If you didn’t get enough out of our Hybrid build guide or are simply curious about how the folks at 5th Cell play Hybrid, check out these tips and tricks from the QA team. If you need more, there’s even some level guides available now as well.
Attacking
Jump Jetting
- Dodging: Get used to moving around while you’re attacking to avoid enemy fire. Not only will this tactic make it hard for your enemy to shoot you but the bots won’t be able to hit you if you’re moving in a circular motion.
- Boost Timing: Use boost often, but make sure you have it ready when you need it. Boost right when you take off and a second before you land to get through the landing sequence faster. If you boost too late, you won’t be able to fire for a short time after landing.
- Retreat: Make sure to retreat if you’re low on heath or something unexpected occurs. If you’re low on heath, try not to land at a cover in the enemies view since the landing sequence is slow.
- Scanning: You can use your selection arrow to identify an enemy’s position even if they are obscured from view. Select a cover you think an enemy is hiding and jump jet to it. While jetting to the cover press the vault button (Y) to move your selection arrow to the far side of cover and move it from side to side. If your arrow gets displaced from one of the main 3 positions there is an enemy there.
Cover Navigation
- Same Cover Battles: Don’t vault while you’re actively in a same cover battle. You’re not able to fire while vaulting and you can kill the enemy in the time it takes to vault. Always cover navigate side to side when in a same cover battle. This makes much harder for the enemy to shoot you.
- Keep Moving: Always cover navigate side to side when in a shootout with the enemy. It’s much harder to hit a moving target.
- Plan B: Be ready with a retreat point just in case you get overrun or you see a grenade coming your way.
Strategies
- The cover position behind your enemy is your friend: Everyone expects you to land on the side of cover that you’re attacking from so surprise them by landing right behind them. The enemy should be dead before they have time to spin around. META Shield is very deadly when used with this tactic. I like to hit META Shield right before I land but remember that it only protects you from a portion of the incoming damage so activate it before you hit half health, even if you haven’t landed yet.
- Hovering: This tactic is great to use against enemies with shotguns. They’re only effective from close range so don’t land at their cover. Constantly press ‘B’ to retreat and ‘A’ to select a cover to advance and you’ll be able to stay in mid-air. If you hover at the highest point, you’ll be able to shoot the enemies head.
- Strafing Run: Jump jet over and past the enemies cover. When they see you coming, they’re expecting you to land at their cover so select to advance to the next cover past the enemy’s position and you’ll be able to shoot them in the back. Make sure to boost when you get close to the enemy’s position since this is where you’ll take the most damage. I like to drop a Warbringer when I get close to the enemy position so it soaks up most of the damage that I would have taken and the enemy still takes damage if he vaults over cover when I pass over him. This is the best tactic to use with the Trident since you never want to get in a same cover battle with that weapon.
- Bombs Away: Start Jump jetting to an enemy’s position. While dodging, throw a grenade at them before you get to their cover and retreat. They most likely won’t see the grenade coming. I like to modify this tactic by dropping all of my bots right before I get to the enemy’s position, retreat for a second, and then clean up after the Warbringer has done its business. By the time you get to the cover the enemy is reloading, low on heath, or dead.
- Smoke’em Out: If you’re not able to penetrate a team’s defense, throw a smoke grenade on their cover and they won’t be able to see you coming.
Defending
Bunkering
- Professional Camper: Void Pulse is a great ability to use in objective based games. Use it whenever you see a grenade incoming.
- Swarm: Charge up the Swarm when you’re not using. Follow up a big static orb with a ton of small ones because damage stacks.
- Turtle: Any shotgun in combination with META Shield makes for a formidable defense setup.
Strategies
- Counter Attack: Just before the enemy gets to your cover, select to jump jet to the cover he came from and then retreat back to the same position. The enemy player will be turned around and mostly likely won’t see that you came back.
- Bot Drop: Don’t spawn your bots until you see that you’re enemy has committed to jetting to your cover. I usually retreat after I drop my bots unless I see that the enemy took a lot of damage on the way over.
- Fire and Forget: Throw you’re grenade on the other side of cover when you see the enemy coming. They’ll retreat if they see the grenade but if they don’t… It’s game over. Just make sure to duck when the grenade goes off or you’ll hurt yourself.
- Shotgun Surprise: You can’t do significant damage from long range so don’t even try. Don’t sit at the cover and wait for the enemy to land, go ahead and jump jet at the enemy when he gets close and shoot him in the air. Surprise!
Bots
- Rack Up the Bot Points: Try to kill all of the bots in the area before you storm the enemy’s cover. This will help you stay alive and might get enough points for a Warbringer or a Preyon.
- Bot Usage: Don’t give the enemy easy bot points by spawning your bots where they’re not effective.
- Keep Track: If you’re about to get another five kill streak and you already have a Preyon point, use it before you lose it.
- Killing Warbringers: Use blind fire on Warbringers to take less damage or take no damage by intermittently dropping back down into cover and putting the Warbringer in idle mode.
- Wall Hack: Stalkers go back to their owners after they spawn which will point out the direction of the enemy. Almost feels like cheating!
Team Play
- Medi-Heal: Medi-Heal is works on all team members (even bots) throughout the map and will only light up when there is someone to be healed. So pop the ability if it lights up even if you’re not damaged, you might be saving a teammate.
- Satellite: Satellite is a great ability for supporting teammates. If your team wants Satellite on permanently, you don’t need to have two players equip it. Have one player with Recharge to refresh the Satellite and it’ll also help the other person on your team.
- Vulture: Stay with one of your teammates. It’s hard to defend against two players coming at you at the same time.
- Take one for the Team: If you’re playing Artifact or Overlord, you might want to consider getting Taunt to protect the Artifact carrier or the Overlord from bots. Not only does it make the enemy aggravated but it also causes all bots go after you, even Preyons. Cool Story Bro!
Misc
- High Sensitivity: You can change your look and aiming sensitivity separately. Get used to using a high look sensitivity so you can turn around faster.
- Speed Kills: Master jump jetting effectively and you’ll increase your K/D by a ton.
- Adapt: Not every weapon works well with every play style. Try them all out and see what works best for you.
- Distraction: Always follow your grenades. It’ll disrupt the enemy enough and give you the perfect distraction for your attack.
- Epic: Sport a cool clan tag. It makes you so much better!
