[Contest] So you got a free Raelynn?

Overview

Someone gave you a code for a free Raelynn, this guide is for you! This guide will get you into shape so you can assist the person who gave you such a great gift.

Get to know Rae

Raelynn is a sniper, she was trained by the best. Don’t get too attached to her though, she is not single, she is in a relationship with “Cuddles” her pulserifle.

Speaking of the weapon, it is one of Rae’s skills.

This skill is similar to the gameplay of FPS games like Counterstrike.
Simply point and shoot. The only catch is that Raelynn has to stand still and charge up cuddles before you can snipe.

Sniping is not a good idea when an enemy is close by, it is easy to fall into a trap of snipefeeding.
Feeding is bad!

Like any good soldier, Raelynn has plenty of grenades. The grenades she has in possession are special, they have the power to warp time!

Timerift grenades can be thrown close or far, the timerift is great for blocking the path of opponents and allowing sneaky escapes!

The rift can be upgraded with a ton of nifty features.
These include cuddlebuffs and terminator droids.
(Both are very good upgrades)

Making good use of Raelynn

So you know who Raelynn is, she has been given to you as a gift from a very generous person.
How do you thank them?

Get gud with her.

The rest of this guide will give you a strategy to get gud with Raelynn with the minimum amount of effort.
You will screech up to league 3 before you even know it!

The first few games with Raelynn

In order for you to be a valuable asset with Raelynn, you need to stay alive and defend the turrets.
This section will help you through your first few games with Raelynn.

It gives Raelynn’s cuddleblaster piercing. This is the best upgrade you can get for destroying droids and keeping your turrets as fit as a fiddle.

Discipline yourself. Stay behind the turret when you are being attacked and simply shoot the attacking nauts and droids. Use your rift too. Beware of the few nauts which can still attack you when you are behind the turret (Coco, Rocco, Ted etc.)

You can venture out, just don’t get killed, stay behind a teammate.
You are not experienced enough to push hard yet.

Getting better at Raelynn

You should have won a few games by now and be level one with Rae.
Maybe you haven’t been winning… Either way, read this next section.

You can now start being a bit risky with Raelynn.
This upgrade creates a terminator when you activate your timerift.
Terminators are flying death machines which can tank turret damage for you just like ordinary droids.
This means you can start to be clever and be a bit more aggressive attacking enemy turrets.

Don’t be a noob though, you still need a way to escape. Since your rift will be active, you will need something else.

These boots make you run like a cheetah when you are not using any weaponry.
They are fantastic, a must buy when you are killed the first time during a game.
This purchase will insure your HP is not decreased to zero again.

Mastering Raelynn

Once you are at level two with Raelynn, you can master her.
This won’t be easy…

Actually I am kidding. You won’t be a master at Raelynn until you are level 12.
Important lesson in Awesomenauts, do not overestimate yourself. This is a team game.

Instead, here is a quick tip. Most players don’t expect burst from AA abilities (Your basic auto-attack).
Raelynn has a secret upgrade which will surprise all but the most hard-core players.

This is an amazing upgrade, it doubles your next AA shot after a timerift.
Combined with piercing, you have amazing droid killing ability.
Check out this video:

It is great for finishing off enemies with low health and it combos great with a snipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the Raelynn builds?
I have provided some must-buy upgrades, build around these. Awesomenauts is not a game about specific build orders, you need to learn how to adapt. Use your favourite upgrades and work around them.

Is AA Raelynn better than Snipe Raelynn?
For people who are new to Raelynn, yes.

Why does my team lose a turret whenever I die?
You are the defence, when you are dead. Your turrets are dead.
Stay alive and you won’t have this problem.

Why are you suggesting a stalling strategy?
Because burst meta is too hard on new players.

Why can’t my team do any damage to the opponents turrets?
They are pressuring you. Tell your team to hang back, wait for your opponents to make a mistake while attacking a turret then get a double kill and destroy the enemy teams turret.