How To Use Your Upgrades
mwells
Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6041Members
Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6041Members
Too often, I see aliens loading themselves up with the wrong abilities for the right job. I'd go as far as to say I'm a pretty decent alien player, and I have a good handle on the various strategies, so I'll offer my opinions and advice on this subject.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b>Defensive Upgrades</b> </span>
These are what make your aliens beefier, more hardy, and more able to stay on the battlefield after a rude awakening at the wrong end of a 12-gauge. Choosing the right one for the right situation is key in becoming a victorious Kharaa or a greasy smear of lead and guts.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Carapace</b></span>
This upgrade increases your armor amount, and allows your armor to absorb more damage, a thicker skin if you will.
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
While some would argue with me, carapace isn't a smart upgrade for a lowly skulk, you're not trying to survive, you're just a hit and run harasser. Self-preservation is nice, but you're not <i>worth</i> anything, so even if you die, it's no big deal. However, if you're trying to harass a marine forward base early in the game, those few extra armor points can make for some extra bites, and possibly extra kills. Choose with caution.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Once again, some may question my choice there, but Gorges don't really need extra skin to get their jobs done, they can cower behind offensive and defensive towers without much worry outside of a massive HMG + HA assault. Just learn to run, just learn to <b>run like hell</b>.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Not useful at all, lerks are better suited as hit and run, not up close and personal, combat. Besides, if a marine gets a good lock on you and you're without umbra, you're pretty much dead regardless of carapace.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Now, I prefer regeneration with my fades, but for up close and personal base assault, nothing beats a level 3 carapaced Fade. Able to dish out and take lots of punishment, these guys are great. Back up one or two with an additional Fade lobbing acid rockets, and you've got an overwhelming force that most marines simply can't deal with.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
DEFINITELY a good upgrade! An Onos with level 3 carapace is a serious force to be reckoned with, this means you'll hit a lot more turrets and buildings before you bite the big one. Onos are already armed to the tusks with hit points and armor, and there's no such thing as overkill. Enjoy. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Regeneration</b></span>
Live longer, regain health, maintain vitality and youth! It sounds like a spammy email, but Regeneration is a great ability for many aliens.
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
Skulks really do well with regeneration, especially when hiding up on high ledges, waiting for a delicious jarhead to chomp on.. So why did I rate this so low? <i>You're a damn skulk</i>, you don't really need to upgrade anything, except maybe Silence and Cloaking.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Gorges can be pretty cool with regen, but it's still not very useful when you spend most of your time hanging out around well-defended bases, defensive towers, and other gorges. Skip it.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
I find this kinda useful, sitting in vents, picking off a few marines, and then flying away with a mere shard of health left, returning 45 seconds later and repeating the exercise. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 9/10
I LOVE hit-n-run Fades! You can peek around a corner, lob 5 or 6 acid rockets, take a few points of damage from the turrets, heal it off and repeat. Combine this with a faithful gorge whose building defensive towers around the corner, and you'll practically never die if you're careful enough!
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Another controversial score, but when you go base raiding with an Onos, the chances are.. You're not coming back alive. However, the regeneration can stall marines from killing you for an additional 5 or 6 seconds if you're lucky, and those 5 or 6 seconds are quite crucial.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Redemption</b></span>
Just as you're about to bite the bullet, you're sucked out of the air and plopped right back at your hive, a confusing maneuver to both sides involved, Redemption can be useful if you use it right.
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
It's quite funny to watch a marine come to near death by skulk, and then 2 seconds later, he's firing into blank air with a funny look on his face. However, it's not very useful since the skulk costs absolutely nothing. Think of redemption as refunding an item on the 29th day, one day before the 30-day refund policy goes out, not handing back a freebie.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 1/10
Absolutely worthless, Gorges stay by the hives 90% of the time anyways, and when they're not, they're building mini-bases with adequate defense, if they die, they die! End of story.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Not very useful at all, lerks hit and run, and if they get in the position to die, they're pretty much done for anyways.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 6/10
While it is kinda useful, you should probaby go for Carapace or Regeneration instead. However, sucking back that almost-dead Fade is a pretty intelligent maneuver, considering their cost and dedication to the field.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
More bang for your buck! Watching an Onos take out 3 turrets and then dissapearing into thin air is eerie to think about, and to know he'll be back soon enough, fully healed and ready for more punishment. Of course, you can enjoy your pricey upgrade many times, if you play your cards right.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b>Movement Upgrades</b> </span>
Faster. Stronger. Better. Aliens need to move quickly and efficiently to pop the lids off of those jarheads, that's where the Movement Upgrades come in.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Adrenaline</b></span>
This is a very crucial upgrade for base assaults. Adrenaline lets your "energy" recharge faster, allowing you to dish out more damage without having to catch your breath. Impressive, no?
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
More bites and parasites per run is what this means for a Skulk. If you can get to an abandoned resource node, you'll wanna be able to bite as often and quick as possible, so this is where adrenaline comes in. There's nothing worse than tiring out when a marine finally decides to end your node lunch.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
This isn't terribly useful, but if you want to string up a bunch of webs in a short period of time, I guess you could go for this upgrade, but I still don't recommend it.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
Absolutely essential to any Lerk's attack plan. Those spikes gobble up a ton of energy, so does flying. You'll need to manage your energy much more carefully without adrenaline, and Lerks already have a lot to worry about besides that.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 10/10
<b>Essential</b>. 100% essential. You need this so you won't tire out so often while lobbing acid-filled pods of doom at your enemies. Quite frankly, any Fade who doesn't choose Adrenaline is a fool.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 9/10
You will probably wanna have this ability, since Onos use up a ton of energy in nearly all of their moves. Primal Scream uses up 75% of your bar, and that's a lot of energy to lose during one single move, help close the gap by recovering as much of that as possible in a quick period of time.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Celerity</b></span>
Speed demons please apply, Celerity boosts your speed to incredible levels, letting you outpace those jarheads, not that you couldn't before. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Closing the gap on those jarheads is all you need to do to have a fine meal, so speeding yourself up is a huge difference between coming a grease spot and being a full little skulk. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Gorges aren't exactly fast to begin with, but they don't need to be. They waddle over to their base defenses and sit back and relax. What a wonderful life.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
Avoid it, Lerks are fast enough, save your upgrade for Adrenaline.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Fades don't need to be fast, they're walking damage cases. I'd prefer to have adrenaline, an essential upgrade to the Fade evolution.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
Onos aren't fast, they don't need to be, if you wanna run away from battle, get Redemption.
However, this does factor into their Charge attack speed.(Thanks to <b>Shadowics</b> for the tip)
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Silence</b></span>
Quiet as a whisper, aliens aren't walking lead dispensers, so they must use cover and quiet to gain the upper hand.
<b>Skulks</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Very fun for sneaking up on hapless marines and taking them out before their buddies even notice, it's a rewarding experience. At level 3, you won't make a peep.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 1/10
Gorges don't need to be quiet, just skip this.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
Quite fun to snipe a marine with your spikes when he can't hear where it's coming from, but the steady stream of spikes basically gives you away anyways. Lerks are very loud flyers, so if you want to make your presence felt but not heard, Silence is a useful upgrade so you can harass with peace and quiet.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
HAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHA! Fades being quiet?! That's hilarious, Fades aren't intended to sneak up, they're intended to make marines drop a fresh load in their briefs, and silence doesn't do that.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Do I have to reiterate? A silent Onos is like a stealth bomber with a target painted on its hull. Pointless.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b>Sensory Upgrades</b> </span>
Aliens gotta know where everything is, or it's a lost cause entirely. That's where sensory comes in, linking aliens brains and eyeballs, one squishy phallic structure at a time.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Cloaking</b></span>
Jarheads can't shoot what they can't see(unless they have some kind of skinning hack, but those don't exist yet), so cloaking comes in handy, who needs the shadows when you can hide unseen in plain day?
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
Perching in a high room, waiting for a marine to walk by, you're unseen.. What do you do? Bite him, duh. A useful maneuver for the defenseless skulk, cloaking gives him an upper-hand on the mostly visual-based marines.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Can be good if you're trying to avoid a marine whose encroaching on your freshly found resource nozzle, but still not that great.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Perch yourself in a vent, wait for Mr. "I checked the vent and nothing was there" Marine guy, and when he walks away, dart him in the **obscenity** with your special spikes. Still, I'd rather not bother, Lerks are usually seen, but not shot(thanks Umbra!).
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Can be kinda useful if you're going to ambush a jumpy building team trying to encroach on your hive, but otherwise not intended for the Fade's line of work, killing people with brutality.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Mostly for comedic purposes, you're not a stealthy unit, just get to the front and cut those marines down.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Advanced Hive Sight</b></span>
Who needs an X10 webcam when you can see right through your buddy's eyes?
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
While it is kinda useful to see what your friends see, you should probably focus on harassing marines, not defending your base.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 9/10
Since the Gorge is the lifeblood of any alien team, he should know all and see all, he should know whats under attack and who needs help. All part of the job.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Ummm, no. Lerks should stick to doing their own thing, not looking for trouble.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Nah, you don't need this. You should concentrate on assaulting the base.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Are you kidding me? Not worth it.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Scent of Fear</b></span>
Smells like an injury!
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 10/10
SEEK N DESTROY!! Skulks should seek out injured prey every change they get, it's the only way to keep the marines pressed back.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Why in the heck would you be going after a weakened marine? You're defenseless! Remember that.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Surprisingly useful, Lerks can prey on weakened marines with their spikes and spores, that's one less annoyance on the battlefield.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 6/10
Most marines won't escape your wraith, but those who do should be dealt with, in an extreme manner.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Not very useful, you assault things, you don't prey.
I guess that about wraps it up, I hope you actually read at least a few things here, it took me... *checks watch* an hour and a half to type it up, so appreciate it! <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='mad.gif'><!--endemo-->
Anyways, enjoy. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b>Defensive Upgrades</b> </span>
These are what make your aliens beefier, more hardy, and more able to stay on the battlefield after a rude awakening at the wrong end of a 12-gauge. Choosing the right one for the right situation is key in becoming a victorious Kharaa or a greasy smear of lead and guts.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Carapace</b></span>
This upgrade increases your armor amount, and allows your armor to absorb more damage, a thicker skin if you will.
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
While some would argue with me, carapace isn't a smart upgrade for a lowly skulk, you're not trying to survive, you're just a hit and run harasser. Self-preservation is nice, but you're not <i>worth</i> anything, so even if you die, it's no big deal. However, if you're trying to harass a marine forward base early in the game, those few extra armor points can make for some extra bites, and possibly extra kills. Choose with caution.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Once again, some may question my choice there, but Gorges don't really need extra skin to get their jobs done, they can cower behind offensive and defensive towers without much worry outside of a massive HMG + HA assault. Just learn to run, just learn to <b>run like hell</b>.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Not useful at all, lerks are better suited as hit and run, not up close and personal, combat. Besides, if a marine gets a good lock on you and you're without umbra, you're pretty much dead regardless of carapace.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Now, I prefer regeneration with my fades, but for up close and personal base assault, nothing beats a level 3 carapaced Fade. Able to dish out and take lots of punishment, these guys are great. Back up one or two with an additional Fade lobbing acid rockets, and you've got an overwhelming force that most marines simply can't deal with.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
DEFINITELY a good upgrade! An Onos with level 3 carapace is a serious force to be reckoned with, this means you'll hit a lot more turrets and buildings before you bite the big one. Onos are already armed to the tusks with hit points and armor, and there's no such thing as overkill. Enjoy. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Regeneration</b></span>
Live longer, regain health, maintain vitality and youth! It sounds like a spammy email, but Regeneration is a great ability for many aliens.
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
Skulks really do well with regeneration, especially when hiding up on high ledges, waiting for a delicious jarhead to chomp on.. So why did I rate this so low? <i>You're a damn skulk</i>, you don't really need to upgrade anything, except maybe Silence and Cloaking.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Gorges can be pretty cool with regen, but it's still not very useful when you spend most of your time hanging out around well-defended bases, defensive towers, and other gorges. Skip it.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
I find this kinda useful, sitting in vents, picking off a few marines, and then flying away with a mere shard of health left, returning 45 seconds later and repeating the exercise. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 9/10
I LOVE hit-n-run Fades! You can peek around a corner, lob 5 or 6 acid rockets, take a few points of damage from the turrets, heal it off and repeat. Combine this with a faithful gorge whose building defensive towers around the corner, and you'll practically never die if you're careful enough!
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Another controversial score, but when you go base raiding with an Onos, the chances are.. You're not coming back alive. However, the regeneration can stall marines from killing you for an additional 5 or 6 seconds if you're lucky, and those 5 or 6 seconds are quite crucial.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Redemption</b></span>
Just as you're about to bite the bullet, you're sucked out of the air and plopped right back at your hive, a confusing maneuver to both sides involved, Redemption can be useful if you use it right.
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
It's quite funny to watch a marine come to near death by skulk, and then 2 seconds later, he's firing into blank air with a funny look on his face. However, it's not very useful since the skulk costs absolutely nothing. Think of redemption as refunding an item on the 29th day, one day before the 30-day refund policy goes out, not handing back a freebie.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 1/10
Absolutely worthless, Gorges stay by the hives 90% of the time anyways, and when they're not, they're building mini-bases with adequate defense, if they die, they die! End of story.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Not very useful at all, lerks hit and run, and if they get in the position to die, they're pretty much done for anyways.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 6/10
While it is kinda useful, you should probaby go for Carapace or Regeneration instead. However, sucking back that almost-dead Fade is a pretty intelligent maneuver, considering their cost and dedication to the field.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
More bang for your buck! Watching an Onos take out 3 turrets and then dissapearing into thin air is eerie to think about, and to know he'll be back soon enough, fully healed and ready for more punishment. Of course, you can enjoy your pricey upgrade many times, if you play your cards right.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b>Movement Upgrades</b> </span>
Faster. Stronger. Better. Aliens need to move quickly and efficiently to pop the lids off of those jarheads, that's where the Movement Upgrades come in.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Adrenaline</b></span>
This is a very crucial upgrade for base assaults. Adrenaline lets your "energy" recharge faster, allowing you to dish out more damage without having to catch your breath. Impressive, no?
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
More bites and parasites per run is what this means for a Skulk. If you can get to an abandoned resource node, you'll wanna be able to bite as often and quick as possible, so this is where adrenaline comes in. There's nothing worse than tiring out when a marine finally decides to end your node lunch.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
This isn't terribly useful, but if you want to string up a bunch of webs in a short period of time, I guess you could go for this upgrade, but I still don't recommend it.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
Absolutely essential to any Lerk's attack plan. Those spikes gobble up a ton of energy, so does flying. You'll need to manage your energy much more carefully without adrenaline, and Lerks already have a lot to worry about besides that.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 10/10
<b>Essential</b>. 100% essential. You need this so you won't tire out so often while lobbing acid-filled pods of doom at your enemies. Quite frankly, any Fade who doesn't choose Adrenaline is a fool.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 9/10
You will probably wanna have this ability, since Onos use up a ton of energy in nearly all of their moves. Primal Scream uses up 75% of your bar, and that's a lot of energy to lose during one single move, help close the gap by recovering as much of that as possible in a quick period of time.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Celerity</b></span>
Speed demons please apply, Celerity boosts your speed to incredible levels, letting you outpace those jarheads, not that you couldn't before. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Closing the gap on those jarheads is all you need to do to have a fine meal, so speeding yourself up is a huge difference between coming a grease spot and being a full little skulk. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Gorges aren't exactly fast to begin with, but they don't need to be. They waddle over to their base defenses and sit back and relax. What a wonderful life.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 3/10
Avoid it, Lerks are fast enough, save your upgrade for Adrenaline.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Fades don't need to be fast, they're walking damage cases. I'd prefer to have adrenaline, an essential upgrade to the Fade evolution.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
Onos aren't fast, they don't need to be, if you wanna run away from battle, get Redemption.
However, this does factor into their Charge attack speed.(Thanks to <b>Shadowics</b> for the tip)
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Silence</b></span>
Quiet as a whisper, aliens aren't walking lead dispensers, so they must use cover and quiet to gain the upper hand.
<b>Skulks</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Very fun for sneaking up on hapless marines and taking them out before their buddies even notice, it's a rewarding experience. At level 3, you won't make a peep.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 1/10
Gorges don't need to be quiet, just skip this.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 5/10
Quite fun to snipe a marine with your spikes when he can't hear where it's coming from, but the steady stream of spikes basically gives you away anyways. Lerks are very loud flyers, so if you want to make your presence felt but not heard, Silence is a useful upgrade so you can harass with peace and quiet.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
HAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHA! Fades being quiet?! That's hilarious, Fades aren't intended to sneak up, they're intended to make marines drop a fresh load in their briefs, and silence doesn't do that.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Do I have to reiterate? A silent Onos is like a stealth bomber with a target painted on its hull. Pointless.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b>Sensory Upgrades</b> </span>
Aliens gotta know where everything is, or it's a lost cause entirely. That's where sensory comes in, linking aliens brains and eyeballs, one squishy phallic structure at a time.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Cloaking</b></span>
Jarheads can't shoot what they can't see(unless they have some kind of skinning hack, but those don't exist yet), so cloaking comes in handy, who needs the shadows when you can hide unseen in plain day?
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 8/10
Perching in a high room, waiting for a marine to walk by, you're unseen.. What do you do? Bite him, duh. A useful maneuver for the defenseless skulk, cloaking gives him an upper-hand on the mostly visual-based marines.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Can be good if you're trying to avoid a marine whose encroaching on your freshly found resource nozzle, but still not that great.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Perch yourself in a vent, wait for Mr. "I checked the vent and nothing was there" Marine guy, and when he walks away, dart him in the **obscenity** with your special spikes. Still, I'd rather not bother, Lerks are usually seen, but not shot(thanks Umbra!).
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 4/10
Can be kinda useful if you're going to ambush a jumpy building team trying to encroach on your hive, but otherwise not intended for the Fade's line of work, killing people with brutality.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Mostly for comedic purposes, you're not a stealthy unit, just get to the front and cut those marines down.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Advanced Hive Sight</b></span>
Who needs an X10 webcam when you can see right through your buddy's eyes?
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
While it is kinda useful to see what your friends see, you should probably focus on harassing marines, not defending your base.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 9/10
Since the Gorge is the lifeblood of any alien team, he should know all and see all, he should know whats under attack and who needs help. All part of the job.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Ummm, no. Lerks should stick to doing their own thing, not looking for trouble.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Nah, you don't need this. You should concentrate on assaulting the base.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Are you kidding me? Not worth it.
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><b>Scent of Fear</b></span>
Smells like an injury!
<b>Skulk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 10/10
SEEK N DESTROY!! Skulks should seek out injured prey every change they get, it's the only way to keep the marines pressed back.
<b>Gorge</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 0/10
Why in the heck would you be going after a weakened marine? You're defenseless! Remember that.
<b>Lerk</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 7/10
Surprisingly useful, Lerks can prey on weakened marines with their spikes and spores, that's one less annoyance on the battlefield.
<b>Fade</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 6/10
Most marines won't escape your wraith, but those who do should be dealt with, in an extreme manner.
<b>Onos</b>
<i>Usefulness</i>: 2/10
Not very useful, you assault things, you don't prey.
I guess that about wraps it up, I hope you actually read at least a few things here, it took me... *checks watch* an hour and a half to type it up, so appreciate it! <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='mad.gif'><!--endemo-->
Anyways, enjoy. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Comments
Finally, someone who realizes that cloaking isn't the only viable sens. chamber upgrade. More power to ya brother <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Also you say that cloaking and celerity are worthless for Onos, I would have to disagree with you there. A cloaked Onos is a marines worst nightmare, wait until they are near you then use primal scream, scares the **obscenity** out of anyone. (Primal scream doesn't de-cloak you) I agree that you don't need silence, then they wouldn't hear you. Also cloaking + paralysis will give you a free kill on any HA marine that walks past. If your more the base assualt type as your guide seems to indicate then you should consider celerity. While I'll agree adren is an all-around useful abilty, celerity for Onos significantly increase the power of their Charge attack. You're moving faster you you hit harder, makes sense no? (Acctually I think it does the same damage, but hits faster with celerity, more times per second)
Also I haven't found any good uses for Adv Hive sight yet, including for gorges. Scent of Fear is probably the most useful under-used ability.
Shadowics: Yeah, it is definitely my opinion, I don't think I recall saying it was the best, I'm still learning this game, you know. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
I just don't often upgrade when I'm a gorge, occasionally I <i>do</i> go for regen, but never cloak. When I'm trying to harass marines with babblers, adrenaline is a great choice. I guess I could re-evaluate some of my scores there.
EDIT: As for Advanced Hive Sight, I find it pretty useful as a Gorge, especially whenever you really need to help patch up a sieged base.
I never really thought about Onos' charge ability being powered up with celerity, thanks for that tip.
I still don't find cloaking too terribly useful as an Onos, but I really don't play Onos that often anyhow. I prefer to just charge in with a fellow Onos, tear them apart, and end it quickly. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Also, it appears that you're not entirely clear on how Advanced Hive Sight works. This illuminates all marines and marine structures with your flashlight key. It's not all that useful, but it's nice for hunting down marines.
I hardly ever swipe with Fades, I'm too cowardice to do so. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
Cloaking can be fun (but only later in the game.. Sensory can afford to be held until you have three-hive) for Onos and Fades. I've sat in a hallway, my back to a wall with some Healing Chambers on the other side, and just waited for Marines to walk past and try to take out the resource node. A couple quick slashes from behind, and they're wondering where I came from. Have seen three level-3 Cloaked Onos sit in a hallway... had a group of Marines come down the hall, and just... stop. They couldn't figure out why... funniest thing I've seen. And having three Onos just *blink* in, in front of you, a short walk from your base? Yeah. Silence is handy, but nowhere as worth it for a Fade as Adrenaline or Celerity. Adren is most useful if you're taking down a large, established forward base with Acid Rockets. Celerity favors a hit-and-run approach, sprinting through the enemy base a few times while slashing the heck out of everything you pass by, while the Frontiersmen are still trying to get a bead on you. Both have their merits, though I personally prefer Celerity. Much more useful for in-close battles.
Lerks: Adrenaline, Scent of Fear. Defensive stuff changes based upon your position against the enemy.. Regen if you're far from any healing nodes and don't want to spend time flying back and forth, Carapace if you're reasonably near a healing cluster, Redemption if the enemy has a major presence and you've been killed a few times before with the others. It's much handier to just *blip* back and save those 39RP for a fully-outfitted Lerk to give to your team's Gorges.
Skulk: Carapace, Celerity. Perfect Xenocide setup. Toss in Cloaking if you plan to just pick off people in the halls. Celerity virtually assures that so long as you keep running while holding down the fire button on 'bite', you'll have about 15 seconds to chew on stuff before needing to run away and heal. Assuming, that is, that the Frontiersmen don't have HMGs. At that point you only have enough time for a quick rush-in-rush-out if you care about dying and losing 4RP of upgrades.
<b>redemtion w/ gorge:</b> GREAT early game combo. you don't lose your saved rs, and you don't need to waste more on re-evolving.
<b>carapce /w skulk:</b> the ONLY way to go. Healing a skulk by means of gorg or hive is very quick. The only thing that determines a skulk's success is not getting killed in battle. Every attack with a skulk is a suicide mission. Either you die, or he dies. With carapace, you die hard, ergo HE dies. also, it allows you to take on 2-3 marines at a time. regen? hah, its not like we're marines, we can just run back to a hive or whatever to regen, and do it faster, and come back with full armor.
<b>fade with regen?</b> it takes long enough at a hive to heal a fade, forget that. You'll spend 3 minutes regenning every time they hit you. if you are close to D chambers to heal, get carapace, if you aren't, or are low on rs, get redemption. instand heal, and they can't catch you while you low, since your at your hive
<b>onos + regen?</b> your reason for getting it is the same as for getting carapace. only carapace can be re-healed quickly if you run away.
your correct on the adrenaline things, except that gorge with adren will be very usefull on the front lines.
<b>skulk + celerity:</b> your right on the gap closing thing. but also a point is that if your fast, they can't hit you, AND if you need to run away, they can't catch you.
<b>skulk + silence:</b> that depends on your playstyle I guess. but the only thing it will help you do is approach them from behind. which doesn't help if they look behind them like a good marine should.
<b>skulk + cloak:</b> I think this is really a matter of opinion. in my mind, a still skulk is a useless skulk. there are always marines running around somewhere waiting to die, or RPs they are trying to capture. if you pick a bad camping spot, the enemy might gain a lot of ground because you aren't there to mess them up. if you hide well enough, you don't even need cloak most of the time. if your a skulk on the move(like I am)chances are you'll never be in one location long enough to activate the cloak anyway.
<b>Onos + cloak:</b> Yes, it is very comedic <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Skulk + sight:</b> As I posted in a topic, if you have trouble spotting that marine in the dark corner, or if you have trouble keeping him in your sights when you chomping and moving, this buds for you. 2 very important things, I might add.
<b>Scent of Fear:</b> I WOULD like it, but it seems...broken. Sometimes the enemy icon gets red even when they have quite a lot of health left. often leaving you with a fight you THINK you can win easy, that turns out with biting off more than you can chew. Parasite works fine for me.
thats all for now.
Lerk gets 8/10 for adren but fade gets 10/10, I think if either of the 2 should get 10/10 on adren it's lerk lol, without adren a lerk cant umbra and fight at the same time, cannot attack from air without dropping to the ground in 2 seconds, and cant even fly much (with adren 3 lerk can stay in air forever if he doesnt attack). I believe both should get 10 tho. Silence for lerk can be nice, but I rarely use lerk to sneak up on someone... Even if I did I'd prolly be out of energy to fight by the time I reach him lol.
Carpace with onos? are you kidding me? it's pretty much useless
Regeneration With a fade? I don't really know, I only found it useful with a lerk or onos.
Silence This i supose could be good with a skulk.
Sight? I don't know how it works
Scent of fear yah, it's good for lerk/skulk
Adren? everything but a gorg
Celerity Skulk only, maybe a gorg if you need to run
Cloaking? everyone should have it
Carapace only adds 50 armor, remember. To another alien, that's a lot. To an onos, it's a drop in the bucket.
Carapace only adds 50 armor, remember. To another alien, that's a lot. To an onos, it's a drop in the bucket.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
as the level of carapace goes up, it doesn't give you more armor, it makes the armor more effective.
Usefulness: 8/10
More bang for your buck! Watching an Onos take out 3 turrets and then dissapearing into thin air is eerie to think about, and to know he'll be back soon enough, fully healed and ready for more punishment. Of course, you can enjoy your pricey upgrade many times, if you play your cards right.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It says in the pop-up menu, when you select the
redemption upgrade, that it works for every evolution, except the level 5 upgrade, which is the <!--emo&::onos::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tiny.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='tiny.gif'><!--endemo--> .
As mentioned, Silence is also good for taking out marines from behind. Alot of marines DON'T check their backs and you can take down 2 or 3 of them before the party even notices.
Silence (which you rated 0/10! Muahaha) or celerity work great for fades for one very good reason: surprise! yes, a surprised marine is a dead marine: like he doesn't hear you coming, or you close on him so fast he doesn't have time to fire 2 shots.
I think ppl should bear in mind that variety is the key to victory for the aliens. Sticking to carapace/cloaking/adrenalin combos, or whatever you pick, is a good idea.
Just my 2 cents
[QUOTE]
Redemption:
Gorge
Usefulness: 1/10
Absolutely worthless, Gorges stay by the hives 90% of the time anyways, and when they're not, they're building mini-bases with adequate defense, if they die, they die! End of story.
Celerity:
Gorge
Usefulness: 2/10
Gorges aren't exactly fast to begin with, but they don't need to be. They waddle over to their base defenses and sit back and relax. What a wonderful life.
Cloaking:
Gorge
Usefulness: 2/10
Can be good if you're trying to avoid a marine whose encroaching on your freshly found resource nozzle, but still not that great.
Advanced Hive Sight:
Gorge
Usefulness: 9/10
Since the Gorge is the lifeblood of any alien team, he should know all and see all, he should know whats under attack and who needs help. All part of the job.
Scent of Fear:
Gorge
Usefulness: 0/10
Why in the heck would you be going after a weakened marine? You're defenseless! Remember that.[/qoute]
Redemption - you are correct that redemption isnt important for gorge's because they cost so little and are ussually not fighting (early game), however have you forgotten about webs, heal spray and babblers? I alsohave to disagree with the statement that says "Gorges stay by the hives 90% of the time anyways" - While buildind and defending your hives is very important you wont do it without resource towers, you should only have 1-3 gorges so they will need to make resources. After the resources they can build and secure their hive's, but they may have trouble if they dont help out those lone resource towers. Also what about foward bases and just setting up traps for enemies??? you need to have spots where your team can heal next to the marines bases late in the game and it is a good idea to setup structures in places that will take out marines or at least cause some loss of ammo and health.
celerity - I think it is important to have fats gorges for the reasons above they need to get to many towers, friends, and hives.. doing it faster comnes in handy.
[qoute]They waddle over to their base defenses and sit back and relax.[/qoute] - no, they have many important tasks to do. If they have nothign to do they can always places webs in front of structures or while building press Use to speed up the process. I hate when gorges sit around and do nothing.
I totally agree with both the comments on advanced hive sight and cloaking, there really is no reason for it as gorge.
thats my take on it, I am sure there are other thigns I would highely disagree with if i knew more about the other creatures
* I edited this because I hit supmit by mistake on the keyboard ,n ot sure what I did, but I know I did since it is here now, I didnt get to finsih before*