BF:BC2 – Vehicle Warfare Tips

Following on from my popular post on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Rush Mode Tips (despite the absence of comments!), and after even more time put in on the battlefield, I present a few observations of how to use vehicles effectively in online multiplayer matches. Again, these tips are cobbled together from extensive Rush mode playtime, which is easily my favourite game type. Here are a few pointers on how to gain points and swing the battle in your favour using one of Bad Company 2’s greatest features – its vehicles.

Just to warn you – this ended up being a pretty lengthy post!

Vehicle Warfare Tips

1. UAV – Start a Rush mode map as an Attacker and you’ll see a mad dash by your teammates for the UAV terminal, and for good reason. In skilled hands, the UAV can cause absolute misery for the Defenders, often wiping out their best defensive weapons before they’ve even had a chance to work out where your team are coming from.

As a general rule, try to skirt round the edges of the map, and fly high when your Hellfire missile is on cooldown. Not only does this make the UAV hard to see for your opponents, it also makes it very difficult to shoot out of the air. If you do suffer damage, drop down with L2 immediately, and swing the UAV back towards your own base. Lay low for awhile and your opponents will soon switch their attentions to other targets, probably the tanks that have started rampaging towards them. Once you think the coast is clear, start again.

The UAV is most effectively used in three ways: to spot, to destroy stationary weapons, and to blow up tanks and helicopters. The first, spotting, is something you should be doing all the time anyway. Spam Select or Back every time you spot something moving that isn’t lit up with blue or green triangles. This is especially important when another member of your team arms an M-Com station; spotting enemies that are rushing in to disarm the charge will often save the life of the poor schmuck who is cowering inside the building, hoping against hope that the Defender isn’t coming through the doorway he doesn’t have his sights trained on. Help him out by spotting incoming danger. Points for you, life for him.

Identifying and eliminating targets on the stationary AT launchers and Heavy MGs, and where it’s possible, the guns themselves, is also of critical importance. The opening stretch of Arica Harbour is a particular death trap for Attacker’s tanks should the Defenders get on the two stationary AT guns that cover most of the road right up to the Attacker’s spawn base. Send the UAV up, spot the enemies manning the guns and launch a Hellfire strike with R1. If your aim is true, you’ll take him out. You might also destroy the launcher itself for an extra 130 points, +30 for Vehicle Damage and +100 for Destroy Vehicle. If you damage the gunner (your crosshair will flash with a cross), finish the target off with the alternate fire machine gun on R2. You need to have the Alternate Weapon Package vehicle specialization equipped for this, a spec I recommend using all the time for maximum point gains from vehicle use. After C4 and the overpowered Mortar Strike, the stationary AT guns are the deadliest threat to your tanks. Taking them out should be your first priority.

Once you’ve laid waste to missile launchers and the machine gunners, it’s time to turn your attention to enemy vehicles. Oftentimes, Defenders will get access to at least one tank, maybe more, and even helicopters on some maps near the final M-Com stations. Manning the UAV, you have a excellent opportunity to get behind enemy lines and take them out before they’ve even moved, particularly when a helicopter pilot fires up the blades whilst waiting for teammates to jump in on the machine guns. One well-placed Hellfire strike whilst the ‘copter is still on the ground should be enough to destroy it, killing anyone inside. Same deal with tanks – spot it first, and then wait for it to become stationary before you send down a missile; even slow-moving tanks can be hard to take out with one missile should you not get a direct hit. The best thrill in taking on enemy vehicles with a UAV can be found in a dogfight with an airborne helicopter. If it’s moving quickly, nullifying the threat of your Hellfire missiles, take it on with your machine gun. It will take a lot of hits before it goes down, and you’ll need to keep moving should your opponents in the ‘copter become aware what is attacking them, but the UAV’s tiny size and quick maneuverability should mean you can outfox it, and bringing down a mighty Blackhawk or Apache with the humble UAV is a boast-worthy achievement. Spot and mop-up any defiant bastards who jump out of the sinking ship.

A skilful player on the UAV can turn the tide of a battle, oftentimes keeping the vehicle alive throughout the entire map. I’ve played in matches where I’ve jumped on the UAV station and piloted it right the way through to the last bases before being shot down. It’s a long walk to get back into the battle from there, I assure you! The main drawback to using the UAV is your complete vulnerability while you are standing at the UAV station – any enterprising opponents that infiltrate your base have an easy kill. This is where you hope that your teammates have your back. If not, you could always lay a few anti-tank mines around your feet, and hope your would-be murderer goes in for a knife kill…

2. Tanks – A skilled squad inside a tank is easily the quickest way to take down M-Com stations and bat away any enemy resistance likes flies. Conversely, those that don’t follow what I call ‘tank etiquette’ will find the awesome juggernaut they are driving casually into the enemy base is soon reduced to smouldering scrap metal and themselves a charred carcass slumped over the controls. My best single match points tally of 6353, with 53 kills to boot, was when I manned the gun of a Bradley with a skilled, cautious, squad mate driving the tank, as Attackers on the Valparaiso map.

So, here are some things to bear in mind. Firstly, if you are the first to jump into a tank, do not drive away. Driving a tank on your own into the enemy camp is suicide, unless you are an insanely skilled player. There are so many things that can kill you, and they will kill you, because once you are in a tank you are the number one target. A main gunner can not only spot those Engineers that have ducked out of cover to aim an RPG at you, they can also kill said Engineer whilst you are busy destroying the buildings that are housing the M-Com stations, ensuring you complete your objective without even getting close. Bonus points for waiting for other teammates to occupy the side turrets and eliminate any pesky snipers sneaking up with C4.

On a similar note, if you are driving a tank and you see the big white number in the bottom corner up the screen going up, do not drive away. Your tank is not magically healing itself. That increasing numeral is thanks to the Engineer standing next to your ride, fixing it up with the Repair Tool, and risking his life by doing so. When you drive off, not only does he not get his points, you risk early death and you also expose the Engineer(s) to the snipers who are targetting your tank with a Mortar Strike to pick off with consummate ease. If this happens, pray that the sniped Engineer isn’t in your squad and on voice comms so that you avoid the torrent of warranted verbal abuse coming your way.

The only caveat to this is when you know you are about to be wiped out by a Mortar Strike. Despite being ridiculously overpowered, capable of taking a tank from 100 health to 0 in a few seconds, a Mortar Strike does not necessarily signal a death knell. It’s quite simple really – if you start taking mortar damage, usually detected by seeing several red damage arrows at once in the centre of your screen, move. The best solution is to reverse, allowing any Engineers cowering behind you to move back with you and stay alive. Under no circumstances should you jump out the instant the first shell lands. That tank is a precious resource and should be fought for. If you’re planning on driving a tank, choose Engineer class and heal it up once you have moved out of harm’s way. Then, destroy that stinking, cowardly sniper that can only score points with a weapon that requires no skill to execute (I’m only partially joking here!).

Park your tank at a distance, get some mates, watch out for approaching Assault or Recon enemies with C4 in hand, spot targets for your fellow tank mates, rain destruction on the buildings containing the M-Com stations, repair often, reverse out of the way of danger and shoot the shit out of anything that moves – do all this and you’ll be amazed at the amount of points you rack up and the ludicrous ease with which you lay waste to your enemies’ encampments. Under no circumstances should you put the pedal to the metal and charge in recklessly; instant death awaits you.

3. Helicopters – Still eyed with distrust, by myself also, flying a helicopter is a skill that requires practice to learn. So powerful and valuable a resource are they that, unfortunately, you need to learn in the midst of battle, without immediately sending it into a cliff or, worse, flying it so far out to sea in the no-go area that you cause the deaths of up to five members of your team. The number one thing to remember here is – if you can’t pilot a helicopter, don’t. Nothing enrages faster than jumping on the machine guns of a Blackhawk and then being sent to a premature, watery death before you’ve even begun spinning the barrels. Although I’ve by no means mastered the art of flying a helicopter, I can still get it to where I want it to go. It’s controlled with the right-stick, which is where I imagine most people go wrong, as player movement is controlled with the left-stick.

When you are above the enemy base, try and circle slowly around it. It is frustratingly difficult to cause much havoc with the guns if the pilot is careering all over the place. Maintain a steady pace but keep moving as well. If you hear the telltale bleeps of an incoming RPG, lower the helicopter with a quick stab of L2, and then fly back up. The higher you are, the safer you’ll be. Any passengers not pulling their weight should consider jumping out and running to arm the objectives, after ensuring that they wont be greeted with a quick death first.

Should you find your helicopter has taken a pounding and you hear the alarm sounding, don’t just jump out or continue idly circling. Fly back to your base, carefully land the helicopter and get any nearby Engineers to repair. Then clamber back in, rinse and repeat.

The use of helicopters is an art unto itself and my own experience with them is still limited, so I’ll write more when I know more. Just using these basic tips should ensure they provide more use than many are currently getting out of them.

4. Tracer Darts – I’ll wrap up this extremely lengthy tips post with a few observations about the Tracer Dart gun, a weapon used against enemy vehicles. Any of the four classes can use this as a secondary weapon (it replaces a pistol) but I find it amazing how few people use it. Once you land a dart on an enemy tank (or helicopter, if you are extremely good at aiming), not only do you gain +30 points for landing it, you also give any Engineers with an RPG-7 or Gustav the power to lock-on to your dart and send in homing missiles.

This is particularly useful if you are playing as an Engineer yourself. A skilled Engineer can take down a tank with his rocket launcher without ever seeing it after taking the initial shot with the Tracer Dart Gun. Crouch behind some reinforced cover, such as concrete, switch to your rocket launcher and aim at the red targetting square that indicates an attached Tracer Dart. Hold your crosshairs over the square until a small white numeral appears on screen. This indicates the distance to the enemy vehicle and means you are now successfully locked-on. Point your launcher into the air not more than 90 degrees either side of your target and fire. You’ll see your rocket shoot into the air and then immediately change track and home in directly for the Tracer Dart. This lock-on can be acquired through absolutely any scenery – it does not require line of sight at all. And any Engineer on your team can also use your Tracer Dart to home in on the target vehicle – and you get assist points for any damage it takes. I find the Tracer Dart Gun so useful in taking down tanks and helicopters that I even use it in my Medic loadout for my teammates to utilise.

Now factor in the knowledge that you can use it against infantry, and in particular that bedded-in sniper that has been terrorising you for the entire round, and see if you can resist using it…