Firebases in private matches

WARNING: SLOW DOWN. WALL OF TEXT AHEAD MAY CAUSE INJURIES IF HIT AT FULL SPEED

I would have just put this in Chron's QnA thread, but I'd rather this be its own thread and become more of a universal discussion. It's something that's never really been pointed out too much.

This isn't really a GUIDE, but more of my take on how firebases should be used in privates, as well as everybody else's discussion. I have ideas and strategies for them, but I'd like to see what others think, as well.

At the beginning of the game, I follow the gunner and drop it casually somewhere near the middle to help get early mid control. I expect it to go down pretty quickly.

Since I'm always trying to get airstrike 3 and passive 2 before I upgrade firebase stuff, I pretty much just continue dropping it without worry in spots that will help us hold down a particular spot or fight. For example, if I'm with the gunner and we're flanking down the left side of ammo mule, and all of a sudden I see the other gunner/support, I'll just casually drop the firebase wherever right before we're in fight range. That way, if we have to back up, they can't chase us without taking some extra damage.

Other times, I'll try to drop it in the middle if I know **** is about to go down in the middle...that's obviously always the best.

Once I have hack 2, I'll be a little bit more conservative with my firebase. I'll try to drop it unhacked in a spot that helps us hold the middle, and whenever the gunner goes in with juice or dies, I'll try to hack it.

With hack 3, I'll actually ask the gunner to wait a second for the hack - it only takes a second and is totally worth it when put int he right spot.


One big mistake I used to see a lot was people repeatedly putting the firebase in the same spot over and over again. Why? Unpredictability is a dangerous weapon. Yes, I realize that controlling the dome on ammo mule is the most important, and controlling the middle on steel peel is the most important. But if the other team knows you're going to do it over and over again, it loses its effectiveness. Sometimes, being able to drop it somewhere that covers one bot lane hard is more effective because it will catch the assassin off guard. And while it's not helping out with the middle directly, if somebody has to leave the middle to deal with the firebase, I'd say it still is helping the middle in its own way.

As far as good firebase placement, I'd say it depends on map control. I try to put it just behind our lines of map control so that it's that much harder for the other team to push forward. You don't want it too far back or else it is useless, and you're not generally gonna have time to go back and get it (only time I do is if gunner has juice, dies, or we've cleared most of the enemy pros and it's still close enough that I can get back before the gunner gets shot at too much). I also go for more protection over more damage (for example, I'd prefer to put it under the front bridge in steel peel and behind the glass so that it only shoots bots if the come through the glass. Especially without having time to hack it. It may not hold bots back quite as far, but it holds that choke point for a good bit longer, and makes it impossible for the enemy assassin to push bots out of his base on that side. I would prefer this to the top of my bridge where it covers both bot lanes because a lone airstrike can end that). But once again, I will still put it in less cover spaces sometimes just for unpredictability purposes.

What's your opinion on firebase placement in privates?

Would definitely like to see comments from Jon, Chron, and Shammas, as well as anybody else who plays a decent amount of support in private matches.

Having a hacked firebase covering the juice machines is always good too.

my favorite new firebase placement was feedles use of a level 3 firebase on the back half of the dome in ammo mule. Just low enough to not see it on the otherside of the map/bridges. It's easily killable with an air strike, and it isn't an ideal placement for the majority of the game, but it's healing ability helped us regain and hold mid map. Feedle was able to keep chaos overhealed while I was able to push up, and fly back to the firebase as needed.

It's one of those things that are probably easy to catch on, but it was something I never seen impleneted before which I found to be very useful in the moment. It actually "wowed" me at the time which doesn't happen too often since private matches feel to standard or repeated.

Support is self explanatory?
Steps
Passive 2/ Airstrike 2.
Heal the gunner.
Throws airstrikes to throw off other teams gunner.
Don't die to the assault.
Spamming firebase/ hack when gunner is away.
Juice kill everyone.
Everything else is situational.

Thank you, but this thread is looking for more detailed discussion on when and where to drop firebases. Spamming firebase doesn't help that much if people are dropping them in spots that don't help at all.

The spots are obvious?

You troll like a 17 year old

One time on Ammo mule, my team refused to push forward because...I really don't know why. Anyway, I ran up to the enemy bot spawn and set up and hacked my firebase. It netted me a few kills before it was destroyed.

/Tactics

If you don't know the spots as much as you play this game that's just sad.

Was it your mother or father that gave you the extra chromosome?

If you guys want to keep your gunner healed and not have to worry about stopping to set up a firebase, you can just toss it on the run in a spot where it can kill bots/might surprise someone. If you just upgrade your firebase, passive, and airstrikes and don't worry about hacks, you can save a bunch of money and you don't have to stop to set up a firebase that's inevitably getting destroyed by a smart enemy team.

This isn't on topic. reported.

I think the main problem in privates is everyone hacks the base to target bots not use it as a healing beacon. I thought the roof would be a good idea since it keeps gunners away from trying to charge us and it heals when your reloading or hurt.

Also theres way too many comon spots for them.. try putting them on glass or walls or just areas people come back for health (near spawn rooms)

Covering mid is good but if you cant get mid post mid is good

I rarely hack my firebase in privates cause it gives its location off more easily. Switch the locations everytime. Firebase 3.0 has alot of fire power compared to say a 1.3..
Plus it heals

one of the biggest misconceptions is that firebases need to go in places that are hard to airstrike. a good firebase is one that takes at least a sacrifice to get rid of. i feel the best firebase is one that goes in a high traffic map control area but is back far enough that it cant be shot down easily. places like your own side back middle at steel peel or ammo mule are great, as well as on top of glass railings and walls at lazor anywhere top middle that shoot most of the map, also top middle by juice machines that shoot pros and down left/right into bot lanes. sure these can be hit with airstrikes, but the support needs to get that far to make a good throw, and with firebase bullets raining down from the distance its not that easy for anyone to kill it without a sacrifice, or two, or a failed attempt causing more deaths to the enemy team. as soon as the enemy gunner goes down and yours is back to full health, throw that thing down asap in any very high traffic area that doesnt render you 100% easily vulnerable to the enemy sniper. who cares if it gets destroyed, with bronze skill you have it back in like 30-45 seconds plus hack, and besides, this is your afterthought, you have other things to keep you busy in the meantime, like being a good teammate keeping everyone alive and calling out.

as player level increases and the competitive scene thickens, the support has the biggest bullseye on its back and actually needs to have a smart gameplan and no longer be a spongebob support. if anyone would like a crash course on how to be a great asset on support and effectively do more than just healing the gunner without sacrificing his survivability in the process, post in the training camp thread or contact me. we have some good supports developing in the community but when i play it from time to time in privates i feel like i do so much more than some of the supports i rain terror on while playing assault lol

sometimes you just need to pull out the shotgun and kill that damn gunner with full health since he wont die.

Hurt Gun > Suistrike > Shotgun

Trust me, I'm right.

very true
though its funny to beacon a gunner and watch him pull a looney toons trying to run.

Or spin up his minigun and kill you before you can pull off the 2nd/3rd shot.