HAWKEN

HAWKEN

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Simple CRT Weapons Guide
By Whilyam
New to the game? Let an old hand at the Alpha help you with some of the basics. Don't waste your money or time.
   
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Introduction
Greetings, pilot. So, you've either just gotten the game or just want to know more about the weapons on the CRT-Recruit. I think this is the number one reason that players shy away from Hawken: they can't work with the starter mech.

The reason I see for this is that they don't understand the different weapons available and what they can do with them. So, I'm giving you this basic guide to the unlockable weapons. Personally, I would recommend that you spend lots of time with your CRT and try to play with all the weapons. There's no perfect weapon for every situation and unlocking a weapon won't make you a god at the game. However, every weapon will have its ideal situation and they each favor a certain playstyle. Even if you're not a fan of them, be mindful of why you don't like them. This is invaluable for choosing your next mech or weapon as you progress in the game.
Secondary: The TOW Rocket Launcher
In Hawken, you can change your primary weapons but not your secondaries. So, the important thing to know first is what you can't change: the TOW Rocket Launcher.

The TOW is a powerful explosive fired by using your right mouse button. It travels in a straight line until it hits something, upon which it will explode. It deals a high amount of damage for a direct hit as well as decent splash damage. You can also manually choose when the rocket detonates (using right mouse button, which is incredibly helpful if you have trouble getting direct hits (hello, that's me).

The best way to use this weapon is against enemies who are unaware of you (particularly as a first shot) or those who have limited mobility such as heavy mechs in turret mode or mechs that have just dodged since dodging has a cooldown.

Do not use this in close quarters. You can take splash damage yourself and there's nothing worse that shooting your rocket into a wall and giving your opponent a free kill. Save this for longer and mid-range damage.

Practice and use the manual detonation. This has saved me many times when I fire a rocket and it misses its target. All I have to do to salvage some of the lost damage is hit the right mouse button again and the air detonation takes out a chun of my enemy's health.

Also, know when NOT to use it. This weapon generates a lot of heat, so don't spam it. Rely more on your primary to deal consistent damage.
Primary: The Assault Rifle
This is what you start off with, the most basic rifle. In my opinion, this is also the best weapon you start with. This lets you get fairly consistent damage from almost anywhere. While the CRT's other primaries perform better close up and other mechs specialize in long-range damage, this weapon privides decent damage in all these areas. I can harass mechs across the map without much risk with this weapon, and that's probably the best position for a starting CRT. You are faster than C class mechs, but the A class mechs are much better at getting quickly into a position so you benefit from a primary that can deal reliable damage from almost anywhere.

This is MY playstyle, however, so let's investigate the other weapons as well. I still recommend getting good with this weapon because it forms a great basis for future mechs and weapons.
Primary: The Submachine Cannon
I said that the Assault Rifle is good for distance, but what if you're not having that problem? What if you keep finding yourself dying in close-quarters encounters? As mentioned earlier, A-class mechs can easily outmaneuver you. If these are your problems, then the SMC is for you. It does a worse job at deliverign damage at a distance, but it provides great close-quarters damage. You might prefer this weapon if you prefer to sneak into an enemy's flank and surprise them with a TOW and some bullets. Keep in mind, though, that you need to know where your enemies are. If your enemy has buddies nearby, they are at an advantage agaisnt you. However, if you find a clump of enemies distracted by your team, go to town and get some free kills.
Primary: The Point-D Vulcan
If you're looking at this weapon, I would hope that you wouldn't need this guide by now. The Vulcan is a reward for reaching the penultimate rank in the CRT progression line and it is quite the reward. If you liked the SMC, then the Vulcan could be the perfect weapon for you. On the face of it, the Vulcan might not seem that great. The boost in damage is countered by a spin-up time, slightly lower rate of fire, accuracy, and effective range compared to the SMC as well as higher heat generation. But the damage boost is well worth it, and if you were using the SMC properly for close-quarters combat, this will help you tremendously. The key is to stay close to your enemy and hold down the fire button. Your opponents won't know what hit them. Aside from a television with a minigun and a rocket launcher, that is.
Conclusion
You should now know a great deal more about handling the weapons in your first mech. Again, I would personally recommend sticking with the Assault Rifle to deal reliable damage everywhere, but the other two are great at close-quarters combat and all three can be found on many other mechs, so getting to know them all now will help you immensely in the future.

As a final note, remember that mech weapons are nothing without their mech. Your CRT has an ability that lets you fire longer than any other mech (except Assault which is essentially an alternate CRT that starts with the close-range weapons and unlocks the assault rifle at the end). Your CRT also comes equipped with a shield item. Learn how to use that to control where and when you get attacked. As you progress, you should also look into Internals which can improve your survivability.

Happy hunting.
2 Comments
AlienArchon 11 May, 2014 @ 3:32pm 
Nice and concise guide Whilyam. I learned nothing new, however that's only because I've been playing this awhile. I recommend all noobs start here to learn how best to operate their legged weapon-weilding microwaves named Fred.
JFK the Jet Plane 11 Apr, 2014 @ 11:08pm 
Thank you for educating me in the ways of the easy-bake oven. Excellent guide, my fine friend.