Guide [Issue 58] [Guide] The Ultimate Guide to Railgun

[Thekillerpenguin 1,731]

 

 

Little needs to be said about Railgun, as its popularity and reputation speak for itself. Legendary, famous, and the weapon of choice for many pros, it is the only turret that has specific format battles dedicated to it. Usually paired with a Hornet or Wasp, it is a constant sight on the battlefield, whether you're using it yourself or are on the receiving end of those hypersonic sabots.

 

It's a great weapon, sure, but how can you use it? I'm no eSports professional, but I'll do my best to explain that here.

 

The History of Railgun

Railgun shares the distinction of being the oldest turret in the game with Firebird, Smoky, and Twins. In the early days of Tanki, it was the most powerful turret available, being more or less superior to the above 3 "Tier 1" turrets. Named the "Fear Machine", Railgun lived up to its moniker, being capable of destroying almost anything, anywhere with a single shot, a feat even the current Shaft can't claim. The premier combination during these days was Dictator-Railgun, as Dictator was the finest hull in the game, and although it isn't seen as much these days, it still retains some of its old prestige. Perhaps the return of the "DR" format will change things.

 

Later, the other Tier 2 turrets were introduced. Ricochet, Thunder, Freeze, Isida, and Shaft joined the ranks of the turrets, and this mellowed out Railgun's dominance. The addition of the other Tier 2 hulls also made Railgun's damage less impressive. Shaft's appearance in particular made Railgun less special, as it was also a high-damage long-range weapon but had superior power; an M3 Shaft could destroy all but a M3 Mammoth in a fully charged shot. Still, its versatility, unlock rank, and price made it a popular option, and the most popular format battle was now Hornet-Railgun, due to Hornet being the fastest hull in the game.

 

The rebalance encompassed a lot of changes. All types of equipment had their statistics modified to make the Tier 1 turrets/hulls on the same level as the Tier 2 ones. Railgun was considered pretty close to Tier 2, if not in it, so it became a bit less powerful. It was capable of destroying light hulls in 2 shots (sometimes Wasps in 1), medium hulls in 2-3 shots, and heavy hulls in 3-4, balanced by its slow reload, charging time, and somewhat random damage.

 

It remained more or less unchanged for a while, having it reload shortened slightly in 2015, but the recent balance update in Fall 2016 changed its statistics significantly, making it more like the Railgun in Tanki X. Its reload was shortened significantly, its damage was reduced significantly, and a few other less important statistics were changed. This made it much more effective against light hulls, since the loss of damage was not very noticeable against them, but less effective against heavier hulls; medium hulls currently require a pretty consistent 3 shots to destroy.

Basic Stats
 
Throughout M0-M3, Railgun retains some key characteristics:

• Railgun deals the 2nd highest damage per shot out of all the turrets in the game, only outmatched by a Shaft in sniper mode. Hammer isn't far behind.
• Railgun has the 2nd longest reload time in the game, only faster than a full recharge of Shaft.
• There is a 1.1 second delay after you press the spacebar before the turret fires, during which the turret will charge and emit a noticeable glow from its barrel. This adds additional time to the already prodigious reload, and unlike Shaft (which can fire uncharged shots), it's required for every shot you fire.
• There is no damage dropoff whatsoever, similar to Shaft.
• The shots deal random damage, which surprises a lot of new Railgun users since it isn't mentioned in the garage. More information on this is available in the wiki, but the gist of it is that the damage is subject to a normal distribution between the minimum and maximum damage values. You can reasonably expect most of your shots to deal damage around the average of the max and min values, but you will occasionally have weak shots and strong shots.
• The rotation speed is slow, only faster than Shaft. Seeing a trend here?
• Railgun has massive impact force, only outmatched by Hammer. However, Hammer's spread means that it's not as concentrated, and only a Hammer with the Slugger alteration will pack more practical impact force than a Railgun.
• Railgun shots can penetrate tanks, leaving a colored trail in their wake. This allows you to basically skewer multiple tanks, dealing damage to all of them and possibly scoring multi-kills. The damage is lowered after each penetration at most modifications, but at M3+, this penalty is eliminated, allowing you to easily destroy multiple tanks with a Double Power shot.

Pros and Cons

 

Pros:

• When using Railgun and staying in cover, you only need to expose yourself for a split second in order to fire. Given its high per-shot damage, this is a huge advantage. You can support your teammates from afar while receiving minimal damage in return, especially if your opponents are stuck using something like Ricochet or Vulcan.
• Railgun can easily steal kills, especially against light hulls, where even a small amount of damage can reduce their health to one-shottable levels.
• The lack of damage dropoff makes Railgun one of the best long range weapons in the game.
• Unlike Shaft, Railgun can still be used without much hassle at close quarters, where it packs an equally strong punch.
• The penetrating nature of its shots makes Railgun an excellent weapon to attack clustered enemies, such as an Isida train making its way towards your base or enemies in choke points.

Cons:

• Railgun is difficult to use, as many people can attest. The charging delay and lack of a scope makes combat at longer distances, where it best shines, rather difficult. Missing a single shot can be the difference between life and death.
• The charging glow makes it easy for players with high impact force turrets like Smoky and Hammer to knock your aim off-course, since they will know exactly when you will fire. This can be mitigated by hiding behind cover and prefiring, but this is a large issue when in the open.
• The long reload makes engaging multiple targets difficult unless you manage to score multiple penetration shots.
• Although the damage per shot is excellent, the overall damage per second is pretty low. A M3+ Railgun will deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 damage per second, while a M3+ Thunder will deal around 400.
   

Possible Combinations
 
We all know that Hornet-Railgun is the most prevalent Railgun combination in the game, but let's look at the others as well.
 
Wasp-Railgun
 

Known as "BP", the abbreviation of "Wasp-Railgun" in Russian, this is one of the more common Railgun combinations after Hornet-Railgun. It has comparable popularity, especially at higher ranks, and is often considered to be even harder to use due to Wasp's inherent instability. Using it while driving at high speeds can be a risky proposition on more precarious environments like slopes and in mid-air- you'll often flip yourself if you're not careful.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Not the best of ideas for capturing flags, but this can do the trick. If your teammates are doing a good job, you can use Railgun to pick off any stragglers around the flag and then rush in to grab it. On most maps, I'd prefer to use Smoky or one of the three "elemental" weapons, but this definitely comes in handy on larger maps. If you don't feel like running for the flag, try midfielding to weaken/destroy defenders and make things easier for the capturers.
• TDM: Deadly as a scout and as fire support, you can use this to roam around the battlefield, attacking enemies as you go. Just don't overextend; without a flag to watch, enemy players can focus on destroying you instead.
• DM: Wouldn't be my first pick here. You may be able to run from close range turret users and steal kills, but if anybody gets close to you or even spawns next to you, you're in trouble.
• CP: Also wouldn't be my first pick here. Railgun's utility in CPs is more limited than, say, Thunder, but it's still useful for keeping an eye on the points and attacking exposed players. Unfortunately, Wasp-Railgun doesn't shine in that sort of camping role. Still, nice on open, exposed maps like Highways.

Special Notes:

Wasp-Rail has its own format battle mode, occasionally combined with Hornet-Railgun in XP/BP. BP battles are less popular than XP battles, but they still exist and tend to be even faster paced. Within XP/BP battles, Wasp is a good choice for players who are really confident in their driving skills, since the extra speed is useful. However, this comes at the cost of stability under fire and health, as M3 Wasps are not given protection and I believe a Railgun alteration that boosts the damage slightly is applied. This means that there is a chance that they can be destroyed in one hit from a Railgun. If you're not so sure about your BP skills or want more health for absorbing fire (I mean, you can still kind of body-block M3 Railguns), XP will probably be more suited for you.
  
Hornet-Railgun

 

Seen in almost all types of battles, from Monte Carlo to Sandbox, the ubiquitous Hornet-Railgun is a wildly popular combination. Most players have used it, and even if you haven't, you've definitely fought against or alongside them in combat. Regardless of whether you own this or if you even think it's good in the first place, you're going to have to learn how to fight Hornet-Railguns, because you sure can't escape them.
 
How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Commonly used by midfielders and flag carriers, Hornet-Railguns are pretty good in this game mode. While you usually won't be able to destroy full-health defenders in close combat, you or your teammates can weaken them from a distance and finish them up upon entry. Also useful for defense, since you can damage defenders and enemy attackers and chase them down if necessary.
• DM: Probably not the best of combos, similar to BP. It suffers from the same problems, and unless everyone else is distracted, you'll have a hard time doing well.
• TDM: The slower pace of TDMs is all fine and dandy to Railgun players, since it's not really suited for intense combat. Useful for attacking entrenched Shafts or Mammoths. Try to avoid getting too deep into enemy territory.
• CP: Of limited utility except on certain maps like Stadium. Railgun is not very good for crowd control on maps like Polygon, where players are unlikely to be all lined up for a penetration shot.

Special Notes:

Owning at least a M2 Hornet-Railgun allows you to enter XP format battles, which are common on RU1 and RU2. It's a pretty tactical and intense game mode that also puts emphasis on both personal skill and teamwork, often considered to be the most skill-intensive format in the game (your mileage may vary). For this reason, formal eSports matches are often held in pure XP, XP/BP, or in Light Format (where more hulls and 1 Smoky are allowed), and a great number of eSports players are excellent at XP.

 

XP is also the combination of choice for most 1v1s. If you like to duel people, this is good to have.

 
Hunter-Railgun

 

Not as popular as the other Railgun combos, but still something you'll see occasionally on the battlefield. In the old days, it was a popular choice for Light Format. When eSports competitions were held on Starladder in 2014, clans quickly found out that equipping the team with multiple Hunter-Railguns and Savanna was very effective, as Hunter at the time was the 3rd fastest hull in the game and could withstand quite a bit of punishment with the 20% Railgun protection (easily budgeted into the total team protection of 100%) and 40% Smoky protection afforded by Savanna. The end result was a lot of Hunters roaming the battlefield, dominating in virtually all roles. This loadout became prevalent enough that the eSports officials had to ban the use of Savanna to curb the problem.

 

The latest balance update effectively made Viking and Hunter switch places; Viking is now the 3rd-fastest hull in the game, with Hunter trailing slightly behind. Hunter gained some weight in the process, and it has more or less taken up Viking-Railgun's mantle. Good for midfielding and defense, maybe not attacking.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Probably a bit slow to be capturing the flag with. Having good acceleration and being heavier than Viking, it's a good defender, since you can peek in and out of cover fairly easily. It also has enough speed to midfield pretty decently- just don't be at the front lines.
• DM: Not bad, but Railgun still isn't really a DM weapon in my experience. More survivability if you happen to be attacked by someone, hopefuly enough for you to run or for someone to weaken your opponent for you.
• TDM: Attacking isn't necessary in TDMs, so you can contribute to your team by lounging in midfield or back at your base.
• CP: Better than using a light hull, probably your best choice for most CP matches. You can escape if someone approaches you, and have enough health and stability to keep a steady stream of shots going.

Special Notes:

The only kit that offers this combination is Nomad, which isn't very popular due to its high price, which itself is mainly from the Raccoon paint being really expensive.

  
Viking-Railgun

 

Currently occupying Hunter's former role, Viking-Railgun has been a pretty popular combination these past few years. Robust, stable, and reliable, it isn't as fickle as the lighter hulls and still retains some speed. After the latest balance update, it has received a boost in speed and maneuverability, but at the cost of a small health penalty and significant reductions to acceleration and weight. This lends it to more offensive use while still retaining versatility.

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: You may be able to get some flags, but Viking is now best used for midfielding and fire support since it's not as good for peeking. You can push slightly into enemy lines if you need to and can support the advance of your speedier teammates.
• DM: Good. Viking and Hunter are equally healthy, and the extra speed can come in handy. Just watch out for Smokies, Hammers, and other Railguns.
• TDM: Use how you would use Hunter-Railgun in CTFs.
• CP: Use how you would use Hunter-Railgun in CPs.

Special Notes:
Viking's low profile and flat nature is often seen as an advantage, making it harder to hit and more resistant to flipping, but when using it with Railgun, it's a double-edged sword, since it's hard to "rock" your tank for high/low elevation shots. Railgun's auto aim is unimpressive, which makes this a bigger issue. Probably not the best choice on maps with major elevation differences.
  
Dictator-Railgun

 

Hail to the king. This combination used to be the best in the game, as mentioned in the History section. It's fallen significantly since then due to the advent of Viking (which has taken Dictator's position of the best medium hull in the eyes of many) and Hornet (which is considered by many to be the best mount for Railgun). Still, it's a visually formidable combination that still has its uses. In the past, it saw use as a heavy-duty defender with some midfielding capabilities due to its impressive size, weight, and hight, but since the latest balance update, it has lost its health advantage. What's left? Well, it is faster now, driving at 8.5 km/h at M3+ and has become even heavier, for starters. It can still be used in its old roles, given that it now has major advantages in stability over the other 2 medium hulls, and the recent changes to Railgun make it better for front line combat too.
 
How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: An excellent defender, since it's difficult to knock off a Dictator's aim and the extra height may help you out with difficult shots. You can also do some midfielding while you're at it.
• DM: Compared to the other medium hulls, it's a bigger and slower target. Given that using Dictator doesn't augment your firepower, I'd rather have the extra speed that the other medium hulls have.
• TDM: Use how you would in CTFs. I mean, it's not like you're going to be capturing flags with this anyway...
• CP: A reliable source of long-range damage in CPs. While it may not be any healthier, it's more resilient against any Hammers, Smokies, or Shafts that might try to knock your aim off.

Special Notes:

During its prime, Dictator-Rail had its own (unofficial) battle format, a predecessor to the later and more popular XP format. Since the recent balance update, it has returned. All players must use M2/M3 Dictator-Railgun, which take 2-3 shots to destroy. The key difference between it and XP, besides the slower driving and high stability, is that your Railguns are given an alteration that makes them pretty ridiculous; it feels as if you spend more time charging than reloading. Expect to die and get spawnkilled a lot. It's almost like Fire-Wasp battles, with the constant death, respawns, and large fund, but maybe a bit more regal.

 

Dictator's height mitigates Railgun's unimpressive vertical auto-aim to a good extent, but in certain situations it may not be able to hit enemies on low elevations. To compensate, try rocking your tank. You can also try rocking your tank upwards to hit the turrets of enemy players, which can severely mess up their aim or even flip them. I had a lot of fun flipping enemies with this combo shortly after the update that allowed auto-aim to target turrets, and although you won't be able to flip half the enemy team now, it's still useful.

 
Titan-Railgun

 

Railgun isn't commonly used with heavy hulls due to difficulties with peeking and Railgun's low DPS over time. The extra survivability that heavy hulls offer isn't that useful if you can spend your time in cover and stay equally, if not more, protected, and you don't need to expose yourself for long to deal damage in the first place. Still, there are niche situations where Titan-Railgun can shine. On long range maps, it's a good sniper combination if you lack a Shaft, and on maps like Monte Carlo, where popping out of cover will expose you to a lot of danger, it does come in handy.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Nice for defense. You probably shouldn't set up shop directly next to the flag, since you'll often get swarmed by players with close range weapons. Instead, find a place (preferably in friendly territory) where you can keep an eye on most of the battlefield. Titan is hard to dislodge, and you can rack up quite a few kills. You can also use it to support advances and give your teammates (somewhat) mobile covering fire.
• DM: At this point, the low speed outweights the health for the most part. Unless you have a ton of mines or you're really good at destroying opponents, a single Firebird can roast you to death while you're busy stealing kills. Staying on the move while constantly attacking is important in DMs, and it's hard to do that with a combination like this.
• TDM: Use similarly to CTFs. You can afford to slowly work your way into the midfield and take potshots at exposed targets. Just stay far away enough that you will be able to destroy incoming opponents without sustaining too much damage.
• CP: On maps like Polygon, see my notes for this combo in DMs. It's hard to dislodge, but on Polygon, your inability to run away means that you'll be occupied with enemies pretty often. On other maps, this combination is useful for defense and fire support, but its slow speed means that enemies can slip past you and go to other points pretty easily.

 

Special Notes:

Titan has pretty great pushing power, but you're not going to be using it too much with this combo. Maybe you can push pesky attackers off the map.

  
Mammoth-Railgun

 

Mounting a sniper-ish weapon on the heaviest hull in the game seems like a good idea, but in practice Shaft-Mammoth works better in that regard. Heavy hulls are best used with turrets that need to be exposed to deal the most damage, like Twins, which is pretty useless if you try peeking with it. Railgun is on the opposite end of the spectrum, performing the best if you don't expose yourself. Being the slowest hull in the game, you will expose yourself for quite a while every time you peek out to shoot, enough for a good Shaft or Thunder to hit you pretty reliably. Again, it can be useful in certain situations, but for the most part, if you need the health of a heavy hull when using Railgun, you're better off either just using Shaft or a turret with better DPS over time.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in CTFs. You better have some mines with you...
• DM: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in DMs.
• TDM: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in TDMs.
• CP: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in CPs. Gee, they're pretty similar.

Special Notes:

Not much to note here.

 

Railgun Tactics

 

Learn/practice prefiring: When you're snugly nested in cover, you won't want to leave. That's a good thing, because a good Shaft can murder you to the moment you expose a sliver of yourself. To minimize the time that you spend out of cover, when attacking an enemy, press the spacebar before you pop out. If timed properly, you can fire almost as soon as you pop out, but it takes a lot of practice. This is very important if you're low on health or if a Shaft is watching you, and is also vital for XP battles; if you don't know how to do this, you're not going to do well.

 

This tactic is important even if you're not hiding behind cover. Try prefiring before you round corners, or do so before you think an enemy will come into view.

 

Get good with aiming quickly: Unlike Shaft, Railgun lacks a scope, meaning that you'll have to fine-tune your aim for long distance shots. The charging delay also makes things more difficult, as you're under pressure to correct your aim before the shot fires. If you're peeking from cover, the problem is also exacerbated since it is difficult for you to line up your shot before you're in the position that it will fire in. Just practice a bit, even with other weapons.

 

Rock your tank: Explained very well by Shedinja's article from the previous issue, rocking/swinging your tank makes it much easier to attack opponents on different elevations. This is something that you should practice with almost all ballistic turrets, but it's especially important with Railgun due to its narrow auto-aim angles. Rocking your tank is useful on level ground as well; if you rock your aim upwards to force the auto-aim to hit an enemy light hull right in its turret, you will impart a lot of impact force and can flip your enemy if they are mid-air or fire a turret with high recoil at you. This particular trick is easier to do with Dictator, as mentioned previously.

 

Watch out for recoil: Railgun has quite a bit of recoil. This is a concern for light hulls, since they can be destabilized after firing and may even flip if they're airborne.

 

Assorted Tips

• It's possible to use Railgun to knock off your opponent's aim by aiming at the corners of their tank. This is quite difficult and risky if your opponent has a weapon with impact force, since a centimeter of interference can result in you missing. Still, it makes sniping difficult for Shafts and may save your hide against other Railguns.
• Try to avoid Smokies, Hammers, and other Railguns if you're outside of cover. I've mentioned this before, but it's important to remember that good users of those turrets can make you miss reliably if you are exposed, especially Hammers with Slugger. If you're in cover, it's more difficult for them to do so because you can prefire.
• The trail left by Railgun shots looks pretty, but it also reveals your position. Don't try to use Railgun as a stealth weapon. Keep moving if possible and use cover instead of relying on camouflage.
• Up against a drugging light hull? Railgun's high per-shot damage allows you to finish them off before they can pop a health kit if your teammates do some damage to them first.
• Railgun comes in handy for parkour. If you're interested in that, you'll most likely need one in your arsenal, although you can use Hammer as a substitute.
• Railgun can shoot through teammates or dead tanks too. If someone or something is blocking your way, just shoot. The auto aim will be a bit wonky, and you will suffer a damage reduction, but it will still hit if you're on level ground. This means that you can use friendly tanks as meat shields, protecting you from damage while you fire. At M3+, the 100% penetrating power means that you can put this tactic to use without any loss of damage. This is useful against enemy Shafts, especially if your meat shield is well-protected, since Shaft no longer has penetration power. Just don't do this against enemy Railguns or Thunders for obvious reasons.
• Railgun's alteration has improved a bit since the last balance update, now significantly increasing minimum damage while reducing the maximum damage slightly. This makes Railgun better as a whole, since it will guarantee a minimum 2 shot kill against light hulls. Without it, the minimum damage of M3+ Railgun is only 800, which won't 2-shot a 2000 hp light hull if you get 2 bad shots in a row. Still, the reduction in maximum damage means that clutch shots will not be possible, so it's still up to you.
• When prefiring from behind thin cover, try not to hug it too tightly. If the tip of your barrel is poking through your cover, enemy players can see exactly where you are and will be able to see the charging glow, eliminating the element of surprise.

Railgun against Other Turrets

 
What should do when you're engaging other turrets in combat? This section will tell you.

 

Against Firebird:

If you find yourself face-to-face with a angry Firebird, you're probably screwed. Its high DPS and afterburn mean that you're unlike to survive a direct encounter, and if you do, you won't live for long. Try using mines. Otherwise, you better hope that you can one-shot your opponent, because if you can't...

 

Against Freeze:

Freeze is especially effective against heavy hulls and turrets with slow rotation speeds. While you probably won't be using Railgun with Mammoth, Railgun is firmly in the 2nd category. After the most recent balance update, Freeze has become a death machine, so you're also screwed if one shows up next to you. Try using mines. On the bright side, if you survive, there is no afterburn to contend with.

 

Against Isida:

Isida was nerfed in the recent balance update. The Isidapocalypse that had plagued TO for several years prior is now over, but getting into Isida range is still a bad idea. While the healing, self-healing, and damage have been reduced, Isida is still a formidable close range weapon. On the bright side, the self healing is no longer a major factor, and you may be able to 2-shot Isida-Wasps/Hornets even if they do latch onto you.

 

Against Vulcan:

 

 

One of the best counters to Vulcan. Vulcan is a very strong weapon on open ground since it is hitscan and deals continuous damage. It suffers against entrenched turrets due to the overheating preventing it from firing for extended periods of time and the firing delay preventing it from reacting to incoming fire quickly. If you hide in cover and prefire against Vulcans, you'll be able to destroy them without sustaining too much damage. But if you're stuck on open ground, you better run.

 

Against Twins:

Unlike Vulcan, Twins has infinite ammo, no strings attached, and is powerful up close. Because of this, a Twins can constantly fire at your position, ensuring that you take some damage if you pop out. However, it is much easier to dodge. Stay away from Twins when possible and peek out from cover to fire. If you do this, they'll be as easy to take out as Vulcans.
 
Against Ricochet:

Ricochet is considered a pretty great anti-Railgun weapon since it hits hard, has pretty high velocity and range, and can mess up its target's aim quite badly. The bouncing effect also allows it to hit targets behind cover. You'll want to stay as far away from them as possible.

 

Against Smoky:

Smoky is another anti-Railgun weapon. It carries high impact force and fires quickly, allowing it to consistently deflect enemy Railguns- you won't be caught reloading as you might with Thunder or Hammer. On top of that, it deals no self damage and doesn't have a limited magazine. Avoid good Smokies like the plague, especially if they are using Assault Ammunition, and especially if you are using a light hull. I did insult that alteration a lot in my previous article, but the current statistics of Smoky mean that you can ditch the extra critical damage without as much of a detriment as you think, which spells bad news for light hulls.

 

Against Hammer:

Encountering a Hammer at close range may actually be worse than a Firebird. Firebird has no impact force, while Hammer hits you like a ten ton truck and can (read: will) make you miss with disastrous results. It is also capable of destroying light hulls in only 2 shots at very close ranges, making it even more deadly than Smoky there. This becomes especially unfair if your opponent is using the Slugger alteration; while the rotation speed may in fact be slow enough for you to outmaneuver them in close quarters, the extremely tight spread means that they can almost send you flying with a well placed shot, or deflect you by a large amount. Normal Hammers are much less dangerous at medium range, so do your damage there.

 

Against Thunder:

Previously, Thunder's anti-Railgun utility was limited to its long range, infinite velocity, and ability to hit targets behind cover with splash damage. The recent balance update has buffed its impact force by a large amount, allowing it to deflect Railguns quite nicely. However, unlike the other anti-Railgun weapons mentioned so far, it's not good at close range due to the self damage. Attack Thunders when they are too far to retaliate effectively, and if you are stuck up close, go right up to them to force them to either take splash damage or use a mine.
 
Against Railgun:

Battles against other Railguns can be complex and interesting. I mean, if they weren't, there wouldn't be, what, 3 format battles dedicated to them. Railgun-Railgun combat is very skill based. You need to be able to predict the actions of your opponents, like knowing when to prefire and when not to, to coordinate with your team if applicable, and to handle your hull like a champ. It's complex enough that I, as someone who doesn't specialize in Railgun and doesn't play XP/BP battles, don't feel like I can explain it properly. You can try looking at guides to XP/BP written by previous reporters for more details- this guide is more for how to use Railgun generally.

 

If you're new to Railgun in XP/BP battles or just aren't good at it, here are 2 pointers:

• Prefire. Otherwise, you're going to get hit and miss a lot of your shots.
• Abuse cover. Using cover against exposed opponents is both smart and cheesy, leveling the playing field considerably if you're not an XP/BP expert. You can start the engagement on your own terms by choosing when to pop out and have a first shot advantage since you can prefire. Just make sure you don't get flanked or swarmed by multiple opponents.

 

You'll get better at Railgun duels/battles with practice, but actual professional instruction (read: not from me) can help immensely.
 
Against Shaft:

Shafts will be your arch nemesis at long range, only topped by other Railguns in some occasions. They can destroy the usual Hornet-Railgun in a single scope mode shot, which can be charged surprisingly quickly. In addition, Shafts can spam arcade shots to throw off your aim and deal damage while on the move. The arcade shots have zero damage drop off/variation and reload almost as quickly as Thunder, so you can imagine that Shafts are a constant threat at distance and up close. Well, OK, Shaft isn't a big threat up close, but Railgun isn't really one either, so they balance out. Kind of.

 

When a Shaft is present in a battle, be sure to watch out for laser sights and be aware of the battlefield in general. You may be sniped when you pop out of cover if you aren't careful, and if you try to approach a wary Shaft, you may be unceremoniously 3-shotted. Still, if Shafts are a problem, Railgun can be a pretty good counter. If you are very good at prefiring, you may be able to hit Shafts even if they are vigilant. But don't count on it, and see if you can get a teammate with other, safer anti-Shaft weapons to flank them. My Shaft has felled more Railguns than I can count. Even sneaky ones.

 

 

That's it for this guide. What did you think of it? Do you think I missed something important? Are you a member of the Cult of the Eternal Railgun? If you've got any thoughts, post them here. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

 

Edited October 8, 2017 by Flexoo

[You.Have.to.die 519]

Nicely, made and covers a wide range of skills. Like!

[Ninja 10,468]

Very nicely written.

 

When I see a Mammoth/Rail, I start laughing... Really hard.

[TTK_229 1,080]

Ew, Railgun.

Very nicely written.

When I see a Mammoth/Rail, I start laughing... Really hard.

I did too, until I met this one kid who targeted only me and drugged and I somehow could never hit him.

 

Don't forget how good Thunder is against Railgun. As I have said before, every Railgun I see dies every single time, even before they know who hit them and where I am. The first shot knocks off their aim, and the second shot kills them. Usually.

 

Oh, and gratz on ranking up. After I edited this post I saw you were General, but you were Lieutenant General before.

Edited November 5, 2016 by TTK_229

[rommel91644 5]

Well written, smart observations, kudos

[Viuva-Negra 21]

I saw a Titan/Railgun lately. Yep, I laughed like a Skype's laughter. He left after I killed him with Wasp/Railgun XD. I felt guilty for that, but I stopped when he returned and shot me in the head with Shaft. :c

[rli247 0]

My friend's a WO3-When you see his profile he has Railgun+Mammoth XD

[r_I_already_won0 2,339]

Railgun actually is a great and effective anti-shaft weapon.

[VYAZ_PRO 3]

I looked at this guide coz I use smoky more than rail so it is kinda good for rails too and snooping anti rail weapon users

[lordtanker9000 14]

You can pull off some really awesome and insane kills with rails.... once I did a 35 degree vertical, 80 degree horizontal kill with my awesome railgun ;)

 

But I think you missed parkour with rails, imo that is also an important part of railgun gameplay

Still, great review, it helped me a lot!

[VaudeVille 1,428]

Btw TKP, all speeds of hulls in the game are in terms of m/s. So dictator travels at 30.6 kmph at M4.

And you might want to correct the typo in the dictator/rail section.

Edited November 28, 2016 by VaudeVille

[T-34-3m 360]

You have my praise and respect, good sir, for covering my combo of choice. ~The Titan-Rail pope

 

I find with Titan-Rail it's more of a very late breaker-type unit, you slowly advance through the midfield as your team has taken the enemy territory and provide suppressive fire or attack respawning enemies so they can't get back on their feet. You can easily rack up around ten kills every time you do this, and you'll help your attackers out at the same time.

Edited November 30, 2016 by T-34-3m

[MiloStar123 9]

Very well written, with a ride range of skills and tricks covered, overall, this helped me a lot. Even though I'm not really a railgun player, as a wasp isida, I get a lot of my kills by chasing other players down. One thing I would add is when you have mines against any of the short ranged weapons, USE THEM. A well placed mine can either kill and pursuing enemy, weaking them enough for you (Or your Teammates) can kill them quite easily. And even if they see it, if it is in a tight place, they will either be slowed down considerably, or just give up. Be careful not to place them in open spaces when they are close behind, as the little flash and ring of the mine activating will be enough to get the to move an inch, and dodge it. If that happens, your toast. _

 

 

[r_JK140 46]

Railgun cant one hit wasps now :( :(

[TakeAShower 300]

 Mammoth-Railgun

 

Mounting a sniper-ish weapon on the heaviest hull in the game seems like a good idea, but in practice Shaft-Mammoth works better in that regard. Heavy hulls are best used with turrets that need to be exposed to deal the most damage, like Twins, which is pretty useless if you try peeking with it. Railgun is on the opposite end of the spectrum, performing the best if you don't expose yourself. Being the slowest hull in the game, you will expose yourself for quite a while every time you peek out to shoot, enough for a good Shaft or Thunder to hit you pretty reliably. Again, it can be useful in certain situations, but for the most part, if you need the health of a heavy hull when using Railgun, you're better off either just using Shaft or a turret with better DPS over time.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in CTFs. You better have some mines with you...
• DM: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in DMs.
• TDM: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in TDMs.
• CP: See my notes for Titan-Railgun in CPs. Gee, they're pretty similar.

Special Notes:

Not much to note here.

Did you know that due to it's better acceration and turret placement, Mammoth is faster at peeking in and out than Titan?

[T-34-3m 360]

But that forces it into just camping, where Titan can take part in a charge by firing at incoming enemies and then wallhug inside of the enemy base. Mammoth would be stuck at wherever it spawned.

[TakeAShower 300]

True. But Mammoth also goes faster than Titan for 9 metres.

[T-34-3m 360]

That's between two walls. All the while the hamster running in a wheel inside the Mammoth has a heart attack.