Role Type Overviews

Role Types are classifications that all Mavs fit into based on their suggested / used function in battle. Each mav does not require to conform to just a single role type as hybrid builds are common. In this guide I'll talk about the strong and weak points of each role type, what synergizes with them and what doesn't, etc. Just remember that you can either build with a role type(s) in mind, or see what one(s) it ends up with.

What is a role type?

A role type is pretty much what the name suggests in that it denotes the type of role a Mav fulfills in battle. At a glance most builds can be placed into a single or dual role type though just because a MAV is using snipers does not mean that it will be used as a sniper. This is why a role type can only be determined on how you use your MAV though building a MAV with a specific role-type in mind might make it more effective at what you want it to do.

Here is an extremely general guide on each role type.
Soldier / SOL - Front fighter / flanker
Defender / DEF - Front link support / Defensive positioning
Sniper / SNP - Long range support
Scout /SCT - Reconnaissance and Harassment
Heavy Gunner / HVG - Area Bombardment
Commander / COM - Map Awareness

Now you can hybrid these different role types together for more interesting combinations. For an example we’ll take a sniper / commander hybrid. It can be used as a long range scout by sitting on a mountain and looking through gun cameras to see enemy movements. It can offer support by dealing damage to any enemy part it can hit at long range such as maybe knocking out a gun camera or weakening the chassis enough for the enemy to die in a fight. Then on top of that with the commander module and some uplink nodes placed through the map it can see enemy and ally positions across the map and between volleys the build can organize and lead the team to victory.

Scout Role Type

Scouts are marked by their fast chassis and their ability for harrassment and information gathering abilities along with constant map presence. You can easilly wave into and out of engagements anywhere on the map providing assistance to anyone on your team who is in need.

In the beginning of the round they can drive up, scout out what the enemy team is bringing, throw a few shot or work their way closer to the base to lure some of the team away on a wild goose chase, and then run back to your team and join in on a fight. If you are kind and you have a commander on your team having an uplink deployment system can do wonders for your team with a string of forward uplinks providing network information across a wide area of the map.

In the mid-game they can constantly flank, poke and prod people, and keep your enemies on their toes. Lets say a sniper zones in and forgets about its surroundings, a scout with shotguns could roll up behind the sniper and BAM all the sniper cannons are now broken from a well placed shotgun blast or maybe set that sniper on fire and pop all those guns in a few seconds..

Finally in late game a scout could run away from the battle and drop the enemy's base and secure a solo victory though this may or may not be encouraged.

For chassis both wheels and hovers are preferred though some fast bipeds might be able to do the trick. For weapons all low caliber weapons can work except rocket packs, those'll damage your MAV more often then not.

Attacker Role Type

The Attacker role type is a great for front line combat. Your goal is to get into effective weapon range of the enemy mav's and staying there while perserving your durability. You should try to keep manuverable enough to dodge cannon fire while still being able to take a few rounds to the face without being destroyed.

Very important keys for being an Attacker include the ability to use the third person view for 75% of close range engagements without having to use the minature gun camera. This allows you to see more of the battle as it unfolds and you can maximize the faster rotation speed when not zoomed into the gun camera.

Aiming in third person means you need to remember how your guns shoot, if they're in the middle of your build you just have to work on up / down or if they're on the right side of your build you'll have to aim slightly left depending on how far they are away.

Another thing is to use terrain to get closer to enemy snipers and heavy gunners without losing half your guns and legs by doing things like running along ridge lines so you can duck down. Movement is a big key not only to keeping you alive by making your profile smaller while walking along the backside of a ridge line but also by getting to the side of your enemies through flanking and hitting them in the side which is generally easier to hit.

Finally a great skill is to turn your chassis sideways when you're in you effective range for your weapons so you can strafe sideways. Circling your opponent and walking backwards at the last second before they shoot can save your MAV a lot of damage.

Chassis that work well with Attackers include Bipeds and possibly Reverse Joint and Wheels. Weapons that synergize well include Cannons, Assault Rifles, and Machine Guns for medium range and Flamethrowers, rocket packs, or shotguns for close range between reloads. Just be sure to keep some sort of medium range weapon on your Attacker or else you run the risk of being unable to deal with snipers and scouts effectively.

A lot of players like to build Attackers very narrow and long and use the fact that in most senarios you'll be looking towards the enemy so you can decrease the profile you present to them.

Sniper Role Type

The sniper role type is a great part of any team with its long range precision weaponry that allow you to reach out and touche someone. As most MAV's use medium to close range weapons or slow long range weapons such as howitzers and rockets your sniper rifles are extremely effective at long range especially if you maintain that range advantage.

There are two types of snipers in M.A.V. the dirty oppertunists that go after kill shots such as cockpit, spine, and legs or the support sniper that focuses on weakening enemy M.A.V.s by shooting things like weapons / commander modules / and dealing damage over aiming solely for kill shots. Both are useful on the battlefield and you should use your better judgement based on team composition and map to decide on what you'll do.

For which chassis to choose you can either go for the manuverable reverse joints to be an active sniper who moves around and finds shots, a hexapod that is a passive sniper platform with tons and tons of guns, or even the cheeky wheel or biped faster hit and run annoy people sniper. For guns sniper rifles and cannons are of course a must. The question is do you go pure sniper or equip some medium or close range weapons to help defend yourself with.

The biggest advice that becomes crucial for snipers though is to have multiple gun camera layouts encase one gets damaged and also a few weapon groups with less guns in them so you say fire only 2 and then switch to another group of 4 to fire the unfired 2 from that group giving you twice the chances to hit a pesky target instead of risking your longer reload on a single shot.

Defender Role Type

Defenders are best described as beefed up Soldiers, they are slower, larger, and focus more on survivability. Suggested weapons are those with good durability like cannons and armor plates won't go amiss. There are two generic defender builds, one being a walking tank and the other focusing on having a lot of weapons such as 8 or more cannons.

Some people might think that defenders are suppose to "just" guard the base and this is untrue. They don't only excel at fending off weaker pesky base rushing scouts but they have a use in the battlefield as they generally have enough firepower and survivability to take on a 2 on 1 fight and live.

A good defender build needs rotation speed, enough hitpoints / armor to take a decent amount of shots, and enough armaments to overpower most opposition. A small commander module won't go amiss if you want to build a Hybrid and wall / turret modules are great for defenders. A repair module could be taken as well though the chance to use it effectively in combat is a bit of a challenge.

Heavy Gunner

The heavy gunner role time specalizes in area denial and base dropping power. Your weapons of choice are anything with splash such as howitzers and rockets to get the job done. There are generally two varients of the HVG role-type, a pure bombardment one where you sit back out of sight and bombard enemy locations. This one is not very survivable at all and has minimal close range potential, an example would be a god hammer.

The other varient is closer to a DEF / HVG hybrid that runs at medium range and is designed to switch between area bombardment and firing directly at an enemy MAV or more likely at their feet.

Ranging - This is the act of zeroing in an artillery barradge at long range. You don't know the exact distance so you'll have to guess and then make corrections between volleys to find the range to fire at.

Dialing - This on the other hand is going to a location that you have already ranged before and aiming at that specific angle to garentee a hit on the first shot. This is generally for dropping the base and is considered bad form as you're pretty much avoiding the fight for a win by base destruction from across the map.

Commander Role Type

Please note that the commander role type is different than a "squad / battle" caller. In organized gameplay there will sometimes be a leader who "calls" the match. They tell their team where to go in relation to a strategy to best set the team up for success. Things like sending the scout off to destract / kill a sniper or send it back to make a 2v2 a 3v2 engagement is part of a callers job. Just because you have a command module on your Mav does not automatically make you the caller and in many games there won't even be a commander module on your team.

The bread and butter of the commander role type is its commander module. Wthout it you lose most of your functionality as a commander, this is why I say it is best to build a commander hybrid such as a COM/SCT, COM/SNP, or COM/HVG so you can fullfill a more active role at all times to your team instead of only sitting back and issuing orders.

[ianp101]

Useful overview though!!

[ianp101]

I think what you could add is a anti-grav device that could help out hover mechs a lot. These would have to have a limitor on them tho, (such as 2-4 anti-grav generators), just so that you don't hava a massive build on a single hover chasis. i could see them becoming more dangerous commanders as commanders seem to be weak unless on the right map. Another useful implication of anti-grav generators could be the introduction of flying units? :P

[SergeDavid]

Uplink Modules are deployables that extend network area on the map and CommSys (Commander System) is an auxiliary part that creates a network area on the map that shows enemy and alley positions. In Arena it doesn't matter but in Siege where the map is limited it is a great source of information.

In the current meta most teams bring at least 1 or 2 Commander Modules on line of sight blocking maps like New Amazon and No Mans Pass v2, all the other maps however are super open and don't require them because you can see the enemy before they can reach your base even if they come from a different direction.

[ex-mental ward escapee]

I'm not too sure what the "Uplink" or "Coms" thing does.
Mind telling me a little about those things (if you know what they do)?

[SergeDavid]

Yes I can, I know I'm trying to team up with Legacy to create a good "quick start" guide that covers a lot of basic stuff but weapon placement, weapon group order, and using them with things like recoil negating and drop compensation will have to be in a deeper guide.

[engtech 101]

can you make a guide on weapon grouping please!