Overview
This thread will cover a few tips and strategies that helped my clan secure our top 3 positions on the clan leaderboards in 6-7 categories every single day that APB was live. This will be a general guide to help those of you who may be new to the game, as well as those of you who may not have had the best time in San Paro.Team weapon load-outs: If possible try to load out your team so as you have a tactical advantage, if your objective is in a tight alley in financial district massing short range weaponry is fine. However generally speaking a mixture of Medium / Long range weaponry and short range weaponry flankers is a superior weapon set. An example would be 1-2 submachine guns/Shotguns, one assault rifle, and one sniper.Communication: Notify your team of enemies in the vicinity of the team: 2 NW, 1 S, ETC. Also let your teammates know if you’ve died and how. “I’m down – 2 subs south” etc. Your entire team can get wiped out by a single flanker if they don’t realize you’ve died.Creating plans / tactics during mission play. Johnny / Bobby draw their fire long range, Sammy flank from South, Billy flank from NE. Game Tactics and Suggestions:Be sure to check the mission description at each progressive level as the objective can change from a timed mission to lives or simple objectives to one with a timer and limited lives to accomplish said goal, before you know it you’ve lost the mission and don’t know why. When a mission switches to lives, make sure you verbally inform your team that it is the case, it’s almost GUARANTEED someone doesn’t realize that the objectives have switched to lives.When the enemy has taken control of a defensible position, assault as a coordinated group else die a hell of a lot and still lose the mission.If half or more of the team dies and your enemy have control of the area, wait to regroup & create a quick assault plan before you head back into the fire zone. Don’t and you are against skilled enemies you will die over and over, single file.Combat Tactics:Always use cover, cover is the key to living and succeeding in APB. Move using cover, fight using cover. Scenario: I am using a sub machine gun, a sniper in the street at max range is picking team members off, stopping my teammate from capturing the objective. I will charge the sniper using what ever cover I can find to put something between him and myself until I get in my weapon range.I have successfully used mail boxes, cars, signs, barrels, anything you can find to stop / deflect bullets. This will do two things, give your teammate time to capture while you distract the enemy, and get you closer to your kill zone.Create tactical positions at objectives:Fight in positions that you can assist each other without having to change positions.Example: If I am using a sub I will pick a corner to wait for enemies that my teammates have line of sight out of, they can help me kill the enemy and call out enemy presence if I don’t see them. Same goes the other way around If I have the Rifle I’ll over-watch a position that I can watch my position and turn around and help a teammate kill his opponent. Adapt to the enemies tactics:If the enemy are using subs and owning you position yourselves in crossfire over watch positions, to allow double teams on enemies. If the enemy is in over-watch positions and you have mostly short range weapons or only use short range have one of your long range teammates draw their attention while teammates sneak into range and coordinate shredding them.These are just a few things that you can do to help prolong your life, and your fun, in San Paro.Movement: I have found it better if you move the mouse as little as possible, instead strafing left and right to help keep your crosshair on the target. Also using marksman mode (AKA Aiming down the sights/ADS) does VERY little to affect the spread of the shotgun and it slows you down, so I *personally* don’t do it.Defense: Wait at a corner. When an enemy approaches, call it out as soon as you notice them (See Communication above). When the enemy gets within 10 meters of you, pop out just enough to get a shot off and pop back behind cover just long enough to ready the next shell. This tactic usually makes enemies think you’re either retreating or reloading, and they will continue moving towards you. Pop back out and shoot again. Repeat until the enemy dies or retreats. If the enemy retreats and you have scored at least two good shots on them, you may consider pursuing them to finish them off, but be wary of other enemies that may be laying in wait.Offense: Try to avoid open areas when advancing towards an objective. Corner pop when possible. If the enemy/enemies are distracted by your teammates, get as close as you can before opening fire. It’s risky, but it’s the most effective considering the short range of the shotguns. If the enemy has noticed you, corner pop without shooting to try to get them to waste ammo. If you see them start reloading, light them up.Combination Attack: Throw a grenade before shooting them to make the kill as quickly as possible. I personally use this tactic with great success against distracted enemies and enemies in tight locations. I prefer the Percussion grenades for this tactic, since it detonates on impact.NOTE: The JG is superior to the NFAS in most situations, even though it fires much slower and reloads sooner, its spread is tighter and its damage is higher. But there are certain situations where the NFAS is more useful: Defending a hallway from multiple attackers and Assaulting a small, tight location where the enemies don’t have much room to move.Personal Recommendation: Take the JG. Stock it will kill an enemy in 3 shots if they’re very close, 2 if they’re point-blank.Positioning:Try to position yourself far enough away from the action that the enemies don’t want to bother trying to shoot at you, but in a good enough position that you can see them long enough to get a couple of shots off. Rooftops and bridges across an open area/down the street from the objective are the best places. Positioning yourself between their respawn points and the objective is ideal, but takes some practice to know where they are going to be coming from.Pistol Switching:With the HVR, after you land one hit, you can usually switch to a pistol and 1-2 shots will finish the enemy off if your pistol packs enough punch. However, in closer range situations, I have found it best to hit them with the pistol first before switching to your sniper rifle. If you hit them with the sniper rifle first, they are likely to panic and get to cover before you have the chance to hit them with your pistol, so my advice is to use the pistol first so they won’t instantly run away.Movement:Try not to move as much as possible. Any movement throws off your shot. If you swap to your sniper after a pistol hit, crouch and marksman before taking your shot.Teamwork:Many times I have tag-teamed enemies with someone using an Obeya. Let them hit the enemy before you take your shot, and the enemy goes down before he realizes what is happening. It takes more coordination, but the result is the equivalent of Pistol Switching at range and works very well when you are defending a VIP from an elevated position.NOTE:The HVR shoots much slower than the DMR, but deals SIGNIFICANTLY more damage. I recommend the HVR.