Combat in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is an entirely different beast from combat in Wolfenstein. Most of the tendencies and instincts that you have in Wolf doesn’t really apply to QW any more. Wolfenstein is more of a twitch, fast reflex shooter. QW too requires fast reflexes but it adds a more strategic element to it. Gone are the days where you can jump into a room as a Rambo medic and expect to clean house. Replacing it are deliberate and calculated attacks on your enemy. Teamwork is critical and so is using your head. The Strogg Technician, the most versatile class in the game, can be dangerous not only as a healer but also as a fighter as well. In this lesson, we’ll cover the basics you need to know to be an effective fighter in the battlefield as a Strogg Technician.

Teamwork

First off, if you’re a Rambo medic, you will have a tough time in Quake Wars. As a Rambo medic myself, I find it very difficult to dominate in this game like the way I did in Wolfenstein. It’s very hard to jump into a crowd and take three or four guys down. You can also forget about 20 man killing sprees. That’s not going to happen in Quake Wars. It’s just too easy to get killed in this game. Your best bet is to help out your teammates, heal and revive them. Leave the heavy fighting to the soldiers. Technicians are more of a support class than front line assault fighters.

Scope

Aim is terrible in Quake Wars. There are so many things that can affect the spread of your Lacerator that hitting your enemy can become quite a chore. The simple act of moving your mouse, strafing, and jumping will worsen your aim, with jumping being the worse offender of all.

The only way to have a steady aim is to use the scope feature. This tool is great if you want to hit long range targets or if someone is running away from you. Learn to use scope often. However, scope is not so useful for close quarters combat because your crosshairs move much slower than the enemy.

Crouching and going prone will obvious help your aim. Using it with scope will make your aim much more reliable.

Stroyent to health

The Strogg have the ability to transfer their ammo points to health points. This might be the Strogg’s biggest advantage over their GDF counterparts. I like to bind the third mouse button to this skill. Hence, in a fire fight, I can easily regenerate as I am shooting the enemy. After I kill the enemy, then I will drop stroyent to replenish my ammo supply.

As a Strogg Technician, you should have no problems beating others in duels because of this ability. However, I hope this skill doesn’t make it to the final release because it’s simply too powerful.

Guerilla warfare

The Strogg Technician is probably the strongest guerilla fighter in the game. His unique advantage comes from the fact that he can replenish his health and ammo. A GDF cannot do both. As a technician, you can beat your opponent not just by outgunning him but by outlasting him. By running away and gunning, your enemy will sooner or later run out of ammo or health. You on the other hand can regenerate both. In the open field, a technician is simply unstoppable. You run away easily and regenerate at will. In close quarters though, running away is much tougher so the technician’s advantage is negated.

Bunny Hopping

Lateral movement in Quake Wars is much slower than in Wolfenstein. Side stepping is simply no longer an acceptable way to dodge enemy fire. Luckily, you can jump much farther and faster in Quake Wars than you can in Wolf. Matter of fact, your movement is faster if you jump and sprint versus sprinting alone. The only way to dodge bullets then is to jump or bunny hop.

Bunny hopping of course will make aiming difficult. Your weapons spread will be outrageous. The best way to deal with this is to aim for the legs before you jump. This way, you will hit the torso and head on the way up, and torso and legs on the way down. This is a very effective way to fight and out last your opponent.

Running with scissors

You can sprint much faster with your knife pulled out versus having the lacerator pulled out. This is a good way to do it if you are trying to run from an enemy.

Fire in bursts

The lacerator doesn’t use magazines so you never need to reload. However, it does tend to overheat. When it does, cooling time can take a while. Your best bet is to fire in short bursts. This will keep your lacerator cool longer. This gives you an advantage over the GDF because he will need to reload much more often.

Grenades

Since lacerators are so weak, and aiming difficult, grenades are a great way to deal damage. A technician has an endless supply of grenades so use it effectively and often. It can be a great tool, especially for defense. You can use the first mouse button to trigger a grenade and throw it or you can use the second mouse button to make the grenade stick to the first thing it hits. Use either on your discretion.

Spawn hosts

Technicians can use dead bodies as a spawn host. You can spawn where the dead body lies. The implications for this ability are obvious and can make the game much faster.

Lacerator vs Nail Gun

The nail gun is more like a traditional shotgun. In the open field, it’s better to use a lacerator because you need the long range accuracy. However, at close quarters, the nail gun has an advantage. I like the lacerator because it is more versatile. However, you should consider the nail gun if you know you will be fighting in tight places.

Final thoughts

The Strogg technician’s strength is in open area combat. His ability to run and regenerate both health and ammo make him very deadly. In close quarters though, a technician is more of a support unit. The lacerator is very weak and inaccurate, and will have a hard time dealing with the GDF assault rifle as the latter has a faster rate of fire. You should concentrate more on supporting teammates in close quarters versus going Rambo.

Anyway, I will cover the GDF medic next. Stay tuned.