The
Starsiege TRIBES Strategy Guide
by RAGEx2 (edited by [OBF]Satan.
My comments will be in red.)
Introduction to the TRIBES Strategy Guide
During the course
of playing Tribes I have found many different types of strategies. This
site will change a lot during the
next few months,
the reason for this is that I am not as knowledgeable and resourceful as
I would like to think I am,
and therefore I will
think of strategies that might not actually work.
In this GUIDE, you
will see descriptions of their weapons and other items you can get in the
game. Also, and this will be
the most important
part of the GUIDE by far, I will have a section on popular strategies on
how to best play in TRIBES
when you are playing
on a team.
This guide has two purposes:
1)To teach the players
how to play as an effective team in TRIBES matches.
2) To improve your
own personal skills to make you an excellent player.
Although this page
might focus mainly on CTF (capture the flag), I would like to stress that
these strategies will work in
all games such as
Capture and Hold & Defend and Destroy.
This site was created by the ideas and strategies of many Tribesman, such
as [Inq]Inquis, ADO,
Ska2600/C_Chocula, Bytor, Farenheight, Jon, Colonel Gaidin, Pand-amon,
da Insomniax,
T3MPLAR, Knight, WON.net, Crusader[BT], houdini, Syrush{VNM}, Ambush Bug
and OCHSE.
The strategies these Tribesman have created may conflict with each other
(as in differences in opinion about
what is the best tactic to use in a certain situation). I have tried to
include all these in the Strategy Guide
because it gives you good idea about what the best and the brightest use
to win.
Consider this guide
a compendium of information gathered from web pages and matches to create,
hopefully, the most
comprehensive guide
to playing Starsiege TRIBES.
Gameplay
There are many different
types of armor, weapons, packs, and vehicles. Before you try advanced strategies,
try to learn
all of the various
armor types and weapons types to the best of your ability, so that in any
given situation, you may
change your tactics
to fit the gameplay. (see BASIC TRAINING MANUAL)
After you have mastered most of the types
of items, you may
move on to becoming a better player by learning the dynamics of all the
different types of objectives.
Capture the
Flag is one of the most popular (if not the MOST popular) of the scenarios.
This game demands a
strong defense &
offense, because your not much of a team if you constantly capture the
flag and leave your defense at
nil (aka they capture
your flag repeatedly aswell). Most players will use fast Light armor types
to capture the flag, and
heavy armor types
for defense. All the while, medium armor tribesman help the light armor
and heavy armor types
complete their missions
and duties. Don't get me wrong, medium armor types are just as effective
at getting into a base
and getting the flag,
but their speed is far below that of a light armor type, so their best
asset to a team is to grab an
ELF gun and destroy
enemy turrets and ELF guns.
Capture and
Hold- This scenario demands a team that is good at defending. Capturing
a base is much easier than,
holding it for the
remainder of the game. This scenario demands for masses of Heavy armor
Tribesman, armed to the
teeth with Plasma
guns and mortars. Have Medium armor types deploy turrets and mines surrounding
the base, and
have light armor
types use Laser rifles to snipe at the unsuspecting victims. Designate
two teams, whenever you want to
capture an objective.
One team that is designated to getting into the base and holding it, till
the other team goes in, and
sets up defenses.
Then when the base is yours, have the first team, go on into the next objective,
and split the
defending team, in
half, and do it again.
Defend and Destroy-
Welcome to a natural instinct. This scenario is a little bit easier than
the first two, because you
don't have multiple
objectives to defend, and you dont have to run back to your base, in harms
way. You need two
teams, one for defense
one for offense. Have the Offensive team use anything that you can: Vehicles
for fleet travel to
the enemy base, Vehicles
to ram into enemy defenses (such as turrets), Heavy armor types to mortar
the enemy base,
Light armor types
to distract the enemy while the heavies and mediums do their dirty work,
Mediums to enter the
enemy base and destroy
enemy generators. Have the defensive team armed with grenades and Repair
packs, so to not
limit your defenses
when your generators get destroyed.
Find and Retrieve-
This is an extremely hard scenario to master. The mission is sometimes
considered Capture the
FLag on steroids,
because now you have to watch out for enemies, while you have to return
MULTIPLE objectives back
to your base. This
demands a few things: Try to have a good group of snipers and dog fighters,
which will utilize their
skills to kill the
enemy while they search for the flags. Have good defense to protect the
objectives (usually flags), use
the common strategies
used in most other objectives. Try to use vehicles, if available, to flee
with the flag.
Deathmatch-
Good 'ol Fraggin. Although this isn't the most popular of the Tribes scenarios
(probably because it is
the EXACT opposite
of what the game was designed to be, ie TEAMPLAY), the deathmatch scenario
is good to play,
because it hightens
your skills as a player. Most people frown on deathmatch, but the aspect
of this they don't
understand is that
when you are playing on a team, playing any of the above scenarios, the
most common thing you will
be doing is battling
players for control of something. If you don't have good fighting skills,
you will be killed repeatedly.
Your frequent death
doesn't make you a good asset to the team, because you waste valuable time
having to get back to
the enemy base where
you were fighting at (or you may have been killed defending your base,
and the enemy now has
your flag). So, in
my opinion, i suggest all players should log many hours heightening their
skills fighting in deathmatch
scenarios. If you
decrease your own deaths, by only 10%, that is a major improvement and
your team will play better
because of it.
Rules of Thumb
Weapon Descriptions
and Strategies for Usage
Blaster:
An energy gun, that you start with by default, that drains ammo from your
energy bar. Rapid fire, but not a
lot of damage ( except to turrets ). (I've
personally not seen the effects of blasters on turrets.. must confirm)
Strategy: Although this gun has great range, and is useful for destroying
large turrets and other enemy
targets because of your infinite ammo, it is ill suited for close proximity
warfare. The best strategy for this
weapon is to use it for attacks against flying craft and turrets, because
of its immaculate range and great aim.
If possible, get teams to attack large turrets with blasters mounted, and
they will fall in no time.
This weapon should not be used simultaneously with the jetpack or you will
either be a one-shot wonder or
have the vertical leap of Andre the Giant. While it can damage a lumbering
Myrmidon severely, it is likely that
the big guy will mortar you to Pluto first. Firing on the run is fairly
futile as well. This is a weapon best used
for sniping by medium or heavy armor (since they can't carry the laser
rifle) or as a weapon of last resort for
the light armor (since they run out of ammo easily). (again,
I have personally found absolutely NO use for this
weapon, i wouldn't suggest using it if your on Defense or Mid fielding.
Perhaps base raping, but again, much
better weapons are at your disposal.)
Chaingun: A gattling gun of sorts, that you start with by default.
Strategy: Range is its weakness. So is ammo. Best used for destroying enemy
devices and air targets,
because it shoots a spread of bullets. (unless
your very talented at leading off and compensating for lag,
this is a negligible weapon. I suggest only using it to sop up enemies
who are already very damaged.)
Disc
Launcher: A rocket Launcher of sorts, that
you start with by default. This gun generally can only hold 15 ammo,
and therefore should be shot at a minimum. (i.e.
make every shot count.)
Strategy: It is a very powerful weapon for destroying your enemy with.
The most useful part about
weapons of this sort, like in the rocket launcher's in the quake series,
is the fact that they have something
called 'SPLASH DAMAGE', which is this: When you fire an explosive object
at something, it creates a
shock wave that combusts everything in its path. Therefore a 4 inch disc
is hard to aim at a target moving 30
miles per hour. So, aim at the ground near him, and the splash damage will
surely hit him. A good strategy
for this weapon is to shoot walls and the floors around people, and not
only will they be shot and therefore
lose health, but they will be thrown about, and therefore be disoriented.
Now, given the extended wait between disk launches, the Stormhammer is
not recommended when faced
with turrets or shielded opponents. This is because by the time you get
your second and third disks out, their
shield power is all the way back up to maximum and you are effectively
wasting precious ammunition and
time.
Where the Stormhammer really shines is its dual purpose in sniping and
in taking out solo or grouped
enemies. One trick I was told was to use the Stormhammer in conjunction
with the laser rifle. Usually in the
midst of a tight war, there is always one or two enemies that are standing
or crouching prone. Launch a disk
at the target. Switch to the laser rifle and zoom in. When the disk is
just about to hit, fire, your target's life
will most likely be in the red zone or perhaps low yellow -- by the time
he realizes this, the disk hits home
and you have got yourself one less threat to deal with. (this
almost never works. unless your opponent is
stoned, and doesn't move for extend periods of time, this tactic is more
or less USELESS.) As for grouped
and solo targets, you should always aim a few feet in front of your target(s),
chances are they will misjudge
your aim as a miss then charge headlong into your disk. (most
players aren't this stupid.)
The slopes and valleys of Tribes also helps in the effectiveness of the
Stormhammer. More often than not,
you will find yourself chasing an enemy up or down a mountainside with
little chance of slowing down your
pace of attack. In cases like these, if you are pursuing an enemy going
up a mountain, you should not waste
ammo firing up because you cannot utilize a "backdrop" hit (where you fire
at a flat surface next to an enemy
catching them in the blast) since the mountain is sloping inward. However,
if you are the pusuer from above
an enemy, always fire ahead of their position in hopes of timing it so
you have more direct hits than near
misses.
(One of the big tricks to using this weapon is to lead off. I'm sure you've
heard this a thousand times,
but here I'll tell you how to actually do it. Say your sparing with an
opponent, 1 on 1. Most of the time,
he'll be in the air, hoping do avoid the splash damage of your spinfuser
hitting the ground near him.
Given that energy runs out, he has to hit the ground sometime. Usually,
as he runs out of energy, he
has none to maneuver from his last trajectory, and its usually pretty obvious
where he is going to land.
Aim for the spot where your opponent is going to land, when he lands. Also,
you have to take into
account the time it takes for the disk to travel from you to the spot on
the ground your target is going
to land on. These are the skills that constitute a great player. The last
variable you must take into account
when using the spinfusor in this situation is the direction YOU are traveling
in. Think of it like throwing
a ball out of a car window at 60 miles per hour. The ball will travel in
a strait line out of the car, in relation
to the car, but not the ground. The ball will travel at an angle relative
to the ground. So will your spinfusor
when your moving, jumping, jetting, etc. So if you are moving, jetting
across the country side, and you
shoot at a spot on the ground, the fusor will have the momentum of the
direction you are traveling as well,
usually hitting to one side of your intended target. You MUST take the
direction you are traveling into
consideration in order to hit the exact spot your opponent is going to
land. Short example: say you are
jetting/strafing in the air from left to right. If you aim and shoot directly
at the spot you want to hit, your disk
will land to the right of your target. If you lead off, and aim a bit to
the left of your target, when jumping left
to right, your disk will land closer to your intended target. These are
the skills you need to master to
become a great player: judgment of where your opponent will land, timing
your disk so it reaches the
spot he will land when the opponent reaches that spot, and compensation
for the momentum your moving
self gives to your disk. Master these, and you will be a deadly force indeed.
-satan)
Grenade
Launcher: An explosive weapon with one purpose,
to cause massive hemorrhaging. Limited ammo, so be
sparse.
Strategy: Shoot at enemy devices, and they will blow sky high. Shoot at
people, and they will feel a pain
like never before. Shoot into the doors into enemy bases, so to clear out
potential threats to getting a safe
capture.
Grenade Launchers are not terribly accurate, and since they must be lobbed
at the target, the enemy has time
to react. In close combat, the Grenade Launcher is a liability, as the
grenades fly beyond the enemy and
explode uselessly. (mmm.... no.)
Grenades have a tendency to bounce off walls and ricochet back into your
face.
(mmm.. yes.) Ammo is very limited, only 10
rounds for a Pelotas (light armor).
Worst of all is the Grenadier who
launches wildly, blowing up his own teammates as well as the bad guys.
(I've yet to master this weapon, but it's significance is great. I'll try
to have a friend of mine who's very very good
with it write a strategy for using it effectively in 1 on 1 combat.)
Plasma Gun: A Plasma based weapon that uses
special ammo, that shoots orange bursts of plasma that are about 3
feet in diameter for a decent distance.
Strategy: This weapon is extremely accurate, but has adequate, at best,
range. It does c reate splash
damage (see the disc launcher), but the explosions take off a lot less
than is expected. It has good firing
speed, and is great for taking out any player if you have good aim. This
is a good weapon to use if you are
either the Heavy (definitely!)
or Medium armor guys, but the disc launcher seems to be more effective
because of the
increase in splash damage.
Like the Stormhammer, you don't want to get caught in a close combat situation
with this gun without some
distance between you and the enemy (but much
less than with the Stormhammer. i.e., good for indoor combat).
Therefore I suggest using the plasma gun when you are in the air firing
down on an unsuspecting target's head.
Learn to gauge the distance while you are airborne. Firing around your
target can be just as effective as a
dead-on hit because of the damage radius of each plasma burst. This trick
also disorients your ene y and will
eventually cause them to run straight into a plasma burst. (uhmm..
no.)
Along with the awesome punch comes the price tag. The Plasma Gun has a
much shorter useful range than
the Blaster, and is far less accurate. It requires Plasma ammo, which runs
out quickly in the heat of battle.
Light armored Peltasts can carry only 30 rounds, for example (usually,
a good enough amount by the time
you get killed, anyway). Splash damage is
also a two-way street. You can easily kill yourself by striking
walls or objects that are too close to you. There is nothing more disheartening
than gloating over the
helplessness of an opponent, and then blowing yourself away by accident.
Mortar:
A super powerful explosive grenade that makes a shock wave that decimates
anything in its path. Only a
heavy can carry this.
Strategy: When your teammate shoots the target with the targeting laser,
a line will shoot upwards from
the target's location. This line will have two blue triangles on it. Pick
one of these triangles, zoom in on it,
and shoot at the *point* of the triangle. If you shoot at the lower triangle
the shell will get there faster, but it
will be more obvious where the shot is coming from, and it may not get
over hills and such.
Note that if you are out of range, there will be only a green triangle
on the target. The line and blue triangles
will not appear.
Remember, you can make use of the targeting laser with all the weapons,
though it is especially useful for
the grenade launcher and mortar.
Another rarely (haha! uhm, no!)
used aspect of the mortar is close-range combat. Chances are, you will
be in the enemy base or have enemy troops jetting all around you in attempts
to end your life quickly. In
both cases, you have to know just how large the mortar explosion radius
is to maximize the damage on
your target(s) and have enough time to get out of harm's way. Shooting
around corners, using angled
shots, and knowing when to sacrifice yourself to take out an objective
(or many opponents)
all plays a
critical role in your effectiveness with the mortar.
Used in conjunction with a shield pack (or
without), the mortar can be used as a scatter
weapon when in confined spaces
with enemy troopers. Just fire it, watch them run to the four winds, and
then you are left with some time to
fire some damaging shots at key equipment. Or, if you find yourself cornered,
fire as many mortars as you
can at the enemy. Chances are their armor won't be able to withstand the
onslaught and you will come out
with a few dings on your armor.
When firing at far moving targets, make sure to give yourself a comfortable
lead -- it takes a few seconds for
the mortar to travel the distance. When dealing with other heavies, fire
the mortar at their feet and the
direction they are moving. Most likely they will catch the blast directly
underneath them and will be severely
wounded (or off balance).
(One of THE most devistating things i've seen a heavy with mortars do is
don a shield pack and be dropped
off at an enemies rooftop. Usually it takes 4 to 5 guys to take him down,
but not before he can level plenty of
their base. We'll work on this in training.)
Laser Rifle: A sniper rifle for headhunters. Takes energy from your meter.
Strategy: Shoot people in the head and it takes of more damage than in
any part of the body. oh, and use
the zoom button for this weapon. (DUH..)
The Laser Rifle can only be carried by a light armor type, and must be
accompanied by an Energy Pack.
Since the Laser sends a bright red streak across the sky, your position
is no secret once you start firing.
Lasers are not capable of one-shot kills unless the target is already low
on health. (then its not a one shot
kill.....)
How to get it: Go to a supply station. Make sure you have purchase the
light armor. Since the light armor
can only carry three weapons, double-click one of the weapons on the left
to sell it. You will then be able to
purchase the laser rifle. Note that the laser rifle requires an energy
pack, however, it will be purchased
automatically when you buy the laser rifle.
(I started sniping right away when I started playing tribes. Its a good
skill to have, though not many players
are truly skilled enough to use it effectively. For base defense, good
snipers must be able to pick off incoming
enemies on the move, then move in for the kill if they are unable to finish
the job. More than likely, if you've
got someone dedicated on defense that you KNOW will get to an enemy before
the enemy has a chance
to take out anything of value (flag, gens, stations, etc..), don't bother
going after him. Let the defensmen do
his job. Stay sniping to pick off other incoming enemies. Offensively,
its wise to sit outside a base and wait
till you see a defensmen patrolling. Take a shot at him, and then move
in for the kill with spinfusor, plasma,
whatever. After you knock him out, make a run for whatever you went offensive
to do. I'll have more laser
strategies later.)
Targeting
Laser: This helps Mortar gun users see a target.
Shoot this at an enemy target and all the mortar users
will see the target vividly.
Strategy: This tool doesn't count as a weapon, so it doesn't count on your
maximum carrying limit. Use this
weapon to help out your mortar wielding heavies. Paint the target from
a distance, and all the heavy armor
tribesman will be able to lob mortars at the enemy by aiming their crosshairs
at the tip of the triangle that is
at the top of the blue beam that shows up.
(EVERY player should have one. Make it a part of all your favorites)
ELF Gun: A weapon designed to destroy (or hinder) electronic devices like enemy turrets.
Strategy:
This weapon is very powerful addition to any players configuration if they
are a search and destroy type of
guy. The purpose of this gun is shoot an electric charge at an enemy electronic
device, lowering its energy
and/or shields. This gives you the ability to take out turrets in quick
attacks.
To attack a turret, run up to it and start firing your ELF gun at it. A
few seconds later, plow the turrets by
lobbing grenades at it (while still shooting your ELF at it) (in
teams of two, obviously). The turret will
blow
up in moments. This works a bit better if you do it in tandem, while on
player shoots at it from afar with a
gun like the blaster, so that the turret will shoot at him not you. This
gun is also useful for taking down shields
on heavy armor types.
(again, i've found little use for this weapon.
I would not recommend using it. If anyone has any good strategies
on using it effectively, please let me know.)
Deployable Weapons
Mines:
Deployable mines that dig themselves in the ground, and instantly kill
a person if walked over.
Buy this at a weapons console station.
Strategy:Mines are defensive weapons only. They are usually dropped next
to the flag or at a vulnerable
entrance to your base. Stepping on a mine is absolutely fatal to light
armor, and seriously alter the confident
attitudes of medium and heavy armor wearers.
Always warn your
teammates where you have deployed mines. Mines will blow up on their own
team,
so don't become a TK (team killer) because you forgot to mention the locations
of the mines.
Deploy these near enemy bases, such as next to their weapons buying stations.
Also, deploy these near
your flag. (Defensmen should ALWAYS mine the
flag, and let the team know that our flag is mined. Once
you hear that the opponents flag has been captured by our team, DESTROY
THE MINE. I cant stress this
enough.)
(There is a trick to the correct placement of mines in your base, or an
enemies. NEVER place them in
direct line of sight, unless you believe it will server a purpose. ALWAYS
place them right around corners,
where the enemy won't see them until its too late. Usually, right next
to the inside wall of the corner. Your
enemy will whip around the corner in hopes to catch you leaving the base
and BAM, no more enemy. Be
creative in placement. Don't lay a mine in the same place in an enemy base
every time.. they'll begin to
catch on. Mines are a VERY useful tool, so we will be going over their
use extensively in training. Also, on
another note, if you happen to be killed by a mine from a teammate, do
not get angry and yell at that person.
They cant possibly tell you where EVERY mine is going to be, so just accept
it and move on. Shoot corners
where you think mines might hinder your entrance, whether they were put
there by your team or the other.
Also, there are very nice (dark) places in maps to hide mines in the way
of enemies. Find them, and USE them.)
Turrets: Deployable gun turrets that have infinite ammo.
How to deploy: Go to an inventory station, change to either medium or heavy
armor, and then buy a
Deployable turret. Go to a good spot which needs protection and press 'P'
(or whichever other button
you have it bound to). If it says 'to much interference from other turrets
in the area' , that means there
are to many turrets in the immediate vicinity, so choose a spot thats farther
away. If its 'Out of range'
you are aiming your cursor to far away from yourself, so try to aim closer
to your feet. (just move your
crosshair around and hit 'P' repeatedly until its deployed. Its also important
to place turrets facing the
direction your expecting company. It takes time for them to spin around
and start firing. Time that could
be better used killing an enemy.)
(Like mines, place turrets in places where they will be within rage of
fire on the enemy before the enemy
has a chance to see it. UNLIKE mines, do not place them directly around
corners. There are also many
nice (dark) places in maps to put turrets that make them difficult to be
seen. An example would be in
Broadside, in the gen room, in the corners on the same wall as the gens.
They are very dark, and
conceal turrets nicely. Like mines, its also important to place turrets
in places that the enemy cannot see
from a distance, such as right in back of tiny verticals that the enemy
has to jump/jet over to get to your
base. By the time they can see the turret, the are passed it, having jetted
over it and the turret is ripping
up the enemy.)
Grenades: Great for moshing on large turrets and throwing at enemies when they are following you.
Strategy: These are very useful in tandem with the ELF gun, when your in
a
destructive mood. Try to bind a key to 'Throw Grenade' that's easy for
you to reach.
Another great strategy for this is if your being chased by hordes of followers,
turn
around and lob a few grenades in your enemies path. The grenades explosion
(splash
damage) will make short notice of them.
Armor
TRIBES has 3 distinct armor types: Light, Medium and Heavy Armor. Each
has its own pro's and
con's, and specific uses. Read the following for input on which might be
right for you:
Light Armor
Light armor is the weakest of all armor types. It gives you adequete protection
from shots, but
usually a few direct hits to your body will put you 6 feet under. The advantage
of this armor
though its speed and agility. You have the capability of flying far and
running faster than with any
other armor type. This is quite useful for escapades in deep enemy territory
were you have to
dodge explosions.
When using this armor type, you should use either the shield pack or the
energy pack. The shield
pack will give you reasonable protection from enemy fire, and the energy
pack will give you
ridiculous flight-height. Flag capturer's should learn to use this armor
type, because of its raw
speed and flight ability. If you are good at using a jetpack and light
armor, running around on a
map begins to seem slow, because most of the advanced jetpackers, can fly
90% of the time
barely having to touch down on the ground.
Another great advantage of the light armor is its ability to have the Laser
Rifle. It is the ONLY one
that can carry the laser rifle. Medium Armor
Medium armor is exactly what the name denotes, a medium choice between
heavy and light
armor types. It has much more protection against shots than light armor
does, but this also
brings a downside. Medium armor doesn't have quite the flight and speed
abilities that light
armor does. This, for the most part, hinders you from capturing the flag.
Not that i am saying
that medium armor types can't capture the flag, but as for a team aspect:
Medium armor types
are much more useful guarding the flag capturers then getting the flag.
The increase in armor
gives them the ability to carry the grenade launcher and the plasma gun,
which are both deadly
weapons (especially considering medium armors speed over the heavy armor).
When choosing
your favorite weapon's configuration for this armor, keep in mind that
you should have a lot
projectile weapons and possibly something that assists your disadvantage
(slowness, lack of flight
height), i.e. Shield pack, Energy Pack, Repair pack
Heavy Armor
Do you want the good or the bad?
The Good
You have the ability to carry the mortar gun, possibly the most powerful
weapon there is in the
game.
You are incredibly strong (armor), you can take direct shots with most
weapons and still live.
You can shoot a mortar at your feet and live (if you have the shield pack).
You can mortar jump.
The Bad
You are slow. Not just slow, but SLOOOOOOWWWWW. You walk 5 miles an hour.
If you want to
get to the other side of the map, to attack the enemy base, it'll take
you 5 - 10 minutes.
You can't fly. I mean, you CAN fly, but not high enough that it ever really
helps you. So forget
buying an energy pack, it won't help you unless you really like energy
weapons.
Vehicles
To get in one, jump in it. To get out of one, jump out of it. Buy these at vehicle console stations.
Scout: A fast, light armored ship with missiles for guns and great maneuverability.
To get in
one, jump in it. To get out of one, jump out of it. Buy these at vehicle
console stations.
Strategy: Fly over enemy base, jump out, grab flag, jump back in, fly home,
capture
flag.
Also, good for defense against enemy ships attacking base.
Other vehicles: Slow, not maneuverable, more armor, great for carrying
a lot of people to a
specific destination and ramming into enemy defenses.