Titanfall 2: 5 Tips To Dominate Titan Combat

With 65,000 daily active players and now being the highest rated FPS from this generation according to critic consensus over at Metacritic Titanfall 2 is certainly one to watch right now. With Titan combat being at the forefront of this balls-to-the-wall shooter us here at Final Boss figured we would give you our top tips to dominate in Titan vs. Titan combat.

Don’t be afraid to leave your Titan

So many rookie players will call their Titan in, jump in and stay with it until the end. Admirable but ultimately you’re quite frankly a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
A good pilot knows when to leave their Titan if the situation calls for it.
If you find yourself going up against a superior Titan with more health in an open field, the tactical move is to bail and work with your Titan to take down your enemy.
There are multiple uses for this tactic and it’s good to use the Advanced Ai Perk if you wish to use this as a regular go-to strategy. It’ll greatly improve your auto Titans combat effectiveness and seamlessly give your Titan buddy it’s own personality friend, I mean guy… Pilot.

Take this clip below I found myself in an unfavourable situation, with Scorch not being strong at range and with movement speeds rivalling Jabba The Hutt, it looked like a no-win situation. But still, see how I bested Tone mid-range and his pilot.

Sometimes the best move is taking a step back and assessing the battlefield.

Choose a Titan that best fits your play style

When Titanfall 2 first launched 75% of Titans one would come up against would be Ronin, just because he has a sword and he looks cooler than He-Man swinging it, does not make him the best choice. Countless time I have witnessed Ronin taken down in mere moments against the more experienced players lets not forget that Ronin has the lowest health next to Northstar. Consider your play style as a pilot, do you rush in all guns blazing, play it cool and collected or snipe from afar?

Your play style will directly impact your combat effectiveness with your Titan, always consider the game mode and what balance of Pilot/Titan combat will serve you best.
This could be anything from using a heavy Titan as a decoy to capture a flag or hold a hard point or rush the battlefield with Northstar covering you from afar.

Titans are after all war machines on the battlefield and will bring hell with them. They can be both a pilot’s best friend and worst enemy when caught out in the open. Plan accordingly, pilot.

Game Modes and Maps

Different game modes absolutely warrant different Titan setups; the same can be said for the map you are fighting on. Knowing the game modes and what maps are commonly in cycle are a must to go into combat with the advantage.
For example, take Homestead, its long open planes are perfect for a Titan with mid-long range weaponry or even consider speed to traverse the terrain quickly. It may make the difference in giving you the needed tactical advantage.

Consider having at least two Titan load outs each time you go into battle, and this could be a Titan you prefer playing with and one that would give the tactical advantage on your chosen game mode or map.
You can, of course, customise your load outs on the fly in battle, but those precious moments you waste in the menus could be the difference between victory and defeat, play smart.

Situational Awareness is Crucial

Be aware of your surroundings, sounds and muzzle flash are a no-brainer, but be sure to pick your shots with anti-titan weaponry, paying special attention to those glowing red weak spots (usually the Titans cockpit). Titanfall 2 is also a very verticle game, you will often find yourself being picked off from above, sometimes even directly above you, so be sure to know common camping high spots and most walls can also be traversed, so keep that in mind when planning your next move.

Let’s not forget our trusty friend the mini-map though; it gives you tonnes of useful information, the direction of enemy fire, when a Titanfalls close by, enemy positions if maphack or pulse blade have been used, and it even displays battery locations on the battlefield.

Importance of Batteries

Batteries are certainly a Titans best friend, the boost perk to get an easy one is a waste; often you can find neglected ones just laying around the map, just be sure to capitalise on this when the opportunity arises.
I cannot stress enough how many times this has saved my own Titan from certain doom. Be it a friendly pilot giving me a battery or my battlefield savvy; they are most certainly indispensable.

Batteries save lives… And also Titans

Summary

Well, there you have it pilot, our top tips for dominating the battlefield in Titanfall 2s multiplayer. To make the process of deciding which Titan may suit your situation best, see our final tip below where we have a quick rundown of all six Titans, their abilities along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Titanfall 2: The Hateful Eight Six

Ion

Laser-focused, the Ion is all about power. With a central energy system that fuels all of its offensive and defensive abilities, the Ion is an effective, tactical force on The Frontier.

Ion is all about lasers, precision and resource management. Providing an entirely different style of gameplay. Ion wears a shoulder-mounted laser, drops laser-triggered mines and can fire an oversized laser from the centre of its chest.

Primary Weapon – Splitter Rifle

Ion Abilities

• Laser Core – Fires an intense and focused laser beam that causes massive damage.
• Laser Shot – A single shot of a concentrated laser that’s very effective when waiting for the Splitter to reload
• Vortex Shield – The standard defensive shield that can accumulate and reflect enemy fire
• Tripwire – A deployable trap that creates three markers with a laser tripwire connecting them. This is perfect for entrapping enemy Titans and is also very effective against pilots.

Ion Kit

• Entangled Energy – Splitter Rifle critical hits restore energy
• Zero-Point Trip Wire – Trip Wire deployment uses zero energy
• Vortex Amplifier – Increases Vortex Shield’s return damage output by 20 percent
• Grand Cannon – Laser Core lasts longer

Scorch

Scorch’s primary offensive and defensive weapon is fire. Blunt and direct, Scorch can chain its abilities to force enemies out of cover or trap them to deal maximum damage.

While playing as Scorch, you need to make sure that you set up Incendiary Traps near objectives and at choke points. You can also place them near enemy Titans who are in combat with your friendly Titans to give your friendlies an advantage. Firewall is another decent ability which you can use in combination with Incendiary Traps to control an area.

Finally, there is Thermal Shield which can destroy incoming projectiles and enemies caught within the blast radius. It may not sound as good as Ion’s Vortex Shield, but it can help you out in a number of tight situations.

Primary Weapon – Thermite Launcher

Scorch Abilities

• Flame Core – Launches a wave of fire that burns targets that get in the way
• Firewall – Fires a single line of fire across the ground
• Thermal Shield – A defensive shield that melts enemy fire and damages, nearby enemies
• Incendiary Trap – Deploys canister traps that explode into a shower of fire

Scorch Kit

• Wildfire Launcher – Increased thermite from the T-203 Thermite Launcher
• Tempered Plating – Decreased self-damage from your own thermite
• Inferno Shield – Increased damage and duration for Thermal Shield
• Fuel for the Fire – Firewall lasts longer

Northstar

Northstar is the long-range, sniper Titan in Titanfall 2. It has a Plasma Railgun that can be charged, Tether Traps, Cluster Missiles, and a hover ability. This is a great Titan to use if you want high mobility and damage, but beware of its low health.

You need to be highly accurate with your weapon to score some kills with this one so make sure to pick your targets. Place your Tether Traps at choke points to avoid any unexpected surprises. Lastly, you do not possess a whole lot of Titan Armor which is why engaging an opposing Titan head-on is never a good idea.

Primary Weapon – Plasma Railgun

Northstar Abilities

• Flight Core – Hover, unleashing rockets at targets below
• Cluster Missile – Creates sustained explosions on impact
• Tether Trap – Mine that locks down nearby enemy Titans
• VTOL Hover – Vertical takeoff hover

Northstar Kit

• Piercing Shot – Plasma Railgun rounds fire through targets
• Enhanced Payload – Cluster Missile’s secondary explosions hit a larger range and last longer
• Twin Traps – Tether Trap fires two traps
• Viper Thrusters – Move faster during Flight Core

Ronin

Ronin is a close-range Titan with real damage potential, very high mobility and low health. He has a Leadwall shotgun that has a wide projectile spread, a sword, and Phase Dash to escape danger.

Phase Dash is arguably Ronin’s one of the strongest abilities, so you need to take advantage of it as much as you possibly can. Use this ability to flank enemies and to get a good angle for your Titan Sword. Once you have dealt enough damage, make sure to use Arc Wave to deal a significant amount of damage using Arc Wave and finish the job.

Primary Weapon – Leadwall Shotgun

Ronin Abilities

• Sword Core – Electrifies broadsword, empowering attacks and Sword Block
• Arc Wave – Slows and damages enemies
• Sword Block – Reduces damage from incoming fire
• Phase Dash – A quick dash move that temporarily warps Ronin out of the map to avoid taking damage

Ronin Kit

• Ricochet Rounds – The Leadwall’s rounds bounce off surfaces
• Thunderstorm – Arc Wave has two charges
• Temporal Anomaly – Phase Dash is available more often
• Highlander – Titan, kills extend the duration of Sword Core

Tone

While playing with Tone, you need to use your Sonar Lock as much as possible to get an idea of what is coming next. As for using your Particle Wall, the best way to place it is in narrow corridors and choke points. Lastly, you need to time your Salvo Core in such a manner that you give enemies little to no room for escaping.

Primary Weapon – 40mm Tracker Cannon

Tone Abilities

• Salvo Core – Launches a stream of rockets that home in on Tones current target but also allow the player to control them in-flight
• Tracker Rockets – Launches a small stream of rockets that home in on fully locked on enemies
• Sonar Lock – Reveals Titans in the area and achieves a semi-lock state
• Particle Wall – Places a shield in front of Tone that she can still shoot through

Tone Kit

• Enhanced Tracker Rounds – Critical hits apply two tracker marks on targets
• Reinforced Particle Wall – Particle Wall lasts longer and blocks more damage
• Pulse-Echo – After a short delay, Sonar Pulse echoes a second pulse
• Rocket Barrage – Tracker Rockets fire two additional missiles

Legion

One of the strongest pieces of equipment at Legion’s disposal is its Smart Core. However, you should avoid waiting for the lock-on and just continue firing to hit multiple targets at the same time. Legion is one of the most powerful Titans in the game when it comes to pushing.

All that you need to do is to activate your Gun Shield and continue pushing forward. However, you should try and regularly communicate with your teammates to let them know that you are pushing so that they can help you out or make plays on the other side of the map.

Primary Weapon – Predator Cannon

Legion Abilities

• Smart Core –  Automatic smart lock-on to targets
• Power Shot – Knocks back nearby enemies and damages them
• Gun Shield – Shield deployed around the Predator Cannon
• Mode Switch – Switch between close-range and long-range precision rounds

Legion Kit

• Enhanced Ammo Capacity – Increases the ammo capacity of the Predator Cannon
• Sensor Array – Smart Core lasts longer
• Bulwark – Gun Shield blocks substantially more damage
• Light-Weight Alloys – Move faster while the Predator Cannon is spun up