So this is the 3rd year in a row we got the Waffentrager event. I must admit this is one my favourite game modes and I've been looking forward to it.
What really ruins it for me is how many people don't understand the mechanics of the game mode, especially when playing Harriers. If all the Harriers understood what they needed to do and had some level of coordination, I would even say the game mode is unbalanced… for the WT.
- Do not attack the WT when his shields are up. You only do very little damage to him. Take into account the WT has 5 clip loader and he only needs 2 rounds to kill a harrier. The WT has a clip loading mechanism, where it takes 11 seconds to load a clip and 5 seconds to load between the shots.
- When the WT shields are up, go to the nearest sentinel camp and kill the sentinels to pick up the plasma. Ideally, the harriers should split up in groups and each group should go to one sentinel camp. When one group encounters the WT, it should immediately retreat and the other group should go for the bot kill and plasma pickup.
- Pick up the plasma and go to the generators to load (capture) them. Take into account that the closest generator might not be the best choice. You need to take into account where the WT *might be* and consider that he will try to stop you. Which generator is most advantageous depends on their location on the map and harriers positions at the moment the plasma gets picked up. See point #6 below.
This is the most annoying of all, but I see people farming the bots even when one team has the plasma and is heading to the generator, or worse, after the generator has been capped and the WT shields are down. This is the stupidest thing to do. Plasma has an expiration timer, and there are no generators to cap while the shields are already down. That is just wasted plasma. Some people are doing on purpose to get more damage/xp, but others simply don't understand the game mechanics.
Yes, I'm aware that picking up plasma heals HP points for all tanks nearby and also boosts damage for the Harrier which actually picks it up. But it's just not worth it. WT has 4 shield levels, so you only need to cap generators 4 times to completely deactivate his shield. After that, he is easy pickings. Also, the bots get stronger with each iteration. That means it will take more time to kill them, and time works against the harrier team. Also, the longer it takes to kill them, the more chances there are one of the harriers gets killed by the bots (the AI is weak, but they still do plenty of damage, especially the higher tier ones) and also it gives more time for the WT to come and defend the sentinels/prevent plasma capture. It's just not worth it to attack bots while the shields are down or while one harrier already has plasma and is taking it to a generator.
This is probably the most surprising to most people, but a full team of 6 harriers, if they already have plasma, can take a generator even if the WT is nearby and actively tries to stop them. The WT has 5 rounds in a clip, with 5 seconds reload time between rounds and 11 seconds for the clip. That means that, at most, the WT can take out 2 harriers and damage a third, considering all hits penetrate and none bounce, which is unlikely. Out of a team of 6 harriers, at most 2 die fighting the WT, but that still leaves 4 harriers to cap the generator before the WT's clip reloads. This is certainly do-able, if all 6 harriers protect the one carrying the plasma. They can do this by surrounding him so he doesn't get hit.
Do not pick Thunderbolt (M48) as a harrier. It is the worst tank out of all 3 given the game mode mechanics. It has bulkier armor and the siege mode ability which allows it to deal more damage, but it lacks the speed. And speed is the most important issue for the Harriers. Harriers need to be able to quickly reach the sentinels/generators, and they also need to quickly bail if they see the WT approaching. The M48 has advantages and disadvantages over the other 2 options, but given the game mode mechanics, it's disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Resistor and Foudre are much better choices.
Split up when you are attacking the bots, but converge when you are going for the generator. This is the trickiest part of all since it requires synchronization between 6 public players. It is always a good idea for the harriers to split up when attacking the bots. The WT can't be in two places at once, so if he tries to stop one group of harriers, that will give time for the other group to kill the bots, and pick up the plasma.
Once the plasma is picked up though, the team needs to converge towards the generator, or, depending on the game, start heading to the WT's location and cautiously wait while the generator loads. Ideally, Harriers should be in groups of 3 when they take plasma to the generators. Besides helping them cap faster, there's safety in numbers.
See also point #6 above. Groups of 5 or 6 harriers can cap a generator even if the WT is nearby and actively tries to stop them. But they need to stay together and play smart.
Source: I've been played the WT event for the past 3 years both as harrier and WT. Today I won 4 matches as WT out of 4 played and 1 victory out of 1 as a harrier. Of course, as a harrier, I played in a platoon with 2 people whom I knew from the previous WT edition and who also understood the game mechanics. And the 3 randoms who were in the game also understood the game mechanics.
