The North Star: Unloved, Underused

So I get tired of playing Tone all the time. Her voice is so... strange. I occasionally utilize my Scorchie when I wanna set the world on fiiiiiiiiiiiiiire~. Sometimes, even, I use Legion.

Unlike most of the player base, apparently, I use Ion very rarely. But that's not the point here.

Let me tell you about Northstar. That silly-looking Stryder variant with the Titan sniper rifle. The Plasma Railgun. This lovable little country ball has become my favorite Stryder child, mostly because I was listening to Alone when I was playing her and somehow Doomed two Tones and a Legion.

Don't get me wrong, now, I dislike the weapon as much as the next Ronin that faced off with a Scorch and used up its Phase too early. But if you ask me, Northstar needs just a little bit of love. From somebody. A number of somebodies. That sound like 'Despawn'.

That, and a little education of the player base on how viable a Titan Northstar can be if you take the time to figure her out. Let me explain;

Like Ronin, Northstar's a squishy little cuddlebug, but unlike Ronin's love for intimate shotgun symphonies, Northstar's a cute little wallflower in a frumpy sweater that hangs in the back of the class and doesn't talk much when everyone else is partying in town. Initially, she locks herself off from others, though it only takes a little friendliness to get her to open up. And with the right person inside her, she's a maaaa... I should rephrase that. With the right PILOT, she can be one of the loudest, most out-there Titans that you'll only ever see for a few seconds at a time.

Using Northstar requires a better understanding of how she works. For this, I have a few suggestions for your kit;

1: Nuclear Ejection/Turbo Engine - Your health is low. Take advantage of your squishiness by using Nuclear Ejection when doomed. Be sure you mash that X button, because other Titans will be coming for that fiery personality of yours. Turbo Engine is just to take advantage of Northstar's speed.

2: Viper Thrusters - As I said before, Northstar's a wallflower. You're slow when you're in the spotlight, so speeding it up will allow you to maneuver out of danger when you hit Y/Triangle and D-Down. Especially the Flight Core. You're big and out there and letting it allllllll out, so you gotta make sure you have an out.

Make use of your Tether trap. If you have some admirers your Northstar really doesn't like and she's very worried, leave a Tether trap in your wake to slow them down. With any luck, they'll be caught and too distracted to notice you prepping a nice railgun shot aimed at that big red target on their Titan's face. To add insult to injury, use your Cluster missile on the stationary target. Don't be afraid to use it against Pilots in buildings, either. Cramped spaces and cluster munitions are a horrifying combination.

Now, something you need to know about Northstar is that she likes to think in an extra dimension. Her thrusters are not only useful for getting up in the air for sightlines, but also for y-axis movement. You know that one ledge in Drydock your Titan can't just pull itself up on? Northstar's thrusters can make that easily. I've used that to get out of trouble a number of times. Other ledges that are roughly chest/cockpit height on a Titan can be overcome by Northstar where applicable. Which brings me to my main piece of advice for Northstar.

Know the map you're on. Know your ins, know your outs. Know the map as intimately as you know the inside of your Titan. You can get places with a gun and a jump kit. You can do well with a cool head and a steady hand.

But when you know the map well enough to be its guardian? You will truly soar.

Good hunting, Pilot. You've got Clear Skies.
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TL;DR don't stand and deliver with a Northstar.

For my next trick, I'll be providing you all with a visual comparison of Titanfall 1's Cockpits as compared to Titanfall 2, along with an analysis as to why I think this odd visual aspect is worth note. Cheers

*Edit: Dunno how that link got in there, but I fixed it. Minor tag edits.

 

N'aw, you all like to butter me up. Are you all trying to get me to agree to writing you all something~?

cause it might be working.

Jokes aside, I have the pictures of the cockpits now, so the good news is that a weird analysis is coming up.