Class Guide

by Arsonistt

Notes: Most of the information is given from experience and opinions from playing Hardcore Co-Op with fellow Universe clan members. This is not a guide to cover every situation, but it is a guide to help give pointers in some areas. While you can be told how to do something 1,000,000 times, nothing beats actual combat experience. When in doubt, ask your team and clan for advice. Universe uses TeamSpeak for fast communication between squad members. Along with knowing your position in a squad, you must also have good communication to succeed. You can download the version that best suits your computer from www.teamspeak.com.

Rifleman

(Assault)

Preferred Killzone

Short-Range & Medium-Range

Job Description

The Rifleman is the point-man of the squad. He is charged with being the first to engage enemies in combat. His primary goal should be to eliminate all targets directly in front of him and the team. He is in charge of ground targets where the team will be moving and all targets that are moving toward the team's location. If there are no immediate threats close to the team, then he should engage in higher up and further away targets if possible. He is also the ammo jockey of the group and is in charge of refilling his own and his teammate's ammo supplies.

Things to remember

Call out Shields, Snipers, Spec-Ops, Machine-Gun Turrets, and RPGs for the rest of your team as you see them. Do not be afraid to disengage and fall back into the squad for better teamwork or cover when handling special enemies
Remember to give your team ammo when they need it. Watch for the three bullet ammo sign over your teammate's heads. If they can't fire at the enemy to back you up, then you are alone on the front lines
You are not Superman. While you are the “meatshield” of your team, you still need to take cover and try to survive. Move in areas that allow you take cover while firing at the enemy if possible. If something is above your paygrade – let's say a Sniper or Spec-Ops on the third floor of a building down the street – then call it out and let a sniper handle it while you keep ground pressure off of him.
If there are multiple far-away targets or they are in a fortified position, do not be afraid to change to a “Hold the Line” attitude. This gives snipers a chance to help pick off targets or an engineer time to set up traps on the ground to lure targets to their doom before advancing further.
You are still not Superman. If you are injured below half health, wait for a medic or engineer to help repair some or all of your health and armor before moving the line forward. Because you are at the front, you also have to be the most cautious and weary of upcoming areas and expect the worst.
Depending on the map or if you are doing Tower Raid, you may want to take a preferred machine gun over an assault rifle for increased clip size when dealing with hoards of enemies.

Engineer

(Assault/Support)

Preferred Killzone

Short-Range & Medium-Range

Job Description

The engineer is the explosive expert of the group. He is capable of setting up traps, and engaging in short-range and medium-range enemies. Due to his capabilities, he is often classified as the backup rifleman for a group. This means that an engineer's job is up front working with or behind a rifleman to set up traps in choke-points for known enemies to walk through. He is responsible for all short-range opponents who get too near to the group and the medics. The engineer is also the armor expert in the group and is in charge of making sure that his teammates always have armor for extra protection. Armor negates damage from health and is a big asset to the survivability of any team (especially against snipers). If there are no immediate threats within range, then it is the engineer's job to make sure that everyone's armor is good to go before playing assault and focusing on targets further away.

Things to remember

In hardcore, call out if you are planning on setting up a claymore or mine by a door so that your teammates can hold back for a few seconds until the area is clear.
Along with your claymores, do not forget you can buy anti-personnel mines for double the demolition fun.
If you think that an enemy you missed or enemies you are engaging will try sneaking up on your team from a route you are not covering, then feel free to drop a claymore or anti-personnel mine along the pathway.
Repair armor between or at the start of enemy engagements.
Don't be afraid to take cover and repair your own or your teammate's armor in the middle of combat if you are under heavy fire or things don't go to well at the start of an encounter.
While engineers have a better ability than riflemen to rush into close-quarters situations due to their ability to repair their armor when it falters, do not let it go to your head and remember to proceed with caution when you are at the front.

Sniper

(Long-range Support / Semi-assault)

Preferred Killzone

Medium-range & Long-range

Job Description

The Motto: “One shot. One kill. So, let's reach out and touch someone.” The sniper's job is purely to support Riflemen and Engineers by taking care of all enemies that are high and out of the way or too far away for the rifleman to quickly kill with ease. Plus, they can quickly and effectively engage in these targets all the way from the back of the squad. Their main focus is getting into position and killing Spec-Ops, Snipers, and RPGs while taking care of any immediate threats along the way. If they don't have high-priority targets to deal with before the team can advance, then they should move on to trying to kill CQBs then Shields before helping riflemen and engineers engage assaults on the ground.

Things to remember

Bolt action sniper rifles have smaller clips, but higher stopping power. Because you have to un-scope to reload the next round, it is often slower and you have to make every shot count, but the shot is guaranteed to kill the enemy if it hits.
Semi-auto sniper rifles have higher clip sizes, but they are 2-shot kills without a headshot. This allows for easy correction of a shot or burst on an enemy due to the fact that you stay zoomed in on the scope. Depending on map or playing style, one type may work better for you than the other. Find out what works best for you.
Similar to engineers, snipers can equip an anti-personnel mine in their special slot. Don't be afraid to place it and retreat to help deal with swarming ground troops on your position.
Depending on the map and situation, you may need to temporarily stay toward the front in order to quickly dispatch high priority targets (snipers / RPGs / spec-ops) before they can pose a serious threat to the team.
When using a rifle that is not bolt-action, try to always go for headshots on still targets, and 2 hit kills on moving targets- When using a bolt-action, try to aim for the chest or center mass of a target. You do not need a headshot to kill it. If you can only shoot a hand or a foot then that works just as well for a 1-shot kill.
Bolt action sniper rifles do not always 1-shot melee security guards in Tower Raid. Depending on your flexibility, skill, and playing style, you may want to bring the AY-550 due to its clip size.
While you can easily stay in the back and get kills, try not to stray too far from the squad as a crack sniper shot or missed enemy can kill you too far away from medical support.
Attachments are fun! If you know a shot will be slightly harder, remember to switch to a higher-powered scope for better zoom and accuracy before the squad runs into combat.

Medic

(Support)

Preferred Killzone

Short-Range

Job Description

The medic is the heart and life of a team. The primary job of the medic is to heal and revive fallen allies. They can usually be found hanging toward the back of the team while just in front of the sniper, or they can be found right behind the assault and engineer. However, with weapons like the Striker shotgun, they can be extremely lethal in close-quarters combat. It is their job to kill any enemies that stray too close that the assault and engineer have yet to engage. Due to the Medic's healing capabilities, he is the primary candidate for the tactic of spinning Heavy Gunners in circles until they reload.

Things to remember

First and foremost, you are responsible for your entire team. Try keep calm and stay toward the back and out of combat if possible. You must assess the situation and decide what you need to do to keep the team alive before fully focusing the enemy.
One mistake on your part can cause the entire team to wipe if the area ahead requires a medic. Likewise, do not play the hero (unless you are Vini) and try to revive or heal someone if there is a good chance that you will die in the process when the area is unsafe. Chances are if someone is dead, it is not a safe place to be.
If you are going to attempt the tactic of spinning the Heavy Gunner, try to remember that friendly fire is not friendly. If you are taking excessive damage from your team shooting you while trying to spin the Heavy Gunner, do not be afraid to disengage and tell them to either stand down or take over if they will not let you do your job. You do not need to die just because someone else wants the kill.
If you are confronted with a shield-using enemy, put your back against a wall as fast as you can and bring out your defibs. If you are against a wall, shields cannot knock you down, and you can defib the shield if he stays close enough to keep hitting you. They can cause death just as well as negate it.
Medics work good in pairs. You will almost always have a backup medic per team so learn to play well with others. If you save his life, he just might save yours.
If multiple people are down and one is the other medic on the team, revive the medic first ( if possible). Likewise, if you are downed and the other medic revives you, revive another teammate before healing yourself (if possible). If a situation does not permit one or the other, get up who you can without risk of death. More people means higher survivability.- When in doubt, consult your local Viniterra (or just Vini for short) and take a look at his medic guide if you find yourself needing more advice*. (*see Exceptions for more information.)

Exceptions

* Not all actions and advice may be sanctioned by this guide, myself, or fellow clan members. Vini is a notorious medic known as THE Doctor Doom on most teams due to his ability to defib enemies while keeping his team alive. He openly baits shields into corners so he can watch them fly back from the electric jolt of death. He is a reckless god who cannot be killed and hoards infinite lives while laughing as his enemies' faces fill with fear when they have to stop to reload. If he wants a target dead bad enough, it will die sooner or later.