Tips and Tricks for any player (Wall of Texts)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Cactus Tips ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cactus is very tough when played to her strengths. Turns out her staying power in a firefight isn't really as fragile as catching a Cactus by surprise in Multiplayer may lead you to believe! When I first played the Garden Warfare 2 Cactuses, I felt they were very underpowered and took too many shots to vanquish a zombie. However, this came because I was an experienced Garden Warfare 1 player who had fully unlocked the upgraded to his variants in the previous game.

Growing used to an upgraded character is dangerous - The Camo Cactus with her damage upgrade in GW2 can actually vanquish a foot soldier with 2 Head shots, whereas when she is not leveled to have a damage upgrade, it will take 3. Remembering this is important as seeing 60 damage with such low firing speeds and magazines will lead you to dislike a character, simply because two shots on a Foot Soldier will land them with 5 health left - Usually allowing someone else to take your vanquish. Patience and determination truly pays off when you find that Cacti that you enjoy playing despite what she may do in terms of damage.

(Here's the tips sorry)

~ Slow aim? ~

Camo Cactus when zooming in will have a slower aiming speed. Remember this if you choose to fall back on her to get revenge on someone giving you a hard time, as tracking faster moving players becomes a chore when faced with ultra slow aiming.

~Garlic Drone Tips~

The Garlic Drone, cute and cuddly as it may be has a few things about it that I seem to find interesting to note when using it. Many of you may already know these things, but the fragility of the drone could possibly leave people scratching their heads as to what the thing may even be used for, if players (Or AI for that matter) don't give them time to play with it in the air!

~Battery Power Saving~

The Garlic Drone when standing still consumes far less power than it would if you were moving or adjusting altitude. Holding both altitude buttons down will not move your drone and will consume power. Touching movement in anyway even if you aren't moving (Running into a wall for example) will drain your battery. The drone also drifts in the last direction you were moving, so remember this when attempting to get the drone to completely stand still by tapping your stick around!! I have also noticed that moving your camera stick does not drain battery, but it does cause your drifting to change (Sort of how it would with a real Helicopter I think. The swivel changes which way you'll be floating). In PvZGW 1 this was much worse and it would cause movement. Fortunately they've toned it down a bit.

This means that, if you can navigate your drone successfully to a spot you find well hidden with good visibility of an objective point, you can in actuality have your drone out for up to two whole minutes. Firing from a good position with the drone in short bursts can give you incredible stealth, since many players don't seem to be able to spot the drone without following its projectile trail back to its position. Choosing not to fire will allow you to survive longer, shelling out a Corn Strike when the chance strikes you. Staying out of well lit spots with your drone is a good tip too, as the Drone is easy to spot when it is in blue sky and it's just like this huge booger easy to see.

~ Drone Physics ~

The Drone also has some interesting physics to it. In the first game (PVZGW 1), placing your Tallnuts in a V shape pattern, standing inside of it, then slowly pushing into your front with the Drone would actually place Cactus on top of her Drone, allowing for fun and quirky antics as well as very strategic placement of Sniper Nests.

In Garden Warfare 2 however, this is no longer the case ☹️ Rather, if you do this, you will cause Cactus to fly in some crazy random direction. Less of a tip and more of an opportunity to be a punk (lol) you can actually use your drone to move players around. Get in their way. Even increase their speed (In the case of a Parrot pushing an All-Star). Being a nuisance has its many advantages to lightening your own mood when on the end of a rear-end kicking, but you can also use this nifty little trick to reposition yourself if somehow you had used the Drone in an open area where you are easy to be seen. While draining battery power, it could save your life to just nudge yourself behind something.

~ Drone Tactic ~

Finally, some combat tips! Have you learned how to manage flight for over one minute? Can you harass people from behind a tree, then stay there behind that very tree CAMPING for longer than they thought you would? Can you swoop to the side of the tree while they're waiting for you, pepper them once to three times and hide behind cover before they can shoot you down? O_O Good! Because here's some goodies for you to benefit from.

Your Drone has absolutely -ZERO- recoil! None! That means that when you've got the bead and can compensate for your drift, the bullets will always go where you are aiming. The Drone rewards, and it rewards very well with 12 damage close range head shots, and 9 damage from long range (Critical).

Be aware of what is in between you and your target when you are fighting from an Eagle's Eye range. The slightest sign, smallest ledge or even tiniest little line from a tree LEAF will cause your Bullet to hit the the object. It will cause your CORN STRIKE to strike AT THAT INSIGNIFICANT LEAF that's miles away from the spot you were aiming, but somehow a little piece of metal was protruding from a wall SOMEWHERE and that's where your Corns are landing. SOMEWHERE. ☹️ This is a warning/tip people. I've lost so many good drones and strikes to THIS very problem. Double check before you decide to strike.

Don't be intimidated by attempting to use battery power to take an alternate route low to the ground in order to remain hidden.This particular tactic can come in handy if you do not intend to hang back and camp with your Drone. Often times it's the drone that can get behind the player who is playing Master Spotter on top of a Roof Top without them seeing that can really tip the tides of a fight. Most especially so if you can sneak right onto them and give 'em the ol surprise hairwash from above. These Lone Wolves are dangerous and can be spotted by the way they play Hide n' Seek with you if you try to take them down with your Primary weapon.

Speaking of sniper hide n' seek, let us discuss some fine tactic with that.

If you do not have your damage upgrade, it will be very tough to engage worthy adversary at range, especially if they know where you are at and most so if they can patiently regenerate health.

While you may become accustomed to players who overextend because you've learned to dangle your head out there for a poor rookie to miss a few shots on, this will not always be the case. Players with the "Eagle Eye" come up with their own ways to lure players out of hiding because we all know (The Eagle Eye players know, that is) that it only takes a set number of shots in the right spot to get what we want. And if you're being hit once then the player is somehow missing you, it could very well be more than just a lucky shot. Play patiently. Forcing a player to come out first is what you want.

I, as one of those "Eagle Eye" players play contradictory to the above tip. It is I who can see you no matter how far you try to attack me from and it is I who will intentionally move in patterns common to new players. Health permitting I will purposely put my entire hitbox out in plain view for them to fire at, simply because I know it takes nothing more than a jump or a quick side step to take minimal damage from enemy fire. This way, I am able to see where enemy fire is coming from and essentially gauge by the fire who and where I should be aiming at. Whether I want to fire on someone who won't be able to hit me, or attempt to keep where the heaviest fire was coming from thinned down a little bit.

^---- This tip is based purely from a Defensive Stand point. And speaking as a Foot Soldier who engages cactuses like they are a mortal enemy. I have seen what a good cactus can do to a team of rookies, and if see a Foot Soldier on a Roof Top, PLAY PATIENTLY.

Thank, and hopefully these were more tip than ramble though it felt like more ramble than tip. I am in the process of leveling my cactus team and figured I would put these here before I dived right in. When I reacqauint myself to the Tallnuts and their uses I'll see what I can come up with for those.