Advanced Training Index

Multiple Targets:  Facing 2 or more enemy Mechs at once is one of the most challenging aspects of the game.  When approached properly and with a plan of action, it is also one of the most satisfying and genuinely fun phases of open combat.  It is inevitable that at some time during battle, whether due to separation from other team members, or as a result of being teamed with groups of miserable, cowardly bailers, you will be attacked by 2 or more enemy units.  Immediately identify the most skillful of the opposing Mech pilots, concentrating your fire on that unit.  This prevents the better pilot having the opportunity to target you while you are engaged in attack.  Remember the lessons of Basic Combat (not to place yourself carelessly in harms' way if at all possible).  Try to keep your primary target between yourself and the secondary enemy Mechs, circling at close range and avoiding as much fire as possible.  By maintaining a close distance to your target, you will have to maneuver only a few degrees to avoid secondary unit fire, and force the unit to make large course corrections in order to target you.  With any luck, the less skillful pilot will continue to discharge their weapons and will inflict a great deal of damage to their own teammate.  With the primary enemy down, the secondary should present much less of a challenge.  3 vs. 1 is much more difficult still, but the concepts are the same.  While this type of fighting can be frustrating, never give up, and never bail, this type of exercise is the fastest way towards becoming a superior pilot.  After successfully engaging 2 and 3 enemies at once, your basic 1 on 1 fight will seem much easier.  This type of combat will bring out the very best effort in most pilots and the truly good ones relish the opportunity to engage in it, even going as far as manipulating events to produce such a match up.

Target Selection:  Select targets that are weak against your particular strengths, and attempt to avoid those that seem specifically designed to destroy you.  For example, a slow Daishi or Annihilator armed with long range missiles makes a tempting target for a small laser-based Mech, which can use it's agility to pick the larger enemy apart while avoiding damage from long range weapons.  A Thor, armed with autocannons however, makes a significantly more dangerous target to the smaller mech.  With it's quickness and firepower, the Thor can negate the agility of the small Mech and quickly destroy it, as such, it is a target best engaged by long range weapons, LRM's, Gauss Rifles or PPC's.  Any Mech, however, can successfully engage and destroy any other Mech given suitable piloting skills, the trick here, especially in team play, is to maximize the kill efficiency of each team member.

Mission Specifics:  While spending most of you combat time in a single type of chassis has the advantage of familiarity with movement and controls.  Some missions are better served by having a different approach to the game play.  For example, fast hit and run Mechs are great in the open territories but the confines of urban fighting can eliminate some of their effectiveness as they navigate through the narrow streets.  Larger Mechs, loaded up for close range warfare, and armed with an array of autocannons, will find themselves less capable against missile based designs in an open map.  Choose a design that will maximize the damage inflicted on enemy units, while providing you with the greatest amount of protection and capability.  A good strategy is to have several variants of your preferred mech available to cover various maps and ambient heat levels.

Team Strategies:  The advantages of team play are many and varied.  Teammates, after spending some time together in combat, will learn to anticipate the movements and strategies of each other. Plus effective team play can result from different team members employing different jobs and strategies, designed to enhance the combat effectiveness of each individual.  Teams can be comprised of up to 4 players, and many different strategies can be made to work by effective communication and good combat skills.  What follows is a few examples of team types that have proven efficient.  The variety is nearly unlimited, experiment to find what works best for you and your team.  Communication of goals and responsibilities to team duties are vital to the success of the team.