Survival Tips

[RimBlock]

So we all know that for a fully geared player, Survival does not really offer much in the way of a reward in the main game but it can still be fun in its own right if you have done everything else a few thousand times.

This is sort of where I am now so I have been dipping in to survival again and I still really enjoy it.  To this end I though I would put down a few tips that I use to make it a bit more weighted in my favor when doing a run.

1. Clothing: I tend to try and get clothing ASAP from the housing blocks.  I have done a session and extracted with -14 Degrees clothing without freezing.  I believe the DZ temps are warmer than the LZ so once in I was not worried with the cold very much.
   
2. Cold:  At the start the cold will kill you fast.  Plan to find somewhere warm as soon as your heat bar is half way down or you can be running in circles and just die of exposure.
   
3. Good Stuff:  The raised walkways in the bottom left lead to a number of rooftops where you can find some good items.  Rooftops are your friends most of the time.  Police stations are also good.  Heli crash sites seem to be cleared more often than not when I arrive so I concentrate on other areas to get the loot others have bypassed to get to the heli's.
   
4. Skills: I always go for the Pulse now as I can detect if any enemies are around the next corner or if a site that should have enemies has already been looted before going into it.  I usually use health box for my secondary as you can blow it up for a health boost or just keep it going for a top up during a fight.
   
5. Equipment: First chance I get I always craft two extended mags.  They are only available in green and are easy to get early on.  They make a big difference.
   
6. Weapons: I go for a belt fed LMG when possible as the ammo usually lasts well.  My preferred second weapon is usually a AR of some type (pref the LVOA-C) but make sure you have two weapons that use different ammo types and that they are at least blue before going in to the DZ or tackling more difficult (Gold) enemies.
   
7. Armour: I tend to go Holster (two stats), Body armour & Kneepads (highest armour rating) then the others.  I do not touch gear mods of any type as there is too much randomness.  Only the stats mods I will use if I have some spare crafting materials and have most of what I want and would like a boost on a specific stat.
   
8. Meds: Don't be afraid to take these at the start but spread them out a bit or you could find you spend too much time outside in the LZ.  I like to get in to the DZ with 10 mins+ to spare.
   
9. Extractions: If I get in the DZ and I hear an extraction.  I will usually sprint for it as the person extracting has meds and a flare gun.  Sometimes I will be lucky, sometimes I will miss the chopper or there will be a 4 Agent team there so no more room and in this situation I just move on.
   
10. Enemies:  Closer you get to the DZ the tougher they get.  More north you go, the better items you can craft in the safe houses.  I usually go around the bottom left or right to get all the materials to gear up a bit, craft the items I need if possible on the left side and go in the DZ via the bottom left entry point.  If you hug the DZ from the bottom left corner then there is only one area you may encounter enemies (if you are not silly) and there is some loot there is someone else has not beaten you too it.
    
11. Materials:  Get them before you get in to the DZ.  You need some gold and DT for the flare gun you can get inside but there is very little available inside the DZ as most is gold caches.
    
12. Deconstruct:  Don't hoard items.  If you do not need them then deconstruct them for the materials.
    

Last  tip notes...

Subway stations can be good for loot but use your pulse to see if they have been cleared before going too deep.

People play in many different ways and these tips will not make sense for everyone.  What tips have others got to share ?.

Hope to catch you by the fire barrel, hopefully not after you got to all the loot first though :6_smile: .

 

[RimBlock]

Additional...

I just played for the pacifist commendation (play PvP and don't kill anyone) and there were 3 PvP people playing.  I saw a glimpse of one and went the other way.  Within 15 minutes I was the only player left.  I extracted and killed the Hunter as all the loot was there.  I just missed a gold weapon due to no div tech and the timer was running out but it felt way easier.  Only bad side is the wandering enemies are also mostly there but I got lots of loot from them also.

Also if you play Survival 20 times (don't think you need to extract) you will get 3x10 + 20 for a commendation.  You could start and freeze straight away and see if that gets counted.  If so then the only hard part is waiting for a new game to start but one afternoon could net those points if you are looking for some more.

 

[RimBlock]

One more additional here.

The Purple LVOA-C I find better for blasting down the Hunters than a gold G36 or anything else TBH.  Add an extended mag and something for stabilisation and you are good to go.

Snipers are pretty good for the earlier stages.  SVD or M14 are great even when close with Red enemies.  Purple bad guys are a bit more of a challenge.

One more hunter to go for the shield  :14_relaxed: .

 

[Jaypeg]

I did my hunters in one go and extracted 5 items in the same run. I then cheesed the five hours by going to a safe spot and waiting there until I died, rinse and repeat.

Im not a big fan of survival but we did it on pvp. Played with some peeps who knew what they were doing. Good shout on the Lvoac, works a treat.

good luck on your other Hunter 

 

[RimBlock]

I suspect there are some people camping extraction sites aiming to take down the hunters when other players come in.  That can be a real pain if someone is going for the Hunter kills and after around 1 hour play someone comes in and takes the kill shot...

Unfortunately teaming up on this side of the world is pretty difficult with the multitude of languages, most of which I do not speak.  Have to go solo most of the time but at least I get the Lone Wolf bonus  :5_smiley: .

Got and cleared the big flamer guy on just outside the bottom left of the DZ and after was pretty much purple kitted all round.  Ran the long way to the closest DZ entrance to try and get a few more mats (especially Weapon parts) and ran in to someone who just got downed.  Ran in and hud whilst I revived them and after realised on the other side very close were 2 gold LMB.

Deciding discretion being the better part of valor, after the person was back on their feet I ran rather than risk it but saw the other Agent continuing to fight.  This gave me pause thinking they may be super powerful to keep taking on the LMB but they went down again and before I knew it the LMB were hammering me from two sides and knocked me down.  As I no longer had any health packs (due to reviving the other Agent) that was it for my last run last night.

Got one more revive for the commendation but maybe next time I will let them bleed out and take their stuff rather than waste almost an hour of playing.

Maybe I will have another go tonight for the last Hunter.  

Like survival quite a bit although the virus counter is quite annoying.  Starting to feel a bit samey after playing enough times.  Got my Black Pigeon Down Commendation last night too (Lots of survival sessions) and have around 2 more items to extract for that Commendation to be fully cleared as well.

 

[RimBlock]

Done and done.  Finally finished the shield, mainly solo.

The last hunter ran at me and the LVOA-C burst him down in under a single mag within 30s of calling the chopper as he came charging at me to try his nasty axing ways.  With the 1 1/2 minutes left on my hands I then shot a couple of reds downstairs, collected their loot and took some pics on my final extraction loadout which I will post later just in case it helps anyone else out. 

The LVOA-C is awesome for this and is the reason I do not use an AR for anything but the Hunters to save the ammo as, if unlucky, the battles can run for a while.

Also managed to get the Hoarder and 10 Hunters commendations for Survival.

 

[RimBlock]

Ok, some pictures.

Extraction build.

Note usually I have just a gold holster (for the 3 stats) but got lucky and looted a dead Agent this run.



The LVOA-C

 

[RimBlock]

How I cover for Hunters (lower level parking lot extraction.

1. Facing the lower level DZ.



2. Turn right and at the top of the rams is a some metal cover (Cover 1).  Hunters like to hide behind this.  One Hunter spawn point (best for me to kill them) is by the parachute above my Agent.

I run forwards to the cover and turn right.  There is a small L shaped building.  I hold up there.



3. Looking back at where I was standing in Pic 1 & 2.  Hunters can spawn to the left or right at the far end but you can usually see them running iif looking this way f that is the case and have some good cover.  The ramp down with the metal cover (Cover 1) is to the right.  If you see a grenade circle but have not seen any Hunters looking in this direction then the Hunter spawned down the ramp to the right.



4. Same cover looking to the right at Cover 1.  There is another Hunter spawn point behind me but if standing here a Hunter will not spawn at that point.  Moving backwards and around the corner provides cover from any Hunters coming in this direction.  From this small building you can get good basic cover from 3 sides (there is a wall to the right and only the back is fully exposed.

If you are lucky then the Hunter will sprint from the cover to axe you but has to jump the wall.  The LVOA-C with an extended mag and reasonable Firearms should be able to burst them down as they make the run.

 

[RimBlock]

Thought I would just clarify which building I hide behind as it is not so clear above.  

The one with the smile face in front.



As it has the L shape from the back.