Guns of Icarus Online Engineering Basic Guide

Guns of Icarus Online Engineering Basic Guide by Theodrixx

The engineer is often under-appreciated. Indeed, if an engineer is doing his job well, his work will likely go unnoticed. However, it is obvious that the engineer is a vital asset to any ship, for the engineer’s goal, above all else, is to keep the ship flying. I have compiled a list of common mistakes I have seen new engineers make, so that you may learn how to better serve your ship and crew.

1. Getting too clever with the loadout

An engineer must be versatile. There is no knowing which ship component will be hit by a barrage and damaged first, and there is no guarantee that an engineer (much less a specific engineer) will be there to rebuild/repair it. Therefore, there is little use in specializing your loadout for a specific job (be it repairing or rebuilding), by which I mean equipping yourself with either a mallet and no spanner, or a spanner and no mallet. If a ship component should be entirely destroyed, and a repair-centric engineer is next to it, calling a rebuild-centric engineer over will waste the time that might be gained by the streamlining offered by having specialized engineers. In a battle, many components will be damaged, and it is to the benefit of the captain and the ship to have versatile engineers at hand. Bring the rubber mallet, the shifting spanner, and a fire extinguisher/chemical spray.

I need not mention that this applies doubly to any crew with only a single engineer.

Engineers interested in buffing should bring the pipe wrench, but this is only a compromise; the pipe wrench is not ideal for either repairing or rebuilding, and will usually serve only to buy the crew some time if a vital component is taking consistent damage.

A fire-extinguishing tool is absolutely necessary, unless one knows the enemy ships to have not a single flame thrower between them (unlikely, to say the least). Even in that case, they may use incendiary ammunition. If a crew is not equipped with a fire extinguisher, even a brief spray from an enemy’s flame thrower will leave their ship in disarray for a long time.

2. Not listening to the captain

The captain is usually the best judge of which components are in most need of attention. He will know which strategy he intends to use in the immediate future, and it follows that he will know which components he will need in order to deploy that strategy. Of course, the captain does make mistakes. The only time an engineer should favor his own discretion over the captain’s is if the captain has ignored that a vital component is taking consistent damage. However, do not be mute in your disagreement; ask the captain (remember to hit “X” for crew voice chat) if you should not instead concentrate on keeping the hull armor or the balloon operational, even as you move toward that component to repair it. While the captain may realize his mistake and defer to you, it is also possible that he has a specific strategy planned that will get the ship (and the component taking damage) out of danger. A simple example is that of beating a hasty retreat after disabling the enemy ship.

The benefit of asking applies to both scenarios; once reminded of the status of vital components, the captain will glance at their “health” and reevaluate whether to try an evasive maneuver or to repair the hull, balloon, and guns for a last stand. If you say nothing and disobey the captain, he will be caught off-guard when the component he decided needed repairing is completely destroyed. And a captain caught off his guard is a very bad thing for a ship.

3. Not communicating with other crew members

Engineers, if there are indeed two (or even three, although this is unheard of), must communicate with each other. In between engagements, it is ideal to have engineers spread out (each one taking over a different section of the ship, and the corresponding components), but in the midst of battle, it may be necessary to concentrate the engineers’ efforts on a single component (usually the hull), or on getting weapons back online. Time is very much of the essence in such situations, and good coordination can save a ship from certain fiery destruction.

The gunner does not have much say in what gets repaired, and indeed will often not say anything to you unless his gun has been disabled. Even in that case, you should ignore his pleas for a gun rebuild unless the captain specifically orders otherwise. Of course, the captain may be uncommunicative/incompetent, in which case you will have to apply your own discretion in deciding whether the gun or a more vital component needs your attention.

4. Doing nothing

In an ideal situation, an engineer would have no work to do. However, this is no excuse for one to sit around. An engineer might be needed to man a gun (especially on larger ships) or to spot enemy ships. Again, listen to the captain. If you have no job and the captain asks for something to be done, go and do it.

Being an engineer is hectic work. You have elected to take on the responsibility of keeping the ship alive in spite of difficult circumstances. It will be impossible at times. You can only trust in your other crew members to formulate and employ a strategy for getting your ship out of danger before it goes down.

Good Luck.

P.S.: I am a captain first, and an engineer second. I welcome advice from more experienced engineers.