Very Quick Tips for the Titanfall beta

Me…and my Tiiiitan

I’ve been playing a ton of the Titanfall beta, and I think I’ve started to get a handle on how things work as both a pilot and a Titan.

Since a lot of readers out there have asked for a collection of tips to help them skyrocket to the top of the leaderboards, here’s a quick guide on how to kick ass and fall some Titans.

Pilot tips:

• As soon as you unlock it, equip the second anti-Titan launcher option in your loadout screen. The first option is a slow lock-on method that the enemy Titan can actually see it coming from a mile away. The second option is more of a rapid fire manual rocket launcher that can rip through a Titan strategically. When any red points show up aim at those for critical hits.

• Remember that you have stealth at your fingertips with the press of a button (LB). I’ve spoken to many players out there who don’t use stealth consistently — there’s no reason to pop it at nearly every opportunity.

• When enemy Titans are not on the battlefield, operate as you normally would with any FPS that features a high rate of mobility. But when enemy Titans start dropping, you need to change your tactics entirely. Move quickly to take them out by going to the rooftops, staying out of sight, and launching your anti-Titan missiles.

• Remember that Titanfall is a mobility-centric game. You can basically traverse any surface you want, by way of climbing and wallrunning. Your double-jump resets with nearly every action, so keep mashing the button with confidence and you’ll be able to climb almost anything.

• If you press LT on a wall while wallrunning, you can “stick” to that surface. This often makes you a sitting duck, but it can give you an edge against an enemy Titan facing away from you that’s distracted.

• Kill lots of Grunts and Spectres (AI) if you’re playing the Attrition mode. It’s an easy way to complete weapon challenges, unlock new weapon mods, and get tons of points.

• The smart pistol is a really fun weapon but I would not recommend it in most cases. Lots of pilot-to-pilot combat takes place on rooftops since it’s a safe place to hide from Titans. As such, you will often need to shoot someone at long range, making either rifle option a safe bet.

• You have the ability to “rodeo” Titans by jumping on their backs, ripping off their heads, and shooting their cores. Use a standard weapon and blast away, but note that the enemy pilot may jump out to take care of you.

• Like many FPS games that feature “assassination” melee moves when you’re behind someone, that animation that plays when doing it is often a waste of time. Just shoot them in the head and be done with it so you don’t get targeted by someone else.

Titan tips:

• Although I have seen some players suggest that you should put your Titan in “auto-follow/auto-pilot” mode often, I strongly disagree. Titans are a massive force if used correctly by players, and using your Titan as an AI is a waste of a drop. The only time you may want to set your Titan to an AI mode is in Hard Point, where you can set your Titan to “guard” an objective.

  A really good Titan player who uses their dash efficiently can keep their mech active for long periods of time and rack up kills.

• Watch your opponent’s shield power when attacking. If necessary, learn the “count” for when it recharges by practicing on your own in Last Titan Standing mode. That way you can unload your RB missile barrage and everything you have when you know their shield is down. Conserving your shield when fighting an enemy Titan can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

• If you’re low on cooldowns and it looks like the end is near, dash up and punch an enemy Titan. Often times it will catch players off guard and you’ll be able to do a ton of damage before you go down.

• Having said that, conserve your dash. You will need it for a lot of different reasons, as one enemy barrage can take down all of your shields and half your health. You’ll need to both pursue and retreat at a moment’s notice, so keep those dash meters high and don’t waste them. A key “dash moment” is when you kill a Titan up close, and realize that it has the Martyrdom/Nuclear perk that explodes in a radius around the enemy Titan.