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Are you in need of any help, either legitimate or cheating? Then you have come to the right place.
Here you can see TIPS such as:
- General gameplay tips
- Strategies for using and combating different
weapons
- Level specific strategies
~The TIPS section~
General Strategies:
- Boost Hopping
- The most essential maneuver to learn. Learning this is the epiphany that seperates novice players from intermediate ones. As most people are quick to learn, usually when they first encounter Werehound of the arena, standing still is the quickest way to die. This maneuver applies mainly to the humanoid legs, it's what makes them so much better than the other leg types. To perform the manuever first try moving in any one of the four cardinal directions. Now use the boost button(default is "X") to slide along. Now periodically double tap and hold the boost button until the AC is about half of it's length off of the ground. Release to drop back down to the ground. When you hit the ground simply repeat the procedure as needed. If done right your AC will appear to be hopping along the ground, mostly in the air and just tapping the ground. This gives two great benefits. First off it makes your AC move in 3 dimensions simultaneously which tends to throw off incoming shots(try it against the chaingun to see the greatest effect). Secondly it provides a faster way of covering ground without depleting your precious supply of energy.
- Overboost Jousting
- A great battle tactic for AC2. In AC2 there is no penalty from making excessive use of the OB function. So triggering it often makes you quite erratic and hard to track. It also serves another great purpose. Using this technique correctly lets you approach enemies with high powered weapons such as grenades or the Karasawa. To perform the offensive joust simply trigger your OB as normal. However once in line with the enemy tap the strafe buttons to throw off shots. Do this right and the enemies shots will fire over 45° away from you. As you get within firing range strafe back in front of your enemy and fire at them. (Advanced Tip: Try combining this with the Backboosters to fake out the enemy further. Come in to their side then kill the OB and then use the back boost and strafe to pop back in front of them. Works great for designs that focus on a sword as their main weapon.)
- Feather Boosting
- A good technique for conserving energy. Instead of holding down the boost button to fly, try to quickly release and repress the button in flight. If done right boost speed remains largely unaffected and hang time, from energy bar, will be greatly extended. This trick works best for hovering in the air over your target. Also try to pair it with the GEX/3000 for greatest effect. Obviously this is best suited for designs that have either low drain or low weight.
- Hang Gliding
- A technique that combines the use of several techniques. This is used directly after coming out of an airborne OB. Once in the air and OBing simply cut the OB and use Feather Boosting to hover vertically in the air. *NOTE: DO NOT press any other buttons while you do this or you will stall.* If you do this correctly then your air speed will remain high and you will be Hang Gliding through the air. A great way to cover long distances in a high drain design. To land directly simply press a directional button to stall and then release boost to drop back down. Adversely you can also reactivate the OB while Gliding for another speed boost. Pair as many of these together as your energy bar allows to quickly cover great distances.(Tip: The best place to practice this is at the towers in the Etal Base arena. Try to use as little energy as possible when OBing to he different towers. If done correctly almost any design with a full energy bar can make a direct flight between the two farthest towers.)
Weapon Specific Strategies:
- Rifles
- These are the most basic of weapons. Get within medium range and shoot them at your opponent. Conversely just do your best at Boost Hopping to avoid the shots. My personal pick:EWG-RF-M15. It has low weight while retaining a quick attack and good heat damage.
- Sniper Rifles
- These can be thought of as long range rifles. They are good a picking away a target from a range safe enough to dodge any return fire. The best way to combat these weapons is to move as erratically as possible. My personal pick:ZWF-S/NIGHT. This weapon also features low weight and awesome attack power; it is the true long range weapon of the game. The only detriment is it's low ammo. (Tip: Make sure you pair this gun with the SP-BE++ optional part for maximum effect.)
- Machine Guns
- Decent weapons best used at close to medium range. They feature a fast firing rate. To combat them simply use Boost Hopping and most of the shots will miss you. My personal pick:EWG-MGSAW. This gun features the most ammo of any weapon available at 1000 rounds. Combine this with the decent attack and heat power gives you quite the reliable weapon.
- Hand Guns
- A great weapon for pestering your opponents. These weapons feature high heat and stun effects, best used at close range in hit and run tactics. To combat this weapon boost hop while maintaining an erratic movement pattern. My personal pick: ZWG-HG/111. This weapon features the greatest balance between lightweight design and high offense, with good heat buildup. (Tip: Pair a hand gun up with a good sword. Use the stunning effect to get off a blade strike on the enemy. Then back off as they continue to overheat.)
- Bazookas
- High offensive weapons that weigh a great deal and have slow round velocity. This makes them terrible at long range. When combating someone using a bazooka keep your distance and slowly draw them to you, which makes them more vulnerable and you safer. My personal pick: ZWG-BZ/S55. Although this weapon has a small lock window and low ammo the attack power more than makes up for this. Pair it with the SP-VIECH to make any real use out of it. For a large lock on window try the VERTEX-124/EE as your FCS. The lack of accuracy means you must be on top of your opponent.
- Shotguns
- Great close range weapons that feature awesome damage potential for their weight. Unfortunately they are completely wasted beyond close ranges. Simply keep some distance between yourself and an enemy with a shotgun and you should be fine. My personal pick: EWG-GSH8. Lower ammo but a tighter spread as well as lower weight. Keep on top of your opponent and mix with sword slashes.
- KARASAWA
- One of the meanest weapons in the game. Think of it as a repeating energy grenade launcher. This secret weapon will spoil whoever uses it. It has high weight but is offset by so many benefits, that include: high attack power, high ammo, low energy drain, disorienting explosions, and stun damage. Using this weapon lets players compete in the next level above them. Fighting this weapon is a pain. Your best bet is to alway remain digilant about Boost Hopping and moving erratically. Use OB Jousting to get to the side or back of your opponent if you can. Otherwise you must play a dangerous cat and mouse game, drawing your opponent to you making them vulnerable as you back away from them. If they OB towards you activate your own OB for a short getaway burn. (Tip: Combine with the SP-BE++ and SP-ENE-ACC to multiply the offensive capability of this gun.)
- Grenades
- The other mean weapons of the game. These weapons have high attack and heat damage, as well as great stun, but tend to have high weight and a low ammo count. All in all great weapons, they come in several classes. Fighting grenades is rather like fighting the Karasawa, always keep on the move and beware getting close to your enemy. My personal pick: EWG-HC-GN210. A great weapon that accents all the great things about grenades. This particular weapon has great balance featuring 20 shots and a larger than normal lock box. Any leg type can legitimately use this weapon.(Tip: For the strongest weapon in the game use the EAW-DC10 weapon arms. They have a smaller lock window and force you to sacrifice a good chunk of defense but have the most powerful attack in the game, averaging about 2000 AP worth of damage per hit.)
- Basic Missiles
- These come in several different sizes. They are fire and forget weapons, meaning that they track the enemy of their own accord. Simply lock on and fire. They make great distractors for your real assaults. Most often used at long range. Take advantage of this when fighting them. Missiles are easily led astray if you bait them early enough. Simply boost strafe and as they near you switch directions and they should miss you. Alternatively you can equip anti-missile extensions or use decoys for your inside parts. Of particular interest are the EAW-S604 missile weapon arms. These arms feature great ammo and quick offensive capabilities. My personal pick: EWM-S608. While these missiles take a while to lock on they can steadily chip away your opponents armor. Send them in small strings to damage your opponent. They have a low weight.(Tip: Try combining basic missiles with the LODD-QHT as your FCS and use the SP-BFS/LOSP optional part for the fastest lock on time in the game. Goes great with the aforementioned missile arms.)
- Multi-Missiles
- So called for the ability of each missile to split into four upon reaching the target. This makes them some of the best distractions in the game. They do tend to be a bit on the heavy side though. Your best bet to combat the multi-missile is to trigger your OB and strafe a bit, use whenever you suspect a multi-missile attack. My personal pick: ZWM-M241IMU. This is the most versatile single unit back weapon in AC2. Capable of quickly dealing large quatities of damage and heat at long ranges. Occaisionally known to trigger the "Magic Multi Damage" phenomenon; this is where the missile misses the intended target but the target takes simultaneous damage from all the missiles at once. This deals large damage while maxing out the heat bar and leaving the target stunned for a brief moment.(Tip: For the ultimate in multi-missile attack power try equipping theEWX-VLS241 dual vertical multi-missiles. These babies only weigh about 1100 which isn't bad for a dual weapon. They have insane attack power and are great for laying the smack down on an unsuspecting foe. Simply seeing your enemy launch this can cause you to falter with indecisiveness. Run for overhead cover is possible.)
- Rockets
- A manually aimed weapon. They are generally light in weight and high in attack power. Comes in several different varieties, each with it's own unique purpose. Due to the manual nature of their aim they can be a difficult weapon to combat. If facing the computer simply use the same general strategy as you would when fighting grenades, just beware that these are faster and tend to be fired from farther away. If facing a human opponent the erratic behavior is your best friend. Do not become predictable or your opponent will smack you over the head for your lapse. My personal pick: I don't have one as each rocket is very unique in it's purpose. Try them each out and see which one you like the best.
- Pursuit Missiles
- A unique weapon. It fires a manually aimed pod that splits into 12 missiles that attack the opponent. They have two general strategies. The first is to fire the pod somewhere near your opponent so the missiles spead and attack them. The second is to get in close and try to tag your opponent with the actual pod, which nets about 2000AP worth of damage for your effort. To fight the pursuits, simply keep your distance. OB toward cover should you see the pod fired.
- Orbit Cannons
- Another unique weapon. This thing fired small pods that split and independently pursue and attack your opponent. Don't get too thrilled though as they are weak and blow up after a short while. To dodge them simply ground boost away from them. These things are just a novelty in AC2.
Level Specific Strategies:
- Old Dome of Murakumo
- The default level. As the name suggests the battle takes place in a dome. This particular dome is filled with destructable buildings that provide temporary cover. Also of notice is the small system of trenches within the dome. They provide cover for a long range assault. Then of course there is the main gateway in the middle of the level. It is here that you and your opponent both start, back to back. A good general starting strategy is to OB to the buildings in front of you. Alternatively you can boost up on top of the gate for a temporary reprieve from fighting, keep this in mind throughout the match as well.
- Malea Base
- A small base in the middle of the desert. This level is small, cramped, and full of obstructions to get stuck on in the heat of battle. There is a small wall surrounding the facility, if you find yourself on the other side of it beware as the out of bounds mark is closeby. There are two main places to fight. One is around or on the missile silo. This place provides good cover for making your opponent chase you in circles, simply OB away when they get near. The other battleground is by the small overpass and parking lot. Just don't get stuck on the nearby equipment.
- Falna Craters
- A nice wide open battlefield with rolling sand dunes. Take advantage of these as often as possible for cover. Also of note is the giant transport that "crashed" there. You can fly up to it's top level and rain missiles down on your opponent. Take advantage of this when fighting heavy opponents that can't fly that well. There is also a small platform midway up the ship to stop on and recharge. If anyone lands here while you are on top then jump up and shoot them. Also beware the "Hole in the Floor" glitch. It's located amongst the rocks at the base of the ship. Falling is simply reversed with quick reactions, fly right back up through the floor anywhere you want.
- Battle Dome
- As the name suggests this is another dome. However, except for some small supports by the walls, there is no cover to be had here. This is more of an all out brawl. Hope you brought some heavy weapons. If not then you must find a way to OB to the side of your opponent to strike at them safely.
- Etal Base
- One of my favorites. This level has quite the variety. There's open areas, buildings, towers, a wall, various equipment, and a high flight ceiling boundary. Take advantage of the cover and darkness to lose your opponent and take a breather. Vertical missiles work well here as they go up and over obstacles to find your opponent where they cannot retaliate. The computer can also act "buggy" here so take advantage of that too.
- Abandoned Highway
- My other favorite. This level features buildings, overpasses for vertical cover, and rollng hills to fight in. Player 1 starts atop a large building from which long range weapons can be used to hit the computer a few times in the opening of the match. Alternatively for the aggressive approach simply OB then Hang Glide over to the two tiered building in front of you and attack from there. The overpasses make great cover since they have pillars underneath that you can jump out from. The vertical ceiling is also high here.
- Cave
- A level with a solid ceiling. There's plenty of stalactites and stalagmites to hide behind. Also at either end of the Cave there is a small hill to take refuge behind. This level is great to use against people who like to fly a lot. Just be careful that you don't unexpectantly get caught up on any of the stones. That will mean a quick death. Although if your opponent is stuck then by all means shoot them down.
- Orbital Ring
- An interesting level for several reasons. First off there is the fact that you can fall to your slow death by drifting away into space. Secondly there is the glass floored pits in the level that can be broken to make pitfalls out into space. Above each of these is a small bridge network. This level has one of the highest vertical ceilings in the game. If you look up you can see the "Ring" going around the planet. If you do happen to fall your only choice of survival is to use the Limiter Release(detailed at the start of the Secrets section). Be careful since once your energy runs out you will most likely be killed off.
- Emeraude Carrier
- The smallest and most dangerous level in the game. One small mishap and it's off to Davy Jone's Locker with 'ye. Argh, Matey, argh! This can be a benefit though. Since hover type legs can float on water that gives them a great hiding space around the bottom of the ship. Just don't use any weapons that make you kneel, that's known as commiting suicide. Although there are small platforms located around the sides of the ship that other leg types can hide on. Also make sure that those hover legs don't carry you out of bounds when you OB.
- Abyss
- This level is most like a large Battle Dome. Instead of ground supports however there are large platforms that transition between periods of extension and retraction from the walls. If you fly a lot when playing these offer you a quick landing pad to regain some energy. Other than that the only cover you have is your own skills at dodging incoming fire. The level is expansive so keep your range if you have to.
- Sluice Gate
- An interesting place to play in. It's a small pool located on a mountain face. Falling out of bounds, or off the mountain, is very possible here. Also the ceiling is low so don't fly too high up. Although there are two platforms interspersed among the mountainside. They give a good spot to camp and rain down a few missile salvos. There's also a destructable overpass and pillar here. Use it however you see fit. Also there is a great hiding place nestled between the mountain and the gate itself. Look for people with stealth, either back or inside parts, to be here.
- Lava Zone
- Most people will probably not see this level. The only way to access it is with a link cable. The stage itself is great. The floor is covered in molten rock and there is a large system of overpasses in the lava. Certain parts of these overpasses crumble when stepped on. Also there are a few places under the road, by the supports, that have platforms to stand on. Beware falling in the lava as it hurts instantly. Only hover legs can float around on lava without instantly overheating. Beware if you are a tank as they are the most susceptable to falling.
- Zio Matrix City
- Another link cable only accessable level. This level features a large central tower where the players start facing each other. It provides a free hit on the other player right off the bat. Then there are large green buildings that can be used as a labyrinth to hide in. Also the ceiling here is low so limit your flight to the green rooftops or bottom tiers of the tower. Hover leg types can float on the water on the outskirts of the level. A great place to hide.
- Arden River
- A battle totally in water. This large river features tree trunks all along it's surface. Beware as the game can glitch if you hit the trunks the wrong way. A great level for quad legs as they lower to the ground when moving. Also sword swings will hit the water and be deflected. Simply pop up to shoot when necessary. A simple and straight-forward level.
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