Gimme sum claymoarz : the tips

[Kesserline]

Goooooooood morning everyone. Today, we shall approach the mining concept. Not mining like ores, but mining like setting a damn minefield.

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First : how the fuck does it work ?

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The claymore is a landmine similar to the IRL device. It's an explosive triggered (IRL by a trippingwire, here by a biometric-some-sort-of-shit detector), with a directional blast. Do the words, in movies, "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY" ring a bell ? If yes, we are talking about that.

The claymore explosion is triggered if ANY "hostiles" (hostile definition : EVERYTHING that doesn't wear a USCM/WY ID, alive or dead) walks on the mine's tile, or on the tile facing your mine. Facing your mine, because your mine is pointing towards a cardinal direction.

Take the mine in your hands, activate it by pressing Z (or W if you are a poor AZERTY keyboard player). The direction you're facing will be the direction the claymore is facing. If you're looking at north ? Bam, the claymore is looking at north. Incredible eh ?

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Now, let's talk dirty : concealment

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Before talking about good positioning, your claymore will be nearly worthless if it's detected. Detected means avoided.
And first, you want to kill the xenos able to detect your mines, because they are the smartest. Killing a baldie xeno is fun, but not really useful. You want to be the vicious cunt that took down one of the dude that can kill 10 marines (and I'm nice) before dying.

Concealment is the art of putting garbage or various items on top of your claymores to hide them from enemies' sights, and therefore ensure maximum effectiveness on your traps.

As I am a nice guy, I'll give you some tips, especially from the directions hard to conceal (A claymore pointing North will be placed at the bottom side of the tile it's planted, pointing South, means on the topside of the tile it's planted, and so on).

You guessed it, it's ULTRA easy to cover the claymores pointing North, because you can just toss a flare on top of it.

But, what if I tell you it's also ultra easy to conceal claymores pointing South, or West/East as long as you have the tools for it ?

To point South, the one thing you need is.. a Splint. Take a 5-set-splints from the medvendors, strip one, toss it on your mine pointing south. BAM. Concealed. (Helmets used to be good too, but they got replaced at the centre of the tiles when they are dropped so meh).

To point East/West, I suggest tableparts or even better, rifles. (To those pointing East, M37 shotgun can do, but those pointing West, you really need a M41)

But seriously, you can use many shits. Bodybags/Stasisbags deployed, rollerbeds, SSD marine.. Anything that's fun to deceive Xenus !

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Positionning : how you do the thing, about booming a thing

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Stop thinking minefield like : OPEN AREA BLOCKED.THEY CANNOT PASS HAHA.

It's a CLAYMORE LANDMINE, not a regular burried landmine.

A claymore is here to deny DIRECTIONAL THREAT. Therefore, it's meant to be placed on assaulting/flanking paths. The claymore shines in protecting chokepoints or "artificial chokepoints" or even "psychological chokepoints" (my favorite, I'll explain you, you'll like it too).

As said above, the tile triggering-range is 2 tiles. The mine-tile itself, and the tile facing. Which mean you can cover 2 tiles corridor easily.

But.. You can create artificial chokepoints and detect psychological chokepoints !

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Artificial chokepoints, is just moving around crates or obstacles that'll FORCE your enemies to get on your 2 tiles radius and get cucked.

Psychological chokepoints are just.. the path that'll use the enemy, even if there is room around it.
Bwahaha, yep.

The enemy is psychologically as dumb as you (eh, you decided to play the USCM, don't blame me, you're dumb, I'm dumb too : it's a good thing !). The human mind is creating its own limits itself, it's fun !

What is the fucking meaning of what I just said ? I meant that if you are in a 4 tiles path, the enemy will mostly use 1 or 2 tiles at max. He won't use the 4. Meaning, that you don't even need to create artificial chokepoints, your enemy will create his own chokepoint for you.

The smarter is your enemy, the fewer those chokepoints appear, but you're a nice guy, and you'll help the fellow Xenos to find a way to deadchat, right ?

Here are some tips to invite Xenos to use a path you want them to use :
- Use a bait. (Tell a baldie that he triggered a mine and that if he moves he dies, or use yourself as a bait, or a fellow acolyte, I don't care)
- Use false garbage on the other sides of your paths (use flares, or OBVIOUS garbage) to make your enemy think that he must use the way you designed for him
- Use the potential hive direction*

*WOAAAH. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT !
It's a landmark. When you progress on the colony, the USCM's main landarmk is the FOB. If you are on BR. The FOB at LZ1 is always NW. Meaning that from everywhere from the map, you just need to head North, West, or North West and you get to a friendly area.

But, according to enemy's location, you guess the potential hive direction (S-E caves ? Lambda ? Research ? South caves ?) You don't need to guess it right at the exact tile, just the global direction. It'll give you the most obvious fleeing path that the Xeno will use if panicked. Which means another psychological chokepoint on the most obvious fleeing path that the xeno will use.

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Xenos are human players, with the same limits than a human being

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A claymore is at minimum a deterrent tool, but at its maximum effectiveness, it's becoming a punishment tool. A counter-strike tool to whip your enemy.
"Haha ! He wanted to tackle-spam you and drag you off ? Too bad you had 52 claymores in a X pattern !"

The stun duration, after the recent Xeno buff on stun resistance, is about 2 to 3 sec at maximum. Which means you have no time to toss your cig, or make your secret handshake with your squaddie-homie. Just get ready to wield your weapon, get to single fire and spam the click shit out of the xeno stunned. Otherwise, he has still chances to escape. Your time reaction must not exceed 1 second to ensure killing-ability.

Xenos are human players, which mean they have two states :
- Predator : they'll prepare their attack path, they'll scout your area, see if you are a feasible target, and attack you, deciding accuractely where they want to attack you from, and how they'll beat the fuck out of you.
- Prey : they are like mongoloids, completely panicked and will just flee in a general direction, not caring about any details, such as : Why the fuck is there a splint over h- OH SHIT *claymoreboom*

In their predator state, a xeno main is fucking cunning, really smart and dangerous. He may discover your minefield, or at least a part of it. But, if you survive long enough to make him try to dodge your bullets, you may lead him in the "Prey" state of mind, and he will most likely hit your claymore regardless. Cool eh ? I love psychology shit, it's fun !

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The potential of claymores

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Most of the time, a good claymore can lead to a kill confirmed kill. If you're close to your claymore (but not in the boom-blast) you can kill the xenos that got trapped.

The most meme memorable round was on LV, I got 15 confirmed kills, with 13 kills due to claymore booms. (Command went crazy because I killed 5 xenos in 3 minutes with some claymores I stole, they decided to give me 24 additional claymores, so I mined all paths to caves, it was fun !)

Be careful, on FF, it's the same power than nade. Meaning your FF victim will be deaf, may risk IB, and fractures. Do not stand in the blast, do not put your claymores in way that gets you killed. Think your positionning and your claymore positinniong to trap your preys, not to trap yourself.

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Last stand : the mega bait

I'll update this part with some screenshots with 4 to 6 claymore networks allowing you to bait and to kill a xeno.

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The intention behind these tips is not the powergame ending, it's the spread of information for the baldies engineers, but also for the baldies xenos that don't now how claymores work.

Also, know that PFCs (for the moment) can put claymores and disarm them (to move them) with a multitool.

With the new RO nerf, metal/plasteel/sandbags are more expensive, in general. Meaning you can't fortify your flanks on an offensive. Use claymores instead. Use it as a tacticool-way to keep pushing, without fearing to get ultra-flanked.

Another day in the Corps.

[Dolth]

It's not a wire IRL. And dude. This is the last thing I show you if you fucking make everything public/overused because this WILL get nerfed. Now.

Thanks.

Other than that, good guide but I presume tons of people will soon assault your zipper, so you don't need my vouch.
And yes I am angry. I fucked up my laptop screen yesterday.

[Kesserline]

Bro, as I said, too many engies and too many baldies (from USCM and Xeno sides) do not understand how those shits work. That's the main purpose of this guide, especially after the building materials cost-nerf, USCM needs reliable way to protect their flanks/rears.

My goal, when playing, is not to keep my comfort-zone with the skill-floor moderately high that prevents baldies to survive or just to be a tad useful. I want them to be able to help themselves, to help each others, just for them to understand the game, and to enjoy it without getting utterly rekt without them to understand how they got rekt and why the game is so difficult for them at their current state.

Also, you showed me the basics (planting, and concealment), I discovered the rest myself for the claymores. It's me who told you the splints were good for a pointing-South-claymore.

What the fuck did you do to your laptop screen ? You punched through it because you lost your Top1 on PUBG last night ?

[Dolth]

Nah. Threw plastic headset flying. Short link brought it back like a whip and it got the screen with that fucking 1x1mm steel part. Fucked up half the screen. So I torn up the rest.

Anyway barely no one reads those and even less applies it.

[Dragoon47]

A man is no one.

EDIT: My thanks on garbage to use. I had figured out flares and the pulse, but splints didn't even occur to me.

[HKO20006]

A more common conceal for mines facing south would be empty flare boxes. You just throw them everywhere and mine some of them, then xenos have to spend time right click checking.

[Kesserline]

There are also empty or half-empty M41 mags.

Many things to use. The main idea is at least to conceal the mines. Even partially, it does the trick.

[Butlerblock]

Did you just suggest hiding mines underneath an SSD marine?

[Kesserline]

Whaaaat ? Never !

(But I would certainly use one as a bait. Bwahahah)

[Surrealistik]

It's not a wire IRL. And dude. This is the last thing I show you if you fucking make everything public/overused because this WILL get nerfed. Now.

Thanks.

Other than that, good guide but I presume tons of people will soon assault your zipper, so you don't need my vouch.
And yes I am angry. I fucked up my laptop screen yesterday.

Are you actually implying that mines weren't already a marine staple or meta?


One thing this neglects to mention is the especial value of mines at the frontline: heavy xeno traffic + pressure that precludes meticulousness/avoidance/rational thought = mines get tripped, torsos get squeezed, suckers ribs get broke, and there's an abundance of marines to follow up.

Floor tiles are also a great, albeit more time intensive way to cover mines if you lack suitable things at hand.

[Anoonki]

Good guide.

Also exceptional for medics, I found.
If you can spare two inventory slots, you have a VERY good way to survive while doing triage, even while alone (Assuming you only get jumped by one ayy).
Plant it a few tiles from what you're doing, then if you encounter a xeno, trail it over the mine (Xenos, while trying to kill medics, don't look before leaping). This usually results in a kill.

For best results, wear the patrol cap or a beret, then their blinders are on even tighter, and all they want is that decap.

[Potato Masher]

Claymore are like Hugger holes, except they activate instantly and set you up for being easily killed.

Good guide, I've never quit understood how these operate.

[Nickvr628]

Mines tend to be detonated by marines dragging xenos around, surivors/UPP walking into the FOB, and other idiocy more than xeno contact.

That being said, being an elite runner (or any other xeno and dying from a mine is incredibly salt inducing.

[Cry of Wolves]

Something I'm surprised Sur hasn't mentioned yet.

Using fueltanks, incendiary grenades or anything that can explode in combination of the claymore. You get a double bang for your buck with this tactic dealing either double damage or making the xeno get stunned in a pit of fire.

[Surrealistik]

Something I'm surprised Sur hasn't mentioned yet.

Using fueltanks, incendiary grenades or anything that can explode in combination of the claymore. You get a double bang for your buck with this tactic dealing either double damage or making the xeno get stunned in a pit of fire.

You can make 'super mines' by hiding a grenade or ammo alongside the mine, thereby creating a bigger, more deadly blast. Mortar shells and flamer tanks might also work for this purpose (to confirm). Fuel tanks work, but you probably don't want to sacrifice a fuck ton of fuel for a bigger boom in most cases.

To be fair, it's all the way at the bottom in a crowded mess of other misc tips.

I also explicitly mention using the miniflamer as a means of remotely detonating mines/grenades.

One of the biggest problems with making 'supermines' is that fucking PFCs keep taking the supplemental grenades.