Page Contents Current As of Patch: | GU14 |
Class Overview
The Light Assault’s extreme mobility is their defining trait and allows them to move faster than most other soldiers. Each one of the Light Assault’s various Jumpjet configurations grants them the ability to take on different obstacles, shifting their role in combat. The Standard Jumpjets allow them to make their way over barriers and enemy’s heads alike. They can also equip more specialized configurations, such as the hovering Glider Jets, to descend on vulnerable ground targets safely and cross chasms otherwise untraversable.
The Light Assault also excels at supporting their empire through their unique class grenades. The blinding Flash grenades can render entire squads helpless and allow for a momentary break in defenses. They also have access to Smoke grenades, which can be used to block sniper alleys and direct the flow of combat. Both of the Light Assault’s class explosives are important in allowing their empire to make the final push in capturing difficult objectives.
In addition to their utility on the field, they also excel at short to medium range combat. The Light Assault is able to choose from a diverse arsenal of various weapon types, including rifles, shotguns, and SMGs. These options allow them to adapt to whatever their environment demands. The best Light Assault soldiers make sure to use their powerful weapons with the element of surprise, disabling enemies before they know what hit them.
Though not as sturdy as other soldiers, the agile Light Assault can do serious damage when flanking enemy squads, taking advantage of both their vast weapon and support options. Whether acting alone to disrupt enemy forces or in a group to finish capturing a facility, the Light Assault is a fearsome presence on the battlefields of Auraxis.
Certifications
Light Assault Certifications
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Category | Certification Name | Levels and Cost | ||||||
Ability Slot | Skirmisher Jump Jets |
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Drifter Jump Jets |
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Icarus Jump Jets |
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Ambusher Jump Jets |
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Suit Slot | Adrenaline Pump |
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Advanced Shield Capacitor |
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Flak Armor |
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Grenade Bandolier |
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Nanoweave Armor |
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Ammunition Belt |
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Flight Suit |
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Munitions Pouch |
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Grenade Slot | Flash Grenade |
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Quick-Det Flash Grenade |
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Smoke Grenade |
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Impulse Grenade |
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Utility Slot | C-4 (Explosive) |
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Class Weapons
The following weapons types are available to the Light Assault class:
Class Cert Builds
How to spend your first 520 points:
- Adrenaline Pump - 30 pts, Increased Sprint speed
- Jump Jets Level 3 - 160 pts, Significant increase to your jumpjet fuel and regen
- Carbine : Reflex Sight - 30 pts, Better than default iron sights
- Carbine : Laser Sight - 100 pts, More accuracy firing from the hip
- Explosives: C-4 - 200 pts, Because your job is to cause havoc and these cause a lot of it
Additionally, you can spend points on First Aid certifications, like the Med Kit or Restoration Kit. For short range increase in firepower, consider upgrading your weapon to one of your faction's Shotguns.
Special Ability: Jump jets
Jump Jets allow Light Assault troopers to fly through the air for short periods of time, enabling them to scale or float over terrain. There are two types of jump jets: Standard and Drifter.
Standard jump jets allow you to slow your descend from an aircraft, a building or a cliff. This is a recommended jump jet if you are willing to go up and defend a base frog jumping across buildings, making it an ideal jet for 1v1 combat. They also allow you to gain elevation at the cost of fuel. Jump jet fuel regenerates over time. The capacity can be increased and the regeneration time decreased through purchasing certifications.
Drifter jump jets trade the ability to elevate a Light Assault soldier for a sustained glide over long distances. The horizontal glide can be useful if you want to go with that infiltrator kind of style light assault behind enemy lines, although, it is not recommended to use it for point blank combat as you are not able to fly soar over enemy heads. These jump jets are useful when inserting into a base from atop a cliff or building fairly far away, allowing you to greatly slow your descent over a long distance. Drifter jump jets are also useful when jumping out of aircraft that are not directly over the dropzone due to enemy anti-air or hostile aircraft.
Light Assault Loadouts
- Light Assault Loadout: Lightning Skirmisher
- Light Assault Loadout: Offense is the Best Defense
- Light Assault Loadout: Last Stand
- Light Assault Loadout: Boba Fett - Bounty Hunter
Class Strategy
Overview
Light Assault infantry are not just the foot soldiers of Planetside 2. They provide the asymmetric advantage to an empire by enabling offensive and defensive options that can quickly turn the tide of a battle. Jump Jets give Light Assault the maneuverability to apply firepower from multiple, and sometimes unexpected, directions.
Light Assault's weapons when fully upgraded are very deadly at close to medium range and can be leveraged with practice to be able to shoot accurately while flying through the air with your jumpjets.
Taking on vehicles directly is highly ill-advised. Your primary weapon is not strong enough to do much damage, and can't do any damage at all to heavily armored vehicles. Instead, focus your attacks on other infantry units and taking objectives. If you're hard pressed to attempt to take out a vehicle, ensure you've certified in C-4 and place it carefully.
Scout
Use Light Assault's jumpjets to get high and gain visual advantage of a battlefield. Jump to the tops of buildings and towers and crouch down behind objects to remain unseen. From here you can spot/ID enemy players for your empire. You can also use your jumpjets to float up to balconies and peek into windows of buildings you are about to assault. Teamed up with an infiltrator, you can coax an enemy player out into the open by taking a few shots into the windows and flying away so that your infiltrator buddy can snipe them from afar as they run out to look for you.
Assault!
Many base and outpost battles in the game form a semi-dynamic forward line of troops where much of the fighting occurs. Beyond the normal soldier-with-a-gun on the front lines, Light Assault infantry must constantly be used to flank and maneuver around the enemy. By finding an alternate means of attacking a facility, building, or an enemy in cover, you enable greater flexibility for your empire and reduce the options for your enemy.
Don't follow the worn path; make your own! In large groups, Light Assault should look like a swarm of bees closing in on a target. Hop from building to building, through roof entrances and trees. Constantly try to position yourself perpendicular to the line of fire between your empire and the enemy in order to apply pressure on your enemy's flanks. Always be on the move; wreak havoc and confusion throughout the battlefield by jumping onto vehicles and making yourself a very hard target to hit. But be wary, flying around can also make your opponent a very difficult target to hit as well as the jump jets can affect your aim drastically. A useful weapon upgrade to have as Light Assault is the laser dot attachment which allows you to quickly point at targets by following the red dot line without having to zoom-in aim.
Fight the opposition's infantry and always keep moving; stay away from their vehicles if possible. Use your speed get to the objectives and terminals. Take control of outpost spawn point security terminals. Make sure you bring along an Infiltrator so they can hack into vehicle/equipment terminals and phalanx turrets so your empire can use them along the way. If there are no Infiltrators and you cannot switch classes with a nearby Sunderer around, feel free to shoot the vehicle/equipment terminals and phalanx turrets to destroy them. One of your Engineers can repair them once the base is taken over.
As you approach shield control generators and spawn control units, consider the current fighting environment. If you've got a large force from your empire right behind you, start the self destruct overload sequence and keep moving. If there's no one around and the outpost seems pretty empty, feel free to jump up on top of an object in the room and stand guard as the overload process counts down.
Airborne Ranger
Load up your best friends in a Template:Link and hot drop into the Landing Zone. Use your jumpjets to slow and direct your fall. Watching light assault jump out of a Template:Link not only looks cool, but it is a very effective way to surgically insert firepower into a base to either confront the enemy directly or find an undefended entrance or platform.
No friends? Take to the skies solo during an assault on a base with an ESF. Often times however, when first getting into the game, it may be difficult to catch a ride in a Template:Link to the frontlines. You can select instant action from the map screen, but the dropships give you very little flexibility and control of where and how you are inserted into the fight. Instead, consider hopping into a fighter and doing some damage to the phalanx turrets or vehicles around the base then eject and slow your descent down with your jumpjets.
Drifter jumpjets are very useful in "gliding" into a dropzone from a Template:Link (or a cliff overlooking a base if you are into "base" jumping!) where the airspace above the dropzone is too congested or well-defended. This will keep the Template:Link at a safe distance away from anti-aircraft weapons while still allowing you to cover the distance into the base.
Weapon Ribbons and Medals
With any class, you have the ability to gain Ribbons which will further increase your experience and certifications after completing specific tasks. This list does not include possible vehicle, base capture, or kill/assist related ribbons while playing in a vehicle as that class.
Ribbons
Weapon Ribbons
Ribbon | Icon | Requirements |
Carbine Ribbon | 10 kills. | |
Explosive Ribbon | 10 kills. | |
Pistol Ribbon | 10 kills. | |
Knife Ribbon | 10 kills. | |
Shotgun Ribbon | 10 kills. | |
Submachine Gun Ribbon | 10 kills. |
Medals
Medal | Icon | Requirement | Award |
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No Medal | 0 kills | N/A | |
Copper Medal | 10 kills | 2 | |
Silver Medal | 60 kills | 10 | |
Gold Medal | 160 kills | 20 | |
Auraxium Medal | 1,160 kills | 200 |