but I dont want everyone doing what I do =P K/D isnt always important if you want to win a game, sometimes you have to limit your kills as a Support to sustain map control by being a consistent pest. If you become a distraction for the other team, they'll start to focus on you which means they aren't focusing on anything else. Plus you're likely to get alot of Assassin kills because Assasins always think they can pick off Supports ;]

+++When in the open, or when in doubt, run with your shotgun out as much as possible, it's more important than the credit you might be giving it and you'll always be ready to take on other Supports and Assassins when they pop up out of the blue. Also, the Support's grapple will take out all bot's (except XL's..duh) in one blow. When pushing bots, grappling is d00m. If more supports grappled bots when their MB is down, they'd be in a much better situation trying to stop the flow. Grappling as any character is also essential to slowing/stopping a Juiced player. Nothing more frustrating than when you are Juiced and someone grapples you!

And this should go unsaid.. you dont have to babysit your base as much if your team is controlling the first Attack and pushing bots early. Taking the enemies base as early as possible is the key to a win.. you never know what will happen in OT, specially since so many people Turtle their attack and plan on Juicing as soon as OT happens. They who attack best and first, usually wins.. and as a Support that means trying to keep your team alive as much as it means central map control. Keeping or regaining momentum is the key. Learn to balance that and know when your role requires you to be in your base, supportin some gunners/tanks, or to be on the full on attack.

I rarely do level 3 hack or lvl3 FB upgrades anymore. My upgrade is usually lvl 2 everything + lvl 3 airstrikes. I often go in this order: Hack lvl2, FB lvl2, Airstrike lvl2, Passive lvl2, Airstike lvl3 (sometimes, but not always). Between the Hack lvl2 and FB lvl2 I usually try to save my dough to get in an early Juice attack, because during that attack you'll usually get enough to finish those upgrades. Othertimes, I upgrade first..wait till I have about 200 more, then use an "earned" Juice. By the end of that Juice you may die but you should have enough to buy a second Juice almost immediately. If there was a leaderboard for Turrets Destroyed.. I'd be up there along side a bunch of Assassins.

Support strat... Hide behind teammates until you have juice, run out, keep pressing the jump button, hold down the trigger. Don't worry about aiming, you won't need to.

Gunner strat: Hide half way across map, spam relentlessly. Live thanks to Support. Cry about getting Juiced by a Support. When bored, troll forum.

lol

Dude, do you really think we need to be told how to get easy spawn kills? It's not like you figured out some great advantage, you just have no pride i suppose...

LOL! You really think pretty highly of yourself. Like playing a gunner takes a whole lot of skill.

"best gunner I've ever played with" Is kinda like saying he's the fastest guy at the Special Olympics. Keep strokin ur own minigun.

Tell you what, I'll get my buddies to post some stuff about how awesome I am, then I'll quote em on my posts so everyone can tell what a lifeless douche I am.

Can't wait to run into you

With Support;

So i got tired of using Gold Speed/RoF (either) and decided to explore other possibilities.
I thought, "Hey, what about Gold Armor? Let see what I can survive using it!"

To my surprise, I actually survived assassin backstabs. (after reaching passive 3)

I was shocked. However, the assassin was using a dagger so I can only imagine a sword would still be a KO.

However, despite having Gold Armor, this Gunner had NO PROBLEM blowing the **** out of me AND AT A RANGE. I have no idea how or why. He had dual minigun so it was reasonable for him to deal considerable damage. But I had GOLD ARMOR. He literally blew me away in less than a second, maybe less than five bullets to do it. I thought this was impossible. I could understand when I was using Bronze Armor or no Armor. But this is GOLD ARMOR! What the heck was he using? Gold Critical or something? It was impossible for me to even look at him before dying. My controller barely vibrated so it wasn't that many bullets that hit me.

I easily survive Sniper sniper shots, 3-4 before I die as opposed to just 1-3.
Assaults are laughable, they can't do enough damage compared to my Hurt gun healing me back up. Tanks and I have the longest fights (it'll take me 3-6 shotgun shots to kill him and him taking 3-6 Tank-related shots/skills to kill me) so fighting Tanks with Gold Armor is fun.

Other Supports fall prey easily to Gold Armor when we both try to HHgun each other or Shotgun each other. I need another shotgun shot to drop dead, more than enough for me to kill them.

But that one Gunner... WTF?????

So fellow supports, how do you think the new DLC has affected the support's metagame?


But before I talk about my own thoughts I don't boast a high K/Ds score or currently lvl99 but i hope my experiences relate to others.

With new DLC comes new Nerfs

The Spunky Cola DLC is a strange new DLC. Being based on the Spunky Juice endorsement there's alot less "bursting with the juices".

I feel taking away the juice gained from healing has forced the question on the support player. Should I really heal this? (Do I spend the whole game healing turrents over and over again)

Yes, healing is important making it harder for Pros and bots to destroy turrets. But the time taken to heal your base and possibly create a new turrent; would have awarded you with little to no juice and any additional costs on new turrents.

Where as within those 2 mins of healing you could have destroyed 2 waves of bots, killed a pro and/or deloyed your firebase (in a bot lane). Which would have given you income and alot more juice, and prevented those bots from even appoarching your base.

Healing or as I'd like to call it babysitting the base is one of the many jobs a support HAS to do but I feel its priotory has been lowered for more beneficial and reawarding tasks such as Bot and Map control.


I wish I could make it rain

Before the new DLC I would considered the support "THE demolition man" detroying and heavily damaging all turrents with a flurry of triple airstrikes.

But now with the with airstrikes taking PAINFULLY long to regen it has simply reinforced there primary use. DESTROYING TURRENTS. Gimimcs such as throwing an airstrike under a bridge or attemping a "ground zero" on Pros seem like pointless gambles now.

I myself am guilt of using airstrikes as suppressive fire (being the only long range weapon we have) but with them taking so long to recharge I'd rather use them for guaranteed hits now.


Rise of the assasin

The assasin received quite a few buffs, she did lose damage in 1 area but gained it in others. But now with support and sniper out of the picture the assasin seems like the next juice junkie class, quickly destroying waves of bots and stocking juice pickups. Whats this mean for the support? Well alot more juiced assasin going after your turrents.

Without having your own juice to counter(QQ) just remember a grapple will slow one down, but two shots to the face will put the bitch down.


TLR
Being a defensive support the whole game is earning you no juice /money, better go offensive.

Airstrikes go on turrents

Volume loud. Assasin found.