Engineer
The GDF Engineer serves a variety of support and objective tasks. Although the engineer is primarily a defensive class, the engineer's vehicle repair ability can provide the extra push needed for GDF vehicles to take down Strogg defensive positions. The GDF engineer can construct deployable turrets, repair vehicles and deployables, plant mines, and is tasked with constructing important objectives, such as the bridge on Valley and Canyon and the EMP Disruptor on Sewer. The engineer is essentially the equivalent to the Strogg Constructor.
The engineer is equipped with the assault rifle and shotgun, similar to the medic, but can unlock an assault rifle, grenade launcher combination as a reward for reaching the first experience level. Use the alternate fire button to switch to the grenade launcher, which provides excellent added firepower in defense situations, especially indoors. Combine the engineer's ability to lay mines with the grenade launcher's killing power in tight spaces for a solid one-two punch.
This is especially important in defensive tasks where you are protecting against a Strogg Aggressor from planting a plasma charge on a specific object, such as the final task on Salvage. The engineer is the only class with the ability to defuse charges; if the Strogg Aggressor completes his task, the GDF Engineer has a limited time to defuse the charge; if successful, a Strogg Aggressor must complete the task again. As an engineer, use mines and the grenade launcher to defend the area then be prepared to defuse the charge when required.
As stated, engineers are required to complete particular objective tasks on certain maps (such as Valley, Canyon, Sewer, and Island). It's often extremely difficult, if not impossible, for an engineer to complete the task alone—use chat to request additional support from soldiers to provide covering firepower and medics to provide medpacks and a nearby supply drop. If you're playing as a soldier or medic, itĀ's your duty to assist the engineer in completing the task.
You should also look for ways to use terrain objects to protect you from incoming fire. Drive a GDF vehicle adjacent to the construction spot and take cover while you build. If Strogg Infiltrators are attempting to snipe you, the vehicle can sustain significant damage before you're in trouble. A fellow engineer could even assist by repairing the vehicle as you work. A GDF Covert Ops could drop a smoke grenade to provide cover.
The engineer can deploy one of three different turret types, each with its own specific counter target. Note that the engineer can have only one deployable at a time; if you attempt to place a second turret, you will be told the other will be destroyed and you must wait for the turret to be air dropped once again. The engineer's anti-personnel turret targets Strogg ground targets; the anti-vehicle turret targets Strogg vehicle targets; and the artillery interceptor turret targets incoming Strogg howitzer, mortar, and cannon projectiles.
The chart below reveals the campaign reward for the GDF Engineer. The first reward increases the engineer's offensive and defensive capabilities with the addition of the grenade launcher. Additional rewards aid the engineerĀ's task in repair vehicles, constructing objectives, disarming Strogg plasma charges, and setting up a defense faster by unlocking self arming mines.
| XP | REWARD | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Unlock Grenade Launcher | Adds a grenade launcher attachment to the assault rifle (use the alternate fire button to switch between modes). |
| Level 2 | Faster Repair | Repairs to vehicles and deployables are faster. |
| Level 3 | Faster Contruction and Disarm | The engineer can complete build objectives and can disarm Strogg plasma charges faster. |
| Level 4 | Self Arming Mines | Engineer's mines no longer have to be manually armed with the repair tool. |
Field Ops
The GDF Field Ops is another support class. There are similarities to the engineer, because the field ops also has the ability to call in deployables but the field ops won't be required to complete any specific map objectives. Instead of shorter range turret defenses, the field ops' deployables are longer range artillery, rocket, and hammer missile strikes. Use these deployables to target specific map areas or even Strogg vehicles (for instance using the rocket artillery against a Strogg Tormentor).
Ammo resupply is another important duty of the field ops player. While the medic can call a supply drop that can replenish adjacent units' health and ammunition, you can't call a supply drop indoors. It's the field ops duty, both indoors and outdoors, to drop ammunition packs to keep teammates' (particularly soldiers) supplied. This is extremely important in defensive situations. Running out of rocket launcher ammo can turn a solid defense into a crumbling one; keep your teammates' supplied and stocked with ammunition. Note that the field op ammo packs do not replenish grenades (restock grenades from a medic supply drop).
The field ops is only equipped with an assault rifle but can unlock a scoped assault rifle after the first experience reward. The scoped assault rifle is a decent medium-to-long range weapon—a good combination for the field ops task of supporting teammates with long-range fire support.