Ok, as the title implies, this post is intended for players who want to win at WZFF. I totally understand if someone wants to play this mode and doesn’t care whether they win or lose, maybe they’re working on enemy kill commendations, maybe they’re just killing some free time - and that’s fine, this is, after all, just a video game. But if you want to win, it really isn’t all that complicated, I think there’s only 2 things you really need to know.
Before I get to those, a quick word about teamwork. I’m a solo player, and unless it’s my daughter’s visitation weekend, I play exclusively with randoms. Sometimes I’m on mic, sometimes not. I have only had game-impacting communication a couple of times in WZFF. I am now in Level 5 of the Warzone Victory Commendation, so I’ve played a buttload of games. I do use teamwork of a sort, meaning I try to pay attention to what’s going on so I know where to go, what best to do, and what kind of REQ would help us out the most. So, yes, while communication and playing with teammates does help, it is not required for victory. A “nice to have”, not a “have to have”.
Here’s all you need to know to win at Warzone:
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Use REQ’s
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Use good REQ’s for the right things
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Use REQ’s: if you want to only play with your Loadout weapons and Armor Mods, that’s quite alright - just don’t complain about losing, because in all likelihood, you will. This is Warzone Firefight, not Reach’s, not ODST’s. I’ll cover this part more in the next point, but you don’t have to have & use the biggest and baddest REQ’s to help win the game. All kinds of things are useful. But remember, the path to victory is traveled with your REQ vehicles and weapons.
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Use good REQ’s for the right things: as stated above, you don’t have to use the top tier items to have a positive impact on your team’s performance. I’m going to go over a few tips I’ve developed, but look at what’s in your collection and think - what could it do for you?
Armor Mods: once you hit Loadout L5, definitely equip something. For Firefight, I usually use Wheelman, because I’m usually bringing out a vehicle of some kind. If not, I generally use Upgraded Shields for the added survivability. For regular Warzone, I find myself using some of the others, but in WZFF, pretty much just these two - especially Wheelman.
Scout Warthogs: immensely useful for those kill grunts/kill crawlers/kill jackals/kill elites objectives, but not so much for soldiers and knights. If round 1 is one of those, I immediately bring in a Scout Hog. Of course, the ONI one is like a tank on wheels, and that Rally one seriously hauls -Yoink-, but any of them do great. Recommend any of the camo variants over the base model, just for the little bit of extra armor.
ONI Warthog: I’m still amazed this is a REQ L3 vehicle. One of these with a good driver and gunner will tear up the enemies in WZFF. Heavy armor, high mobility, and a gun that can damage Mythic bosses - what’s not to love? I have used these in Round 5 and I was not bemoaning the fact it was a REQ L3 item. The key is to keep moving, use cover, and have the gunner switch into the passenger seat if their shields get real low - they seem to be better protected there as opposed to being on the gun.
Ghost Ultra: another vehicle that’s useful in any round. I’ve used the new Temple Ghost, but I prefer the guns on the Ultra. Devastating to Heroic & Legendary Bosses, and still useful on those pesky Mythics.
Sword Ghost: not as good as the Ultra, but the extra armor over the base model is very noticeable. I’m to the point I sell off any regular Ghosts I get in packs, I have enough Sword variants to keep me happy. And if you can get one of these upstairs in a “Defend the Garage” round, your odds of success just jumped up - just beware soldiers getting too close, they will hijack you.
Scorpion: tanks are awesome, they give you good standoff, and an accurate & powerful line of sight weapon. You don’t have to use an ONI or Hannibal variant, a regular one is still pretty good, but of course any of the variants with extra armor are better. BUT, there are times when pulling out a Scorpion may not be your best bet. If you know the bosses are going to be in the back of a base (3 Wardens or 4 Hunters) a Wraith works better.
Temple Wraith: OK, this thing is top tier, but it’s awesome, mainly for one feature - rate of fire. It’s main “gun” isn’t as powerful as the Wraith Ultra’s, but it fires a lot faster. And one of the keys in taking down Round 5 Bosses isn’t just hitting them hard, it’s hitting them a lot. I’m to the point that if the Round 5 Bosses are in a Base, I just bring out a Temple Wraith automatically. Also, they’re faster, so if you spawn way the hell over there, you have a good chance of still getting to the fight in time to make a difference. If you don’t have the Temple one yet, bring out the best you’ve got. Sword beats base model, Ultra beats Sword. But most importantly, know when a Wraith will help you hit Bosses better than a Scorpion, and vice versa.
Wasp: if I could buy REQ packs of these, I would. I initially disliked it, now I love it. Two big things to know: understand its limitations and use it accordingly (use cover, stay moving, stay low-ish) and know what it sucks against - Phaetons and Boss Banshees. It seems that Phaetons eat Wasps for lunch and don’t even burp, even the standard AI ones, not the Boss ones. And while I have had success against the AI supporting Banshees, the Boss Banshees (Banshee Raiders - Temple Banshees) are just too much. Maybe when the ONI Wasp comes out I’ll try to go toe-to-toe in the air, but for now, I use the Wasp as CAS for ground Bosses & objectives.
Plasma Casters: man, I used to hate these things. But now, I use a ton of these in WZFF, even the base model. Good against all kinds of Bosses - Knights, Grunt Mechs, Wraiths. Sticking grenades on targets is always good, but even just lobbing them at the base of targets will yield you positive results. For a REQ L3 item, very powerful.
SPNKR EM: I pull out a lot more vehicles than weapons, but one that comes out frequently is this one. Why? Four round rocket magazine, locks on ground as well as air targets, nuff said.
These are my suggestions. But please remember, don’t rule out all the stuff you might have. Needlers are awesome. Suppressors, when used right, will wreck enemies. Boltshots, especially L2 & L3’s, have helped me take down a lot of Knights - their homing ability onto their weakspots is impressive. Railguns definitely have their place. And don’t rule out L2 chaingun & plasma turrets, especially during a “Defend the ____” round.
