PlanetSide 2 Comprehensive Newbie Guide

PlanetSide 2 Comprehensive Newbie Guide by Purp

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So you want to be a soldier in my beloved corps? You think you have what it takes?!
I am gonna break this down nice and simple for ya. You follow these guidelines and you will be a lean, mean killing machine!!!

Vehicles

Sunderer (Sundy)

The Sundy is the most important machine on the battlefield. It is the heart of your platoon. You can not and will not be able to function without your Sundy. You will eat, sleep, and die with your Sundy. You will give your Sundy a name! DO YOU GET ME?

Your Sundy should have the S-AMS and the Ammo Dispenser certs. If you don’t have the S-AMS installed your dirt-eating slime sucking friends can’t join you! Press “B” to deploy! If your slime ball friends already have enough Ammo Dispenser Sundys then you can always cert into the proximity nanite repair Sundy. But Ammo comes first as you can always hop and and repair their lazy butts yourself.

Your Sundy should be parked and deployed in a safe spot. You will park it under overhangs, under trees, near buildings, walls, ravines, or any other cover you can find. The longer it takes the enemy to find your Sundy the longer it will live!!!

If you drive the Sundy, you stay with your Sundy! After you deploy, you will press F2 or F3 and get in one of your turrets and protect your Sundy. You need to have an Anti-Air AND an Anti-infantry turret on your Sundy so you can protect it from all hostiles.

To apply your certs (and this applies to all your gear you numbnuts) you will need to buy them, and go to the page in your inventory and actually equip them in the appropriate slot! Then you will need to spawn the new vehicle or weapon to actually receive it!

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Main Battle Tanks (MBT)

Magrider- Vanu- best when strafing. I would keep the main gun and attach either the Saron HRB (basically an Anti-Armor sniper rail gun of death and doom) or the AA gun the A30 Walker.
Main gun needs Zoom Optics and Max Ammo.
Reinforce either the front or side armor. You SHOULD be pointed towards the enemy so front armor is good for you. If you find yourself lost and don’t know where the enemy is most of the time, maybe you should get the side armor (or better yet get on an ATV. If you have to get an ATV you are lower than an ant fart! Now face the enemy and SHOOT!)

Vanguard- NC- Strongest main gun and best armor, but also the slowest. Drives like a pig. Zoom Optics is a must. I recommend the side armor on this beast because the other tanks are going to try to flank you.

Prowler- TR- Double shot main gun, but weakest tank. Double shot main gun really shines when going up against infantry, as each shot still kills. Again Zoom Optics very recommended. When you hop in this tank you will probably want to switch to F2 and turn the top turret around so it is out of your way when shooting the main gun at air targets.
The weakest part of all tanks and vehicles is the rear. So protect it!!! If you’re camping a spawn point and there is a wall or building around BACK YOUR TANK/SUNDY up to the wall so that the rear is flush with the wall! Nobody can hit that!

Missile Launchers can two shot you if they get good hits on your rear! So unless you’re from Texas- keep it facing the enemy!

What can kill you? Other tanks, Heavy’s with missile launchers, and Aircraft. I have already told you what to do with the first two, now how do you deal with aircraft? Your main turret only goes so far up! But you can tilt your entire tank up and get that turret HIGH! So run up a small hill, a bump, fence, rock, whatever, but get the angle of your tank higher, and SHOOT THAT FIGHTER!!! It should take you no more than 2 hits with the main gun to bring down any fighter. Now some are sneaky and hard to hit, but if they come straight at you and hover like the nubs they are BLAST THEM TO KINGDOM COME!

Light Tanks and Skyguards

Light Tanks can do damage to groups of infantry. You get 6 rapid fire shots out of your default gun. Just aim in the general direction son, surely you can hit something!
Light tanks are fast, and can be used to scout. I prefer to call those loners out there that ninja bases “scouts”, but we all know what you really are (worthless pathetic “army of one” dirt bags).

Skyguards are a little better then Lightnings, especially if you can get them into groups for Anti-Air. Otherwise Skyguards are useless- they can’t kill tanks, sundies, infantry, hell they can’t even kill aircraft by themselves, so if you don’t have a buddy don’t bother.

ATVs

So you got left behind and you don’t have a squad beacon to jump to or a Sundy to spawn off of and can’t afford a Sundy or a Lightning? Basically your SOL and have absolutely no other options and your direct drop is on cooldown? So you’re in a world of hurt! You have died sooo many times you have nothing left…
Well I have just the thing for you!!! The ATV. You’re not good enough for anything else!!!
Press “T” to drive it, and leave the headlight on so I can see you and shoot you that must faster.
I guess they can be fun if you add a cannon or something else to them. They can also be handy for snipers or ninjas that want to get somewhere and don’t want armor. To me they are a last resort. I would rather defend the point where I got left behind and wait till the Sundy spawn comes up then get on one of those no armor no account can’t even drive a dirt bike unless it has 2 extra wheels ATVs.

Empire Specific Fighters (ESF)

Reaver- NC- Strongest gun and armor, but they fly like a bathtub.

Mosquito (Mossy)- TR- Fastest of the fighters, but weak armor. Medium maneuverability.

Scythe- Vanu- most maneuverable of the three, good hovering ability.

The fighters really handle very close to the same. The Mossy has great pilot visibility both front and sides, whereas the Scythe has good visibility to the front only, and the Reaver is in between. The Reaver handles like a bus but drifts well, allowing you to keep your gun on target longer. The Scythe makes tighter turns and keeps on someone’s 6 o’clock better. The Mossy has the smallest hitbox when being attacked directly from the rear.

Basically it doesn’t matter which fighter you’re in, as long as you follow these guidelines.

Start HIGH and work your way LOW. Max ceiling is 1000m, so be up there. Cruise and look for targets from above. When you see your bogey, work your way in behind them without them seeing you. Get on their 6 o’clock with enough room behind them so that if they brake or turn you can adjust and stay on their 6.

If they don’t know you are there, start with missiles. The air to ground missiles are especially good against unsuspecting victims cruising in a straight line, or bigger targets like Libs or Galaxies. The air to air missiles are good no matter what the target is doing, as long as you’re far enough back to get a lock on. So start by unloading your missiles on your target, then switch to guns.

Now if they do know you are there and they are juken’ and jiven’ you will have to start with whatever is appropriate, either guns or missiles.

If you’re unfortunate enough to have someone get the jump on you, you’re goin’ to have to dance the dance. This is why it is better to start off HIGH because as you wiggle you will drop altitude, and if you’re not careful you will smack into the ground. As you take more damage your vehicle does less and less of what you want it to do. The best pilots will use mountains, buildings, ravines, etc. to throw off missile locks and opponents, but remember- all he has to do to stay on you is fly slightly above whatever you are using for cover and pounce on you again! So you’re going to have to do a reversal somewhere in there and throw him off!

Reversal- tilt one way, push the buttons for the opposite direction, then whip around using both tilt and buttons to bleed off momentum and reverse direction- then hit the afterburners or you are a sitting duck!!!

Galaxy

Mass transport. Best used in groups and with a Combat Air Patrol (CAP). The best advice I can give you with these is to practice practice practice. Do A LOT of touch and go’s before you put your bros lives in your hands!!! Those guys are depending on you to get them there in one piece!!! You should practice touch and go’s on all the different styles of buildings and bases! Practice touch and go’s with other galaxies flying in formation!!! If your landing site is the size of a postage stamp, you may need to hit “T” to get a bird’s eye view!

You need to come in HOT AND HEAVY!!! Don’t ease up to those platforms because you WILL be taking fire! DON’T PANIC, go ahead and make the drop!!! Your gal can take a ton of damage and still come out alive!!! So I don’t wanna hear “IT’S too HOT to drop in there *whimper*” You get your guys ON TARGET and DROP!!!!

Use Proximity Chat to tell them “DROP DROP DROP!!!” If they won’t get out press “Page Down” and LOCK your vehicle and that will force them to drop! (I don’t recommend this, as you might want to keep a gunner with you). Your passengers can hit E and escape the vehicle without fall damage as long as they don’t land on top of some tower.

Don’t forget that Galaxies won’t go down on their own like ESFs, you have to press “C” to drop.

And whatever you do, don’t spam voice comms with “Hey guys I have a Galaxy over here, I have a Galaxy over here with 5 spots, come on guys I have a Galaxy over here free ride.” If they want the ride they will come, otherwise SHUT UP. I actually had a guy say that **** over PLATOON, I can see maybe doing it over proximity, but PLATOON?!? Can we say MUTED?!

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Liberator

You’re only as good as your gunner! A good gunner will switch from F2 to F3 as needed, so you don’t necessarily need a crew of 3 people.
You also need a buddy- a fighter flying cover for you.
You’re most vulnerable from the top rear, so if a fighter sneaks up behind you put your nose down and dive! This will give your rear gunner a chance to get the ESF in his sights.
Being able to nose dive means you need altitude!!! Altitude can also save you from AA as you will be a smaller target and possibly out of missile range.

Classes

Now that we have the vehicles down, time to talk about Classes and this JELLY DONUT!

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If you’re a driver, pilot, bushwhacker or whatever, you will probably want to be an ENGINEER. You will need to repair that vehicle! Engineers are GOOD, UMM GOOD, REAL GOOD, GOOD FOR YOU, GOOD FOR ME!

If there are obstacles you want to fly up on like the sneaky SOB that you are, LIGHT INFANTRY is the way to go.

Want to blast and last? HEAVY does that.

Want to keep your team up? Medics are a squad’s best friend- keeping people up and in the fight!

And I won’t even talk about Snipers. Those guys are all hacks. Hackin’ terminals that is.

Now all these classes have some things in common- they all need scopes on their carbines (LIGHT, ENGINEERS), rifles (MEDICS), or LMGs (HEAVIES). The type of scope depends on the range of the fight you want to get in.
ENGINEERS should always fight close range and use a Reflex Sight, if they get in a long range fight they need to hop back into their vehicle! Don’t forget to throw down your ammo packs- others need them!!!
LIGHTS can use 2x, 4x, or reflex depending on how sneaky they are. Most LIGHTS I know like to perch on some out of the way ledge and use a 2x or 4x scope.
HEAVIES find themselves in all kinds of trouble, and are better suited to a 2x Reflex or a 4x Scope.
MEDICS need to try to stay out of close range fights and heal from the back, so a 2x or 4x may be better for them.
SNIPERS are scum of the earth and should always use the biggest scope they can find. Snipers don’t forget to hold down the SHIFT key to hold your scum sucking breaths for a better shot.

Forward grips and laser dots improve your weapon and are a no brainer upgrade. Ammo Capacity is also always good. I wouldn’t waste your upgrades on the default guns though, wait until you get the better gun before you spend those certs!

Be warned, if you’re in a long range engagement the only two classes worthwhile are Snipers and Heavies. And Heavies, don’t use your LMG long range, better to throw missiles at them. You will need an engineer to drop ammo if you’re going to spam rockets.

Most infantry combat takes place in close to medium range.

Spotting Enemies

You can spot enemies with the Q button. If you hold down Q and target a friendly an options rose will appear allowing you to friend or invite them.
When calling out an enemy over voice comms you need to give both a LOCATION and a DIRECTION.
For example: Armor West of Hvar.
Galaxy North of the Crown.
You don’t have to be explicit- short and sweet is much better. I would NOT say “5 tanks, some heavies, and a Sundy coming in from the West of the Crown.” Just say “Armor column West of the Crown”. People can assume that whenever there is a mass coming in that it will have a mix of armor and infantry. Do call out Sundy’s though, as they are a spawn point.
If you’re a squad leader or platoon leader, go ahead and put the squad waypoint on the EXACT position of that Sundy, as it becomes priority number one.
Sundy’s and Galaxies always get called out separately.

DO NOT USE THE PLATOON VOICE CHANNEL TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY. Or how bad you are. Or that your dad beat your dog and your dog ate and threw up your homework. In fact, do not use the PLATOON channel unless you’re a squad leader or the platoon leader. Everyone should be using the Squad channel for chatter. DO NOT CUSS IN VOICE. If you must use profanity type it out in chat. Nobody wants to hear you talk smack or you’re slow inevitable slip into a Francis rage.

Squad and Platoon leaders

BE POSITIVE. Encourage. Be clear and concise. Tell them where to go at 75% cap. Don’t make them guess. Don’t hold them back.
Don’t think “I will cluster them here so we can all move together”. Let the tanks go ahead and start moving and let the Sundies pick up the stragglers. Trust me, Sundies will catch up to the tanks!

Have your squad beacon! If your sundy goes down your squad beacon is all they have left!

Squad Leaders and Platoon Leaders should be your Sundy drivers!!! Everyone else in armor!!! You don’t need 10 infantry in a Sundy!!! Better to have 2 or 3 people in a Sundy (enough to man at least one of the guns) and 7 people in MBTs or Lightnings!!! Why? Because in ARMOR your people are better protected, have more firepower, AND you haven’t put all your eggs in one casket that has a big sign saying “Hit me and kill 10 people for free!”

Your ground squad should look something like this:

Squad Leader driving a Sundy.
MAX suit manning the AA turret OR Anti Infantry turret (He can switch between as needed) in the Sundy
8 people driving Armor (MBTs or Lightnings/Skyguards)

Your air squad should look something like this:

Squad Leader driving a Liberator with one gunner
Liberator with one gunner
Liberator with one gunner
4 ESFs
(Liberator gunners can switch seats as needed for bombing or anti-air)
Air groups should be TIGHT, with the Libs flying in formation for their attack runs. Libs that stay in a tight group can concentrate their fire and their anti-air defense while allowing the 4 ESF CAP to stay close to all of three Libs.

What is a CAP? Combat Air Patrol is a group of fighters tasked with protecting and patrolling an airspace. Here our CAP is tasked with protecting the Libs. Best way to run a CAP is have the 4 fighters “circle the wagons” and keep moving in a clockwise loop around the Libs. If done correctly, circling the wagons allows each fighter to protect the fighter in front of him. If an enemy fighter tries to engage someone in the circle, the next friendly pilot in the rotation is automatically on the 6 o’clock of the enemy pilot. EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO CLOCKWISE, because sure as **** if you get people going both directions there will be a collision.

Give clear and concise commands while leading. Praise when deserved, and say “PLEASE” (slavery ended in 1857).

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Good Leader- (75% of the cap, placed waypoint to the next destination) “Ok guys, after Amp Station caps we are headed Northeast to the Indar Tech Plant, please grab armor.”

Bad Leader- (point just capped, no waypoint placed) “OK boys, next place Tech Plant. I want everyone in Charlie to get in a Sundy and hit the west side and everyone in Bravo to get in the Galaxy and drop in from the top. All stragglers will be kicked in 3 minutes.”

While some people might think that what was said above by the Bad Leader is GREAT, it is in fact terrible. LET ME TELL YOU WHY! Why force all the people in one squad to go one particular mode of transportation? Aren’t they already spread out?
So everyone is trying to get to their assigned transport which makes you SLOW SLOW SLOW.

Then the galaxy driver is still waiting to go and has no idea if his load is complete and doesn’t have any clue where he is going because there is NO WAYPOINT. If you had done the waypoint at 75% cap it would have given everyone a heads up on where they are going and the best way to get there. If he is bringing in a Galaxy he has no idea where to do the pickup from!

And what if someone in Charlie or Bravo has armor? You want them to leave that tank or Sundy behind???
You said all stragglers will be kicked in 3 minutes… What about those people that just died and respawned back at the base you just took? They’re SOL? How do you know they just spawned there?

You, dear sir, are a cluster$#%* waiting to happen!!!

Don’t underestimate your players!!! They are NOT COMPLETE IDIOTS. And they are definitely not “boys”. If they need to ride in a sundy or a galaxy they will go to whichever is closest at the end of the cap.

Bad Leader turned into a Good Leader. “OK team, after Indar Tower caps (you always say your current location) we are heading Northeast (gives them a clue on which way to turn to see your waypoint) to Indar Tech Plant (there are dozens of tech plants, give us the full name). Sundies hit the west side and Galaxy from the top (this gives people a choice of which vehicle to go with, depending on their needs).

Let’s review:

“OK boys, next place Tech Plant. I want everyone in Charlie to get in a Sundy and hit the west side and everyone in Bravo to get in the Galaxy and drop in from the top. All stragglers will be kicked in 3 minutes.”

OR

“OK team, GOOD JOB! After Indar Tower caps we are heading Northeast to Indar Tech Plant. Sundies please hit the west side and Galaxies from the top.”

While the differences are small, it is the difference between a mediocre team leader and a GREAT one.

If you want to use your Squads, take a lesson from Ender’s Game. Give your squad leaders a destination, and have enough faith and trust in them to figure out how to get there and what to do. Do NOT micro manage.

LISTEN from your squad leaders, or really anyone that makes a suggestion. This is a game of mostly adults, we want to be listened to. If the suggestion sounds good do it! Give them a “Sounds good- let’s do it!” We are not following a dictator, we are playing a game that requires TEAMWORK. Say PLEASE and THANKS.

And last thing for leaders- if your position becomes untenable and people are getting frustrated- PULL BACK. Regroup at the warp gate. Get them outta there! Your team will lose morale if you are just feeding the meat grinder to a foe that vastly outnumbers you. They will respect and appreciate you more if you keep them in winnable situations.

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Tips and tricks to live a little longer:

When you hop out of your vehicle you will usually hop out on the LEFT side. So turn your vehicle so that the RIGHT side faces the enemy and that way your silly little head won’t get sniped while you repair! Or better yet, get that vehicle in a safe place like behind a wall or a ravine! But we know you aren’t that smart now don’t we?!

Get in the habit of moving your reticle (aiming target) to where you are looking- makes it easier to shoot someone. If your weapon gets wobbly after the first few shots, fire in bursts of three. Learn your weapon!!!

People like to stand around nodes and terminals to reload or get a vehicle, it is a great place for anti-personnel mines. Tanks like roads and fighters like landing pads, mine them. C-4 is the great equalizer between infantry and tanks- try it!

Use grenades!!! Bounce them around corners! Practice and learn how far they will go!

Never stand still, especially while reviving or repairing… Or my favorite tree hugging hippie sniper is going to blow your **** head off!

Nothing says “Shoot ME” more than leaving the headlight on your vehicle. Press “L” to turn off the headlight. And don’t get in a tank or sundy with their headlights on because you don’t have a clue where that Nub driver is going- probably right off the map.

Join a good Outfit! Join an Outfit with good leaders!

And last but not least-

Have fun!!! If you’re not having fun you’re in the wrong outfit!!!

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