PlanetSide Fun Strategies for Small Groups

PlanetSide Fun Strategies for Small Groups by HeresJohnny

For the past few months in playing with some friends who use rolling trial accounts (I miss reserves) and are fairly new to the game, I’ve endevored to come up with some easy to follow group strategies that don’t require a lot of certs to pull off and can be used in almost any pop situation.

Here are some of the results….

Picnicing

– So named for what you do, finding a hillside near a vehicle battle and setting up a campsite

What you Need:

• 8 to 12 people
• Certs (All): Rexo, Medium Assault, Anti Vehicle
• Both advanced Engineering Certs (1 Person)
• Phantasm (1 – 2 Pilots)
• AA Max (1, Optional)
• Adv Medics (As Many As Possible)
• AMS Driver (1, Optional)

What to Do:

Find a battle raging between two bases with a lot of open field and vehicle action, this would preferrably be between the other two empires (so you get the most number of targets). Set up parallel to the battle, preferrably below a ridge line overlooking the battle.

Have an AMS driver park far away from the battle and have everyone bind to it. Then have the adv engineer and 3 other infantry take a phantasm to the chosen location. The advanced engineer should immediatly deploy an Aegis bubble and begin charging a shield and ammo dispenser.

The phantasm pilot should return to the AMS to pick up the rest of the group. After both the ammo and shield parts are charged you’re ready to start the picnic (If someone can deploy Cerebrus turrets or a sensor disruptor do so now).

One person needs to move up to the top of the ridge and 3rd person spec to find a target, after choosing something all persons with AV should concentrate on it until it dies or is out of range. Continue killing things until the battle dissipates or you get wiped.

Works Best With – Lancers – Highest DOT, 8 Lancer users targeting the same vehicle can melt it nearly instantly

Works Worst With – Phoenix – Time wasted guiding the missle hurts the speed at which you can put out damage at range, firing leaves all users vulnerable to being picked off by aircraft or cloakers

What to Watch For:

Aircraft are the bane of this tactic, strikers are a good middle ground for making aircraft run, but nothing beats having an AA max run from a nearby tower.

Mother Duck & Ducklings

– So Named because all the MAXes following around a BFR look like a gaggle of ducklings following Mom

What You Need:

• 3 – 10 People
• BFR Pilot w/Gunner Variant (1 – 2 Pilots)
• BFR Gunner (1 – 2)
• AA Max (1 – 4)
• AV Max (1 – 2)
• AI Max (1)

What to Do:

To simplify Ill assume a smaller group size with one BFR, if you get upwards of 10 – 12 people, use two. This is the only thing useful I’ve ever seen BFRs do

Make sure both the pilot and gunner are using AV weapons for their respective slots, if possible, both the pilot and gunner should have adv medic and the upper tier engineering certs. Like the picnic strategy this works best in an open field battle, involving the other two empires or your own.

The MAX suits should stay between the legs of the BFR or behind it at ALL TIMES. This prevents reaver spam from hurting them at all, while they can fire AA weapons back with impunity. Having an AV Max along ensures that any enemy BFR is going to end up dead or running away, and the extra DPS it puts out helps kill enemy vehicles.

The key to this strategy is knowing when to run and when to stop and fight, Aircraft are the #1 threat to a BFR in the field and having an AA max thats invulnerable to their fire makes this combo a very tough nut to crack if you stay coordinated. In the past weeks we’ve been doing this most of the times we’ve died it comes down to a CR5 OS.

Just make sure to keep back from any infantry prone areas and you should be good, any droppers can be taken care of easily by the MAX units or the gunner bailing.

Works Best with – NC – The particle cannon on the BFR can get a shot in on aircraft fairly easily, ensuring that even if they afterburn away the 3 – 4 sparrow missiles that hit it will finish it off

Works Worst With – VS – While the starfire is nice, its easier to afterburn away from than the sparrow, in addition the BFR is no where near as good air aircraft deturance than the particle cannon.

What to Watch For – Angry CR5s that can’t kill you with anythng but a low-orbit ion cannon, oh and letting infantry get too close, I don’t know what it is, but people tend to get a bit angry when you’ve shot down their reaver for the 4th or 5th time…

Skyguard Surprise

– Named for the comical effect created when you successfully bait aircraft

What you Need:

• 1 Lodestar
• 1 Skyguard Driver
• 1 Skyguard Gunner

What to Do:

Put the skyguard in the back of the lodestar, have the gunner make sure that the guns on the buggy are pointing backward toward the rear of the lode. Then simply fly near any battle spam voice macros and hope to pick up an enemy plane.

After you have baited someone after burn away a bit, then have the skyguard bail and use whatever remaining afterburner you have to drop down and circle back to the buggy. The gunner should immediately toggle third person to get their gunner view and if the pilot was dumb enough should have a very clear shot at whatever you baited.

For comical effect send “SURPRISE” tells to whatever you shoot down.

Works Best With – Any faction, this is all common pool stuff

What to watch out For – Picking up multiple aircraft, even if you have a skyguard, you aren’t going to live if 3+ reavers chase the flying shoebox

AMS Repo-Men

– Named for what you are doing, reposessing enemy AMSes

What you need:

• Phantasm
• 4 Grunts – 3 with Empire HA or Sweepers, 1 with Exp/Adv Hacking

What to Do:

Scout for an enemy AMS with a low to medium level of activity, then drop inside the bubble, three of the grunts should be designated to kill enemy infantry that spawn or are nearby, the remaining person should hack the AMS. Now, once you finish hacking, do what goes against every PS bone in your body and DO NOT DECON the AMS.

Now that you have the AMS, its time to hold it, put out CE and hold it for as long as possible. We’ve had a few situation where this actually lead to it cracking a courtyard or providing a good flanking position.

Works best with: NC – Jackhammer still has the fastest TTK on a newly spawned softie

What to Watch For: Enemy CE, its tough to determine whether or not you want to EMP, as it will expose you hacking the AMS, sometimes its best to just eat a few mines or kill the spitfire manually instead of throwing a CR EMP or Jammers.