============================================================================= DISCLAIMER ============================================================================= This guide is the sole and exclusive property of the author, all rights reserved. Full and exclusive use of this guide in its entirety is expressly licensed to Gamefaqs.com. No other licenses in any form, express or implied, have been granted to any other parties. This guide may not be reproduced or excerpted in any form, in whole or in part, on any other website or in any other location without prior express written permission from the author. ============================================================================= TABLE OF CONTENTS ============================================================================= 1. INTRODUCTION [001] 2. WEAPONS [002] 3. SUPPORT ABILITIES [003] 4. TACTICAL ABILITIES [004] 5. PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE [005] 6. COMBAT ATTRIBUTE [006] 7. KILLSTREAKS [007] 8. LOADOUT SUGGESTIONS [008] 9. CONTACT INFORMATION [009] ============================================================================= SECTION 1- INTRODUCTION [001] ============================================================================= Welcome to my multiplayer guide. I write this guide with the sole purpose of providing a way in to what may otherwise seem a very intimidating multiplayer experience. Yes it has perks, yes it has killstreaks, but that does not make it even remotely similar to other shooters out there. It may seem like it is just Call of Duty with alien tech at times (or for that matter, Halo), but it is so much more. Resistance multiplayer is back baby and it's crazier than ever. In addition to bringing back the weapon wheel that lets you hold all of the game's weapons at once, you now have 4 ability slots to choose from with a ton of variety to be had. I will go through each of the game's 30 abilities and 10(11) weapons, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each, while giving overall ratings for purposes of loose comparison. Just remember that in most cases it really does come down to preference and play style, as most if not all of the game's abilities can be invaluable if used properly and in the right situations. To aid further in choosing, I end each section with a brief discussion on what seems the most useful and what tends to dominate in play. After all weapons and abilities are accounted for, I wrap up everything with loadout suggestions, going through ways to use different weapons and abilities together to increase their relative effectiveness. Some people claim that having a lot of abilities makes a game easier, makes it require less skill. I say that such a game in fact requires more skill, since your opponents have the abilities too and you have to be able to deal with all the ways they can make use of them. Now clearly everything contained here constitutes my personal (and well informed) opinions. I welcome disagreement, and will include any well reasoned counter-arguments I receive, with credit. I put an exceedingly large amount of time into this with an eye on being as comprehensive as possible, both because I really like the Resistance series and to ensure that it truly is useful. I apologize if my explanations tend to be long winded, but I wanted to include absolutely everything I thought could be helpful. If you feel like you have enough familiarity with the game then feel free to skip all the more specific explanations and just go to the more general suggestions of Section 8. With that, let's dive into one of the most robust, out of control (in a good way) multiplayer experiences I have ever come across. ============================================================================= SECTION 2- WEAPONS [002] ============================================================================= Note: I did not separately list the upgrades for each weapon as I did for the abilities, and here will talk about relevant ones only while generally discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each weapon. I should probably also note that you cannot choose a secondary weapon UNLESS you use Strapped, so do keep that in mind when I speak of using secondary weapons. Weapon Name: M5A2 Carbine Available Level: Available initially Uses and Disadvantages: One of the game's staple weapons, the standard Carbine rifle is anything but standard. Once you get it in your hands you will quickly see how useful it is in almost any situation that you come upon. Sure it may not be the best at long range, but its range is not something to scoff at. It has higher damage in comparison to the Bullseye, trading off for rate of fire. It is a great weapon to have at all times, its only real weaknesses being that it loses out to the shotgun at close range and the sniper rifle at long range, but of course you were expecting that. The Carbine is after all competent at all ranges, even if not the best at any. What makes it really special though are the additions this time around. A bayonet attachment at Level 2 makes it do extra damage on melee attacks, albeit with a stabbing attack animation. At Level 3 its trump card grenade launcher fire three grenades at once, which is good for as much as 50-75% damage in a pinch. It is the ultimate trump card. All in all you cannot go wrong with the Carbine, there being many reasons why it is the most commonly used weapon in the game. It is the absolute definition of a gun that is good at everything but not great at anything. Overall Rating: 9.25/10 Weapon Name: Bullseye Available Level: Available initially Uses and Disadvantages: Like the Carbine, the Bullseye is another staple of the Resistance series, and another "standard" rifle that is useful in most situations. Its wide bullet spread makes it more useful for close to mid range, but you will be surprised how accurate it is at range when using its amazing holographic sights, which do not at all block your vision. If you are really worried that your enemy may be too far away, you can always hit him with a homing tag, causing your bullets to track him (and this time around there is no way to shake off the tags). They even added a new on screen leash of sorts to let you know when your shots will hit their target. Besides the sights and the leash, the Bullseye has been greatly improved by removing the shooting delay after firing tags. No longer do you need to worry so much about firing them. And they now explode (Level 2) for a little damage as well, just another reason to not be shy about firing them. At Level 3 they even can tag multiple targets. Finally, you run faster with the Bullseye than with any other weapon, great for getting to objectives and for darting in and out of enemy fire at close range. For that reason in particular it narrowly edges out the Carbine to become the game's best overall weapon, though keep in mind the Carbine does do more damage and so remains an easier gun to use in general. Overall Rating: 9.5/10 Weapon Name: Marksman Available Level: Available initially Uses and Disadvantages: I personally love the Marksman, what with it being useful at virtually any range. An improved scope at Level 2 makes it capable of taking out even snipers, and is actually pretty easy to use even at close range. To be fair, the Marksman is kind of like a mid-to-long range version of the short-to-mid range carbine, albeit with burst fire. Its burst fire may not make it the most useful gun at close range, but Air-Cooled Barrel can greatly increase its effectiveness at all ranges, as increased movement speed while aiming makes it possible to use the sights even at close range. I would not suggest using it without that ability, since you may find its rate of fire lacking otherwise. With it however, you have a gun that is more than effective at any range, making it a great choice if you want to specialize in a single weapon, rather than using Strapped to carry both close and long range weapons at once. As I will emphasize repeatedly, Air-Cooled Barrel is the weapon specialist ability, and so what better weapon than the Marksman, the only gun that is perfectly capable at any range? This combination makes it my personal favorite weapon. Even though overall it may not be able to stand up to the Bullseye and Carbine on equal terms, always using the sights and darting around can help ensure you stand a chance. Oh, its secondary fire lays down a mini-turret, but it is hardly worth mentioning. Overall Rating: 8.75/10 Weapon Name: Deadeye (sniper rifle) Available Level: Available initially Uses and Disadvantages: Oh man, you cannot imagine a sniper rifle being any more powerful than this. Not only does it have a surprisingly high rate of fire (which should be boosted further with Air-Cooled Barrel) and can highlight enemy heads at Level 2, it has a charged shot that shoots through anything. That makes it much more than just a sniper rifle, as it can actually take out people who think themselves invincible inside their Bubble Shields. That's a great bonus to have, particularly because it is already a perfectly capable sniper rifle. I shouldn't have to say any more to convince people to use it. With the myriad of abilities the game gives you to protect yourself while camping (Beacons, Scan Jammer, Turret etc.), sniping is not at all a bad idea, and the shoots-through-shields secondary charged shot is icing on the cake. Overall Rating: 9/10 Weapon Name: Rossmore (shotgun) Available Level: Available initially Uses and Disadvantages: If you thought the Resistance series had the strongest sniper rifle of any FPS out there, well then you would be right. What it also has is the strongest shotgun ever conceived. While the Rossmore no longer can fire both barrels for an instant kill at 30 feet like it could in Resistance 1, it is still a lot more useful than it reasonably ought to be. It has an almost absurd rate of fire, and you can always increase its accuracy with Gunslinger and make sure you can get close with Dash. Oh but that's not what makes it so powerful, not even close. Perhaps in an effort to give it a little more effective range, the shotgun now fires a grenade, and all its shots set you on fire at Level 2. Let that soak in for a minute- a shotgun that fires grenades...that set you on fire (at Level 3). That is horrendously powerful, especially since the fire effect lingers and continues to do damage. People have figured out how powerful the grenade is and now I rarely see a shotgun user who does not start by firing it. Will you be the next one? Overall Rating: 9/10 Weapon Name: HE .44 Magnum Available Level: 15 Uses and Disadvantages: Introduced in Resistance 2 as a very useful secondary weapon, it doesn't stand up so well as a primary one. It still does very high damage just by hitting enemies, and of course can do extra damage by detonating the bullets after they are shot. This also makes it good for doing damage to a whole group at once. And there always remains its use as a trap, wherein we all used to pull it out and fire all the rounds into the ground, only to detonate them when an enemy came running around the corner. Now given it is effective at almost any range and has a high rate of fire, it really is a very good weapon. However, you should not expect to get too many kills with it unless you get the drop on enemies or set up traps. If enemies get in your face you will find it very difficult to hit them. For that reason it is still best as a secondary weapon. I cannot really recommend its use in any other manner. It is not a bad weapon, but no one chooses to rely on it. Overall Rating: 8.25/10 Weapon Name: Mutator Available Level: 20 Uses and Disadvantages: A new weapon for the series, this one is rather hard to explain. It fires short range balls that upon killing enemies infects them, an effect you have to see for yourself. The enemy will then explode and cause damage to other enemies, a nice touch, and at Level 2 it even turns infected enemies into super fast living bombs that will turn on their allies. A great effect to be sure. You can also shoot a cloud that causes damage to an area, great for taking/protecting objectives. Yet as you might expect, the Mutator is very difficult to get kills with due to its low clip size and very limited range. It is meant to be more of a novelty than anything else. This is not to say you shouldn't try it and see if it works for you, just don't make it your primary weapon. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Weapon Name: Atomizer Available Level: 35 Uses and Disadvantages: In the Campaign the secondary fire gravity well was the single most powerful weapon in the game, pulling in and crushing even the strongest enemies. In multiplayer all it does is zap people close by, making it the equivalent of the Marksman's secondary fire orb thing from Resistance 2. It's pretty useless. The primary fire fares better though, auto-tracking enemies at close range and obliterating them, whereas the electricity it shoots even blinds them as well. It is absolutely unmatched, but the fact that it literally can only shoot at very close range makes it very difficult to use. I continually see a lot of high level players using it, but it is more to just show off than anything else. This thing is tremendously powerful however you look at it, but is very limited in effectiveness. You might use Strapped to have a sniper rifle for long range then use this when you want to charge in, but I still say it is really only for showing off. As with all the special weapons, best to stick with something that is not of such limited purpose. That being said, it is at least the only special weapon actually worth using. Overall Rating: 8/10 Weapon Name: Wildfire Available Level: 40 Uses and Disadvantages: What's that, they let you equip a rocket launcher at the start? That's ridiculous...or maybe not. As it turns out, the rockets only do about 50% damage even upon direct hits, and despite a lock on function you can expect to be shot down before you get off that second shot. It is undeniably a pass since you run very slow while carrying it. So like all special weapons, you can definitely keep it around as a secondary weapon via Strapped, but it is the least effective primary weapon you could hope to have. You might try the secondary fire in a group, as it rains down rockets, but I wouldn't put too much stock in it since even so you don't do much damage. Don't see the reason why they included a rocket launcher at all, but at least they made it all but worthless. Use it if you can steal one, but don't spend too much time trying to find use for it. Overall Rating: 6/10 Weapon Name: Cryogun Available Level: 45 Uses and Disadvantages: Finally, we have a gun that turns you into Mr. Frieze. Its ice beam slows down enemies, and if hit enough they can be frozen and then be shattered via the infinite secondary fire blast or a melee attack. If you don't manage to freeze someone though you will not be doing much damage. I can only assume it doesn't have much ammo, meaning like all special weapons it is hardly something you can rely on as your primary weapon. All in all, I have to think that by the time you finally reach Level 45 to unlock it you will have long become used to using other weapons and will not give the Cryogun a second look. Maybe my opinion will change if I ever get to use it, but I doubt it. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 ========= GRENADES ========= Now I should also note that there are a whopping 5 types of grenades available. The Shrapnel Grenade and Hedgehog are available at the start, with the Smoke Grenade, EMP Grenade, and Molotov unlocked at level 10, 25, and 30 respectively. Now while those last three might seem useful, and undoubtedly they are, it is rarely worth using them over the two standard grenades, and people rarely do. The Shrapnel Grenade does a lot of damage and can be rolled or bounced behind shields (great way to deal with Allied Shields), and the Hedgehog can now be placed as a mine, great for defending a location. Perhaps people will eventually become proficient with the Molotov or the EMP grenade, which takes out deployables as well as all abilities for a time, but I cannot say. In any case they would only be useful for places where enemies are gathered. Same goes for the smoke grenade, which I never see anyone use ever. Because of this, they would only be used with Grenadier, which lets you carry multiple grenades. Otherwise I would say just get good using the Hedgehog or Shrapnel since overall they will always be the most useful. Both are great at getting kills, and the choice between them is really just one of personal preference, with a slight edge to the Hedgehog since it can also be a mine. Needless to say, Chimeran weaponry always wins. =========== DISCUSSION =========== Most games are content with having pretty standard weapons overall, but this is not most games. This is an Insomniac game, which means the guns can do some crazy things. There are a few cool novelties- the Cryogun can freeze enemies and slow them down, the Mutator can turn enemies into infected bombs, and that Atomizer shoots arcing lightning. All three are low in damage and effective only at close range though, and so really only come into play if you can get a group of enemies close together. Which is to say they should only be carried if at all as secondary weapons via Strapped. The Magnum is kind of cool for setting up traps, but it still best serves the secondary weapon status it occupied in Resistance 2. The Wildfire I hardly see the need to mention further. The Marksman used to be incredible in Resistance 2, and here it is still a fantastic weapon. I sometimes rely on Strapped to carry a Carbine/Bullseye for close range along with a Deadeye for long range, but lately I simply use the Marksman exclusively, boosting its effectiveness with Air-Cooled Barrel. Better to have one weapon that can serve any purpose, and only the Marksman can serve that function at any range. Getting past the "special" weapons, where things get crazy is in fact with the more "standard" weapons, the remaining four weapons (minus the Marksman) that you will have available pretty much from the start. The sniper rifle and shotgun have exceedingly high rates of fire given they can often kill in one shot, and they can be made even better with Air-Cooled Barrel/Gunslinger as always. Quite a combination. And the usefulness of the shotgun's grenade that sets people on fire (!!) cannot be overstated. The same goes for the sniper rifle's single charged shot that shoots through anything, especially when people use shields. It even breaks though the humans' Allied Shield, which is the basis of why I sometimes like to have it around as a secondary weapon if for no other reason. The real craziness comes with the two all purpose rifles. The Bullseye lets you move and run faster than any other weapon, has a new holographic sight that does not block your vision, and its homing tags have been much improved. Its only drawback is being weak relative to the Carbine rifle, and most other weapons. It makes up for this with an exceedingly high rate of fire and quick movement, but it definitely takes some skill to use. The Carbine is the main weapon of choice for most anyone, as it does great damage at nearly any range, and has the ultimate trump card in the form of a 40mm triple grenade launcher, capable of doing 50% damage in a snap. As if that were not enough, it also gets a bayonet that does extra melee damage, while its grenade launcher makes it the best gun to have in a pinch. It is hands down the easiest weapon to use if nothing else. Frankly you expect the sniper rifle and shotgun to be powerful in every game, though probably not this powerful. Resistance continues its trend of the most powerful shotgun in existence by letting it now fire a grenade...a grenade that sets you on fire...yeah. Because the shotgun isn't already powerful enough, right? What is truly amazing though is that the two all purpose rifles are made even more damn powerful than ever. Yet remember that everyone uses them and thus knows how to deal with them, and so your "all purpose" weapon isn't really as useful as you might want it to be. Perhaps combine it with other weapons via Strapped, but mostly it is better to be proficient in a single weapon and boost its usefulness with abilities like Gunslinger and Air-Cooled Barrel. More on that when we get to the abilities. ============================================================================= SECTION 3- SUPPORT ABILITIES [003] ============================================================================= Ability Name: Ammo Beacon Available Level: Available initially Description: Creates ring within which all allies will have their ammo slowly refilled, while allowing them to fire without reloading; Level 2 makes it bigger while also slowly filling secondary ammo and grenades. Uses and Disadvantages: Firing without reloading is great for defense; do not overlook just how useful that can be. Refilling ammo is the more useful thing here however. Since this Beacon also refills grenades and secondary ammo over time, a team can provide a constant supply of Hedgehog mines etc. in every entrance. Not bad at all. Of course, as with other Beacons it is stationary, and so designed to be used for defense or taking objectives. One can get a sporadic personal benefit from it in terms of refilling ammo, but better to just carry another weapon or pick up a new one on the battlefield. Well unless of course you want to be a Team Player and place it where your team can make use of it. Overall Rating: 8/10 Name: Bubble Shield Available Level: Available initially Description: Deploys a full 360 degrees shield that blocks virtually anything; Level 2 makes the shield bigger and stronger. Uses and Disadvantages: In Halo you had to pick this up, but here you can use it anytime. That makes it seriously powerful, given it can block virtually anything. Sure people can run in for melee kills, but combining this with Lightning Shield can prevent that. While Auger fire can shoot through it, Augers are killstreaks and so not always readily available. Other than melee, the only real thing to watch out for is the sniper's secondary fire charged shot, which can shoot through anything. Many people are lulled into a sense of security while in the shield, and taunt people by standing still, which only opens them up to the sniper fire. Still, the shield will almost always provide a chance to reload and recharge at the least, so it is great to have around. Not to mention how useful it is for capturing objectives, and you can expect people to camp points from within their shields. A fun thing to try is to put a Decoy inside the shield, and watch as someone charges in for the melee kill only to have the Decoy blow up in their face. For lone wolves, the Bubble Shield is perhaps the greatest ability imaginable. Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Ability Name: Spotter Available Level: 8 Description: While activated, an enemy within your view will be highlighted in red and appear on the radar- you can then highlight a new enemy if he dies before the time expires; Level 2 lets you highlight two enemies at a time instead of one. Uses and Disadvantages: Really great in a variety of situations, since an enemy once spotted is highlighted in red and on radar, making it that much easier to track him even as he retreats. The greatest way to get an edge on an enemy is to know exactly where he is even as you chase him around the corner. It also tends to spot enemies in the distance that you may not have actually seen. Do not underestimate how useful this can be. The weakness here is that you can only spot 2 enemies at a time, so you can't exactly point out the whole team with it. A Radar Beacon could do that, though only within range. Lastly, the 90 XP bonus where someone else kills an enemy you Spotted is a great way to build levels, and trust me it will happen often. Like the Bubble Shield, it is universally a great ability to have at any time. Overall Rating: 9/10 Ability Name: Decoy Available Level: 12 Description: Deploys a stationary dummy projection that also appears on radar; Level 2 causes it to explode when enemies come near. Uses and Disadvantages: Of questionable usefulness given the decoy is stationary, but it can fool people if placed inside a base or a Bubble Shield, and then take them out by exploding when they rush in for the melee kill. Certainly doesn't hurt that it makes a red dot on the radar, since this can cause people to go after it while causing some confusion. A surprising amount of uses can be found for it, placing it out in the open or among a group of allies to distract enemies and/or make them think your team has more players than it actually does. Not the best ability, but fun to play around with. The best way to use it seems to be to hide nearby and ambush the enemy as he shoots the projection. Overall Rating: 7/10 Ability Name: Healing Beacon Available Level: 18 Description: Creates a ring that slowly heals everyone within it; Level 2 makes it bigger and last longer. Uses and Disadvantages: As with all Beacons, it takes a couple seconds to activate, meaning it cannot just be pulled out in a pinch (such as with the Ring of Life from Resistance 2, my favorite ability ever). So plan to have it out before the action starts. One should not discount their usefulness for campers/snipers, but they are much more useful when teammates can share in the effect. When placed on an objective point, the Heal Beacon at the least can keep the team from being picked off by all the grenades the other team is sure to lob at them, though it is far from foolproof. I find greater use for the Healing Beacon by just dropping it down anytime I want to hold a position (or retreat for that matter), but then that's just me. Lots of uses can be found to make this Beacon a lot more useful than it may appear. The only real drawback is that you have to consider that it appears on the radar and thus if you stand inside it enemies will know where you are. Hence why it is better to just place it within a group of allies that can defend it. Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Ability Name: Radar Beacon Available Level: 28 Description: Puts all enemies within range on radar; Level 2 increases range and also shows the direction in which enemies are facing. Uses and Disadvantages: Absolutely essential for holding down a position, its lets you see everyone coming in without the need for people outside Spotting them. Boosting the normal radar capabilities, it also shows you what direction enemies are facing (akin to the radar from Resistance 1). You really can't beat that. If no other beacon gets placed at a location, at least get out a Radar Beacon. It makes defending so much easier. It can also be used to discover campers (like in the training video). The only weakness is that with all Beacons it can be destroyed, which happens more often than one might think will all the grenades flying around, but this Beacon can always be placed out of the way rather than right out in the open. That in itself makes it the best Beacon to have. Overall Rating: 9/10 =========== DISCUSSION =========== Being Support Abilities and all, they appropriately are all unlocked pretty early on. Most people will use Bubble Shields, to the extent that sometimes it feels like everyone is using them, but that's only because they are the most visible of all abilities. All the Beacons are great choices. Ammo and healing have obvious uses, and putting enemies on radar is always useful. A well coordinated team with multiple beacons in a location is very well equipped to take on anything. Keep in mind that all these deployables can be destroyed by grenades and bullets (or the rare EMP grenade), so don't place them right on the objective. The Radar Beacon certainly doesn't need to even be in the same area. The only non-deployable here is Spotter, which is not only a great way to keep track of your targets, but also calls for help by putting enemies on radar. It is kind of a limited instance of the Radar Beacon, acting as a complement by marking enemies at longer range. Since it also gives you xp bonuses, it is perfect for gaining levels. I highly recommend it, especially for non-objective matches. ============================================================================= SECTION 4- TACTICAL ABILITIES [004] ============================================================================= Ability Name: Lightning Shield Available Level: Available initially Description: A visible ring appears around you, stunning anyone that tries to melee you; Level 2 adds a second ring, protecting you from two melee attacks. Uses and Disadvantages: A must for campers/snipers, it helps protect your back. Lots of uses to be had here. A good default choice if you don't see the need to become proficient with the other Tactical Abilities. Its ability to stun enemies doesn't take form very often though, since the Shield itself creates a very visible ring around a player that tells everyone not to even attempt a melee attack. Nevertheless, the ability to know that no one can sneak up on you for an assassination can be invaluable. Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Ability Name: Doppelganger Available Level: Available initially Description: A hologram lingers next to you and mimics your actions, flickering when shot; Level 2 makes it last longer and allows it to take more damage before flickering. Uses and Disadvantages: Its real usefulness is the fact that it makes an extra red dot on the radar, but players will quickly learn that two dots close together are really only one person. The hologram does have a way of moving around you, making it more useful than were it clear that the real player was always the guy on the left. Still, it is meant to get you an edge, not a free kill. It is definitely a good way to cause some confusion and earn that crucial extra second or two as your would-be opponent wastes time shooting the hologram, but just don't expect it to do all the work for you. Note that Spotter can see right through it by highlighting the player and exposing the hologram, so it is less useful than it might have been otherwise. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Ability Name: Dash Available Level: 22 Description: Quickly jump (not teleport) about 10 meters; Level 2 reduces the recharge time. Uses and Disadvantages: Initially I thought Dash to be all but useless. Then I started using it, and the more I use it the more I am impressed with what it can do. You can't exactly jump through walls or anything else in your path, though you can cross gaps. Since jumping through open spaces doesn't protect you from gunfire, it isn't really the best thing for getting away most of the time. So you shouldn't rely on it for running away since the distance is so short. On the other hand, it is great for offensive purposes. Expect to see tons of people use it with a shotgun to quickly get close enough to blow your face off. It is excellent for chasing people, and other than that I continuously find new uses for it. Whether it is diving in to turn off the countdown at the last second, jumping behind enemy lines and causing mayhem, or surprising people when you dive inside their shields, the uses for it are seemingly endless. The best part is that it recharges quite quickly at Level 2, so you get to use it quite often. Experiment for yourself and see how great it is. Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Ability Name: Assassin Available Level: 32 Description: Silences your weapon so you do not appear on radar when firing it; Level 2 disguises you as the other team while also making you appear as an ally on the radar. Uses and Disadvantages: Disguising oneself as an enemy is as useful as it was in Killzone, which is to say useless at close range, especially since player crosshairs still turn red when they aim at you. Nevertheless, Assassin does solve Killzone's problem by placing you on the radar on an ally, so people can no longer so easily see through your disguise by noting your lack of presence on the radar. Beyond the disguise, it keeps you off the radar when firing regardless, so it can be incredibly useful when used properly. This really is the only stealth ability the game provides. It does not protect you from being Spotted though, so it is best used with Scan Jammer, which can prevent that. The real drawback here is that as a stealth player you cannot fight on your team's frontlines, as you will get shot right alongside them. But then of course you chose Assassin intending to be a lone wolf, didn't you? Overall Rating: 9/10 Ability Name: Turret Available Level: 38 Description: A stationary turret tracks and shoots enemies; Level 2 makes it stronger while giving it the ability to fire rockets. Uses and Disadvantages: These may sound great, but as with every ability they are subject to a time limit, meaning they just disappear when the player dies (unlike the Beacons) or the ability timer runs out. They can get kills, though nowhere near as easily as the turrets in Killzone since they are not permanent until destroyed. They just don't last long enough to be worth using outside of base defense or camping, and they appear on radar, drawing attention and making them easy to avoid. In any case, they really are not that hard to destroy, so at best they are a good distraction or a good way to set up some extra defense, so long as placed properly. They actually were really good in the beta, but seems someone decided they were too good. They no longer are that good at all. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Ability Name: Thermal Vision Available Level: 42 Description: Allows you to see enemies through walls; Level 2 will be posted when I learn what it is. Uses and Disadvantages: Oh man, seeing enemies through walls without needing to use the Auger? What can beat that, particularly when rushing a position or dealing with campers? Well maybe if you could also shoot them through the walls, as only the Auger (and the sniper's secondary fire) can do. This is not like it was in Resistance 1, in that you can no longer just switch it on and off at any time. Though at least it no longer results in your being plastered on the radar. It is a difficult ability to recommend, given that it is really only useful for offense and discovering hiding places. If employed for defense, one is much better off simply using a Radar Beacon. That being said, it is obviously useful. Overall Rating: 8/10 =========== DISCUSSION =========== This category would be a lot more interesting if the abilities weren't locked until such high levels. For some reason this seems to be a bigger problem with this category in particular. Essentially you can expect to be stuck with Lightning Shield or Doppelganger for a long time, so better get used to them. They are both useful, but you should really use the others as you unlock them. You get Dash in the middle, and it has nearly endless uses. You'll probably become addicted to it by the time you unlock more abilities. Not to say the others aren't useful, as Thermal Vision keeps enemies from hiding from you, and the Turret is great for a distraction and/or some backup. Assassin is the fun one, as it helps keep you from being detected. Combined with Scan Jammer it can make you a truly stealthy player, if not necessarily a team player. This category seems a particularly volatile one, as you'll find people using pretty much all of them. If not for the short duration they would all be a lot more useful. ============================================================================= SECTION 5- PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES [005] ============================================================================= Ability Name: Bandolier Available Level: Available initially Description: Increase primary fire clip size for all weapons; Level 2 increases secondary fire clip size. Uses and Disadvantages: This is an interesting one. A greater clip size means you can fire for longer, though this is really only useful for guns with small clip sizes like the shotgun, the Marksman, and the special weapons. The real (and perhaps somewhat unintended) strength is in letting you carry one extra secondary ammo. For certain weapons that can be incredibly powerful. Keep in mind though that it's not like you start with extra secondary ammo, you are just able to carry it. You will still have to get it from dead players or by using an Ammo Beacon. Bandolier is really only useful for players employing the Carbine and Rossmore in particular, though its effectiveness rises when combined with Air-Cooled Barrel, since the latter means you go through ammo that much faster. Overall though I find it useless, since might as well use Gunslinger for quick reloading if you are worried about having to reload too much. Overall Rating: 8/10 Ability Name: Leaper Corpse Available Level: Available initially Description: Three Leapers burst from your corpse upon dying; Level 2 raises this to four Leapers, two of which are now Spitters. Uses and Disadvantages: More an annoyance than anything else, you'll be surprised how crazy it can get if everyone uses this one. You can bet you'll see a ton of people use this because it is frankly kind of funny to cause trouble to players after your death. The leapers are actually quite deadly and ABSURDLY RELENTLESS, even if they are easy to kill. The thing is, you should be more concerned with what you can do while still alive, as you shouldn't really care what happens after dying. The Leapers will get you some kills, especially if you charge in and die in a group, but better to worry about getting kills while still alive. Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Ability Name: Gunslinger Available Level: 19 Description: Increases accuracy when firing from the hip; Level 2 increases reloading speed. Uses and Disadvantages: Not quite as useful as Steady Aim, meaning it doesn't give you free kills, but when coming head to head at close range it can be invaluable. However, in a game like this you can usually find the time to aim down the sights. It also lets you reload faster, making it the only ability with two wholly separate effects. In effect it makes you all around better at shooting guns, as your bullets hit a little more often and you can quickly pop in a new clip in case they don't and just keep shooting. This is a personal favorite of mine, though only because I cannot stand being caught dead while I am trying to reload. Best for close range fighting, and for shotguns in particular. Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Ability Name: Body Armor Available Level: 21 Description: Increases health but decreases movement speed; Level 2 negates the decrease in movement. Uses and Disadvantages: Hard to see a real weakness here, assuming you don't try to use it without first upgrading it. The real use here comes from being able to get up close and personal with a shotgun or other close range weapon, providing some extra protection in case you Dash into a bad spot. I suppose the only weakness is that your insistence on keeping yourself alive will cause you to miss out on many other abilities that could otherwise keep you alive by making you more proficient at dispatching foes. If not getting continually killed by explosives is what you are worried about, then the Hazmat Suit makes for a great alternative. Note Body Armor was a Combat Attribute in the beta, but someone wisely realized that being able to have both Body Armor and Hazmat Suit would make people invincible. Unless you are a shotgunner, you should stick with the latter, though keep in mind it will take a very long time to unlock it. In the meantime, this is not such a bad choice at all. Overall Rating: 8/10 Ability Name: Tracker Available Level: 25 Description: Displays enemy footprints; Level 2 lets you distinguish amongst what footprints are fresh as opposed to old. Uses and Disadvantages: I'm not sure this does anything to be honest. I've used it and I never saw any footprints that I can recall. It might be useful for knowing how many enemies are guarding a location, but if you really want to track enemies there are better ways to do so, such as using Spotter. For camping enemies, you could also just use Thermal Vision. I fail to see why they even created this ability, since all it does if anything is distract you by making you look at the ground. There is plenty else already going on onscreen. The game claims I killed 30 people I tracked with this ability, but never once did I notice any footprints appearing. Pick something else. Overall Rating: N/A, as in don't even think about using it. Ability Name: Vital Signs Available Level: 31 Description: Shows health of an enemy over their name; Level 2 allows you also to see what Tactical Ability they are using. Uses and Disadvantages: On the surface it sounds great to see enemy health and abilities, but it is hardly necessary since you will just shoot first and won't bother to take the time to look. It is made entirely useless because the game thankfully shows you the remaining health and abilities of your killer upon death. Insomniac apparently thinks it is helpful to know who has the lowest health in a group and thus who can be picked off, but I say just shoot whoever you can. I suppose it could help see through disguises and Doppelgangers, but then Spotter can do the same thing. Overall Rating: 5/10 Ability Name: Hazmat Suit Available Level: 37 Description: Reduces damage from explosions; Level 2 makes you immune being set on fire, mutated, or frozen, as well as preventing Magnum rounds and Bullseye tags from sticking to you. Uses and Disadvantages: Talk about ultimate defense, with this you gain added defense against most of the game's weapons. It negates the added effects of the Mutator, Cryogun and Rossmore, though of course they still do damage otherwise. Perhaps even better is that Bullseye users cannot tag you, Magnum users (if any) cannot blow you up and Carbine users will find their trump card grenade launchers less effective. It seemingly has a way to weaken most weapons when used against you, and that's not even mentioning the reduced damage from explosions in general. Since grenades will have contributed to your death more than 90% of the time, it is an excellent way to save your butt over and over again. Witness the power to smite any foe who dares use a special weapon against you. Given how many people like to use the shotgun/Carbine grenade launchers, that is just another added bonus. The only guns it doesn't provide any added protection against are the long range weapons and the Atomizer, so you should definitely be a close range fighter yourself. Now if only it was unlocked at a lower level. Overall Rating: 9.5/10 Ability Name: Demolitions Available Level: 43 Description: Increases damage for all explosive weapons and grenades; Level 2 also increases their effective radius. Uses and Disadvantages: Easy to see the use of this, certainly with the prevalence of grenades and the 40mm grenade launcher of the Carbine rifle. Grenades already do enough damage as I see it, and this is a way to ensure your grenades do get the kill. Expect many people to use this with the Carbine's 40mm grenade launcher for even easier kills in a pinch...or maybe not. In a sense it allows for some free kills, but then grenades tend to already do that on their own, and in the end grenades are only as good as the person using them. No one uses this to my knowledge. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Ability Name: Tactician Available Level: 49 Description: Reduces recharge time of your Tactical Ability; Level 2 also increases its duration. Uses and Disadvantages: So you've unlocked all the Personal Attributes and you still don't know what to use? Instead of defaulting to Leaper Corpse like so many players, why not try out Tactician? Being able to use your Tactical Ability faster and have it last longer is incredibly helpful, making this a fantastic choice. Since the biggest and in some case the only real weakness of some of the Tactical Abilities is the time limit, Tactician is great for anyone looking to rely on and/or get more use out of the many great things the various Tactical Abilities can do. Hardly much use with Dash, but with everything else it is not a bad choice at all if you ever actually unlock it. Overall Rating: 9/10 =========== DISCUSSION =========== Here you unlock some things at least pretty quickly, which can hardly be said for some of the other ability groups. At 9 abilities, it also has more choices than elsewhere. The initial Bandolier is really quite useless, since there is no reason to have a larger clip size if you can otherwise use Gunslinger for fast reloading. Leaper Corpse is used by seemingly most people, but only because it's the best they have available. Once you unlock Gunslinger and Body Armor, which thankfully are at relatively low levels, you really should use them instead. The choice there really just depends on whether you want to opt for offense or defense, though arguably both are offensive abilities. Tracker and Vital Signs can be skipped entirely. That leaves the abilities unlocked at high levels, by which time you will already be quite comfortable in your choice up to that point. If you do want to branch out and try new things, Demolitions is unlikely to be where you want to go, since you don't really use enough explosives ever (barring combining it with Grenadier) to make it worth having. The Hazmat Suit is definitely awesome for reducing damage from explosions, with the added bonus of immunity to status effects. It really is a better choice than Body Armor, since reduced damage trumps extra health, but of course it takes a lot longer to unlock. Lastly we have Tactician, which is great if you like to rely on your Tactical Ability, since their short durations make it otherwise difficult to rely on them. Give it a shot if you ever unlock it. ============================================================================= SECTION 6- COMBAT ATTRIBUTES [006] ============================================================================= Ability Name: Scan Jammer Available Level: Available initially Description: Blocks enemy radar within a short proximity; Level 2 also grants immunity to Thermal Vision and Spotter. Uses and Disadvantages: Anyone who has played Killzone 3 knows that jamming the enemy's radar is not all it is cracked up to be, as all it does is make people seek out the cause of the distortion. Its intended stealth function gets negated in the process since it basically lets people know you are close. Fortunately the limited range of the jamming actually works in your favor, as it rarely comes into play and you can benefit instead from immunity to detection at Level 2. Nevertheless, it's hard to recommend since there are so many better abilities, unless of course you really want to go for stealth. If you are going to use it all, use it together with Assassin. Overall Rating: 8/10 Ability Name: Scavenger Available Level: Available initially Description: Gives health and ammo for walking over dead bodies; Level 2 also gives secondary ammo for walking over dead bodies. Uses and Disadvantages: Picking up ammo and health from any dead body sounds good and all, but it means you have to actually reach the dead bodies, something you cannot always do. If you are worried about ammo or health then you can use the corresponding Beacon and/or carry extra weapons via Strapped. With this being in the same category as Strapped, it is absolutely worthless. Overall Rating: N/A, as in don't even think about using it. Ability Name: Air-Cooled Barrel Available Level: 9 Description: Increases rate of fire while aiming down the sights; Level 2 also increases move speed while aiming down the sights. Uses and Disadvantages: Indescribably useful for long range weapons, the Marksman and the sniper rifle, and also surprisingly useful for shotguns. For everything else it is less useful, but still not bad at all. It isn't the rate of fire that helps so much if you are using the Carbine or Bullseye so much as it is the increased movement speed, allowing you to use your sights for much greater accuracy without becoming a sitting duck. Do not underestimate how good that is, particularly since it is precisely moving quicker while shooting that made Chimera the stronger race back in the original Resistance. Overall Rating: 9/10 Ability Name: Berserker Available Level: 13 Description: Gain Berserks with one less kill; Level 2 also makes Berserks last longer. Uses and Disadvantages: This in a sense may be the single greatest ability in theory, since it lets you get "Berserks" (aka killstreaks) with less kills. The shield/cloak you get for 3 kills is unfathomably amazing when it only takes 2. And let's not get started on what you get for now only 8 kills. I know Call of Duty has this ability (aka Hardline), but Insomniac was insane for including it (and some would say they were insane for including killstreaks at all). I don't personally ever use it because I greatly prefer abilities that boost my effectiveness with weapons. It is unlocked at a low level so it is readily available, but nevertheless I don't find many people using it. Not as useful in fact as it is in theory I suppose. Overall Rating: 8/10 Ability Name: Strapped Available Level: 14 Description: Start with two weapons; Level 2 lets you start with 3 weapons Uses and Disadvantages: Perhaps the greatest ability ever, or perhaps not. Having multiple starting weapons is absolutely ridiculous given everything the weapons in this game can do. And since you can choose three of them (yes, 3 of them), it goes beyond shotty-sniper to include an all purpose rifle or a special weapon as well. With only shotty-sniper it might not be so worth using as opposed to specializing in close or long range by itself, but add in a third weapon and it means you can also carry around a special weapon like the Mutator or Cryogun for when you just want to have some fun. With so many secondary fire and other weapon abilities, Strapped makes you a real powerhouse from the onset. Just keep in mind that it may take you a really, really long time to upgrade all the weapons you want to use, which hampers Strapped's effectiveness more than anything else. Overall Rating: 9/10 Ability Name: Grenadier Available Level: 27 Description: Carry two grenade types; Level 2 lets you carry 3 grenade types. Uses and Disadvantages: You can carry one each of three types of grenade, which is rather helpful since each type is so very useful. There are better choices though, since a good shot does not need to rely on grenades. Unfortunately, expect many low level players to do so regardless because grenades mean easy kills. Well not that I've seen anyone using it, but then most players are not even Level 27, so hard to say how popular it will turn out to be. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Ability Name: Patience Available Level: 34 Description: The longer your crosshairs linger over an enemy, the more damage you do; Level 2 reduces the amount of time needed to reach maximum damage. Uses and Disadvantages: This may seem like an ability created for snipers, but a sniper usually just wants to get a quick headshot and that's it. In a sense it can actually act kind of like stopping power when used with a quick firing rifle like the Carbine or Bullseye, allowing you to kill a little faster and make up for the otherwise low relative damage of these weapons. It is actually a pretty good choice for people using the weapons mentioned, but you'll likely do better equipping something else. Indeed, rather than try to make your bullets do more damage, just use Air-Cooled Barrel so you can fire more of them. Overall Rating: 6.5/10 Ability Name: Team Player Available Level: 39 Description: Increases radius of Support Abilities; Level 2 also increases duration of Support Abilities. Uses and Disadvantages: It increases radius and duration of support abilities, making it the parallel to Tactician. Support Abilities however tend to get destroyed or not really be needed for a longer duration, so this one is questionable in usefulness. To illustrate, your Bubble Shield will either save your ass or it won't, and its ability to do will hardly depend on how long it lasts. It is useful of course for taking objectives, or better yet if you are going to use one of the Support Abilities while camping. Obviously it is useless with Spotter, since radius is irrelevant. Overall Rating: 8/10 =========== DISCUSSION =========== Patience and Scavenger are so limited in effectiveness so as to be all but useless. Some people might be nice and pick Team Player, but not many, especially given the high level required. People may use Grenadier because all they care about is being able to do damage, and many more will wise up and realize it is better to have more guns than more grenades. Since Strapped lets you be a shotty-sniper and then some, it is really fun to use. Then again, if you plan to snipe you should just use Air-Cooled Barrel, and if you want to be effective at close and long ranges you can just go in-between with the Carbine or Marksman. Strapped is incredible on the surface, but rather worthless in practice. Much better to pick one weapon you want and then base everything around it. I occasionally use it when I want to sporadically snipe, but really it's not too worth using. Scan Jammer is really quite good, as it pretty much lets you hide except when shooting, but is best avoided if you don't intend to go full stealth with Assassin. Berserker is definitely amazing if only because the riot shield that humans get for 3 kills is essentially invincible, at least from the front. I'm a bit appalled they let them be unlocked (both the shield and Berserker) so easily. Those shields do all they can to break the game, and the cloak actually isn't bad either. Not to mention turning into a super soldier for only 8 kills. Still, anyone confident in their ability to get kills will see no need for Berserker and go with something else. It actually is very rarely used, though one would be hard-pressed to find any single Combat Attribute that is used more often than the others. ============================================================================= SECTION 7- KILLSTREAKS [007] ============================================================================= Killstreaks here are known as "berserks", but make no mistake, they are still killstreaks. Fortunately though there are only a few, so things don't get too out of hand. Then again, these things can be pretty powerful, which is fitting given they are rewards for getting kills. I'm only going over them here mainly to point out their weaknesses. They pop up at 3/6/9 kills, and generally last somewhere around 25 seconds or so. Keep in mind that with Berserker equipped, you not only get berserks with one less kill, they also last longer. Yeah, I said that ability was really powerful. We will appropriately start at the top with an ability that is truly over the top. At 9 kills you get "mutate" which turns you into a super soldier with an unlimited rapid firing grenade launcher. Yes it is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds, as the grenade launcher quickly takes out multiple foes with 2-3 shots. It is however not invincible, since your super armor is only double or so normal health and cannot recharge, though if you are still alive when the timer runs out you will revert to normal (and be able to recharge health again), much as with the other berserks. It is obviously useful only when a lot of enemies are already around, since you will hardly have the time to seek them out or anything. Just don't be surprised when you do go down. Next is temporary use of an unlimited Auger at 6 kills, the only time you get to use the Auger since you cannot select it as your starting weapon. It can set up shields and see and shoot enemies through anything, and now is better than ever since it shoots fairly quickly. It is also quite powerful, taking down an enemy in an average of 3-4 shots. Its weaknesses are the short range of its scope and how difficult it is to shoot someone actively trying to dodge your shots. So timing is everything. Not to mention you have to keep obstacles between you and enemies or set up shields, as otherwise you will find yourself dead as quickly as ever. Don't get cocky with it. Finally we have the 3 kill berserk, the most important since it is the most common one you will use. Here we find the one distinction in the game between Humans and Chimera, in that they get different 3 kill berserks. Chimera get a cloak that makes them invisible except when firing, in which case the cloak will flicker. Can be Spotted, but still really useful for sneaking around considering they won't see your shotgun until you are right on top of them. Tons upon tons of people are invisible shotgunners I assure you. Humans arguably get the better deal with the Allied Shield, which blocks all damage from the front and sides, including grenades. It is really powerful and very hard to deal with. All you can do is hope the player gets cocky and exposes his back, though a more common way to deal with it is to drop or fire a grenade behind him. Shrapnel Grenades are better for this purpose, since they roll after being thrown. So consider a player using the Shield invincible if you don't have an explosive of some sort or the sniper rifle's secondary fire that shoots through shields, but remember when you use it that it is not as invincible as you might think. Same as with all the berserks, you should be very wary of anyone using them, but you should not rely on them too much yourself. ============================================================================= SECTION 8- LOADOUT SUGGESTIONS [008] ============================================================================= It would be appropriate to briefly summarize everything, and at the risk of contradicting myself I will incorporate lessons I continue to learn while playing. Beginning with the Support Abilities, I am convinced you really can't go wrong with whatever you choose. By default you should stick with Spotter, if only because it can get you a lot of extra experience to help unlock more abilities. Each of the Beacons is great, even better considering they stick around after you die. But you need to note that they all appear on the radar, making it considerably harder to stand inside an Ammo or Healing Beacon at least since it tells everyone where you are. You shouldn't have the same trouble with standing inside of a Bubble Shield, which seem to be the most common Support Ability because they are so great for camping an objective point, but don't stand there too long unless you have a shotgun or a Lightning Shield to protect yourself. The Radar Beacon is incredibly useful and you can play around with the Decoy and see if it works for you. Really can't go wrong with anything in this slot, though expect to see Spotter and Bubble Shield dominate if only because they are the easiest to use. Next are the Tactical Abilities, which are unique in that you essentially unlock better abilities as you level up. You should get rid of the Lightning Shield or Doppelganger as soon as you can; just trust me they are not worth using. You'll never have the Lightning Shield active when you really need it, and Assassin serves as a much better distraction than the Doppelganger. Rather than being two red dots on the radar, it makes you a green dot. Nothing better than hiding in plain sight, just be careful how close you get to enemies, and consider combining it with a Level 2 Scan Jammer so you don't get Spotted. I don't find the Turret very useful since it appears on radar and thus can be easily avoided. Not really sure if Thermal Vision is worth using, but I'll know if I ever get it. Overall I think Dash to have the most uses, but that in no way makes it the best. You'll do just fine with anything here. Moving on to Personal Attributes, there are plenty of great choices. Well 6 of them, given Tracker, Bandolier and Vital Signs are all but useless. Demolitions is nice, but not worth using unless you for some reason specialize in explosives. By default most people seem to just go with Leaper Corpse, especially together with a shotgun since it means they will usually die at close range. If you want to use Body Armor, just don't rely on it to keep you alive. Turns out the Hazmat Suit is much more useful if you have it, since it not only protects you from being tagged, fire from the shotgun, and from special weapons (Mutator and Cryogun though not the Atomizer), it can also help keep you from being picked off by the grenades absolutely everyone loves using. It makes virtually all weapons weaker against you; talk about ultimate defense. I personally like Gunslinger for an edge at close range, and it is obviously invaluable for shotgun users. If you don't have use for Tactician (which you will never unlock), then Hazmat Suit will surely be your best overall choice if you have it. Just don't be one of the zillions of players that think it worth using Leaper Corpse. Much better to have something that keeps you alive, not something that annoys people after you die. The last ability is the Combat Attribute. Scavenger is entirely worthless, and I'm not sure how Patience could possibly be useful since better to use Air- Cooled Barrel to fire more bullets than rely on them doing more damage over time. If you didn't figure it out, I am a huge fan of Air-Cooled Barrel, as it is invaluable for a long range weapon and also comes in handy when you inevitably steal a short range weapon. Can't see why anyone would use Grenadier since it would be too confusing trying to juggle multiple grenade types. The same logic goes for Strapped, since better to just know what weapon you are good with, focus on it, and then you can always pick up other weapons. Team Player might be nice if you ever get to it, but it seems a hard choice since the Support Abilities tend to last long enough as it is. Scan Jammer is really going to be useful only when combined with Assassin and going for stealth, since otherwise it just doesn't do enough on its own. You can bet plenty of people will use Berserker because they have fallen in love with the Berserks. I wouldn't suggest using it yourself, and you in any case should know how to deal with shields and invisible shotgunners. To wrap up, it would be appropriate to combine everything by looking at the best abilities to have depending on your play style and choice of weapon. If you are a long range player- Deadeye or Marksman- then you will definitely want Air-Cooled Barrel, and Spotter to mark your targets. Personal Attribute is up to you, and consider a Radar/Healing Beacon and Turret/Lightning Shield if you intend to do a lot of camping or just want to protect your back. If you are a close range player who always likes to be in the action- Carbine, Bullseye, Rossmore or Atomizer- then you will benefit greatly from Gunslinger/Body Armor in general, and perhaps even Leaper Corpse if you are like me and always charge in headfirst. You could be a weapons specialist with Air-Cooled Barrel, though any Combat Attribute will be fine. You'll probably want Dash for ensuring you can get in close, though you'll also be fine using Assassin or Doppelganger to distract your enemies and gain an edge. The close range player's arsenal finishes with Spotter for the person who is always in the action, or a Bubble Shield/Radar Beacon for the person who goes for objectives. Oh one more thing. It makes sense to describe my personal loadout choices. I generally like to be a weapons specialist by using both Gunslinger and Air- Cooled Barrel with a Marksman or a Carbine. Though I can only start with one weapon, this ensures that I continue to have an edge with any other weapon I pick up. In a game where you can hold all the weapons, it just makes sense to play like this. I then round out things with Spotter and Dash for chasing down anyone who tries to get away and then some. This is my main loadout, consisting entirely of abilities unlocked at low levels as it were. When going for objectives I also sometimes go with a stealth loadout, pulling out the Assassin/Scan Jammer pair and finishing with Healing Beacon and Hazmat Suit for the best possible protection should I get into trouble. This is also the essential setup for the always freakishly chaotic Deathmatch. I have tried (and still do try) Strapped at times to ensure I have a sniper rifle handy for CTF in particular, but I just feel that it isn't worth using very often. So yeah that's it. There really are endless things these abilities can do, so keep experimenting. My PSN ID is Malcontent_Ronin, and I am always actively looking for people to play with. So let me know. Thanks for reading and have fun playing. ============================================================================= SECTION 9- CONTACT INFORMATION [009] ============================================================================= Any questions, inquiries, praise, arguments, proposed additions, or requests for advice can be sent to [email protected], and I will ensure I get back to you. Any questions posed or strategies described to me via e-mail will be considered for addition to this guide. Thanks for reading, and I hope someone can find this guide useful.