The Guide to ‘Firebird’
Weak, most expensive M3… Not better then Freeze… This is what majority of the players think is it not? And honestly, this was what I thought until I tried it for myself.
Modifications:
M0:- Very cheap, available at recruit, though not the best choice at M0 as Twins is also there to rival this weapon at recruit.
M1: Decent price, second first M1 weapon available. Only weakness, reload, takes ages… Though if you have skill, its epic as it is available at master sergeant.
M2: WOW, just WOW. Although expensive, at M2 it will take care of every tank in the battlefield. Surprisingly, even an M3 mammoth! I currently have it and if you ask me, it’s worth the price.
M3: Of course, if M2 is so good, think how good M3 will be? Now you see why it’s expensive? Cause you can use M2 even at generallismo.
Which hull to use it with?
Mammoth – 8/10 – Mammoth at M2 is very suitable for small maps along with Firebird.
Titan – 6/10 – For some reason, this combo is not bad.... However, not many use this.
Hornet – 9.5/10 – Best with Firebird, good speed, good HP.
Viking – 9/10 – Also a good option, just a bit more speed would be great.
Wasp – 8/10 – not good at M0-M1 but at M2-M3, its epic cause it will survive a railgun shot.. Still, low HP.
Hunter – 7/10 – More speed, and ofcourse here, Viking is better, Though its really not that bad.
Dictator – 7/10 – Just like Hunter, needs speed!
Price of modifications and when they get unlocked:
M0 – Recruit-250 crystals
M1—Master Sergeant - 7100 crystals
M2—Major - 94500 crystals
M3 -- Commander - 275000 Crystals.
Advice: Never use your full charge. As firebird has a slow reload speed compared to other weapons, use the afterburn affect. However, at times a full charge shall be needed to kill the opponent. Here is a chart that will show you what to do.
Bear in mind that this is for the same modification.
Light Hulls (Hornet,Wasp) : Half of your charge. No more, no less.
Medium Hulls (Viking, Hunter and Dictator) Almost all of your charge… Quarter of it should be left.
Heavy Hulls (Titan, Mammoth) All of it, go all out.
Just stay away from head to head battles with freezes and isidas in that order....the reason being that they usually have an upgraded weapon combo that will turn you into mincemeat.
Use the Q and E camera angle buttons a lot more than Z and X....your hull has a very short life span and your turret has a very long reload time....by the time you begin making all those swinging turret moves, you will be dead...instead use the camera angles to look ahead or with a 360 degree view
For paints, use forester in the beginning till you can afford corrosion....lava might work with freeze but again by the time a little bit hits you, you are stuck or dead...as for forester, as soon as you see a rail gun...either hide or if you are in the open...rush towards it even if he is firing at you....the 10% protection will be good enough to survive his 1 shot and that you can spray your full load and watch him die just as that annoying blue light appears at his turret....why this will work....there are lots of rails at that stage of the game...all the big ranks have alternate rail accounts
So, how do you fight freezes and isidas....freeze....stay out of range and get around and try to get the after burn to work for you...spray a little back off....approach from another angle...it needs a little practice but it works....Isidas....again get around and if not...use mines...drop it right in front of you as he approaches or fire your load and back off at the half way mark....the afterburn will do the trick + wasp will get you out of his weapon range
Micro-upgrades....you should use this especially because of the time it takes for you to get the next upgraded weapon....increase damage and burn damage first....then protection and speed for wasp....I know the main guide suggests that you upgrade the parameter that works for you best but the performance of the tank as a unit improves as you chip in to improve....its real fun when some tanks approach you thinking you are an easy picking and then when you release a microupgraded spray of fire....
If you see a tank diving from a height, speed up and ram them just as they are about to hit the ground...they will flip and you can easily destroy them with your burn without any damage to your tank....you just need to practice this a bit....the timing is critical....remember not to hang around the tank though....release from a distance and get out of there...if its tank with recoil, they can get back on their feet and hunt you...however, if you are not in the area, the afterburn will still do the job
If you see a tank approaching from below, wait till he is about half way and again rush straight at him, they will flip once again....lots of folks wait to get into position before hitting space bar...those critical seconds and timing will get you the kill
In CTF games....use your tank as a decoy....let your main attackers approach from another angle....you go from the other end...lots of folks will move from there position so that they can get an easy kill from you....as they approach, spray as many of them as possible....at this point, your main attackers can quickly get into the camp and steal the flag...even if the others try to defend and get into position, the afterburn would have added a competitive advantage for your team...your team might even let you cap the flag if you see them fight for you....alternatively, you can also act as the alternative....usually, when the main tank attacks and steals the flag, everyone from the base will move/get distracted to get the flag back into their base....use this opportunity to sneak into the enemy camp and as soon as the flag is returned...grab it and get back into base to either cap the flag or offer it to the main attacker
Practice, Practice, Practice...the more time you spend on this combo, the more skill you will get....you will get familiar with using some strategies like dive bombing, using a thunder's splash damage against it, calculating a smoky's shots to determine whether the next shot will be critical or not etc, where would a viking get stuck while turning...etc
''Always try to get your Firebird to spray as many people as possible at the same time. Not only does this maximize your kill-rate, but it also makes the most out of your 4-second DPS.''
- ''If you're an aggressive fighter, it's very nice to suddenly dart out, and spray everything with a full-charge. Even if you sacrifice yourself, you have burned open a new path for your teammates.''
Opinion: In my opinion, the best hull to use with Firebird is Hornet. It has HP and speed. Wasp is suitable too, but due to its low HP, it isnt that suitable. Still, all you need is skill ;) .
Conclusion: Firebird requires skill… My advice is, shoot and take cover. As for the price, its worth it.
Many thanks to: and @avimin
~H15905