Talking Dominion

[slicknslim88]

Hey all, this is my first post and first topic on these forums and I decided to make it because I've been playing a lot of Dominion recently and I just wanted to talk about the gametype amongst all you super pro Halo 4 tryhards out there.

 

This topic is going to just be talking about the things I've learned from playing Dominion for over 200 Victories, and over 150 Defeats. I'll keep this relatively short because nobody likes to read overly long posts. After reading them, let me know what you think, share your own strategies and constructively criticize mine. I'm not the perfect player and this is not me trying to convince everybody that I am, but I can always learn from mistakes, and can always broaden my mind to better strategies. Also, this post is here to give newbies a good heads up. Maybe I'll be educating new players to not make these mistakes and not learn them the hard way.

 

1. Learn the maps and have a strong start:

 

This is pretty much a no-brainer but it deserves to be mentioned. There are currently 4 maps in the Dominion gametype and Exile is played the most, with Vortex played the least (in my experience at least). I have a consistent start to every map except for Vortex because I rarely play it. I'm not going to tell you mine for each map but I am going to say learn where all the first weapon drops are when the game starts, and learn how the enemy typically reacts when the game starts.

 

I'm going to pull a percentage out of my *** and say that about 80% of the games where my team had an excellent start, we ended up winning in the end. I'll go as far to say it's almost absolutely crucial to have a strong start in Dominion, but epic comebacks happen all the time so don't be discouraged if you had a bad start.

 

2. Bases, Fortifications, and Resupplies:

 

I'm not going to go over the general stuff of Dominion because you aren't CoD players, you aren't idiots and can figure things out yourselves.

 

What I will go over is basic tactics to help you win. First up, is don't be overzealous, and by this I mean if you feel yourself at a strong disadvantage, find a way to turn the tables. This seems like a no brainer, but I can't tell you how often I see good players forget that they can stop throwing themselves at a base spawn after spawn thinking they are all powerful. And wait for a good resupply to give them that edge they need to take the base.

 

If you have 2 bases, there is really no need to leave a base to go capture the third. It just leaves your crucial footing open for capture. Sure people can complain that your camping, but with Dominion it's a strategy that earns victories.

 

If you have 1 base, against their 2, or if the other base of yours is being captured, it's essential to start moving, but do so with a good train of thought. Instead of "I'm going to spawn and rush to the enemy base and hope they don't have a good footing." you should think "I'm going to watch my HUD, figure out where my teammates are, and wait 10 seconds for this Base resupply, and decide which base I can join my teammates to capture with my shiny new rocket launcher."

 

3. Sniper No Sniping! :

 

Sniper rifle is a powerful tool in any gametype, and Dominion is no different. If your not good with the sniper rifle, get good with it, there is no way around it. I'm going to go over 2 tips that I've learned on the map Exile, I figure it's a good place to start seeing as it's the most popular map by far.

 

Tip 1: The first tip is when you start on the Red team, start with a DMR, or a Light Rifle, and rush to the right of capture point B, like your going to capture point A. Crouch down and aim towards the far end of the map, aim at the Sniper Rifle that is sitting in the clearing. I've gotten a ridiculous amount of First Strike kills for those overzealous players rushing for that sniper rifle. If you have a good shot, they really have nowhere to run that will get them out of your firing sight...unless you miss a couple shots. It is actually essential to kill this guy, because he has a clear shot towards your teammates trying to get A and I've downed around 4 to 5 people going for A just with that sniper rifle when I was on Blue Team.

 

If nobody goes for the sniper rifle, and it will usually take around 7 to 12 seconds after the start of the game for you to realize that nobody is going for it, than rush to the SAW that spawns at the mouth of the "cave" to the lifters to capture point A. And if your feeling incredibly bold, and feel it's safe, and your team has A, than go for the sniper rifle yourself and go to my next Sniping tip...

 

This won't work on skilled players, or players that are wise to this trick like me. When I'm on Blue Team I can usually manage to get the sniper rifle with a careful mind even with people aiming at me.

 

Tip 2: If your team has A and you have the sniper rifle, and preferably active camo, jump to the rocks to the left of A. There is a rather large platform that you can perch yourself on and you have a clear shot to B from here. Not only that, but if you stay observant, you can intercept enemies coming down from the cave to capture A, as long as you stay stealthy. Active camo only helps you to stay incognito while your there. Just be careful of Banshees and if your good enough, enemies will get wise and start shooting at you, but this usually takes awhile. So be careful, and if you've been made, it's time to switch sniping spots.

 

That was longer than I hoped, but those are just a few tips, if people read this and share their own tips, I'll give more and hopefully we can get some seriously good strategies running through this thread. Happy posting!

[SatanicBagels]

Well I think I'll start off by saying welcome to the 343i Community Forums. We like to think that it is our little corner of the internet... shrouded from the perils other communities have to deal with on a constant basis. I can already tell by the quality and how indepth this post is that you will be a valuable member to this site

 

I've read this whole thread and could not agree more. Almost all games in Matchmaking are largely dependent upon having a good start and you really smashed the nail on the head when you were talking about that. As a friendly example I always have a good start on Haven in Team Regicide (different style of play I know) where I use jetpack and mobility to efficiently secure Sticky Detonator. From there I can take a plethora of different routes and strategies but it definitely gives my team a chance to make a bold move right in the beginning of the game.

 

Dominion is no different. One thing that I like to do when trying to make a strong start via securing a weapon is to use Jetpack and Mobility. Because of the vast distances that you will often have to cover in Dominion matches as well as the myriad of different elevations that you will have to scale, this combo allows you to get to some of the weapons and vehicles before the enemies can even get in a position to lay down suppressing fire. (Granted you're an exceptional Halo Free runner xD)

 

One thing that you didn't really touch on that is a very valid gamechanger for some players is the effect vehicles have on Dominion matches. Specifically the Banshee and Ghost. Because of the typical layout of dominion maps the ghost and banshee allow for quuck and easy access to the different locations of interest. If a ghost pilot can use their superior agility and speed to thin the enemies ranks even a little then that it a HUGE bonus for people defending and attacking objectives.

 

Once again welcome to the forums. If you ever need to know anything feel free to PM me

[slicknslim88]

Thanks for the greeting SweatyBagels. Nice tip you put up for Mobility and Jetpack for Dominion, and that actually brings me to another few tips that I've learned while playing.

 

Don't let yourself get stuck doing one Loadout. You quickly get multiple loadouts in this game and you can change them between deaths. Unlike slayer gametypes with instant spawns, in Dominion you have a few seconds after you die to watch your death and things around you as well as change your loadout. Continually switching up your Loadout for whatever task you plan on doing is really essential. Mobility and Jet Packs is a good way to snipe in and out of terrain and hit places from unexpected directions to be sure. If your defending, a good loadout would be the Assault Rifle (do not underestimate this beast) with Promethean Vision, this keeps you up to date on whats going on around you.

 

My personal favorite Loadout is DMR with Active Camo. Active Camo is pretty good for long range engagements for a special reason, not only does it make you harder to see, but depending on how invisible you are, the aiming assist won't help them aim at you, giving you a distinct advantage. Also I use it when I defend areas with a sniper rifle. Remember, you don't have to be near a base to help defend or attack it with long range weapons.

 

Vehicles, as SweatyBagels mentioned, are really effective at killing players, but also at covering ground in an instant. Personally, I haven't been too effective at using any sort of vehicle in Halo 4 except for maybe the Mongoose and the Warthog occasionally to get literally from point A to point B. I like to keep the ghosts and banshee's and wraiths available for other players to use and do well with. I feel more comfortable on foot. But I most definitely don't underestimate the effectiveness of vehicles.

 

I'll be honest, I think it's quite noobish of me to not get familiar with the vehicles intimately, and I suggest all new players to do the absolute opposite.

[The Director]

Tl;dr

If it's tl;dr, then don't post.

[l Xenoes l]

A good start to Dominion is crucial to having success or failure. Although too many times I've seen team mates mess up a good start and let the other team get a good lead because they don't know the first thing about objective control. I get majority of my games on Exile, Longbow and Vortex with Meltdown being the least played. I find Meltdown to be to chaotic and I feel that I'm unable to formulate a good strategy for that map. My main start on Exile if I spawn Rocket side it to always go for them. I usually do it solo cause everyone rushes for B. Almost every time I get the Rockets I kill 2-3 players going for C.

 

I always see a lot of players not utilizing Resupply drops. Or just passing by vehicles like the Banshee and then allow the enemy to take out base and then take the vehicle which they proceed to use against us. Also I seem to be the only one who builds turrets. They may not be very effective but, they're good for softening up enemies before they enter the base as well as vehicles.

 

I love this game type but, I'm never able to get a group of people to play it with. Randoms don't communicate at all or pay attention to the radar or when a base is being taken. Also a lot of players need to pay attention to the counter above the base when you're trying to capture/re-capture it. When that number stops counting down that means that somebody is taking it so go stop the enemy.

 

I find myself using the same loud out no matter what gametype I'm playing. Jetpack to me IMO is the best for this gametype. Being able to bypass jumping and getting out of the way of rockets/grenades/vehicle fire. This has allowed me to kill the wraith almost every time combined with the P. Pistol. That brings me to one crucial point. Stop rushing a vehicle like the wraith or banshee when you have no means to take it out besides regular small arms fire. Get a Laser, Sniper Rifle, just something else besides the DMR or BR!

 

Learn common camping spots for enemies. For instance in Point A on Longbow right beside the terminal people love to camp up on the equipment because it hides almost all of their body besides the feet. Knowing this can save you from dying from a rocket. And in Point C on the same map people like to camp by the back entrance next to the door with a Boltshot or Shotgun and watch the radar.

 

If you see the blue dots on the radar because someone is Invis don't run around like an idiot and think they're oblivious to what you're doing. Stop and look around to see the distortion they cause when moving.

 

Hope a lot of people read this thread and take all the hints to heart.

 

If anybody wants a good team mate for Dominion please hit me up. Want to Master the Victory commendation, only need 150 more wins.

[l Xenoes l]

It's sad to not see more people commenting on this. Just shows that the majority don't feel like reading long posts or typing out a good decent reply.

[Nick Fuller]

If it's tl;dr, then don't post.

 

I'll post if I want LAWL

[l Xenoes l]

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Your post will just be removed again.

[Siubijeni]

Dominion is one of my favorite game-types, and you've all made some great points. I just want to say thanks before I throw out my own tips and tricks:

• Know the map. Knowing all the approaches and entrances to a base is key, and can make the difference between victory and defeat. On Exile for example, people all-too-often disregard the tunnel where the banshee spawns. I have cloaked my way up that side a bit at a time while my team held onto two bases and literally taken the third base single-handedly simply because they don't expect people to come from behind.
  
• Vehicles, vehicles, vehicles. As you've all said, vehicles are a game-changer. Ghosts and Mongeese are great transport vehicles, and in the right hands a Ghost is an effective anti-infantry platform. Wraiths and Banshees provide the extra fire-power to defend a base against heavy weaponry or multi-infantry pushes. It's always important to know as a driver, too, whether to be on offensive or defensive at any given moment, which often depends upon the other teams tactics and your own holdings.
  
• Assymetricalities. I cannot stress this one enough. I have played with teams made up of players that were fairly skilled, but lost completely because they disregarded these. The best example I can think of at the moment is Exile. Base C has a wraith, but Base A and B do not (nor is Base A the middle base. On Longbow B spawns a banshee, but the middle base is by definition symmetric, and often spawns specialties). Sometimes that Wraith is all that stands between you and victory.
  
• Nests. By "nest," I mean those famous little camping spots Kasper mentioned. There are popular spots that you should always check, because you might otherwise find yourself being assassinated when you try to capture. I've found hologram an effective tool for clearing nests, by sending it on a path that brings it past in optimal assassination positioning. It's by no means foolproof, because some players would prefer to make sure it's a player and risk missing an easy kill, before jumping (I'm one of these, rather paranoid). On the other side of the nesting coin, you want to find yourself some unorthodox perches. Cloak and corners really help with these, because you can sometimes hide half-way in plain sight, but because you aren't in one of the usual places, people miss you 90%.
  
• It's not slayer, so don't play it like slayer. A positive KDR is all well and good, and for the most part you're probably going to keep one, if you're good. That being said, your life and sprees are not everything. If saving a base requires you give your life, do so. By this I mean the whole recapture process. More than once, I've been on base defense, and while I can usually kill incursions of 1-2, eventually they learn and more than a few people come at once. By sticking two, and beating the third down in the back, I can kill all 3, but this usually leaves me open to return fire, or being too close to my own stickies and I die. However, the extra time you buy can make all the difference. That being said, the key words are saving a base. If your death would not stop a base capture, or if your death WOULD empty a base but no team-mates are nearby to save or capture the base once it's empty, it's not worth it. It's a tough call sometimes.
  
• Resupplies are not team-specific. Some of the resupply drop points are outside the base shields. Many are, in fact. It's quite easy to steal an enemy weapon. On Vortex this is particularly useful. Right outside A (I think it's A, the one in the cave, not the buildings.) there is a heavy weapon spawn. More than once I have stolen a Spartan or Incineration Cannon from an enemy team. At the very least, it denies them of a shot or two, but at best you can sometimes take a base single-handedly with a surprise attack from their own incineration cannon. That being said, resupplies inside bases are not team-specific, either. This tactic works especially well on Vortex, but sometimes if your team places harassment fire on base shields, a cloaker can sneak inside their base and camp out. When the next resupply hits, they are hit from within, AND without.
  
• Vehicle Pads are team specific, but they aren't generally inside the base proper. You can often use this to your advantage, because base defenders are usually within the base proper, making it relatively easy to camp behind, for example, the wraith pad on Exile base C. Even if you don't hold that base, with proper application of the cloak you can steal the wraith the instant it is deployed.
  
• Parkour is your friend. There are many routes or hiding spots that most people assume you need a jetpack to reach, but with good timing and following the appropriate path, you can reach with sprint and jump. Many times, this is more obvious than people often realize. On exile, for example, you can jump up onto the roof of base C, the side the Wraith spawns on. Somehow, there are many people who don't realize this. There are a lot of other good hiding spots, too, especially on Vortex. One of my favorite nests is one of these 'parkour' spots, and people never think to look up
  

That's about all I've got at the moment. Good luck Dominioning, everybody.

[Vaulting♥Frog]

I for one have never really gotten the hang of gametypes like this because I am a brawler when it comes to Halo. I mix it up as best I can and dish out punishment wherever I roam. I try to stick to objectives but more often than not I am left on my own by my team (which sucks most of the time).

 

These are all interesting tips for me to work with. And yes a great start is always key. It sets the tempo for the match. The only thing I could add is a reminder not to stretch yourself beyond your limits. If you know you have 2 bases secure and are racking up points quickly, then press on the third base but dont push too hard. Make sure you keep your assets intact first and foremost. Seen a lot of games go down hill as teams press for the win and get wiped out and loose because they are rushing it. There is nothing wrong with going a full 15 minutes in a game.

[l Xenoes l]

@Siubijeni, you make a very good point about Slaying. While I would prefer a Team Mate not playing Dominion solely to get kills because of how long the game is which allows them to rack up more then a Slayer game, I don't really mind a player Slaying to protect a base or to pick off Defenders so me and the rest of our Team can snag an easy Capture.

 

And concerning the power vehicles like the Wraith, a lot of players don't have situational awareness when it comes to where Team Mates are and don't care about getting betrayals just to get a few kills. I love it though when they consistently take down Shield Doors and Turrets. This is very useful when it comes to rushing bases. Although I've seen a lot of players not play it safe and wonder to close to the enemies main base(either C or A) and get taken down in seconds by some type of heavy ordinance.

 

@Vaulting Frog, I've also had a lot of losses happen because a few players on my team want the easy win to wipe out all players and wind up making us lose because they leave the middle base on-protected. Unless I have a power weapon or see more then 1-2 players in an enemies initial base capture I pass it by.

[vStealthYx]

hmm interesting

[T O lR T A]

I have now played over 800 games of dominion alone and have finally understood on how dominion flows and what moves you should take. Before anything else is stated, I want to say that when you are searching alone, don't be afraid to make friends on the way because as you play you will begin to notice that communication is imperative and as you play on a team you will begin to notice a difference.

 

As I continue, I want to say that as I have played dominion for a long time. I've seen teams and individuals with k/d's with 4 be defeated with myself and randoms solely by their own demise of protecting their k/d. Their are those who are base sitters with power weapons and then their are the teams where they take advantage of the map control and use the vehicles and resupplies to begin to spawn trap. I have done this myself and it is fairly easy, It all requires execution and communication. But something you cannot lack is the objective itself.

 

I will be beginning to speak about my own strategies and tactics that I take on each map that I play on. I also want to say that I DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THESE TACTICS WILL GUARANTEE A WIN EVERY TIME.

 

Exile: On this map I highly encourage that you take priority of both points C and B solely because C has the wraith while the opposite point has two ghosts. ( I wonder what is better). And then B has the banshee which can highly support the team. These are usually the objectives you need to tell your teammates when the match begins. I bet you are wondering why C has a wraith while A has two ghosts. Well, the main reason for that is because A has spawns nearer to B to be able to support if B was also on their side. Also a strong position on this map to control is where the banshee would spawn in BTB because from their, their is clear line of sight of B to crossmap those who are capturing B.

 

Longbow: On this map it is a bit similar. When you first spawn what you first do whether blue or red, you should take the initial rockets and head to B off spawn. Usually four people should head to B while the other two head to the nearest base that they spawn next to. Once bases captured you should have your team with a sniper on B looking down on enemy base along with a banshee raining down on them and the wraith from your base heading to the back of the enemy base taking down the spartans that just begin to spawn. This is VERY effective and at this point if it is successful for a minute the enemy should begin to quit from the pain. The other three teammates could hangout near enemy base with ghosts or have one guy inside their base with rockets so that if a straggler heads inside their base, they are up for a surprise.

 

Vortex: Not really I can support with this because this map shifts as gameplay moves. But What I see to work is to Take control of C and B. Take control of C because it contains the wraith and usually has the best luck with the weapons. And then take B because it is a pretty campable place to protect B and It does give you the best resupplies also.

 

Meltdown: Lastly with ths map I want to begin to state that people tend to dislike this map due to its massive binary rifle and incineration cannon spams but I feel like it is cool because it is different. What I do is that I head for incineration cannon that spawns top right of spawn in front of light bridge, and I continue to go forward into a cave then I move a bit to the left into the teleporter room. Use the teleporter and begin to shoot off guys that remain in their. This works over 90% of the time when I do it and I always take control of their base. This usually puts them in last stand. Also to state is that C has mantis and A has gauss hog. I prefer gauss hog due to its flexibility and strength.