Ion
- Method of deployment
- Arsenal
- Movement/positions
- Difficulty level buffs
- Threat level and priority
- Behavior
- Strengths
- Weaknesses/how to win against unit
- Battlefield Photo Captures
Name: Ion
Size: Titan
Health type: Medium Titan Health(4 blocks)
Method of deployment
Ion titans deploy on the battlefield in a dome shield.
Arsenal
Ion titans will use the splitter rifle, laser shot, vortex shield and laser tripwire. It is unknown what kit they use but it is assumed they equip entangled energy.
Movement/positions
Once Ion titans deploy on the map they will move towards the harvester in predetermined paths.
Difficulty level buffs
Like most enemies in frontier defense, Ion titans gain increased a.I, damage and health on harder difficulties.
Threat level and priority
Ion titans can be dangerous but not as dangerous as other harvester focusing units in the IMC forces. If an Ion Titan is closer than the other more dangerous units like arc titans or Scorch titans then it becomes a priority. Typically Ion titans should be focused from a range since they are heavily defensive and tricky to deal with.
Behavior
After Ion titans deploy on the map, they will immediately stride to the harvester in predetermined paths. Ion titans will use a splitter rifle on any enemies in line of sight and will sometimes use laser shot on pilots and titans if they have energy. Ion titans will also deploy laser tripwires for defense and area control. Ion titans always deploy vortex shield when under attack and will direct projectiles back at titans or pilots. Typically they will do it against archer and Tone rockets. Even pilot weaponry will trigger them to be defensive. Ion titans prioritize vortex shield over all other abilities. Ion titans will hold vortex shield until energy is depleted most of the time.
Strengths
Ion titans can prove to be incredibly difficult to deal with when certain titans attack them or if precautions aren’t in place. Ion titans will use a splitter rifle and laser shot to instantly kill enemy pilots, and will deflect projectiles back at enemies causing pilot firearms, Legion, Monarch, and even Ronin attacks to backfire. Ion titans don’t deal too much damage but can take a considerable amount of time to kill, allowing the Ion titans to deal the damage they need. Ion titans prioritize vortex shield meaning many of the militia’s abilities and firepower will be deflected back towards them, severely punishing militia titans. Ion titans will sometimes lay laser tripwires which will instantly kill pilots even from a distance, and/or deal large burst damage to militia titans. In Close engagements Ion titans will sometimes use splitter rifle alt fire causing any close militia titans to be heavily damaged if they are close.
Weaknesses/how to win against unit
Luckily Ion titans have some weaknesses and predictable behaviors. Pilots who engage on Ion titans must never be near the front or wherever the Titan is looking due to laser tripwire, laser tripwire instantly kills pilots at any range in its radius. The elevated positions are best to avoid tripwires. When firing at a Ion titans it will most likely engage its vortex shield, when it does you must evade line of sight or else your bullets will be deflected back instantly killing you. Thankfully you can bait the vortex shield out by firing small amounts and then evading behind objects, Ion titans will run out of energy fast so make sure they expend it asap. Pilots must watch out for laser shots or else death will be instantaneous. Laser shot can be predicted by seeing an orange glow on the shoulder of the Ion titan, hide if you see the laser shot then resume to attack it after it has fired. Finally it’s splitter rifle won’t instantly kill you but it only takes a few rounds for it to become lethal. Splitter rifle is not hit scan so evasion is easier. Flanks, rooftops and rodeo can help combat Ion titans as a pilot, just make sure to be smart and quick while using cover to avoid the many abilities it has in its arsenal to kill you. Have the Ion Titan drain its energy and they become easy threats. For militia titans the Ion titans can be a annoying opponent to face since they usually block a lot of attacks, when facing Ion titans it is recommended you use a burst damage attack to bait out the vortex shield, then let the Ion Titan run out of energy and proceed to attack again, this should make the Ion engagements much easier to deal with. When closely engaged to Ion titans keep in mind the possible laser trip wire deployment.
Laser shot can deal damage but it can be countered typically with a well timed dash or electric smoke. Certain titans can really struggle with Ion titans, these are Legion, Tone, Monarch. Legion and Monarch titans will have their hitscan bullets projected back to them causing serious damage if trigger discipline is lacking, or if evasion tactics aren’t applied soon enough(gun shield, dash, electric smoke). Make sure not to feed the vortex shield and you will be fine. As for Tone your tracking rockets are guaranteed a vortex shield response so make sure to bait the vortex shield then lock on as soon as the Ion disables it. Spam rockets and lockons and you will beat the Ion titans through sheer persistence.
Battlefield Photo Captures
These images were taken by emaki.
