Rhoads On Fades
RhoadsToNowhere
i r 8 Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 33Members
i r 8 Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 33Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Slashing your way to success</div> OK, it doesn't look like anyone else has done a generalized Fade strategy, so I figure I might as well since there are a few strategies for other alien classes. So here goes...
The main thing about the Fade that differs from other aliens is the amount of hit points that it has. At 200 HP, you can shrug off most minor types of damage. This means that marines with LMG's aren't much of a danger to you, and it takes quite a while for a single turret to bring you down.
When you first evolve into a Fade, as with any other alien, you've gotta think about what upgrades you want to get. As usual, it depends on what role you want to perform. If you plan on defending your base or just roaming around the map looking for marines to chew on, you're best getting Carapace, Celerity, and Scent of Fear. On the other hand, the intention to destroy a marine base means you should get Adrenaline, Redemption, and Enhanced Sight. Celerity is a better choice for a Swiping Fade, whereas Adrenaline is almost necessary for a Bile Bombing and Acid Rocketing Fade. Regeneration isn't that useful since it takes an inordinately long amount of time to heal all the way up -- you're probably better off buddying up with a Gorge or finding a defense chamber to heal. Cloaking and Silence can be useful sometimes, but the benefits that are given by those upgrades run counter to the general mind-set of the Fade.
Now, let's look at some strategies for dealing with specific threats that the marines will throw at you. The standard LMG grunt can be dispensed with ease, two swipes will knock him out for the count. If you're in close quarters, it's possible to just bore in and kill up to 4 marines at once with just your claws. Shotgun marines are a bit more difficult since their weapons can really tear you up at optimal swipe range. You may want to stick back and shoot acid rockets, or you may try to take advantage of the slow refire rate of the shotgun. Against marines with a grenade launcher, you should try to get up close and personal as quickly as you can since their weapon is very poor in direct, close combat. Blinking up to him is a very good idea if you can pull it off. In fact, blinking up to a marine is a very good tactic regardless of the marine's equipment. It's incredibly useful if the marine's up on some elevated platform, like the catwalk in Bast's atmospheric processing. Besides the advantage of getting close to him very quickly, you'll probably score a psychological advantage, since even hardened marines have been put into shock for a few seconds when a Fade blinks up to them and starts swiping away.
The Fade's arch-nemesis is a heavy-armored marine, especially since these guys usually pack something more substantial than an LMG. In particular, you'll learn to fear heavies who are also toting an HMG. The trick with these guys is to confuse them and take advantage of their lack of mobility. Hit them on the sides and back, anywhere just as long as that gun barrel isn't pointing at you. Still, it can sometimes take upwards of 5 swipes to lay one of these suckers low. On the other hand, jetpack marines generally don't have too much of an advantange. You can shoot them out of the air with acid rocket by hitting the walls and ceilings, and getting the advantange of splash damage.
Killing random marines is all well and good, but what about base assaults? Well, you can mainly think of sentry turrets as stupid, immobile heavy marines. It's even easier to circle around turrets since they turn more slowly. Assuming you don't take too much damage getting close to the turrets, you can easily take out 2 turrets by yourself just by swiping them and dancing around them. If there are more than 2, or if there's a long hallway that you have to pass through to get to them, you're better off shooting them with acid rockets. Try to get a lerk to umbra you before you do this.
If you have bile bomb, you can demolish marine defenses faster than anything short of a herd of Onos charging around the base, just by ducking into the base, shooting off bombs as quickly as you can, and ducking back. You'll probably kill off a few pesky marines by doing so. Just keep in mind that it can take a while for you to recover enough energy to attack again, even with Adrenaline.
The main thing about the Fade that differs from other aliens is the amount of hit points that it has. At 200 HP, you can shrug off most minor types of damage. This means that marines with LMG's aren't much of a danger to you, and it takes quite a while for a single turret to bring you down.
When you first evolve into a Fade, as with any other alien, you've gotta think about what upgrades you want to get. As usual, it depends on what role you want to perform. If you plan on defending your base or just roaming around the map looking for marines to chew on, you're best getting Carapace, Celerity, and Scent of Fear. On the other hand, the intention to destroy a marine base means you should get Adrenaline, Redemption, and Enhanced Sight. Celerity is a better choice for a Swiping Fade, whereas Adrenaline is almost necessary for a Bile Bombing and Acid Rocketing Fade. Regeneration isn't that useful since it takes an inordinately long amount of time to heal all the way up -- you're probably better off buddying up with a Gorge or finding a defense chamber to heal. Cloaking and Silence can be useful sometimes, but the benefits that are given by those upgrades run counter to the general mind-set of the Fade.
Now, let's look at some strategies for dealing with specific threats that the marines will throw at you. The standard LMG grunt can be dispensed with ease, two swipes will knock him out for the count. If you're in close quarters, it's possible to just bore in and kill up to 4 marines at once with just your claws. Shotgun marines are a bit more difficult since their weapons can really tear you up at optimal swipe range. You may want to stick back and shoot acid rockets, or you may try to take advantage of the slow refire rate of the shotgun. Against marines with a grenade launcher, you should try to get up close and personal as quickly as you can since their weapon is very poor in direct, close combat. Blinking up to him is a very good idea if you can pull it off. In fact, blinking up to a marine is a very good tactic regardless of the marine's equipment. It's incredibly useful if the marine's up on some elevated platform, like the catwalk in Bast's atmospheric processing. Besides the advantage of getting close to him very quickly, you'll probably score a psychological advantage, since even hardened marines have been put into shock for a few seconds when a Fade blinks up to them and starts swiping away.
The Fade's arch-nemesis is a heavy-armored marine, especially since these guys usually pack something more substantial than an LMG. In particular, you'll learn to fear heavies who are also toting an HMG. The trick with these guys is to confuse them and take advantage of their lack of mobility. Hit them on the sides and back, anywhere just as long as that gun barrel isn't pointing at you. Still, it can sometimes take upwards of 5 swipes to lay one of these suckers low. On the other hand, jetpack marines generally don't have too much of an advantange. You can shoot them out of the air with acid rocket by hitting the walls and ceilings, and getting the advantange of splash damage.
Killing random marines is all well and good, but what about base assaults? Well, you can mainly think of sentry turrets as stupid, immobile heavy marines. It's even easier to circle around turrets since they turn more slowly. Assuming you don't take too much damage getting close to the turrets, you can easily take out 2 turrets by yourself just by swiping them and dancing around them. If there are more than 2, or if there's a long hallway that you have to pass through to get to them, you're better off shooting them with acid rockets. Try to get a lerk to umbra you before you do this.
If you have bile bomb, you can demolish marine defenses faster than anything short of a herd of Onos charging around the base, just by ducking into the base, shooting off bombs as quickly as you can, and ducking back. You'll probably kill off a few pesky marines by doing so. Just keep in mind that it can take a while for you to recover enough energy to attack again, even with Adrenaline.
Comments
Firstly, fade swipes are about equal to Skulk bites. With that in mind, using them against HA marines is not going to work.
Today I was playing eclipse, which is not a very alien-oriented level. Lots of straight hallways with little cover and nowhere for a skulk to hide. By SOME act of god we managed to get another hive up, and then the game was ours. Note that this was a twink server that had altered resources and all the marines had Heavy Armor and a HMG at that point, with a good hundred turrets at every intersection. After I evolved into a fade, I started the standard hunt and kill routine. A LMG heavy armor marine is not a problem, I just walked up to them and hacked them to pieces (healing at def chambers afterward). The HA marines were terrible. Firstly, acid rocket is WEAK. It will not do anything more than annoy them before their weapons tear you up. Secondly, when you blink they don't know where you end up <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> . Blink behind them, and start whackin em with your claws. Got three hits like that, they turn and that HMG is going right into my stomach. So I blink straight up to the ceiling, fall down next to him, and get the final swipes to kill him. I have 58 hp at this point and no armor left. So it is possible to kill them. Note that i had level 3 adrenaline and level 3 carapace.
Fades are a little underpowered for such an expensive class. They could use some more armor or HP as they're quite slow.