Advanced Crysis 3: Acrobatics and Perk Choice

With my knowledge know extended well into the final release of Crysis 3, I think it high time I talk to the more experienced players among you. For this article I’m going to assume you know which weapon you like — and it better not be the fucking Jackal — and you know the maps and modes. My lesson today, then, is about two main factors: jumping and perk combinations.

The best of us jump around

No doubt you’ve seen, and performed, the following. An enemy is shooting you in the back. You jump, rotate in mid air, and kill him. You shoot, he jumps, rotates, kills you. This tactic is mid-combat evasion at its simplest. On a level playing field, the player with the first shot will probably still win, but it will get you out of a number of tough spots.

Crysis 3 offers anything but level playing fields. Verticality is a core of the map design, and proper jumping to evade or counterattack should work in tandem with your map knowledge. Because fire can come from every direction, your awareness of the most important threat is key when considering where to jump. When attacked, you need to answer the following questions in a split second.

1. Which direction was I shot from first?
2. Can I turn on my enemy?
3. Where is the nearest ledge?
4. Can I reach that ledge from where I am?
5. Will that ledge lead to safety or more enemies/death?

Seems like a lot, but such questions should be half instinct and half conscious thought. As the answer number 1 colors the rest of the answers, take longest to address it. Use the damage indicators, sound, and minimap to come to your conclusion. Make a quick glance to your armor levels if you think you have time, and the next four answers should happen almost instantly. If you’re aware of your surroundings, you should be able to survive the encounter one way or another.

While it’s not as aggressive as most players would like, my advice is always consider evasion before counterattack. You have access to cloak for a reason, there’s no reason not to use it. As I mentioned in my Three Steps article, cloaking after breaking line of sight will save you more times than not. Remember that cloaking lowers your defenses significantly, even compared to being unarmored, so only use it when you know you’re clear of fire.

The perks of being a soldier

There area quite a few choices when it comes to combining suit perks in Crysis 3. Of the many combinations of three, there are three sets I find most useful, and each revolves around a weapon class I think best for aggressive play. The shotgun setup, the assault rifle, and the SMG.

Pump-action power

As I consider the Marshal the only shotgun that doesn’t make you a bitch, I’ve geared my perk choices around it. They are:

1. Point Fire Enhance: Because you’ll be hip-firing with the shotgun, tightening your hip spread is essential. 
2. Armor Transfer: Shotguns demand an up-close and personal approach. Because of this, you’ll spend a lot of time with multiple enemies around you. A shotgun’s one-hit-kill potential paired with regenerating armor points will prove invaluable against two or more opponents. It won’t guarantee survival against the entire team, but it will grant you time to escape once you find yourself overwhelmed.
3. Maneuverability: A staple on most of my classes, there’s not much you can say against being able to move faster. Again, using such a close range weapon demands that you actually get close, and when you need to escape, speed is your first and most reliable ally.

Suppress, Mitigate, and Guarantee Victory

While I don’t really care for the submachine guns in Crysis 3, as I find them weak, there are effective classes to run while using them.

1. Point Fire Enhance: At most ranges where the SMG is viable, you’re better off firing from the hip, as your enemy certainly will be, regardless of what kit he’s using.
2. Maneuverability: Again, a close range weapon demands closeness to your enemy. More so than even a shotgun, you want to be flanking with an SMG, and getting to where your foes doen’t expect you before they expect you there is key.
3. Weapon Pro: As large as the SMG’s magazines are, they drain faster still. The reload times are lengthy as well, and you cannot waste any time waiting for your gun to top off.

Full frontal assault from any range

The most prevalent weapon in Crysis 3, the assault rifles have few disadvantages. It’s all a matter of handling.

1. Aim Enhance: While hipfire is still usable on the assault rifles, the majority of the time you’ll be firing from a distance where it wouldn’t be feasible. Keeping your aim-down-sight accuracy as high as possible will help secure those kills you’d have missed otherwise.
   
2. Maneuverability: You move somewhat sluggishly with the assault weapons, and if you want an edge over them and those people running shotguns or SMG’s, you can’t say no to a movement speed boost.
3. Retriever: While there are more combat-effective perks on offer, the advantage of being sure you don’t have to run out of your way to grab tags can’t be denied. Again, you’ll be getting kills from some distance away with assault rifles, and not needing to backtrack to make sure you confirm them is never a bad thing. Needing one less tag for killstreaks with the advanced version of the perk is a nice touch as well.

Next time, I’ll cover my favorite class setups, with attachments and playstyle strategies. After that, I’ll return to Skyrim mod reviews and complete my Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire starter guide.