/svidya/ - Strict /v/

Just to help out new players and those looking to buy the game:

Buying the game.
This might seem strange, but bear with me. Finding a game can be frustrating if you're just trying to play with pubbies. The majority of people pick it up and play with friends. So, be willing to get it on sale and get it for friends. The ingame AI is actually no slouch on settings medium and up. 4 friends vs. 2 AI Sharks = an amazingly fun pants shitting experience.

Diver strategy.
1.) The P-11 pistol and APS rifle are your best friend.
The P-11 is, hands down, the best early game weapon and it does give divers a slight edge early on. The APS is another fairly early game weapon that enhances the diver's edge in the beginning stages of a game. They're affordable and have good punch. That's not to say other weapons are bad, it's just I found these to be the most dependable.

2.) Spear guns require practice.
They have a faster projectile speed than the automatics, but only one shot, so you need to be careful. It might reload damn quick, but sharks are damn quicker. Nets are in this category, too. Nets can really help protect in open water as a netted shark drops any driver it may have.

3.) Mines are a mixed blessing.
You have $800 to start with. Mines cost $200 a pop and they aren't replenished upon respawn. You might kill the occasional shark here and there, but they also pose a threat to you, your teammates, will detonate other mines nearby, and drain money like nothing else. Tagging, Sonar Buoys, and Flares are a better investment, usually.

4.) DO. NOT. GO. OFF. ALONE.
You will be shark bait. That is, unless you have the DPV with a magnetic upgrade. That will suck up LOOOOADS of treasure and get you LODS of EMONE.

5.) Open water = death.
Open water will leave you extra vulnerable. Not only do you have a nearly infinite amount of angles to defend against, sharks have much better perceptive abilities and will see you from farther out. As a Mako player, I get the vast majority of my kills in open water.

6.) Corridors != safe.
The latest addition of the Hammerhead, which excels in this environment, will ruin your shit. However, corridors do provide safety. If you can deny shark escape routes, you're much better off.

7.) Coordinate.
You will lose if you don't. End game sharks are nightmarish. Make sure you're always together and always keep STEVE welded.

>>12409
Sharks.

1.) FUCKING COORDINATE.
Just because there's only two of you doesn't mean you shouldn't coordinate. Again, as a Mako Player, I love a good Great White. He can take way more damage than I can. As soon as he barges in and grabs a diver, the diver team is concentrating on him, I can shoot in, grab another and usually have the time and stamina to dart through behind the Great White or even about face and run back the way I came.

2.) You have limited stamina.
You can right click to perform a quick stamina draining dash and left click for a shorter, more power, and more efficient bite. Makos have the most stamina and White sharks the least, with Tiger and Hammerhead in the middle.

3.) Don't pick the same Shark.
Shark types compliment each other and will make a pair stronger. Often, this means one player is almost always Great White given how valuable it is. You could even get away with two White sharks on a team, but you might run into trouble in open water as your stamina is limited. I'm willing to bet you could utilize the Hammerhead's close quarters wizardry and the Tiger Shark's cloak on the cramped maps. Two Makos are usually a bad idea.

4.) Bash. Down. Everything.
Through out the maps, you'll see walls with white, pink, and red fracture lines. These are destructible. The real key to shark success is the attack run. You want to know where you're going to make an exit. The faster you can go in, grab, and get out, the better. Bashing down walls will open up new escape routes for you and your teammate.

5.) One Pass, Haul Ass.
Flight simmers might recognize this strategy. Commit to an attack, not a kill. If you can't get a diver on a lunge, don't turn around and try again then and there. You will die. Swoop in, grab for something, then get out no matter what. If you got a kill? Good. If not? Good, you can try again.

6.) Hemogenesis and Blood Feast are your best friends.
This is why Sharks are hellish late game. Hemogenesis should be an immediate goal (2 kills) and Blood Feast a secondary (5 more kills). Hemogenesis will provide you with health regeneration, which can be practical early game, allowing you to go catch a seal to eat. Blood Feast gives you health back for every kill you make.

7.) Know your shark.
Each shark has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Great White.
OH YEAH IT'S THE JUGGERNAUT, BITCH. The most health and the least stamina. It's ability is called Juggernaut. When activated, it ignores a great deal of damage. At it's base level, it ignores 30% of incoming damage. Fully upgraded, it ignores 50% as well as tranquilizer rounds and nets. Tranqs will be something you need to be careful of. You have no stamina and you are a big target. Without stamina you can't attack or flee effectively.

Tiger Shark.
The tiger is a balance of health and stamina. It can also cloak itself and even avoid detection by sonar buoys and flares. Fully upgraded, it can stay cloaked for 6 seconds.

Hammerhead Shark.
Hammerheads don't actually do that much damage. However, the damage is severely multiplied as you bash into things. So, when you get a diver? You need to be bouncing off walls and the floors. Its special ability, Relentless Force, will gain you stamina back as you bash into things. Fully upgraded? It gives health back.

Mako Shark.
This is haado mode. Mako is weak, but fast. And, it does a lot of damage. It has the most stamina and good Mako players can dart about a room, killing multiple divers. Their special ability, Mark Prey, allows the Mako to mark a target for his or her teammate. If the target is killed while marked, the Mako gets bonus evolution points for that. 5 points for every mark or half a kill. Upgrading it increases the duration to 10 seconds and cool down to 6.

Hope this helps.