Usually I drive the Gauss on Exile in a horseshoe loop, checking up on teammates.
I have found that if I NASCAR it like Rat's Nest or Standoff, it is not likely to end well.

It also depends on the gunner, how fast he/she drops people. I've had ridiculous gunners that allow me to be agressive with the gauss, and average gunners where I do more work to help them get kills.


Curious how YOU drive the Gauss on Exile...

When I've driven it I prefer that horseshoe. I just think the Gauss should play like a binary rifle that doesn't run out of ammo. I hang back and let my gunner snipe, better to have a power weapon the whole game than to risk it in hopes of an awesome film clip. When I'm gunning I prefer that as well. This is the dependable method imo, you can count on your Gauss doing the job of two players if they play just as safe as they would if they were on foot. If they try to do the job of 3+ players then you don't know what you can get out of them, or whether you're going to just suddenly see them flipped and destroyed.

This all assumes my team is placing appropriate emphasis on Bravo, banshee spawn, and tank spawn (Prioritized in that order) so that we can count on one side of the map being safe. When it's not safe I do the cornered animal thing.

I had some awesome multikills in my time with Halo, but the kills I treasure most were the ones where so much art and science combined to make 1-2 perfect kills. Even my favorite film clips tended to be just a couple really amazing snipes or a zen Gauss shot. I'd love to get a Killionaire in a Gauss, but I'd rather have the spree than the multikill. My preferred strategies reflect this attitude.

It depends, Bad gauss gunners are really quite annoying. The other day I was in a game with 2 other party members, Both of which are mean gunners... we're on red team and the gauss spawns without their guys paying attention.

WOO HOO

I get over there at the same time as a random does... He hops in Gunner, I hop in the drivers seat and Boom we're off.

He was really fairly good! N0t great, Not OMG How did you kill HIM TOO! good. Just, pretty good.

We run for awhile, Doing the horseshoe thing, until SMMMMMPHEWWWWW!!!! A Sniper takes his head off!

So I start looking for my buddies because they, like I said, are some Bad Mo Fo's when it comes to Gunning.

I get one of them in the back... Then.. It happens.

My old, Random gunner decides we've had the gauss for long enough and blows us up.

Seriously, Nothing makes me hate this game more than stupid d-bag teammates like that...

But I agree, In general the Gauss should run the horseshoe, But needs support from teamates to watch for the Banshee and Tank. Another problem, is that once the enemy has the tank, most teams I get in just avoid it. Instead of trying to get to it and kill it before it gets to the far corner, they just act like that half of the map doesn't exist.... so then the other team gets the tank in its power corner and the game generally is just annoyingly unplayable with my team refusing to leave one side and the other team supporting the tank in the corner.

Tank = EMP from a distance. EMP's center the cannon back, and costs precious seconds. I've been taken out this way in the power corner. Operator 2 second EMP didn't help.

Always look at enemy base, or Luv Gunn kills a puppy!

Anywho, I found a really cool tactic for taking out the scorpion early a few weeks ago...

I was on blue spawn and jumped in the gauss turret with a random driver. The driver proceeded to drive fast to the left and straight into the left wall. We were in kind of a ditch area and he was gunning it into the wall like he was trying to climb it. I was screaming at him to stop it and that he was going to get us killed. While I was doing this, the scorpion started firing at us. After 3 misses, I realized what the driver was doing. We were at just the right spot on the map that the scorpion could NOT hit us, but I had a perfect shot at him. I proceeded to take out the tank and apologize to the driver and commend him on his tactics.

I could use some peeps to help me find that sweet spot again sometime. I'm not sure if i saved the game.

I'll help. I jump into forge with you and we can go over it.

I like to run the horse shoe for a while, but once they catch on to that I sneek in a NASCAR lap every so often to catch them off gaurd.

Yes the occasional NASCAR burn is necessary.

I think you either faced a bad tank operator or a heavily stressed one, Wheels. If he was getting hammered from multiple enemies he could have slipped up, but the Scorpion's shells drop noticeably in this game, which makes some shots easier, I can't think of many situations when a Gauss turret could hit me that I couldn't hit him. I think as long as I could see the gun on a Gauss hog I could destroy it. I haven't even spent a lot of time in the thing, but I think I've picked spartans out of the air with it. You just learn the arc and compensate.

"Bad" or "heavily stressed" or "getting hammered from multiple enemies" FREQUENTLY describes the Scorpion on Exile though, so I'm not saying it's a bad tactic, just that I wouldn't use the word "can't" in reference to the Scorpion very often. Aside from flying or fitting into a tight space, that tank has a history of shocking the hell out of players who underestimate it. A lot of players would likely miss the shot, but I doubt anyone who knows what they're doing will. I know even if I'm about to die I'm going to try to take the Gauss with me, that's my priority in a tank. I defend myself against other stuff, but I target the other vehicles.

When i am gunning for the gauss, I prefer to let my driver patrol our allys side of map; whilst ocasionally veering to the edges of our territory to allow for some easy long ranged kills. The purpose of the patrol is twofold, one for self preservation of the asset and two to allow for a quick and active response to callouts against enemy pushes towards our territory. Bearing in mind the tank spawn "Hanger", assuming the intial run was succesful, I like to insert a two man cell there and have my driver keep a light tab on them.

I've found a good range for each team that keps you out of trouble, but gives the great angles.

If Blue: Stay between the banshee bridge and the tank garage, looping past your gauss spawn. I never pass the archway... too many nooks for EMPs and stickies! There is absolutely no better place to be than on the flats to the left of gauss spawn. Why?

- You can hit through the arch and swivel over and see banshee spawn
- Gunner will always have the opportunity to get first shot on a tank
- Drivers can use the slope to get shield back, but most importantly...

You have time even if caught in the open to back down the slope while the tank shell slides over your heads! You can hit them, but they can hit you if you're smart.

If Red: Stay between the banshee bridge and the flats between C and tank garage. But be wary, unless you manage to flip the spawn you may get some people spawning in the flats with you between C and tank garage. To stay truly safe stay between the archway and your side of banshee bridge (on your spawn side obviously).

That's my two cents.