Terrain Strategy

The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally.
—Sun Tzu

One might more convincingly argue that a charged PPC and cool heat sinks are better allies, but the ancient general's words still have merit. The best 'Mech pilots are not only superb gunners and skilled drivers, but they also know how to use the lay of the land to maximize their effectiveness in any environment found in the Inner Sphere.

Wilderness Warfare
MechAssault® 2: Lone Wolf's natural arenas have wildly varying terrain. You'll find everything from flat swamplands to twisting canyon mazes. Some planets are thick with destructible obstacles, while others are nearly barren. Each terrain variant has its own risks for the unwary and rewards for the clever.

Fire from behind cover whenever possible.

The most important thing in any setting is to know the capabilities of your ride. After some practice you should know at a glance if your current vehicle can run up a slope or jet over a nearby hill. Terrain that you can maneuver over provides options; terrain that you can't pass pens you in. Know which is which before you get too close. And, keep an eye on your armor—if you retreat, you'll need to survive the run to make the attempt pay off!

Unique to the wilderness arenas are clumps of trees. They are easily destructible, but they can offer some useful protection from your enemies before they are knocked down. Heavy vegetation can soak up a surprising amount of fire, especially if the engaged parties are running around strafing each other instead of standing still, blazing away, and boring a hole through the jungle. Don't blindly send a volley of fire into the trees instead of the enemy behind them—it wastes any power-ups you are using and may even open you to a counterattack. Either cut a direct path through the vegetation or, better yet, try drawing your adversary into the clear.

Urban Combat
The urban setting brings its own challenges and opportunities to the game. Probably the most obvious difference is the greater elevation afforded by skyscrapers. Light 'Mechs can jumpjet their way to the top of small buildings, while BattleArmor can scale the tallest towers on the map—and then start lobbing mortar shells.

BattleArmor can get serious elevation.

Buildings are also great cover during duels, especially for more maneuverable units that can move quickly through narrow streets. Heavy 'Mechs will often create a "kill zone" by systematically demolishing buildings in order to deny the benefits of cover to lighter units.

As an added bonus, any unit caught on top of or near a collapsing building takes damage—that goes for bridges and other structures, too. (It goes double for the explosive debris or giant fuel tanks on some maps, like New River City.)

Wait at least 30 minutes after eating …
Water has a cooling effect on 'Mechs, so it can be very beneficial to stand in water while firing. Unfortunately, water will slow you down too, so plan your exit route with this in mind.

There are two kinds of water in MA2, shallow and deep. All 'Mechs can move in shallow and deep water, but deep water will have a greater slowing effect on the lighter 'Mechs. Deep water also slowly damages all 'Mechs while not providing a greater cooling benefit. MechWarriors should stick to the shallow end of the pool for this reason, though a strategic trip to the deep end is not out of the question.

Note that deep water is much more lethal to pilots, BattleArmor, tanks, and VTOLs. This means that a 'Mech in deep water is safer from being NeuroHacked by pesky BattleArmor pilots. You might be able to drown an unwary BattleArmor pilot in deep water if you can buck him off into the drink!

Jumpjets can give you the drop on an enemy.

Final Words
In any setting, try to choose a vehicle that has the right weapons loadout for the terrain. On a wide-open battlefield, go for 'Mechs with long-range armaments like Gauss rifles and Javelin LRMs. Crowded urban terrain calls for a short-range loadout, heavy on gear like the Crossbow SRM's or even flamethrowers. For more hints on picking a ride, check out the vehicle descriptions at MechAssault2.com.

By Earl P. Thayton