Lerking how-to
Tediak
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2910Members
Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2910Members
<div class="IPBDescription">The ultimate lurkers.</div>lurk: Pronunciation: 'l&rk
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle High German luren to lie in wait
Date: 14th century
"to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose"
lerk: Pronunciation: 'l&rk
Function: noun
Etymology: Lurk - with a typo.
Date: 21st century
"a flying chihuahua with a skin condition"
So here I will list some very effective strategies for the Lerk, by far my favorite of all the species of Kharaa.
Basic strategies:
Firstly, the lerk should always be used as a guerilla fighter. Head on, a lerk is a pathetic waste of resources. The lerk should be used foremost for harrasment tactics, and is shockingly effective at halting or slowing the expansion of marine forward bases during the midgame.
The lerk should try to remain hidden or moving at all times, and walking, even when the enemy is not present, should be avoided. Try to make effective use of the glide key, build up some momentum first and then hold down glide to sail down those long passageways without wasting power. A lerk should always have an escape route, even with access to cloaking. Make clever use of vents in the cieling, which are normally overlooked by marines as escape routes, and nearly always unweldable. Try to learn how to flap past defenses at high speeds, and avoid obstacles on the cieling. Flying skills are a must - and after awhile it becomes second nature.
At one hive:
In my humble opinion, an early game one hive lerk is a useless lerk. For scouting and combat, the skulk is far more effective, both due to its parasite ability and its inexpensive nature. There is an exception however, during a losing game (An excess of resources, but only one hive), the lerk is strategically sound. Shooting spikes from atop beams in large chambers is very effective, especially when more than one lerk is employed. Their increased speed makes it possible for them to travel quickly from hive location to hive location, possibly building a new hive when the last one is compromised. All in all though, potential lerks really should wait until the second hive is built before gestating.
Two hives:
Lerks now gain an impressive new ability, Umbra. Umbra in effect is a cloud of bullet-absorbing material, lasting a few seconds. Lerks now become both highly effective ambush fighters, and support troops. Hopefully, cloaking is accessible at this point. If not, dark corners and overhangs should suffice. Ambushing is relatively simple - Get close, create a cloud of umbra, flap around their head and bite. With light armor, a couple well placed chomps will often suffice (I'm not sure if the actual damage statistics support this, but I find Lerks to do far more damage with their bite than skulks - this may have to do with other factors however). Beware, you will still take damage in an umbra cloud, and it often clears quickly. Be VERY certain of your mark before employing these tactics, unless you possess full adrenaline upgrades. Without adrenaline, you might be caught walking, which is in effect a death sentence. The umbra cloud is also highly effective in a support role, when near defending or attacking troops or structures, fly VERY quickly behind or infront of them, releasing a cloud as you move. Repeat this tactic, moving as quickly as possible to minimize personal exposure. You are, after all, weak as a kitten against an organized force of marines. If the battle starts to turn for the marines, don't be afraid to dive in from above and bite a couple heads in the confusion. Better that you die than a hive or the more expensive fades.
Three hives:
Ahh, now this is a joy. By now, one should hopefully have access to all upgrades. I implore you to use these, and ONLY these upgrades. Adrenaline, cloaking, and regeneration. Why not carapace you might ask? Due to your already weak nature, a few more points of armor will rarely save you, while regeneration/cloaking allows you to keep up the harrasment indefinately. The only exception to this rule is when there are VERY good gorges or tons of defense chambers close to the point of attack. Normally in a balanced game, by the time three hives are built the marines start getting ambitions as to forward bases. This is when to employ spore cloud, the hands down most deadly attack a lerk can ever hope to wield. Try to get near the enemies forward base, and watch for builders. Oftentimes the foolish marines won't even notice they're being spammed by tons of toxic gas until it's too late. Try not to get into a direct line of sight with any of them, instead - watch for sparks, and shoot a few clouds into their base. With adrenaline, one should still have plenty of energy to escape and cloak elsewhere. Constant use of spore clouds, especially by multiple lerks will easily halt any marine expansion. This is also extremely effective in softening up bases for the heavy guns, onos and fades. Cloaking when used whilst still and firing spores can make you an almost invisible deadly turret. Since there is no trail leading back to where the shots were fired from, and one recloaks so quickly after firing, on a high cieling from long range you can be nearly impossible to spot. Defensively, spore clouds are also effective in escaping - a marine will be hesitant to charge through a cloud of deadly spores in persuit of one measly little lerk. Spore clouds also seem to ignore armor to some degree, making slow moving heavies easy prey for a stealthy lerk. Other than spore clouds, the umbra cloud still holds its vital support role, and is best used in reducing the damage onos and fades take from enemy turrets. Infact, a good lerk should be able to avoid turret fire altogether, making them highly effective scouts in this turret-heavy scenario. In other words, stay out of sight, bombard the enemy with spores from as long a range as possible, sit back and watch them drop to their knees in agony. A chuckle or two aids in the demoralization. The key is, to defend 20 meters before they get to your base, and attack twenty seconds before backup arrives. Always be where the enemy is, because your mobility allows it.
Using these strategies, I've managed to maintain a high deaths:kills (about 4:1-5:1) relatively consistently - any further strategies would be greatly appreciated.
Addendum: A couple neat tricks I just discovered.
A) Lerks, if they gain enough momentum, can actually fly past trip mines and take minimal damage. This is especially good for mines in vents.
B) Using the enemies phase gates, while notifying your team (just incase you die) is great for discovering the location of multiple bases. These gates would normally be inacessible to anything slower than a lerk.
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle High German luren to lie in wait
Date: 14th century
"to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose"
lerk: Pronunciation: 'l&rk
Function: noun
Etymology: Lurk - with a typo.
Date: 21st century
"a flying chihuahua with a skin condition"
So here I will list some very effective strategies for the Lerk, by far my favorite of all the species of Kharaa.
Basic strategies:
Firstly, the lerk should always be used as a guerilla fighter. Head on, a lerk is a pathetic waste of resources. The lerk should be used foremost for harrasment tactics, and is shockingly effective at halting or slowing the expansion of marine forward bases during the midgame.
The lerk should try to remain hidden or moving at all times, and walking, even when the enemy is not present, should be avoided. Try to make effective use of the glide key, build up some momentum first and then hold down glide to sail down those long passageways without wasting power. A lerk should always have an escape route, even with access to cloaking. Make clever use of vents in the cieling, which are normally overlooked by marines as escape routes, and nearly always unweldable. Try to learn how to flap past defenses at high speeds, and avoid obstacles on the cieling. Flying skills are a must - and after awhile it becomes second nature.
At one hive:
In my humble opinion, an early game one hive lerk is a useless lerk. For scouting and combat, the skulk is far more effective, both due to its parasite ability and its inexpensive nature. There is an exception however, during a losing game (An excess of resources, but only one hive), the lerk is strategically sound. Shooting spikes from atop beams in large chambers is very effective, especially when more than one lerk is employed. Their increased speed makes it possible for them to travel quickly from hive location to hive location, possibly building a new hive when the last one is compromised. All in all though, potential lerks really should wait until the second hive is built before gestating.
Two hives:
Lerks now gain an impressive new ability, Umbra. Umbra in effect is a cloud of bullet-absorbing material, lasting a few seconds. Lerks now become both highly effective ambush fighters, and support troops. Hopefully, cloaking is accessible at this point. If not, dark corners and overhangs should suffice. Ambushing is relatively simple - Get close, create a cloud of umbra, flap around their head and bite. With light armor, a couple well placed chomps will often suffice (I'm not sure if the actual damage statistics support this, but I find Lerks to do far more damage with their bite than skulks - this may have to do with other factors however). Beware, you will still take damage in an umbra cloud, and it often clears quickly. Be VERY certain of your mark before employing these tactics, unless you possess full adrenaline upgrades. Without adrenaline, you might be caught walking, which is in effect a death sentence. The umbra cloud is also highly effective in a support role, when near defending or attacking troops or structures, fly VERY quickly behind or infront of them, releasing a cloud as you move. Repeat this tactic, moving as quickly as possible to minimize personal exposure. You are, after all, weak as a kitten against an organized force of marines. If the battle starts to turn for the marines, don't be afraid to dive in from above and bite a couple heads in the confusion. Better that you die than a hive or the more expensive fades.
Three hives:
Ahh, now this is a joy. By now, one should hopefully have access to all upgrades. I implore you to use these, and ONLY these upgrades. Adrenaline, cloaking, and regeneration. Why not carapace you might ask? Due to your already weak nature, a few more points of armor will rarely save you, while regeneration/cloaking allows you to keep up the harrasment indefinately. The only exception to this rule is when there are VERY good gorges or tons of defense chambers close to the point of attack. Normally in a balanced game, by the time three hives are built the marines start getting ambitions as to forward bases. This is when to employ spore cloud, the hands down most deadly attack a lerk can ever hope to wield. Try to get near the enemies forward base, and watch for builders. Oftentimes the foolish marines won't even notice they're being spammed by tons of toxic gas until it's too late. Try not to get into a direct line of sight with any of them, instead - watch for sparks, and shoot a few clouds into their base. With adrenaline, one should still have plenty of energy to escape and cloak elsewhere. Constant use of spore clouds, especially by multiple lerks will easily halt any marine expansion. This is also extremely effective in softening up bases for the heavy guns, onos and fades. Cloaking when used whilst still and firing spores can make you an almost invisible deadly turret. Since there is no trail leading back to where the shots were fired from, and one recloaks so quickly after firing, on a high cieling from long range you can be nearly impossible to spot. Defensively, spore clouds are also effective in escaping - a marine will be hesitant to charge through a cloud of deadly spores in persuit of one measly little lerk. Spore clouds also seem to ignore armor to some degree, making slow moving heavies easy prey for a stealthy lerk. Other than spore clouds, the umbra cloud still holds its vital support role, and is best used in reducing the damage onos and fades take from enemy turrets. Infact, a good lerk should be able to avoid turret fire altogether, making them highly effective scouts in this turret-heavy scenario. In other words, stay out of sight, bombard the enemy with spores from as long a range as possible, sit back and watch them drop to their knees in agony. A chuckle or two aids in the demoralization. The key is, to defend 20 meters before they get to your base, and attack twenty seconds before backup arrives. Always be where the enemy is, because your mobility allows it.
Using these strategies, I've managed to maintain a high deaths:kills (about 4:1-5:1) relatively consistently - any further strategies would be greatly appreciated.
Addendum: A couple neat tricks I just discovered.
A) Lerks, if they gain enough momentum, can actually fly past trip mines and take minimal damage. This is especially good for mines in vents.
B) Using the enemies phase gates, while notifying your team (just incase you die) is great for discovering the location of multiple bases. These gates would normally be inacessible to anything slower than a lerk.
Comments