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Merl’s Guide to Technician
Introduction: Welcome to the be all and end all of Tech Guides. This guide will go over strategy and tactics for piloting Techs, being healed by Techs, and taking them down. It’s long, but well worth the read and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. So, without further adieu, the Technician.
Overview: Healers are in almost every shooter out there, from Battlefield's assault, to TF2’s medic, they have become a staple of modern fps. The Technician follows in their mighty footstep with its own special flair. Similar to the medic in Team Fortress, the Tech carries a beam based healing device.
The appropriately named Helix Repair Torch has two modes. One is a yellow beam that will heal your teammates at a rate of 50 hp/s, and you 20 hp/s (note that these numbers will decrease if you or the mech you are healing have recently been damaged). The alternate fire is the red “vampire beam”. It has a longer range than the yellow beam but a more narrow distance from your reticle that it will track to. As its name suggests, it will suck the hp of your enemies (28/s) and heal you (40% of damage done).
Continuing with weapons, the Tech has three primaries to choose from. The default primary, called the Redox-O2, is an AOE weapon that has a slight arc and moderate damage. The true power of the Redox lies in its debuff effect. For every shot you land on an enemy they take 5% more damage for 3 seconds, stacking up to 3 times for a maximum of 15% more damage. This makes it very formidable in team fights and, in theory, gives the Redox an even higher dps than the next weapon on the list. That would be the Hawkins-RPR or “Ripper”. The Ripper is the most conventional (and widely used) weapon in the Tech’s arsenal. Its 80 dps and decent range make it a favorite across the spectrum of pilots. For a long time, this was all Technician pilots had to work with, but with a recent update the highly anticipated prestige primary was added. The PN-223 “Nail Gun” is a burst weapon that shreds opponents in close quarters (with 14 damage per bullet in a 3 shot burst) but quickly loses its effectiveness at range. There are many mixed opinions about the Nail Gun and ultimately it comes down to personal preference when choosing it vs the Ripper.
When choosing any of the three, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First and foremost is your personal playstyle. Go with what you feel the best with. Second is the debuff on the Redox. This makes it the best of the three for organized team play, hands down. Finally, consider that this aspect of your arsenal will be used less and less the better you get. With very few exceptions, whatever you end up choosing should be collecting dust while your Helix does the heavy lifting.
That leads me to perhaps the most important asset for the Technician, the ability. Amplification, or “The Green Beam”, significantly increases your ability to heal, both yourself and allies, for a short period of time. Proper timing with the green beam can easily be the difference between victory and defeat for your team and will be covered in the Piloting section of this guide.
Items and Internals: The items that you put on your tech should be centered around defense. Repair Charge, Blockade, and Radar Scrambler are all viable options. Personally, I run with Blockade MkI and Repair Charge MkIII, but any combination of the above is acceptable. Shields are not recommended unless you can communicate with your team as the heal beam does not pass through them. If you really want to put fear into your opponents, it is possible to run a Detonator for some extra damage that no one would expect coming from an unassuming Tech (experts only).
As for internals, there is only one essential and that is the Replenisher. It will cut into the minute-plus cooldown on the green beam significantly, allowing you the option of using it more frequently. Your other three slots are up to you. I recommend either Air Compressor or Deflectors+Basic Extractor/Basic Fuel Converter.
Piloting: Many people hold the belief that the Tech is fuzzy bunny overpowered, and while it does have the capacity to make an enormous impact on the game (perhaps more so than any other mech), that potential cannot be reached without some serious skill. Many people have no idea what they are doing, and their teammates, who are counting on them, get let down constantly. Before any real strategy is discussed, you must first be in the mindset of a Tech. This means that you need to actively look for teammates instead of enemies. Know everyone’s position and health. If someone is taking damage, it is your job to be there. They shouldn’t have to come up to you and beg to be healed. It is NOT YOUR JOB TO ATTACK. Only do so when it is absolutely necessary. It does not matter how good you are at killing things. Your potential is maximized when healing, so do it as often as you possibly can. If you can’t seem to do well, try not firing your primary and never switching to the red beam. It sounds crazy, but trust me, you must master healing before you go on the offensive. To help with mastery: timing, judgement, patience, movement, and situational awareness all need to be addressed.
Timing with the green beam turns games. It’s that powerful. That being said, most people that play Tech don’t get it right and end up costing their team. There are situations where you use it and where you don’t, so I have compiled a list of do’s and don’ts in order of importance.
Do:
1. When you are engaging the enemy. You and your allies are taking tons of damage? Keep them alive soldier! Go green!
2. When there are many members of your team together and all have low-medium health. This is perfect because a lot of health needs to be dispensed in order to keep your team from retreating.
3. To save yourself. “Use it as your own personal panic button” (Official Hawken Technician guide). Saving yourself means you can save more allies. Nuff said.
4. When one member of your team is on the brink of death. This is last on the list of do’s because you have to make a judgement call. Sometimes even the almighty green beam isn’t enough to save them. It sounds harsh, but you have to let them die. Saving everyone is impossible, so make sure that when you do use the green beam, it makes a difference.
Don’t:
1. When you aren’t engaging the enemy. There is no reason to go green if a yellow will get the job done.
2. If they are already repairing. Don’t go green just to get points. It’s that simple.
3. If you have to boost to get to your target. Boosting means you’re not healing. You only have 7 seconds. Make them count.
4. If they are in the middle of multiple enemies. You put yourself at risk to save them and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t. Again this is at the bottom of the list because it really is a judgement call.
Judgement isn’t something that just happens. Practice makes perfect. Knowing how a certain situation will turn and making a call can only happen when you have experience, so go get some! You won’t make the perfect decision every time. At the beginning you’ll be lucky to make it most of the time, but if you keep at it, gradually you’ll see that you make the right call more and more. If you’re patient and learn from your mistakes, there’s nothing that can stop you from getting better.
Speak of the devil. Patience. Have it. Own it. You’ll need a lot. Rushing in alone isn’t going to help anything except the kdr of the the other team. Support is the name of the game. Stay with your team, stay out of trouble, and let them do the work. Don’t let them lead you to your doom. If that heavy wants to take on three enemies, he’s not going to take you down with him. Let your team do what they want and do your best to make them better. Keep them alive to the best of your ability and keep them moving forward. The team that is able to move the best is going to be more successful.
The same goes for the Tech. Knowing when and where to move is the biggest difference between life and a fiery death. Having the lowest health pool in the game coupled with subpar speed and agility means that one wrong move and you’re done. When you’re alone, avoid the enemy at all costs. Don’t alert them to your position and make it back to your team as fast as you can. Once you’re with your team, stay behind a heavy and use them as cover while you repair. Keep your distance so that when they dodge your beam stays on them. Don’t get in their way. Another thing that must be considered is when to take to the air. Do so if you are facing an Incinerator or Grenadir. Their explosive spam will shred you unless you actively avoid it. That being said, being in the air leaves you vulnerable to snipers and sustained damage weaponry, as well as draining your fuel, so use with caution and know the situation.
And finally, situational awareness. Like judgement, it only comes with practice, but it is the most important attribute of a Tech pilot. There is no way that I can guide you to better situational awareness, it just happens as you play and get better. What I can do is go over some common situations and paint in broad strokes what to do. Every situation is unique, so it’s all ultimately up to you. Anyway, here are some things to be aware of.
1. When you are outnumbered. Probably best to retreat. Find your team again and get behind them.
2. When you are about to be flanked. Get out, or die with honor. Being flanked is the worst possible situation for a Tech, so avoid it at all costs.
3. When the best person on your team is in trouble. It sounds mean, but keeping them alive is going to do your team much more good than saving a lesser player.
Tech on Your Team: You hop into a game and notice that there’s a Tech on your team. What do you do differently? A few simple tips will help your team be much more successful with a Tech on it.
1. Don’t go Tech. Two Techs are redundant and horrible. Do not let this happen. If the current Tech isn’t doing well it is possible to ask them to switch, but don’t count on it.
2. If you are being healed, stop repairing, unless you have almost no health. With the Tech on you, you can feel free to start helping your team again.
3. Do not expect the Tech to be there whenever you get low. He is a bonus and your game should not be based around him being there all the time.
4. If the Tech is on you, stay on one side of a shield. There is nothing more infuriating than when I pop my green beam and can’t use it because the person I’m healing is going in and out of a shield constantly.
5. It’s the Tech’s job to keep up with your movement but only to a certain extent. Don’t expect them to charge into the whole team behind you, as they are much squishier than you are.
6. Let them keep you in the fight. If a Tech is healing you there is no need to go away from the battle to repair.
7. Be a C class. If your team doesn’t have at least two already, consider putting on some weight. This will help the Tech to stay alive and you’ll certainly be happy when he’s healing you.
Vs. Techs: Having one on your team is great. Having one on the enemy team? It can be Hell. How do you counter a good Tech?
1. Have a good Tech. Don’t be afraid to fight fire with fire.
2. Burst classes. A good alpha strike will severely cripple the Tech, forcing them away from the front lines or even taking them out if they’re slightly damaged already.
3. Focus them. Not the person they’re healing. Techs are squishy. Squeeze them. They’re likely to burst.
4. Mines. EOC weapons are the bane of my existence as a Tech. A good predator can neutralize a Tech and then some.
5. Ranged classes. A Sharpshooter, Rocketeer, or Bruiser will have no problem dispensing the Tech.
6. Flanks. The Tech is much easier to kill when there isn’t a beefy C class in the way.
Other Thoughts: Please keep in mind that the tips in this guide are general. There are plenty of “what if” questions that I will not answer. Use your head. One tip that I couldn’t find a place for is this. If you are healing someone and they are very low, consider using yourself as a shield. Absorbing a few hits might just save them. Employ sparingly as it’s a risky move that is only right for certain situations. Elite armor is essential. It looks sexy and will let everyone know you mean business. Other than that, thank you very much for reading. Stats on the weapons may not be 100% accurate and are only there as approximates. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I hope this helped and I’ll see you on the battlefield.
Edited by Merl61, 21 March 2015 - 05:36 AM.
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