So, I have been playing a lot of CovOps interceptors recently, although I did take the stupid path and use Jericho CovOps interceptors. So, from my experiences, I have noticed a lot of mistakes people make using these interceptors, so I would like to make clear how not to make those same mistakes and simply how to be better at CovOps.
ALWAYS stay moving. Unless you are using your plasma arc, you should never stop moving. Never EVER stop moving to get a better shot.
You prey on frigates and destroyers. While you can destroy other interceptors, it takes a bit more finesse to do so, and fighters are a CovOps player’s worst nightmare, so avoid them at all costs.
Save your adaptive camo for escaping tacklers or if you are in an emergency situation. When fighting a tackler, wait until they use their debuffs on you to use your camouflage, to make sure that they cannot get you right when you pop out of camo.
Nuke is to be used for only two situations. 1: To take out large groups of enemies or pesky interceptors. 2: To finish off a destroyer or frigate.
When combating a tackler, the first thing to do is to use your plasma web on them, and the second thing to do is use your camo and run.
When choosing between fight and flight always choose flight.
Avoid long drawn out battles or chases. Rather, use flybys and strafing runs when possible.
This guide is focused on beginners, but I did take some tips from AdamWest’s guide. Although to be honest, I completely disagree with his ideas on nukes; I think they are absolutely magical. Also, I don’t think a beginner could kill a command or a gunship with plasma arc so I left that out of my guide.
This guide is focused on beginners, but I did take some tips from AdamWest’s guide. Although to be honest, I completely disagree with his ideas on nukes; I think they are absolutely magical. Also, I don’t think a beginner could kill a command or a gunship with plasma arc so I left that out of my guide.
Don’t forget that the meta changed completly.
I used to fly Covops whenever i could, nowadays i found that a Recon fitted in the right way, is more effective. Draining shields from an alien xxxxxxx, while bumping him with slowing missiles is the new CovOps. But im happy you like flying it! Most people go straight to the ECM and call it “piloting”.
I used to fly Covops whenever i could, nowadays i found that a Recon fitted in the right way, is more effective. Draining shields from an alien xxxxxxx, while bumping him with slowing missiles is the new CovOps. But im happy you like flying it! Most people go straight to the ECM and call it “piloting”.
(Butthurt ECM here)
System Hack. Thats why i enjoy ECM. Hack Twer’kin Sattelite Crystal. Hack Gravi Lens. (This can often turn the tide at a beacon, as you will get all the mines, drones and Gravi lenses at a beacon).
Bubble to get the attention of an entire team while diving, which creates an opening. And a 0.00000005 sec stun to let Twer’kins crash into stuff ”)
This not help so much (my opinion of how to use this class is too divergent and it works well for me), newbies need to sculpt your own skills, this take time and a lot of deaths.
there there. you are still an important ship, but when it comes to dogfights, your ceptor is basicly a party pooper. which is why when a recon pilot and a covert ops pilot are boasting about their achievements, your stories just sound kinda like “and then i disabled him totally, so he was an easy kill”, or “right before they got me, i stasised and watched my team obliterate them”… *chirp chirp*
you might understand then, why sometimes the joke is on the ecm… of course, most of us spent a lot of time in ecms aswell. not to speak about the time when ceptors were just ceptors, and you could mix any module on any ceptor…
anyway, lots of stuff changed, the good old interceptor dogfighting meta dominant from the old r9 is a bit dead, while the nukes got buffed a few times since adam wrote his review.
in that meta, a covertops basicly was the tunnel vision ceptor, which was even more important in killing other interceptors, than the tackler (especially since tacklers were quite weak until they got the gravi beamer and several buffs later on). today the co is a niche ceptor reduced to kill whales and retreat a lot, but back then you basicly hunted your prey across the whole battle, even ignoring any battle lines.
Eh, stunning isn’t really a viable tactic due to proton walls, diminishing returns, implants, etc. I shoot things with guns in a dogfight to kill them. ECM modules are incredibly useful for your entire team, maybe even more than a recon. An ECM that hacks all the beacon denying crap, kills all enemy structures, drains everyone’s energy and stops a guard’s regen and debuffs is massively more useful than a covie that kills one ship and then runs away… Covie is only moderately more effective than the stronger gunships, at least in the current meta. (I still love my Wakiwaki R tho :3)
I also really enjoy watching some stupid dessie drown in it’s own gravi lens. ”) I just have the feeling that ECM is currently the inty with the biggest impact on the result of a battel. (Exept Twer’kin, that pest doesn’t count)
I, too dislike the classic “throw all of the stuns at someone and call it skill” aproach. Selected interference and crowd control is way more effective and dogfights are more fun.
To be honest, I do mostly prey on whales, but I often go toe to toe with fighters and other interceptors, the key to which is getting behind them, webbing them, and hitting them with my primary weapon while my Orion is still active.
Save your adaptive camo for escaping tacklers or if you are in an emergency situation. When fighting a tackler, wait until they use their debuffs on you to use your camouflage, to make sure that they cannot get you right when you pop out of camo.
This doesn’t work too well against good players as they will still shoot you down if you’re already low health. You’re still visible
Camo is better used offensively (especially against tacklers: sneak -> web -> orion + missle + pewpew)
This doesn’t work too well against good players as they will still shoot you down if you’re already low health. You’re still visible
Camo is better used offensively (especially against tacklers: sneak -> web -> orion + missle + pewpew)
I do use camo offensively sometimes. However, to be honest, I usually find myself avoiding fighters. Also, it is REALLY hard to see a CovOps interceptor if they have adaptive camouflage on. Maybe some very experienced players can do it, but even if I can see one in adaptive camouflage, I can’t hit it with any accuracy. In my experience, only AIs and autonomous destroyer turrets can reliably hit you when you are in camouflage. Maybe if I am close, a person can hit a couple shots, but really, even if you can see someone in adaptive camo, your accuracy drops to about 10% if they are evading correctly.
I do use camo offensively sometimes. However, to be honest, I usually find myself avoiding fighters. Also, it is REALLY hard to see a CovOps interceptor if they have adaptive camouflage on. Maybe some very experienced players can do it, but even if I can see one in adaptive camouflage, I can’t hit it with any accuracy. In my experience, only AIs and autonomous destroyer turrets can reliably hit you when you are in camouflage. Maybe if I am close, a person can hit a couple shots, but really, even if you can see someone in adaptive camo, your accuracy drops to about 10% if they are evading correctly.
I have killed plenty of cov ops that thought I can’t see them when they are in camo… Takes skill but it’s doable. First you have to keep them in sight and follow them, second you need to judge distance, third you need to judge their direction, fourth you need to aim where you think the reticule would be if you had them locked. I mostly do it while flying gauss tackler, due to its high projectile velocity.
Other tip: While flying engi, you can see your drones (the ones orbitting you, not attack drones) shooting targets which are in camo, so shoot where your drones shoot! This works well with mass driver and eclipse launcher.
Yeah, drones and turrets can hit you while you are in camouflage, but if my target is a destroyer, they are already dead, if it is an engineering, I will pummel them, and if it is a waz’got, I run like hell. I find that the most effective strategy is to continually use evasive maneuvers, and it is REALLY hard to hit an interceptor teched for speed that is running around like the devil himself is on their tail without the aim assist. To be honest though, the main two reasons I die while in adaptive camouflage are massed fire (if they are in a tight formation), or drones. I don’t usually have a problem with destroyer turrets because I can disable them within 5 seconds of getting in their range, and the Tackler turrets are very easy to kill or avoid. I find that Gauss cannons never hit me (you have to charge them up and its fire rate is super low), although mass drivers are killer because they are basically hitscan after a couple seconds. I have only been killed by fighters a couple times when in camo. Although I am only at level 10, so I probably haven’t seen super skilled pilots.
So, I have been playing a lot of CovOps interceptors recently, although I did take the stupid path and use Jericho CovOps interceptors. So, from my experiences, I have noticed a lot of mistakes people make using these interceptors, so I would like to make clear how not to make those same mistakes and simply how to be better at CovOps.
When combating a tackler, the first thing to do is to use your plasma web on them, and the second thing to do is use your camo and run.
Nice guide, congrats! But this rule seems impossible to apply, as they simply move/run/circle/whatever just don’t stand still. So how can you do this?