Tips to Collect Flags and Make Cappers Rage in Tribes: Ascend

[Computer_Freak]

Hello friend I would like to give you some tips regarding collection of flags and how to make Cappers Rage in Tribes: Ascend. As per me I think Chase is the best position to play Tribes: Ascend. Would explain you all things in details so that by reading this anyone can learn who to play it.

Impact Nitron
Let me tell you that in CTF frags are not that important, important are the Flags. About Impact nitron is the most important in times when capper get to you flag that too with full health and no one is there at your side leaving you, to stop him by taking the flag. Basically that means an easy return for your team and the distance in between the point of the opposite team (i.e Enemy Team). Yes you would be thinking right, that you would be really persuasive to go for the explosive nitrons, but let me tell you, Impact Nitrons are the way to go.

Pathfinder Armor
Yes

Thrust Pack
Basically this is the most necessary part of being a chaser, as this pack is mainly used for going very fast as soon as you use this pack it will take you to 0-200 Kmph in just 3 seconds.

Bolt Launcher
As you are chasing I would recommend that this would be the best option other than spinfusor. As only in a single shot the capper stops with 910 damage and the bolt Launcher’s AOE is really very much better than Spinfusor.

Light Assault Rifle
Now when you are chasing I would say Light Assault rifle is better than shotgun. As for sure you won’t be anywhere near the flag capper so if you user shotgun it won’t damage a bit also, so instead of shotgun Light Assault Rifle is the best option. As I just cannot remember that how many times you have got killed only because of this Light Assault Rifle that to by approx 10 feet far. But yes the only thing in Light Assault Rifle is that it has to be kept in bust fire mode and you need to keep clicking it again and again. But I can say even then it is way better than a shotgun.

Primary Perk: Reach
Now as you are a chaser your duty is to protect the flag from the enemy team. But there are many times where at the same time say around 3-4 players from enemy team come to take the flag at that time. This is the time you should be using Reach as it gives you some extra inches which you would need to win the game.

Secondary Perk: Egocentric
This is also a very significant perk to run, As it can be very difficult to use Nitron for around 3 times and go up approx 300 Kmph or you nitron for 2 times and go you to approx 240 Kmph. As nitron jumps are really very significant when you are chasing.


How to Play Chase

Now I will like to tell you that chasing is extremely fun and fluid position. The only thing you need to do is to kill the enemies which try and sidetrack your defense so that the capper can easily enter the flag region. As you have to do some other thinks like you need to see to it that you can damage the capper on the stand, bodyblocking the capper, and also you would need to chase the capper down if he gets out.

[Molly1]

Thank you for such a good explanation I would like to know about the indoor flag.
Flag stands inside bases, needing an actual team effort to wipe the room and get out, not just speed (well, once outside it would be a PTH work to get the flag back home, but still). It would promote good defense, force people to actually work together on offense, give more uses to heavy and med classes outside of gen rooms/mid field, promote inter class flag passing and team working (and not just set-up-route->pray-no-lamas->pray-no-fields->300km/h grab->pray-no-base-swap), make infiltrators and raiders more useful, increase the importance of the generator mini game (which of course would be in the same base but not too close to the flag, and might power new indoor base assets as conduits, turrets, energy fields around the flag, shortcuts from the spawn point that close when the gen is down) and ultimately make the game more varied, forcing players to change their style depending on the map. And before the PTH crackragehorde comes, yes, your class will still be central to cap the flag once outside, or to chase, but you won’t be able to 1 man everything, which in my honest opinion is a good thing.

[Shaney]

Personally like this idea, adds some variety to the gameplay and tactics needed for that specific map, with more emphasis on a coordinated persistent assault than a one off timed assault of the stand while the PTH is on route (I like both). Obviously with the very low re-spawn times the re-spawn point would need to be some distance off to give the time needed to escape, and other balance concerns related to classes, but would be a nice change of pace and variety. Variety's the very spice of life. That gives its entire flavor.

[Lilah]

I was thinking about this earlier, a way to give the generator more importance. If the generator is alive, the flag is indoors and easier to defend, but if the generator is destroyed the flag raises up, above ground, making it easier to take. Much like UT3 on slaught mode (or whatever it is called in that game). I don't know how well it would work, but just an idea running through my mind. As for the flag always being indoors, it is a good idea, as long as there is still a decent route for pathfinders to grab it with some speed.

[Amira]

Just because a chaser can't catch up to a capper doesn't necessarily mean that his role is mitigated. Quite often in high-level matches the capper will get off the stand going 250kph+ only to be sniped out by the defenses snipers when he is about midfield. The presence of a chaser prevents the enemy team from picking up the dropped flag and converting it into a point by lamming it home from midfield. Also I think you don't give the role of e-grabbing / nitroning / chaining the capper down at his base enough credit. As a chaser you will get to the enemy base faster than anyone else, and that e-grab that you make gives your team another 10-20 seconds to get downfield, chain / nitron him. And prevent the cap. I will agree that on the new map (temple something) chasing does feel pretty much useless, and the focus should be more on defending at the stand, but I feel that chasing is still very viable on the rest of the maps.

[Cale]

Thrust pack is a necessity; if you don't think so then you have never gone up against a truly fast capper. Personally I prefer to use Reach + Potential Energy and the light Spin, but everything else is the same. DJ'ing directly after the thrust pack will give you all the energy you will ever need, so you can chase over hills cough drydock. I would say its personal preference really, but if you are looking for a base to base chase, use Egocentric; if you are going to try to cut them off in the midfield or want to catch up very quickly, use PE. Either way to get maximum speed you will have very little health; the difference is with Potential Energy you will always have full energy while with Ego you won't.

[Maal-Gaadi]

I grow tired of 200-300KM PTHs able to practically solo games, or getting caught by them outside and hit by a bolt launcher that does surprisingly good damage for a light class. A lot of times to defend against a PTH I end up playing a PTH myself, and even then the really good ones who almost always go 300+ a grab I can't really catch up to. Ultimately though, I don't think a heavy can (in a practical sense) win a game solo like a PTH can. Really open flag stands don't encourage team work I think, since a PTH can do flag stand harassment, flag def, fight mid field. Sometimes I feel like more of a detriment to my team unless I'm a DMB on flag or a jug shelling the enemy flag stand - Why exactly aren't maps designed to need the mediums / heavies more? I like the idea of Sun Star having a big force field powered by the gen, but there are still some insanely fast routes PTHs can take. There's a way to stop most things in the game, but I don't see a really easy way to defend vs. a raider + jug + path, other than killing them before any harm is done. Usually though, a burst of offense is enough to weaken/distract/etc the flag def long enough for the PTH to woosh in. why not make heavies as huge of a requirement as PTHs to win a game? Or at the very least not make players who like dueling/generator wars not feel like anything.

[Baasima]

I wish there would be map or couple of them like T2 Minotaur. Two towers quite close to each other with flags in the middle of them. Only entrance to tower at the top. Bottoms of the towers were connected by network of underground tunnels. In Minotaur map was usually won by team controlling tunnels, but it was possible to make fast cap with light class from top of tower to other if you could survive your way to the top of tower in its narrow central shaft. Actually I didn't like Minotaur that much back in the days, but Tribes: Ascend clearly lacks variety in map design.

[Pencil-Guy]

Nice post Blinks and glad to see that my chaser setup is spot on to what others are using. I never used the jump pack before as I felt it was terrible but since the patch it’s been invaluable to me for proper chasing. Hover slightly behind flag when I spot an incoming capper, fire bolt, if capper isn't dead then quickly turn and activate jump pack to chase. Good times ensue. I concur with some other folks about the use of the Safety Third perk instead of the reach perk. Maybe it’s just me but I haven't found the reach perk to be THAT helpful since I've had countless experiences where I thought I was just inches off (where the perk should fill that gap for me) but it didn't return. Maybe it’s just me having that extra green and added radius though is just tops for my chasing. As far as the disc or bolt launcher, I've only recently started using the bolt and its direct damage is very nice but I sometimes feel it’s slightly less accurate than the disc. I’m probably just not fully used to it yet, though. I still like to switch back and forth between the two since the disc is still fun to use (and nostalgic!)

[RamBarose]

I was thinking about this earlier, a way to give the generator more importance. If the generator is alive, the flag is indoors and easier to defend, but if the generator is destroyed the flag raises up, above ground, making it easier to take. Much like UT3 onslaught mode (or whatever it is called in that game). I don't know how well it would work, but just an idea running through my mind. As for the flag always being indoors, it is a good idea, as long as there is still a decent route for pathfinders to grab it with some speed.

That would work nicely. As for having it inside all the time, pth won’t have any use, even once the flag gets out. This essentially is promoting a cluster play where teams will die dozens of times on the way back home, passing the flag off repeatedly.(which already happens in maps like crossfire and even ARX in comp sometimes). It's an awkward one though, i could imagine in comp a raider getting the flag outside then passing to a fast moving pth, but the timing and co-ordination required would never happen in a public game. Also the rest of the map outside would need to be in heavy cover else snipers will have a field day.

[Mishra S]

I was checking some numbers on the jackal and by coincidence I ran into a little bug. If you are holding the flag, cloak and then change perspective to/from third person you will break invisibility, as if an action was taken (shooting, taking damage etc.) and put you in white ghost state.