Topic: Evolve Strategy guide

Lets make something of a strategy guide together, for all of those who play (or will play) Evolve.

I'm in no way an expert at anything in this game, haha. Which is one of the reasons I want to have this little document to check what and how you other Evolvers play. Another reason would be that my favourite character to play, Lazarus, seems so confusing to other people and they 'cramp Laz's style' as a result.

Tips for HUNTERS:
Pro Hunters tip #1 has to be; play your class! If you're playing as a hunter, the hunters' success all depends on playing as a team and everyone in that team playing their part. If you're a medic, play as a medic - NOT as a tank. If you're playing the assault class, play as the assault class - don't be the medic, we need your bullets more! Support your team.

"I've played with so many Vals who spend most of the time with their Sniper Rifle out. Just shoot the monster with it and get your healing gun out, same goes for the tranquilizer.. basically the best thing you can do." -@Rezalack

#2: COMMUNICATION. - Suggested by Rezalack

"It's just nice when you come across a team of competent people who talk or at LEAST ping the monster when they see them giving everyone else the heads up. It helps." -Rezalack

#3: Wildlife - don't kill it. - Suggested by Rezalack

"Unless it's a direct threat/benefit to you or your team (IE: Plant traps or Buffed monsters) don't kill them. That's easy food for the monster." -Rezalack

#4: Use the right perks for your character/class. - Suggested by Rezalack
Suggestions by Rezalack:

Assault: should either use the Damage Increase or Damage Resistance, I always choose damage though because if you have a good healer, resistance really isn't necessary. Maybe with a Lazarus it would help a bit.
Support: I choose either quick reload/recharge or damage resistance with these guys.
Trapper: Movement speed increase or again damage resistance if you're good at catching monsters without speed increase. I think Jet Pack Refuel speed is a good one for Trapper as well. Anything to keep you mobile to get that monster trapped and then to stay away from it once it is.
Healer: Reload speed for Caira is what I always use. I'm elite with her and have just found it to be the best perk to have on her. Val I would probably use quick switch or Jet pack refuel speed. Laz.. I don't know, probably reload/recharge speed. Haven't used him too much.

#5 Don't go off on ego boost trips on your own.
Keep in proximity of the group; the team can't help you if you're across the map and you're not helping the team from there either.

Characters:
Lazarus

Pro Tips for MONSTERS:
#1: Use your smell ability! - Suggested by SusannaNO2

"It's basically your counter to dust clouds, tagging and tranquilizers, and with a two- or three star smell range perk you will know exactly where your pursuers are. Also, you can see all the food available to you. Yay! I must say, this was more of an issue on lower levels (I am now level 24 I believe) but I can't stress it enough. I basically use the smell ability whenever I can as a monster. No reason not to." -@SusannaNO2

#2: Remember to sneak! - Suggested by SusannaNO2

"Combining sneak with your smell ability makes you practically invisible, and if a gang of hunters (without Maggie/Daisy) are close to you, you can just hide on the other side of a rock and watch them run right past you! I usually sneak kill all of the wildlife (at least anything other than the elite ones), because you're pretty much guaranteed a kill and you don't have to run after it and make tons of noise. Remember that the hunters can hear your footsteps." -SusannaNO2

#3: Use tracks to your advantage. - Suggested by SusannaNO2

"Don't see them as a thing for the hunters to use to find you. You can use your tracks to trick hunters into running to the other side of the map, while you're sneaking away to the other side." -SusannaNO2

#4: Stay away from hunters until you are at least stage 2. - Suggested by SusannaNO2

"This might just be my personal opinion (and it can depend on the team that's hunting you), but I generally try to stay away from hunters as much as possible until I've evolved at least once. [...] For me, the main objective is the power relay and the hunters are the ones stopping me from my goal. Of course, there are people who can completely destroy a team of reasonably skilled hunters with a stage one monster, but that's a bit of a gamble in my opinion." -SusannaNO2

#5: Make sure you evolve in a safe location. - Suggested by SusannaNO2

"I always make sure to smell several times before I evolve so I know that the hunters aren't nearby. Even if I've had the choice to evolve for several minutes, I always make sure to find a nice safe spot in a cave or something where the hunters can't see me from across the map." -SusannaNO2

Straightening out some ?s about Lazarus:
I think some people miss that the medic class only has one weapon - there are no backup guns like the assault or traps to lay down like the trapper. The medics carry sniper rifles, which is a key to how these character will play; most likely at a distance.

While Val and Caira can use their med tech to heal players midst battle, Lazarus carries his Lazarus device - he revives players even after they've been declared dead and are waiting to respawn. If you've got Lazarus on your team, don't panic if you're bleeding out. Laz will come and get you even when it looks like it's too late.

If you've got Lazarus on your team, don't assume your medic's being a tool by not running in and reviving a downed player straight away - Lazarus' strengths is to cloak up and run in after the monster thinks he's taken players out and pick them up as if nothing (no drop in max health or anything) ever happened.

If you've got Laz on your team and the monster has taken out one of your team mates; distract the monster, pull him away from the corpse and let Laz do his thing behind the monsters' back. Don't run in and try to revive - it'll most likely get you both killed as your own focus isn't on getting your bullets into the monster and if you revive instead of letting Laz use his device, your downed team mate will lose max health. Keep that in mind.

A good Laz will keep the team on its feet.

How PeTitosaurus plays Lazarus:

Lazarus is my favourite character so far. I've unlocked all the medics, but Laz is hands down my favourite of the three. Why? Probably because he allows me to take a greater part in the actual monster assault than the other medics - he doesn't have Val's med gun or Caira's healing grenades, so his addition to the fight is to create the weak spots in the monster's armour that the team will need to do as much damage as possible, as fast as possible.

When I play Laz, I will stay at a distance, preferably on a ledge above all the action. It allows me to keep an eye on my team's health status as well as have clear shots at the monster. The monster is usually too busy with the rest of the hunters at ground level to be looking above him/her.

Occasionally, I will head into the heat to fire off a healing burst to heal up a team that's half-hurt. If you're almost dead, I will probably not do that. I will let you die (as bad as that sounds), then wait for the others on my team to take the monster's focus so that I can sneak in and revive you. It keeps me in the fight longer, trust me. I will continue to fire at the monster while waiting for theopportunity to reveal itself - don't panic; even if you bleed out, I can still revive you and you won't lose max health if I revive you with the Lazarus Device. You will lose max health if you're not revived by that device - another reason to leave people be if you've got Laz on your team.

If I'm caught in battle by the monster, I will try to get away. I only have a sniper rifle, remember? I'm no use up close. If possible I will use my cloak ability and attempt to reach higher ground away from the monster and continue the fight from up high.

Between fights, I like to stay somewhere in the middle of the group. I will use my healing burst as often as possible to make sure that you're fully healed and ready before the next monster encounter. Please don't go off on a ego trip on your own. Keep in proximity of the group; we can't help you if you're across the map from where we are and you're not helping the team by doing so.

Depending on what map we're playing I also like to scout through my sniper scope from up high.

Addition by @Rezalack

Every time I get him in random matches he's terrible. Especially coupled with a Hyde because his DPS isn't amplified by the Targets made by Laz's gun unless he's using the Mini-Gun, which is a terrible idea against a Wraith. The consensus is that Lazarus is the best healer against a Wraith and Hyde is the best DPS, this makes it a bit weird when it comes to his Sniper.

Pro Evolve Tip #2: COMMUNICATION. Please. Please? No? Ok. Seriously though. Your Xbox One came with a microphone, why not use it? Almost everyone I come across is friendly, though I've heard of a few whiners. You're going to hear these people on your T.V. anyway unless you mute them. It's just nice when you come across a team of competent people who talk or at LEAST ping the monster when they see them giving everyone else the heads up. It's not very hard. I don't even care if you're not that great, if you have a microphone at least you can talk and be given advice. It helps.

#3: Wildlife. Don't kill it. If you're hunting, just don't. Unless it's a direct threat/benefit to you or your team (IE: Plant traps or Buffed monsters) don't kill them. That's easy food for the monster.

#4: Read tip #1 again. Play your class. I've played with so many Vals who spend most of the time with their Sniper Rifle out. Just shoot the monster with it and get your healing gun out, same goes for the tranquilizer.. basically the best thing you can do. A good perk for her I think is the quick switch gun perk.

#5: Perks. (Just my suggestions)

Assault: should either use the Damage Increase or Damage Resistance, I always choose damage though because if you have a good healer, resistance really isn't necessary. Maybe with a Lazarus it would help a bit.

Support: I choose either quick reload/recharge or damage resistance with these guys.

Trapper: Movement speed increase or again damage resistance if you're good at catching monsters without speed increase. I think Jet Pack Refuel speed is a good one for Trapper as well. Anything to keep you mobile to get that monster trapped and then to stay away from it once it is.

Healer: Reload speed for Caira is what I always use. I'm elite with her and have just found it to be the best perk to have on her. Val I would probably use quick switch or Jet pack refuel speed. Laz.. I don't know, probably reload/recharge speed. Haven't used him too much.

I agree to all of the suggestions! I don't play the other classes too much (because I'm competitive and don't like not being at least decent at something, lol!), but at one point or the other I will be forced to play them anyway. So little hints and tips are great for that!

I play pretty competitively as well and actually don't care what class I get though I aim for heals or DPS, because I hate depending on other randoms. Lately I've been playing a lot of Markov even though I've got Elite with Hyde, Parnell is good but he's terrible against a wraith and even a good Kraken unless you have immaculate aim with the rocket launcher which isn't easy for me. Markov could quite possibly be the best DPS, especially if mines are used and actually work out. Having that Lock on electric gun is just killer against the Kraken and Wraith.

Regarding Lazarus, I've only come across one good Laz and he never seems to get on and play, heh. Every time I get him in random matches he's terrible. Especially coupled with a Hyde because his DPS isn't amplified by the Targets made by Laz's gun unless he's using the Mini-Gun, which is a terrible idea against a Wraith. The consensus is that Lazarus is the best healer against a Wraith and Hyde is the best DPS, this makes it a bit weird when it comes to his Sniper. I need to add you to my friend list so we can play sometime, it'd be nice to play with a good Laz. I know he has potential and some claim that he is overpowered, but there's just something about having steady heals coming from Caira or Val that makes me more comfortable.

Playing as Caira is a huge advantage for the team because you have the acceleration which lets you traverse the map and catch the monster early on with ease and the huge AE heals, especially at rank 3. The Napalm grenade is good too because if you just keep the monster on fire you're doing steady residual damage that adds up. Another thing that's nice about her, but is intense, if the monster targets you, you can heal yourself pretty much nonstop. This gives the team all the time they need to damage the monster without the pressure of getting their butts kicked. It's nice. Hank + Caira is just not fair, lol.

Tip on beating Wraith: In case people are having trouble.. you absolutely need a good Griffon or Abe. They need to use their Harpoon or Stasis Grenade and even then it's hard. Hyde is good to have on your team as well because his Flamethrower and Toxic Grenades will automatically take the Wraith out of stealth when he clones. Griffens' harpoon is amazing too because if the Wraith tries to clone while harpooned, he won't even go into stealth. He'll make the clone but he'll stay slowed making himself just an easy target. I've only beat 2 or 3 stage 3 Wraiths, but I know every time we had an Abe of Griffen. I was playing Griffen the first time I beat a stage 3 Wraith and it was because I had him harpooned the whole time.

I totally get that. I think it's the general feeling as well. Which is why people have issues playing on a team w/ Lazarus.

The different pairs that play well together is another aspect I need to get better at. I know what most of the characters do and what their weapons are, but haven't really got enough in-depth knowledge to match up hunters. And I have little to no experience playing as any other monster than the Goliath as I've mainly been playing hunters. I'm also only a level 9, so I haven't really played too much of the game since release. Played both the Alpha and the Beta, but those didn't reveal too much.

Thought I'd add some stuffs for monsters since I can't come up with anything good enough to add to the existing list about hunters.

#1: Use your smell ability! It's basically your counter to dust clouds, tagging and tranquilizers, and with a two- or three star smell range perk you will know exactly where your pursuers are. Also, you can see all the food available to you. Yay! I must say, this was more of an issue on lower levels (I am now level 24 I believe) but I can't stress it enough. I basically use the smell ability whenever I can as a monster. No reason not to.
#2: Remember to sneak! This is also a big problem amongst some players. Combining sneak with your smell ability makes you practically invisible, and if a gang of hunters (without Maggie/Daisy) are close to you, you can just hide on the other side of a rock and watch them run right past you! If they're not using any other fancy abilities, that is. Also, sneaking can be used to pounce on both wildlife and hunters. I usually sneak kill all of the wildlife (at least anything other than the elite ones), because you're pretty much guaranteed a kill and you don't have to run after it and make tons of noise. Remember that the hunters can hear your footsteps.
#3: Use tracks to your advantage! Don't see them as a thing for the hunters to use to find you. You can use your tracks to trick hunters into running to the other side of the map, while you're sneaking away to the other side.
#4: Stay away from hunters until you are at least stage 2! This might just be my personal opinion (and it can depend on the team that's hunting you), but I generally try to stay away from hunters as much as possible until I've evolved at least once. The more you evolve, the more powerful you and your abilities are while the hunters are exactly the same during the entire match. I wanted to bring this up because I've heard quite a few people who mean that the monster is supposed to go after the hunters, and that is wrong. For me, the main objective is the power relay and the hunters are the ones stopping me from my goal. Of course, there are people who can completely destroy a team of reasonably skilled hunters with a stage one monster, but that's a bit of a gamble in my opinion.
#5: Make sure you evolve in a safe location! I always make sure to smell several times before I evolve so I know that the hunters aren't nearby. Even if I've had the choice to evolve for several minutes, I always make sure to find a nice safe spot in a cave or something where the hunters can't see me from across the map.

For the perks and stuff, I generally go for feeding speed, smell range or damage increase when I play as Goliath, feeding speed, damage resistance or damage increase for Kraken, and feeding speed, smell range or damage increase for Wraith. You could argue and say that damage resistance is better for Wraith, but since the Wraith can use Supernova and attack much faster than the other two monsters, the total damage output will rise a lot.

The abilities you choose at the start of a match can also make a difference if you happen to get trapped while you're stage one. I always want to have three abilities unlocked at first and unlock a fourth one on the second evolution.
For Goliath, I always start out with Charge, Flame Breath and Leap Smash. Charge is the most important out of these three, as it can aid you in getting away from the hunters. The other two are less important but I value both of them over Rock Throw, which is a pretty slow attack which leaves you vulnerable for a longer time.
For Kraken, I tend to go with Vortex, Banshee Mines and Lightning Strike. I used to pick Aftershock before Lightning Strike but I really didn't feel like I used it that much in the early part of the match.
For Wraith, I go with Decoy, Supernova and Warp Blast. Decoy can be very useful in the early game if you are trapped in a small space with the hunters, since you can use it and hopefully get away safely.

On the second evolution I always unlock the fourth ability and then use the other two points on the other abilities. I don't really have a pattern I follow here, I just tend to pick the two abilities I use the most.

At the end of the game, I always want to end up with three abilities with two points, and one ability with three points. This ability is Fire Breath, Lightning Strike and Supernova for the Goliath, Kraken and Wraith, respectively.

These are just my personal opinions however, so don't be afraid to try things out to fit your play style!

Good write up on the monsters, the only thing I would change though, for complete safety as a monster.. I usually max out a move with the Goliath or the Kraken. With Goliath I would typically max out Rock Throw first.. it's just so mean and takes half the health of a hunter if it hits, same with leap smash. Kraken I would definitely max out Aftershock first just to be safe. Wraith get 1 point in clone and then two in the others, obviously it all comes down to preference of how you play. The perks you picked are definitely what I would choose. I typically go with feed speed, almost all the time.

Another tip with the Wraith.. if you have clone and supernova, just use supernova first, then clone. This will send your clone out and he'll use supernova and you can as well.. it's just mean as hell. Wraith is pretty OP when it comes down to it. Especially if there isn't an Abe or a Griffen on the hunter side.

Is the single player offline component any fun?

Is the online community still very active?