So, you wanna be a M.A.C.O.? Awesome. So does everyone. But, Gunny's going to give you a leg up. Listen, and learn, maggots!

First, Race. It's an important choice. You can flub through any of the three Careers, and STILL be M.A.C.O., if you pick the right Race. So, you ask, what should I choose? Short answer? Drop $5 into your Zen Wallet, and go Playable Caitian. It's that simple. The Kitties have the Pounce ability as a racial trait, making them hard core for Ground Ops.

If you're broke, cheap, or just don't like cats, well, there are still some viable options. Andorians, Klingons, and even Vulcans have racial traits that allow for strong Ground builds. Choose carefully, and you can rock out with your Spock out.

Which brings us to Skills and Traits. For Ground Ops, it's an easy choice for Skills: Weapons and Shilelds. Kits are great, and all, but I tend to prefer racial and chosen traits over kits. So, focus on your Weapons Proficiencies, buff your Shields, and get ready to Borg Bust.

Traits are harder to quantify, but certain ones are great for Ground Ops. Stubborn, Sure-Footed, and Rifle Training are must haves. Everything else is personal choice.

Alright, now for the variables: Kits. Depending on your Career, your kits will be limited. However, here's the basics for each Career:

Science -
Generalize. Try to use both Physics and Medicine. Being able to freeze, melt, or sonic-boom an opponent is awesome, but SOMEONE needs to be the Team Field Medic. If you're Science, guess what? It's you, buddy.

Engineer -
It's all about your Base, your Base, not Tribbles. Be able to drop Combat Supplies for your Team, and establish a foothold with Turrets. Shield or Medical stations are a huge help, too. Stay away from "Quick Fix," or other "Debuffs." Not your monkey, not your circus. You're a Combat Engineer, man, so get in there, and help WIN.

Tactical -
If you're Tac, you'll want to go with grenades, and buffs, and all that fun crap. Don't. Focus on Stealh Modules, anything that increases your base speed, and Lunge. ALWAYS have Lunge. Trust me. You'll see why in a minute.


GEAR:

Use the highest level Armor and Personal Shields you can find. Anything that offers bonuses to damage resistance is great, but again, try to generalize. Get Armor and Shields that offer a general bonus for Physical and/or Energy, but not specific types. +50% Energy Resist is good in ALL firefights, while +56% Tetryon Resist isn't.

Okay, so you're kitted, Armored, Shielded, and trained. You're ready to go! Almost...

Remember how I said Lunge was the end-all, be-all for Tactical Officers? Well, here's the reason.

You only need TWO weapons.

A TR-116B (Craft one if you can; buy one if you're lazy, like me), and a Melee Weapon of choice. I like Lirpas, but I'm a bit odd.

Seriously. Tetryon, Plasma, Antiproton, etc, etc, ad nauseum... They're great against specific races or targets. But TR-116Bs have 100% shield bypass, and Sniper Mode. Sure, they're a little lower DPS, but when you don't have to worry about shields, well... You do the math.

Melee weapons are also good, especially when fighting groups of enemies at close range. (Ever done a Borg Ground STF? Then you know what I'm talking about.) Learn how to do combos, and you'll own the Collective. I guarantee it.

So, be the best that you can be. If you're going M.A.C.O. (or Honor Guard, Terran Task Force, Temporal Agent, whatever) keep these tips handy. The lives you save will START with your Ground Away Team.

I'm available (often) for training operations. Drop me an ingame E-mail, Singh@Gundancer. I'll also train Teams.

Good luck, and Happy Borg Bustin'!