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7 tips to help you master Anthem's combat
Anthem’s combat is bombastic and brilliant, and with our tips you’ll master the battlefield in no time.
As BioWare’s first new game in a long time, Anthem has a lot of eyes on it. While the masters of the sci-fi RPG have always delivered on a good combat experience, they’re best known for story, but thankfully the Javelin-based combat on offer is great fun, and deeper than you’d first think. As a Freelancer you have to protect the people, but you’re also a gun for hire, and these Javelin suits offer more than just shotguns and assault rifles, we can tell you.
With our handy tips, you’ll be mastering whichever suit you main, be it the super-fast Interceptor or the elemental master that is Storm. We’ve got your back, and your front, because there’s no real cover in this game, so let’s support each other from all angles and play as a team, OK? On with the tips...
1. You can fly, so get off the ground
Hovering is your best friend
© EA
Something we’ve noticed in our extensive playtime so far is that people are playing Anthem like it’s Mass Effect. It’s fair, we get it, BioWare made this so people expect it to be a “BioWare-style game”. But the killer thing about Anthem is that you can fly and hover, and hovering is a key aspect to succeeding in combat. While the enemies can still see you when you’re in the air, you’re a sitting duck on the ground. Unless you’re playing as Colossus, your shields will get eaten through quickly and you just don’t have the mobility of an airborne Javelin. Hover for a short while, rain down from above, then fly off before you overheat and gain a new vantage point. Never stay still, because we all know a moving target is far harder to hit than Mr SoldierMan who likes to strafe side to side and shoot his guns.
2. Use your abilities regularly
Use your abilities regularly
© EA
Speaking of “how to play Anthem” type tips, there’s no really good reason to sit on an ability (they are actually called gears but we’ll use ability as you know what that means!) that’s ready to use. Even if you are using high-powered artillery as Colossus and there’s a ten second cooldown, use it to clear out enemies before they overwhelm you, use the movement on offer, and by the time you’ve reassessed the situation, it’s likely you will have all your abilities charged up and ready to go. Your Ultimate is the only example where we’d suggest maybe holding onto it for longer, but even then, you can equip components that have bonuses to Ult-recharge as well.
3. There’s no healing class, but you can still play support
While all of the four Javelins definitely have specific use-cases, they are also (in part) all jack-of-all-trades as well. This is thanks to the support-style gear which has a variety of options that we’ve found very useful so far. For example, one option is to throw down a field that speeds up all team-mates’ ability recharges. Another (Storm Javelin) ability allows you to put up a wall barrier to stop projectile attacks coming at you, but do you want to use that, or do you want to use Storm’s aforementioned nexus skill instead, to keep everyone else’s abilities coming thick and fast. All these things can let you play a support role in the heat of battle, and are helpful in different situations, but it’s important to know how and when to use them. Speaking of which…
4. The right gear for the right situation wins the day
Tools for the job mean victory for the freelancers
© EA
If you’re playing Colossus, it’s very likely you’ll come across the Taunt support gear very early on. This gear is an aggro-attack that basically gets the enemy to focus fire on you, the tank class. But playing solo (which we don’t recommend, but it’s an option if you want it) that support gear is practically useless. Likewise, with that same Javelin, do you want to risk having a heavy weapon that only Colossus can wield, but that mulches through bullets at an alarming rate. Colossus can use those weapons, but does the situation warrant it? The right tools for the job are vital in Anthem, especially since you can’t change them mid-mission. For that precise reason, we found that if you’re playing as Storm, it’s good to have a mix of elements in your seals, and ice-based projectiles are essential if playing in a team so you can slow the enemy down.
5. Keep an eye on your power level, but don’t let it rule you
Check that power level and loadout regularly
© EA
As you’d expect, as well as leveling up your Javelin, you also have a power level that is per suit. It is tempting to chase that number and try to get it as high as possible, but the way stats work in Anthem is complicated. You’ll see a red arrow pointing down that suggests you aren’t using the best gear in that particular slot, and it’s fine to alter these when it comes to gears, seals, or general abilities. However, letting this power level rule can put you in awkward situations in combat. Sure, it might make your number go up if you equip a second shotgun in your alt-weapon slots, but do you really want to go into battle with two different shotguns? Maybe equipping that sniper rifle will lower your power level, but it’ll give you a very different option in combat. Keep an eye on the stats, but only equip things you think will actually help you in battle, not just something that makes an arbitrary number go up. Would you rather your power level be higher, or your shields? Think about what you’re equipping and you’ll be golden.
6. Be aware of your shields and health
It may sound obvious, but when you’re flying around, hovering between enemies, pitching grenades at enemies, or hitting an ult that would put a tropical thunderstorm to shame, it’s easy to lose track of how well you’re doing. Due to being inside a hulking Javelin suit, the feedback for taking damage can be lost in the melee, so keep an eye on your shields and health (even a cursory glance now and then) will save you in a pinch. While we’re at it, consider using weapons with helpful boosts. In fact, the Legion of Dawn edition of the game nets you a weapon that has a superb buff that recharges your shields every time you reload, so we know there must be countless opportunities to mix things up. That loadout again, there, paying dividends.
7. Get to level 8 as quickly as possible
It’s tempting to play around in free play and explore Anthem’s world, but we’d seriously recommend you hit up the story missions and contracts to get to level 8 as soon as possible. With each level up you gain, something new will be allowed with your Javelin, but at level 8 you get access to your second suit. This is important because it allows you to really start customising things and get in deep with the loadout system. We’d recommend you avoid picking Colossus as your starting Javelin, but it’s not a bad choice as your second one. Storm has weaker shields, but has awesome attacking capabilities, but even Ranger is a good first choice as it’s fairly generic. As you progress you’ll unlock more loadout options, and gain the chance to equip more components which change up your shield and health stats, give you boosts and buffs, and generally become a better Freelancer thanks to your powerful Javelins.
