Heavy Metal: Ember and Tempest on the move
Fellow Pilots,
Happy Friday! We're ending week 2 of the WRU blog, and it's been visited well over a thousand times in that short run. So thank you! Don't forget to subscribe (top right) to get an email on the joyous occasion of new posts. Speaking of new, you can visit the new official War Robots page, which is also home to this article!
There are many ways to win at War Robots, but one of the most satisfying is to crush your enemies under the weight of superior firepower. Heavy weapons and robots, however, are slower than their lighter brethren. If you get caught in the open, you are going to get melted!
This guide is a companion to Flanking Maneuvers, and will focus on moving your heavy sluggers into a useful position for your team. Staying in your spawn area won’t cut it, especially if you are running a short range weapon like Thunder or the flamethrowing Ember. You aren’t fast, so it’s time to add more real-life military knowledge to your game play.
FIRE AND MOVEMENT
Movement is critical in War Robots, and fortunately, military strategists have already figured out the best way to do it! Part of your force shoots at the enemy, pinning them in a fixed position, while the other part moves. The concept is called “fire and movement,” or suppressive fire.
If you have friends who are blasting away, and the enemy is relatively immobile, you should move toward the enemy flanks. This is the best way to bring a heavy robot, especially an unshielded one like a Leo or Fury, into position.
If the enemy is moving with impunity, you should consider a support role - shoot at them and get them to stop!
Taking turns between movement and suppression is called “bounding overwatch,” or leapfrogging. It’s not complicated - advance when your buddies are engaging the enemy; suppress when your buddies are moving. If retreating, the same strategy is called “center peel,” but it works in the exact same way.
PLAYING WITH FIRE: EMBER
The Ember is a wicked flamethrower that bypasses both physical and energy shields. It does massive damage, but you need to approach within 350 meters of your targets. Two of my favorite Ember gunboats are obvious - Fury, for three weapons; Carnage for two weapons, energy shield, plus mobility. The Golem might not be as common, but it has several big advantages. It costs only half a million silver, can be upgraded to Mark 2/level 12 in eight days (same as a Destrier!), and is a fantastic corner shooter. It’s also quick on its feet.
HEAVY METAL: TEMPEST
The Tempest is a side-by-side cannon that can engage your enemies from up to 800 meters away; it can be used for eliminating physical or energy shields. In my opinion, it really shines when used to suppress enemy movement. Who wants to cross open territory with thousands of bullets in the air? I don’t.
I like to spawn a support robot second or third, after I’ve brawled my way to a beacon lead and the enemy is on their heels. It is spectacularly unhelpful to get into your sniper or support robot with a beacon deficit; do NOT watch the clock drip away while your team loses the battle!
Here, I’ve taken a couple screen shots of an instructive sequence. The Dreadnought map combines cover in the center with open spaces and long sight lines around the edges; the lesson here, though, is that distance matters less than angle. My Butch’s job is to keep the enemy in the center of the map, unable to move on the sides. My team is protected on my side, and able to flank.
If you are doing your job correctly in the support role, your teammates will score MUCH more damage than you do. The reason is simple - they are in close contact using high damage weapons like Orkans and Tarans. Plus, a properly suppressed enemy is sitting behind cover while your team controls the battlefield (and wins). If you are scoring millions in damage, you are either doing suppression wrong, or your opponent refused to take cover and was destroyed!
The variety among heavy weapons is great - don’t limit yourself to the ones I have described here. Nashorn, Kang Dae, Trebuchet, and Zeus can all be used to devastating effect if you consider your range and timing carefully.
DON’T CAMP. Unless you are playing TDM. Then, get out the sleeping bag and the s'mores!
Happy hunting, and if you should see me on the battlefield, kindly focus your heavy weapon fire on an enemy who hasn’t provided such useful advice!
From Russia with love,
Where y'at?
Faculty Notes
APPENDIX: GALLERY OF FAMOUS FIREPOWER
Happy Friday! We're ending week 2 of the WRU blog, and it's been visited well over a thousand times in that short run. So thank you! Don't forget to subscribe (top right) to get an email on the joyous occasion of new posts. Speaking of new, you can visit the new official War Robots page, which is also home to this article!
There are many ways to win at War Robots, but one of the most satisfying is to crush your enemies under the weight of superior firepower. Heavy weapons and robots, however, are slower than their lighter brethren. If you get caught in the open, you are going to get melted!
This guide is a companion to Flanking Maneuvers, and will focus on moving your heavy sluggers into a useful position for your team. Staying in your spawn area won’t cut it, especially if you are running a short range weapon like Thunder or the flamethrowing Ember. You aren’t fast, so it’s time to add more real-life military knowledge to your game play.
FIRE AND MOVEMENT
Movement is critical in War Robots, and fortunately, military strategists have already figured out the best way to do it! Part of your force shoots at the enemy, pinning them in a fixed position, while the other part moves. The concept is called “fire and movement,” or suppressive fire.
If you have friends who are blasting away, and the enemy is relatively immobile, you should move toward the enemy flanks. This is the best way to bring a heavy robot, especially an unshielded one like a Leo or Fury, into position.
If the enemy is moving with impunity, you should consider a support role - shoot at them and get them to stop!
Taking turns between movement and suppression is called “bounding overwatch,” or leapfrogging. It’s not complicated - advance when your buddies are engaging the enemy; suppress when your buddies are moving. If retreating, the same strategy is called “center peel,” but it works in the exact same way.
A diagram showing the basic principle of a bounding overwatch maneuver; each bracket shows the overwatch positions taken by each team as they advance.
PLAYING WITH FIRE: EMBER
The Ember is a wicked flamethrower that bypasses both physical and energy shields. It does massive damage, but you need to approach within 350 meters of your targets. Two of my favorite Ember gunboats are obvious - Fury, for three weapons; Carnage for two weapons, energy shield, plus mobility. The Golem might not be as common, but it has several big advantages. It costs only half a million silver, can be upgraded to Mark 2/level 12 in eight days (same as a Destrier!), and is a fantastic corner shooter. It’s also quick on its feet.
Your enemies will have a VERY hard time dislodging you when you can fire around edges and have over 200K health.
Note the kill list - an Ember Carnage is a red-melting machine. Pilot xenip hasn’t gotten the message, so he is next. Utilize your “rush” ability to move in and out of cover as needed; waiting for opportunities allows your shield to recharge too. Ember can shoot around the corners a bit, although the width of the projectile is narrow.
HEAVY METAL: TEMPEST
The Tempest is a side-by-side cannon that can engage your enemies from up to 800 meters away; it can be used for eliminating physical or energy shields. In my opinion, it really shines when used to suppress enemy movement. Who wants to cross open territory with thousands of bullets in the air? I don’t.
Like Beacon Rush mode AND your long range robots? No problem - spawn your death dealing weapon at the center and deny your foes the approach. Your teammates will LOVE you; your enemies will FEAR you.
I like to spawn a support robot second or third, after I’ve brawled my way to a beacon lead and the enemy is on their heels. It is spectacularly unhelpful to get into your sniper or support robot with a beacon deficit; do NOT watch the clock drip away while your team loses the battle!
Here, I’ve taken a couple screen shots of an instructive sequence. The Dreadnought map combines cover in the center with open spaces and long sight lines around the edges; the lesson here, though, is that distance matters less than angle. My Butch’s job is to keep the enemy in the center of the map, unable to move on the sides. My team is protected on my side, and able to flank.
I have equipped a Butch with Tempests and Zenits … the cannon for when I have a sight line to the enemy, the artillery for when he’s behind cover. I’ve moved left for the red beacons and to keep the red team from spreading out. They are bunched together and almost encircled.
If you are doing your job correctly in the support role, your teammates will score MUCH more damage than you do. The reason is simple - they are in close contact using high damage weapons like Orkans and Tarans. Plus, a properly suppressed enemy is sitting behind cover while your team controls the battlefield (and wins). If you are scoring millions in damage, you are either doing suppression wrong, or your opponent refused to take cover and was destroyed!
The enemy team, as predicted, attempts to move toward their right, my left. My first goal is containment; the second goal here is beacon capture. Note that my teammate’s advance is made possible, in part, by the suppressive fire. There is no hurry to capture this beacon so I can wait until the coast is clear.
Beacon DELTA has fallen, but I capture BRAVO while laying down suppressive fire. In this instance I am firing one weapon as the other reloads to keep the heavy metal in the air at all times.
The entire enemy team has moved in my direction. This is a good thing, because it is much easier to damage them in groups with Zenits. In extreme instances, I will even be able to move to the enemy home beacon. Here, it is sufficient to keep the enemy pinned down while the blue team advances.
The variety among heavy weapons is great - don’t limit yourself to the ones I have described here. Nashorn, Kang Dae, Trebuchet, and Zeus can all be used to devastating effect if you consider your range and timing carefully.
DON’T CAMP. Unless you are playing TDM. Then, get out the sleeping bag and the s'mores!
Happy hunting, and if you should see me on the battlefield, kindly focus your heavy weapon fire on an enemy who hasn’t provided such useful advice!
From Russia with love,
Where y'at?
Faculty Notes
Please consider becoming a supporter of War Robots University. Patreon makes it possible, and the U's backers become part of an exclusive Discord server. Your screenies and video of in-game heroics will be immortalized; your in-game name shall strike fear in your enemies!
Become a Patron!
If you read the U's blog, hit the subscribe button here - top right - and at our YouTube channel! We do not (and can not) spam or bother you. You get an email notification when we post new content. Email the faculty at warrobotsu@gmail.com.
Until the introduction of the Greek bots, Pixonic provided component items to War Robots University's professors/pilots for review. The content of War Robots U is created and edited by its authors exclusively. For an explanation of the relationship between Pixonic and the U, read this post!
The U is not just a blog ... we are also iOS clans #48669, #141459, and #139479. We are always looking for champion-league pilots, and welcome skilled communicators from around the world.
The U is not just a blog ... we are also iOS clans #48669, #141459, and #139479. We are always looking for champion-league pilots, and welcome skilled communicators from around the world.
APPENDIX: GALLERY OF FAMOUS FIREPOWER
You never forget the first time you get bombarded by a level 12 Zenit Fury! Moses201 was on my team, thankfully. If it does happen to you, run.
Firing position: The center beacon on the Moon map isn’t quite as good as the enemy’s right side (your left), but don’t be afraid to move your heavy into the action.
Heavy weapons can take out multiple enemies in a single shot. They got one of my Tridents … but I got both of their robots.
Comments
Post a Comment