Welcome to another of our mini masterclasses; compact play guides packed with 100% distilled wisdom from some of the best pilots in the galaxy. This time around we will be taking a look at the Control Mode and what our options are as a heavy pilot. So once again, we turn to our old friend and heavy class expert, Nydwen, to bring you all up to speed.

Team Composition

The exact composition of your squad will depend on the pilots you have available and which ships they are most comfortable with. That said, my personal favorite team composition is as follows:

A heavy of your choice

Revenant

Guardian

Wraith

Spur

Team Tactics

When it comes to games featuring control points, Control Mode offers a more open experience than Carrier Assault Mode, because there are no attack/defend phases and we are not compelled to stay within range of a carrier.

The map is your oyster here, so you can head off and attack whichever point you feel would be your strongest. I tend to head straight for the point with the strongest defensive features which, in almost all cases, will consist of tight enclosed spots.

Anywhere with lots of cover (caves, or underground tunnels like those found on Solitude) is a good place to be.

In this situation, I would take the Revenant with me, as it can lay mines all around this enclosed area. The Revenant also has a handy corrupt beam, which amplifies damage. When coupled with the damage output from your heavy, it creates a formidable kill zone in that area.

The Guardian can go accompany the Wraith to attack a different control point, whilst the Spur can bounce between all three points using its Microwarp drive (MWD) to harass the enemy and destroy drones, before warping safely away.

It is possible to switch the Revenant and Guardian around, but it will depend on what you and your fellow team mates are most comfortable with.

Warp Skills

With regards to the heavy’s MWD, it has a range on most ships of around 5km. Bear this in mind when preparing to approach the target. If the target is 7km away, it is much better to fly the extra 2km and then use the MWD, rather than warp in and be 2km short.

The reason for this is that you want to drop out of warp as close to the target as possible, this lowers the chances of them spotting you until you are already directly on top of them.

Additionally, if you line up your ship correctly, you can warp straight through or into tight enclosed spaces. Do bear in mind if you hit the brake once the MWD ends, your ship drifts upwards, which can result in some humorous results if you are trying to fly through a tight tunnel. Alternatively, you can use this upwards drift to your advantage if you are coming in too low.

In an ideal world, you’ve nailed that warp in, and now what you want to do is immediately use your boost. This drags your ship forwards, much like sliding in a front wheel drive car.

Stay Alert

Be sure to make use of the Com Alerts wheel in the game to communicate with your team, should you not have voice comms available. You can use this to signal to attack points A and B for example, so everybody is on the correct page.

Above all, use the radar at all times to prevent players from sneaking up from behind. The radar has recently been upgraded, so you can now see easily when a bad guy is occupying the cone behind you.

Control is a great mode, and there are a lot of good fights out there due to players being more spread out than in the other play modes. Have fun.

Quality advice from Nydwen there. Having absorbed all that sage advice, we would urge you to check out another of Nydwen’s guides, which focuses on handling the heavies on all of the game’s maps.

Until next time, fly safe!