The crusher...

[Wubs4Scrubs]

People always say "Dude crushers aren't OP, just melee them they're little bitches" but this is only viable in a perfect 1v1 scenario, which happens very rarely. The fact of the matter is that this dream scenario both doesn't account for the fact that crushers are almost always leading charges which means they have plenty of aliens just behind them ready to fuck up your day if you close the gap on their crusher friend. Also when people see crushers you'd better fucking duck in cover because AP will start being flung faster than shit in a monkey cage, if you even try to get close to the crusher to conduct the most honorable melee combat you're going to be eviscerated by many marines spamming AP and killed almost instantly. Also while crushers might not be hard hitting damage wise, the main threat on most xenos is their tackle which the crusher can do just fine, and once that crusher has you on the ground it'll get enough hits in where you're doomed, especially in a 1v1. Additionally crusher armor is stupid, now I know that their frontal armor is a lot more than their side armor, but that's kinda like comparing tank armor to APC armor, you're still going to do fuck all to either unless you're running AP so what's the difference. I really need to make a gif of the moment, but I recall in a video I made when a crusher went into crit and was completely defenseless just lying there its passive armor while in crit deflected upwards of 5 or 6 rifle rounds allowing it to easily be dragged to safety. If I recall I was firing standard rifle rounds but regardless the crusher was in crit i.e. its most vulnerable state and it still swallowed rifle rounds on its exposed flank like they were tic tacs. Combining their meme level armor with the fact that they have an extremely effective charge + AOE combo and you have a creature which can end an FOB in a single charge so long as it has the rest of the alien team behind it (which it almost always does). I really don't want to come off bitchy or shitlerish but I truly feel that the crusher in its current state needs some reworking. Sorry for the massive wall of text but crushers have meme'd me enough where I've put some thought into my opinions on this.

[Crab_Spider]

I can engage a crusher in melee, but what stops me from doing is the acid blood and tackle RNG. Theyre not broken perse, but they're simply too hard to kill, although this is justified as they are T3s.

[Casany]

BTW, NEVER melee a crusher. A much better idea is to get that flamed which has been sitting in the FOB all game and fire away

I've killed 3 crushers in melee, not because I'm good but because they were bad. If you ever fight a competent crusher in 1v1, expect to lose.

Something you should do is flame it though. If it's charging through then run behind its charge and open fire. Unlike what people assume crushers have relatively low health pools (4 machete hits to critical) so just a few AP rounds or rounds to the flank can scare it or take it down. Melee though, is just a horrible idea with crushers unless your SUPER robust

[Swagile]

The only viable way to melee a crusher when it is with other aliens is if these conditions line up (assuming the crusher is GOOD):

1) You have hyperzine and a machete.
2) The crusher has no huggers.
3) The aliens behind him have no huggers and/or are bad at using huggers.
4) You are at full health with no broken bones / fractures / etc.
5) The crusher has already stomped.

All of these conditions are rare for a perfect 1 v 1 scenario where you can fight and kill a Crusher even when its with its team.

The other way to fight a crusher alongside teammates requires these conditions to happen (assuming the crusher is GOOD):

1) None of your marine buddies are packing AP.
2) You are setup in a "wave" formation; a couple people at the front, a couple people in the back. This is only applicable if the crusher hasn't stomped yet. The first wave attacks and when the Crusher stomps, the next wave rushes over the fallen bodies of their comrades and attacks.
3) If the Crusher has already stomped, one person has to be willing to sacrifice themselves in the melee because a panic'd Crusher will try to charge out and they can build up momentum really fast. This requires one marine to always be in the most likely direction the Crusher wants to charge out and then pre-emptively run right into its path, being charged over. This completely stops all the momentum a Crusher has built up and allows your marine buddies to swarm the Crusher at its slowest and weakest point.

There might be other conditions you have to fulfill, but this is just what ive observed in successful Crusher kills against skilled Crushers. It requires a lot of teamwork and willingness to sacrifice, which is rare in the Marines, but when it happens its beautiful.

[Casany]

See, though, you forgot one thing. The crusher has to be super unrobust

One tackle and your down for 30 beyond seconds, 12 literal seconds, and now your dead

[Swagile]

See, though, you forgot one thing. The crusher has to be super unrobust

One tackle and your down for 30 beyond seconds, 12 literal seconds, and now your dead

Try clicking an Ancient Runner in CQC with a machete.

That is literally what you are fighting against as a Crusher when someone takes Hyperzine.

[Casany]

Try clicking an Ancient Runner in CQC with a machete.

That is literally what you are fighting against as a Crusher when someone takes Hyperzine.

Try actually trying to slash someone as an ancient runner

See, I've reached ancient runner a total of 14 times, and the literal only way I could get solid hits in was stopping so I could get that click. I'd maybe get two in a minute if I kept up the moving if I was lucky. Moral is, to get hits in your gonna have to stop running. On weeds especially, since if you don't get those combos in the crusher heals and your hyperzine runs out

[Crab_Spider]

Try actually trying to slash someone as an ancient runner

See, I've reached ancient runner a total of 14 times, and the literal only way I could get solid hits in was stopping so I could get that click. I'd maybe get two in a minute if I kept up the moving if I was lucky. Moral is, to get hits in your gonna have to stop running. On weeds especially, since if you don't get those combos in the crusher heals and your hyperzine runs out

Use a macro to switch up your move intent, you'll be somewhat fast still and have enough timing to ensure youll make a solid slash.

[Swagile]

The problem isn't your speed, its charging into marines.

To successfully harm people as an Ancient Runner, you have to charge at them in an angle.

Experienced veterans will push INTO a xeno, because xenos are faster and will keep pushing a marine AWAY from the xeno. Do this enough and you can duke fast castes like hunters and runners by using their speed against them.

You cannot use this tactic, however, if said castes attack from an angle. Add to that movement intent cycling and drive-by hit and running with disarm intent to land a tackle, and that is how the runner / hunter castes truly shine.

Hyperzine users have to use the same tactics but they have to master them as they have a maximum of 30 seconds of speed until they go back to normal speed.

[Nyeshivuu]

With the runner and crusher holding two huggers i imagine they are holding them with their front legs and they are crushing them while walking

[Katsukai]

With the runner and crusher holding two huggers i imagine they are holding them with their front legs and they are crushing them while walking

[CoreyTori]

With the runner and crusher holding two huggers i imagine they are holding them with their front legs and they are crushing them while walking

I can imagine a image of the crusher doing that...why do I find that adorable

[KingPhilipIII]

Summin summin dorsal tubes.

Yea like people have been saying while crusher armor can be ridiculously frusterating, you just need to bring it down under a rain of fire. There is a reason xenos had their caste numbers changed like that. T3s should be hard as fuck to kill if a good player is driving them.