BATTLEFIELD2042: Apache Attack Helicopter Tips, Gameplay & Thoughts on Season 6 Balance Issues 

Finally someone liked it 😂

I know right? So many times I’ve snuck up on a TOR and my gunner got overexcited & gave me away 😂

My favourite trick to do when a Jet is on me is to immediately dash towards them and close the distance so they can't get their shots in. Often this is rolling aggressively on my side to face the top of the Heli towards the direction the shot is coming from then full power. When the jet then overshoots, it gives me the maximum amount of time to 1) pop Repair; 2) get high so nobody interrupts the coming head to head; and 3) figure out where the jet is going to be coming from. After that, it's all on you & pray the Jet doesn't have Hydra pods. Against a Nightbird, it's simply do or die. If you miss the opening round you're dead -- they don't have to do loops like a Jet does.

@@timelessgamer_UKYea,same when they fly past you I immediately pursue as quickly as possible in their direction - they often take a while to 180 and are VERY surprised to see the Heli right in front of them ...OR,even fly past you not knowing that you closed distance immediately xD Pods can be a Problem though,but most will use their AA-11 IR first ,then burst witht heir cannons anyways - If they do,Barrel Roll is their Cryptonite ^^

Thanks a lot for the kind words - yeah perhaps 20m is a bit long, but I had a lot to say and I’ve said it now so you’re all safe 😅 Glad you enjoyed the humour too. Typically these jokes are the most skipped parts of my videos but what can I do - I find them funny!

Thanks glad you enjoyed it! I didn’t call out the Nightbird as I can’t play it. Being on the other end of it yeah I think it’s pretty OP but I don’t know how hard you have to work to achieve that level. Might be proportionate, I can’t say. With the Apache though I think I’ve got a good sense of time vs reward and am comfortable to say patch 5.3 tipped it too far in favour of the pilot. Still, just an opinion - let’s see what people think :)

Thanks so much for the support it’s really appreciated - looking at the weekend metrics this video is doing really badly so at least someone liked it 😅 I’m glad the vids helped and that you’ve found your own way. As they say, the best ability is availability and if we’re dead, we’re not a lot of use to the team. If the AAs make the difference for you & don’t stop you taking out the ground armour then amazing, have at it! I personally can’t see how I could one-pass without the TOW. I’m happy now with the air to air offer I bring, after many painful months I think I’ve arrived. I hear what you’re saying about the video on aim. I had a real problem with this vid. Do I go over everything again? What’s the right balance of moving things forward vs taking into consideration people who didn’t see the lash vid? I really don’t like repetition in videos - it’s fine to revisit a topic now and then (like 5 months between my last Apache vid). I’ll think about it! Good tip on dropping out of 128 if it’s too hectic. Should’ve mentioned that. I’ve got one or two more ideas for a unique video in me this side of 2024, perhaps the heli guide can be one for the new year :)

Do you get a fuzzy screen / static effect and then the camera comes back?

@aesemon5392 Same @@timelessgamer_UK And yes. Fuzzy screen, then camera comes back.

@@deemon710 I think this is just lag, I get it too. I just brush it off as a dusted shot, but you're not alone in getting it.

I never played the earlier BFs, but as it stands in 2042 I’m not a fan of it at all. It’s simply too powerful and these 6.1 nerfs won’t do a lot to counter it. It’s too fast & too powerful with AGMs. Those familiar with my channel will know I’ve put my time in shooting them down, but damn they’re annoying. I’m really amazed they haven’t been seriously addressed yet. Let’s see what comes.

@@timelessgamer_UK with combined effort from one squad or multiple squads with their primaries, if teamwork was more prevalent, the results would be devastating. Dice is playing with fire when it comes to balance. But it makes for new gameplay, experiences, and tactics for the nightbird and ground units alike. A result I can see from the nightbird is it will deplete players' ammo capacity and reveal them to other opponents if the nightbird is wiped. Leaving one side to fend off the opponents who noticed the nightbird being focused on and eliminated. Resulting in a new exchange. If another nightbird doesn't appear or other threat.

Thanks. Thought a lot about this one

I can’t argue with a word of that. On the Nightbird, I don’t use them because I don’t respect them. I think they bring tremendous imbalance to the game and are horrifically OP. The AGMs with their speed, agility and mini guns make them savage, plus being able to get repairs & drop people off. You’ll notice on my Lis vids I invest heavily in downing them. If I could make at least one change - take the AGMs away & have it an anti-infantry vehicle. On the Wildcats, I said my bit in the vid but I would go further than you I think. I’d completely remove any damage nerf they had and go back to the way it was, and that’s me saying that as the recipient of their damage. The Wildcat should be the absolute promise of death to a helicopter if it sees you & you’re in range. Your sole hope for defeating it as a pilot should rest on either completely catching it by surprise and at range (therefore showing excellent targeting) or choosing a good moment to intervene on an ongoing situation. I’d also give them the option for a Flack Cannon instead of the 35mm which in my assessment is not very good (using it or being on the other end of it). I would also, absolutely, 100% give the Wildcats APS. If a Wildcat loses it should be because the pilot fighting it pulled an absolutely brilliant play, caught it at the tail end of a fight where it had damage or the Wildcat player utterly screwed up & brought it on themselves. I hope this doesn’t sound big headed but I miss being proud of beating a Wildcat. Before 5.3 you really had to think of you’re going to win a clash. Now I just fly across the map and kill them without their being able to do a damn thing. Shouldn’t be that way, it’s not fun! I’m all for improving survivability and peoples enjoyment / accessibility to harder aspects of the game like piloting. It’s difficult to get right I’m sure and Dice probably are doing their best with it. But all that said the total package of AC buffs and Wildcat nerfs is too much & taking fun away from established pilots and Wildcat players alike. It’s no fun for me with you trapped in a nerfed to hell & back vehicle either…

Revenge dips are the best part of getting shot down - glad you’re rocking the Apache, I’ve come to love it. Hope you enjoyed mine in this vid ;) It is great when you can waltz between everything they throw at you & still manage to pressure / take out the vehicles. You should put some clips up, would love to see them

Thanks man appreciate the support - they’re great fun to play, I’m definitely better up here than on foot in Redacted 😅

Thanks for the feedback - I’m not sure how I would really articulate that, I’ll try to think of the words. What I would say is I try to run in fast straight lines & not stay still, especially if I am over a Wildcat. It’s better to overrun and make another pass than try to turn in a tight circle because the AC cannot move faster than the gun turret (stealth heli and NB can). The AC is very slow & vulnerable to Lissiles & RPGs etc. if you’re hovering, I’d get moving as quickly as possible. Being still or locked into a tight turn is how you get downed by a good AA player. In any case I hope you can see what I mean in the video - I line up the target from a distance then run straight at them, the idea being to burn them down before I go overhead. Only if the target is V low on health will I turn on the spot & go for another shot. Long up and down runs are the way to play it, in my opinion.

Appreciate it & glad you enjoyed the vid, hope you like the rest of what the channel has on offer. I’ll try out controller over the weekend. Let’s see what I can make of it. Flying is great, do keep at it as it’s a lot of fun being able to wipe out tanks etc. one of the things I do truly enjoy about the franchise is the seamless switch from infantry to vehicle play and back.

Welcome to the fun - don’t forget to check out Part 1, I put most of the basics / mechanics in here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5FU9vZBwDRg.htmlsi=CufZtLsm_SEcP3Rk Hope you enjoy the channel!

Completely agree - the Wildcat needs to be able to defend itself from the very thing it’s meant to be Hunting. APS is a must, and the 25% damage Nerf needs reversing. As I hope this video proved, they’ve become a bit of a joke…

@@timelessgamer_UK yep its a joke now. also i forgot to ask but does the nerf also affect other weapons on the wildcat like the flak pod?

I still destroy plenty of attack helis, nightbirds and stealth helicopters with the wildcat. Transport helis and condors are a different subject lol. I don’t use AA on my wildcat either just AG missiles. Infantry is my biggest issue when I’m using the wildcat bc it takes forever to kill people and usually they get me with rockets or c4.

@@michaeljohnson8353 it feels like it's shooting shotty shell rounds which is nice because there is a shotty made from the aa cannon model ingame itself called the toz.

I struggle to down anything other than stealth helis and jets. The nightbirds are too fast and a good pilot will withdraw quickly, and their damn AGMs are a nightmare. I’m on the back foot within seconds! Good on you if you’re killing these things, you’ve got the secret I’m sorely lacking 😂😂 I also have AT rockets on my Wildcat. AA is useless with flares & AT still actually does something.

Thanks!! It’s really not that hard, just keep at it a little each session and the magic happens :)

Can’t outrun the most OP vehicle in the game - all you can do is stand your ground and hope you’re better in the moment 🥹 Thanks for checking out the vid, appreciate it.

Give me 24 hours, I want to show you something. I'll send you a restricted link so only you can see. I know your pain and a short 5 min video can show you how to handle this.

​@@timelessgamer_UKok you got me curious what you meant by this.

I don't know if this is why you're getting what you're getting but I find a lot of heat comes at the AH if it rushes out at the beginning of the match. A lot of players will just imprint you as the thing to kill throughout the rest of the match. At the start of the match, hang back for some seconds to scope out the hot spots and especially what the other team's heli is doing.

Completely fair - Nightbirds are horribly overpowered in this game, I try to stay away from them as a topic because I don’t have a single positive thing to say about them. If I could I’d remove them from the game to be honest.

It can’t all be chat, got to have a few jokes in there for people :) Really glad you enjoyed it, helicopters are always a sore spot for someone in this game - walking on eggshells talking about them 😜

Check out the air to air section of this video I did, specifically covers the Close range battles: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5FU9vZBwDRg.htmlsi=-Av_bC90JXeEAyAm Glad you enjoyed, good luck with the duels!

Thanks for the support, and we’ve got ourselves a debate! OK so on the wildcats, hopefully what I conveyed in the video is the sheer destructive power of an AC when it’s TOWs and 127mm rockets are on point. You can fire from a great distance & be very effective, especially as in most of the shots I shared, the Wildcats didn’t see me until the damage was piling in. My experience has been since the AC power was upped and the Wildcat power was reduced, I cannot be forced to turn away before I destroy the Wildcat. Yes I take a few hits and maybe 50% damage, but I was never in danger and I now know since 5.3 that I’m just not. I can soak the hits with confidence & get the kill. A mistake a lot of WC players make - in my opinion - is using AA missiles. I humbly suggest to them that’s a HUGE mistake as it’s a wasted 2 seconds to lock me and another to fire which I will simply flare and thanks for the 3 free second attack window. Add that to my 7 seconds of lock on invulnerability and you’ve got a full 10 seconds to waste the WC. That’s far more than I need. If you’re being spawn camped because the rest of your team allowed their WC to push up (or you’re being designated by a Recon massively extending AA range), perhaps try falling back into your own spawn area & getting eyes on where the WC is. 127mm and TOWs fire true at long range, you can absolutely smoke them / cause high damage and get them after a reload. The worst they can do to you is chip away if you’ve pulled back, it won’t be enough to down you. As for wider AA yeah I mean there are some rounds where I’m waltzing for my life between Lissiles and Stingers, it can leave you very trapped in your own half. This is especially bad if there’s +5 players running Stingers. Always a lock on you so you’re pinned into your own half. Absolutely does happen, can’t deny it. Just have to switch to staying low / hit & run. The TOWs. I hear you and I think that’s what Dice was going for. The problem though is hopefully as I articulated. Once you get a bit better, having two just becomes savage. I mean this is just my opinion it’s hardly a point of fact - I just think the one pass should be required not optional. My mistakes are too often forgiven now. It’s a tough balance I’m sure, I just don’t want the AC to lose respect of other players which leads me to… Nightbirds! You’re right I don’t respect them. They’re completely overpowered. Precision machine guns (rifle accurate), highly mobile / agile, flares AND repairs plus can be repaired by not one but two wingmen. AA or AGM missiles too. Guns are ridiculously effective against aircraft too. As people will see on this channel I invested a LOT in killing them, I cannot be accused of needing to “get good”. Kill them on sight.

@@timelessgamer_UK Hmmmm maybe I'm just still scared of them from before the nerfs and its just a mental thing. I did just have a game where I pushed for the AA and one passed the WC about 4 times and it was pretty glorious, never knew what hit him. Managed to go 38/5 which was a new PB for me! I think your video definitley helped with that. Also a random from my Squad kept hopping on the gun which really helped, I find its rare people actually do that for some reason. Perhaps it is just the luck of my games, I find more often than not I'm just against an overwhelming amount of AA and cracked off their nut sweaty Nightbird pilots and I have a team who just dosnt seem to want to intercept enemy vehicles either. Obviously I get there will be games like that, just seems to happen more often than not for me. I totally get what you mean about the TOWs, But I do think they have enough downsides to balance it out, The tiniest wrong adjustment at the wrong time and you've completley missed and wasted the TOW and they do have a pretty slow reload and having to guide it whilst flying can put you on a pretty linear path if you are about to do a strafing run so it makes it a lot easier for someone to predict where you are going and shoot you with Tank/M5/RPG, you just have less manouverability whilst you are guiding it. Also I've really appreciated using a TOW whilst making a pass at a group of infantry, sometimes the 127's just dont hit right on infantry with the small splash damage so a TOW on top can give a little extra oomph, Obviously only if there is no vehicles you need to be focusing on. I dont think it would make people think it takes less skill now to use the AH, it just kind of makes the AH more inline with what it SHOULD be, a raw destructive force that if left unchecked is absolutley savage it really helps differentiate it from the Night/Stealth. Whenever I kill a nightbird with a Lis rocket, they get T-bagged on death camera every time, its one of the best feelings in the game.

Congrats on the new PB, that’s what it’s all about - it is a great feeling one passing the WC, the best dunk in any game is killing a player with the very thing they’re supposed to be the counter for. I down NBs a lot, I tend to just move on. They’ll be back in a minute anyway so the battle continues. Just this moment logged off from a very sweaty NB duel over multiple rounds, thankfully I had a great gunner & eyes on the ground too so they got dunked pretty hard. Good times, can go to bed a happy man 😅

That would definitely make it more relevant & able to do it’s job

Viable plan - it would be cool if the missile had a single occupant / dual occupant mode. When you’ve got a gunner they take over the weapon & you get the TV view, but a single missile. Stops the AC being overpowered & encourages team play whilst leaving the vehicle viable for single occupancy. That could work actually…

Bring seat switching tv rockets back from bf3 (dont) 😅

I’m not sure what’s been done to Irish other than someone did say the trophy system can be overwhelmed. I’ve definitely seen it still stopping my rockets though.

@timelessgamer4359 The only real counter vs a good pilot playing solo. Is finding a good amount of cover and setting up an ambush with the AA, definitely map depdent because of how open many maps are. Even then though if your infantry can't support you then the enemy infantry will most likely force you out of Cover.

Yep -- a lot of times (too many times) you've got to do it yourself. Amazed how many matches I get into where I seem to be the only one bothered about the death machines in the sky@@markmc5112

Also, if you see a ground target, I usually fire off a tow at a distance, then fire the next(so two are in the air) then switch to rockets - i wont start shooting rockets until the first tow is almost on target. That way its easier to 1 pass eachtime.

I fire one and let it fly, firing the Anti Vehicle rockets when the TOW has made contact so as not to alert the APS too soon. I hold the second TOW back just in case I mess up or another target comes into view. That said, I do it your way when playing Stealth Heli…

I can hit a Hind but I’ve never to this day managed to TOW down a mobile attack Heli of any kind!

@timelessgamer_UK dang, I must just hit lucky shots. Can hot those flying quad bike things sometimes. The biggest threat(without a gunner) is coming up against a good little bird pilot (OCE servers)

@timelessgamer_UK dang, I must just hit lucky shots. Can hot those flying quad bike things sometimes. The biggest threat(without a gunner) is coming up against a good little bird pilot (OCE servers)

Sage wisdom -- flying backwards is necessary to keep Nightbirds at the correct range. Too close is to their advantage for sure. I definitely need to look backwards a bit more!

@@timelessgamer_UKI also forget I can in 99% of the cases...So don't worry :D

100% agree. If I could, I’d take them out the game.

I think we're in complete agreement -- I still lean towards having one heavy TOW as it forces pilots to have a little more tension / risk getting a bit closer before the shot. The SRAW is just a joke, what even introduce this weapon?! I'm so confused! Absolutely -- Lis is the answer if a Jet player is getting a little too cheeky :D

I never played the other BFs but I completely see your point - equipment specific to each faction that actually had gameplay impact. So far as I can see in BF that only applies to the Hind & Condor. It’s a cool idea, having something faction specific would be a good mix up.

I used to raid on FF14 😉

The only thing I’ve seen is that Wildcats have been given access to Air Radar, so they have much better visibility of where aircraft are. I have to say in my gameplay to date since making this vid, I’ve not seen any change in how easy it is to smoke them providing you get the drop. Most players on my Server are now using the Irish Trophy tactic they’re so weak. Parking on the back line & not moving no escape the Jet / Heli assaults. I’ll re read the patch notes & see if anything snuck in

WCs are peace of cake. Been playing both decently (as a gunner in chopper and WC) I can say this. NB/skill pilot is biggest nightmare (farming infantry). U can rely only on RPG/recoilles luckyshot. All Lissiles are easy to dodge. Also on AH lissiles are pretty easy to dodge. Any Mediocre pilot has several dodge maneuvers ready. All antiair lacks, DICE loves air. Known fact. People - common casual players are getting killed/farmed almost every game, leave the game. Game slowly dying, no matter how good or bad is.