Hello all you pilots out there, and welcome back to the Spider Tanks Showcase!
In this edition, we’re diving into a newer tank body in the arena, but one that offers some things no other body can. This mighty body forgoes the legs of most of its competition for a smooth ride over a more traditional tank drive system.
That’s right. This week, we’re talking about Tracks. Tracks is a retro special, sporting an antique track design that was popular on the Canadian subcontinent in the 15th century of Earth’s ancient past. This tank proves why such time-tested designs were popular, as it’s highly efficient and capable of amazing bursts of power when piloted by a skilled technician.
Tracks is big. Not Titan big, but pretty dang big. Usually, Energy is strictly a function of size – not in the case of Tracks. Tracks has the single highest Energy gain of any tank body out there, meaning you can use more abilities more often.
Like the Nomad, Santa’s Sleigh or Snoop’s Bumpin Lowrider, Tracks is a directional drive body. This means that it can move on impulse forward and backward but not side to side. You’ll have to adapt to this driving style if you’re not used to it, but the key is to stay in motion at all times if possible. It’ll take a while to accelerate from a stop, and you can’t turn while not moving. Keep agile and keep turning so that you can react quickly.
The Charger: Tracks/Carver
Remember how we said you get more energy than anyone else using Tracks? This combo takes full advantage of that. A Carver requires you to be up close… not a usual choice for a massive tank. With Tracks’ burst ability thanks to its energy though, you can cover a surprising amount of ground fast to chop down the competition.
Speed Boosters cost very little Energy, and with a high level Tracks you can theoretically use them pretty much whenever you need if you’re conservative with your Energy when you don’t need. Throw in a Repair Drone for another low-cost ability to keep you running smooth and you can use more abilities during the match than anyone else.
Opponents will think they’ve got your speed and reach down, then you kick on the afterburners. Make sure that you’re well repaired when you attack and choose your window well. Once you go sprinting after an enemy you’ll be a sitting duck if you turn around, so make sure they end as pieces and not you.
Mobile Triage: Tracks/Repair Artillery
While Tracks’ consistent Energy and toughness are huge assets, for many pilots the drive style of Tracks will often be a disadvantage. We can minimize that liability though by staying on the periphery of the fight when possible, and artillery makes that more possible.
With this, you’ll be playing support most often. You’ll still have the massive Energy gain to scramble and reposition if you need, but you can stay moving on the outside of the conflict, ensuring that your team stays healed and supported.
With Tracks large amount of Energy, Repair Zone could come into play as well here. Usually this ability is only useful in very few situations due to its high cost, but with Tracks you could lay down a repair zone every 20 seconds or so, allowing you to heal both team members at once.
The Burster: Tracks/Bouncer
This combo accepts that Tracks won’t be the fastest around, but it’s a much more traditional way to make a hard-hitting tank that has the chance to put out big bursts of damage when needed.
Bouncer can absolutely tear up an opposing team if you get them at the right time, and Tracks’ ability to utilize excessive amounts of Speed Boosters plays a key role here. With Tracks you can afford to be on full Energy most of the match, which means you can always be ready to make a sprint.
With this combo, you’ll want to get in and unleash your bouncies – then get out and bide your time until your next attack. Don’t boost as soon as you start your approach and give away your position. You want to save that booster until the last possible moment so that you can still use some of it to escape and prepare for your next pass. This opens up your allies to come in and clean up the mess or set you up for another run.
On Track to Victory
Tracks may be a blast from the past, but it has a lot of modern relevance in today’s arena. Don’t be turned off by the directional drive system without hopping in the pilot seat and giving this one a try… it can make big plays happen once you get used to its tendencies!
That’s all for us this week, but we’ll return next week for another Spider Tanks Showcase!
Have a body, weapon, abilities, map or game mode you’d like us to cover that we haven’t gotten to yet? Let us know on Discord and we’ll buckle up and get it ready!
When the people of Rewban the Aggressor first colonized the planet of Cacus, they were prepared to forge a new life from the inhospitable terrain of the molten world. As they began excavations, however, it became clear that they weren’t the first to have this idea.
Large ruins were discovered all over the planet, and the new Cusans were more than happy to utilize this treasure trove. Little is known about the lost race that previously inhabited these vast caverns, but the Cusans of today are more than happy to pluck the precious gems from these deep places to trade with the rest of The Planetary Union.
Of course, the Tank Olympiad has found a home in these caverns as well. The heat of Cacus is the perfect venue for Spider Tanks mayhem!
Know Your Battlefield
Dragon Cave is incredibly symmetrical compared to most arenas. While this offers a definite advantage to keeping up your strategy while you’re on the move, it also presents issues for team coordination. A split decision between two Tank Pilots could lead to easy pincer attacks from your enemies.
There are four repair kits at regular intervals around the perimeter of the central ring of Dragon Cave. There are four distinct types of area, each repeated four times in a circle.
Area 1: Satellites
These four circles on the very exterior of Dragon Cave are useful as a sort of redoubt when in trouble or regrouping, but they can also be a cruel trap.
Each of these has three angles of attack clearly pointed at them. Attackers will come at you around the corners or shoot with a longer range weapon across the pit. If you’re playing a shorter range weapon, don’t use these!
These areas are, however, absolutely critical in Chicken Chaser. Make it a point to check the far edges of these circles regularly, as birds will commonly be stranded over here and overlooked by other players!
Area 2: Roundabout Pullovers
These four circles are in between and just inside of area 1’s circles. These are even more congested and wide open than area 1, but they are absolutely critical to maneuvering through the arena.
User these but avoid lingering in the middle of them. When standing in the center of these circles, you can potentially be hit from four different angles. Approaching the edges of these circles necessarily obscures attack from multiple angles due to the pillars on the four corners of these circles.
Consider these transitional places when possible. Stage attacks from here and pull chasing enemies through them, leaving them guessing which exit you’ll take.
Area 3: The Chasm Gap
The small strips between each lava chasm are absolutely critical for dominance of the arena. Each of these is protected by a narrow fence on either side of the chasm, providing a decent amount of cover despite being in the middle of all the action.
Depending on the match, these can either become hotly contested or major defensive bulwarks… and which could shift quickly according to the flow of battle.
Since these areas almost always play a role in how the match plays out, it’s fitting that the Command Point in King of the Hill will spawn on the north most of these areas.
Area 4: The Inner Circle
The inner circle is in theory the most exposed area in the map, but it enjoys incredible cover from the ancient dragon statue towering overhead.
Hugging these walls can leave you covered against half the map, and you can quickly race around the small circle to reposition yourself better than another tank can from any other part of the arena.
Poultry Pusher often becomes the most violent as the payload processes on either side of this area. Even in other game modes though, this will be one of the best angles of attack. With only a few seconds of movement from anywhere in this ring, you can get in position to threaten anywhere in the map.
Dragon Cave Best Practices
Cover Isn’t Always Reliable
Those big, sturdy pillars on the outside corner of the south and west area 2s may seem nice and cozy… but they can be easily shot around from the adjacent area 1s with tiny adjustments to positioning.
Even on the interior, the cover you find in the shadow of the dragon can be easily compromised if an enemy moves perpendicularly away from you instead of straight towards you. A clever bunch of opponents can make those angles close in on you when most of your cover is part of a greater circle.
Enemies Approach Quickly
Thanks to the many ways to wind across the relatively small battlefield, you can get anywhere in Dragon Cave relatively quickly, even with a pretty slow tank.
Get trapped on the satellites and you may have a bad time.
This means that enemies can come from out of view to on top of you fast, and that 8-second respawn timer may be all the delay you get before an enemy is back in the fight.
Mind the Enemy’s Weapons
The weapons that you are up against make a huge difference in any match, but even more so in Dragon Cave.
Here, you’re working with very narrow cover anywhere but the very center of the map. Artillery will follow you anywhere here, and melee weapons will have very little ground to cover before they’re tearing you to pieces.
Glorious Battle
Dragon Cave’s layout is fairly simple, but underneath that lies an incredibly complex nuance to positioning if you really want to excel in this arena.
That’s all we’ve got for this week, next week though we’re powering up for some almighty BOOMs as we dive into everything about the Railgun!
