How to Succeed as War Ops

[Tarhalindur]

War Ops is undeniably a very fun experience. Who doesn't like the opportunity to pilot a DARK MAULER all day long? And nothing will really change that. It's a truly epic fight, chronicled for the ages...

...one which the station always wins. Why is that, you may ask? You could blame it on a lot of things.

But the thing which I find critical to the success of war ops is speed. Part of why war ops loses all the time is that they spend enough time faffing around, buying equipment, waiting for that one player to reconnect, that by the time they arrive, the Captain is secured in the brig surrounded by a ton of reinforced windows and armed crewmembers.

So now we have our concept. Without further ado...

The Step-By-Step Guide to Succeeding as War Ops (assuming you're leader)

1. Don't waste time deciding if you're going to go war or not. Decide before hand. Obviously if you're reading this, the answer is a resounding "Yes".
2. BEFORE GOING TO WAR, have your team decide what equipment they want. Yes, this includes you. Have them do it quickly, because you still only have five minutes. You don't need to have everything pinned down, minor stuff can just be ordered on the shuttle or in maint. Weapons and such don't really matter, go crazy with those as long as you don't pick something stupid like the revolver, but it is highly recommended that you pack an emag and at least one C4. While not critical, the entry point might be a good thing to discuss if you have time.
3. Make sure that ALL of your teammates are ready, then push the button.
4. Immediately move to the shuttle and start ordering gear while putting on your hardsuits.
5. Once you're done ordering your stuff, figure out where you want to dock. Don't try to enter somewhere like arrivals, the AI will spot you and make your life difficult.
6. Once everyone is ready, have them buckle up and launch to that preferred spot of yours. I personally prefer southwest so that you can go up through the Cargo maint, but you might have a better plan. If so, go for it.
7. Deploy the nuke, this will prevent people from stealing it. (Not sure if this is allowed, but doesn't hurt to be sure.
8. Charge onto the station, preferably through maint. Use the emag to bypass doors and the C4 to bypass walls and bolted doors. (If you run out of C4, then you're probably screwed, because the AI will trap you and you'll get shot to death. You can buy a whole pack of the stuff, seriously. Consider doing that.)
9. Once you're in the public hallway, you may meet (un)expected resistance in the form of people attacking you with a variety of weapons. Don't go murderboning, because while it's fun, it doesn't actually help. Only kill people who are actively attacking you, and focus on security officers and people with guns.
10. Move towards the pinpointer while doing this, and assuming that you were faster than the crew, things should go smoothly! As if that ever happens.

Please keep in mind that I don't play nuke ops much since it's very rare to become one, so feel free to point out any errors in judgement and/or fact.

Happy nuking!

[Cazdon]

Fairly useful for those familiar with Nukie-side Nuke Ops, but unfamiliar with Nukie-side War Ops. (Me)

I would say... I was expecting a bit on how to act once you have the disk. Same plan as getting to the disk I assume? Shoot those that try to stop you and keep moving?

[Leanfrog]

Declaring war adds a timer to the shuttle console that prevents you from moving the shuttle until the 30 minute mark, regardless of your plans the crew are going to be well armed and reinforced, not trying to say this guide is wrong but at minimum the crew will have 20 minutes since you can't dec after 10 minutes

[Tarhalindur]

1 minute ago, Cazdon said:

Fairly useful for those familiar with Nukie-side Nuke Ops, but unfamiliar with Nukie-side War Ops. (Me)

I would say... I was expecting a bit on how to act once you have the disk. Same plan as getting to the disk I assume? Shoot those that try to stop you and keep moving?

Arguably it's actually easier to escape with the disk. Your destination when trying to get the disk is "Wherever the disk is", which is pretty easy to predict.

On the other hand, when escaping, your destination is "Anywhere in space"--being close to the shuttle is a plus, but not required because of those nifty jetpacks (and because the pod pilot won't usually be patrolling during nukeops). Space is easy to get to (and even easier with the aforementioned C4).

 

[Tarhalindur]

1 minute ago, Leanfrog said:

Declaring war adds a timer to the shuttle console that prevents you from moving the shuttle until the 30 minute mark, regardless of your plans the crew are going to be well armed and reinforced, not trying to say this guide is wrong but at minimum the crew will have 20 minutes since you can't dec after 10 minutes

Oh. Ouch. I presume it's to prevent this specific tactic?

Regardless, some of this still applies (since you will still have an advantage at 00:30 over 00:45). Plan beforehand!

[Leanfrog]

Correction, it's at the 20 minute mark you can leave, crew can shuttle at 30, not as bad but still plenty of time for the crew to gear up

[Calecute]

Mostly what i see Nuke ops fucking up is not pushing for their objectives, getting separated and pinned down, and killing themselves with explosives. I've seem just taking too long, but I don't think it's the most prevalent mistake. 

[Birdtalon]

Cool guide but not very comprehensive. Doesn't mention vital implants like X-ray/adrens which are pretty much a must have. If you want to win the key is not to waste time fighting and get the disk as fast as possible.

Buying mechs is generally far too expensive for their relative worth. Better to stock up with implants and more weapons. Elite hardsuit is way better than the standard one and there's no reason not to buy it on war ops unless you're getting shielded.

Remember to take the free minibomb and syndie bomb from the shuttle. It's actually better to take the nuke with you. There's very little reason to leave it on the shuttle. It just means you have further to go and double back when you have the disk. Get one member to secure the nuke somewhere nobody will go like atmos or incinerator.

Counter-intuitively it's actually better to not stay with your team mates. Get to the station and then split up into pairs or solo and flank for the objective. Sometimes it's worth one player being a distraction and attacking sec directly. Don't hang up too much on a plan, it will always break down as soon as you get in combat. Give your men loose instructions and let them improvise for themselves. Help your team mates, but don't sacrifice yourself for them.