6 tactical tips for dominating Titanfall

Respawn’s Titanfall came out last week, and it’s a multiplayer masterpiece. But like most multiplayer games, it isn’t much fun when you’re losing. So how can you turn the tables on your opponents and dominate Titanfall? There’s no substitute for skill and practice, but check out these tactical tips to give yourself the extra edge over your opponents.

(See: Titanfall video review: as good as shooters get)

1. Think like a skateboarder…

Although the parkour-style controls are a big part of what’s new in Titanfall, it’s easy to fall into old habits and start running around the game as though it were just another Call of Duty title with robots. But it isn’t, and parkour movement—wallrunning in particular—carries several advantages. It can put you into all kinds of places your enemies aren’t expecting, and it actually speeds your movement.

To take full advantage of these features, you need to start looking at Titanfall’s maps the same way a skateboarder (or a Tony Hawk player) looks at a skate park. Think about your “line”; figure out the best way to get from where you are to where you need to be quickly and inconspicuously, using paths that keep you above the enemy’s eye-line and out of the line of fire. It’s much easier said than done, but mastering it will help you move around the battlefiend quickly and safely. Often, it will also give you the element of surprise over lazy enemies running along the ground.

2. …but don’t overdo it

That said, just because you can wall-run doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Flying through the air can make you tougher to hit, but it can also make you stand out as a valuable target. And if you haven’t mastered your line and have to try a couple of times to jump through a window, you’re going to be a sitting duck. If you’re going to try parkour-style moves, be sure you’ve got them down or you’re going to end up looking like this.

3. Don’t ignore the minions

It’s easy to forget about the minions in Titanfall because killing them isn’t as rewarding as killing other pilots. But in some game modes, “farming” these minions well can be the difference between your team winning or losing, so make a point of killing them when you run across them, as long as you can do so safely. But do be careful when you’re in dangerous positions, as enemy minions can be a distraction from the much more serious danger posed by other players in your area. Only unload into a crowd full of minions if you know there isn’t another pilot around.