Lately it seems like just about every FFA match I get into has a bunch of Nuke boosters. Anyone who has read my posts knows by know how much I love going after them, so I thought it was time to make a guide.
1. Identifiying Boosters
The first step in stopping boosters is to realize that you are in a game with them, and there are a number of ways to do this. Some quick things to look for in the lobby are nuke emblems, EMP emblem, matching and/or similar clan tags, and matching and/or similar gamertags. If you are playing FFA and 3 people with the same clan tag join, all have nuke emblems and appear to be in a party chat, there is a high likelihood that they will attempt to boost.
If the match has not started, go into spectator mode
1. wait for the match to begin
2. press B (X360) instead of choosing a class
3. cycle through the players using the A and B buttons until you see someone with a tactical insertion equipped
4. Follow anyone with a TI until you see them run to far corner of the map and drop it
5. Now check for a partner heading for the same location (the 2nd booster may or may not have a TI equipped)
6. If you have time you should also try to identify any additional players that may be standing guard for the boosters.
7. Make a note of the boosters gamertag and Clan Tags if they are using them. Note: clan tags are not visible from your friends list, so make sure you remember the boosters gamer tag if you plan on following them to a new match.
8. Do not spend too much time in spectator mode or you will be kicked from the game for inactivity. It takes approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds before you get kicked.
In some cases you will find snipers or people using TI's for legitimate reasons, but most of the time you will pinpoint the exact location of your boosters. The other day I saw a guy set a TI down behind the power station on Estate and just started running laps. Nobody else showed up and he just kept running in circles. I think he was trying to unlock marathon or lightweight pro.
If you suspect boosters during a match
* check for the scoreboard for someone with lots of deaths and very few kills
* watch the kill feed for the same person being killed over and over again
* if someone gets an EMP without a care package you probably have boosters and have very little time to find them
* use your ears and listen for tactical insertion spawns. Once you get attuned to the sound you can't miss it and can use it as a homing device.
Intentionally getting into a game with boosters
If you are in the mood to hunt boosters, they can usually be found with a little bit of patience. You first need to get into a match or lobby. Use the identifying traits from the section above and make a decision to wait for the game to begin and go into spectator mode, or leave and move onto the next lobby.
If you get thrown into the middle of a game, always go into spectator mode and do a quick scan. A quick peek at the score is always the best way to determine if you have boosters. At this point you can leave the game and take a loss, or wait to be kicked for inactivity. I do not know for sure, but I don't believe that being kicked will result in a loss.
Repeat this process and few times and you are bound to find boosters. It normally takes me 5 games or less, but can vary from day to day. You may find that you get thrown into a game when the boosters already have 20+ kills. This can happen because other players tend to leave the game when one person is dominating. Don't be discouraged if you get nuked in one of these games. Just stick with them and don't let it happen again.
2. Class Setup
I recently changed my classes around a little and have a few variations depending on the map. I used to always use an SMG with marathon and lightweight to help get around the map quickly. The trouble with this setup is with air support. Once there is a chopper gunner in the air you will have a hard time getting to the boosters, especially if they know you are after them.
Marathon is critical for getting around the map quicker. I find that the speed boost you get from using an SMG is not worth giving up the grenade launcher on the AR's. You can substitute Light Weight for Danger Close if you want a little extra speed in place of explosive power.
Sitrep make spotting the tactical insertions much easier. They can be seen through walls, buildings, etc... On smaller maps you can sometimes locate the boosters just by scanning for TI's using Sitrep.
Explosive class
Primary: Tar-21 or AK-47 w/ Grenade Launcher
Secondary: RPG, Thumper, or Javelin
Equipment: Semtex or C4
Perk 1: Marathon
Perk 2: Danger Close
Perk 3: Siterep
The explosive class is great for early on in the game before the heavy air support rolls in. Hitting anywhere near the boosters with a noob tube or RPG and danger close is sure to be a multi-kill and you have a good chance of taking out their insertions too. The same can be said about a well placed semtex. C4 is also nice if you can get in close to the boosters location. It makes almost no sound when thrown, but has a very limited range. If they keep coming back to the same location you can leave them a little C4 gift and watch from a safe distance.
The Thumper is just another way of carrying 2 extra launchable grenades. Just remember to make sure you are far enough away to give the grenade time to arm, or else it won't explode and you will be stuck trying to reload. Once you unlock the RPG I think it should be used in place of the thumper. You can fire the RPG from as close as you want without worrying about firing a dud round. It's very easy to kill yourself with the RPG at close range, but it's a lot of fun. It's also a good long range explosive weapon, but can randomly veer off target when firing from a distance, so be ready to follow up with another RPG or grenade. The Javelin is also a very effective launcher, but you only get 1 shot and it takes a long time to lock onto targets. The advantage of the Javelin is that it will launch straight into the air and come down directly on top of your target. This can work very well when the boosters are hiding behind cover and cannot be shot directly. There are a few locations on Afghan, Sub Base and Karachi where I have used the Javelin to get a well protected booster.
The Tar-21 is one of my favorite assault rifles in the game because it has a good amount of ammo, high rate of fire, and enough power to work well without stopping power. It's also available very early in the rankings, but an AK-47 works just as well for those level 70's.
Anti Air
Primary: Tar-21 or AK-47 w/ Grenade Launcher
Secondary: Stinger
Equipment: Semtex or C4
Perk 1: Marathon
Perk 2: Cold Blooded Pro
Perk 3: Sitrep
It's pretty obvious when you are going to need this setup. My advice is to take down air support as soon as possible to delay the higher killstreaks. A chopper gunner can be taken down before it does any serious damage. If you are using the explosive class and a chopper gunner is called in, simply throw a semtex at your feet and re-spawn with your anti air class.
Cold blooded pro is a great perk for hiding from boosters. On levels like Underpass, Rundown, Afghan and even parts of Favela, you can lay prone in the grass near a suspected boosting spot and they can walk right by you. If you really want to remain unseen, try laying prone and rapidly pressing the "switch weapons" button over and over again. You may look stupid on your own screen, but it makes it very hard to distinguish you from dead bodies because you won't appear to be holding a weapon.
The other major advantage to using cold blooded pro is you can actually trick the boosters into thinking you are their boosting partner since your name doesn't appear over your head. This works well when the boosters themselves are using Cold Blooded Pro.
For those who have not yet unlocked Sitrep, or just don't want to dedicate a class slot to booster hunting, the "Overwatch" default class is a good start. It does not have Marathon equipped, but uses Sitrep and danger close w/ Semtex. This class uses the L86 LMG with a red dot and grip, a great gun for taking out multiple boosters at once without having to worry about reloading.
PART 2
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