Alarmingly enough, most of this stuff *should* be common sense. Good post anyway. 
I've done it twice so far, with two toons. It's certainly not difficult at all. We had only three people in each time.
1st time: lvl 15 AR/dev blaster, lvl 16 dark/dark defender, lvl 14 dark/reg scrapper (me). The CoT missions were hard, because a lot fo the mobs are dark resistant, and the lack of crowd control meant we sometimes got swamped. Took 5-6 hrs overall.
2nd: lvl 16 dark/dark defender, lvl 15 dark/regen scrapper, lvl 12 controller (me)(not SK'd). This was actually /much/ easier with the crowd control, even though the mobs were +2/3 lvls above me. 1 DO +acc takes away most of that level advantage. Took 4-5 hrs.
Highly agree on the need for crowd control - Tank or controller helps tremendously. Lower level players can contribute, too, as long as you're not relying on them to deal the damage or take it :P And the TF is comfortably doable with only three heroes.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Psychoti
"....so I headbutted the blind chick."
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[ cruise / casual-tempest.net / transference.org / xenogamous.com / wytedragon.net / quantam sufficit ]
My only advice is to start with less than the maximum (8) if you can. The number of mobs that you'll see are directly proportional to the number of players in the team, so if you have 8, it's going to be a wild battle to start...and many will die.
3-5 seems to work best.
My only advice is, skip this TF, it takes longer than the 16-21 range Skyway TF, and is tons harder. The single 18 SO is not much reward for 5-6 hours of effort.
If you have a good team the overall Exp. is awesome. I still say the first mission the TF breaker, it seems to be the hardest and thins out the whiners and such just from my experiences with it.
Heh, I actually finished this task force by myself as a level 13 ice/eng blaster. I was getting tired of restarting (5 times tried) and after the team I was on fell apart after the third mission, I said the heck with it and continued on. Took me a total of 11 hours, but seeing how I only do this TF once per character, I felt I had accomplished something, if only getting it off my mind.
Definetelly good advice. I will say watch out with this TF though. I had a group take this on with a full team for about 4 missions, and about 1/3 the way in the levels of the Vahz went from 16 to 17, and whiped our team out 2 times in a row. At that point, everyone quit and went on with their life. It was obnoxious, so... if this happens to you and the group gets taken out, dont let the debt pile up, call it quits.
This TF is Front-loaded. That is, the first few missions are the hardest and have the highest-level baddies. After the 2nd Vahzilok Mission, you'll notice that the average enemy level drops from 17 to 15, and the missions get much easier.
I think the reasons why this TF is hardly ever successful is that there are
1) So many misisons
2) Characters probably don't have their travel powers when taking this mission...makes things take MUCH longer
3) As the earliest available TF, it's very possible that people you're grouping with haven't mastered their character. That is, new players may pull rookie mistakes (causing some capricious veterans to drop out)...or some who are used to soloing might bite off more than they can chew in the group and pay the debt penalty for it (and then quit).
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3) As the earliest available TF, it's very possible that people you're grouping with haven't mastered their character. That is, new players may pull rookie mistakes (causing some capricious veterans to drop out)...or some who are used to soloing might bite off more than they can chew in the group and pay the debt penalty for it (and then quit).
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Ah yes, and as a corellary to the new-player theory: New players may not realize the commitment needed for a task force.
I joined one. I figured, "Hey, I haven't done one. Why not?" After the first hour, I had to leave. I wondered why people were so anxious about me leaving. I tried to recruit a replacement for me. I had a couple of polite tells: Um, you can't add to a task force.
Man, did I feel bad!
So now I don't volunteer for task forces. I need to wait until I have a few hours to kill. My primary is 16th level, so I'm glad I read this post. I suppose I should start on this mission pretty soon *checks calendar*
Kevin
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Alarmingly enough, most of this stuff *should* be common sense.
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Absolutely. But if you haven't seen it ignored, you must only solo.
Speaking of which, here's an addition of...
How NOT to do the Positron Task Force
Yep, got spanked this time, and it makes the above advice all the clearer. Here's what we did wrong:
- had no team focus. My fault, as team leader, thoough I found this group hard to manage.
That may be in part because I find team management harder as a Blaster; with a Controller, people get used to listening to you if they want GI, or AM, or help with RI focus, etc.
But I also failed to stand up to the players who just wanted to rush ahead. Next time, I'll take two minutes at the beginning to make sure we agree on tactics. Anyone who can't wait those two minutes is welcome to find another team.
- We had NO workable Holds or Buffs.
We had a Controller, lvl 16 ill/emp, but she didn't really know her roll (see my first post), and managed, in one hour of play, to hold exactly: squat.
Lacking RI, she needed ACC slots in Blind and Flash, but had none. Didn't score a single hit.
No Hold help from our Tanks, unfortunately.
We had two Defs, both healers, which is nice, but neither had Buffs. Our ONLY buff was GI, which we didn't get for 30 minutes, until I noticed our Controller had it and asked if she could use it.
This, btw, is MY fault, at team leader, not theirs. I did read everyone's powers, but not carefully enough, before starting the TF. Need Holds and Buffs.
I was careful about this
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Characters probably don't have their travel powers when taking this mission
[/ QUOTE ]
but not careful enough about other powers.
- we were Tanker-heavy. 2 of 7 (plus 2 Defs and a Control), left us damage-weak. No offense to pre-level 20 Tankers, but they don't do the damage a Blaster or Scrapper does, and we were light.
Again, I just wasn't patient enough. Our team was ready to get going, and it took awhile to recruit, so I took anyone available for 5 hours.
Other observations:
- 5 hours does seem about right, with 4-6 as a standard range.
One player quit our team when I said so, insisting 3 hours was normal. I believe 3 may be possible with a team that knows the sequence, but it isn't standard. Did you do it in 3? Good for you. For everyone else, use 5 as a benchmark.
- 5 players, if they stay, is probably ideal, but our 7 didn't seem to make it as much harder as I feared. What WAS harder was getting the group to focus.
- This may be a personal issue, but I should've taken a big clue after being tp'd twice by a Def without warning, despite asking for it.
Apparently, some players don't mind surprise-tp's, and many of those who do it are annoyed at being asked to give warning. I've been called names just for asking politely for notice.
Ignore them, or don't play with them. It's poor etiquette and poor play. I can't count the number of times I've been in a safe place and then tp'd by some schmo to a not-quite-as-safe-it-should-be spot, including on this TF.
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skip this TF, it takes longer than the 16-21 range Skyway TF, and is tons harder
[/ QUOTE ]
I actually like the Positron TF and find it loads of fun. If you don't, then obviously feel free to skip it.
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Use the first mission as a gauge
[/ QUOTE ]
Totally accurate. Guess how far we got this time?
Next time, will be smarter. Will be smarter, will be...
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My only advice is, skip this TF, it takes longer than the 16-21 range Skyway TF, and is tons harder. The single 18 SO is not much reward for 5-6 hours of effort.
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I tend to agree. This TF takes way too much time considering that for many newbies it will constitute their introduction to the entire concept of TF's. It's not like a level 18 SO has that much longevity either. The effort/reward ratio is out of whack.
From personal experience, I have to say it's pretty easy for a gorup of 11 and 12's to band together, get psyched about doing their first TF, and then find themselves overwhelmed in that first mission full of level 15 Vaz. That is what happened during my first TF. We quickly decided to go get a few more levels under our belts, but I could just easily see how this could give players the impression that TF's in general are poorly-designed.
OTOH, one advantage over the Synapse mission is that you do actually confront a variety of mobs, allowing AT's that do different types of damage to shine. The guys who do Lethal damage (and there are many ATs that do) take it on the chin a bit with The Fall of the Clockwork King.
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Ah yes, and as a corellary to the new-player theory: New players may not realize the commitment needed for a task force. I joined one. I figured, "Hey, I haven't done one. Why not?" After the first hour, I had to leave. I wondered why people were so anxious about me leaving. I tried to recruit a replacement for me. I had a couple of polite tells: Um, you can't add to a task force. Man, did I feel bad!
[/ QUOTE ]
To be honest, I don't know what the big deal is about people quitting TF's. Not to say I do it at the drop of a hat (in fact, I tend to avoid TFing altogether these days except with people I know), but the fact is TF missions scale the quantity of mobs to the number of players currently in the team, just like any mission. Now, note here that the mobs levels do not scale--they stay the same (or at least about the same). But quantity is most definitely adjusted. Two people can finish a TF if they're at the higher end of the level limit (or rather one of them is and knows how the SK command works).
Obviously, some folks are aware of this because they will casually form TF's just to meet the minimum team-size requirement, then casually boot members for any minor infraction, like for having their PC crash or for not affixing a catheter to themselves before the TF (like any self-respecting TFer should do). Pruning members can, in fact, speed things up considerably.
let me tell you this a crappy tf team dose a tf in 6+ hours a good tf team dose it in 2-3 it use to be 2 but load time and lagg slow group down along with idle chatter.idle chatter kill a tf peole get frustrated and leave most who do a tf dont have time to waste chatting nor do you want to spend a great deal for you day in the tf. more people will do tf if the under stood what a tf really was newb complain that it take to long but it dosent have to.
"Never attempt to balance mechanics through Role Playing."
Castle
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To be honest, I don't know what the big deal is about people quitting TF's. Not to say I do it at the drop of a hat (in fact, I tend to avoid TFing altogether these days except with people I know), but the fact is TF missions scale the quantity of mobs to the number of players currently in the team, just like any mission. Now, note here that the mobs levels do not scale--they stay the same (or at least about the same). But quantity is most definitely adjusted. Two people can finish a TF if they're at the higher end of the level limit (or rather one of them is and knows how the SK command works).
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Sure, two people can finish a task force if they are the right archetypes. Do you think a defender and a controller could defeat the clockwork king even if they were the max level for that TF? This is why people get upset about others leaving halfway through a TF. Usually you make a team with everything you need to finish. If you add more you are just reducing everyones xp. So when the team is just big enough and has just the right balance required to finish and one leaves, the team might be screwed.
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let me tell you this a crappy tf team dose a tf in 6+ hours a good tf team dose it in 2-3 it use to be 2 but load time and lagg slow group down along with idle chatter.idle chatter kill a tf peole get frustrated and leave most who do a tf dont have time to waste chatting nor do you want to spend a great deal for you day in the tf. more people will do tf if the under stood what a tf really was newb complain that it take to long but it dosent have to.
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Wow, try to break your thoughts into sentences!
The first TF does indeed take a lot longer than 2 hours - however a team that is familiar with it and their roles can do it effectively in around 3. A "crappy tf team" will take longer, of course - and a team that has never done it before, or has no experience working with each other, will take longer.
Little no-it-all people who do nothing more than spout unreadable angst aren't very helpful, so please, think before you type; and for the sake of our gibberish interpretors, take some classes in basic spelling and sentence structure.
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Pruning members can, in fact, speed things up considerably.
[/ QUOTE ]
That is true, and I've learned that firsthand now.
I did do the Positron TF for the first time last night. Took about 7 hours, and most of the delays happened early in the mission. Once the "pruning" took effect, we sped things up.
Here are some mistakes our team leader made:
He recruited one scrapper and two blasters. He didn't see any of the other archetypes on the seek list, so he started the task force. Which was a shame, because I was talking to a controller about joining when I learned that the mission had just started. So, rather than try to bolster our forces with some good support, he just ran full-tilt into the scenario.
This behavior continued on into the door missions as well. Tactics were optional, obviously. The leader was a scrapper, so he had to get in close. But he wouldn't pull back. This lead to the avalanche of aggros, which I'm sure you're all familiar with. I suggested a new tactic of him aggroing and me TPing him away from the crowd so we can thin them out as they come to us. I had to suggest it again. And again. Finally, on the fifth time, he decided to give it a shot. He wouldn't even answer me. And he rarely verified that we were ready to fire. He would start the fight, which sometimes meant I would speak in incomplete sentences.
As a result to him not listening, the mission took longer. The other blaster and I had Stealth. Some missions don't require you to arrest everyone; finding clues might be enough. I suggested that it might be quicker if the stealthy ones go look for clues. He never responded to me. I was too nice and did not embark on my own (team spirit, you know). Finally, he had to take a 15-minute break, so the other blaster and I decided to check out this mission. We stealthed our way through most of it...until the leader came back.
Which leads to another issue: Know your roles. It has been stated here before, and it's so true here. It was obvious that the two blasters had stealth. I knew there was a boss around the corner. I said, "OK, let me go up there and count them." I sneak up the stairs to look around the corner. Suddenly, I see this huge hulking form on the screen which ran right into the zombies. Big flashy green lights, and down went the leader.
We were spared. Shortly after that, the leader's computer was lagging badly. He had to shut down. I don't know if it was a legitimate reason or if he was just sick of visiting the hospital nearly 10 times (or more, I lost count). But when he left, the two blasters suffered a hospital hit as we took on the level 16 boss that we couldn't sneak past. It was worth it. After that mission, it became a breeze. The two of us worked up some really great tactics, and since the unfortunate double whammy of the boss, there was only one hospitalization and several close calls (mmm, blasters are flashy but crunchy).
To go back to the issue of not listening, the leader wanted to sell off some enhancements. Pretty legit, especially knowing what you'll eventually get. I asked that he get his next mission first and then go to the store. I have demonstrated time and time again during this task force that I have Teleport Self and Teleport Friend. I've put these to good use. All he needed to do was get the mission, and I'd be there waiting by the time he was done with his sales. But no, he did not even listen to me. He went to the store. The two of us twiddled our thumbs at the Steel Canyon tram waiting for word on where we were going. That cost us 10 minutes.
I've learned some valuable lessons being a team member of that team. I'm just glad I have some patience and that the other blaster did too. More importantly, I'm glad the leader was forced to leave. If he did not, I predict the task force would have taken 10 hours, and I would have left before then. Seven hours was pushing it, but we persevered because we gained some momentum once he left.
So, to sum up:
Make sure you have a team-focused leader (start your own team if necessary).
Discuss tactics and stick with them (show everyone how to use F6 if necessary).
LISTEN! Make sure the team chat is visible to you so you can catch everything said by the team.
Not everything needs to be fought (but if you have a lot of time to spare, then you could clean out the door missions).
I'll keep these thoughts in mind for my next task force. On a bright note, after the headache of dealing with a neophyte leader, I bonded with the other blaster. I imagine we'll be looking the other up for the next task force.
Anyway, that was part rant, part advice. I hope it's more advice than rant...
Kevin
PS, as an aside, the original post's comment of If you haven't yet seen a tp'ed teammate run unaware into a nearby group of baddies, you will. is quite true. I had this happen, and I always warn before TP. The two blasters were at a mission door just outside range of some level 17 Vahz. I announced a TP of our leader. He showed up and just flew and flew and flew right in the middle of the Vahz. We just bolted for the door at that point. Too high risk for something not related to the mission.
[ QUOTE ]
The first TF does indeed take a lot longer than 2 hours - however a team that is familiar with it and their roles can do it effectively in around 3. A "crappy tf team" will take longer, of course - and a team that has never done it before, or has no experience working with each other, will take longer.
[/ QUOTE ]
But of course therein lies the problem: as this is the lowest level of all the TF's, you're quite likely to have a crappy, inexperienced team that isn't familiar with the TF.
I guess there's something to be said for weeding out the men from the boys right off the bat, but I think a better approach would have been to have the first TF serve as more of a primer than anything else. Make it relatively quick and easy (emphasis on the word "relatively" though; it's still a TF).
I mean, Positron should at least explain what all the requirements are up front. I recall forming the team, then going to Positron, then being told that we had to have the whole team present. Then after we get everyone together, he tells us we don't have the right levels (he doesn't say who's too high or too low). Then we find out that you have to be at least 11th level, so we bring in characters of appropriate level. Then we go on the first mission and find out that the 11th level blasters and and 12th level scrappers can't cut it against hordes of 14th level zombies. That was all pretty unnecessary. A few expressly-stated words from Pos would have saved a lot of pointless frustration. And I suspect what the most obvious rebuttal will be, so I will pre-emptively point out that "frustrating" does not equal "challenging".
Another key issue on this and every other task force: Have the fastest hero be the leader. On Positron please make sure your leader has travel powers. At level 14-16 the order should be Super Speed > Super Leap > Teleport > Flight
This will save you an immense amount of time on the TFs
Did this TF five more times since my last post. What's said above works.
First 3 times of recent attempts: disaster. Never made it even halfway through the first mission. Lesson:
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Use the first mission as a gauge
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Completely, consistently true.
Why did we fail so badly? Loose aggro and poor attack placement. See Rules #1 and 2 below.
So I started my own team again,once as a level 15 and the next day as 16, and both went great. With a focused team, this TF is fun and not too hard. Why do so many teams make it into trouble?
After the first of these, I was set to write that a good Controller is the key (we had an excellent one, whose Holds helped greatly). A few deaths learning Rule #1 (below) on the first map, then none. Finished in 4 1/2 hours (Control, Blast, Tank. Had Scrapper and Def at start).
But the next day, we had just a 16 Blast, 14 Blast, and 16 Def (some Heals, but mostly Buffs. Fort buff was key), and did just as well (4 1/2 hours, NO deaths at all, ever).
Love Controllers, love Defs, but good team play is even more important than good team mix.
So what makes good team play on this TF?
Here's a summary of what our teams went over. There's nothing special about me as leader, nor is this genius advice. It's just common sense applied to a TF that spanks the many teams ignoring it.
Rule #1: Don't start a fight until all are ready.
So simple, so effective, so often ignored.
Rule #2: Fight on your ground, not theirs.
Bring the fight to you. Pull the baddies closer (and Back Up! Most teams rush ahead and defeat the Pull).
Let the sewer baddies come through the doors to you, not the other way around. Draw 'em back.
If you get into a surprise fight, Back Up! Go back down the hall and regroup to fight on your own ground.
Think all this takes too long? We finished ahead of teams starting before us, and could have been even faster if we were more efficient about between-mission movements. Our fighting was faster by fighting on our own terms.
Rule #3: Focus your fighting.
Kill together, rather than wounding broadly. Wounded baddies can still hurt you. Dead ones can't. Together, hit the Lums, Mires, Murks, Morts in order, or divide your roles clearly.
Kill the un-Held baddies first, then pick off the Blind/Stunned/Lifted ones. Blind/Stun/Lift the healthy ones, rather than those almost dead (who should be killed with one more blow).
That's it. Just Three Rules to make this a successful and enjoyable TF.
Below are more mini-tips on the TF, without spoilers. All amount to the same advice as above, condensed and field-tested over and over. Play smart and have more fun.
Tip #1: Take your time recruiting.
It can often take 20 minutes of messaging, broadcasting, and searching (near Positron). Good, patient players -- the kind you want -- will wait with you, or go hunting while you recruit.
Check with everyone that they can play for 5 hours. Better to aim for 5 and go faster than to promise 3 and take 6.
A good team has a good balance, so don't worry about telling the third Tanker to contact you that you need to see the shape of your team before you know if you'll have space.
I find five players ideal for this TF, but if you can manage a larger group, the difficulty isn't vastly upscaled. It is a bit, but the biggest challenge is just focusing your group. If you can do it, go for it. Expect a couple drops by the end, so start with more than three.
Tip #2: Go over the Three Rules, or your own version of them, before starting.
Once we had a team, I did this in three messages and 30 seconds, just to make sure we were all clear.
Needed to check again during the first mission -- the tempation to rush is strong -- and it paid off, each time.
Tip #3: Know your teammate's powers and maximize them.
This helps both during play -- they may have unused Buffs, or Holds that require particular play from others -- and in recruiting. A balanced team has a mix of tp's, Holds, travel powers (can get by without one if you have tp's), Heals, Buffs, and AoE attacks.
Tip #4: Thank your teammates.
This is a team effort. Don't take your Healer/Buffer/Puller/Holder for granted.
Tip #5: Make efficient use of tp's for travel.
If you have two, send one ahead to the mission and one to the SC monorail to tp the leader, who (until able to call) should always rush back to Positron.
Anyone casting a tp should warn or ask before doing so. Many players with Recall Friend assume it's okay to use any time they think so. It isn't. It's okay when both players are ready.
Tip #6: Bend the Rules when you've got 'em down.
With each successful team, we often no longer even needed to ask "Rdy?" if we were gathered together, with enough End, and facing a clear group. Our Puller could just begin, and we'd join in.
Similarly, if facing weaker opponents with a solid team, you can successfully rush some baddies. Don't push this -- dying takes a LOT longer than a simple Pull -- but if you've got a good thing going, you can make it work with a steady pattern.
Done well, the whole Positron TF is like that: a smooth flow through each fights and mission, by a solid team working together.
Just did this yesterday in a group of 4. One difficult mission. Everything else plain sailing. We had a good group however. No-one running around doing their own dumb stuff, and the team leader was experienced, and knew what he was doing. Total time 6 hours.
Thank You, CB_GB. This a GREAT guide, not only useful in Task Forces, but grouping in general.
I do have a question, though, as you mentioned in your update as well as your original
[ QUOTE ]
- Start it by speaking with Positron in SC. You need a team of 3-8, levels 10-16.
- Totally possible with 3 chrs, but by starting with 6, we did fine even after losing two.
- It's ok if level 16 chrs level up to 17 during the mission.
[/ QUOTE ]
St. Valentine is 17th level and I thought I would look into the Positron TF. Have I missed my chance? I thought I recall someone mentioning months ago that 21 was the cap on this. Can anyone clarify on this, please?
We took three on Posi Thanksgiving Day. All level 14. MA/Regen Scrapper, Kin/Dark Defender, Earth/FF Controller. Took around 6 hours or so, and prolly could have been shorter than that if we'd not took breaks for food and such.
Only death was when I parked myself in what I ~thought~ was an out-of-the-way place (without pff on, 
) to run to the bathroom. Ambushes have a habit of well, ambushing ya 
What has been said above I'll agree with, for the most part. One of the key things as far as speed goes, is to make sure that your fastest person is leader ... also, having someone who has Recall Friend is very very helpful.
And share inspirations! You cannot buy them during the tf, so maximize efficiency of dropped inspirations by constantly communicating what you have/need and offering up what you don't need.
[ QUOTE ]
Thank You, CB_GB. This a GREAT guide, not only useful in Task Forces, but grouping in general.
I do have a question, though, as you mentioned in your update as well as your original
[ QUOTE ]
- Start it by speaking with Positron in SC. You need a team of 3-8, levels 10-16.
- Totally possible with 3 chrs, but by starting with 6, we did fine even after losing two.
- It's ok if level 16 chrs level up to 17 during the mission.
[/ QUOTE ]
St. Valentine is 17th level and I thought I would look into the Positron TF. Have I missed my chance? I thought I recall someone mentioning months ago that 21 was the cap on this. Can anyone clarify on this, please?
[/ QUOTE ]
16 is the cap for Positron, you can however be RSK'd for it, but won't earn xp
MA Arc:
Overload (Arc ID #405822) | Status: Final | Last Edited: 5th Nov 2010 for text fixes.
I've done Pos in less than 3 hrs and have had it take nearly 10.
After taking 15+ chars through it all I have to say is: With the new missions/mission xp, if it wasn't for the badge I would never, ever do this TF again.
The SO was nice the first time, but it this point I don't need it.
The TF is just flat-out too many missions. 3 hrs should be an average time not greased lightning speed.
Except for a unique tileset on the final mission you'll see untold times again in later story arcs, there is nothing unique, such as an AV.
I think they should turn the whole Vahz/CoT/Clock story into a story arc and make the Pos TF a Skulls/Hellions deal where you get to see both a Skull and Hellion AV at the end.
This is a quick guide for other folks who, like me, are new to the Positron Task Force mission. It's great fun and good exp.
Several posts here mention how hard it is (repeated deaths and multiple attempts), but it doesn't need to be that way. We -- a group of stranger newbs -- did it without no team deaths and in about five 1/2 hours.
Could easily have shaved nearly an hour with simple tactics listed below. Some teams do it in under four, but I expect you'd need to be familiar with the sequence to do so.
You can find this info scattered on other threads, but here's a compliation:
- Start it by speaking with Positron in SC. You need a team of 3-8, levels 10-16.
- Totally possible with 3 chrs, but by starting with 6, we did fine even after losing two.
- It's ok if level 16 chrs level up to 17 during the mission.
- It's challenging. Low levels will have a hard time.
- It takes roughly 5 hours: 6 for a slower team, 4 for a fast one.
- You get a nice goody at the end. Keep an enhancement slot free.
- You can't recruit more chrs for the Task Force, so get a good crew.
- Players who Quit from the Menu bar, rather than Quit Task Force, might be able to rejoin when they log back on. We didn't test this.
- I did my recruiting next to Positron, looking for team-minded players who wanted to go all the way through.
The Task Force goes through a series of missions provided by Positron. I won't detail any spoilers here -- if you want to know the specifics, they're on other threads.
General Tactics:
I don't see any reason players why need to die -- or, worse, fail at the TF - with good team play.
The two most important:
- Start your battles when everyone is ready.
This is the simplest, most-obvious team rule and yet it's routinely ignored. If you've played any time at all in Perez or Boomtown, you've seen some schmo pick a fight when your group is out of Endurance, missing a player who's afk, or already attacking a nearby group.
Don't be a schmo, or tolerate them in your group. A simple "rdy?' takes seconds and makes for faster, more efficient fights.
- Know your roles.
As a controller, mine was to hold threatening targets while picking off the weak threats (like Embalms, who are dangerous, but easy kills, while the Blasters killed the Mires and Murks). We had another guy who did all our pulls/sniping, etc.
We also decided by default to kill the biggest baddies from Left to Right unless otherwise discussed; that helped us kill quickly rather than just wounding.
All this took us less than a minute of communcation per map ("rdy?" "Murk, Mire, then Lum?". "top of stairs first?"), and it was priceless.
Positron TF Tactics:
- Choose a diverse team.
You'll want someone for crowd control (Controllers, of course, but possible to use a Tanker at this level, or even some Defs), and a ranged attack (Blaster, really). Healers are extremely helpful, as is a frontliner, like a Scrapper, but really any mixed combo wil do.
Our team:
15 Blast
16 Control (me)
15 Def (our healer)
12 Scrapper (sk'ed with me. did fine.)
and two other 14/15 Blasts for halfway.
- Send the Team leader to talk with Positron. Send others to do the Fed-Ex tasks (some missions are combat, some are "fetch" missions requiring only one TF member to go).
Leaving the leader with Positron makes it go faster, as does having the others gather at the tram station in the meantime. Eventually, the leader can Call to Postiron.
- Use your tp's, if you have any, to leapfrog maps. We had one guy go straight to the mission while another tp'ed from the tram.
ASKING before a tp is both polite and good strategy. If you haven't yet seen a tp'ed teammate run unaware into a nearby group of baddies, you will.
- Use the first mission as a gauge.
It's one of the hardest, and you'll get to see how your team performs. If you're falling apart already, you have a loooong path ahead of you. But if you work well as a group, you probably will like the next missions, too.
Enjoy! It's great fun.