FoxFire5
11-02-2006, 07:04 PM
A Player's Guide to the Rorsch Mk-S8 AV Rail gun
As a 1942, Vietnam, 2, and all the expansion packs in between
battlefield player, I've accumulated some BF experience over the
years, but have never seen a unit in a game as useful as the Rorsch
Mk-S8 Rail gun, AV Turret, or whatever you'd like to call it. After
getting a nice 27-3 kill death ratio last night on Fall of Berlin comprised almost
entirely from manning a Rorsch, and noting that there are not many
useful tips out there telling people how to effectively use this
fantastic weapon, I thought I'd share some of my strategies with you
all on how to be successful, and if you practice, dominate with the
Rorsch Mk-S8. This is not my first time on a BF forum, but it is my first
time on this one, so play nice?
For some background, the Rorsch Mk-S8 is a rail gun, or a gun that
fires a high speed metal projectile with electromagnets to punch
through armor with amazing efficiency, and accuracy. This makes the
Rorsch recoilless, giving it remarkable accuracy while zoomed in. Its
accuracy and high damage not only allows it excellent anti-vehicle
capabilities, but infantry are arguably the most susceptible to the
Rorsch's immense firepower and accuracy. Simply put, at medium to long
range, infantry are to a Rorsch like a knife is to a sniper rifle. Do
not, however, let infantry or especially air units distract you from
your main purpose, the destruction of enemy vehicles.
Anti-Vehicular:
The Rorsch is a silent killer to an armored vehicle most of the time,
akin to a silenced and amazingly fast anti tank missile. The most
important thing to remember though, is never, ever aim for the front
of a tank, APC, or walker unless you have no other shot available.
Instead, aim for the sides, treads, and most lethally, the back of a
tank or APC. On a walker, hit the legs, or torso to inflict heavy
damage from both front and back. 90% of the time, you can squeeze off
2-3 shots before the vehicle even knows what's happening, and take it
down in a snap. Because vehicles usually fail to check if anyone is
manning the Rorsch, you get a jumpstart on the armored vehicle. Make
it count, or you're most likely dead from the beginning. Don't get
cocky. You can still be swarmed by an infantry squad, or get shelled
by battle walkers, APC's and tanks from long range, so keep your eyes
open, and stay alert. Unless the target is point blank, zoom in when
firing, and out when aiming.
Anti-Infantry:
Not everyone grasps how highly lethal the Rorsch is to an infantry
squad at medium to long range. Because the Rorsch literally blows
people away, they cannot be revived by a medic, point in turn, take
out a squad leader and the rest of the squad has to fend for
themselves until support arrives. The Rorsch is shielded at both front
and back, allowing small arms fire no penetration. This makes the
Rorsch invulnerable to all weapons fire from the front and rear except
anti tank, and vehicle mounted heavy projectiles. This said, the
infantry you take of, if smart, will always attempt to flank you from
the left or right, so be prepared. It's always amusing when out of
sheer hopelessness or desperation, a player charges you with a small
arm. Zoom out of the accurate mode, and blast away. This goes for all
infantry as well, if you're charged, don't hold back. Learn where to
fire, when to zoom, when not to zoom, and the slight arc of the round
to maximize your effectiveness. Lead your shots at longer ranges ever
so slightly, and counter-snipe snipers pinning your team. These are also
your duties if you decide to take up position firing a Rorsch.
Anti-Aircraft:
One word: don't. In the 2142 beta, the Rorsch was like the TOW
missile from BF2 damage wise on aircraft. Not anymore however, so
unless you have an amazing target, literally, if the plane is on fire
and the pilot is hovering five feet away waving at you with a
dumbfounded smile, go for it, otherwise, focus your effort on other,
more vital and useful targets. If there are none, hey, shoot trees for
all I care, but prioritize your targets as follows:
Tanks > Infantry > Aircraft
Other Tips and Tricks
1) When taking sniper fire, make sure to at least find the direction he's firing from, and turn the Rorsch either away, or directly at him to avoid being hit.
2) That guy with the Lambert Carbine running at you? Can't hit him? If he takes cover for a second, and is within a short range, don't hesitate to bail from the Rorsch for a minute to take him out. If you don't have an automatic weapon, or shotgun, you're probably better off in the turret.
3) When taking fire from multiple directions, turn the turret diagonally in between the two fields of fire, or find another way to block their shots. It you can't, bail and try to fight them off with your rifle.
4) If you're assault, throw a health pack near the Rorsch, infantry will take cover by you, and you yourself will be healed if you take fire.
5) The Rorsch is as scary to infantry as it is to tanks, run down their morale and keep up the fire even if you can't hit them.
6) Use APM's to defend your flanks. (Whine about this all you want, APM's are legit.)
7) Correct your fire, if you don't hit the first time, adjust your aim a bit. 2nd or 3rd time is most always a hit on infantry.
8) Infantry are sometimes very naive about a Rorsch, and don't even realize it's up until half their squad is blown away. Take advantage of this, always.
9) When you hear the signature clink of the combat knife, that's god's way of telling you to run. (Tip by [47R]Saureco)
10) Rely on spotters, and your teammates, the sounds of battle in general to give you targets. (Tip by [47R]Saureco)
11) You may want to note that snipers are high priority targets for you. A clever sniper can still hit you when you are directly facing them. There's a tiny slot where your arms will stick out a bit, and that's enough to two-hit kill a person manning the Rorsch. (Tip by Flux)
12) Some experienced tank pilots make Rorsch's priority targets, and know their locations. Either fight to the last against them, or hide until they leave. (Tip inspired by Undecided)
Deadliest Rorsch Mk-S8's
Fall of Berlin has arguably the most opportunely placed Rorsch of all the maps. It lies at square, and is the Rorsch looking down the breezeway leading to outpost. Man that, and you can suppress anything coming down the breezeway, or road beside it.
On Sidi Power Plant at Reactor Core lie two Rorsch's looking over the bridges into the point. They are extremely useful, though exposed. They can pin down infantry on the bridges leading into the point, if not destroy them altogether. (Location from PainBy)
Hope you enjoyed and appreciated the guide, have a question or tip you'd like added? Feel free to ask!
As a 1942, Vietnam, 2, and all the expansion packs in between
battlefield player, I've accumulated some BF experience over the
years, but have never seen a unit in a game as useful as the Rorsch
Mk-S8 Rail gun, AV Turret, or whatever you'd like to call it. After
getting a nice 27-3 kill death ratio last night on Fall of Berlin comprised almost
entirely from manning a Rorsch, and noting that there are not many
useful tips out there telling people how to effectively use this
fantastic weapon, I thought I'd share some of my strategies with you
all on how to be successful, and if you practice, dominate with the
Rorsch Mk-S8. This is not my first time on a BF forum, but it is my first
time on this one, so play nice?
For some background, the Rorsch Mk-S8 is a rail gun, or a gun that
fires a high speed metal projectile with electromagnets to punch
through armor with amazing efficiency, and accuracy. This makes the
Rorsch recoilless, giving it remarkable accuracy while zoomed in. Its
accuracy and high damage not only allows it excellent anti-vehicle
capabilities, but infantry are arguably the most susceptible to the
Rorsch's immense firepower and accuracy. Simply put, at medium to long
range, infantry are to a Rorsch like a knife is to a sniper rifle. Do
not, however, let infantry or especially air units distract you from
your main purpose, the destruction of enemy vehicles.
Anti-Vehicular:
The Rorsch is a silent killer to an armored vehicle most of the time,
akin to a silenced and amazingly fast anti tank missile. The most
important thing to remember though, is never, ever aim for the front
of a tank, APC, or walker unless you have no other shot available.
Instead, aim for the sides, treads, and most lethally, the back of a
tank or APC. On a walker, hit the legs, or torso to inflict heavy
damage from both front and back. 90% of the time, you can squeeze off
2-3 shots before the vehicle even knows what's happening, and take it
down in a snap. Because vehicles usually fail to check if anyone is
manning the Rorsch, you get a jumpstart on the armored vehicle. Make
it count, or you're most likely dead from the beginning. Don't get
cocky. You can still be swarmed by an infantry squad, or get shelled
by battle walkers, APC's and tanks from long range, so keep your eyes
open, and stay alert. Unless the target is point blank, zoom in when
firing, and out when aiming.
Anti-Infantry:
Not everyone grasps how highly lethal the Rorsch is to an infantry
squad at medium to long range. Because the Rorsch literally blows
people away, they cannot be revived by a medic, point in turn, take
out a squad leader and the rest of the squad has to fend for
themselves until support arrives. The Rorsch is shielded at both front
and back, allowing small arms fire no penetration. This makes the
Rorsch invulnerable to all weapons fire from the front and rear except
anti tank, and vehicle mounted heavy projectiles. This said, the
infantry you take of, if smart, will always attempt to flank you from
the left or right, so be prepared. It's always amusing when out of
sheer hopelessness or desperation, a player charges you with a small
arm. Zoom out of the accurate mode, and blast away. This goes for all
infantry as well, if you're charged, don't hold back. Learn where to
fire, when to zoom, when not to zoom, and the slight arc of the round
to maximize your effectiveness. Lead your shots at longer ranges ever
so slightly, and counter-snipe snipers pinning your team. These are also
your duties if you decide to take up position firing a Rorsch.
Anti-Aircraft:
One word: don't. In the 2142 beta, the Rorsch was like the TOW
missile from BF2 damage wise on aircraft. Not anymore however, so
unless you have an amazing target, literally, if the plane is on fire
and the pilot is hovering five feet away waving at you with a
dumbfounded smile, go for it, otherwise, focus your effort on other,
more vital and useful targets. If there are none, hey, shoot trees for
all I care, but prioritize your targets as follows:
Tanks > Infantry > Aircraft
Other Tips and Tricks
1) When taking sniper fire, make sure to at least find the direction he's firing from, and turn the Rorsch either away, or directly at him to avoid being hit.
2) That guy with the Lambert Carbine running at you? Can't hit him? If he takes cover for a second, and is within a short range, don't hesitate to bail from the Rorsch for a minute to take him out. If you don't have an automatic weapon, or shotgun, you're probably better off in the turret.
3) When taking fire from multiple directions, turn the turret diagonally in between the two fields of fire, or find another way to block their shots. It you can't, bail and try to fight them off with your rifle.
4) If you're assault, throw a health pack near the Rorsch, infantry will take cover by you, and you yourself will be healed if you take fire.
5) The Rorsch is as scary to infantry as it is to tanks, run down their morale and keep up the fire even if you can't hit them.
6) Use APM's to defend your flanks. (Whine about this all you want, APM's are legit.)
7) Correct your fire, if you don't hit the first time, adjust your aim a bit. 2nd or 3rd time is most always a hit on infantry.
8) Infantry are sometimes very naive about a Rorsch, and don't even realize it's up until half their squad is blown away. Take advantage of this, always.
9) When you hear the signature clink of the combat knife, that's god's way of telling you to run. (Tip by [47R]Saureco)
10) Rely on spotters, and your teammates, the sounds of battle in general to give you targets. (Tip by [47R]Saureco)
11) You may want to note that snipers are high priority targets for you. A clever sniper can still hit you when you are directly facing them. There's a tiny slot where your arms will stick out a bit, and that's enough to two-hit kill a person manning the Rorsch. (Tip by Flux)
12) Some experienced tank pilots make Rorsch's priority targets, and know their locations. Either fight to the last against them, or hide until they leave. (Tip inspired by Undecided)
Deadliest Rorsch Mk-S8's
Fall of Berlin has arguably the most opportunely placed Rorsch of all the maps. It lies at square, and is the Rorsch looking down the breezeway leading to outpost. Man that, and you can suppress anything coming down the breezeway, or road beside it.
On Sidi Power Plant at Reactor Core lie two Rorsch's looking over the bridges into the point. They are extremely useful, though exposed. They can pin down infantry on the bridges leading into the point, if not destroy them altogether. (Location from PainBy)
Hope you enjoyed and appreciated the guide, have a question or tip you'd like added? Feel free to ask!