18 replies to this topic

[Zephyre]

I have been playing HAWKEN for a while now and I have reached lvl. 30 and I have purchased some mechs here and there. I have found that I enjoy playing the Berserker the most. I find, however, that I seem to always die more than I get kills in every game mode. I understand that in siege it is very common to die especially when attacking/ defending the AA. But in team death match for example I find that I die more than I get kills almost every game. I find this quite frustrating as I feel like I am no help to my team at all. I usually place 3rd or 4th in almost full servers. My mmr is 1974 the last I checked but I feel like I'm just not doing very well lately. I ask if you could please view my recording of a game I just played today and give some advice as to how I could improve my gameplay. Any tips would be very appreciated. Thank you very much!

[EM1O]

you wiggle your aim alot. you steady that up, and you'll be devastating. that's about all i can see, from my lofty 1479mmr expert perch.
good play action.

[Zephyre]

Thank you! Yeah my aim is quite shaky, I was think that maybe some bot practice in the training area might help me to steady it up. Thanks for the advice!

[EM1O]

i lurk in the bot TDM arena. i'm getting better (maybe). it's a ball, you get HC, and the higher everyones mmr, the nastier the bots get (their mmr matches human avg). best practice is when the upper tier folks drop in for the GMT midnite Bonus reset!

[Niels]

Just watched for a minute, just a couple suggestions from an UK zerker mainer.

Berserker is great to go full-in and deal great damage. But you have to weaken your targets first (or pick already wounded ones). Unlike its bigger brothers (Assault, CR-T) the zerker just can't take much damage.

So practice more peekaboo tactics, using TOW remote detonation to force your opponent in the open. Most people will react in one of two ways to this:
- either they panic and try to run away... thus exposing their back,
- or they will try to go all in on you (355 hp can go very very quickly...) which is where the zerker's ability + SMC + TOW will shine

Don't boost all the time. The zerker is fast enough on the ground, if you are a little bit more patient you can surprise your opponent. Well, unless it's a cloaked predator or a cheater (aka. portable scanner user).

And lastly, being a coward can be good in TDM. Not too much as you will penalize your team if you leave a fight too soon... But if you notice it's clearly lost, just run. There is where items get useful :
- shields x2 = can be used to fly away and to fight an opponent with the upper hand (more health, bigger class) in the open,
- healing orbs (x2) = quick healing behind a wall.. then your opponent comes to finish the job and you can hit him hard.

A class mechs are all about dictating the fight. You don't have the health, you can't tank much... but you're fast. Which means you get to pick your fights and to pick where and how they occur.

Also, verticality. Zerker is great at that. I don't mean to fly all the time, but learn to navigate the map in 3 dimensions. Granted, Bazaar is not the best there but it still can help on the AA

[Zephyre]

Thank you very much for the advice. Yeah I haven't really spent much time getting peek-a-boo tactics down, but I guess the zerker can do that very well. But I'll keep all that advice in mind as I play from now on, hopefully i'll improve a bit

[BurnsHot]

Watched your video and here is my advice.

1. You are leading with your primary too much.  You tend to pepper them with the SMC and alert them that you are there then chase them around trying to land your Tow.  You should open with the Tow first and then chase them with your SMC.  After the enemy either boost or dodge, your Tow should have come back up ready to fire again.

2. You are not taking to the Air enough and you are not using your Air Dodge enough.  If its 1v1 and you can get within medium range of the enemy take to the air and stay there while air dodging.  I've finished off many Rocketeers and Incinerators before the fuel runs out.  This obviously doesn't work every time.  Just practice it and you will learn to judge your fuel when entering a fight and a moving Air target really is harder for them to hit.

3. You need to try to predict where your enemy will run to.  Once you fire your weapons and he runs behind a wall or pillar, then you should launch your tow at the other side of the wall or pillar where you guess he will emerge regardless of if you can see him or not.  If you get lucky he will get hit by the tow or hit by the splash.  Start playing around with this idea and you will be surprised at how often you land a hit or kill this way.

4. Boosting: If your team as already engaged the enemy then most of the time you need to rush in there as fast as possible.  If not and there is no rush then just walk because if the enemy is in rage and your boosting then you just gave away your position and they will know where to expect you.  I didn't have that much a problem with you boosting as much as you did.   You mainly boosted while surrounded by your team so most of it was a non issue.

Often you will be in a 1v1 fight and one or both of you run out of fuel and one or both of you goes behind cover sometimes a good tactic is to just walk instead of boosting as soon as you can.  If timed right you drop off their radar and now they have not idea exactly where you are.  Panicking and boosting will alert your opponent exactly where you are behind cover and allows him to weigh his options on when and how to attack you.

5. Toward the end of your video there is an Assault mech that killed you.  Notice in his kill cam that he was launching Tow from a distance.  There were many times you had the enemy in your cross-hairs but never launch your Tow. In your situation where you were boosting and team members all around, don't hesitate so much to launch your Tow at the enemy from a distance.  In your video, the enemy were focused on other players and you had the perfect chance to hit them with your tow from out of nowhere.

6. Don't forget to lead your Tow shots.  If the mech is moving aim for the head of the mech not center not its ass.  Sometimes depending on its speed you have to aim two mech lengths in front of him.  Again, practice makes perfect and you wont land every shot but you see the better pilots doing this.  

These are not Rules set in stone.  A lot has to do with situation and position.  Be flexible and adapt.  With experience you will know when to use these tactics and when not to and also when to switch out mechs for when one particular mech keeps getting the better of you.

Good Luck!

Edited by BurnsHot, August 07 2014 - 04:16 AM.

[EM1O]

one little note on burnshot's advice: watch your rocketeers and vanguards. if they stay on the ground, tear 'em up.
but be careful, as there are several folks that can fly right with you and give you a tough air CQC with them.
i'm nowhere near as good, but seen the benefits of having an air compressor on a fatman. sounds stupid but it helps.
take care, enjoy!

[mmm_yep]

The only advice I can offer is to repeat what BurnsHot already mentioned: fire your TOW first and more often, take advantage of the superior air speed more often.

[GaryFlyAndTheGirls]

ya what Yeps said about what Burns said, Open with the TOW, pour on the pew pews while biding time for another TOW.

[Skitzo1d]

Biggest things I noticed.

1.) Steady up your aim, not real bad but a bit shaky.  practice with burst mechs and it will actually help steady your aim with auto because with burst you have to land or your dead.

2.) Dont boost around everywhere, learn when to walk to sneak up on people.

3.) Dont be afraid to lone dog it, to sneak up on the rear of the enemy, yes you leave the frontal assault open for you team for a few seconds but if they can hold the line you going to the rear as an A mech will be of great benefit not only will you distract the enemy team so your team can push from the front but you can sometimes get double, triple,, quad kills this way which will help improve your scrore.  As a side not learn the map and the routes really well.

4.) At 2.00 minutes time in the video your chasing someone who retreats, you almost have him dead, you have 2 options which either would probably been ok, you could of  1.) chased him between the structures to finish him off cause 2 enemies were already down on your side, now he might of been running to the rest of his team off to the left, but if he was then you could of retreated to the rigth back under S2.  You chose option 2.) which wasnt a bad option, cause you couldnt be sure if he was retreating to the enemy, but if you would of noticed you would of seen an enemy fly over your head as you turned and seen the other one and started shooting with your smc. This is a bad deal because you chose to stay adn fight but you made 2 mistakes  1.) you switched targets when you already had damaged 1 target some, but the bigger mistake was you let them trap you between them in the first place, you should of back peddled putting enemy 2 inbetween you and the first enemy therefore making it harder for enemy 1 to hit you and negating some damage while you find cover. Or immediatly boost dodge either to the structure to your left which is closest but possible enemy that way, or behind and to the right farthest away and might be chased down but your an A class which you can out run those B's.  Yes Enemy 2 will give chase and probably fly over that ledge but at least this puts it down to a 1 v1 and gives you a chance.

[SoldierHobbes11]

Don't attack from the front unless you are intercepting a fleeing enemy. The berserker is an assassin mech and don't forget that. Flank more often and don't boost as often as you do. Only use your boost when moving with the majority of your team, fleeing, or intercepting a fleeing enemy. Once you split off your team to flank the enemy, only walk and begin a fight with a TOW and don't fire your SMC until your Tow makes a hit. In case you miss, you don't want to be plowing away with your SMC giving away your position. Also, using the ability right when you start your ambush is a great way to get in a lot of damage really fast. Don't be afraid to get close before you start shooting, too.

Other than being more stealthy, a few things you may want to keep your eye on. Once your health is down to 30%, retreat or you WILL die. You're a light mech, don't feel obliged to have to hold your ground against your foes. Retreat and use your speed to your advantage. Also, keep an eye on your fuel. NEVER let it go empty in an engagement or you're as good as dead. A light mech with no speed is a sitting duck. So don't spam your air compressor in a fight. Stay rooted to the ground when you can and take to the air to jump over people or maneuver up to platforms, not simply to gain a height advantage at the cost of your precious fuel. I have a survivalist playstyle, and if the way you like to play isn't like mine, then find a pilot with a more aggressive playstyle and ask their advice. Still, hope my feedback help you some.

[TheVulong]

1. Hold Spacebar
2. Press F
3. Hold LMB
4. _____
5. PROFIT

[Mawnkey]

Your engagement of multiple opponents is poor in light of your current skills. Until your aim has improved and you're better with dodging, consider only engaging in 1v1 or better odds. That being said, if you want to try to handle 2v1, do not switch targets unless the second target is more damaged, a much softer mech (i.e. you're engaging a C class and an A class shows up), or you know they're less skilled and don't dodge well so you can kill them more quickly. You basically want to get in to a 2v1 or worse with some chance of taking at least one guy down before you're done for.

Pay attention to your radar. You got caught in several swarms of bad guys without knowing how many there were or where they were located around you. This got you zapped really quick. When you can see multiple bad guys on radar, pick at one (from a distance) with your TOW and try to drag him off from the others. If you can't drag them off or you get more than one pursuer, just hit, run, and frustrate them. The Scout and 'Zerker are particularly bastardly at this strategy.

Just remember that A class mechs MUST engage the enemy on their own terms. If you're not almost certain you've got good odds going in, run. Do not engage unless the odds are in your favor. Pilots stuck in the garage do a lot less damage than pilots who run from bad odds and regroup with the team.

Edited by Mawnkey, August 09 2014 - 06:56 PM.

[mmm_yep]

TheVulong, on August 09 2014 - 06:28 PM, said:

1. Hold Spacebar
2. Press F
3. Hold LMB
4. _____
5. PROFIT

4. Collect underpants

Edited by mmm_yep, August 09 2014 - 08:52 PM.

[MechFighter5e3bf9]

Zephyre, on August 06 2014 - 03:18 PM, said:

I have been playing HAWKEN for a while now and I have reached lvl. 30 and I have purchased some mechs here and there. I have found that I enjoy playing the Berserker the most. I find, however, that I seem to always die more than I get kills in every game mode. I understand that in siege it is very common to die especially when attacking/ defending the AA. But in team death match for example I find that I die more than I get kills almost every game. I find this quite frustrating as I feel like I am no help to my team at all. I usually place 3rd or 4th in almost full servers. My mmr is 1974 the last I checked but I feel like I'm just not doing very well lately. I ask if you could please view my recording of a game I just played today and give some advice as to how I could improve my gameplay. Any tips would be very appreciated. Thank you very much!

you can be mvp usefull with 0 kills 10 deaths long as your shooting them healing drawing attention etc etc

[Pastorius]

My favorite move in the Berserker is a flying alpha strike.

1. Sneeky up behind
2. Jump
3. Press F
4. Stage 3 Detenator +Tow to the ass
5. Air dodge
6. Pepper with Sub
7. Finish with another Tow (if necessary)

Beautiful

There is loads of great advice above, the Berserker is a great finisher and it's ability is awesome. Air dodge, for me is a must too. The only thing that I don't much like is its lack of fuel and I have lost count of the amount of time that I have died because I have overheated before that last, crucial Tow but that's my own fault.  

[Zephyre]

Wow, thank you all so very much for the wonderful advice! I have already started practicing with the advice you have given me and I am already noticing an improvement! You guys are awesome and this just comes to show that the HAWKEN community is just amazing to say the least. I hope to see you all on the battlefield! Thank you once again!

[Odinous]

the advices all the great pilots above me gave u are correct,though I will add to check your radar more,i saw u few times engaging multiple enemies while u had the chance to pick the best fight vs1 opponent(also u engaged a battle with an infiltrator which cloaked while u was fighting a scout,as a result infi finished u,at that case I would suggest to retreat to your group then engage again/or flank).Zerker is good at flanking and Pastorius gave u a great combo of surprising someone Also use your tow more,they were few occasions when u could finish your enemy faster than u did.

Edited by Odinous, August 22 2014 - 03:18 AM.