Hello guys!

I have noticed that there's relatively few players who use artillery, despite its' huge competitive potential and an interesting, teamwork-based gameplay. So, I'm writing this guide in hopes that you will give it a shot. You will definitely like artillery if you, like me, prefer calmer and more strategic gameplay, but I suggest trying it even if you are all about action and adrenaline - for a new experience and better understanding of the game.

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Picture 1. The competitive potential. That's my record to this day, but 7-8 kills are relatively common.

(my explanations may be somewhat long, for a TL:DR just read the text in bold to get a general idea)

The basic artillery mechanics you need to know:

1. Exceptionally long range, but also has a minimum range;

2. High trajectory (similar to a mortar), which allows hitting targets behind (most) obstacles;

3. The rockets have quite long flight time (between launch and hitting the ground);

4. The opponents get notified if they are in the area where the rockets will hit. It's a small but very noticeable red circle on the edge of the screen, very similar to the notification for guided missiles;

5. Because of the two previous points, the opponents usually get plenty of time to get out of the bombarded area;

6. But if they don't, the damage is pretty severe and they are likely to die.

7. You can only target a particular unit in its current location. Targeting an area in hopes to hit something "blindly" is not implemented.

From these points, you can conclude that the opponents can simply get away from the bombardment area, so artillery is pretty useless. So, we need to find, or even create by ourselves, some situations where the opponents won't get away. The artillery tactics are all about these situations.

The most straightforward solution is to get the opponent stuck somewhere. Notice that I used the Panther mech on Picture 1? It's ability (Stasis Barrier) can immobilize the opponent for quite some time, making it a very easy target for the bombardment. The downside is that the Stasis Barrier has a relatively close range, so you won't be able to fire immediately after catching the opponent - it will be closer than your minimum range. To do that, start moving backwards immediately - there is more than enough time to retreat to the minimum range (about 50 meters) and get an easy kill. Make sure, however, that you don't have a wall or other obstacle behind you! It is also a good idea in a more general context: Be aware of obstacles and other mechs behind your back. For mechs, you can use the mini-map.

Now, what if the opponent needs to be in the bombarded area? For example, he is capturing a control point. If you shoot at such an opponent, he will have a choice - to abandon the capturing and run away, or get hit by the artillery and likely die. So, even if he chooses the former, you prevented him capturing the point for some time. However, and this is a very important point: making a decision is not an immediate process. A lot of people will be caught in the bombardment while they are still contemplating the decision, which is what we want. Please understand that they are not stupid: any more or less complex decision takes time, and the amount of time depends on training for specific situations much more than on "raw intellectual power". If you are playing as the opponent, you can use a "rule of thumb" - if shot by artillery while capturing, abandon immediately and run forward-facing in a safe direction.

The downside of such tactic is that the opponent needs to be detected before you can shoot. So, on most maps you won't be able to prevent opponents from capturing their initial control points, and after that it's relatively rare to catch an opponent in such a situation, with your weapon charged. If you want to do this, check your mini-map whenever your weapon is charged (or nearly charged).

This discussion leads us to the most complex tactic, which, however, yields an absolute majority of kills: shoot at opponents that are engaged by your teammates. Again, they will have to make a decision - run or stay. But now, the directions where they can run are not equal - they will probably get killed by your teammates if they run in their direction, and also if they can't take a proper cover from them, and... and... and the rockets hit. Also, they can just miss the red notification completely, as they are busy fighting! (Ask me how I know...)

These three tactics will net you lots of kills, making you a valuable addition to (almost) any team. However, you should understand that there is more to winning than just your personal kills. As an artillery mech, you won't do a lot of other important things, relying on your teammates for these. As you mostly keep yourself far away from the frontline, you won't be engaging opponents directly, so your teammates will fight at a local disadvantage. Did you ever get soundly beaten despite your best efforts, just because there was 2 of you and 3 of opponents? This will be a very common situation for your teammates, as you stay at some convenient position far away instead of joining them. Your job is to bring enough damage, maybe kill a mech or two, so your teammates can still win there - and that means a lot of damage! Delivering an average amount of kills/damage is not enough. It's your job and you have the right tools for it, so don't just relax if you see better-than-average kills. For me, it's pretty common to still lose the battle while netting 7 kills and surviving to the end - because the others are fighting at disadvantage and lose badly if I fail to help.

Speaking of survival. There's little you can do if an opponent is at close range, but there are some solutions that I employ to a limited success. Note, again, that I use Panther and the plasma cannon. The first means Stasis Barrier ability, which I discussed in the first tactic, but it is also useful for escaping a dangerous situation. Unlike the Ares' wide shield, the barrier can't be destroyed by damage, possibly giving you a reasonable amount of time to escape. As for the plasma cannon, it can be useful for killing heavily wounded mechs, but mostly it's a psychological weapon. When players are faced with fire, they may retreat even if actual damage is negligible, giving you precious time to escape, or even attack with your main weapon. Failing all these options, be decisive and don't fixate on the nearest mech - try to shoot the last salvo at the distant opponents before you go.

Your success and survival depends heavily on the position you choose. As you can shoot over obstacles, try to hide behind those whenever possible. You can stay somewhere far back from the front line, but an argument can be made for moving about 50 meters behind a group of teammates (I like doing that on "desert" maps). I can't think of a good rule of thumb here, but one of the considerations is that there's less time between launching the rockets and their impact, so less time for the opponents to escape. Other than that, just experiment with positions, find out what works (and maybe leave a comment here!)

When choosing position, use the map. More generally, learn maps. Map is your friend. As you shoot up and over obstacles, the zones available to your bombardment are very different from what others have (this is in part similar to how you use guided missiles). Also, cultivate a useful habit: look at the mini-map. It allows you to quickly find local engagements, teammates in need, possible threats. As an artillery, awareness of your mini-map is more important than awareness of the main screen. Even for other, non-artillery mechs, the habit is quite useful, as you can evaluate where to go next.

These are my main thoughts about artillery. They are more-or-less tested and proven in combat, but please don't think of this guide as some truth "set in stone". I hope it will be useful as a reference point, but you may find better tactics, or even prove me completely wrong. I will be glad if you have any additions, questions or discussion topics, so please like subscribe comment if you wish.

To do: try combining the artillery with a sniper weapon or a stasis beam. They look like good combinations but I don't have enough energy in any mech yet.