Guide [Issue 37] How to Avoid Dying

[greyat 2,972]

 

Everyone wants to stay alive longer. After all, the lengthy delay between the time of death and when you respawn, on the order of 5 seconds, is irritating, and great pleasure can be derived from a perfect game. But what is it that distinguishes between a D/L of 0.95 and a D/L of 95.00?

 

0. EXTREMELY USEFUL ADVICE

 

Don't join a battle.

 

I. General advice

 

• In team battles, stay in your own base. Then friendly Isidas can maintain your health, and enemies will be taken out faster by the combined fire of all of your teammates. Use mines to guard paths to your base.

 

 

• In deathmatches, find the high ground. Then you can see enemies that are approaching you, and take them out. In addition, place mines on paths that lead to you, as well as on spawning areas near your camping site.

 

 

• Play it safe – return to your base to get healed when you’re low on health. Don’t wait for that repair kit to cooldown or fall from the sky. Avoid taking risks, such as tilting on the edge to shoot an enemy – you will eventually overdo it and flip.
• Team up with fellow campers; it will benefit you both. For example, it generally takes 2 Railgun shots to take out a Viking. That will occupy up to five seconds for you to reload, during the interval of which the Viking and approach and kill you. If two of you shoot the Viking at the same time, it will be instantaneously dead, allowing for you to transfer attention onto other threats.
• Play against lower ranked players, who will likely have inferior equipment and thus are easier to kill.

 

II. Supplies

 

Clearly, one of the top characteristics of those who manage to stay alive for a vast amount of time is that they almost always use supplies extensively. Due to the fact that this isn’t a supplies tutorial and for the sake of brevity, I’ll just give a few pointers.

 

• Double armor is extremely useful for tanking in damage; use it when you are in imminent danger, not as soon as the cooldown has finished. You’re likely to be destroyed if caught without a double armor. For example, use it when you get caught in the way of an enemy push to capture your flag.
• As the saying goes, the best defense is to be on the offensive, and so is double power for your defense. Use it to take out approaching enemies, preferably as frequently as possible. (A note to Thunder users – avoid using this when enemies are very near)
• The key to escaping damage – RUN! (Especially from the close to medium range turrets – Firebird, Freeze, Isida, Hammer, Twins, and Ricochet – those are very dangerous.) Speed boosts will help you do just that. Other than that, speed boosts should be mostly used to reach cover or a camping position. Very useful if you are attempting to achieve a high D/L with a light hull, relatively limited use with heavy or medium hulls. Alternatively, you use them to catch up with a fleeing, damaged enemy to finish them off.
• Repair kits are a must if you want to avoid dying at all (the alternative is a pet Isida, more on that later). Try to maximize a repair kit’s potential – use it when your health is at the lowest, or just prior to being hit by a high damage turret, and preferably after activating another supply (i.e. use a double armor, immediately followed by a repair kit).
• Mines are useful in safeguarding a camping spot. Use them to block chokepoints – paths which only one tank can fit through at once, as well as corridors between two walls. If you are camping in the enemy base, place mines on enemy spawn areas, and also on the path an enemy has to take to reach you. In addition, if caught by an enemy, it may prove life-saving to place a mine just before the trailing enemy. Just keep in mind that mines cause a cooldown on other supplies, including the repair kit.

 

III. Hulls

 

• With heavy hulls, it is more a matter of outlasting the enemy rather than escaping damage. Stay in your own base to receive support from your teammates, and make sure you are not in the way of an enemy push. Should you get caught be an enemy (or enemies), health is on your side. Don’t turn and run, because you can’t.

 

Camp in your base with a heavy hull.

 

• With medium hulls, it is much the same, except you can venture out in the midfield occasionally to take potshots at the enemy base, thanks to the higher speed. Practice hit and run tactics, but play it safe – if low on health, return to your base for an Isida or to use a repair kit; use a speed boost if necessary. Try to stay on the move if exposed, else you will be a sitting duck. If caught, use your own judgment; run if you feel you can’t kill the enemy without dying, but tough it out otherwise.

 

Provide midfield support with a medium hull.

 

• With light hulls, you can penetrate deeper into enemy territory. Being able to reach hard-to-access areas rapidly, it would prove more lucrative to dart in and out of the enemy base, killing enemies as you go, as opposed to simply camping for kills in your base. Avoid being cornered, as that would be your undoing. Speed boosts are your best friend; you can outrun just about anything under the sun with one. Again, play it safe, but you can be a bit more daring, since you can outrun most potential threats. Always be on the move; with a light hull, speed is your shield from harm. If you get caught, you are likely doomed. Try your best to flee.

 

Raid the enemies' base with a light hull, then flee.

 

IV. Paints

 

I’m not an expert on paints so I’ll be brief. If you are using supplies I recommend a paint against long range weapons so you don’t get sniped by that Shaft on double power. If not, a short range paint should allow you to survive close encounters and reach an Isida on time. Adapt your choice to the map you’re in. In Island, for example, a short range paint like Inferno or Lumberjack would be ideal due to the rarity of Shafts in that map, but on Monte Carlo, Prodigi would be superior. Change your paint to reflect the composition of weapons in that battle.

 

V. Selecting an ideal camping site

 

Some things to look out for in a camping site:

 

• Has a clear and fast route back to your own base.
• If the site is in your base, make sure that the site is out of the way (such as not adjacent to the flag, where you would be pulverized if the enemy makes a push).
• Sheltered – behind a wall, under an overhang, where you can’t be sniped easily. Alternatively, find an area with easy access to shelter.

 

When the going gets rough, hide under the ramp.

 

• On high ground. It’s easier to rain fire on your enemies than to shoot upwards. Besides, there’s always the chance that someone may jump on you and drop a mine.
• Difficult to access, easy to defend. The site should have very few routes that can reach it, and most should pass through a chokepoint, which can be defended with a few mines.

 

 

A mine or two will impede the progress of most enemies.

 

• Hard to find – if enemies can’t see you, they won’t shoot you!
• (Optional) Close to a repair kit drop zone, or any supply drop zone.

 

A dropped supply will prove to be useful in tight situations.

 

VI. Pocket Isidas

 

Now, for the last section, which I’m sure y’all have been desperately waiting for, be it from boredom or enthrallment.

 

Pocket Isidas are dedicated healers who focus heavily on healing you; other teammates take a backseat. They will follow you to the ends of the Earth the map and help immensely with camping. Protect them at all costs; don’t impede their movement, and try to block shots aimed for them.

 

How does one obtain a pocket Isida? Either ask a friend to be one for you, or inquire (nicely) in the team chat. Sometimes, they will find you by themselves. Whatever the way, treat them nicely; let them capture flags if you have them, allow them to pick up drops, etc.

 

VII. Conclusion

 

To sum up, getting that high D/L isn't as hard as you may have thought. Simply stay out of the way of your enemies, and gradually chip away at their health - you will be rewarded. However, should you wish to play more aggressively, some supply usage may be necessary.

Edited July 29, 2017 by Hexed

[BuriedSky 1,319]

Useful Advice... B)

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

Nice Advice  :)

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

Damn awesome!

[BlazingCoder 108]

This is sick!

[trombone_ftw 734]

I especially enjoyed advice #0 ^_^

 

Awesome grey, keep it up ma buddy!

[momy950666 960]

0 was the best ;)

[godofdestruction468 8]

use full advice . i will surely follow it! :D

[lausaj 765]

I am an isida     B) B) B)

[Hez_DarkLord 103]

The struggles an isida has to go through to help people, no one will quite understand...  ^_^

[BlackHawk2_DX 0]

I think this is great advice. Thanks for it.

[Quack4444 3]

Thanks for the advice!

Lol! I just knew "Don't join a battle" would be one of them. I guess u would never rank up and get better at the game then....

[Institute 238]

good job i think you worked hard to explain that awesome advice thanks :)

[jack2b111 130]

to stay alive for longer you must hide and seek trust me it works.

[TankerBros_Pro 0]

I am already a pocket ISIDA!!! :D

[THEBEAST_9000 9]

Good advice :) :) :) :)  It's really helped me

[Miracle_Quip 1]

Good article but one thing, the point of tanki is to be FUN camping THAT much isn't fun

Kinda defeats the whole purpose of the game

[M1Abrams_123 0]

its so hard to find a pocket isida

[thediamondwarrior_GT 0]

Its handy because it is hard to avoid dying because every tanker does but I do not about Godmode_ON. Who is Godemode_ON?

[impossiblewolf 0]

I LOVE THE ADVICE :)

 

BEST ADVICE ON STAYING ALIVE EVER CREATED!!!

 

 

 

P.S. I like the pocket isida nickname 

Is it copyrighted?  :)

[dodles_the_crazy 0]

thx for the advice :)

[lukey0 27,543]

Pet Isidas are the best. :LOL:

 

I had two of them on a Silence CTF, managed to get a solid 100 D/L because of them. :)

[The.Skilled.Legend 1,459]

Grey didn't give me credit for my Idea of tip #0 :(

[greyat 2,972]

Grey didn't give me credit for my Idea of tip #0 :(

'Twas all you, mate.

[NoahYacoub2002 1]

best advice ever 10/10