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So, The predator

- - - - - predator help

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#1
ishumshark

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So I got Hawken like two years ago, realized my computer couldn't play it, and have since picked it back up in March around the switch to Reloaded came along.

So I was grinding along, and managed to save up to the magical 12380 something credits to buy a new mech. 

I researched, I watched reviews and game play, read guides and guides. And I thought the predator was reaaaallly interesting.

I know all of the warnings that the predator is not a beginner mech, and that even pro players struggle with it, but I really wanted to try it. I figured the only way to get good is to keep playing and trying and grinding.

 

Anyway, My predator is now fully leveled, I have all its alternate primaries, and have made progress with internals and items. Contrary to belief, having the golden rank on a mech does not make you a good player. I constantly have 1 kill to two or more deaths, and My win loss percentage is a shameful 46%. How does one predator?

 

I need any help I can get. What internals?   What Items?   What primary?   How should play style lean?    What mech should I save and buy to work with as I progress with the predator?

 

Honestly I will take any advice on any topic. Learning is a good thing



#2
Call_Me_Ishmael

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LBR, to the podium, please.

 

Pretty sure 21st and a few others have made vids, but I don't have links... anyone help this pilot out?


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#3
Broham78

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There is a very good predator guide posted here on the forums somewhere. I'm on mobile sorry no link.

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#4
Interrobang87

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Depends if you like to play assassin or ninja warrior predator. If you like to walk around in stealth all day (assassin) run det3/shield with advanced reconstructor/shock coils/power surger.

If you want to dodge between the rain drops and carry your team (ninja warrior) I run shield 2/orb 2 with failsafe/evasive device/extractor

Get good at bubble play for when forced into a direct fight and make their life hell with tastey explosive treats

#5
Dew

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I use the Predator as an ambush mech, and run Detonator Mk2, Shield Mk2, Failsafe, Shock Coils, and Advanced Reconstructor.

 

If you're stealth-oriented at all, Shock Coils and some form of Reconstructor are pretty mandatory. Otherwise you're breaking stealth every time you drop off a platform and take falling damage and every time you repair, which totally kills your advantages of insane walk speed and wallhax for the next 20 seconds.

 

Shield + Breacher is OP.

 

Also Breacher is the best weapon forever and would literally make every other mech better if they had it, except Incinerator.


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#6
Panzermanathod

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Personally, I run exclusively EOC Pred. I have MK2 Det and MK2 HE charge as items, and all the 1-slot internals save for Basic Failsafe, Composite armor, and Fuel Converter.

 

Yes, I'm running around with 6 1-slot internals on my pred. I should change that. I only did that for fun.

 

I'm more stealthy than anything so Reconstructor really helps. I'm terrible at direct combat with a Pred.



#7
ishumshark

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thanks for all the tips, I'll be sure to experiment the implementation of the various internals.



#8
Silverfire

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I need not say more: Ultimate Predator Guide


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#9
LaurenEmily

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Don't give up on it. It's the best mech in the game imo, and insanely fun once you start getting it right, read the guide. :) 

I personally have about 150 hours in it and i'm still learning

 


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#10
thirtysix

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Preadator = Great Revenge Mech

Keep a couple in your stable with different loadouts.

Somebody making you miserable?, pop into your ol' trusty and wish them a happy birthday :)

Hint: spike goes through shields!


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#11
gArphEus

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Playing the Predator? Hardest job in this game u took. As me. My 2nd mech was the Predator, too. Meanwhile i got all mechs, but i have 3 Predators with different loadouts 4 different maps / purposes. However - your loadout depends REALLY immense from ur playstyle as mentioned b4 by others. If u like 2 lure others in2 your traps, the breacher and blockade mk3 is a must have imho. Y? I like 2 explain the main tactic of a "trapper" Predator:

  1. u lay ur 8-mine round the next corner
  2. u roam around cloaked in vicinity, and shoot an enemy with ur brecher, preferably a damaged 1, or an a-class
  3. the enemy pursues u, shooting like hell, while u flee around the corner, where ur trap is located, and leave it behind
  4. the enemy dies of walking over ur minetrap - then rinse and repeat - OR
  5. the enemy is crippled hard and barely alive, but angry, skilled and shooting at u with superior weaponry
  6. so u drop a blockade right in front of u, block the passage 4 the enemy, also blocking his shots at u
  7. then u charge ur breacher and shoot right through the blockade, finishing the enemy - rinse and repeat

If the enemy flees immediately after triggering ur trap, u shoot prompt with the breacher and the EOC Predator. Should he escape, don't follow uncloaked! Instead wait until u can recloak, and look if u can trace him 2 the location, 2 where he fleed 2. U can easily identify him because he will repair - trust me. Then follow up cloaked and DON't charge ur breacher 4 christ's sake!!! The loud tingeling sound alarms EVERY1 nearby of your presence, and make ur potential victim jump and run like hell instantly, 4 sure!

 

Otherwise, if u managed 2 kill ur foe near ur trap the following situation occurs usually: u got hit, so u need the replenisher 2 ensure, u haven't 2 wait 15 seconds 2 cloak again after the fight. Additionally u want 2 have the advanced reconstructor 2 do its job, while u savely stand still cloaked in the next dark corner, until u r restored 2 100%. U choose the place 2 fight, not the enemy, so u don't really need the shock coil in this case - u don't wander across the map anyway, but stay near ur trap. After u hit the enemy, u WANT 2 b seen by him, 2 make him go 4 u, so maintaining ur cloak is NOT ur primary interest in this method 2 play the predator. However, u might want 2 exchange the replenisher against the deflectors and a 1-slot internal of ur choice, when u r not sure u land ur breacher shots safely. The deflectors can help in this case, 2 make u survive the firefight longa 4 1 or maybe 2 failed shots, but if ur aim is well enough, i recommend keeping the replenisher. It also reduces the item cooldown. That's useful when other enemies appear sudden after u killed their mate, and u want 2 drop another blockade, 2 keep them off ur jacket long enough 2 make it around the next corner. This is only 1 way 2 play the predator, but the "safest" possible imho. Most will say, laying traps is ineffective, and they have 2 carry u, because u don't help fighting in the frontline, but remember - whenever u see an heavily damaged enemy running 4 repair, u can go 4 him and kill him stealthy from behind and still leave ur trap where it is, by just using ur breacher. If necessary, u can also use ur EOC Predator then, and restore ur trap later, or relocate it simply. Of most importance is only 1 premise in this method of playing: stay unnoticed under all circumstances, UNTIL u lure an enemy 2 ur trap. This sometimes require u 2 stand still, while the whole enemy team passes by. In this case DON'T MOVE. It means: don't even move ur mouse 2 turn! The cloak is everything but perfect, but i've seen even experienced players passing me by and even TOUCHING me slightly without taking notice of me, when i stood still that way! Sure - there is no guarantee that happens, so u have 2 make sure, u move unseen most of the time by avoiding enemy groups and firelines (u know - hits decloak u!), but if u don't get in2 the reticles on an enemy AND U DON'T MOVE WHILE IN HIS FIELD OF VISION - u won't b noticed veeeery likely... However, i deeply suggest u read Meraple's ULTIMATE PREDATOR GUIDE. It's the best guide out there imho:

 

https://community.pl...predator-guide/

 

Another good idea is 2 watch Soldier_Hobbes11's HOW TO HAWKEN: PREDATOR TRAPS video at youTube. It shows pretty good how 2 lay traps effectively at different locations:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=fzUzzu5xz_s

 

So here's my 2 HCs about that. Hope it helps.

 

Regards, gArphEus


Edited by gArphEus, 14 May 2015 - 06:17 PM.

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#12
comic_sans

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Also Breacher is the best weapon forever and would literally make every other mech better if they had it, except Incinerator.

 

Proven fact!


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#13
DeeRax

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I would especially love it if the raider had access to the breacher (Maybe instead of the EOC; nothing against the eoc or folks who use it, of course). If there was one other mech that could use the breacher, that'd be my pick. Just seems appropriate for it.

Back on topic (sort of)... I also got a pred recently, out of curiosity. It's, uh, certainly something. Fun, for sure, but I can't seem to get the hang of mines, in any form.


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#14
Meraple

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Yo, I made this sht for a reason.

 

Breacher is masterrace on Predator, anyone who wants to argue with that is a dummyhead.

 

Firing a charged Breacher shot allows your next shot to refire faster.

Charged Breacher>tapped Breacher for lolburst.

 

That being said, you should practice aiming the Breacher against bots or something.

Cloak, slightly get out of cover, pop a Breacher in someone's face and get back in.

People'd most likely try to pursue you so lay down a few mines just around the corner as a welcoming present.

 

Easy kills on any A class, assuming you can hit your shots:

Spoiler

 

 

I'm not going to bother with anything else, reading the guide should give you most of the information you need.


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#15
ishumshark

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Thank you all for the assistance. I will promptly read the aforementioned guides.


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#16
Bergwein

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All depends on your playstyle.

 

Internals:

I run the Advanced Reconstructor (After being out of combat for 10 seconds, the mech regenerates 25 armor per second.) and the Air Compressor.

 

Items:

In the past I used detonators, but have now changed to a more defensive setup:
MK2-Shield and MK2-Repair Charge.

The shields are great for a breacher build, because the charged breacher shot goes through them. Orbs should be self-explanatory.



#17
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#18
Grollourdo

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46% win percentage isn't that bad and also, it doesn't represent YOUR lvl.

Kill death ration does a better job... MMR too... But over all, don't trust all of them to the 100%

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#19
Shoutaxeror

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One important thing with mines : don't forrget to detonate them once you see your opponent is near it. Against flying mech, you can stick your mines on a wall and detonate them too (very useful against A class).

 

An other thing I like to do is to fill an escape way with mines. If they notice the mines but still want to escape this way, they are probably gonna fly, so you can detonate your mines as stated before.


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#20
BluetoothBoy

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Interestingly, Pred is the only mech on which I have Air Compressor. And it is something I would highly recommend. For the most part, Pred isn't frontlining assault mech. However, you WILL have these situations sometimes (whether you choose to or not), and when you do, having AC is very useful (mostly just with Breacher). Why? It gives you air mobility (duh), and so it is "safer" for you to take flight. And when a Pred is in the air, they do some of their best mech vs mech damage. You can get in Breacher shots more or less with the same accuracy, but your pucks suddenly have a major buff. Since they fly straight and straight ONLY (no gravity), you are forced to aim where you want them to go. If you are in CQC and trying to lay down pucks at your enemy's feet while shooting them at the same time, you'll be looking back and forth between them and the ground, taking your attention away from them and slowing you down (exception: EOC Repeater). On the other hand, when you're in the air, you can aim at the mech with both your pucks AND your Breacher/T-32. If they miss, no big deal - they'll just land on the ground beside the other mech and they will step on them/you'll detonate them without having to worry about a miss.

 

As Liederkranz's signature says, "Predators hunt from above."

 

Also, gonna be biased here and say Breacher is best Pred weapon. I'm often better at sniping with it than with a Reaper or Sharpie. :P



#21
Dagon

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Since most of the points and guides I would refer you to have been posted, I'll offer some advice on mine placement:

• Out of sight, out of mind: Place mines in groupings on the side of walls, above walls, or on places they aren't as easily noticed (jump pad mines are easily my favorite). Plant 8 in a grouping in either a high traffic area, escape route, or somewhere easy to kite your enemies. Tight hallways and intersections are solid gold. If your mines are placed well you rarely have to detonate and can simply place the killing blow with a double breach.

• My prefs: Shocks, Adv. Recon, and Barrier are all personal favorites that I use intermittently. I stalk and murder with Breach. I've seen some players do well with Air comp + EOD, but it's definitely not my preferred playstyle. Scaring players clueless in a mine trap or 100%-0 a cocky Scout are so completely satisfying that I don't care if I sit on the top of the kill list. My KDR gets fat and I get satisfying kills and gameplay.


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#22
Veritasnous

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I had a bunch of crap here before, but Dew and Meraple are far better with the thing than I am, and Dew said roughly the same things. My experience with predator is that the hard part is figuring out when to enter fights. Be very smart about when you enter a fight because, unless you're significantly better than the other player, you'll lose a straight up fight more often than not. You want to flank teams almost constantly (you should be ahead of your team, trying to get behind the other guys before the battle starts every time), waiting for significant weaknesses or times you'll cause a satisfactory diversion. Also, try to catch players in 1v1s when they're in bad positions (such as stuck in a narrow space where your mines will be more effective).

 

The breacher is the best weapon, but in some ways the EOC Repeater turns out to be the easier weapon to use. In team contexts, you can spam mines everywhere (an easymode way to be effective on a map like uptown--just spam mines all around the battle, and at every choke point), and it gives you higher burst for easy ambush kills and picking off repairing mechs. If someone gets you in CQC you'll probably lose, but that's why you avoid CQC (which should be easy, given your ability to see through walls) unless you've a significant advantage.


Edited by Veritasnous, 08 July 2015 - 09:04 PM.


#23
m0bieduck

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Most op mech in the game, meaning highest skill ceiling, really hard to use to it's full potential
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#24
LEmental

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Most op mech in the game, meaning highest skill ceiling, really hard to use to it's full potential

The power of something doesn't determine the skill ceiling.

 

Also, not exactly true.  Apples and oranges.

 

At any rate, just have fun.  Don't expect to play the predator like any other mech,  You will find the play style that works for you.  Practice not dying and try to do the most damage.  The terrain is essential to play off of.  Understand what gives you an advantage over other mechs.


Edited by LEmental, 19 May 2015 - 10:27 AM.

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#25
TronX33

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Recommended Weapon? Breacher. If you've used the Bolt, it's not worth it, even at reduced price. EOC repeater, in my experience is absolute fuzzy bunny in CQC, but some are good with it. The predator is a mech dependent basically on Massive Burst damage, surprise, and landing shots (hard with the EOC Predator) Also, charged Breacher is useful for Mid-Range, and static long-range targets. Remember to lead your shots slightly, though, as the charged shot is a projectile (I think). Playstyle? Cleaning up after engagements (i.e. hunting down enemy survivors when they run to go heal. Or, if the enemy is outnumbered, attack those enemies from the rear, however, this is very risky. Also. The colldown between shots is reduced by charging a shot. So, I just charge a shot hold it, then when i find my prey, I release while simultaneously shooting a EOC-P puck. Items: the default ISM disruptor is useless. You can see through the static if your skilled enough. Instead, I recommend the EMP, at all levels. his may not disrupt your opponent's view, but it gives you more time to hit without being hit.

Internals: Failsafe, Shock Coil, and Deflectors or reconstructor. If your more cautious, then get the re constructor, if your less patient but still plays the correct Predator playstyle, go with the Deflectors, for reduced damage when running from reinforcements your opponent has alerted. Shock coil, as any damage breaks cloak, and boosting breaks it for 3 seconds. This is useful on maps with drops. Failsafe, as you'll be primarily in CQC with the Breacher, and those EOC-P pucks can really hurt you as well.

Be patient, and don't rush in. Tip: for more mobile targets (A classes) Fly, so it will be easier to get mine damage from pucks.

For a good mech to play to learn the Predator more, I reccomend the Raider. It's also a burst damage mech (especially with the T32, which is good with the Raider) But is has a bit more health, and better DPS. It's Blitz ability is also good for chasing weak enemies as well.

Sorry for the Wall of Text, but The Predator is very difficult to play. Don't get discouraged though! :)



#26
Dew

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http://www.twitch.tv/dew345/v/7116927comp pred failplay!



#27
Meraple

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Tip: for more mobile targets (A classes) Fly, so it will be easier to get mine damage from pucks.

Don't spacebar like that unless you've an Air Compressor or nobody's shooting you.

If you don't have an AC and people are shooting you whilst flying, you're a sitting duck, and most likely, a dead one.

 

 

Also, charged Breacher is useful for Mid-Range, and static long-range targets. Remember to lead your shots slightly, though, as the charged shot is a projectile (I think).

First off, charging the Breacher is usually even an effective choice at close ranges, due to the double shot.

 

Secondly Breacher's charged shot isn't a projectile, it's hitscan with a tiny firing delay.

Atleast according to the last time people tested it, which was a while ago - may've changed, but I doubt it.

 

 

Internals: Failsafe, Shock Coil, and Deflectors or reconstructor.

Not a very optimal build.

 

- Failsafe's there for if you're facehugging people, which you honestly shouldn't be doing with Breacher.

- Shock Coil's only semi-effective in certain maps, and even then, highly situational.

I personally don't need it, even on maps like Origin.

- Deflectors are optional but pretty good, nothing wrong with those.

I'd reccomend them for more aggressive playstyles, or when you lack anything else to use.

- Reconstructor..

I'm not even going to bother writing an entire paragraph as to why it's not an optimal choice by any means.

Lots of people use it on Predator, which is by no means an indication of it's effectiveness.

 

Internals that are often overlooked on Predator, yet are very good depending on your playstyle, are the Air Compressor and Evasive Device.

Air Compressor allows you to play far more aggressively, fly without the "I'm a sitting duck hit me lol" syndrome, and have more mobility options in general.

This internal is fairly good for the EOC-P, the reason why should be obvious.

The Evasive Device's effectivity is entirely up to your playstyle - I personally walk around in cloak at low-HP alot, mostly after killing someone.

 

 

Recommended Weapon? Breacher.

Breacher is better by miles when compared to both the T32-BOLT and EOC-Repeater on Predator.


Edited by (KDR) Meraple, 09 July 2015 - 10:48 AM.


#28
Skrill

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I could write a novel on this mech. I love it... but since I'm busy and people have short attention spans I'm just going to leave what I play on my pred and why below

Mech: 

Predator

 

Intenals:

Air Compressor (because shooting mines down and detonating them immediately turns the EOC-P into a rapid fire tow)

Fuel Converter (because few things are funnier than your opponent providing the means for your escape by hitting you with a tow. boom fuels back. Also helps keep you in the air longer during sustained fights)

Basic Deflectors (take ten percent less damage while using boosters and dodging is op when that same damage is also giving you fuel for more boosting and dodging)
 

Items:
Repair Orb MK3

Emp MK1

 

Weapons:

EOC - Great for point defense and killing those pesky A classes. This gun can be a monster in the hands of a pilot that knows how to predict their opponent.

Breacher - Two blasts and a mine and bye bye A class. I call this gun the snap and crackle (the mine is the pop)

T32 - IMHO The best gun on this mech with the internals and my aggressive play style. I run this weapon 90% of the time. While the Breacher is a great gun and does that nifty thing with the shield I feel it does not make up for the ability to quickly burst an opponent down with a charged shot and a mine and then shave off whatever health remains with more mines and rapid blasts.   

 

These are my specs and I am a crazy person. I'm not trying to argue with any of the epeen wavers so put it back in your pants boys.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Skrill

 


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