With Titanfall only weeks away now, I’ve put together a series of 10 tips that you’ll need to hit the ground running when the title launches.
Bots
Many people who play Titanfall complain about the “Bots” or Grunts and Spectres as they’re known. However, these creeps (for anyone familiar with DOTA) are their to support your power progression. Not only do they reduce the time it takes for your Titan to arrive by killing them, but they’ll also aid in your completion of achievements and in Attrition mode will directly improve your sides score. You should also be aware that you can hack Spectres by using the action button on them - they’ll then fight for you.
Pilots
Fundamental to Titanfall are Pilots and while you might feel particularly vulnerable as one, it’s critical that you not only learn the strengths and limitations of being on foot, but that you master the weapons you’re capable of wielding. In contrast to this, while you’re in your Titan player Pilots will be your arch nemesis. Capable of attacking you from the sneakiest of locations, they’ll be a real nuisance if you aren’t searching for them. I’ve found the best tactics to deal with Pilots are to strafe backwards and aim in their general direction, use your melee attack if they’re around your feet or if you’ve static smoke, release it when they’re on your back. If they manage to jump on you and you don’t have smoke available, exit as quickly as possible otherwise you’re guaranteed to die.
Parkour
While a Pilot is more than capable of getting from point A to point B on foot, utilising the verticality of maps is a must if you want to traverse them quickly and avoid the Titans littering the streets. You’ll learn the very basics from undertaking the tutorial, but you’ll need to practice in game if you want to truly make the most out of the maps. What many people don’t realise however is that wall running resets your double jump, meaning you can chain these over the course of travel, but also that you can hang on walls by holding down the right mouse button mid run. It’s sometimes useful to wall hang at Control Points as this provides you with a vantage point and many players don’t really expect it.
Rooftops and Groundwork
If you stay on the ground, it’s highly likely that you’ll die. Titans will quickly mop you up and players above you will be able to gun you down much easier. Although your life, on average, will be easier on the roof tops, you need to be aware that you’ll be a clear target for other players up there. Creeps and Titans don’t move along the skyline so you’ll need to be able to fight off anyone you come across.
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Riding Titans
Jumping on to the back of a Titan to bring it down is a fundamental skill you will need to learn. Not only does it allow you to expose their mechanics, but you’ll be able to shoot the insides to quickly damage the Titan. If the Titan Pilot is oblivious, you’ll be able to kill it within a few seconds depending on which gun you’re wielding. What I would recommend is that you don’t use your anti-titan weapon, as this will see you die (they tend to be explosive based) and that you should leap early before interacting with the Titan. The range at which you can ride a Titan is actually quite forgiving, so you’ll leap much further than you think. It’s best to rodeo a Titan that’s distracted as if you’re 1 on 1, a player will quickly realise you’re onboard and dismount.
Buckaroo
If you’re on the receiving end of a Pilot boarding your Titan, there’s only a couple of things you can do: exit the Titan or use Electric Smoke. The former allows you to quickly leave the Titan and shoot whomever is riding it, hopefully before they’ve cause too much damage. The latter (Electric Smoke) will kill anyone who is riding on you if they decide to stick around. A downside of equipping Electric Smoke is the fact that it will leave your Titan defensive capabilities, against other players or Titans, significantly lowered.
Prepare for Evac!
At the end of each match, whether you’re the victor or loser, you’ll have an additional task to undertake: escape the map or destroy the escapees. There’s only certain evacuation points so remembering them is pretty important. What I’d recommend is to try to hide nearby to the evacuation point if you need to escape or if you’re destroying those fleeing ensure you park yourself right next to where the ship is going to land so you can quickly destroy it. If you successfully escape or destroy the escapees, you’ll get quite a lot of experience points.
Titan Control
Unsurprisingly, most players seem to call their Titan down and jump straight in it. What they forget about is the fact you can command your Titan to follow you. Although it’s sometimes a little slow to react to opposing players, both of you fighting is often much more effective and it’s a great way to use your Titan as a focus point while you attack anyone else who approaches.
Use Your Burn Cards
Burn cards are there to be used and considering they’re easily available, there’s no reason not to equip them and get them used up. They provide powerful Ordnance, significantly improved weapons and allow you to mix up your play style. You might not want to use them thinking that you’ll run out, however you need not worry. A single match, if you play reasonable well will easily net you 5-10 cards.
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