| Tribes: Ascend/Shrike | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cost (Credits) | 4000 |
| Health | 3200 |
| Energy | 70 |
| Primary Weapon | Plasma Bolt - 350 |
| Primary Clip Size | 4 |
| Reload Time | 3.86 |
| Top Speed | 180 kph? |
| # of Seats | 1 |
| Max # Allowed | 2 |
The Shrike is one of the vehicles in the game Tribes: Ascend. It is an airborne "Turbograv" vehicle very similar in appearance to the Shrike in Tribes 2. The wings are larger and the engines on either side of the vehicle rotate depending on the direction of motion.
Operation
The Shrike currently fires from a clip of 4 explosive projectiles which reload shortly after firing.
The mobility of the Shrike is somewhat different to Tribes 2 in that currently there is no reverse control. Also, it is not possible to do a backwards loop, as the controls Gimbal Lock when the vehicle is pointed directly upwards.
The Shrike is a valuable asset to every team, although generally it is impractical to have more than one Shrike. The Shrike's primary functionality is to provide great chasing potential against flag runners. Being able to fly, in addition to it's high flight speed, means that the Shrike can cover areas that are difficult to ski through, and therefore has a great deal more maneuverability than ground based forces. While light and medium classes can travel faster than the Shrike, it is important to remember that their path of travel is much longer than a direct line, consistently going up and down hills.
Tactics
The easiest method to use when taking down a flag runner is to come up behind them and fire at the surface they are climbing up. This way your shots will explode as they run into them. It is also possible to ram opponents with the shrike, but needless to say this is harder to accomplish.
The biggest threat to the Shrike pilot is the opponent team's Doombringer, who can lock on with the Saber Launcher and demolish your health pool after only a few missiles. The Shrike cannot out-run these missiles, and has a difficult time turning around to shoot them. It is usually best to land your shrike behind a wall or large hill. If you're playing a Technician you can spend this time to repair it as well. Shrikes will not go down to a single missile, so it can be easy enough to repair the damage later and ignore the missile. This however becomes problematic when the Doombringer gets wise to this plan and fires missiles at a faster rate.
There is really no way to remove the Doombringer from the equation, thus it is not advisable to waste your time trying to kill him, since he can A. find easy cover in his base, and B. re-spawn very quickly if you do succeed in killing him.
If the Doombringer is making your base runs difficult, you can destroy the Radar. This will make it harder for him to notice your approach.
Video Guides
Shrike Guide by Roxton (Cogs and Ink)
Beginner Shrike Guideby JesterLogic (DoubleCrossedGaming)