Hi guys. This is a demo guide that I want people to read, whether you're aspiring to become a demo, need some help in polishing your skills, or want to know how to help demos on your team. I will discuss the demo armors in game, as well as their respective playstyle and the equipment that goes with it.
Before I go into the guide, there is something that you should know about demos: they ARE the strongest class in Lockdown. Confused? It's absolutely true. Demos give their team a HUGE amount of presence in Lockdown, especially in teamfights as well as capturing and defending points. They bring crowd control, statuses, and damage to the fray. They can also be used offensively and defensively, in holding and capping points as well as defending. The only problem is that they are very misunderstood, so people always underestimate their power, therefore demos become unable to discover their true potential. Note that mastering the art of being a demo is no easy task: it requires skill, time and patience to master. So if you're still reading, please think about how you treat demos in LD, and keep reading so that you know how to better support them, or how they can support you.
I will only go over the 4 demo sets in game. There are other extraneous sets out there that also work as demos, and I will cover them in the future.
Now let's begin.
1) Suit Up! The set you wear in Lockdown will GREATLY determine your playstyle, of whether you are a support or an offense demo.
- Volcanic Demo: Support.
- Bombastic Demo: Offense.
- Mad Bomber: Can alternate between support and offense.
- Mercurail demo: Offense.
2) Know your class! Each class in LD presents different buffs and debuffs in LD. Classes will greatly affect your playing style.
- Volcanic Demo: Guardian.
- Bombastic Demo: Recon, but if you have CTR UVs on your bombs then Guardian is also viable.
- Mad Bomber: Guardian or Recon, depends on your focus.
- Mercurial Demo: Same as the Bombastic Demo.
3) Bombs! Now that you know what your playstyle and classes are, you should also know what bombs are MANDATORY.
- Volcanic Demo: Haze bombs. Blast bombs are good too.
- Bombastic Demo: Blast bombs, Dark briar Barrage, bombs that are damage oriented.
- Mad Bomber: Both haze bombs and damage oriented bombs.
- Mercurial Demo: Damage oriented bombs.
Rule of thumb: you should ALWAYS have a haze bomb with you as a demo, but your focus will be different with each set and class.
4) Focus. This is the idea of what bombs a demo should deploy THE MOST(note this) in order to maximize their potential.
- Support: Haze bombs.
- Offense: Damage oriented bombs.
Simple enough eh? Now let's get into some advanced tactics. These tactics differ from each playstyle, either support or offense.
Advanced Support Tactics:
1) Use your haze bombs to capture a point. The basic way is to deploy it right in the middle, so your opponents will try not to go into the point and defend. The ADVANCED way of doing it is to deploy the bomb in the direction of where your opponents are coming from. This means that it is not directly at the center, but offset to that specific direction. Note that when you are doing this, you MUST be on the point as you are deploying. You don't want to waste a deploy on somewhere outside that point.
2) Use your haze bombs to defend a point. Again, the basic way is to always put it in the middle. Now the advanced way is to deploy the bomb NEAR your opponents. This will force them to move away from the point so that they are less likely of a threat to capture it.
3) Use your haze bombs in a team fight. Teamfights can occur during a defend or a capture, so be wary of whenever this happens. It occurs when 2 or more of your teamates engage in combat with the opposing team. The way to properly deploy bombs is to deploy them in such a way to create a "safe zone" for your teamates. You deploy either near your teamate or near your opponent. If you deploy near a teamate, you create for them a safe zone in which they can go into in case things get too hairy. If you deploy near an enemy, it serves as a way to push them back.
4) Blast bombs and supporting. Most people think that blast bombs cannot be used defensively. Well, they are WRONG. Blast bombs have an intrinsic defensive capability known simply as knock back. This knockback can effectively peel off an incredibly dangerous adversare, in most cases strikers. To do this successfully, deploy the blast bomb near your ally, which creates a temporary safe zone that can either force the offending player to back off or suffer your knockback.
Advanced Offense Tactics:
1) Use crowd control statuses to your advantage. Because of blast radii, demos are very predictable if not played correctly. Use a stun or shock haze bomb to effectively slow down or stop opponents in their tracks. It's easier to land offense bombs this way.
2) Keep your opponents busy! Teamates are there for a reason. You want your teamates to get your opponents' aggro while you deploy your bombs so you can do it safely and efficiently. If your opponent switches aggro towards you, go away from the fray briefly with your recon cloak. Fancy footwork!
3) Get protection! A guardian in conjuction with an offense demo is a VERY scary combination. Make sure that this guard will ALWAYS put shielding your demo butt above attacking teamates. Also, make that person tag along with you.
4) Bomb where your opponent is going, not where they are. It is very hard to predict your opponents rhythm. Bomb where YOU THINK that they would go.
5) SPAM SPAM SPAM! Blast your opponents to oblivion! This is the only way you can deploy bombs. Just don't look like a total nutjob doing it. Remember to stay with your teamates while spamming!
6) Knock other demos away! Good demos will go forth and capture your point. Use a blast bomb to keep them from deploying bombs at the point you're at.
Other Advanced Tactics:
1) Shield charging. This is an incredibly efficient way to charge your bombs while skipping the raising your bomb up animation. First, hold bot your shield key and your attack key at the same time. Then, release your shield key and presto! You just skipped that animation. This is very IMPORTANT especially for recons. If you're playing a recon, doing this will actually make you invisible for a short period of time WHILE charging the bomb, making you a lot more of an unpredictable threat.
2) Charging before the fray. ALWAYS charge a bomb before you get to a point. NEVER just start charging while on the point. Why? It's because it's very easy to pick off a demo who is trying to charge. Whereas if you already charged a bomb, you can just deploy it before they get to you and they will back off.
3) Fancy footwork! This is key in avoiding gunfire as well as dodging sword attacks. Remember, juke sideways for gunfire and sword swings.
4) Know the flow. Determine how your opponents are capturing points, so that you can interupt and disrupt their flow. Try to cut them off as they try to capture one of your points. You don't want to keep them capturing!
5) Burn your opponents' boosts. This is the only good thing about blast radii, it makes your opponent know that they should run away or suffer your fury. Bombs can make strikers burn their boosts faster by making them use it to get away from a bomb, and bombs can dispel recon cloaks.
6) Charging correctly. The MAIN reason of why demo is frowned upon is because NO ONE can do it correctly. NO ONE. Make sure to ALWAYS stay in the radius of the bomb you just previously deployed while charging. These safe zones are there for a reason.
7) CAP CAP CAP!!! This is what demos excel at. This is your TRUE focus, so carry your team to victory!!!
Thanks for reading! Let me know of what you think about my guide!