User blog:Astringent/Cruisin' Along: Vile's Guide for Beginner Boosters

So, you've been playing Arras.io recently. You may have seen several strange looking tanks zooming around the server. One second they're at the edge of your screen, minding their own business, but then suddenly- Bam! They ram straight into you, and you're as good as dead. Whether you're aspiring to be one of these tanks, or hoping to find a way to get past them, here's the guide, packed with everything any beginner should know about Boosters.

Design & General Info
Boosters, as those strange tanks are called, are similar to most other tanks in the Flank Guard. They have a circular base with barrels in a "cone" shape at the back, and one larger one in the front. For it, the Booster has 4 barrels, which are in pairs very close to one another. Then on the front it has one longer and larger cannon. Because of the way these are placed, they have a crazy amount of recoil, which can make them "boost" around the map when shooting, hence the name. Combined with higher speed than it's predecessor, this makes them easily the fastest tank in the game. These high speeds make them excellent with rammer builds, in which the player has high health, speed, reload and body damage so they can "ram" into players, dealing high damage very quickly. This is what they are most known for, and will also be the basis for this guide.

Strategy
As the booster, you have several strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what these are will help you exponentially.

Strengths- Snipers, Shotguns, unexperienced Drone Classes, sometimes AOE classes (namely cyclones).

Weaknesses- High DPS & Reload Classes, Annihilators, and Fighters.

BEING THE BOOSTER

 * For the rammer class, speed is manditory. Without it, you can easily be mowed down by high-dps classes like the Sprayer and Gunner. Always have it max, along with Health, Body Damage, and Reload. You can use the rest on shield damage, which lets you heal faster and spend less time being vulnerable to potential threats.
 * Snipers and Shotguns, which are slow-reload classes, are your specialty. With your fast speed, you can easily dodge their bullets and go in for the kill. However, you still need to be careful, as the damage from their bullets can add up if you're having trouble dodging. To avoid most damage, try surprising them while they're occupied with a teammate or another tank that's further away. This way, you have the upper hand and can knock straight into them. If they react, retreat a little to dodge bullets, and then go in for the kill.Screen_Shot_2019-11-01_at_12.15.58_PM.png
 * Snipers and Shotguns aren't the only thing boosters can engage and come out on top. If you can find an unexperienced Drone user, they're easy prey for boosters. To identify them, they usually don't have their drones close all the time (there are exceptions), and extend them out frequently. This is where you come in. To kill them, you first have to get their drones away- otherwise, you can be overwhelmed and die. Hook in their drones by zooming around them and acting like a threat, "shooting" them with your cannons. Once the drones are relatively far, you can zoom around them and smash into the tank for the kill. Do /not/ engage with seers or lords that have their drones close to them, even when attacking. Chances are, they're good, and they'll kill you.
 * This last target relies a lot on what the area is like around them. As Cyclones usually have a teammate with them, they generally shouldn't be targetted. However, if they are alone and you can surprise them, you can try swooping in. However, you do need to be careful. watch your health. If it gets too low, you're gonna hav to get away quickly. But not to mention, even if you do kill them, you're gonna need a quickly escape, since you're most likely going to be on low health, and thus an easy target for higher DPS classes like the gunner. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT do this if they have a teammate with them. That is suicide. Instead, quickly escape.

EVASION TACTICS

 * Chances are, if you're a booster, you're gonna get chased. This can be a very dangerous situation, because if you can't escape, high DPS classes can easily kill you with little effort. To escape them, you can use a few tactics.
 * 1- Bob & Weave. This is a pretty effective tactic, even though it's simple. When you're being chased by a High DPS Tank, or any bullet spammer in general, try to weave out of the way of their bullets while boosting. This is much easier when you're further away from them. While doing this, keep shooting so that you go faster for a quick getaway. After you've evaded them, head to your base or an obstacle spot to regen.
 * 2- The U-Turn & Zaggy. This is mainly for if you're being directly chased, especcially with a faster tank behind you. While boosting/shooting, you can make a large, sudden turn to juke them out and confuse them. Throughout this, keep your movements erratic, adding to the confusion while you get away. Normally, this is crazy effective, but if you still can't lose them, try to locate either your base, buddies, or some cover to weave through. (Usually, you won't have to go that far, but even if you aren't being actively chased, it's good to go back to base and get full cover to regen.)

AGAINST THE BOOSTER
So, you want to figure out how to defeat the booster. I've got a few tips for that. But even if you aren't, and you're learning about the booster, these can help you know who to not engage with.
 * High-DPS tanks are death to boosters. Because the booster has lower-than-average health, rapid fire with high damage bullets with either make the boosters retreat and leave you be, or kill them. This can be done with pretty much any machine gun class. As long as you keep spraying at them and don't let them get close, you'll be good.
 * High-Speed Bullets on a hybrid class can kill boosters as well. On any other day, you might be easy prey for them. Not now. Because you also have bullets in addition to drones, you can deter them and mostly come out unharmed. You should still be cautious, though, since they can be unpredictable at times.
 * Good Drone Users, with the right skills, can destroy overly-ambitious boosters. At first, it's best to stay on the defensive. But if the booster even starts to approach a little, move forward, staying close to your drones, and attack. If the booster doesn't escape fast enough, you will overwhelm them, killing them pretty much instantly. However, do NOT engage with a booster if you don't know much about your class. Overextension, which is putting your drones too far away, will leave you vulnerable, and thus easy prey for a fast and powerful booster.

End Card
So now you know some more about boosters. At first, it seems hard, but trust me, you learn a lot as you play. Every death is a learning experience, no matter what class you are. And if you can perservere and push through, learning from your mistakes, you can master any class- and booster is no exception.

- Vile

(P.S- if you have any more questions, just ask me. I'm still learning ((Isn't everyone?)), but I should be able to answer it :>)