Taking the Blunt: Conquest Tactic

Garazaki · 01-14-2009, 03:57 AM

Defining the words.

Taking the Brunt is nothing else then to place yourself as a defending shield in front of your friends to ward them from the main body of the enemy offence. It is arguably the most effective tactic to reduce pressure on the center battlefield and give your allies an easier time capping the remaining flags and defending their own.

Usage and limits.

The only limit that is narrowing down the tactic is the kind of map you are on. The only factor maps have to meet is that both sides have an UCB. This due to the fact that if you are on a map where you can outcap the defender (for example the EU on Cerbere Landing), you have no base to 'take the brunt' from if there is any form of decent leading on your side.

Setting up your squad.

The first thing to do is to look at the map and see what would be a good defensive flag. The only advice I can give here is that you look for the flag in direct approximity of the enemy UCB, this is essential to the effectiveness of the tactic.

Next thing you want is to give your squad a suitable name. On the TG servers this is mostly done by naming your squad to your objective. For example 'eastern' when you are playing EU in Tunis Harbor and want to cap the Eastern Docks.

Wait untill your squad fills up - a full 6 man squad is usually required to keep up with the attacks. Now, a setup I like to go with is as follows:

If you are on a map with lots o' vehicles:

SL - Support [ IDS / EMP Grenade ] [Beacon]
S1 - Assault [ Defab / RANDOM ]
S2 - Engineer (AT) [ Motion Mines / Mine Bait ]
S3 - Engineer (AT) [ EMP Mines / Mine Bait ]
S4 - Engineer (AA) [ Motion Mines / PDS ]
S5 - Engineer (AA) [ EMP Mines / PDS ]

This is recommended on maps with more vehicles than the APC / Walker format and a MUST in the bigger vehicle maps. It's a balanced squad set-up that suits the task and keeps your squidmates busy. You take care of supplies, occasional infantry and EMP'ing yourself while your Engi's take out anything big and your Assault keeps them up.

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If you are on an infantry map (vehicles not exceeding use of APC / Walker / FAV):

SL - Support [ IDS / Enforcer ] [Beacon]
S1 - Engineer (AT) [ Motion Mines / Mine Bait ]
S2 - Asssault [Defab / Rockets]
S3 - "
S4 - "
S5 - "

One skilled Engi is usually enough to take on a Walker and/or APC and it gets easier when an AT-rorsh is present. You will take care of supplies and support (duh) the Assaults against enemy infantry.

How to get there.

Remind your squad to hold their spawn while you get out to get a FAV. Always go for the FAV when you can since it is usually a long way down and for the sake of dodging tanks and gunships that would be your bane with respectivily the apc and transport.

Stay clear of the main road unless you are 100% sure you get to your objective first, which is unlikely as it is the flag furthest away from your base. When you are in or near (depending on how much red blips you can see), tell your squad to spawn in and get them on the flag while you look for a good position for a beacon.

There are some factors deciding if you want to break off or not.

Should your initial attack fail for some reason which neutralised the surprise effect, or if your enemy has a squad defending it, you must ask yourself the following:

- Is it doable to overcome there defences without losing too much tickets in the process?
- Does the Commander need my squad somewhere else?

If you are able to answer 'yes' to one of these questions, break off. If not, try a different approach.

Defending the Flag

In most cases, getting there and capping the flag is the hardest and most unpredictable. If you arranged a good squad setup defending won't be much of a problem.

The most important thing to do is make good use of your recources. Most of the following applies not to only this tactic but to tactical gameplay in general:

- Scanning. Make use of the IDS and PDS in your squad and spot whatever enemy you see! You save the Commander an UAV which can be used somewhere else, and you'll have a solid way of seeying any incomings at which your squad can adept.

- Stationary Weapons. Never underestimate those as it's guarenteed ticket loss on the enemy side and are mostly pretty accurate in long range occasions as well.

- Location. Some flags are easier to defend then others due to the lack of cover and some are more fitting for purpose of 'taking the brunt' and require adjustment of tactics. For example 'taking the blunt' on PAC in Belgrade should mean that you take the Station but the danger is that two well placed APC rounds can take out your squad as you can only get cover behind the containers clustered around the flag and the Metro station up top. This is where you can consider to take Statue instead, which is much easier. As for large maps like Shuhia Tabia, the enemy has quite some room to get past your flag, so it is either required to use armour to expand your reach or consider doing something else.

Notes

AA Rorshes.

There is a difference between chasing off and killing, which is respectivily the difference of staying inside or outside the AA gun.

Most Gunship pilots start evasive manouvering as soon they are locked on by enemy AA countermeasures. Sure, you saved the day of your squad, but they'll just destroy some armour further down the map.

Instead of staying inside the AA scanning the skies for any flyboy's, stay outside and wait untill they get reckless. A lot of Gunship Pilots are willing to take more risk if they aren't locked. Wait untill they are afloat over your base, trying to take down your armour, THEN get inside the AA gun. I promise, you never had an easier kill. First fire an EMP missile which is bound to hit, then rip the thing apart with a concentrated burst of AA shells. Unless you are really unlucky, the Gunship didn't have time to put shields up, if it did manage, use your 2nd EMP missile to lock him in place again and then take him down. You saved the day of your squad AND the lifes of your allies further down the battlefield.

* When trying any of these things, execute them the TG Way *

Coming up:

- List of suitable maps and flags.
- Video showing the use of the tactic (got the footage, just need to edit).
- Link to Server Rules

Hope to get these done by the end of the weak.

Comments and advise welcome. Happy TG gaming.

vorlon010 · 01-14-2009, 09:53 AM

One comment I'd like to venture is that I see this tactic pretty often when I play. Not to say it's a bad move in any way, but if it's overused commanders and SLs will be anticipating it, and it'll just lead to repeated squad whipes and ticket loss.

A possible variant is to use cloaked recons to get in, take that flag, mine it and get out - a hit-and-fade tactic, if you will.

Garazaki · 01-14-2009, 11:12 AM

Point noted. It is true that overuse will trigger your enemy into a certain reaction, this is the way with every tactic I guess though. The tactic isn't anythign usefull on maps where you can outcap your enemy so it shouldn't be too bad when it comes down to variation!

Cloakers could do the job of capping the flag, but the problem is that you'll need to hold it or you'll be just using a hit and run tactic instead, you won't be able to hold of enemy armour or a big movement.

Thanks for the reply, Vorlon.

vorlon010 · 01-14-2009, 11:25 AM

I get what you mean, my suggestion of using recons was more with infantry maps in mind, as a way of slowing the enemy advance and forcing them to divide their attention across the map.

It really depends on what the intent of the action is overall - if the plan is bottling up enemy armour then you need engis, mines and heavy weaponry. If the plan is to undercut the enemy advance and make them waste time reinforcing their rear guard then the important part is getting the point and either holding it or re-capping it, and either pinning down enemy forces or at least not getting obliterated by them.

There are byproducts of both, of course, depending on your timing and the map in question. On a large map, once your engineers have fortified and dug in, depending on how much heat the point is taking, you could either fall back along the line of the enemy advance, harassing the advance of troops and armour or support advancing friendly squads. On a small map, if you have the personel available, you can send people forward with RDX to blow enemy assets. I'm sure there's other variants, but I'm looking at those as they are the ones mentioned already.

Garazaki · 01-14-2009, 11:37 AM

I see.

These are some good suggestions. If you have a skilled Recon in your squad, and he can spare the time to take out some assets, he could do it. If the pressure get's too big and you want to fall back, you can do that. Main thing I want people to understand however is that by taking and especially holding the flag under the nose of their UCB is one of the best things to do to make the match progress easier in your favor.

You could do this with Recons on an Infantry map, but the problem would be the lack of a Medic, meaning you have a guaranteed ticket loss on your side if things go wrong. You can take a Medic with you, but he won't be able to stealth. You could fall back if the pressure get's too big. But falling back orderly is a big problem if you have armour or an assaulting squad chasing you down. Resulting in most likely the loss of your squad and the penetration of enemy units.

It all comes down to the playstyle of the many squadleaders in the end!

The only thing I do with this little guide is to put the core structure on paper, and everyone is more then welcome to decorate it with their own preferances and do's and dont's when they execute this in game.

**pred011586** · 01-14-2009, 12:13 PM

I know you mentioned at the end there to do everything the TG way, but for newcomers to the forums, and non-members going through the forums, who are not aware of what the TG way is, it might be good to mention not to shoot into the enemy UCB. On Belgrade as EU, it's easy to start shooting into the UCB without realizing it since it's a pretty wide open area between Pond and PAC's UCB. Sidi can become the same way if you move up to the tower thing between the last flag and the UCB.

Other than that, great write up.

**Repaq** · 01-14-2009, 12:20 PM

Blunt and Brunt are two different words.

Garazaki · 01-14-2009, 12:34 PM

Pred011586,

I will add a link to the TG Code of Conduct and BF2142 rules, thanks for pointing this out.

***

Repaq,

It should be Brunt then? English ain't my first language so pardon me for any grammatical errors. Will fix this. Thanks for pointing it.

EDIT: Fixed the spelling error where I could, unable to adjust thread title though. Will have to post some more in order to place a link, a 15 post boundary is required per user before you can link to a web adress.

**LordKelvin** · 01-14-2009, 01:46 PM

LOL, I'll take the blunt... that means something entirely different

Yeah, Brunt is the word you are looking for.

Garazaki · 01-14-2009, 01:51 PM

*facedesk*

So glad I got corrected >_> Could an Admin change the thread title? Thank you.

**Zhohar** · 01-14-2009, 04:18 PM

The entirety of "taking the brunt" depends on how willing the enemy is to attack your flag.
If, for example, on Sidi, you set up just outside the PAC UCB (Military Outpost) or just outside the EU UCB (Power Generator), the enemy has wide lanes on each side of the flag to bypass you.

You will attract pubbies who are looking for quick action. Huge maps like Sidi don't have many choke points, and pubbies like choke points. If you present them an easy choke point, close to the UCB, and close to plentiful armor spawns, the pubbies will be all over it.

TG SLs will usually just leave you alone because you have the advantage on this flag. You've already set up and you have mines down. We need to come across open ground toward your flag.

The best idea, I find, to dislodging squads like this, is to get a buggy, and come up from behind with 6 medics. These defenders usually get only a couple of pieces of armor, and most of them are engineers looking toward the UCB. Come from behind, come with IDSs and cap their flag. Then use the medics and mow down their engineers. Works like a charm.

Most often, though, I personally will leave such squads alone. The pubbies on my team will go after such squads, and a huge fight will ensue just outside our UCB. Thing is, the enemy team will invariably spawn at least another squad on that flag just to get a piece of the action.
At that point, you're 12 people down for 1 flag out of 5. I'm pretty happy with that. Makes my job easier on the other flags

Two sides to every coin, Gazarski, two sides to everything

Garazaki · 01-14-2009, 06:15 PM

Not much to bring up against that...

Two sides to every coin indeed, but I disagree with Military Outpost on Sidi. It's quite an effective chokepoint as there is only one route you can use for bypassing, and that's the road down some sort of slope, next to the bunker building, I would not know on the Power Generator flag though.

I'm currently working to put together a vid where I'm leading a squad in this tactic on the TG server at Military Outpost. Throughout the entirety of the match we've been able to hold it with one squad, nailing down the enemy gunship twice and effectively destroying and holding off ALL armour coming from there UCB and some from the other side as well. Might be a lucky match on our side, and yeah there were some nitwits on. But it still represents the use of the tactic very well

With a decent level of squad leading there's usually enough time to counter an enemy squad that wants to sneak around and take your flag, only due to smart emplacement of IDS. This is where I use myself as example though, and you are probably right that in some situations enemy squads can overwhelm the defenders.

But ofcourse. If there are some har-tards on your side there's always chances that everything goes wrong! :P

**Thesleeper01** · 01-24-2009, 07:03 AM

I have held it a few times for the whole game too but there is reaily 3-4 ways out.

OUt to the left on the left road, turbo boost over motion mines & Aircraft.

If you go there and only have 2 anti tank engies then your looking to get dislodged easy if your attacked with armor, after all a squad could spawn in at there base and pick up 2 tanks and 2 APC's and crew them all versus your guys in .... thin cotton shirts.

If they try to take the point it can be hard but if they just sit back and harvest your points you need to get into a few choak points to attack the APC's that are shelling you and that is when your killed easyer.

When I take one of the 2 flags close to a UCB on sidi it is usualy 50/50 be attacked and harvest a lot of points/ not be attacked enought to justify 6 people sitting there.

Garazaki · 01-26-2009, 02:56 AM

I've been playing out the tactic a bit more since I wrote the original post of this guide, and the fact that smart squadleaders start to ignore you is indeed true. This means that the tactic is unusable untill you manage to take out any forms of traffic over, past or through your brunting base, which means this is only working when you have a point effectivily sealing off the approach ways.

Though it is still usable, I suggest you take a good look at the map and see if such a choking point is available, if not, use your time on another matter, soldier.

Thanks for the comments and advise everyone.

**LordKelvin** · 01-26-2009, 06:05 AM

I think this tactic is better described as "distract and annoy".

Unless all other flags are yours, you are going to be doing little except perhaps distracting non-Zhohar-like squads and annoying the crap out of armor.

The only place this tactic works phenomenally is when EU is losing on Belgrade. Taking Monorail seals the deal, locking the EU armor in the base, and making victory nearly impossible.