DUST 514 Artificer Guide

DUST 514 Artificer Guide by Artificer Ghost

Hello! I’m Artificer Ghost, or just Ghost, If you’d like. And as my name implies, I’m an Artificer. If you play any other RPG/Online game, you may know us as “Healers”. This is a proper term, and fits us suitably, and is absolutely our more infamous quality, although we normally have much more to us. So, let’s get to business shall we?

NOTE: I’m no expert in Artificer’s or the game of Dust 514, this is simply a kick-starter, so to speak, for the newer players. And generally how I have played my character so far in the game.

-Roles of the Artificer
-Healing
-General Support
-Offensive Manuevers
-Battle Plans
-Weapons at Disposal
-Tips and Tricks

HEALING:

This is what some (But not all) Artificers should focus on. It’s always nice to have at least 1 or 2 Healers somewhere in your army of Mercs, although it’s not something you can’t very well help. Now, I know quite a few Mercs that run around trying to make sense of all the death. This isn’t being a Healer. This is being what some call: A Dead Man. Let me explain.

A lot of Mercs try to revive everyone that dies. In theory, good job. In reality, you’re just another clone wasted. As an Artficer, you don’t want to be switching to your Nanite Injector too often. “But Ghost, what if someone dies?” Then, you deal with it. You don’t need to stop your clone decreasing, you only want to slow it down. Limit yourself, you aren’t a superhero. Only revive someone if its within a certain range. Another thing that helps is keeping an eye on the “Death-Log” Therefore, you know what you should be preparing for. Understandable?

Next, your Repair Tool. This is one of the more important things a Healing Artificer can have, right up with the Nanite Injector. This will restore the ARMOR of any Merc, Vehicle, or Installation Unit. This does not limit it to Ground Units. Now, if you pay close attention to your fellow Mercs “Health Bar”, you’ll actually see 2 Bars. The top one is his/her SHIELD. The second, is his/her ARMOR. An Artificer is highly important in the Armor area, as most Mercs can’t regenerate Armor, only Shield. Always look at the bottom bar, when it’s full, go off to help others.

GENERAL SUPPORT:

Now, as an Artificer, get ready to be a highly mobile, and highly wanted, target. Artificers are always wanted to be taken out first, because they keep most of their people alive. But this doesn’t mean you should go camp in a corner and hide until the fires die out. No, you are going to be the most mobile person in the match. You have to pass through any area possible, no matter the traffic level. Dangerous? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. Your courage while moving about is almost literally a win/lose situation for the team. So, get reading.

-NANOHIVES: Something I’d aim for getting, to help with the Arbiters and/or “Frontliners” (Enforcers/Sentinels), is a thing called a Nanohive. This handy device acts as a smaller Supply Depot, giving you ammo. And just that right there is great for support. But I’d aim for a better one. There are Variations of a Nanohive, usually with the word “Traige” in their name. In layman’s terms, those Variations can repair armor as well as supply ammo. I’d save the Traige Nanohives for the frontliners, and the Standard Nanohives for the Arbiters. This is so the ones taking all the damage, can just shake it off. And the Arbiters can enjoy the extra bullets.

-DROPSHIPS: Another great thing for an Artificer to have is, drum roll please… A Dropship! Now, please note, if you are aiming for more of a Healing role, this is not the thing for you. Normally, Healers should stay on the ground, to take care of their fellow Mercs. However, if you think Support is more your forte, these are your primary vehicles. Some models can restore the Armor of the ground vehicles, helping with the all-out assault strategy. You can also bring 6 people in with you into the Dropship, depending on the Model.

In Skirmish, these are excellent vehicles. The carry capacity can help with both offense, and strategy. What I mean by this is most (If not all) Dropship models have at least 1 or 2 turrets. This is helpful for laying down fire from above. In the “Gorgon” model, there’s 4 spaces without a Turret. I use these for dropping Mercs in, so they can quickly take over the current Objective, allowing for more efficient wins. Before you try this though, it’s good to make a trip around once, to make sure you aren’t sending soldier to their dooms.

And that’s it for General Support right now, I’ve not dug in very much into the support role, more than I’ve needed to, as I’m fairly balanced.

OFFENSIVE MANUEVERS:

BATTLE PLANS:
Now, like I said before, you need to go into very high-traffic areas. This isn’t desirable for the fragile Artificer. You may feel confident with your shiny new Prototype Dropsuit, and your Prototype Submachine Gun, but depending on the situation, you WILL die, so you need to be smarter than them. Before you leave you cover, make sure you have a buddy with you, or at least some kind of distraction. This next part is INCREDIBLY important to the Mercs switching from assault to support: You want to fire as little as possble. The best thing you should do is kill anyone that notices you. If everyone notices you, make sure your buddy knows what he/she’s doing, because you can’t stay there for long.

WEAPONS AT DISPOSAL:

As for choice of weapon, you are given a Submachine Gun. Your playstyle may be different, in that case, go with whatever weapon you’d like. I like the Submachine Gun because it is much quieter, in comparison to some other weapons. It also has a faster rate of fire than many weapons, which lets me kill about two people before anyone knows who’s firing. Also, it’s a sidearm, so later on, you can get both a Submachine Gun, and any Light Weapon you want.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

These are some habits I’ve formed while off, supporting the group.

-It’s good to use people as body shields, but be sure to give them a constant flow of healing from the Repair Tool. This will prevent deaths of anyone doing a certain task. A good time to do this is when someone is taking out snipers, or when a group of people are going after an objective.

-Voice chat can help with a variety of things, including getting orders from your Commander, and being the first to be there when someone needs some help.

-When reloading, it’s a good idea to stick behind anyone who can take a bunch of damage, or better yet, a vehicle or wall.

-You need to be flexible. An adaptable Merc is a useful Merc. Don’t be afraid to go Frontline!

-Your Repair Tool is an extension of your body. As well as your Nanite Injector. You shouldn’t be holding your gun more often than your equipment.

-Mind over matter. You need to be smarter than the Frontliners. They’re just hired muscle. They’re job is to go in and become a statistic. You’re job is to think like a strategist, form plans in your head, and know the map.

-And last but not least, if someone comes to you, more than likely they need some healing. This is the part where you do your job.

And that’s all I have right now for my guide to being an Artificer! Remember, I’m no expert, and these Tips aren’t mandatory. How you play the game is different from how I play the game.

Good luck, Mercs!