Are you having trouble getting kills in Tribes Ascend? Are you tired of seeing your name at the bottom of the leaderboard? Or maybe you are just looking for a few tips and tricks to improve your play? In either case, this guide is for you.
Maintain Momentum
Tribes Ascend is an extremely fast-paced FPS, meaning that speed is as essential as the shooting. There is a reason your jetpack is mapped to your 2nd mouse button; you are meant to use it very frequently.
When you spawn, you are usually on a pretty elevated spot on the map. Use this to your advantage to directly build up speed using your skiing technique. When a hill is approaching, lightly use your jetpack so you don’t lose momentum, and let go once you reached the top. Imagine you are sailing on the map and the hills are waves. If you master the terrain, you master movement. Always use slopes to your advantage by picking up speed, and use your jetpack to avoid going up the slopes. If you start walking in Tribes you are as good as dead.
Also use the jetpack to make sharp turns, as when you are skiing, it can be very difficult to turn in time. Keep in mind, however, that you can always use the side of hills and mountains to assist you with your turning whilst skiing. Your jetpack fuel runs out very quickly and therefore you can’t rely on it at all times.
Rain Hell with the Thumper
If you have played more than one match in Tribes Ascend, you can agree with me that explosive weapons are by far the most popular on the battlefield. As a Ranger you have the Thumper, a small, pistol shaped weapon. Thumpers, or explosive weapons in general, are much more efficient when used in the air against foes on the ground. Hitting someone in mid air with this weapon is almost impossible and not worth the trouble, whereas hitting someone on the ground whilst also being on the ground can prove more tedious than it seems, unless you have a height advantage.
That said, if you use your momentum effectively, you can easily speed past your enemy, jump over him, and quickly fire a round of your Thumper, which can easily damage half of your opponent’s health. Unfortunately, the Thumper can only hold one shot at a time, so you will have to take into account the reload time. You can repeat this technique until your target is dead. Remember: if you move fast and exploit your momentum, your opponent will have a hard time hitting you. Also, by jumping in the air, you will increase your chances of not being hit as well as the possibility of maintaining the same speed when you land. Get above your enemy, shoot him and keep going. Do not forget about your momentum, as even after you’ve killed an enemy danger is all over the place, and you need to remain light on your feet.
Do not get too focused on kills, however. Tribes rewards you with credits with everything you do, even if you barely hit the enemy. In the end, it’s these points which make you go up on the leaderboard, not you kills. It’s better to speed around the map and fire one or two Thumpers at enemies without killing them, than focusing on one guy for the whole time. This way you can still get kills, but you will earn plenty of points from assists and sheer damage.
Know When to Use the Assault Rifle
It’s pretty clear from this point that this ain’t no Call of Duty. You can play much more efficiently by using your Thumper over your assault rifle. The latter, however, can prove to be extremely helpful in certain cases. As a Ranger, your assault rifle has very good range and accuracy, making it deadly at medium to short range. Do not hesitate to keep your finger on the trigger as ammo isn’t a problem; dead enemies drop ammo and there are ammo stations everywhere. It can be difficult to hit other players with such a weapon since everyone moves so fast, so remember to aim a little further ahead your target, making slight corrections to your aim when you fire. Once you start hitting the enemy, you will do a significant amount of damage before they even realise what’s happening.
The assault rifle can also be effectively used after you strike an enemy with the Thumper. You can deal some big damage straight away with your Thumper, and chip away the rest of your opponent’s health with your assault rifle.
Know the Physics of the Game
People move. A lot. When you look at people playing the game, they are constantly skiing and jumping. The way you can get the most kills or deal the most damage is by gaining some altitude with your jetpack and quickly predict where your opponent is going to be. A well placed Thumper shot does significantly more damage and, if you effectively manage to predict someone’s movement patter, you can take them down with the assault rifle before they even start firing back.
Unfortunately, this only comes with practice, keen observation, and a little bit of instinct. If you combine all these tips and carefully observe your enemy, you will become an unstoppable force.
So, remember, gain momentum, use altitude to your advantage when taking down opponents and keep that momentum going!
If you enjoyed this article you can read my preview and impressions of the Tribes Ascend closed beta here.
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