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I saw this thread and I was all like "how to destroy strikers in T2? :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD". But the advice was just for strikers and a few pointers for guardians. No recon tips whatsoever :(. Could someone who dominates the recon class put of some pointers for the minority group over here? No, over here. In the corner. Not that corner, the other one. Well DUH you can't see us we're invisi-oh crap footsteps D:

I'd rather be a striker bomber in t2 ld cause I boss XD

Lockdown is not a game about killing people! I freeze ash tails in T3 without much trouble. My scenario goes like so:

Wolver 1 is frozen in a Shivermist Buster (This takes a while due to his Snarbolax/Ash Tail having natural freezing resistance, but is usually not enough to help him)
Person who placed the bomb charges a another shivermist and shiverlocks Wolver 1 forever. Maybe Wolver 2 will come in and try to help and also get shiverlocked. This is where the fun begins.
Random teammate of Person dashes in and breaks the ice. The bomber now has a teammate to take care of Wolver 1. Should the bomber die, he'll inform his team that they should not break frozen enemies and they'll usually listen for the rest of the match.

Unfortunately, there's skolvers everywhere and that kind of puts a damper on it. :<

well considering that i played 3 t3 games the other day, and one of them my whole team left (yes, it was 1v4), i'm not a fan of t3. Granted it was kinda fun sitting just inside the shield and launching sneak attacks...Managed to kill 3 of them with them killing me once xD

Yeah BN is fun. When you don't have to wait an hour for a game. Plus I think you missed the whole point of this thread. This is about tips and strategies not whining.

You'll see that it isn't just about facing it its about how to use it effectively too. And I'd have to say blast network is only fun for a game or two but then it gets boring because everyone has the same cookie cutter build and tactics. There's never anything new unlike LD where there's a different battle every match.

And I'll give you a 4/10 because I actually replied.

Sorry double post, lagged for some reason

I use surge breaker.

I just got bored of it and I have gotten that high scores. And this whole thread is about lockdown strategies and tactics so yet again your post is irrelevant.

And the charts are the same for LD and BN: whoever plays the most is on top. I could make a couple of alts and give them a bunch of crowns an just play myself a thousand times a week and get higher numbers. It's meaningless.

Recon is usable in T2. It's just outclassed by Striker, by virtue of mobility/efficiency. Deathmark is really really strong, and mindgames are possible even with the footprints, it's just hard to beat Striker's ability to engage (and disengage) at the drop of a hat.

With regards to "taming the clones", Blaster has the same range as Kilowatt, and a much faster bullet. If the status/typed-damage is important, Alchemers (specifically Voltech/Shadowtech, depending on damage VS status) can work wonders; I've always run a status Alchemer, both as Recon and Striker. With the somewhat recent toothpick range nerf, I feel Brandish-lines should be used more, as they're generally easier/cheaper to get ASI on, and the range isn't a huge loss; switchcancelling can take down most clones pretty easily and quickly.

[Sidenote: I think Nightblade is used over elemental lines due to it being the only shadow sword in T2; thus shadow armor/helms are very rarely used, whereas some people will run Drake/elemental UVs against Hammers.]

 
TL;DR: T2 needs moar Recon users, hybrid swords/guns 4 lyfe, brandishxalchemer #1 strat NA.

@Breaker-Xd: Blaster or Alchemer are just a different playstyle than Kilowatt. Kilowatt is for area denial, while Alchemers are for precision/fast switches (yeee hybrid), while Blaster is somewhere between (some utility, some hybrid-ness). It'll come down to playstyle, and I was offering them as a way to counteract some clones, rather than something a clone should use. Blaster in particular is strong in that it can counter a Kilowatt user, due to identical ranges and clip sizes, with Blaster's much faster bullet speed.

The width of toothpick's hitbox is clearly superior, but the range directly in front of you is similar, and I feel toggling autotarget (the horror!) is perfectly viable. A toothpick's swing does come out faster, but an ASI Med Brandish runs about 30k, which is 3 Vana runs.

I just recentently started doing T2 LD again. I'm not going to waste the CE on Trinket Slots or Weapon Slots but, by using tactics similar to Breaker-XD, I have still been able to be the best or one of the best players on my team.
I currently have been using (On my character Balderus):
Quicksilver Helm (Because Jelly > Duskers)
Dusker Coat (Because I really like being a fat dragon Jelly Dusker.)
Stable Rocket Hammer (Or toothpick with ASI low if a noob whines.)
Kilowatt Pulsar (I also plan on using a Super Blaster)

Since I'm a pathetic clone myself, I guess I'll harbor no ill will to similar clones. The best thing to do against well seasoned clone is to use a hipster weapon. (MK-VI's haze bomb is a prime example.) Once you do something they don't expect you to do? (Like finish a combo or use Calibur charge)
Also, I've used Surge Breaker armor with Quicksilver helm before just to look like an Astronaut. It fairs rather well if you're not against fire or freeze; just keep a back up loadout.

@Shamanala
19-0
20-0
20-0
21-0
Perhaps I am able to talk about BN now?
I was certain I wasn't the first person to think up the strategy you're probably referring to but, if you haven't played BN lately, multiple people have picked up on new strategies and now you know to watch out if someone's resting on or near a bomb while their other bomb's going off.
BN is a wonderful game that I love oh so much because it's so much fairer than LD; however, there are times when I just wanna get on Lockdown and kill some muthahuggin' clones! There are many people that want to do the same so this thread is important for them. I don't really have anything to say, I just wanted to show off me not dying in Blast Network.

I get it, your point iz to provide a tutorial of sorts to T2 strikers but in doing so you bassically assert the fact that the dominance of wolver clones in T2 is health and justified for the format. I don't know if you noticed but you bassically implied that a wolver clone with your beloved pulsar has the advantage over any opponent they face. If that's the case how does T2 resemble rock paper scisors in any way? From what I can tell your argument boils down to a single opinion in which you claim that wolver clones are cloning the wrong load out. A for effort and light hearted language, but youneed to rethink your argument. T2 has become increasingly unballanced over time. This is so much the case that it has pretty much drivrn me out of the T2 curcuit. There are few who remember it, but I used to be fairly well known in T2. What happened specifically? Heart pendants and weapon balances made previously viable weapons and tactics no longer viable without allowing for oppertunities to replace these. As an example heart pemndants made the troika charge irrelavent where previously it was dangerous but deadly in skilled hands. In general troikas are no longer very viable for T2 as they deal normal damage, and the sealed sword gets better range and damage with elemental. The SS is no longer viable in LD, as the new shards pattern is easily sidestepped and attempts to cover the "holes" in the bomb pattern with a haze or blast bomb are often inadequate, restrictive (unless you have weapon slots) and leave the bomber exremely vulnerable to ranged attacks due to the pattern required ( if someone has found better patterns please let me know). The arc razor is now boarder line viable where once it could stand to to toe with toothpicks. It wasn't exactly an even fight, but it was close enough, and each had their specific pros and cons. Before the changes it took a rather skilled player to dominate in T2 without becoming a wolver clone. This is still true, but the load outs that can compete with clones in T2 has been limited (and it was a short list to start with) effectively disqualifying most of the players that might have been competative with other sets and limiting gameplay variety. There's no quick fix to this issue, but I believe a solution must start with the elimination of trinkets in T1 and T2, as it would aid in making heavy weapons viable.

Apologies for any typos or formatting issues. I'm posting from a nook.

@Breaker-Xd: I use L.Shift to toggle autotarget; I use it on most Brandish-type hits, but never anything else.
With regards to Troika-lines VS Sealed, I'm fairly certain that the damage tables on the Wiki are incorrect; it's worth testing, but I recall hearing that the damage on the first swing of one is higher, while the damage on the second swing of the other is higher. I've experimented with the Arc Razor, unfortunately only after its mobility nerf. Given that it has a smaller hitbox than a toothpick, with similar attack speed and similar (or lower) damage, I feel that its only real redeeming factors are cheaper UVs, and (possibly) its second/third hits. Again, partially up to playstyle and personal preference, but Sealed strictly outclasses Troika-lines in almost all situations by virtue of a UV-less Sealed swinging as fast as an ASI High Troika.

@Blackskies: One issue with imposing regulations on gear is that it creates a disconnect between the PvE and the PvP, with PvE (arguably) the heart of the game. I feel that restricted gear or the removal of heart pendants wouldn't create as much change as people hope; there will always be strong strats that people gravitate towards, and there will always be weaker strats that people shy away from. I agree that the removal of UVs (or the option to remove them in GvG) would be good for the game, but it would be hard to justify to those who have invested a lot into their loadouts.

Lol, thanks for reading my massive post. As for your remarks I'm dead certain about troika vrs sealed sword range from experience. The troika's hitbox is shorter than the visual length of the sword whereas the sealed sword's hitbox is longer than its weapon's graphic. As the troika appears larger this makes their one directional reach comparable butnot equal. I've had many encounters with the sealed sword where my opponent and I swing at the same time (or close enough) and my kamarin swings through my opponent's head, and their swing appears short, but I take the hit. After many such encounters it has become clear that the sealed sword has slightly more reach. And ok, maybe "not viable" was a bit much, I still love my kamarin, but you have to admit the charge is now almost useless.

It has been a while (I haven't been able to play recently) but if I remember correctly with the addition of pendants it now requires a full troika charge a combo and an additional hit to down someone. Previously if your opponent had damage you could generally one shot them. If not a follow up swing or perhaps two was enough. You might say a one shot sounds OP, but consider the time necessary to charge, and the recovery time if you miss or other players are in the area. Actually, the charge is most viable when capturing or holding a point and no enemies are in the area. If you're new to the troika in T2 this will likely get you killed for a while, but try charging while on a point and releasing at incoming strikers. Depending on the map and the point you may need to release before you can actually see the striker. Pay close attention to the little slashes that indicate nearby striker dashes. It's really great fun, and a good skill to have.

That being said the troika's effectiveness was diminished by the ability to craft heart pendants. More life increases the window of engagement, and with slow swords (of which the troika is the slowest) you want to keep this window as small as possible, especially when more than one opponent is in the area. This often involves a hit and run, opponent to opponent pattern to keep your enemies at bay and the longer you have to keep that up the more likely you'll be poked and then summarily dismissed by toothpicks. If you're not running pendants anything more than 1v1 can become very troublesome. Previosly 1v4 stacked the deck against you, but it wasn't uncommon for a highly skilled player to take out 3 or 4 of their opponents. I haven't seen another troika user suceed in more than 1v2 since the chance, but skilled toothpick users can take 2 or more in 1v3 combat.

The spur used to be incredibly good at finding or protecting against recons. The spur originally had a forward step on all three swings of its combo. This made it great at closing distance and covering ground. You could often score a hit on a recon by guessing their movements and chasing with a spur, and attacking in a tight circle or triangle repeatedly on a point almost always kept them from attacking in a 1v1 situation. Their best option was to get relatively close (to reduce reaction time) and fire off a gun, but most recons would simply move to another point. The spur charge attack was improved (as was the troika's btw but the troika's was simply a damage increase) but it's hardly become good enougn to warrant much or any use in LD. You wouldn't think it'd be much, but that first step is sourly missed. It helped deal with the tremendous poke range of toothpicks by closing the gap. Admittedly toothpicks have been nerfed since, but I feel the change was unessesary and detrimental unless OOO is coming out with a five star spur. Idk, maybe my opinion is skewed by the fact that the arc razor / kamrin combination just isn't as good as it used to be. By all please enjoy your gift. Variety in LD is a good thing. I refuse to use tootnpicks in LD.

I think you may have been a little confused by my abbreviations. I was abbreviating Sun Shards as SS, not Sealed Sword. I thought this was common practice, but perhaps it should be SSS for scintilating sun shards. Anyway shard bombs originally came in two flavors exibiting piercing/normal and peircing/(normal? / elemental?) + shock - forgive me, my memory is a little hazy atm, especially in regards to the salt bomb. Previously these bombs shot projectiles in eight directions each at 45° of one another. The projectiles had a long range like a gun, and if a monster was standing on the bomb when it detonated all of the shards hit, dealing massive damage. That's exactly why they changed it. The current shard bombs now have a five star form but are not even close to being as effective as the originals. Standing too close to a wall may make shards disappear, achieving decent damage in PvE is difficult, and the bomb is all too easily stepped around in PvP.

As a side note, now that I think of it the troika charge has been changed twice of my recollection. It was originally changed long ago because the charge could reach through solid obects. All of the iterations have had essentially the same mechanic however.

As for that section you didn't understand I was suggesting the possibility of leveling the playing feild in LD by giving everyone access to the same gear. It would eliminate advantages from UV's, give everyone the same ammount of heat and give new players more of a chance. Notthe answer brought up some of the flaws with this suggested fix. In the second half of that section I suggest that this should be done in another arcade game entirely (1v1 duals could be entertaining for example), and that new gear should be created specifically to create interesting match ups and matches. I wouldn't expect them to provide more than 1-3 weapons per weapon class. This smaller pool would make ballancing much easier to manage, and the new weapons would allow OOO tontailornthe gameplay to their exact needs (rather than having to concern themselves with ballancing PvP and PvE at the same time).

@Nottheanswer Troikas do considerably more damage on the second swing than the first, and yeah I hear you... it'd be nice to at least put people on the same playing feild with heat tho. It wouldn't make a huge difference overall, but at least it'd put up and coming players in the same area code. Your points are part of the reason I feel my suggestion would work better as an additional arena game, though as it is almost no one plays BN - dividing the PvP community further may be unwise. Also I'm glad someone understood that suggestion, it wasn't exactly posed elegantly.