Basic Pointers to DPS

This page is designed to give general pointers on how to fulfill the role of DPS effectively. The tips listed here should only serve as a general guide, and not an absolute style to play the role. Please adapt to your situations accordingly. I'd also like to give a shout-out to Skylance for making this guide a long time ago. Thank you for contributing your knowledge to the community my guy.

## **Primary DPS MOS's:**

These MOS's excel at fulfilling the DPS role and generally outputs the most damage. Ideally, the Primary DPS will also be taking the Veteran skill identifier. There should be one or two primary DPS per team.

* Rifleman
* Automatic Rifleman
* Squad Designated Marksman
* Heavy Gunner
* Specter

## **Secondary DPS MOS's:**

These MOS's can still output damage, but not at the same level as the primary DPS. However, they make up for it by providing utility for the rest of the team. The secondary DPS should not be picking the Veteran skill identifier at all, and should only pick up DPS items if the Primary DPS already has them.

* Cavalry Scout (Offers a lot of vision tools)
* Flamethrower (Napalm can do a lot of DPS once stack count gets high, otherwise is more of a kiter)
* Enforcer (Shotgun crits can buffer overall team DPS if he’s not kiting)
* Commando (Shotgun crits can buffer overall team DPS if he’s not kiting)
* Ghost (Offers a lot of vision tools as well as having access to special ghost rounds)
* Energy Weapons Specialist (Applies debuffs to enemies)
* Platoon Leader (Can buffer overall team DPS with his LNs)
* Mercenary (Has different weapons dealing with different threats)
* Mech Operator (Has 2 Mechs each possessing different strengths and weaknesses)

General note: The Primary DPS can also become a Secondary DPS by picking builds that are more utility oriented while still having competitive damage. (Such as Automatic Rifleman opting for Incendiary Rounds and Soldier Skills over Suppressive Fire or Squad Designated Marksman opting for Marksman Skills and Soldier Skills over Rapid Fire)

## **DPS Items (Excluding Weapons)**

* DU Rounds - Increases weapon damage by 30%, lose 1 range.
* AP Rounds - Increases weapon damage by 15%
* Projectile Accelerator - Increases damage by 15% and weapon range by 1
* Aim Assistant - Increases attack speed by 20% and weapon range by 1
* Muscle Relaxant - Consumable that increases damage by 50%, range by 5 and attack speed by 15% for 90 seconds
* Flare Gun - Reveals a target area and slows hostile ground units for 45 seconds
* Flashlight - Reveals invisible units
* Smoke Grenade - Slows all units by 50% and reduces attack range by 2 for 30 seconds.
* Ammo Case/Magazines
* Quick Clot/First Aid Kits

### **Notes on DPS Items:**

* As a DPS MOS, you will want to get your hands on DU Rounds, AP Rounds, Projectile Accelerators, and Aim Assistants as they will be your primary DPS boosters outside of weapon upgrades.
* Do note that DU Rounds and AP Rounds do not stack.
* Muscle Relaxant should ideally be saved for specific moments such as Chapter 1 Post Bunkers Tier 1 Mission, or Chapter 3 Tier 1 finale. However, if you do not have the inventory space to hold onto it, don't worry about consuming it right away.
* Flashlight allows you to shoot invisible units and should be held onto if vision is lacking or you're worried about invisible units
* Flare Gun reveals an area and slows units under it. Use this to extend your vision.
* Smoke Grenades can be used at choke points or simply thrown to slow Hostile Units down
* Quick Clots and First Aid Kits can be picked up as a safety net
* Make sure to always carry an ammo case or have magazines ready.
* Remember to give priority to the primary DPS in the team first since they will get more value out of them than the secondary DPS.

## **Skill Identifiers (Excluding Nightmare SIs):**

* Hawkeye - Grants detection and 2 weapon range, and 3 sight range.. Reduces the need to pick up a Flashlight.
* Quick Thinking - Reduces Reload and Unjam time by 30%. Solid SI for beginners if other SIs have not been unlocked.
* Blood Lust - Increases damage by 1.5% per kill, up to a maximum of 30% for 20 seconds. Duration refreshes per kill. Great for certain secondary DPS’s.
* Marksman - Increases dexterity by 5. Solid reliable SI for non-spell damage based DPS.
* Combat Load - Removes weapon jamming, increases Magazine size or encumbrance limit based on MOS picked. Pick if Weapon Jamming is an issue.
* Lucky - Increases Critical Hit Chance by 7.5% for 8 seconds every 17 seconds. A niche SI, requires constant tracking of the total 25 second cycle to properly utilize.
* Veteran - Increases damage by 50%, Increases movement speed by 0.05, Reduces Health by 70%. The ultimate damage boosting SI. Use only if you're comfortable with the severe HP loss. Requires perfect positioning and awareness at all times or you'll become a hindrance for the team.

## **General DPS Tips:**

* Position yourself away from kiters. You won't be able to output DPS if some stray hostiles aggro towards you instead of the kiter.
* Prioritize targets: There are some Hostile Units that pose a much bigger threat to the kiters than others. Make sure to target fire fast and disruptive enemy units such as: Hunters, Lacertis, Horrors, Spitters, Cursed, Arch Viles, etc. You want to prioritize Ranged > Leaping > Fast > Massive
* Abuse the Prone ability. It is a free damage buff available to all MOS classes. With proper positioning and regular usage of Prone, it is almost similar to having a free AP Rounds item.
* Extend your vision. Being a DPS role does not mean you can be lazy. Always scan around for targets. Use Flare Guns and Ground Flares to see farther.
* Take care of your kiters. Some DPS MOS's have utility skills that can aid the kiter. Rifleman has Smoke Grenades via Rifleman Skills, and Automatic Rifleman has Incendiary Rounds for example. If you can keep the kiter alive, that means hostile units won't ever aggro towards you which in turn, allows you to shoot them freely.
* Don't forget your gun upgrades. All MOS classes except the Heavy Gunner has weapon upgrades that can be found randomly around the map. If you find one that is suitable for your class, pick it up!