Trial By Fire Training Missions - mechanics and strategy
Posted: Tue May 23, 2017 8:55 am
I've come to realize that TBF is my favorite new thing in LW 1.3+. But how does it interact with normal mission experience and kills?
Reading the source code, it seems to grant virtual bonus XP at the end of the mission to just fill up the tank with whatever's lacking for a next-level promotion, if anything. It has no effect if the soldier was already going to be promoted. When it does have an effect, any kill XP for that soldier from that mission was actually irrelevant--and wasted?
Thus it seems the people on your training mission doing the killing should be your SGT+ babysitters, not the new guys.
More than a trial by fire, you might think of it as "sit back and watch the fireworks", or just "watch and learn".
In some ways it's the exact opposite of the pre-TBF game when you'd ask yourself "Okay now who needs some experience?" and would sometimes pick one of your top powerleveling soldiers, but more often than not it was one of the new guys you wanted to train up to be relevant. That's switched around now; on a TBF mission those corporals should just watch and learn.
Tactically, this means you're best off loading out your corporals to the brim with consumables. Smokes, flashbangs, softening frags, and EXO weapons are all excellent actions for someone who sits back from the front line and is not worried about getting any kills. A ballistic SMG, or later on a leftover laser is fine if you've nothing else to spare or their aim is poor.
----
Strategy-wise, I like to almost always take TBF on my first reliable officer (regardless of class) then switch to Jammer for the next officers that usually lead their own squads. For later backup officers within each squad, TBF often makes sense, especially if it's something like a Ranger, Technical, Assault, or Sentinel who can get in the thick of things on easy training missions and make some magic happen while the corporals gawk. Shinobis and Sharpshooters are the backup officers I'm least likely to take TBF on, since I don't use them as tanks who break conceal right away. They aren't Bring the Thunder types and so are less likely to be leading a boatful of corporals.
It can be argued that your first reliable officer shouldn't go TBF, and is more optimal with Jammer in the long run to lead your best team through the toughest missions. But, I find being able to start doing training missions ASAP and build up a barracks of dependable SGTs to be of greater strategic value. And remember those training missions also serve to help powerlevel the 2-3 SSGT+ killers you bring along with the best gear to carry the mission and show how it's done.
Reading the source code, it seems to grant virtual bonus XP at the end of the mission to just fill up the tank with whatever's lacking for a next-level promotion, if anything. It has no effect if the soldier was already going to be promoted. When it does have an effect, any kill XP for that soldier from that mission was actually irrelevant--and wasted?
Thus it seems the people on your training mission doing the killing should be your SGT+ babysitters, not the new guys.
More than a trial by fire, you might think of it as "sit back and watch the fireworks", or just "watch and learn".
In some ways it's the exact opposite of the pre-TBF game when you'd ask yourself "Okay now who needs some experience?" and would sometimes pick one of your top powerleveling soldiers, but more often than not it was one of the new guys you wanted to train up to be relevant. That's switched around now; on a TBF mission those corporals should just watch and learn.
Tactically, this means you're best off loading out your corporals to the brim with consumables. Smokes, flashbangs, softening frags, and EXO weapons are all excellent actions for someone who sits back from the front line and is not worried about getting any kills. A ballistic SMG, or later on a leftover laser is fine if you've nothing else to spare or their aim is poor.
----
Strategy-wise, I like to almost always take TBF on my first reliable officer (regardless of class) then switch to Jammer for the next officers that usually lead their own squads. For later backup officers within each squad, TBF often makes sense, especially if it's something like a Ranger, Technical, Assault, or Sentinel who can get in the thick of things on easy training missions and make some magic happen while the corporals gawk. Shinobis and Sharpshooters are the backup officers I'm least likely to take TBF on, since I don't use them as tanks who break conceal right away. They aren't Bring the Thunder types and so are less likely to be leading a boatful of corporals.
It can be argued that your first reliable officer shouldn't go TBF, and is more optimal with Jammer in the long run to lead your best team through the toughest missions. But, I find being able to start doing training missions ASAP and build up a barracks of dependable SGTs to be of greater strategic value. And remember those training missions also serve to help powerlevel the 2-3 SSGT+ killers you bring along with the best gear to carry the mission and show how it's done.