The Cycle: Frontier DEA Clan's Cycle Squad Ops Guide by CHUCKFICKNS

Introduction

This guide will give players the basics on organizing and managing your Cycle squad. It represents countless hours of lessons learned. This guide is intended for Squad Leaders, however any player can benefit from the information provided and be a better teammate. The guide will be updated periodically.

This is not a guide about where to find certain items, faction progression, or which gun is the best in the game. There are plenty of other good guides on those subjects. This guide will help your Squad survive, profit and not get "LEFT BEHIND".

Remember that good teamwork and squad tactics mitigates gear advantage. Play as a team and your chances of a success and profit are maximized.

I. Pre-Drop Planning

Take care of individual basics:

1. Repair armor

2. Load out your individual kit (guns, ammo, armor, meds, nades)

3. Check your missions and jobs to know what you need to accomplish.

In the Station:

1. Who is going to be squad leader and decide overall strategy? Who is going to decide when to push or when to withdraw? Which direction? When and where to evac? Good Squads can discuss and decide these things on the fly, but there should be somebody that’s going to decide things for the group. A good Squad leader is not necessarily somebody with a high K/D ratio. Successful evac rate is probably the better quality to have in a squad leader.

2. The primary objective of any drop is that the entire Squad safely evacuates. The secondary objectives of any drop are the acquisition of loot and accomplishing mission and job goals.

3. Mission Briefing: Before dropping, discuss objectives and goals for the squad. What items are needed by the individual squad members? What missions and/or jobs do you have? What parts of the map does the Squad need to visit? What keycards are being brought? Can items be traded in the Squad to accomplish mission and job objectives? How experienced is the Squad and how familiar are the players with one another? Who knows the map and all the little hiding spots best (like the Horse cave by Waterfall labs)?

4. Come up with a couple alternative plans depending on where you land based on objectives and goals of the squad. Maybe the squad has objectives in the Swamp and Waterfall Labs. The squad comes up with three smalls plans: one for landing near the swamp, another for landing near Waterfall Labs, and a maybe a few others.

5. Discuss Squad gear loadout. What weapons are everyone bringing? What kind of engagements will your squad have the advantage: short, long, or both? What about frags, smoke grenades, audio decoys, and gas grenades? These are crucial items that provide the Squad with options.

II. Squad Roles

Suggested Squad Roles:

Pointman (1): The Pointman decides route of travel for the Squad from Point A to Point B. Should understand how to best use the terrain for cover and concealment of the Squad. Requires good knowledge of the map and combat skill because Pointman frequently comes into contact with enemy players and mobs first. Suggested Gear: Good armor, smoke, frags.

Tail: Tail watches the Squad’s “six”, the 180 degrees opposite of the Squad’s direction of

movement. When the Pointman has contact, the Tail should be prepared to flank or provide long range support. Tail can also pin down anybody approaching from the rear while Point and Mid either set up an ambush or maneuver on incoming contacts. Depending on the circumstances, the Tail might suddenly become Pointman when the squad has to reverse direction or withdraw. Suggested Gear: Long range weapon (e.g. Sniper), smoke.

Mid: Supports Pointman. Covers Pointman. While the Squad moves, the Mid should be looking in all directions. Can be the maneuver element to flank contacts. Provides suppressive fire and/or smoke to help Pointman withdraw from bad situation. Mid is good spot for your least experienced player because he can stay between Point and Tail. Supports Tail when rear contact occurs. Gear: Smoke. LMG for suppression.

III. Basic Squad Tactics & Considerations

1. Upon landing, SPRINT from the pod and get to cover and concealment. Assume that someone is camping your spawn or saw the Squad drop and is heading your way. Trade items in cover and concealment, not standing in front of the Squad's pods. The number one threat to the Squad's existence and mission success on Fortuna is other players, especially other enemy squads.

2. Server Status: Is the Squad coming into a fresh server? A good way to determine this is to look and see if there are multiple drops coming in at the same time because it’s pretty rare to have more than a few incoming drops in the sky at any one time. If you are coming into a fresh server, what locations are nearest to you for loot? The Squad might want to go there quickly and loot and then move on to the overall objective. Remember that other players will have the same idea. If your Squad drops into a light sunshower (sunny with light rain and no fog) and see a steady succession of drops over the first minute or two on the planet, the Storm has probably just passed.

3. Situational Awareness: Always have a good idea of which direction you are facing. Always have a good idea of where your squadmates are located at all times. Friendly fire is a real danger. Watch crossfire situations with enemy players and particularly mobs.

4. Squad Noise Discipline: You will likely hear enemy players before seeing them and vice versa. The Squad should not be sprinting around unless there is a very good reason, like crossing an open area with little to no cover and concealment. Have a good idea where you squadmates are and if you hear something from a direction that’s not them, get to cover/concealment ASAP and crouch. The Squad should use melee weapons to deal with Striders and, if skilled enough, Rattlers.

5. Squad Comms: The Squad should be on comms and not use proximity chat to communicate with one another. It’s a game and it’s for fun, but remember that if someone is talking, the whole squad’s ability to hear is affected. If you hear something move or see something in the distance, call it out “Contact, west 275” using your HUD compass. Call out gunfire and give direction and whether it’s close or far. Call out incoming player drops and evacs as necessary. If you get hit and have to heal, let your Squad know when you are back in the fight.

6. Squad posture: Loud/Quiet, Hot/Cold, Fast/Slow. Whatever you want to call it, your squad should have two modes. One mode is quiet and cautious and the other mode is loud and aggressive. Your squad should be in the first mode most of the time. The faster and louder the Squad moves, the more likely it is to bumble into a situation that can turn bad very quickly.

7. Squad Elements and Movement: Squad needs to be spread out somewhat but not so far as to be unable to provide support. The further apart the squad is, the bigger its listening radius will be to detect threats. The Squad should choose a route of travel that takes advantage of terrain or other features (e.g. buildings, rocks) to shield movement and to have available cover and concealment. Be careful that the Squad doesn’t “silhouette” itself against the sky. Remember that if your Squad is bunched up in a tight space, one frag or gas can take out the whole Squad. Use sound to cover your Squad’s movement, like rain, running water, meteor showers, or incoming/outgoing evacuations.

8. Break Contact: Every Squad should be able to break contact in an engagement with the enemy, either other players or mobs. When the decision is made, don’t get caught with your ass hanging in the breeze. Throw smoke or two to conceal your withdrawal. Throw audio decoys to confuse. Throw gas grenades to deny the enemy movement through a key area, like a gate or hallway. If possible, keep the squad together and move in the direction the squad leader says (e.g. “Let’s pop smoke and head west towards base camp.”)

9. Squad Rally Point: It will be inevitable that at some point everything will go to hell and your Squad will be spread out. The rally point is where everybody is going to meet up. A good idea is for the squad leader to find a secure location and the other two members come to the squad leader. Also don’t lead enemy players to the rest of your Squad unless an ambush is being set up.

10. Looting: It’s a good idea to have one person in the Squad be security while the other two loot or mine. You want at least one person listening and looking for incoming hreats. The squad can get to a safe place and then divide up the loot before evacuation. This also applies to looting dead players. Frequently, players die out in the open so you will often be exposed to danger while looting. If looting a particular area, consider placing security on high ground to see all avenues of approach. If the Squad is killing enemy mobs to complete missions or jobs, consider having two members killing the mobs while the third provides security. Unless the Squad can melee the mobs down in relative silence, the gunfire is likely to attract enemy players so don't get caught unaware.

11. Evacuation: A good squad leader knows when it’s time to head for the evac site. Has a player acquired a particularly rare piece of material that needs to make it back to the station to complete a key quest or upgrade for the player? Is your squad low on ammo and special items (frags, smokes, etc.)? Is your Squad low on medical supplies? Is the Storm coming and how far is the nearest shelter?

After deciding to evacuate, the first concern is how the Squad is going to enter the Evac pad. Some locations are more active than others and some are more easily defended or offer less cover and concealment. Remember that when someone calls for Evac, all players in the vicinity can hear the signal even if that location is not their evac. From the time of call to the ship lifting off to safety, it’s approximately one minute and twelve seconds (1:12).

It's almost never a good idea to get on the Evac ship as soon as it lands. Aggressive enemy players or squads that get in close will likely frag or gas the Evac ship. When the lights turn red, it’s a 10 second countdown to liftoff. Pop a smoke in the Evac ship right before it turns red or if the Squad has enough smokes and the situation calls for it, just smoke the whole area. Consider doing it even if you think the area is secure. 450 K-Marks cost for a smoke grenade is a nice insurance policy. Don’t be the player that gets sniped and left on the pad at the last second because the enemy can get a clear shot on you.

IV. Advanced Squad Tactics

1. Ambush: There are two kinds: Planned and Hasty. Planned ambush is where your squad deliberately positions itself in a key area with the specific intent of killing (and looting) enemy players. A hasty ambush is set up based on emergent circumstances presented to the Squad.

Every ambush should have a good “kill zone”. The kill zone is preferably where you want the enemy to enter before initiating contact. It should be an open area with little cover and concealment for the enemy to use. Shooting from above is preferred. Remember to let the enemy get well away from cover and/or concealment when initiating the ambush.

A good squad can decide to concentrate fire on one enemy with the intent to maximize the chance to kill. In any engagement with another squad, it is very important to kill at least one of the enemy in the opening stage to give your squad a numbers advantage for the rest of the right. It's better to kill one enemy player outright than to wound all three to half health because three enemy are more dangerous than two.

The Squad not only needs to be quiet, but also must exercise fire discipline. Tripping the ambush too early may mean your Squad is not in the best position or that the enemy can easily escape. The squad leader should be the first one to open fire in the ambush unless that role is delegated to another, like a sniper or LMG. Consider beginning your ambush with one or two of the squad throwing frags, which will hopefully wound/kill multiple enemy and for shock effect. Also consider letting an enemy squad pass your Squad by and then concentrate on taking down a straggler.

Most enemy players that survive the initial ambush will try to get to cover and heal. Consider an immediate push before they can heal and start maneuvering. Frags might finish them off if they are behind cover. Aggressive enemy teams will push you. Cautious teams will likely go back the way they came. Don’t chase too far otherwise you might be the victim of an ambush by that team or other enemy teams or players.

2. Counter-ambush: At some point, your Squad WILL be ambushed. The best defense is spotting the enemy first and not wandering into their kill zone in the first place. If your Squad is the victim of a serious ambush, there’s really one two options: (1) Get out of the kill zone and/or (2) immediately assault the ambushers' position. Return fire, even if it’s inaccurate. It might be close enough to get the enemy to duck down, giving you an opportunity to get to cover. Assume that the enemy has you right where they want you want they start firing, so priority should be to get out of the kill zone.

If withdrawal is decided, it’s usually best to go back the way you came, but there are always exceptions depending on the circumstances. Consider luring the enemy into your own hasty ambush.

3. Urban Ops: Some areas (e.g. Base Camp, Dig Site) are urban in nature and usually contain good loot so expect to run into other players frequently. Remember that players can block other players in tight spaces, like doors and stairs. Be careful of fatal funnels (doorways, hallways) in which your Squad cannot maneuver and the enemy can fill with gunfire, frags and gas. Use the "pie" system when clearing hallways and rooms. If an enemy is holed up in a room, throw some frags in and then immediately assault. Even if you don't kill or wound the enemy, they're likely to move out of position or be distracted. Be extra careful in transitional spaces (entrances and exits to these locations) because ambushes are frequently set in these locations. Be wary of "Rats." These are players hiding in a dark corner with a shotty waiting to ruin your day.

4. Encountering Potentially Friendly/Neutral Players and Teams: Even if other players/squads communicate with you that they are friendly or do not want to fight, it's best to assume that they will kill you and your squad if you get the chance. Even if a basic agreement can be reached, be wary of close contact with other players. Also consider an opportunity to spring your own sneak attack. Proximity chat can be used to distract enemy players ("Hey, what are you guys looking for? Optic glass? I saw some down that hall to your right.") while your Squad plans and maneuvers on its own comms.

V. Addendum & Lessons Learned

1. Know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em, when to walk and, especially, know when to run.

2. The only fair fight is the fight your Squad wins. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

3. Stay flexible. Circumstances will dictate when plans should be modified or abandoned. Remember the squad leader’s number one priority is that the entire team evacs safely. Loot acquisition and mission/job accomplish is secondary to evacuating safely.

4. Stealth is key. If the enemy cannot or does not see you and you see him first, you have a tremendous advantage. Same with sound. Moving slow maximizes the chance of early threat detection.

5. Slow is fast. Fast is slow. When you can figure out what that means, you’ve leveled up.

6. It was mentioned above, but Smoke Grenades are a Squad’s best friend. Encourage your squad mates to bring at least two each on every drop. It's better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

7. Frags can make the difference in a close range fight or when the squad has an enemy pinned down behind cover. Squad mates should coordinate about who is going to frag and who is going to cover. Usually the best time to assault is right after the frags land before the enemy has a chance to heal. Even if you don’t kill someone with a frag, they will take their health down, making them easier to finish off. Frags can also be used to force the enemy to reposition when a frag lands nearby.

8. Some weapons, like the AR-55, makes a noise noise when equipped. In sensitive situations, these sounds can give away the Squad's position when someone equips it. Be careful when using it and other weapons that make noise when equipped.

9. Learn what each gun sounds like when being fired. Once you know what each gun sounds like, you will have a better idea of what’s going on around you. With a little bit of experience, you might be able to count how many different players you are dealing with, whether there are multiple groups of players, etc.

10. A heavier player runs slower than a lighter player.

11. The longer a Squad remains in one particular location, the more likely it is to encounter enemy players/squads looking for kills. Gunfire attracts aggressive players/squads.

12. If your Squad sees birds suddenly take flight, it is very likely that an enemy player or squad set them off. Be wary of that location. Your Squad will also set off birds, so be prepared for the consequences of your position being exposed.

13. Try to stay positive. Even if you get wiped with your best gear (yes, it will happen), it’s just a game.

Conclusion

This guide provides the basics. Experience is the best teacher. The principles in this guide should help your squad survive, profit, and escape Fortuna more often than not. Remember that good teamwork and tactics can overcome gear advantage.

This guide will be updated from time to time for format and content. If you have your own tips, comment on the guide or send to the author.

Many of the ideas and practices come from playing with good players in DEA's Cycle club. Discord information for DEA's Cycle club can be found at:

Steamcommunity.com/groups/DEA_clan

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2825206418

DEA Clan's Cycle Squad Ops Guide by CHUCKFICKNS