Putting sad in SADAR.

[Egorkor]

ayyy it's the SADAR 24/7 epic meme boy here, o shit waddup.
originally I intended it to be in the specs' tips and tricks thread, but then I expanded it a bit so I think it has to be here, though I believe it's not that much of a guide, but whatever.

now for the serious part.

first off, your ammo.

HE aka high explosive - deals medium to high damage depending on a tier, t1 is instakill, t2 is instacrit or kill if they're wounded, t3 is nearcrit, below 50% but not nearcrit if it's a queen (most likely, never got to test it proper), or instakill if they're wounded - also mind their evolution levels, mature and elite t3s are more resistant to the damage.
the blast radius is 5x5, means it's basically this:
X X X X X
X X X X X
X X G X X
X X X X X
X X X X X
where G stands for ground zero aka the tile you click on and where the rocket explodes. marines caught in the blast are knocked down and are dropped down to orange or red, if they're in the ground zero it might also be an instakill so be fucking aware when you're firing it, I'll cover that later on.
bottom line - use this type of shells for area denial, or when you're not sure you can score a direct hit with, ayyyyyy...


...AP rockets aka armorpiercing or antitank - deals a shiteload of damage, ignores the tier (mostly), as in t1 is instakill, t2 is instakill up to and including elite, not sure about ancient but I think it's also that way, young t3 is nearcrit, crit, or instakill (young ravagers are, at least), it also depends on the severity of the wounds.
blast radius is 3x3 (used to be), but now I think it only works with a direct hit, so you have to work your ass off to nail that motherfucker in the balls. it pays off most of the time. if you hit a marine with it it's an instakill or instacrit with lotta fractures if they're lucky, or not so lucky.
bottom line - very useful against crushers, one of the only counters to elite crushers provided you still hold the planet and have ammo and yadda yadda, there're many factors and most of them are not going to be in your favor such as the amount of aliens covering the crusher, and so on, but theoretically it's a good counter along with melee and fire. also useful for them sweet instakills.
last and the fucking least, the thing that takes up the storage slot you coulda used for another rocket:
meet the WP aka white phosphorus - deals a shiteload of burn damage, warms up the tiles around it, otherwise useless. I've no data on the damage it deals since I rarely put it to use and I consider it useless, but theoretically it can go like this - t1 is instakill or nearcrit or crit, t2 is 75 to 50 percent of health, t3 is 25 or less percent excluding crushers, devastating but not an instakill or crit against them.
the blast radius is one tile it explodes on, sets any mob standing there on fire and makes the area around it hot, dunno how big the area is, but it's pretty hot so don't use it if you're afraid to FF, because it'll drop you into paincrit pretty quickly. if you direct hit a marine with it it's instant crit or nearcrit that will devolve into crit rather quickly.
bottom line - use it against the crushers and crushers only, I'll cover the other targets a bit later on.

second off, your inventory.

gear up as usual, as in the uniform, boots, yadda yadda.
put two flares in your armor, put a webbing on your jumpsuit, put a frag and two inceds inside. frags are for finishing off t3s, inceds are for sticky resin and eggfields.
put the second frag into your pocket for quick access, a flashlight in the other pocket.
SADAR goes on your armor, if you get a magnetic harness for it you're set for life.
shotgun with an attached underslung GL goes in your hands, shotgun ammo goes in the belt, entirely. shotguns are great for finishing off aliens too, you don't have to fight off all the hive with it.
all the rockets and two slug boxes go into your backpack.

now you're set. do mind, that it's my recent loadout and it is subject to change, you're free to use your own but this one works best for me. I used to main dual magnums but now that the shotgun is fixed it's a better albeit less stylish alternative that pays off. don't fucking take the SMG, ever. period. no, nada, nyet, nein. it's a worthless piece of shite even for finishing the crit aliens, trust me on that, I beg you.

third off, tips and tricks.
most of them are in the first two parts, inadvertantly, but I'll put some of them here just in case.

1. Put a frag in your pocket for quicker access, when you hit a t3 with your rocket, throw a frag to finish them off for good. Most of the time it's enough. Make sure you throw it the way to deny aliens the ability to drag a wounded off, too - if you can.
2. Use inceds to clear out sticky resin and eggfields.
3. Don't take C4s, they're mainly useless for you and someone else on the team will always have at least one.
4. Stay behind the frontline unless you're needed to take down a dangerous t2 or t3, aliens will target you and you're more subject to FF. Value your life to an extent, you're one of the most important marines planetside that can turn the game around in mere minutes. Remember that.
5. Have your SADAR on your armor, don't run with it in hands, aliens will target you when they'll see the SADAR. Read above why.
6. Use HE shells when you're not sure you can snipe a target, the big radius allows you to fire off without aiming that hard.
7. Try to get as close as possible for a direct hit when you use APs, you only have one shot, it has no blast radius, so with the current projectile system you gotta be very wary.
8. Use the WPs against the crushers, they're useless against anything else. However you can use them as a last ditch effort when you're outta ammo or whatever, since they deal burn damage, and all damage dealt to aliens converts into brute. WPs do not explode so means they do not stun, means one rocket won't be enough to kill an alien, not even a t1 I think. Scare them off at best, then run.
9. Never let go of your SADAR, even if you're outta ammo. It's more valuable than your life, ammo can be ordered later on, but it's gonna be a waste if there's no rocket launcher for it to be loaded into.
10. All rockets are good against the predators, HE knocks 'em down, AP deals a ton of damage upto and maybe including an instakill or crit from what I've heard, WP drops them into paincrit and blinking red immediately. I suggest using WPs against them, but don't abuse it - they're players too and deserve their fun. Of course, don't hesitate to give 'em hell if they're being shitlers.
11. Don't waste your rockets on t1s unless they're elite or ancient. Start paying attention to t2s that are elite, hunt the ancients down especially if they're a hunter or a spitter. Always make carriers a target. T3s and queens are an instant kill on sight unless they're a boiler, then it's up to you - the more evolved a t3 is, the more important target they are to you. You're the real sniper here, taking out the enemy's VIPs. These blind fucknugget boots that call themselves snipers or marksmen are only good for shooting marines in the back or using their rifle as a shotgun to waste some t1s or t2s, you're the one doing the important job - especially lategame, when almost all the spec weapons are becoming useless as the aliens evolve.
12. Don't make a shot if you're unsure you will hit the mark, and keep your SADAR on your armor until you're ready to fire for reasons above.
13. If you're still not sure you can hit a target, shoot a wall or any solid object nearby to catch them in the blast radius. Remember, APs don't have their 3x3 anymore.
14. Always have a marine or two with you to help finish a downed alien off. Bonus points for underslung launchers, that's why you took one along with your secondary. You did, right?
15. By extension, a SADAR and a GL spec, if they work together, are a fucking godsend.

that is all for now, if I recall anything or find out new stuff, I'll be sure to update though I doubt that'll happen.
if you know something I forgot to put in here, or I don't know of, be my guest and post here, I'll update the OP too.

[DMAN]

Phosphorus memes. 2spicy

[Bigchilly]

Sick guide legit the best for anyone wanting to go SADAR

[LordeKilly]

honestly sadar is a point and click adventure.

[Egorkor]

honestly sadar is a point and click adventure.

so are huggers, so are plasma casters. it's still the best weapon a spec can get, and being the best doesn't always mean being hard as fuck to use.

[Renomaki]

I coulda used this little guide, makes it a tad easier to understand.

Now if only the screen didn't shake so badly upon firing. I swear there is a slight lag between firing and the warhead hitting ground zero, which is really disorientating when you have xenos rushing you.

[Neray]

Main idea of WP rockets is to prevent aliens passive healing (at least for a short amount of time). Plus it can be really deadly if you fire it in a huge group of T1s.

[coolsurf6]

Bastion mains would love this weapon.

POINT AND CLCK ADVENTURE :3

don't lynch me...

[Renomaki]

Bastion mains would love this weapon.

POINT AND CLCK ADVENTURE :3

don't lynch me...

More like earthquake simulator in my experience.

The kickback is some nasty, I tell yuh.