Guide [Issue 38] The Art of Kill-Stealing

[Shedinja 1,488]

The Art of

Kill-Stealing

 

Oh, don't give me that disgusted look. Yes, kill-stealing is an art, no matter how taboo or socially unacceptable others may portray it as. Kill-stealing is a common term throughout many multiplayer games, but most of y'all reading this are probably thinking of all those unwary Wasps that should have added points to your score.

 

With a not-so-recent update distributing points to any number of team-based tankers involved in the destruction of an opponent, in place of only the one having laid the killing blow, kill-stealing in TDMs, CPs, or CTF-style matches have become a thing of the past. The only suitable housing for such a practice is a DM, where the only shot that counts is the shot that did 'em in. Clearly, some combinations are better suited for the task than others, but every turret is capable of laying the final blow on a turret. The trick, though, is knowing how to claim that kill. Understanding when and where to attack will guarantee you the crown in the end.

 

The Spectrum

 

With this game's diverse array of arm types, there's plenty of enthralling ways to unleash a nice, big can of whuppin' on an unprepared adversary. These weapons are already classified into groups based on range efficiency: long, mid-, and short. The damage classifications, however, are what we're here for, and they're just as easy to decipher, given you were born with an elementary logic complex. A brief chart summation of weapon damage ratings is shown below.

 

 

*This chart is a bit primitive, yes, but give me some slack; I'm using Paint, and a realistic chart including reload times would have to be three dimensional. Unless you feel like downloading SolidWorks '14 to view one, just use your imagination and basic knowledge of Tanki. I'm not gonna spoon feed you EVERYTHING.

 

 

Damage Per Shot (DPS)

 

On the chillier side of the spectrum (purples, blues) lie items classified as DPS weapons. A few things to note about this type:

• These guys are usually found doing a bit more hiding than their CDR counterparts. With their generally slow reload times, cover is easily one of the most valuable aspects of a map to a user of one of these.                                                                                                                                                
• Most of the weapons listed here (with the exception of Hammer, of course) are designed to take on opponents from a decent distance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
• There is a general abundance of energy behind each shot, resulting in chipping off large chunks of health with each individual attack.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
• Due to their preference of taking on opponents before they reach them, these weapons (minus Hammer) are highly susceptible to destruction when placed on small or cramped maps.

 

Cumulative Damage Rate (CDR)

 

On the rightmost piece of the graph (reds, oranges) weapons listed as CDR weapons reside. Basically the polar opposite of DPS weapons,

• Places with nowhere to hide are great hunting grounds for this type, where that they can take full advantage of their continuous fire rates.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
• Unlike DPS weapons, CDR-type players like to keep their adversaries within reach at all times, so that (once again) they can utilize their high oppressive power whenever they need.                                                                                                                                                                      
• Ghosting the keyboard will do almost imperceptible damage to an opposing tank. You're gonna want to weigh down that spacebar whenever you feel like going on a killing spree.                                                                                                                                                                                                   
• In close combat, these weapons are usually unthreatenable. However, when taking the fight a DPS weapon from afar, it's likely not going to last too long. 

 

Intermediate-class (IC)

 

And here we discover the prophetic third side of the coin, living near the center of the graph (yellows, greens). Neither classified as DPS or CDR class, we have the curious case of the IC collection.

• Living within the gap between monstrous power per round and quashing damage capabilities, these weapons are by definition 'balanced', being able to survive (but not always as successfully) on all terrains. Extremist maps might be wise to avoid, though.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
• The items classified here as IC vary between ghosting and holding the spacebar for maximum effect. Ergo, it usually takes a bit more skill to master these items.                                                                                                                                                                             
• Cover isn't always incredibly useful with these items, but it can still be appreciated in the case of cover for unsuspecting attacks, similar to how a CDR-user would take advantage of a hiding spot.                                                                                                                                   

 

What does any of this have to do with kill stealing?

 

What strategies are applicable for you depend greatly on the gun bolted to you tank, doesn't it? Knowing your weapon is half the battle! The other half, however, is where we're headed next. You've got the perfect tank set up in your garage, and you're ready to to hit the town hard in a DM. All that's left to think about as you enter the match is what plan of action you're going to be taking. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where the fun begins.

 

 

Game Plan: That Thingy that Helps Us Win More

 

Joining any battle without a plan is a bit like trying to rob a supermarket with a Nerf gun: You won't be able to get very far, nobody will take you seriously, and you'll feel nine flavors of dumb at the end of the day. Okay, so the comparison is a bit extreme, but the point I'm trying to get across remains the same: Come prepared the right way. I might sound like a broken record at this point, but whatever maneuvers you have prepared must correlate to your weapon of choice. In other words, charging across a Solikamsk with Mammoth/Firebird might not be the best idea. Use what you've got to encourage your own victory, but use it right.

 

No condescendence included, but you understand that each weapon requires different tactics to maximize damage output, right? Certain hulls also aid in the delivery of your opponent’s destruction (to go, please), but your vehicle choice will only take you so far towards this goal. In the end, it all depends on when and where you shoot.

 

Before we go into the specifics, there’s a couple of tips that you should know about basic turret management procedure. Most of them aren’t exempt from physics, your number one ‘frenemy’ in Tanki Online (Gravity, I’m talkin’ to you), so it’d be a good idea to heed these next paragraphs well.

 

Knock around your fellow hunters. I’m not taking about the hull ranked between Hornet and Viking, though if you see one in the following situation, be sure to rough it up a bit. Where there’s a weakened opponent, there’s bound to be other DM roamers nearby, hungry and lurking about like sharks after catching the scent of blood. Railgunners and Shafters are difficult to throw off if you didn’t see them from the start. However, nearby fighters with low CDR or even IC class weapons are a bit easier to handle. If their shots require tenacious and consistent aim, use that to your advantage by giving ‘em a little shove on the edge of their hull whilst stayed locked on to the primary target. It may not do a lot if they’re a hulk like Titan or Mammoth, but if you can fault their accuracy for long enough, you might just have enough time to finish the kill and move on. This practice is especially effective against Twins, Ricochet, Smoky, Thunder, and on rare occasions, Hammer.

 

Become their false shield. It’s a strange term, but it’s the only description I can offer to explain this bold gesture. The idea is to get between a target and other possible entities and unload. Mainly effective versus IC weapons and some CDR-types, this strategy will almost always guarantee you the kill when you corner your opponent, blocking all the damage that random potshots from other tanks cause. The bad news is that you have to do all the work and pray that your attack doesn’t backfire on you completely. This strategy is indeed risky, as others my try to intentionally destroy you to get to whatever you were trying to rip apart. Also note that DPS weapons (minus Hammer) can deal damage to multiple nearby targets, very easily leaving you with low health and standing in front of a corpse you couldn’t claim. The same goes for spray-type guns like Freeze and Firebird.

 

Wait, then pounce. Patience is key to staking your claim to the final blow, young grasshopper. Unleashing rounds every time you’ve reloaded is a good way to miss a lot of opportunities. This is especially true when using DPS weapons, as each shot has a wide time gap between shots. In this small interval, you can miss your intended kill and have to start all over again with some other poor soul. You can whale on an opponent for whole minutes if you wanted to, but if you don’t have the last bit of green left in their health bar in your hand, then what is this all besides time being wasted? Also, keep a mental counter on who’s wounded and who isn’t. You’re more likely to get a kill on someone that already earned a few scratches on their tank than one that just warped back from the limbo of respawn.

 

Keep track of your shells.  As I stated in the previous tip, remember who’s a marked man already and who’s fresh from the academy. Keeping that in mind, find a suitable target. You should have been able to memorize how many shots it takes from your favorite turret to destroy certain tanks equipped with certain paints. Watching players take damage from other predatory tanks and mentally recording the amount of health remaining is something only learned over days upon days of extensive playing, but once the ability is gained, you’re far more likely to claim the crowning spot of the match. Deal only the damage necessary and move on to your next victim.

 

A good hunter knows where to lay their traps. Y'know that little '5' key that you use to plant your mines? Remember when you were a Sergeant and mines were a synonymy to instant death? Well, even an M4 Wasp nowadays is susceptible to death by the sudden eruption from the floor, but I'm sure you've noticed that mines just don't have the potency that they used to. Still, these nasty buggers are something that shouldn't be underestimated. Even Mammoth have a tough time trawling out of the blast radius of one of these. Laying them in the shadows of hallways or corners that fleeing tankers might hide in will give you an element of surprise on the field. Set your traps in unexpected places, as to deter others from hiding from your sights. They're even a nice greeting to a fella who wants to make your spot his own and place a grid of mines. Remember about the benefits of shoving opponents into your mines when you run out of ammunition, if the case may be.

 

Now that we’ve covered those little details, it’ll be easier to delve into the guns themselves. Brace yourself for yet another quick set of tips.

 

Firebird

 

 

Leading the list of CDR weapons lies a weapon that will live in infamy forever –- Firebird. Okay, so that was a bit dramatic, but my point remains: this weapon is KNOWN for snatching other player’s kills from under their noses. Machines on the extreme ends of the Spectrum have a tendency to do that.

 

Anyways, when playing in a DM with this weapon, you’re likely to encounter a lot of Firebird resistant paints. Why? The burn damage. This sole side effect is what makes this weapon deadly in a DM situation. In a unanimous counter-maneuver, most deathmatches are usually filled to the brim with Storm, Swash, Inferno (on the decline in popularity alongside Freeze), Loam, Mars and Zeus-users, all to prevent this nasty ghost from sapping away their health with the same vigor. Nonetheless, even with Zeus in your arsenal, the burn damage can still be enough after an initial encounter with a Firebird to finish the job. The question is how to utilize it to its maximum potential.

 

The answer lies within the temperature. Within 1.5 seconds*, the opposing tank is likely to have reached its maximum high temperature. Firebird is only good for its damage-per-second rate at this point, of which (excluding the burn effect) is lesser than that of Freeze. Unless the opponent is a big ol’ Inferno clad Titan, I’d suggest making a run for it and letting the burn damage do its job. More likely than not, the heat will be more than enough to fry to poor sucker where he once stood. This is especially true with M4 Firebird, where the maximum heat (with a maximum value of 1) lasts for a very long time. Hulls like Wasp, Hornet and Hunter will all suffice in their hit-n’-run task.

 

Freeze

Like Firebird, Freeze has a great CDR, is a short ranged fighter, and has a spray-type combative style. However, what makes this weapon less of an endgame strategist is its lack of damage after it stops firing. However, it does have one nifty side effect that earns it a place on a pedestal is its ability to literally stop their enemies in their tracks. Or, at least, come close to it.

 

Firebird and Freeze have similar requirements: a fast hull, some halfway acceptable driving skills, and a method of dodging enemy fire until they’re fully recharged. However, Freeze has to stick around with its target and see its destruction through to the end if it wants to get anywhere in a DM. Fortunately, that’s where its handy-dandy frost effect comes into play: it can rove around unlucky opponents to its heart’s content and wait for the fella to succumb to the cold, dodging that slowly pursuing turret at every turn like a Snowspeeder cruising around an AT-AT. This method ultimately spells doom for those dreaded Mammoth/Thunders that like to scour DMs like yours.

 

Remember to keep that temperature in check, though. If they unthaw before you’re finished with ‘em, you’re likely to be torn a new tailpipe by that angry Dictator you tried to sneak up on. Make sure to keep the spray consistent (0.5 seconds of spray per recharge should do it), stay on the other side if the table from their guns, and you should be fine. So long as another tank doesn’t come by.

 

 

 

Isida

This is indeed a tricky machine to utilize in a DM. However, further studies indicate that with the right amount of tweaking (and a sturdy supply of Double Powers), Isida can be victorious in a battle.

 

Focus on those boxes and your own supplies. Fighting with other Firebirds and Freezes is a bad idea; avoid them if you can. Like the nozzle-weapons, keep your charge at a healthy level so that you can deal with anyone trying to catch you off guard. The self-healing effect that Isida holds is your only thread of hope against IC and other CDR guns. Keep the beam focused on the target the entire time; a second or two’s faltering may be enough to finish you.

 

Isida really only has its self-sustainability going for it in DMs. Capitalize on this by targeting players without decent Isida protection, players using DPS-type arms, and those Double Power boxes. Arguably, Isida gains the most benefit in the entire game from these, so be sure to keep an eye out for them, and if you have to, choose those over Double Armor. I know one of my favorite axioms goes as “a good defense making for a better offense”, but your own regenerative qualities are enough of a shield when drugged out on the red box. Just stay in reach of others. Also, those boxes are pretty much vital in claiming those hard-to-reach kills. There isn’t usually a lot of Isida protection in DMs; they’ll be too focused on Railguns and Firebirds.

 

Twins

Right up there with Firebird and Thunder, Twins is a great weapon to use in a DM due to the fact that it never runs out of immediate ammunition. Sure, the ion charges the machine looses aren’t that dangerous all by themselves (especially at a great range), but there’s a reason this thing was classified as a CDR weapon. It’s about as visually cumulative as you can get in this game.

 

Twin-strafing with a light hull is no easy task. In a less-than-recent guide on Hornet/Twins that my friend Kevred and I put our heads together to complete, we described the hardships of aiming with the constant recoil creating excessive drift. Heavier hulls are far more compatible with this machine.

 

I’m going to be completely honest here. There isn’t a lot of skill involved with using Mammoth/Twins. However, there are a few minute changes you can make to give you just a bit more edge over an opposing Mammoth/Twins.

 

• Choose the right paint. Urban was my paint of choice for the longest time, due to its immediate resistance to Twins, a solid protection from the Isidas that were bound to come after me in single point CPs, and some bonuses thrown in there as well. Another wonderful paint to have here would be Taiga or Swash (according to rank). It’s always great to have a minor Twins protection buffer at best, with a wide range of other IC and CDR weapon protections mixed in.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
• Make sure you hit the guy. I know, common sense, but it’s actually depressingly easy to waste a whole barrage of shots on a wall where you could have turned around and hit three more players of the same level of annoyance. Auto-aim for Twins is swifter and more efficient than ever before, but sadly, it just can’t defy the laws of projectile physics. Make sure your aim is true before you fire.                                                                                                                                                                       
• Stay in the open, but not the wide open. Twins’ range is respectable indeed, but by no means infinite. Find yourself a nice, clean space to dominate, without many locations for sneaky Railguns or Smokies to hide. Remember, you’re in a heavy hull, so let’s not make any commitments we can’t keep. Make sure that wherever you chill, you can reach the furthest wall. If not, it might be time for a relocation (or in your case, fatty, a migration :lol: ).                                                               
• Corpses are still enemies. Make sure that you can hit all of your enemies at once. If they line up on you, it’ll be a lot harder to take the kills from them, due to Twins blasts not being able to permeate crowds. It’s a pity, really.

 

Vulcan

A recently introduced weapon, Vulcan’s main kill-stealing effectiveness matches that of a Twins: non-piercing, able to knock off a light hull’s aim, and annoying as flab to fight when geared up with the right paint and hull. Namely, something heavy. Vulcan might have a more rapid damage accumulation rate, but Twins doesn’t burn itself after overheated use. Yes, indeed-ity, Vulcan’s burn damage is an impediment when fighting crowds. It’s also much, much harder to chase a Freeze, since your hull is unaffected by hull rotations alone. It’s also harder to rotate from one target to the next. However, if you can get a nice group of enemies right in front of you, it’s child’s play picking them off in descending order of health rates.

 

Really, the same things that work with Twins apply to Vulcan. I would have put them in the same category if it weren’t for Vulcan’s decreased damage per second moving this gun into the IC section. Also, the burn damage is... undesirable when fighting crowds. It’s hard to use this combination without using a paint resistant to Firebird. On the bright side, this already initiated burn can work to you advantage, giving opposing Firebirds less motivation to target you. However, this means you’re a target to pretty much the rest of the world. Ouch.

 

Ricochet

 

 

Another IC class gun with an attitude. Ricochet is a great gun for crowd control, mainly due to its powerful impact force irritating the ever living flab out of everyone. Its damage per shot isn’t too bad, but it can accumulate rather quickly, as well. When in the middle of destroying an opposing tank, you’re likely to be robbed by a high DPS turret like Railgun or Shaft, so be sure to stay clear of place where they roam more frequently.

 

The high impact force of Ricochet’s plasma bolts help take the place of scooting an opponent aside in hopes of knocking off their aim. To maximize your shots, don’t hold down the spacebar. You’ll be a sitting duck in no time flat. Aim for your primary leverage point, then squeeze the trigger. Aim well, and you will throw off the aim of most players, which means more opportunities for you to take the lion’s share.

 

Smoky

Your basic peashooter can actually play as a deadly kill-thievery machine, so long as you know how to time that critical hit. The mechanics are not in fact randomized, but a complex enigma of controlled randomness. (If that makes any sense whatsoever.) 

Usually, there’s a 4-5 zone of a low chance of a critical hit. After this number of shots, however, the likelihood of getting one of these hits is very high. If your shot isn’t critical on the sixth round, it’s near guaranteed on the seventh. Use this timing well and you’re sure to keep low-health hulls on their toes. Of course, it won’t help them much if they get decked with a critical hit after taking severe damage from that Thunder that was chasing them earlier. There's not much to using this weapon for kill-thievery, being a single-fire weapon and all without an outstanding DPS, but keeping one hand on the wheel and the other guiding those shells into the sides of an opposing tank (like you would with a Ricochet) and you'll do just fine out there, soldier.

 

Thunder/Hammer

 

 

Group, group, group. Thunder and Hammer always work best with grouped opponents. Especially if they’re identifiable by damage, such as the remaining traces of red from a Firebird attack or that subtle blue hue of a Freeze survivor. If you can catch ‘em while fighting, even better.  Both of these weapons, when utilized correctly, have the potential to be constantly racking up double kills by feeding off of other brawlers. With no central target, however (this is DM we’re talkin’ about), it’s more difficult concentrating players into one central section.

 

However, there are places that you will always see players flocking about: box drop zones. Be it the humble Speed boost being mistaken for a gold indicator or the highly sought Repair Kit sections, there’s always bound to be a player or two camping there for territorial benefits. Pin ‘em to the wall like bugs when they begin the squabble.

 

Railgun/Shaft

Stay hidden, for goodness’ sake. It’s not easy being either of these weapons in a DM, due to their poor reload time making each shot made absolutely imperative to their survival. Quickness is a trait required to thrive in a habitat like this, and these weapons are anything but. However, keeping your presence discreet will give you the upper hand here. Use cover well, dodge open ground, and victory will be yours.

 

Milk that pierce damage as much as you can! Whenever you see a suitable lineup, go for it. Double Powers are always a nice bonus to aid these situationally-stunted players, though moving fast and disappearing for chunks of time will definitely remedy the impending manhunt. There’s a lot of Railgun protection paints being used, though, in response to the increasing popularity of the weapon. Just a side note.

 

Keep a strong count your shots here, folks. Remember the average damage your weapon deals. Learn how to mentally calculate how many more shots are needed to finish off the target. Always try to go for the wounded. Trust me, you’re not going to have a lot of time to fire once that Viking/Firebird you assaulted begins melting your face off in retaliation.

 

 

 

 

Extra Words of Advice

 

@Cke1st

 

 If you see two tanks shooting each other at close range, and you've got a CDR weapon, join the party!  Pick on the weaker hull if they aren't the same.  You've got a 50/50 chance of finishing off the first one, and your fingers are on the aiming buttons to shift targets as soon as the first one blows up.  You're almost guaranteed to get one of them, and you'll often get them both.

 

Know your terrain and use it.  For example, in Polygon, there's a section of ground on the lower end, just behind a row of concrete barriers, where weakened Railguns like to hide while they recharge.  If you see someone in there, consider it "blood in the water."  My favorite tactic is to park next to the barriers with a Ric, aim for the end of the barrier on the other side, and bounce my shots into that area until the hapless Railgun goes "pop."

 

Ignore it when other players complain about you stealing their kills.  That's how the game is played, and you can be sure they'd steal your kills if they could.

 

---

---

 

 

 

Got any specific strategies of your own? Any special tips or tricks you could add? Post ‘em in the topic, and you could have a special place in this issue. Come up with some neat strategies, guys. Build off of the blocks given. Y’all are a smart crowd, now, and I’m sure you guys will come up with stuff I haven’t thought of. (Note that I will not add duplicates of other strategies previously listed.) Until next time!

.

 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2018 by Hexed

[Rico_Viking_9000 942]

Nice and first!

[donut70 97]

Well done sir, well done.
 

(I will expand my response when I have time. My shift starts soon.)

[Cke1st 102]

A few additional tips:

 

If you see two tanks shooting each other at close range, and you've got a CDS weapon, join the party!  Pick on the weaker hull if they aren't the same.  You've got a 50/50 chance of finishing off the first one, and your fingers are on the aiming buttons to shift targets as soon as the first one blows up.  You're almost guaranteed to get one of them, and you'll often get them both.

 

Know your terrain and use it.  For example, in Polygon, there's a section of ground on the lower end, just behind a row of concrete barriers, where weakened Railguns like to hide while they recharge.  If you see someone in there, consider it "blood in the water."  My favorite tactic is to park next to the barriers with a Ric, aim for the end of the barrier on the other side, and bounce my shots into that area until the hapless Railgun goes "pop."

 

Ignore it when other players complain about you stealing their kills.  That's how the game is played, and you can be sure they'd steal your kills if they could.

[Helindu_2014 830]

S:D neat

[fightermalikio20115 374]

nice,but I did not really get it

[muhammad-raafay 3]

Nice ;)

[BlazingCoder 108]

I just wait till a teammate shoots a enemy once, then I shoot.

[manofbelgium 18]

That chart is just awesome. <3

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

Nicely and neatly written :D

 

Great article Shedy  ^_^

[anuclearbomb 220]

I just wait till a teammate shoots a enemy once, then I shoot.

you better hope there are no shafts on your team... then again, i hear they all but vanish from the game up there...

#shaftforthewin highest DPS per second in the game(depends on witch second you are measuring) just wait for someone to attack a titan or mammoth, then bam, if it is a twins or firebird wait a few seconds, but if your shaft is the same M as your prey, it should be a simple kill. also shaft m2 can take out hunter m2 remember this fact, remember it well...

Edited September 1, 2015 by anuclearbomb

[DonutsForLife 292]

Nice guide Shed. :)

[Shedinja 1,488]

also shaft m2 can take out hunter m2 remember this fact, remember it well...

You're not going to let that go anytime soon, are you...  -_-

[anuclearbomb 220]

You're not going to let that go anytime soon, are you...  -_-

originally it wasn't intended as a burn, but then i seen the opportunity :P. 

[creepercaster_1679 2]

Nice! I love kill stealing!!!! Its fun but vary hard ariund the trollers :(

[creepercaster_1679 2]

Add me if you are close to first sergant cuz thats my rank!! And some day if you do add me if i quit tankionline 4 ever there will be a special event!!!

[creepercaster_1679 2]

Oh right and reply or PM me ur username. :P