How Do You Defeat Artillery?

Climb in your faster bots and just keep moving forward. As you've seen, don't bother trying to jump from cover to cover. Any idiot with a Zenit or noricum can hammer a stationary target, which is what you are hiding behind cover. A good pilot can sometimes lead a target that's moving laterally, but it's hard for artillery to track a distance that's constantly changing when the target is moving north-south. Then once you get within 300m, you own them. If they have friends more than 300m away, just keep dancing around them and make yourself as difficult a target as possible; once you're under their range, your only problem is their teammates. I piss off more red campers that way with my gust Stalker than you can imagine.

What a great tactic in low leagues, though! I imagine there are some smurfs in there that were counting on folks just staying in cover since that is Arty's prime target, but that's just a guess.

How to counter?

That much incoming arty would require speed. Fast bots that can change direction quickly and possibly throw off their aim and make leading the target very hard. Jink and jive.

Also, remember that they cannot lead you if you are moving towards them, only laterally. If they were spread out in something like a semi-circle then it's certainly possible that one or two of them could lead you no matter which direction you went but even that is better than all of them targeting and hitting you at the same time.

So... Advance advance advance. Get within their minimum range as fast as possible and kill them faster than their teammates can target you to defend your target.

Griffs (while on the ground) and Leos will be hard to use since they are so sluggish.

Sitting still gives them a target. Moving laterally gives them a target. Using slow bots gives them a target even while moving toward them, to a degree.

If they were squading and on comms, can you imagine the havok they could create? Wait til the opposing team converges on their spawn, confident that they have the upperhand against a bunch of hapless arty bots. Then, as one, eject and spawn in Spectres of all types. Game over!

Try and use other players’ Ancile shielding as you progress.

Once within the 300m range, artillery can’t hit you.

Thank you all for all the great information. So, run toward them and get under 300 meters.



I thought so too!



No doubt. Sadly, I played right into their hands. Well, now I know.



Now that's just evil.

*writes idea down*



Not necessarily. It's doubtful they each had their hangers full of Natashas.

My guess would be two Natashas would die, or their pilots would eject when they see us all under 300m, then the knife fighters and mid-rangers would jump into the fray. It would be an ugly brawl at that point with the odds in their favor due to the incidental damage we would take closing on the artillery line.

Like others said, walking towards or away from Zenit fire evades most if not all the damage, but also, watch the direction of the Zenit fire being launched. You can see where it’s headed and there’s usually time to course correct. The closer you are the less time for the lobs to strike though. You can’t always be watching Zenit fire but by constantly walking in circles and changing direction you should miss most of it.

Noricums are trickier. They fly faster and are more difficult to see being launched. Take note where it’s coming from and when it was fired. They usually fire as soon as it’s available so prepare for a salvo every 15 seconds. If I’m in a jumping bot I use that to evade.

In all cases an Ancile is the best protection, they’ll often ignore you too. Unless you are taking refuge in a teammates Ancile try to keep some distance from fellow blues and at a different distance to the artillery chucker. They like to fire at clumps of slow moving or still bots and you may walk into the fire aimed at someone else.

I play a smurf account in silver and it is chock full of Zenits and Noricums, don’t recall a battle without them. Last night had a battle on Carrier and 5 reds open with artillery, standing stoically on their home platform (we only had 1 and easily dominated).

To the idea of ‘get within 300m and they are toast’, it’s easier said than done (unless you have a tankers OP super bot). There’s usually just 1 or 2 and they like to back way up so you have to get through a line of fighters to get there. If there’s an opportunity then surely get rid of the annoyance, otherwise I wait until people start meching out to find a way over there and just dodge them until then.

I find that I've added Arty Kamikaze/Killer to my role beside Beacon Capper. On Powerplant if we spawn on the hill farthest from the Ship and the Reds are on the other hill to our left, I tend to rush the artillery with my Kumiho and take one or two out at the beginning. It usually allows my teammates to reach the first Beacon in KOTH nearly unmolested. As we're closer to the second Beacon, it gives us a great advantage. Artillery isn't so bad. I'm starting to see more Flux and pilots who know how to use Trebs effectively. If you can't keep covered, the Flux will follow you wherever you go from 600m. A lot of times I don't even get within range of the Reds before I'm gradually worn down.

Mostly already covered but I'll put my stink on it.

Primary method of defeating artillery is just speed.. art is slow.. and most users have no business running it cause they stuck with it.

ancile (energy shield) will absorb most blows.. against a team of 6 though? that's a lot.

Once you get within 300meters they get real docile (tracking don't work within that range), so much so in fact about a 50% chance they simply eject.


In short.. bum rush them, free silver.

Everyone has already mentioned the most simple tactic: charge them. If you can get your hands on a kumiho it's perfect for this. If not a carnage would work pretty good as well.

Rule 1:  The faster your bot the better.
Rule 2:  Don't stand still.
Rule 3:  Keep your movements irregular both in terms of range and  lateral.  The missiles have a decent travel time so if you're changing range and direction at the same time it's harder to hit you even if the red is pretty good at leading the target.
Rule 4:  Close distance... useless under 300m
Rule 5:  Don't lose track of other goals... beacons are more important than getting the annoying guy.  Artillery doesn't win modes... with the possible exception of deathmatch and a bad team.

Harder to do with randoms than with a clan.

Best bots for the job are Pursuer Gust, or a Kumiho with some Orkans... 

Walk directly towards them, or the largest concentration of them. They can only lead you left/right. Norricums may hit you a little because they move faster, but in general, walk right up to them and vaporize them.

Easy peasy. Doesn't matter what bot either, just march.

how potato were you moving lol?

Other than my Leo, which I pilot because it was my first reward mech and inquisition which is the Christmas mech, I don't pilot nuffin that goes under 50kph

But lol kudos to that team for successful mission.

On topic tho... you must field a fast mech not just for this but as a reliable beacon capper. NEVER assume people on your team will ever lift a finger.

With guinea pig treats!

Thanks for the nomination.