Tribes: Ascend Beginners Guide

After its fairly extended "beta" the fourth (PC) installation of the fast paced,jetpacking shooter Tribes has finally been released. To have even a chance of survival you will need to master a number of skills fairly specific to the series. With the separate classes these skills can vary to a certain extent but the unifying skill is "Skiing".



A coding error in the original game allowed players to slide down slopes with no friction, giving players enhanced speed but limited control over direction. This has been replicated in the following games and has become symbolic for the brand.The basic concept in skiing is to try and hit as many downward slopes as possible while using your anti-friction capabilities (spacebar). All upward slopes should be avoided by either jetpacking over (right click) or seeking other paths.

Energy will recharge at different rates for different classes, so the availability of the jetpack varies. In Tribes: Ascend the varying classes are divided into light, medium and heavy, all differing in both mass and energy for the jetpack. The light classes, especially the always available pathfinder, are the most agile but have the least health and generally lighter weaponry.The outcome of all this is that light suits are great flag runners and chasers while heavy suits are better optimised for a more stationary bombardment or defensive style of play.

The second skill that is fairly unique to this game is the necessity to predict enemy movement. Due to rapid movement in all directions it takes a lot of practice to hit other players midair and it is far easier to fire at the ground where the enemy will land. Depending on which class you use the tactics will vary slightly.

The Pathfinder can use the light spinfusor to fire a moderate speed explosive disc, the shotgun to shoot others up close and the impact nitron, a grenade that sends enemies veering off, dropping any flags they may be carrying. They are designed primarily to attack face to face, catching up to other targets and using their speed as protection.

The Soldier is the vanilla medium suit, a fairly basic starter class, is versatile in either defense or offense. The main weapon is a basic assault rifle with falloff that needs to be managed at longer ranges. The secondary weapon is a basic grenade launcher with an arched launch. Their grenade weapon is a very powerful fragmentation grenade which can devastate light suits. This class is a great start for anyone with any experience in fps games.

The starting Heavy, the Juggernaut, is an immensely powerful, long range combatant. The fusion mortar fires high yield grenades that will destroy a light suit with a single direct hit. As a mortar the projectile is lobbed unless fired directly at the ground. This can be used to bombard groups of enemies from literally halfway across the map. The juggernaught also fields an enhanced spinfusor and frag grenade, making sure this class packs a powerful punch. This power comes at the cost of mobility although this is mitigated by a much higher health pool.

Mastering these basic skills will see you on your way to victory and the unlockable classes and goodies that come with the accrued points.