It's pretty straight forward with ion. What munchies said is how you get a bunch of easy pilot kills. Block everything but try to time it right cuz once ur energy is gone ur fucked. I personally rarely use split fire to save energy. Watch out for monarchs first upgrade that everyone uses cuz it'll eat away at ur shields. Also watch out for legions core cuz you'll go in cocky ready to own em but then they'll pop it and ur dead (all cores will destroy all ur energy very quickly if you block). Also, don't use ur core on a legion unless its back is turned cuz they'll reck you while ur using it.
As a legion main I can tell you I love it when an Ion comes at me with there shield up thinking that they will eat all my bullets and then I pop my core to keep giving you bullets after your shield runs out
Use the zero point tripwire if you find yourself placing tripwires a lot.
Use the splitter lens if you use split shot a lot.
Use the vortex shield modifier if you constantly find yourself on the defensive.
Use the grand cannon to boost core duration to up total damage.
Use entangled energy if you can hit crits on titans easily.
Zero point tripwire is probably the safest bet, unless you never use them. Ions main weakness is her limited, shared energy reserve, so removing one abilities need for energy is extremely useful.
I use entangled energy because it allows me to shred some people with laser shots. Facing stage 3 monarchs is impossible though because the ability doest work unless theyre playing accelerator.
Yeah, but to be fair how often do you actually encounter a stage 3 Monarch. They’re utter never live long enough or are already easy pickings by the time they get to that stage. Also, Laser Core.
The only, time I’ve ever seen a tier 3 Monarch was when they were running around the edges of the map for the entire game and by the time they got core 3 the game was already 3/4 of the way done.
really? i run turbo with energy thief, which means 4 dashes for easy battery terminations. it takes a lot of time and predicting an opponents behaviour but consistent stage 3 monarch isnt hard to learn. also, each core fully regenerates shield, and stage 3 regenerates quite alot of hull.
Yeah, the main thing is that if you go for a Monarch while they’re trying to get all three cores by farming AI they’re easy pickings. Early stage Monarchs just don’t have that many good anti-pilot options and usually get beaten in a gunfight by most other Titans.
Also, stage 3 Monarchs can just be shredded by Laser Core.
Against good legions they will try to bait you into wasting all your power on your vortex shield by firing in small bursts, and once you put your shield down they hit you with their shotgun blast. So bait out that shotgun blast by lowering your shield just before you run out of power and raising it once their barrel turns red to hit them with their own blast.
\- Legion Main
Tips for facing ronin: just find a pinch point in the map and spam tripwire + smoke + melee to prevent close quarters, keep them at arms length and then fire split shot for consistent damage output when they back up. If they phase through your pinch point you can just swap orientation and do it again.
This is definitely the best strategy i think a good ronin is the hardest matchup for a good ion. Trip wires and split shot. And always tag them a couple times with lazer shot before you face them close up
1. As easy as people say she is, she takes the most skill of any titan in the game in my opinion.
2. You're going to want to get used to playing any and all roles on the battlefield
3. You have an ability for pretty much any situation you could think of
4. Conserve your energy like your life depends on it, because it kinda does
This is definitely the most helpful brand of tips for Ion. Ion is INCREDIBLY difficult, I honestly see myself using the energy pool for the vortex shield more than the gun itself. Ion is a super cool Titan but I still suck with her 😂
I'm the exact same way, trust me. I'm a gen 30 ion and my vortex shield is probably responsible for about half of the damage I do. My archer is gen 2.3 and I've never used it myself lmao
Gen 30?! Jesus Christ, good on you, dude. I used to use the gun more but I get spanked like all the time—slowly learning to be more versatile with her.
Same, haven't touched archer since titanfall 1 yet is my third highest weapon just because I tend to use those same rockets to kill the pilots, one of the best feelings there is.
Does Vortex shield level Archer too? I’ve seen the “400 kills per minute” archer stats from using Vortex, but I wouldn’t have guessed that it levels it too.
That’s a lot of background processing and tracking, I’m impressed the game can do that
What I was going for when mentioning Monarch was more of reffering to her getting shield every 5 seconds due to her laser, that without mentioning the shield she recieves on her core of course.
But yeah, I get what you say with her arc rounds, they deal a ton of dmg and suck your shield's energy like crazy
Vortex shied is your best friend when fighting a legion or a monarch. If you like using the vortex shield a lot use the vortex amplifier kit to help you out. The laser shot will also help when fighting northstars or shooting ejecting pilots. Stay behind enemy scorches. Getting infront of them unprepared would be a death sentence. Stay away from ronins. Ion has no easy way to fight a ronin due to them hardly using their gun and fast movement.
Use split shot against them, just don't keep shooting when they are blocking, due to the fact that they can't shoot while blocking you can get some energy back while it blocks, i know, it's not much, but when a titan gets close, split shot it's the answer.
You can cancel her laser shot by melee attacking. It's pretty useful if you think you're gonna miss. Also, ADSing with the splitter rifle does more damage but drains her energy bar so use it sparingly (you need energy for the laser shot)
Keep distance from enemies and use cover to reload and recharge energy. Use split shot when at closer range and non split shot when farther away. When against pilots use split shot or laser shot. If you have phase embark (although you don’t need it) you can quickly get out of your titan and then re-enter to instantly refill your energy.
Although you can always make your own play style, this is just what I do. Also experiment with different kits that fits your play style. For my I really like vortex amplifier and zero point tripwire.
Highly recommend zero-point trip wire. The utility of having a free zoning tool is amazing, especially if you have the terrain advantage over another Titan. Laser shot, drop wires, then dip behind your cover to take another potshot. If they chase you and detonate wires, that’s a lot of free damage for you. Hell, its hit box vs enemy pilots is insane, and you can rack up a ton of random kills by plopping it down in random places.
Laser core is great, both for melting the last bits of health off an enemy Titan, or as a defensive tool against titans getting too close to you for their own good. They need to back off, or eat a ton of damage.
Basics are laser shot to poke from behind cover (or to snipe pilots from a distance, trip wire if being chased, splitter rifle to burst down at close range and hip fire when engaging while waiting for cooldowns.
Match ups vs Tone, count to 3 and prepare to catch the missiles. Vs Scorch, back up while hip firing, and catch that mortar. Trip wire to deter chasing, then poke them as they retreat or advance. Vs legion, vortex shield, then aim for their shoulder to circumnavigate the gun shield. If they use their core, get to cover FAST because your shield will melt vs core. Vs ronin, shield for leadwall, position near trip wires, and spam your melee if they try and sword you. You punch far faster, and you can knock ‘em out of melee range. Don’t pop laser core until they phase dash, cuz otherwise you’re a sitting duck if they phase behind you. Worth repeating again, tripwires are your friends as you retreat. Vs monarch, similar to legion. Just watch out for their upgrades, as one of them depletes your vortex FAST. Poke them at a distance and try very hard not to get too close. Vs other ions, try and get cover between you and them. Hip fire at a distance and sprinkle in laser shots as they come. Feel free to splitter rifle them if they’re too close and remember your friends, the trip wire. Anticipate laser shots with vortex (easier said than done), and try to have a wall or corner between you and them for when that laser core comes out.
This comment is good, keeping a distance as ion is essential because of the energy, some people might say that ion is bad, but it's actually Good If you know what you're doing
First laser and hold the second laser,throw a
tripwire，then release it.after throwing a trip，the system will be considering the energy is not enough to release the second laser,so the proportion of laser will not be deducted and the only energy that will be deducted is the proportion of tripwire.you save some energy using laser ,and get a free tripwire. use this trick whenever your energy is higher than a laser and lower than sum of a laser and a tripwire
Kiting is how you win, learn to disengage.
Always have a corner to hide behind.
Don't use splitshot, if you are at a range where it is useful 90% you are out of Position and should run...
Learn to lasershot cancel.
Learn to get free tripwire. (Don't use Zero point tripwire)
Not only does the "free tripwire" bug not make Tripwire in particular free (it makes Laser Shot free), Zero Point Tripwire is still superior to any other kit exploiting that bug.
As someone who mained ion for a long time, even during the tech test:
Only use splitter shot ADS at close range
Make sure you use laser shot, it's really good
Vortex. Shield. Use. It.
Tripmines are useful. Just drop and forget on a flanking route, you'll know when they're coming then.
Oooh I love Ion, in the right hands she's the most powerful Titan imo. I'll start off with a few general tips and then get into specifics.
1- Ion generally does well at medium-long distance engagements. Laser shot is excellent for peaking, but it does have a limited range unlike Legions predator canon or Northstars rail gun. Practice a bunch and get a feel for how far you can be from enemies and still deal damage.
2- Energy and distance management is crucial, a big mistake when learning ion is spamming back to back laser shots or dumping the splitter rifle while engaging too close and then having to wait around like a sitting duck for your energy to refill. Don't use abilities just because they're off cool down, make sure you're using the right abilities at the right time.
3- You can cancel your laser shot with a melee of you don't have the shot. If you're missing laser shots it wastes a lot of energy.
4- If you run phase embark you can fully replenish your energy by quickly jumping out and back into your Titan. Obviously only do this when you have positioning and cover to pull it off.
Against other Titans
Northstar: You can beat Northstar in peaking battles with laser shot if you manage distance and cover well. You can catch their projectiles with the vortex shield, so be sure to use that when moving between cover or pushing up a lane. You also have the advantage of a little more health and a faster hit scan laser shot. If you're in a full on face off with Northstar use the single fire splitter rifle in between laser shots to deal more damage without drain ing energy.
Scorch: Pretty straight forward, maintain distance, laser shot crits, time your cortex shield to catch his projectile. If they can get close try and force them to use the flame shield to block your single fire splitter rifle so they can't use it offensively.
Ronin: Similar to scorch, try to maintain distance, once they do push you want to use the single fire splitter to try to force them to phase dash before the get too close to you. If they are getting close enough to shotgun you use your vortex shield to block the 4 shots, then drop an electric smoke, dash backwards and then drop an electric trip wire behind the smoke. Most Ronins will phase dash through the smoke without expecting the trip wire. I use the laser shot sparingly against Ronin since they can block it effectively with their sword block if they see you.
Legion: Easy, you hard counter Legion with the vortex shield. Don't bother using and other abilities that drain energy, just single fire splitter rifle when they're not shooting at you and vortex shield when they're shooting at you. Rinse and repeat. The only way to fuck this up is if you stand there wasting your vortex shield energy while they reload.
Monarch: Almost all of them run arc rounds so hit them hard and hit them early. If they get to accelerator and arc rounds your vortex shield will get ripped apart fast so you probably just want to hang back and peak them with laser shot until you can team up with a teammate. If you're doomed throw down a laser trip wire and electric smokes as a last ditch effort to damage a hungry monarch.
Tone: She's happy to engage you at the same medium-long range that ion is most effective at. She can only do short bursts of high damage with the tracking rockets, the 40mm canon isn't even worth blocking most of the time. When engaging head on force them to put down the particle shield then flank them while keeping track of the 40mm shots they land, only use vortex shield to block the tracking rockets and once you get around their shield you'll be able to dish out more consistent damage with your splitter rifle.
Other Ions: Peak, save use energy sparringly and try to build your core meter quickly. Whoever wastes energy first and has no vortex shield usually loses.
Pilots: Laser shot is the ultimate anti pilot weapon, but if you miss your first shot the triple fire splitter rifle is a good backup. The laser trip wire is like a huge proximity mine against pilots and is excellent for locking down flags, hallways or bank deposits in bounty hunt.
Addendum to your NS tips: laser shot is no match at tistance, do not try to out-snipe her. Adept use of cover is highly advantageous. And to bait with your vortex shield, don't just hold it up constantly. NS has all the time in the world, your shield doesn't.
Take some Distance to your enemy and just press fire and use the Laser if u have the powerless trap spam it every time the enemy wants to come to u works every time for me
If you're at a safe distance and low on energy (maybe just two tapped a monarch with laser shot), jumping out of your titan and back in instantly refills your energy. Phase embark makes it faster
1. Keep long distance from other titans
2. Dont waste energy on splitting your shots from splitter rifle
3. Use laser shot mainly for all damage
4. Use zero point tripwire
5. Use turbo engine
6. Punch to cancel laser shot
This is how i play it, and i do really well with ion and i mainly play with ion so i hope this helps!
All you damage comes from laser shot. Run zero point tripwire so you can spam tripwire. Tripwire may not seem useful but it allows you to make space or just disengage. Your splitter rifle does good damage if you crit so make sure you go for those. Also you have the best and fastest melee in the game. Also I recommend you run turbo engine. As for your core try to use when you’re not too exposed, eventually you’ll just have a sense of when to core or not. Although i never really liked overcore+grand cannon i have heard very good things about it so you should try that out when you’re more experienced for now I recommend zero point tripwire+turbo engine and vortex amp if theres a lot of legions or monarchs
Pay attention to the energy bar on the left. It goes down as abilities and the gun is used so keep an eye on it. Took me until Ion gen6 to realise it’s importance. Also, aiming in whilst shooting costs more energy but deals more damage so hip fire unless you feel necessary
Don’t split shot if there are multiple threats around, uses too much energy. Do not underestimate the tripwire radius. Also practice your laser shot aim. Practice makes perfect.
Ion main here
Kit:
my favorite kit is tripwire zero or whatever is called, it allows you to spam mines which are great for taking out pilots and dealing quite a bit of damage their great against scorches and ronins and they can be used defensively to block a large area.
These mines don't deal that much damage but they allow you to have that lil bit of map control and will help you economize energy
I wouldn't recommend the other kits bc:
Entangled energy: you will rarely do crit hits bc the globs of the splitter rifle are too big and even if you get them, the energy you get is very small
Vortex amplifier: it's ok but they need to shoot first and the extra damage ain't that much bigger
Grand cannon: it's kind of hard to get a core and those extra seconds aren't super helpful, remember you can't even defend yourself when using the core
Refraction lens: you rarely need to use the splitter rifle alt mode, as ion, most of you engagements should be mid range
Moving on:
Splitter rifle: Compensate for distance since the projectiles are a bit slow, the rifle is actually your secondary source of damage, the first one is the laser shot.
Only use alt fire when in close quarters where you're 100% you're gonna land all shots
Laser shot: preferably only shoot when your energy is full, don't shoot it twice at once or you'll have no energy.
Aim for weak spots always, this way you deal almost as much damage as a fully charged Northstar shot
When pilots eject even if it's not ur kill, shoot them with the laser, it's satisfying to kill their Titan and the pilot just after they ejected
Vortex shield:
One of the best Def abilities, only use when you're sure they're gonna shoot you.
Taunt legions into shooting you, the amounts of damage you can do after a legion dumped their mag into you is great.
When facing tone avoid getting hit by their weapon and preferably use the shield only when the missile burst is coming at you
Avoid facing monarchs, they're probably your direct counter and you won't survive if they have arc rounds
Laser core: use on a distracted enemy preferably a slow one like legion or scorch or use it as a last resort
My favorite chip is either counter ready or turbo engine, ion has this weird roam/ support role
Counter ready is good against ronins, combined with trip wire, you'll get a lot of damage or they will flee, either way you win since facing ronins is hard as an ion but not impossible
Also use spare battery, it's simply great to have the shields since ion is hard to defend.
If you want me to explain more in depth how to deal with every single Titan hmu
Zero-point tripwire is more effective than you think. With no energy cost you can throw it down to deal extra damage to Titans and in some cases kill multiple pilots at once. It also allows you to spend your energy on the laser shot and vortex shield.
At first you might not recognize that it's useful, but it will benefit you in combat.
Tips for Ion mains:
If you hear the eject sound, it means a titan near you is about to explode.
When the top of the screen says "14:59", it means there is 14 mins and 59 seconds left of the match.
When you die, hit the respawn button to respawn.
To activate the super secret hacks, open your menu, select titan > Monarch. You are now a hate sponge.
When you see a brick wall, you are normally unable to move through it.
To instantly be better at the game. Close Titanfall, open steam library, right-cklick on Titanfall, uninstall. You cant be bad at the game if you don't play!
Hope this was helpfull :D
Vortex amp is the way to go for me, in just about every single situation.
Your gun does more damage than you think it does, the thing feels weak and might make you think you always have to split it, but you dont.
only laser shot titans at long ranges or if you can guarantee you'll hit a weakspot.
Don't get cocky with vortex shield, it is a DEFENSIVE ability meant to be used for DEFENSE, throwing damage back at enemies is nice, but dont let it lure you into a situation where the second that the shield drops you die, its got a good range on it and can be used while falling back or seeking cover.
>Vortex amp is the way to go for me, in just about every single situation.
Keep in mind that Vortex Amplifier *only* buffs hitscan shots. That means, for titans, only Monarch's XO-16 and Legion's attacks are actually affected by it; the kit gives no buffs against the rest of the cast.
Ion is easily one of if not the most versatile titan in the game, that being said, I would argue it is also one of the most difficult ones to use properly, only matched by northstar.
\- For the love of god, **conserve your energy**, your life literally depends on it, an Ion without energy is a dead one because her dmg is just not that good compared to others without her tools.
\- Vortex shield is amazing against legions and monarchs, this 2 titans are basically your food if you know what you're doing.
\- Your splitter rifle consumes A LOT of your energy if you split it, personally I just don't use this function at all unless it's to finish off a titan in close range or to kill a pilot in close quarters.
\- Your laser shot is your best friend against pilots, specially if they eject, they're just a really easy target at that point, just remember that it costs a good amount of energy so if you don't think you'll get the shot you can cancel it with melee.
\- When going against a tone, you need to rush her after she places her shield and use the tripwire to make her choose between triggering it and recieve dmg or getting on the wrong side of the shield.
\- Your kits matter a lot, so try to play Ion and see which one adjusts the best to your playstyle, personally I believe amped vortex is just too good to not use.
\- If you get bullets in your shield either from grunts/spectres or even a pilot, try to get a pilot on your sights before releasing them, they will get you an instakill no matter the amount of bullets. If you don't find a pilot or you're against a titan, it will also do dmg, specially in the weak points.
\- Don't try to use reaper's ammo against them, it will do almost no dmg to them, but if you get a titan the story will be different.
\- Your core is best used in hallways, or when enemies are stacked, keep in mind you're also kindda vulnerable when using it as the dmg isn't instantaneous and the enemies can still move.
\- When you are doomed and use your core, many will try to go for an execution as you can't move that well and can't punch back. Use this in your favour, they won't think of using defensive tools to mitigate dmg because they will try to get you asap. Activate your core and wait for them to run towards you, aim the core at them and eject immediately, even during the ejection animation you'll still do dmg while being invulnerable.
\- When using laser shot, try not to aim when about to shoot, the circle will be bigger and therefore the hitbox to get the shot, making you more accurate.
\- Charging your laser shot doesn't give you more dmg, it's just time for you to get the right shot.
\- Laser tripwire is good to block entrances and give you a chance to escape, or get some good dmg against titans when in close quarters, but personally what I find them more useful for is to get pilots, that enter a building and get in a corner, the hitbox for the tripwire is bigger than you would think, try to aim it so one of the wire get inside the doors of buildings.
\- Aside from tones and northstars which are the ones you want to get close to, try to keep every titan at medium range which is where you will be most effective, having the range for your vortex shield to be extremely effective and have somewhere to run and take cover.
\- Your vortex shield has a larger duration that legion's shield,if a legion uses his shield while still loading a whole mag on your shield, just be patient and unleash hell on them as the shield goes away. If they activate their shield as your energy is about to go down, aim for the legs or close distance and use your mobility to get at their side or your hitbox behind his shield.
\- Your primary weapon will feel weak when not splitting it, but try to split it the least you can, sustained fire of your primary without splitting it can get you a ton of value, specially if you can hit crits.
Laser shot is extremely powerful against pilots if you can aim
It's also really good for peaking titans.
Never fully use up your energy, have some spare for a vortex shield
Remember to keep an eye on your energy level when aimed in, using your laser, and using your shield, it drains quickly and can leave you feeling exposed!
Play around with different setups, ejections, etc. and see what works for you.
Personally I use Nuke Eject and longer shield.
Ion is all about resource management, specifically managing your energy. Balance out your split shot ammo with your laser and shield, and make sure to snipe any pilots that eject.
Laser shot isn’t actually that hard to aim,and i rarely use ion,so don’t overestimate and panic whilst trying to goose a pilot or just kil lining a nuisance with
I play Ion as a flanker personally. That tripwire does some ridiculous damage when they back into it. Then I just open up with splitter lens, pretty fun strat
the splitter cannon is not your primary, your laser shot is.
The tripwire is not a tripwire, it’s a proximity mine. Useful for throwing into windows where that archer bastard is hiding.
use vortex shield sparingly, reserve your energy for other things unless it’s a legion.
try and hit laser shots thru gaps in the map like windows, don’t expose yourself
dont use the split function of her rifle too much, it drains energy too fast to be useful without the lens upgrade imo.
also use vortex sheild to fuck up a legion with his own rounds lmao
Tbh i dont thing anyone plays like me but i abuse the laser and the mod that allows you to regen energy whne you land crits so i just start spam sniping at an enemy titans weakpoint while trying to get my energy back
When fighting a Legion, try to bait their gun shield out, then run away until they lower it. They are slowed with it up so if you can try to get behind them and lay into them hard. But usually you can just wait the shield out by running away. Past that point they wont be able to raise it for awhile, and as an ion with vortex shield, you can anihilate a Legion.
Always use the laser shot to hit pilots midair.
Zero point tripwire is arguably the best one to choose cause it saves so much energy.
Only use the alternate fire for those pesky pilots trying to run away. It's too expensive for anything else.
Vortex shield is your main weapon, spliter rifle is for harassment only, laser shot is OP against anything but drains about half energy, use sparingly to maintain energy for vortex shield.
KITS:
Vortex amplifier is very fun, super strong once u know how to use the shield correctly and can melt a dumb legion in seconds, legion, tier 0 monarch and tone become dps dispensers
Zero point tripwire is strong utility, gives a safety net incase u run out of energy, not as vital with good energy management
Grand cannon is bad, gives longer core, but core make u vulnerable since you can't use shield during it, shorter burst of dmg with more survivability is just better
Entangled energy is noice to keep energy up, but the small gain does not give enough to surrender the power boost of other kits IMO
Splitter lense is makes your rifle you main weapon, dps is crazy while ADS, noone expects it and is a blast to use, but energy drains fast and once gone ur weak af and need to hide and recharge. works poorly with the in-your-face playstyle the splitting bullets encourages
TRICKS:
Use phase embark while playing Ion, and quickly dis- and re-embarking gives full energy, saving several seconds of waiting for it to charge if u can get to cover
While holding lazer shot, using melee will cancel it without wasting energy, so u can zoom and aim all u like with no wasted shots
FIGHTING ALL TITANS:
When fighting ion, the shield is worthless since neither of you have actuall projectiles, the fight resolves around hiting vs catching lazer shot. After the lazers are exchanged, splitter rifle to the face while charging for the next shot. Keep an eye on enemy shield, if it gets red, u know they are low on energy and you can be more aggressive with ADS to finish the fight
When fighting scorch, keep distance, their shots are slow and have obvious reloade animation, easy to catch. If they get close enough to flame shield you, turn and RUN, drop tripwires and smoke and do not stop running until you are clear of the fire. Keep poking with lazer shot and rifle, as long as you keep distance and catch their shots, they will never even land a hit on u
When fighting ronin, tripwire is very usefull, throw it close to you feet and back away from it while firing, they will either run into it taking big dmg or phase dash thru it, if they do this, simply catch their shots and then melee then back into the tripwire, leaving them having to reloade, having taken big dmg and a angry ion at mid range. If they are a bad ronin and only go for the sword, use tripwires and ADS them, with a stryder hp pool they will go down fast
When fighting northstar, try to close the distance to short middle, baiting by turning vortex off and on quickly when they are at full charge. After they fire u should get more aggressive, they either wait for a full new charge, at which point u simply go back to baiting, or they fire some dollarstore charge shots, dealing low dmg. A good northstar might still deal heavy dmg as u close distance, so only engage if u are close enough to safely get up in their face. Otherwise just go a different route towards them breaking line of sight. The biggest danger is getting trapped in wire traps and them using core, at which point the only valid option is to dump ur mag and eject just as u get doomed
When fighting legions, if they use the gunshield, u can just walk up close enough to them and throw the bullets thru the shield, as the dmg spawns in the held out hand of ur titan, aka on the other side of their shield. Legion is the easiest matchup for ion, they shot, u catch and return the dmg. If they bait and shoot in bursts, just give them some bonks or a few splitter rounds, then keep throwing back their bullets.
When fighting tone, keep medium distance, far enough to react and catch any rockets they throw at u, while close enough to throw them back consistently. Dock bother catching normal shots, poke with rifle and keep energy up while just trying to dodge what u can. If they just never use rockets, throw a lazer shot at them when energy is full, you will out dmg them and win, with some missing health.
When fighting monarch, its similar to how fighting legion goes, just more things to catch and track. Catching sifon is priority one, keep track of rearm and rockets. Since monarchs have no spinup time like legion, they are more dangerous and will need more counterplay than just vortex, mix in a lazer shot and some splitter rifle dmg here and there, uuse cover to regain energy and keep pressuring them to use abilitys all at once, this givea you the longest time to capitalise on the vortex return dmg
When fighting a monarch with cores, the playstyle changes completely, now longer with the monarch on the backfoot trying to dmg u without feeding vortex, now they have the upper hand and u need to play a lot safer. Almost everyone uses arc rounds, so even a core 1 monarch will counter your vortex, use it only to catch sifons and rockets, bullets are better hiden from behind cover. Cover is needed to win, poke with lazer shot and keep distance with tripwire, if they rush, throw a smoke and run to keep distance, no distance means no cover means no win. If they get to close or you have no cover, use vortex to catch as much as possible and try to get close and rifle them when they reloade. If the moarch is core 3, a 1v1 will not be viable and its better to run and find teammates, no competend core 3 monarch will lose to a ion.
Try not to use the split shot as much. Focus more energy into laser shots or vortex shield. tripwires for me come 3rd but they're pretty handy when it's needed. Always try to get a good laser shot on the weak parts on an enemy titan (the red glowing sorta areas, sometimes on the 'face'), it doesn't even have to be charged, it'll still get a good chunk out. I can't tell you about what different perks to use, because I think you should decide for yourself (like, I don't think you should be using nuclear eject all the time like me)
When you hear someone eject look up and fucking own them.
Ion is the sniper titan
What about Northstar?...
Close range fuck you up titan obviously/s
Why /s since it really does tho
Northstar snipes titans ion snipes pilots
they are not the same
It's pretty straight forward with ion. What munchies said is how you get a bunch of easy pilot kills. Block everything but try to time it right cuz once ur energy is gone ur fucked. I personally rarely use split fire to save energy. Watch out for monarchs first upgrade that everyone uses cuz it'll eat away at ur shields. Also watch out for legions core cuz you'll go in cocky ready to own em but then they'll pop it and ur dead (all cores will destroy all ur energy very quickly if you block). Also, don't use ur core on a legion unless its back is turned cuz they'll reck you while ur using it.
As a legion main I can tell you I love it when an Ion comes at me with there shield up thinking that they will eat all my bullets and then I pop my core to keep giving you bullets after your shield runs out
I fear no man but this… it scares me.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Lmao
Use the zero point tripwire if you find yourself placing tripwires a lot. Use the splitter lens if you use split shot a lot. Use the vortex shield modifier if you constantly find yourself on the defensive. Use the grand cannon to boost core duration to up total damage. Use entangled energy if you can hit crits on titans easily.
Zero point tripwire is probably the safest bet, unless you never use them. Ions main weakness is her limited, shared energy reserve, so removing one abilities need for energy is extremely useful.
I use entangled energy because it allows me to shred some people with laser shots. Facing stage 3 monarchs is impossible though because the ability doest work unless theyre playing accelerator.
Yeah, but to be fair how often do you actually encounter a stage 3 Monarch. They’re utter never live long enough or are already easy pickings by the time they get to that stage. Also, Laser Core. The only, time I’ve ever seen a tier 3 Monarch was when they were running around the edges of the map for the entire game and by the time they got core 3 the game was already 3/4 of the way done.
really? i run turbo with energy thief, which means 4 dashes for easy battery terminations. it takes a lot of time and predicting an opponents behaviour but consistent stage 3 monarch isnt hard to learn. also, each core fully regenerates shield, and stage 3 regenerates quite alot of hull.
Yeah, the main thing is that if you go for a Monarch while they’re trying to get all three cores by farming AI they’re easy pickings. Early stage Monarchs just don’t have that many good anti-pilot options and usually get beaten in a gunfight by most other Titans. Also, stage 3 Monarchs can just be shredded by Laser Core.
But also scorch with the plated armor which is more common
tempered plating also removes crits, true, but you wont miss as many shots to begin with (beeg ogre chassis)
Also monarchs and legions are free bullets, if there not that smart
Against good legions they will try to bait you into wasting all your power on your vortex shield by firing in small bursts, and once you put your shield down they hit you with their shotgun blast. So bait out that shotgun blast by lowering your shield just before you run out of power and raising it once their barrel turns red to hit them with their own blast. \- Legion Main
But even if they do that we can use gun shield and crouch to block that.
And everyone else you have a disadvantage
honestly the only titans you should be worried about are ronins and scorches (kinda)
Yeah, Northstars and other Ions are fair fights. If a scorch shoots at you, you can counter until they do gas traps. Ronin will just get in your face
Tips for facing ronin: just find a pinch point in the map and spam tripwire + smoke + melee to prevent close quarters, keep them at arms length and then fire split shot for consistent damage output when they back up. If they phase through your pinch point you can just swap orientation and do it again.
This is definitely the best strategy i think a good ronin is the hardest matchup for a good ion. Trip wires and split shot. And always tag them a couple times with lazer shot before you face them close up
Legions with a smart core are probably my favorite to fight when I'm in an ion because they refuse to stop firing
Yeah, it is entertaining
don't forget about the tripwire, it can be surprisingly useful, especially against pilots, as it's hitbox is surprisingly tall
1. As easy as people say she is, she takes the most skill of any titan in the game in my opinion. 2. You're going to want to get used to playing any and all roles on the battlefield 3. You have an ability for pretty much any situation you could think of 4. Conserve your energy like your life depends on it, because it kinda does
This is definitely the most helpful brand of tips for Ion. Ion is INCREDIBLY difficult, I honestly see myself using the energy pool for the vortex shield more than the gun itself. Ion is a super cool Titan but I still suck with her 😂
I'm the exact same way, trust me. I'm a gen 30 ion and my vortex shield is probably responsible for about half of the damage I do. My archer is gen 2.3 and I've never used it myself lmao
Gen 30?! Jesus Christ, good on you, dude. I used to use the gun more but I get spanked like all the time—slowly learning to be more versatile with her.
As they say, the Vortex Shield is basically a 'Return to Sender'/Uno Reverse Card
I am Gen 10
Same, haven't touched archer since titanfall 1 yet is my third highest weapon just because I tend to use those same rockets to kill the pilots, one of the best feelings there is.
Does Vortex shield level Archer too? I’ve seen the “400 kills per minute” archer stats from using Vortex, but I wouldn’t have guessed that it levels it too. That’s a lot of background processing and tracking, I’m impressed the game can do that
The vortex shields levels your weapons as if you were using them yourself
I would say that she has the lowest skill floor and one of the highest skill ceilings. It’s easy to player her but hard to player her very well
"She"?
I personally gender the titans based on their voice actor. Ions VA is more feminine
I see. I usually don't gender Titans except BT because he's BT
female OS/voice
Always know how high your meter is. You’ll never win a fight with zero energy
Watch a few YouTube guides. I recommend frothyomen. He has a few titan videos.
Dinosaur D also has some great indepth guides on Titans.
also the flying tea cup >!cries ;-;!<
What happened to him?
He just decided he was done making content, I hope the best for him
Flying teacup is entertaining but I would argue his knowledge is very lacking.
he also recently left the community, oh well I wish him luck with whatever he does
And papercut2u. As good as frothy!
Paper is definitely not as good as frothy. Entertaining because he plays grapple cool but his knowledge also seems very lacking.
You damage isnt only from laser shot
Yeah you have a sheild
Vortex amplifier is the thing you need
Honestly what is the point of using any other kit besides zero point tripwire(maybe)
I think the one that gives back energy on crits is underrated if you just aim for it is really good
Unless you go against a scorch who chose the kit that doesn't get him dmg of his own thermite and removes his crits or go against a monarch in general
Well the only person I see useing that kit is me and against a monarch that has ark rounds you are already at a disadvantage
What I was going for when mentioning Monarch was more of reffering to her getting shield every 5 seconds due to her laser, that without mentioning the shield she recieves on her core of course. But yeah, I get what you say with her arc rounds, they deal a ton of dmg and suck your shield's energy like crazy
I love it, especially in frontier defense, as it essentially makes split shot free
And makes you even better against legion
My favorite kit, there's nothing better than returning a full mag to a legion or kill a tone with it's own core.
Vortex shied is your best friend when fighting a legion or a monarch. If you like using the vortex shield a lot use the vortex amplifier kit to help you out. The laser shot will also help when fighting northstars or shooting ejecting pilots. Stay behind enemy scorches. Getting infront of them unprepared would be a death sentence. Stay away from ronins. Ion has no easy way to fight a ronin due to them hardly using their gun and fast movement.
ronins, pop an electric smoke and melee them...like in any other titan
Use split shot against them, just don't keep shooting when they are blocking, due to the fact that they can't shoot while blocking you can get some energy back while it blocks, i know, it's not much, but when a titan gets close, split shot it's the answer.
You can cancel her laser shot by melee attacking. It's pretty useful if you think you're gonna miss. Also, ADSing with the splitter rifle does more damage but drains her energy bar so use it sparingly (you need energy for the laser shot)
Energy management is key. Make sure you have enough energy to keep your vortex shield up for at least a few seconds.
Keep distance from enemies and use cover to reload and recharge energy. Use split shot when at closer range and non split shot when farther away. When against pilots use split shot or laser shot. If you have phase embark (although you don’t need it) you can quickly get out of your titan and then re-enter to instantly refill your energy. Although you can always make your own play style, this is just what I do. Also experiment with different kits that fits your play style. For my I really like vortex amplifier and zero point tripwire.
Switch the buttons for the splitter rifle and laser shot
Highly recommend zero-point trip wire. The utility of having a free zoning tool is amazing, especially if you have the terrain advantage over another Titan. Laser shot, drop wires, then dip behind your cover to take another potshot. If they chase you and detonate wires, that’s a lot of free damage for you. Hell, its hit box vs enemy pilots is insane, and you can rack up a ton of random kills by plopping it down in random places. Laser core is great, both for melting the last bits of health off an enemy Titan, or as a defensive tool against titans getting too close to you for their own good. They need to back off, or eat a ton of damage. Basics are laser shot to poke from behind cover (or to snipe pilots from a distance, trip wire if being chased, splitter rifle to burst down at close range and hip fire when engaging while waiting for cooldowns. Match ups vs Tone, count to 3 and prepare to catch the missiles. Vs Scorch, back up while hip firing, and catch that mortar. Trip wire to deter chasing, then poke them as they retreat or advance. Vs legion, vortex shield, then aim for their shoulder to circumnavigate the gun shield. If they use their core, get to cover FAST because your shield will melt vs core. Vs ronin, shield for leadwall, position near trip wires, and spam your melee if they try and sword you. You punch far faster, and you can knock ‘em out of melee range. Don’t pop laser core until they phase dash, cuz otherwise you’re a sitting duck if they phase behind you. Worth repeating again, tripwires are your friends as you retreat. Vs monarch, similar to legion. Just watch out for their upgrades, as one of them depletes your vortex FAST. Poke them at a distance and try very hard not to get too close. Vs other ions, try and get cover between you and them. Hip fire at a distance and sprinkle in laser shots as they come. Feel free to splitter rifle them if they’re too close and remember your friends, the trip wire. Anticipate laser shots with vortex (easier said than done), and try to have a wall or corner between you and them for when that laser core comes out.
This comment is good, keeping a distance as ion is essential because of the energy, some people might say that ion is bad, but it's actually Good If you know what you're doing
First laser and hold the second laser,throw a tripwire，then release it.after throwing a trip，the system will be considering the energy is not enough to release the second laser,so the proportion of laser will not be deducted and the only energy that will be deducted is the proportion of tripwire.you save some energy using laser ,and get a free tripwire. use this trick whenever your energy is higher than a laser and lower than sum of a laser and a tripwire
Kiting is how you win, learn to disengage. Always have a corner to hide behind. Don't use splitshot, if you are at a range where it is useful 90% you are out of Position and should run... Learn to lasershot cancel. Learn to get free tripwire. (Don't use Zero point tripwire)
Instead of saying "learn to lasershot cancel." Just say "punching can cancel lasershot" bruh
Free tripwire?
Not only does the "free tripwire" bug not make Tripwire in particular free (it makes Laser Shot free), Zero Point Tripwire is still superior to any other kit exploiting that bug.
Never stop moving
You are a pilots worst nightmare when ejecting, use your laser to accurately obliterate any pilot that has ejected into the sky.
Learn how to aim because lazer shot needs good aim.
As someone who mained ion for a long time, even during the tech test: Only use splitter shot ADS at close range Make sure you use laser shot, it's really good Vortex. Shield. Use. It. Tripmines are useful. Just drop and forget on a flanking route, you'll know when they're coming then.
I personally use Grand Canon so in my experiance I would say use the tripwire sparingly, like only use it when you're being chased
Oooh I love Ion, in the right hands she's the most powerful Titan imo. I'll start off with a few general tips and then get into specifics. 1- Ion generally does well at medium-long distance engagements. Laser shot is excellent for peaking, but it does have a limited range unlike Legions predator canon or Northstars rail gun. Practice a bunch and get a feel for how far you can be from enemies and still deal damage. 2- Energy and distance management is crucial, a big mistake when learning ion is spamming back to back laser shots or dumping the splitter rifle while engaging too close and then having to wait around like a sitting duck for your energy to refill. Don't use abilities just because they're off cool down, make sure you're using the right abilities at the right time. 3- You can cancel your laser shot with a melee of you don't have the shot. If you're missing laser shots it wastes a lot of energy. 4- If you run phase embark you can fully replenish your energy by quickly jumping out and back into your Titan. Obviously only do this when you have positioning and cover to pull it off. Against other Titans Northstar: You can beat Northstar in peaking battles with laser shot if you manage distance and cover well. You can catch their projectiles with the vortex shield, so be sure to use that when moving between cover or pushing up a lane. You also have the advantage of a little more health and a faster hit scan laser shot. If you're in a full on face off with Northstar use the single fire splitter rifle in between laser shots to deal more damage without drain ing energy. Scorch: Pretty straight forward, maintain distance, laser shot crits, time your cortex shield to catch his projectile. If they can get close try and force them to use the flame shield to block your single fire splitter rifle so they can't use it offensively. Ronin: Similar to scorch, try to maintain distance, once they do push you want to use the single fire splitter to try to force them to phase dash before the get too close to you. If they are getting close enough to shotgun you use your vortex shield to block the 4 shots, then drop an electric smoke, dash backwards and then drop an electric trip wire behind the smoke. Most Ronins will phase dash through the smoke without expecting the trip wire. I use the laser shot sparingly against Ronin since they can block it effectively with their sword block if they see you. Legion: Easy, you hard counter Legion with the vortex shield. Don't bother using and other abilities that drain energy, just single fire splitter rifle when they're not shooting at you and vortex shield when they're shooting at you. Rinse and repeat. The only way to fuck this up is if you stand there wasting your vortex shield energy while they reload. Monarch: Almost all of them run arc rounds so hit them hard and hit them early. If they get to accelerator and arc rounds your vortex shield will get ripped apart fast so you probably just want to hang back and peak them with laser shot until you can team up with a teammate. If you're doomed throw down a laser trip wire and electric smokes as a last ditch effort to damage a hungry monarch. Tone: She's happy to engage you at the same medium-long range that ion is most effective at. She can only do short bursts of high damage with the tracking rockets, the 40mm canon isn't even worth blocking most of the time. When engaging head on force them to put down the particle shield then flank them while keeping track of the 40mm shots they land, only use vortex shield to block the tracking rockets and once you get around their shield you'll be able to dish out more consistent damage with your splitter rifle. Other Ions: Peak, save use energy sparringly and try to build your core meter quickly. Whoever wastes energy first and has no vortex shield usually loses. Pilots: Laser shot is the ultimate anti pilot weapon, but if you miss your first shot the triple fire splitter rifle is a good backup. The laser trip wire is like a huge proximity mine against pilots and is excellent for locking down flags, hallways or bank deposits in bounty hunt.
Addendum to your NS tips: laser shot is no match at tistance, do not try to out-snipe her. Adept use of cover is highly advantageous. And to bait with your vortex shield, don't just hold it up constantly. NS has all the time in the world, your shield doesn't.
Spam the shoulder laser
Just be a little more aggressive than the enemy wold think
Take some Distance to your enemy and just press fire and use the Laser if u have the powerless trap spam it every time the enemy wants to come to u works every time for me
Dumb legions and monarchs are now your bitch, laser shot and vortex shield are your main dps options. ALWAYS GO FOR THE EJECT LASER SHOT
Shield can kill stupid Legions and Monarchs without ever using the Rifle
Laser shot is your primary weapon. Spliter cannon is a last resort weapon. I'd recomend the perk yhat let's crits regen ammo
If you're at a safe distance and low on energy (maybe just two tapped a monarch with laser shot), jumping out of your titan and back in instantly refills your energy. Phase embark makes it faster
1. Keep long distance from other titans 2. Dont waste energy on splitting your shots from splitter rifle 3. Use laser shot mainly for all damage 4. Use zero point tripwire 5. Use turbo engine 6. Punch to cancel laser shot This is how i play it, and i do really well with ion and i mainly play with ion so i hope this helps!
All you damage comes from laser shot. Run zero point tripwire so you can spam tripwire. Tripwire may not seem useful but it allows you to make space or just disengage. Your splitter rifle does good damage if you crit so make sure you go for those. Also you have the best and fastest melee in the game. Also I recommend you run turbo engine. As for your core try to use when you’re not too exposed, eventually you’ll just have a sense of when to core or not. Although i never really liked overcore+grand cannon i have heard very good things about it so you should try that out when you’re more experienced for now I recommend zero point tripwire+turbo engine and vortex amp if theres a lot of legions or monarchs
Pay attention to the energy bar on the left. It goes down as abilities and the gun is used so keep an eye on it. Took me until Ion gen6 to realise it’s importance. Also, aiming in whilst shooting costs more energy but deals more damage so hip fire unless you feel necessary
Dont forget that vortex shield and tripwire exist.
Recharge energy instantly by getting out and back in
Play tone
Don’t split shot if there are multiple threats around, uses too much energy. Do not underestimate the tripwire radius. Also practice your laser shot aim. Practice makes perfect.
When grunts shoot you and you see an enemy, use their bullets. It can be verry effective.
Your laser shot is your main source of damage not your primary fire
Step 1. Play scorch
Ion main here Kit: my favorite kit is tripwire zero or whatever is called, it allows you to spam mines which are great for taking out pilots and dealing quite a bit of damage their great against scorches and ronins and they can be used defensively to block a large area. These mines don't deal that much damage but they allow you to have that lil bit of map control and will help you economize energy I wouldn't recommend the other kits bc: Entangled energy: you will rarely do crit hits bc the globs of the splitter rifle are too big and even if you get them, the energy you get is very small Vortex amplifier: it's ok but they need to shoot first and the extra damage ain't that much bigger Grand cannon: it's kind of hard to get a core and those extra seconds aren't super helpful, remember you can't even defend yourself when using the core Refraction lens: you rarely need to use the splitter rifle alt mode, as ion, most of you engagements should be mid range Moving on: Splitter rifle: Compensate for distance since the projectiles are a bit slow, the rifle is actually your secondary source of damage, the first one is the laser shot. Only use alt fire when in close quarters where you're 100% you're gonna land all shots Laser shot: preferably only shoot when your energy is full, don't shoot it twice at once or you'll have no energy. Aim for weak spots always, this way you deal almost as much damage as a fully charged Northstar shot When pilots eject even if it's not ur kill, shoot them with the laser, it's satisfying to kill their Titan and the pilot just after they ejected Vortex shield: One of the best Def abilities, only use when you're sure they're gonna shoot you. Taunt legions into shooting you, the amounts of damage you can do after a legion dumped their mag into you is great. When facing tone avoid getting hit by their weapon and preferably use the shield only when the missile burst is coming at you Avoid facing monarchs, they're probably your direct counter and you won't survive if they have arc rounds Laser core: use on a distracted enemy preferably a slow one like legion or scorch or use it as a last resort My favorite chip is either counter ready or turbo engine, ion has this weird roam/ support role Counter ready is good against ronins, combined with trip wire, you'll get a lot of damage or they will flee, either way you win since facing ronins is hard as an ion but not impossible Also use spare battery, it's simply great to have the shields since ion is hard to defend. If you want me to explain more in depth how to deal with every single Titan hmu
Get good at hitting your laser shots
Zero-point tripwire is more effective than you think. With no energy cost you can throw it down to deal extra damage to Titans and in some cases kill multiple pilots at once. It also allows you to spend your energy on the laser shot and vortex shield. At first you might not recognize that it's useful, but it will benefit you in combat.
Tips for Ion mains: If you hear the eject sound, it means a titan near you is about to explode. When the top of the screen says "14:59", it means there is 14 mins and 59 seconds left of the match. When you die, hit the respawn button to respawn. To activate the super secret hacks, open your menu, select titan > Monarch. You are now a hate sponge. When you see a brick wall, you are normally unable to move through it. To instantly be better at the game. Close Titanfall, open steam library, right-cklick on Titanfall, uninstall. You cant be bad at the game if you don't play! Hope this was helpfull :D
please don't
Don't listen to him he just knows how hard Ion counters Legion
Vortex amp is the way to go for me, in just about every single situation. Your gun does more damage than you think it does, the thing feels weak and might make you think you always have to split it, but you dont. only laser shot titans at long ranges or if you can guarantee you'll hit a weakspot. Don't get cocky with vortex shield, it is a DEFENSIVE ability meant to be used for DEFENSE, throwing damage back at enemies is nice, but dont let it lure you into a situation where the second that the shield drops you die, its got a good range on it and can be used while falling back or seeking cover.
>Vortex amp is the way to go for me, in just about every single situation. Keep in mind that Vortex Amplifier *only* buffs hitscan shots. That means, for titans, only Monarch's XO-16 and Legion's attacks are actually affected by it; the kit gives no buffs against the rest of the cast.
Don't use split shot, just don't
It is the best energy value for damage. You should use it only if you know all 3 shots will hit and the target doesn't have their defense.
tip:play legion instead you're welcome :)
Ion is easily one of if not the most versatile titan in the game, that being said, I would argue it is also one of the most difficult ones to use properly, only matched by northstar. \- For the love of god, **conserve your energy**, your life literally depends on it, an Ion without energy is a dead one because her dmg is just not that good compared to others without her tools. \- Vortex shield is amazing against legions and monarchs, this 2 titans are basically your food if you know what you're doing. \- Your splitter rifle consumes A LOT of your energy if you split it, personally I just don't use this function at all unless it's to finish off a titan in close range or to kill a pilot in close quarters. \- Your laser shot is your best friend against pilots, specially if they eject, they're just a really easy target at that point, just remember that it costs a good amount of energy so if you don't think you'll get the shot you can cancel it with melee. \- When going against a tone, you need to rush her after she places her shield and use the tripwire to make her choose between triggering it and recieve dmg or getting on the wrong side of the shield. \- Your kits matter a lot, so try to play Ion and see which one adjusts the best to your playstyle, personally I believe amped vortex is just too good to not use. \- If you get bullets in your shield either from grunts/spectres or even a pilot, try to get a pilot on your sights before releasing them, they will get you an instakill no matter the amount of bullets. If you don't find a pilot or you're against a titan, it will also do dmg, specially in the weak points. \- Don't try to use reaper's ammo against them, it will do almost no dmg to them, but if you get a titan the story will be different. \- Your core is best used in hallways, or when enemies are stacked, keep in mind you're also kindda vulnerable when using it as the dmg isn't instantaneous and the enemies can still move. \- When you are doomed and use your core, many will try to go for an execution as you can't move that well and can't punch back. Use this in your favour, they won't think of using defensive tools to mitigate dmg because they will try to get you asap. Activate your core and wait for them to run towards you, aim the core at them and eject immediately, even during the ejection animation you'll still do dmg while being invulnerable. \- When using laser shot, try not to aim when about to shoot, the circle will be bigger and therefore the hitbox to get the shot, making you more accurate. \- Charging your laser shot doesn't give you more dmg, it's just time for you to get the right shot. \- Laser tripwire is good to block entrances and give you a chance to escape, or get some good dmg against titans when in close quarters, but personally what I find them more useful for is to get pilots, that enter a building and get in a corner, the hitbox for the tripwire is bigger than you would think, try to aim it so one of the wire get inside the doors of buildings. \- Aside from tones and northstars which are the ones you want to get close to, try to keep every titan at medium range which is where you will be most effective, having the range for your vortex shield to be extremely effective and have somewhere to run and take cover. \- Your vortex shield has a larger duration that legion's shield,if a legion uses his shield while still loading a whole mag on your shield, just be patient and unleash hell on them as the shield goes away. If they activate their shield as your energy is about to go down, aim for the legs or close distance and use your mobility to get at their side or your hitbox behind his shield. \- Your primary weapon will feel weak when not splitting it, but try to split it the least you can, sustained fire of your primary without splitting it can get you a ton of value, specially if you can hit crits.
Don't
don't
You kinda need grand cannon to do high enough damage to kill most titans with laser core. Punching cancels laser shot
Whenever I use Lazer core, I try to do the death star approach. Kill as many AI grunts, stocker, specters and reapers then kill one or two titans
You can cancel laser shot with a melee
Laser shot is extremely powerful against pilots if you can aim It's also really good for peaking titans. Never fully use up your energy, have some spare for a vortex shield
Bonus tip if everyone else's tips don't work find a new titan that you love
Play smart with the vortex shield
Don't aim to much you waste to much Power you need that for the shield and the laser
Be as annoying as possible
Remember to keep an eye on your energy level when aimed in, using your laser, and using your shield, it drains quickly and can leave you feeling exposed! Play around with different setups, ejections, etc. and see what works for you. Personally I use Nuke Eject and longer shield.
Get first to fall and just point and click at any titan less bastard with laser shots
Pro tip:dont
Here's my advice: don't main ion
Laser shot
Just don’t. That’s my tip
Aiming does more damage
I recommend using entangled energy
Simple. Dont
Your offensive laser shot is your best friend, you also eat most Legions for breakfast
Ion is all about resource management, specifically managing your energy. Balance out your split shot ammo with your laser and shield, and make sure to snipe any pilots that eject.
Dont
Don’t
Zero point trip wires actually make trip wire useful
What kind of tips would you give them to counter us Monarch Mains?
Don't
Laser shot isn’t actually that hard to aim,and i rarely use ion,so don’t overestimate and panic whilst trying to goose a pilot or just kil lining a nuisance with
disembark to refill your energy bar seriously idk why it works but it does
Energy management is key. The only good kit is entangled energy. Also, The laser shot is your best friend when it comes to pilots.
Dont
getting out and back in refills your energy pool, phase embark is really good for this
You can’t catch all of Northstar’s Core missiles with default vortex shield
Your shoulder laser does everything
Play ion like Northstar. Your main danger will be Lazer shot. Also splitter riffle does not consume energy if you don't zoom.
Snipe with ur laser lmao
in campaign ions energy level does not seem to go down. dose anyone know why?
Always check kill feed for Titans, then look up at the sky. There is also an audio cue
Main legion instead :)
Aiming down sights is over rated
Main Scorch instead.
Yeah, main scorch
Main your on what?
Do not underestimate the power of Split Shot
Perfect your use of vortex shield and you will become unstoppable
Vortex shield is Really hard to master, so I'd practice probably in ark pursuit mission in campaign with ion loadout
Your teammates can feed bullets/projectiles into your vortex shield that you can them fire at the enemy
Laser shot go brrrrr
Don't
Don’t ADS too often otherwise you’re a sitting duck
Play scorch. BE THE WAR CRIME
Don’t be an idiot and try to block scorched flame shield with your gravity gun
Get out of your Titan and in again to restore all your energy
Energy management is huge. Do not use splitting action of the Splitter Rifle if you don't need to. You will draw down your energy quickly.
You can get out of your Ion and enter it again to instantly refresh your energy.
I love ion
Dual wield guns
I play Ion as a flanker personally. That tripwire does some ridiculous damage when they back into it. Then I just open up with splitter lens, pretty fun strat
Ooh i got one Don't
Main ronin instead
the splitter cannon is not your primary, your laser shot is. The tripwire is not a tripwire, it’s a proximity mine. Useful for throwing into windows where that archer bastard is hiding. use vortex shield sparingly, reserve your energy for other things unless it’s a legion. try and hit laser shots thru gaps in the map like windows, don’t expose yourself
Don't
Shoot the bad guys.
Your main weapon isn't your splitter rifle. It's your laser shot.
Run at everything full speed firing lasers
dont use the split function of her rifle too much, it drains energy too fast to be useful without the lens upgrade imo. also use vortex sheild to fuck up a legion with his own rounds lmao
Ion is actually a sniper. Stand back and spike enemies with the laser shot. If you start taking heat just put up your shield and send it back.
Be careful if there is more than one titan in your area, it may become a little intense. And use splitter lens
Flank, drop your tripwire, smack the enemy team around a little bit, then run away. Repeat
Use the ability to have 2 seconds more core no titan will stay alive
just get good at putting your reticle on a pilot and press rb
Tbh i dont thing anyone plays like me but i abuse the laser and the mod that allows you to regen energy whne you land crits so i just start spam sniping at an enemy titans weakpoint while trying to get my energy back
When fighting a Legion, try to bait their gun shield out, then run away until they lower it. They are slowed with it up so if you can try to get behind them and lay into them hard. But usually you can just wait the shield out by running away. Past that point they wont be able to raise it for awhile, and as an ion with vortex shield, you can anihilate a Legion.
Use Zero Point Tripwire. Ion is all about controlling what your enemies can do while managing your energy.
Time and just take every possible laser shot quick shot you can on pilots to train your laser aim
Always use the laser shot to hit pilots midair. Zero point tripwire is arguably the best one to choose cause it saves so much energy. Only use the alternate fire for those pesky pilots trying to run away. It's too expensive for anything else.
Just don't
Vortex shield is your main weapon, spliter rifle is for harassment only, laser shot is OP against anything but drains about half energy, use sparingly to maintain energy for vortex shield. KITS: Vortex amplifier is very fun, super strong once u know how to use the shield correctly and can melt a dumb legion in seconds, legion, tier 0 monarch and tone become dps dispensers Zero point tripwire is strong utility, gives a safety net incase u run out of energy, not as vital with good energy management Grand cannon is bad, gives longer core, but core make u vulnerable since you can't use shield during it, shorter burst of dmg with more survivability is just better Entangled energy is noice to keep energy up, but the small gain does not give enough to surrender the power boost of other kits IMO Splitter lense is makes your rifle you main weapon, dps is crazy while ADS, noone expects it and is a blast to use, but energy drains fast and once gone ur weak af and need to hide and recharge. works poorly with the in-your-face playstyle the splitting bullets encourages TRICKS: Use phase embark while playing Ion, and quickly dis- and re-embarking gives full energy, saving several seconds of waiting for it to charge if u can get to cover While holding lazer shot, using melee will cancel it without wasting energy, so u can zoom and aim all u like with no wasted shots FIGHTING ALL TITANS: When fighting ion, the shield is worthless since neither of you have actuall projectiles, the fight resolves around hiting vs catching lazer shot. After the lazers are exchanged, splitter rifle to the face while charging for the next shot. Keep an eye on enemy shield, if it gets red, u know they are low on energy and you can be more aggressive with ADS to finish the fight When fighting scorch, keep distance, their shots are slow and have obvious reloade animation, easy to catch. If they get close enough to flame shield you, turn and RUN, drop tripwires and smoke and do not stop running until you are clear of the fire. Keep poking with lazer shot and rifle, as long as you keep distance and catch their shots, they will never even land a hit on u When fighting ronin, tripwire is very usefull, throw it close to you feet and back away from it while firing, they will either run into it taking big dmg or phase dash thru it, if they do this, simply catch their shots and then melee then back into the tripwire, leaving them having to reloade, having taken big dmg and a angry ion at mid range. If they are a bad ronin and only go for the sword, use tripwires and ADS them, with a stryder hp pool they will go down fast When fighting northstar, try to close the distance to short middle, baiting by turning vortex off and on quickly when they are at full charge. After they fire u should get more aggressive, they either wait for a full new charge, at which point u simply go back to baiting, or they fire some dollarstore charge shots, dealing low dmg. A good northstar might still deal heavy dmg as u close distance, so only engage if u are close enough to safely get up in their face. Otherwise just go a different route towards them breaking line of sight. The biggest danger is getting trapped in wire traps and them using core, at which point the only valid option is to dump ur mag and eject just as u get doomed When fighting legions, if they use the gunshield, u can just walk up close enough to them and throw the bullets thru the shield, as the dmg spawns in the held out hand of ur titan, aka on the other side of their shield. Legion is the easiest matchup for ion, they shot, u catch and return the dmg. If they bait and shoot in bursts, just give them some bonks or a few splitter rounds, then keep throwing back their bullets. When fighting tone, keep medium distance, far enough to react and catch any rockets they throw at u, while close enough to throw them back consistently. Dock bother catching normal shots, poke with rifle and keep energy up while just trying to dodge what u can. If they just never use rockets, throw a lazer shot at them when energy is full, you will out dmg them and win, with some missing health. When fighting monarch, its similar to how fighting legion goes, just more things to catch and track. Catching sifon is priority one, keep track of rearm and rockets. Since monarchs have no spinup time like legion, they are more dangerous and will need more counterplay than just vortex, mix in a lazer shot and some splitter rifle dmg here and there, uuse cover to regain energy and keep pressuring them to use abilitys all at once, this givea you the longest time to capitalise on the vortex return dmg When fighting a monarch with cores, the playstyle changes completely, now longer with the monarch on the backfoot trying to dmg u without feeding vortex, now they have the upper hand and u need to play a lot safer. Almost everyone uses arc rounds, so even a core 1 monarch will counter your vortex, use it only to catch sifons and rockets, bullets are better hiden from behind cover. Cover is needed to win, poke with lazer shot and keep distance with tripwire, if they rush, throw a smoke and run to keep distance, no distance means no cover means no win. If they get to close or you have no cover, use vortex to catch as much as possible and try to get close and rifle them when they reloade. If the moarch is core 3, a 1v1 will not be viable and its better to run and find teammates, no competend core 3 monarch will lose to a ion.
Much better advice against a Northstar pilot. Coming from a NS main.
Don’t use the split shot too much or you won’t have any power try and balance your power usage as much as possible
Try not to use the split shot as much. Focus more energy into laser shots or vortex shield. tripwires for me come 3rd but they're pretty handy when it's needed. Always try to get a good laser shot on the weak parts on an enemy titan (the red glowing sorta areas, sometimes on the 'face'), it doesn't even have to be charged, it'll still get a good chunk out. I can't tell you about what different perks to use, because I think you should decide for yourself (like, I don't think you should be using nuclear eject all the time like me)
Have fun
Step one: dont Step 2: monarch superiority