I won't say you're wrong, but that sort of mentality also leads to bad Ravager plays. Truth is, Ravager isnt actually that great of a bullet sponge. The Ravager is, in the words of Toroic "a powerful hit-and-run warrior. Not Godzilla."
Believe it or not, but Ravs have more in common with this:
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Overview
The Ravager is considered a tier three Xeno of the warrior caste and shares this spot with their sibling and trustworthy compadre, the Crusher. This means you'll have to evolve four times to actually become one. From larva to runner to hunter to finally Ravager.
The Ravager runs the fastest of the tier threes, running only slightly slower than a 100% healthy Marine on non-weeded tiles. I'm not exactly sure, but I think all Xenos run faster on weeds than they do on regular tiles. Generally though, you wanna stay on weeds for health and plasma regen alone. However, with the new update released at the time of writing this, Ravager speed was nerfed along with their lesser evolved cousins the Hunter and the Runner, so I'll need to do some testing.
Understanding Your Limits (AKA "stupid fucking Ravager")
A lot of people tend to think of Ravagers as pretty much behaving in the same way as a Runner. Here's how most runners live and die.
>evolve from larva
>grab huggers
>find marine
>pounce
>find out marine wasn't alone
>get surrounded
>dead.jpg
>your fellow Xenos call you shit
I won't say they're wrong. A lot of Ravagers do end up going it alone and dying in some far-flung southern end of the map, and a lot of them rightly earn the vitriol of their comrades. Ravagers need to know when it's high time to back the hell off and charge away to safety. Basically, the yellowIish-green meter on the side of your HUD is your health indicator. Trust it and don't trust it. It's a little finicky and doesn't give an accurate representation of your actual health, but it's still a good indicator.
I tend to retreat when at half health or below. Technically, the hit-and-run capabilities of a Rav means you'll always be retreating but I truly stop fighting at half health or below. This is a good time to leg it back to the hive for health or at least find a safe spot. A little warning: Marines are metagaming bastards who will chase you to the ends of hell. You have to cross that river and charge away in order to lose them, or they will keep chasing you until either you're dead, they're dead or you just manage to lose them. Obviously, this falls under the metagaming rule regarding chasing Xenos if it's early game so feel free to ahelp it if they kill you.
The Charge (AKA your best frenemy)
The Ravager's charge can either save it's life or end up sending it to it's doom, so it's good to use your judgment wisely. Charging into a wall near a group of Marines or over a mined entrance is practically a death sentence. It will stun you momentarily and leave you vulnerable for any trigger happy jerks to pop a cap in your ass. If you're at full health, bonking into a wall should be fine so long as there isn't a SADAR or two full squads of Marines cornering your stunned body. When you hit a wall, your stun lasts for around 4-6 seconds. Until then, your charge will regen during then and your exoskeleton should block most bullets long enough for you to murder the shit out of anyone who dared tickle you or run away to safety. By the way, you can slash and disarm while stunned on the ground so if any Marine pulls out a knife and approaches you, just show him how sharp Granny's claws are and take out his foot.
Alternatively, the charge can pull you out of a tight situation. Estimating speed, you're approximately as fast as a Runner or even faster when you charge so outrunning Marines if you charge diagonally out of their bullet paths. If they chase you to the river coast, charge across the river and it's almost a guaranteed escape. Water makes both Marines and Xenos move slower.
If you have harm intent on, every time you charge into a Marine you will slash the targeted area, making Ravagers excellent defence as well as offense. Each harm intent charge counts as a single, regular slash with the benefit of disarming and knocking them down. Otherwise, the other three intents will just knockdown with no damage dealt.
A Family That Slays Together Stays Together
If you're not confident enough in your skills or just cautious or have a nagging Queen, it might be wise to buddy up with one or more fellow Xenos. Ravagers can develop interesting tactics if they have competent partners and if you distinguish yourself you'll find yourself right hand of the Queen based on merit and intelligence, so getting hunting parties together should be no problem. For this section, assume both Ravager and it's partners are playing to the best of their abilities regarding their role. Obviously, it's a stretch to assume Xenos will be 100% competent 100% of the time.
Crusher (AKA your best friend)
In my opinion, Crusher-Rav partnerships are the most effective and more likely to produce a body count. The Crusher brings to the table it's ability to be used as a meat shield and AOE stun, while the Ravager boasts the highest melee damage in the game. If a Crusher stuns a squad of Marines, a Ravager can move in and break or cut off the foot of at least half that group, forcing what's left to retreat and pull back their wounded. If the Crusher can regen his stomp in time, it's over for that squad.
Carrier (AKA The Salt Factory)
Think, if you will, of a Rav-Carrier partnership as a buddy cop film. The Rav is the bad cop who's better at killing than infecting and the Carrier good cop who wants to infect Marines and propagate the hive. As a Ravager, you're somewhat exempt from the whole "infect don't kill" thing unless the Queen herself orders it. Carrier is a tier 2, Rav is tier 3.
Nagging of the Carriers aside, they can do a lot of damage paired with a Rav. Have it infect someone, then go around the corner and drag it to safety while tanking bullets to either decap or or take back to the hive. Carry some face huggers in your hands to restock the Carrier.
Queen (AKA "Hey there baby, wanna kill all humans?")
The Queen shouldn't be alone with a Ravager. (Imagine the scandal!) Having to babysit her will probably result in your death, but if she's robust, she's sort of like an upgraded, albeit slower, Crusher. Her scream has enough range and enough stun to keep that entire metaphorical squad from earlier down long enough to cut all their feet off. Still, her lack of speed and her huge importance means you should tell her to go back to the hive ASAP unless she has an army at her back.
Hunter (AKA The Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2)
A few days ago, I had a round where me and two Hunters managed to flank an assault force of Marines that were attacking our hive. Using superior tactics, backing up each other's pounces/charges and hit-and-run warfare, we managed to almost single-handedly force them to retreat. When we rounded up the Marine corpses they left behind, we counted at least TWENTY-FIVE dead and dying Marines. It used to be that when Hunters refused to evolve to Crusher or Ravager, I thought they were complete mongoloids, but if they actually know their shit, they can be an effective fighting force. Basically, just watch for their pounce so you can move in to assist, communicate well and back each other up.
Spitter (AKA "hurry the fuck up")
Spitters are pretty slow, but they can be the ranged backbone your hunting party needs. Neurotoxing a Marine knocks it down long enough to get infected or to be dragged screaming into the darkness and butchered. Bonus points if you communicate with Spitters and Runners to target SADAR Marines so you can drag their precious gun away. Give yourself even mor bonus points if the Marine starts crying about meta-aliens. However, their speed means if Marines actually man up for once and rush you, they will probably die unless you have a Runner or Hunter pull them around. Don't really bother to save the Spitter yourself unless you can do so safely. You're a tier 3, so you're not expected to risk your balls to save a lower tier. Their upgraded acid also means they can melt certain structures for you to gain an entry and fuck shit up.
Sentinel (AKA "why the fuck aren't you guarding hosts")
Sentinels should be in the hive guarding the hosts unless the Queen orders it, but their acid is at least good to lure Marines to a certain spot or melt SADARs. Likewise, they have that neurotoxin and are faster than Spitters, but Spitters are still a direct upgrade. If you see one outside the Hive, tell the Queen.
Runner (AKA "don't fucking pounce them in a group you idiot")
Runners are seen as some of the least intelligent of the Xenos, and you wouldn't be blamed for thinking the same. Unless you've seen otherwise, don't really trust these sketchy bastards to follow your orders. If they are competent, however, you'll find them being as useful as a good Hunter albeit faster, weaker and without stealth. Don't worry a scale on your head-crest for them. If they can run away, they'll be safe. If they were bad enough to get cornered in the first place, then they weren't worth the host they burst from.
Ravager (AKA You take the high road, and I'll take the low road.)
Imagine five coordinated Ravagers charging down a narrow hallway to bear down on unfortunate Marines. Two of them harm intent charging will be the bane of any squad. Have one Ravager aim for right/left feet and you aim for the other foot and Marines will never escape. Occasionally, losing one foot doesn't make them fall over so they'll be able to escape, but a Marine without either feet will be unable to defend himself other than crawl away. Stop for a moment and watch the screaming Marine crawl away before you eventually decap it with your tails. Sisters forever.
Boiler (AKA Babysitting simulator 2016)
Boilers have the strongest acid, and their artillery capabilities makes for devastating assaults, but they are ass useless in a CQB fight. However, if a Boiler launches a glob of acid and makes a group of Marines scatter, you can at least get one killed or into crit if you charge one of them INTO the acid cloud. However, you'll find yourself having to go save it's ass as it tries to waddle away from any threats it sees.
Praetorian (AKA "aren't you supposed to be guarding the Queen?")
Praetorians are pretty slow, but not Boiler-slow. This is balanced by their weaker acid, but they have that nice spit ability. Think of them as an upgraded Spitter, if you will, albeit tougher and with an exoskeleton kind of like you.
Drone (AKA Your weed dealer)
Combat wise? Not so good, but if you're mid-round and the colony is STILL NOT WEEDED TO SHIT, then grab a drone and babysit it while it goes around planting weeds. Have it retreat at the first sign of trouble, and you shouldn't have too much of a problem. In combat, they can produce much-wanted pheremones and can build forward defences and nests for quick nest-combat.
Hivelord (AKA "oh fuck the Queen's lesbian lover just died")
Hivelords can do the same thing drones can, with the added benefit of digging tunnels. It's a good idea early on to escort the Hivelord through the colony as it goes tunnel digging before it's too late and Marines begin going on the offensive. In a fight, you'll have to buy it time to escape because in a fight it's almost as useless as tits on a man.
Predator (AKA Your Unlikely Ally)
Sometimes you'll find a Predator who is more focused on hunting Marines than they are on hunting Xenos. Even more rarely you'll find a Predator actively helping the Xenos fight off the humans. Contrary to belief, Xenos don't need to instantly go and fight the Predator when they see it. There are a number of reasons you can ICly use to rationalize not attacking a Predator. This includes the fact that they're too dangerous to bother with when there are easier and more numerous targets a little ways away. If they're not actively fighting Xenos, you can rationalize that they're not worth the resources and manpower to try and take down. Xenomorphs are smart enough to understand that if something is working in their favor, such as a Predator killing chiefly humans, then they shouldn't do anything to fuck with what they got going for them. If the Predator proves to be a good ally, then inform the hive and ask the Queen to mention not to attack it in her orders (viewable in the Status pane). Chances are, there will be a Runner or two that will attack it. Not much you can do, but hopefully the Pred won't see that as an act of hostility.
ICly, you don't know jack about the Predators, their Code of Honor, their gear unless they use it or what they're even called. All you know is that they're not like the Marines. Predators can understand Xenos but you can't understand them, but that shouldn't be a problem as Predators are chosen based on RP capabilities, so if they have to communicate something to you and the other Xenos they can do so by emotes such as head gestures, pointing, hand gestures and such. Preds don't like unwanted help so be reluctant to charge in directly alongside your fellow ally unless they request it. Unfortunately, at one point your buddy will run out of magical Predator healing juice and will most likely begin to succumb to their wounds. It's rare for an alien-allied Predator to survive direct combat long enough to get to the Sulaco with the rest of the Xenos. So, be prepared for a tearful goodbye with your hunting buddy. If you distinguished yourself, they may even leave you a gift of sorts. Watch them walk off and wait for the inevitable explosion. Until then, warn them to stay away from huggers and eggs unless their alliance runs so deep they'd give up their own body.
Lone Wolfing It
I wouldn't personally recommend going alone unless you're extremely lucky or have good escape routes. Being alone means you'll have no one to hinder you but also no one to help you should you fuck up. Before leaving the safety of the hive, stop and calculate the risk-reward relative to your skill. If you're just going out to infect, you'd be better off taking a hunting party out with you. If you plan to kill a few people, or at least severely injure them, then go ahead and venture out alone. A word of advice, though: STICK TO THE NORTH. Ravagers are vulnerable without a path to escape, and if Marines trap you in the south you're almost guaranteed to die. And watch out for SADAR Specs. They will fuck you up if they can get a hit on you.
Fighting the SADAR (AKA I Fought the Law and the Law Won)
The SADAR will fuck you up. It's a god-damn RPG. Stay away from anyone carrying that thing unless you've got a Crusher or spitting caste or a good environment to back you up.
First thing's first: forget the guy carrying the gun. He's just another worthless Marine if he doesn't have his precious boomstick. Get close to him, cut his hand off and drag the only reason he queued up with Spec on "high" for five rounds straight. Then watch as he cries because he'll have to queue another five rounds to even get Spec again. Learn the SADAR guy's name, pick him out in a crowd and wait for when he lapses. That'll be your chance to render him useless. Alternatively, you could always get him to SADAR himself by standing in front of a Marine near him or just waiting for the inevitable fuck-up. Be sure to inform your fellow Xenos to target them as well and to GIT DAT FUKKEN GUN. That is top priority. Doing this will ensure your hive lives and you and your fellow tier threes will stay healthy. Most SADAR Specs are pants-on-head fucking stupid. You could just play attrition and wait for the Darwinism to eventually take effect by means of shooting themselves, but I can't guarantee you won't lose a few fellow aliens while waiting.
Becoming the Ravager
Hold your horses, Buster Brown. Before you go off on your murder fantasy, you gotta evolve first. The stages are as follows: larva>runner>hunter>ravager/crusher. Your best chances of becoming Ravager lie within being a round-start Xeno. An Alpha Xeno of you will. If the Marines aren't rushing to deploy, the delay before they do should carry you to 3/4 completed jelly progress as Hunter assuming you got jelly from the Queen almost immediately at round start. Until then, do the standard early-round cycle of looking for monkeys and survivors. DO NOT EVOLVE TO TIER THREE UNTIL THE MARINES DEPLOY. Your speed as a Hunter is needed to get those fucking furries and stop them from yiffing on your precious planet, and survivors can't arm themselves well enough to deal with more than a couple xenos attacking at once.
Late to the Party
Okay, so you weren't one of the first Xenos at round start. No biggie. All you really need to be a Rav while a Marine-Xeno conflict is in progress is a modicum of robustness as a Runner and Hunter. Wait until you can evolve into Runner and go off looking for jelly. However, as your jelly progresses you still have a job to do. Get what monkeys you can find in the south-western or south-eastern, or hunt for some Marines and assist your fellows. Just because your ultimate goal is evolving doesn't mean you can just sit in the hive AFK while you jerk your gerk to Xenomorph porn (looking at you, The Ultimate Chimera, you fucking weirdo). Xeno pornography and not being a waste of space aside, you should still value your mortality. If you don't think that lone Marine is able to be captured, then don't bumrush him and call for buddies or re-think your strategy. Runners are more likely to evolve if they fear their mortality, and I can't stress that enough. Don't take unnecessary risks, don't get cornered, and you'll be fine. Stick your neck out too far and some bumbling Marine is bound to come around and cut it.
Based on personal experience, here is a poorly-created timeline of events during a round. Fit yourself into wherever and whatever is going on. These are key events that happen during the round. Note that this applies to all aliens.
► Show Spoiler
Overview
Finally, now we're getting to the good stuff. A word of warning if you manage to pull off being a good Ravager. Marines will be salty. If you die all the Marines you mercilessly slaughtered will spam dchat with messages such as 'rekt' or 'stupid Ravager'. Even staff do it, from what I've seen. They will call you out on 'cowardice', while failing to realize Ravagers are the ultimate in running away to do more damage later. It's called playing smart, and they obviously lack what it takes. Marines, saltlords, your fellow Xenos, staff, doesn't matter. Tell them to fuck off and GIT GUD if they try harassing you. We got that out of the way? Good.
Right. A lot of Ravager gameplay consists of charge with harm intent while targeting foot, duck back behind cover and wait for charge regen. Then repeat until the enemy squad is either footless or retreating. Then do emotes of taunting at them so they know what fucked them over. Rinse and repeat.
It's Getting Hot in Here (AKA Environmental Hazards)
Ravagers have the bonus to being immune to fire along with general Boiler acid immunity, but no amount of protection can ever save Marines from those.
Sometimes, stupid flamethrower Marines will think fire will force you to flee from your cover. Do not give in. Even I as a Ravager have a tendency to run from fire because Xenos always get hurt from fire. The worst it'll do to a Ravager is remove the weeds they're standing on, but fire itself is a benefit as it poses as much of a danger to Marines as it also gives you a minor speed boost, indicated by a red text of "The fire courses through your veins! MAIM, KILL, DESTROY!". A wall of flame will stop Marines from getting too close, and can isolate buddies for you to charge in and plant a few huggers before they run in to save them. Alternatively, you can stun Marines and drag or push them into the fire they or a friend created so they'll go into crit with you having to do the work. If you're a Ravager squaring off against a squad of Marines and one has a flamethrower, leave the flamethrower for last. Encountering them is even juicier if you step on a downed Marine and lure them into flaming the tile you and the Marine are on.
Boiler acid clouds are even better at the aforementioned, as they last longer, are much larger and do more damage. Isolating a group of Marines with an acid cloud is a death sentence if you knock them into the cloud with your charge.
This is still a Work in Progress. Edits will be made later. I still gotta do general Rav tactics and such.
You just have to find them and snub them out. :^}}
