Skulk 101

criogenics · June 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">Our Contribution</div> On behalf of my clan #cri, I would like to submit these tips for the masses. They are straight out of our clan forums <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Skulking is an art that is beautiful when mastered ( at least on the scoreboard ). However, I'm seeing many unsure of how to skulk, and since you will spend 90% of your NS career as one I suggest you get good at it. I will put my guide in different situations as they are more logical to use.

Situation 1: Marines rush hive. Everyone dies.

Good skulk: Rush for safety as soon as you spawn, preferably behind the hive. Wait for at least 3 others to spawn (depends on how many marines) . WAIT TILL THEY ARE ABOUT TO RELOAD. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. When you hear most of them almost empty a clip EVERYONE RUSHES. Try to dodge back and forth and such. Mind the friendly. If you are taking a lot of damage it is wise to go back and heal if you have absorbed much of the fire, since your teammates would be relatively unharmed then.

Bad skulk: Rush at marines once you spawn, unless he's right next to you.

Situation 2: You hear a marine around the corner. You're both alone.

Good skulk: Parasites the marine. Even if you die the marine is pretty much dead too because of para. Dash in and out to waste ammo. Then once he runs out of bullets RUSH AT HIM. Unless he gets lucky with the pistol, you have a kill.

Bad skulk: Just rushes without wasting ammo.

Situation 3: Sees an enemy resource chamber with a defender or two.

Good skulk: Try to get as close as possible. Then quickly get on the other side of the resource using the RT as a shield. Chomp away, kill marine if he gets too close.

Bad skulk: Engages the enemy (esp during matches/scrims, since most marines can pull off nasty **** even if you have cara).

Situation 4: Marines are behind a door ready to rush.

Good Skulk: Sit back and wait till your team rushes in and dies, wait for clicks then rush.

Bad Skulk: Run at the marines mindlessly and hope for a kill in all the chaos.

Situation 5: Marine is chasing you down around a corner.

Good Skulk: Get as close to the corner as possible w/o letting him see you, wait for sound to become loud enough to know he's right there and swirl bite.

Bad Skulk: Hide on the roof and or, rush him before he turns the corner.

Situation 6: 2 Marines full health and ammo are approaching.

Good Skulk: Stay back, Parasite till both are sited. If damaged run away and heal, wait for backup.

Bad Skulk: Wait for them to come around the corner and attack them head on solo.

Situation 7. Marine has Jetpack and plenty of room to fly around.

Good Skulk: Parasite and run away, get backup. Once backup arrives, climb up walls and predict where he'll fly. Sieze the oppertunity and leap onto his head.

Bad Skulk: Run around aimlessly trying to parasite him to death.

Situation 8: A lone Marine is building a Res tower.

Good Skulk: Parasite him first, if he's got plenty of room to work you. Go off and get backup or tell your teamates and move on.

Bad Skulk: Run in there hoping and doging around hoping his aim sucks.

Situation 9: The Marine is on your ****, you're half health and he's got you pinned down.

Good Skulk: You know your dead, get a parasite off before you die.

Bad Skulk: Try to run at him an get him in between your meat grinder.

Comments welcome. Will post strats for other lifeforms if requested.

EDIT: Whoops just saw another thread with some skulk tips <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif'>

tanathos · June 2003

Those are goods. But I only disagree with the : Marine building a res (or wathever bulding he is making). Because of the sound when building, and the fact that he can't get his weapon as fast, killing him is a lot easier. Of course, if there are more then one marine, just parasite em.

Church · June 2003

All o your tip are very good tips. Personally I thik there should be a thread purely on how to deal with spawn-camping. Wtach out for smart marine teams who only have half their team shoot at any one time so they can reload alternatively. Or if they have shotties, then they have almost no reload time.

Banji · June 2003

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Situation 5: Marine is chasing you down around a corner.
Good Skulk: Get as close to the corner as possible w/o letting him see you, wait for sound to become loud enough to know he's right there and swirl bite.
Bad Skulk: Wait for them to come around the corner and attack them head on solo.</td></tr></table>

Most decent marines expect that you'll be waiting for them so I usually attack just before they come around the corner. Works like a charm. Then again, I only play on pubs <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

snozzle · June 2003

future used that exactly to yell at us <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'>

(*i used to be in cri )

SoulSkorpion · June 2003

The only time you shouldn't parasite is when you're stalking a JP in the vents, from behind. I was waiting in the vents above Subspace for the inevitable JP\HMG, which arrived but didn't see me. I made the mistake of parasiting instead of just tearing them to pieces. They got killed in the end, but the point is - don't parasite if it's going to give your position away, but if they already know you're there fire away. Half the reason why parasite kills are so rare is that nobody uses it! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

altairian · June 2003

I think the moral of this story is "always use parasite!" <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

I agree fully with this post... Recently I've gotten in the habit of running around with parasite as my weapon with bite as my weapon switch and it just feels so good knowing that even if the marine kills me, he's marked for death <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>
It's also useful in the case of multiple skulks attacking marines to launch off 2 or even 3 parasites each (the 3rd parasite drains your energy almost fully though) while closing the distance so that way you may have done a full bite of damage to a marine long before you were in bite range.

Niloc · June 2003

I like all of your tips they seem very helpful. There is just one that Im not so sure about. Is the building one. I think that if you parasite him first, he will get freaked out, possibly get back up and stop building and wait. But if you hear him building I usually just sneak up on him and take him out, and the building, but if there are multiple mairines I would agree with parasiting first.

snozzle · June 2003

you have to understand that stopping him from building does more good, because if its a rt, it gives both your team a chance to get ahead with res, and for a skulk to come back you up. in most cases you would be able to tell if another marine was coming, parasite them too, and then (maybe) rush them. Sure you might get shot down, but at least you did your team good. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'>
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'>

Lura · June 2003

may i add another thing

Situation 10

U are in a hallway and see a marine at the other end, draw his attention and hide above the door at your side, he knows u are there, now drop to the floor just before he walks trough the door, he will be aiming to the roof, and u will already be on the floor = kill <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Situation 11

U are with another skulk(s) at a T junction and see marines comming from one side, u draw attention, marines notice u and follow u at the junction to the ( lets say left ) now the other skulk who as been waiting has a clear much in their backs, you might die, but the marines also die <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'> <- teamwork is key <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>
this can be done very good on caged at marine start, you jump past the entrance, 2 marines follow you, other skulk takes the kill and kills the base =)

p4l · June 2003

I'm something of a newbie, so take this with a grain of salt, but so far the best advice I recieved on skulking (And I later read in a sticky'd guide, too!) is to, early on at least, MAKE THE MARINES SLOW DOWN!

It works fantastically to stop the marines up when 3-4 of my teammates just died on an early base rush and it is me vs. 2-3 marines... just popup, get off a parasite or two, and then hide, but not too far away. Essentially, if you see them going about their business, drop down and remind them you are there. It makes them paranoid and generally slows the building down (Even if the difference is just you've got one marine building and the rest are covering as opposed to all building, that's alot of time spent!). By the time your teammates are back in the action, you probably have all the marines parasited. Sweeeeeet dreeeeaaaaams baby!

Xzilen · June 2003

For the most part I agree with those. I appreciate you posting this up, perhaps my marine game will get better from getting better and better skulks to have to fight off. I'm not too good at Marine, but as an Alien, i find myself using these same kind of tactics, I guess it just builds on you over time, eh?

By the way, the part about watching out friendly, I'm assuming you meant these for clan game tactics? These should still work for pubs non the less.

Iced_Eagle · June 2003

when a marine is building and you start attacking there is a 1 sec delay before the marine can fire his weapon. One thing when you see a parasite always go check it out. But never ever try to take a large group of rines out by yourselves. Parasite is ur friend.

Notes on parasite: You know you hit them when you hear a small "thump" and for CC it will open up and for RT it will raise it self up. But the parasite goes roughly 20-30 feet and usually they turn to look what hit them so para and run.

Pege · June 2003

Although I haven't played a single scrim in my NS life, I'd like to add that surprise as a skulk is very good. Many times I see a marine (especially at the beginning) coming down a long corridor. I parasite him, he tries to hit (if he has good reaction speed, he gets few hits) and then I tease him by showing my pretty feet and playing peek-a-boo. Not many marines can resist the temptations of skulk feet so they come down the corridor and turn themselves towards the corner they know I'm at. If the doorway is good, I can go up and to the other side of the doorway unnoticed. [Attacking from above might work, but I find it a lot harder than attacking from the ground]. Then I can view as he gets closer and closer and just when he is very near the doorway I attack. The marine usually has no time to react and I get an easy first bite. Then it's up to my aim (can't be emphazised enough) and his bhopping skills.

Many times I see skulks just position themselves over doorways, corners or similar. When I enter the room and I know the skulk is there and doesn't attack, I can usually jump through the doorway and avoid the first bite and buy that crucial extra second to fix my aim.

pardzh · June 2003

Gee, I'm just noticing this a while after it's been posted and these are some pretty damn good tips, especially the first one about being spawncamped or pressured. Hiding behind the hive or just running to the hive to get healed helps a ton with getting a substantial amount of skulks alive at the same time to repulse a Marine rush.

Anyway, I think this deserves a sticky. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Simple_Compound · June 2003

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Future @ Jun 16 2003, 04:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Situation 4: Marines are behind a door ready to rush.

Good Skulk: Sit back and wait till your team rushes in and dies, wait for clicks then rush.  </td></tr></table> 
actually i do not agree with this. sometimes it helps to have a skulk running behind you when you're running down those long hallways. usually the marine won't see you running behind that skulk he has his mind set to kill. once he finnishes off the skulk he isn't ready for another. SURPRISE. also more than one skulk creates a diversion which can easily confuse those pesky marines.

Caiman · July 2003

This is all great advice but how do you deal with marines who have mt?

FaT_CaM · July 2003

my tactic for skulks is whenever you see a marine (unless he is building) and it will take you MORE than 2 seconds to reach him, use paraiste, hide in a vent, he'll either leave you or give chase.

Also if you walk and press forward, you can move but not make noise - holding shift, press forward, wait till you stop press it again, you only make the footstep sound when you move at a certain speed, so you can avoid making noise, although its slow...

Jammer · July 2003

Addition:

Learn to hide in high spots and recognize when they get close. A marine shouldn't realize you're near him till he sees your name in the top right corner. The most satisfying NS kills are dropping down and killing a marine before you hit the floor.