Port Valdez tips and tricks!
By Jayross 4 Comments
Port Valdez Tips and Tricks
Now that the Bad Company 2 demo has ended, I can look back at my 63 hours of playtime and give some tips, tricks and strategies for Port Valdez (Rush). Most of these tips are going to be map-related, so I am not going to tell you to "fire in bursts" or anything general like that.
Tier 1:
Defenders:
This base is fairly open, and defenders have a pretty clear view of any attackers coming towards the base. Defenders should prevent tanks from getting into their base by using the two AT rockets. Snipers are also useful on defense, they can lay C4 along the road and counter-snipe to protect people who are using the AT rockets. Alpha is very vulnerable, and if a tank is hammering it from the top of the hill it might not last.
Bravo is very open, and if the defenders can stay in places with a good vantage point of the crate then they should be fine.
Make sure the attackers don't gain control of the construction building, or the two-story next to Alpha.
Attackers:
This base can be easy, or can be very difficult, but it all depends on your opposing team. Snipers can pick you off as you come down the hill, they have two AT rockets, and a heavy machine-gun (+ two on the two-story next to alpha). It might be tempting as an attacker to snipe, but more than 2 or 3 snipers will hurt your team. The snipers should keep people off the AT weapons, and spot all infantry. The tank should be used to hammer alpha or the construction building from the top of the hill.
Alpha can be easily destroyed by a tank or C4, or arming the charge and getting into a spot in the woods, or in the two-story are also good tactics.
Bravo can be tricky, especially if the attackers have got Alpha already. If the defenders are doing their job and watching the crate arming Bravo can be difficult. Placing C4 on an ATV and driving it into Bravo, then exploding it, can do good damage to Bravo.
Tier 2:
Defenders:
Both of the crate buildings can be collapsed, Alpha is particularly vulnerable. Ideally your team should split up, one side for Bravo and the other for Alpha. Taking out the tanks that are shelling Alpha is crucial. The squad defending Bravo should try to control both of the two-story buildings, or colapse the one next to Bravo. Attackers:
Use the heavy and light tank to collapse Alpha, get engineers to keep them repaired. Meanwhile, a squad or two should go to Bravo, with some people going into the building next to Bravo, and some others going to Bravo to arm the charge. Watch for people camping behind the stairs or in the roof. The team in the building next to Bravo should blow some holes in the wall so they can see Bravo crate. From there they can easily defend it while the charge is set. Tier 3:
Defenders:
The defending team has been pushed back to this point, the good news is that this is a fairly easy base to defend, if you move quickly enough at the start. Snipers do well on this map, the walls of Alpha and Bravo can be blown-up so that snipers on the construction building can get a good view of the crates, and can easily defend them. It is very important to have a skilled heli pilot and gunner for this part.
Use the choke-point! There is a major choke-point on Tier 3, if you can move most of your team up to that point, with medics, engineers, and assault classes, you can easily hold the choke-point with good Apache support. Make-sure no one gets past, a common tactic is to go along the ocean-side, or climb the surrounding cliffs. If a squad gets past your front-line, you will need to fall back and resort to a more traditional, and challenging type of defense.
Attackers:
Attackers need to act quickly to move their tanks and squads into the base, the attackers should not get pushed back at the choke-point at all costs. Once inside the base it is fairly easy. Alpha can be armed and then guarded from the many surrounding buildings. Bravo can be armed and then defended from within the warehouse using the corners. Tier 4:
Defenders:
Don't abandon Alpha. While you should work on defending Bravo, you should also have an ample squad near Alpha to prevent it from being destroyed. The blackhawk is a cool toy, but not very useful to the defenders. Attackers:
Get Alpha first. Enough said. For more info about Tier 4, read my other blog post that goes into more depth: http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/jayross/crate-a-on-the-last-base-is-a-total-bitch/30-38269/
Or: things to avoid when using a tank:
http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/jayross/tanks-are-huge-hunks-of-metal-on-treads-but-they-suck/30-38224/
http://www.giantbomb.com/battlefield-bad-company-2/61-25246/tactical-gaming-is-recruiting-for-bad-company-2-ps3-360-pc/35-389099/#37
Next up: What is the deal with the multiplayer maps in Bad Company 2?
Thanks for reading, until next time... look out for menacing helicopters.