bf3 tips: helicopters

[gibson66]

Tell me if this happened to you: 

 

You start up bf3 and see that fully armed attack helicopter sitting there. You and 11 other nubs start sprinting at it and NICE! you got in first! 

 

"Oh shit you don't know the controls."

 

"ok, that button fires..Whoops just blew up a jeep. Don't do that again."

 

"Ok, it's in the air...f***, what do I do now?!"

 

"so that's to go forward..and that's to go sideways..and now I'm upside down...wait...no...NO....NO NO NO NO NO---"

 

"f***."

 

You just performed an elegant reverse-double barrel roll into the ground. Congratulations, you are a nub.

 

Also, your gunner hates you.

 

You've just learned your first lesson about helicopters. Stay the hell away from the attack helicopter when you're learning.

 

second lesson: use the transport helicopters to figure out the controls. No one ever cares about the transport, mostly because they last under 30 seconds once in the air. The controls are nice and simple, and it's far easier to use than the attack helicopter. The thing about an attack helicopter is that it's really powerful and can deter an entire team from advancing if used correctly. Conversely, the most a transport helicopter can do is crash into things.

 

When you're starting out, don't worry about flying like a pro. Stick to separate use of the controls initial (as in go forward, then turn, etc.). If you try to tokyo drift that thing, you'll die. It takes time, and chances are you'll do a lot more hilarious crashes.

 

So now you've got the basics down. Let's talk about how to effectively use each helicopter: 

 

ATTACK HELICOPTER: nothing can stop a tank quite like a helicopter. If you're in a helicopter, always engage ground targets. Infantry, even engineer with stiglas, are screwed against a full barrage form a rocket pod. 

 

I've seen a lot of heli pilots try to take on jets, and you'll never win. There's a clear pecking order in bf3 and jets are always at the top, A jet can rip through your heli's health and by the time you see him, he's halfway across the map. Even if you do manage to get a lock and fire, chances are he'll toss flares. And even if you do hit him, most times he just limps away and licks his wounds outside of your effective range.

 

Another thing I see a lot is pilots trying to take objectives with helicopters. No. Bad idea. You just gave some nub with a rocket launcher a stationary target to shoot at. Leave objective taking to ground units. Effectively, the helicopter is a countermeasure for advancing enemy ground units. While vehicles such as the tank are more effective at taking on a diverse set of roles (engaging enemy advances, taking objectives, defending lines), the helicopter is exclusively designed to stop enemies. Never use it like a ground unit.

 

When it comes to shooting ground vehicles, never just attack the front or sides. You should always wait until you've got a view of the rear (dat 60 ton ass) and then engage. It's not that the tank of IFV can do much to fight back, it just saves you some time before the enemy scrambles away.

 

One thing that a lot of players don't realize is that the gunner is the most effective weapon in the attack heli's arsenal. It's a 30 round, 30 mm cannon that can 2 hit kill infantry, disable jeeps in under 10 shots, and can chew through helicopters. Never fly off when someone wants to be the gunner, because even if they're bad, they won't get in the way.

 

One important thing to remember having a gunner is that you'll need to alter your play style. When i'm alone in an attack helicopter, I'm pulling all kinds of crazy stunts, flying way too low, dodging between buildings, etc. There's no way a gunner at any skill level could keep up. When you've got a gunner, hover near areas so they can't get a chance to orient themselves. It might seem annoying at first, but it's a cooperative effort and a good gunner is worth the extra time.

 

TRANSPORT HELICOPTERS: you don't want to be piloting it and the gunners are usually morons. That's how it usually goes. The only chance you stand in a transport is if your gunners aren't just along for the ride. A good gunner can actually keep enemies at bay for some period of time. At the least, they can keep an attack helicopter from getting in close.

 

SCOUT HELICOPTERS: these things suck. Everything about them sucks. The only people who use these suck. The only effective way to use them is spawn-camping, and spawn-camping players suck. Besides, they don't get good until BF4, at which point they got f***ing awesome (25 mm HE rounds FTW). 

 

...And on that note, those are my tips for how to get decent with helicopters. Keep at it and expect to fail miserably for a very long time.

 

As always, good hunting.

 

 

EDIT:

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Edited October 17, 2014 by melgibson

[gibson66]

Forgot a very important tip, actually:

 

CHOPPER VS CHOPPER

 

when engaged in one on one combat between attack heli's, never release flares just because the enemy has a lock on. More experienced pilots will take advantage of this, waiting for you to use the jammer, and then launching both missiles.

 

Another thing to note is that you should always keep moving and stay away from the enemy chopper. Up close, your reaction time isn't good enough to counteract with flares, so stay away.

 

If possible, stay above the enemy chopper. It's harder for him to aim or even keep his eyes on you if you're cycling above him.