This is the anti-vehicle rifle found in the left hand side of the Engineer unlock tree.
It is one of the most powerful and versatile weapons in the game. On top of that I find it extremely fun.
Weapon details from the FeverGaming 2142 weapons guide:
Pros: No lock-on warning for the vehicle driver (so it cannot be countered, only dodged) Faster projectile in comparison with the default rocket launchers Faster reload in comparison with the default rocket launchers Fire and forget – you can hide and start to reload as soon as you shoot
Cons: Inaccuracy No ability to guide projectile to target
Shots needed to kill: (Numbers in brackets indicate the number of shots that might be needed, but rarely)
Walker 4 (5) shots torso – front and sides 3 (2) shots torso - rear 3 (2) shots legs and crotch (especially the inside of the legs) 1 shot into vents under the crotch. Walker burns, then blows
Tank 3 (4) shots front armor 2 shots sides 1 shot rear (including the rear of the turret) immediate explosion
APC 3 shots 2 shots into wheels (Anecdotal) 1 shot to vent underneath the rear of the APC, I’ve never seen this
FMV (jeep) 1 shot (various results: immediate explosion; kill driver, but vehicle at 30% armor, burn then blow)
Airships 2 shots anywhere
Infantry 1 shot instant kill
Ground Turrets 1 (2) shot, burn then blow
Titan Guns 3 Shots (if the Titan is moving aim a little ahead, just before the edge of the gun)
Titan Control Console 3 shots
Titan Core 4% per shot, so you need 25 shots
UAV 1 shot (I’ve never tried, but this is what has been reported)
Psst, this is the big secret, if you’re skimming over this guide this is the part to read.
This Pilum’s shot deviation goes in all directions (around the clock), not just right and left as most people assume. The easiest way to tell if you will hit or not is to look at the two circles of the reticule.
A convenient image of the reticule.
There is the small inner ring and the larger outer ring. Your shot will impact within that larger outer circle, wherever it is positioned before the shot. So if the larger outer circle is covering your target you are guaranteed a hit.
Sometimes it will look like a “miss” as the shot impacts below the outer ring. This is because the reticule moves up with recoil. So, if the shot deviates low it will look like it impacted below your point of aim, but it will actually hit where you were aiming the larger ring before the shot.
I have only been able to test this out to around 250m. I did it in single player shooting at buildings. After 250m I could not see the impacts. Obviously, the farther you shoot the greater will be the deviation.
Bottom line: out to 250m the Pilum will always hit within the larger, outer reticule ring.
You can score a 1 shot kill on the tank from the side. The rear of the tank extends slightly to the sides. It is a small area and with the Pilum’s deviation you might not always hit it. The images below show the area to aim for in red:
Tiger
NOTE: The turret on the top of the Tiger has independent armoring, which means the "rear" of the turret will be just as weak as the rear of the tank, no matter what direction it is facing. Same goes for the sides and front of the turret.
Nekomata
The Pilum is not the best anti-infantry weapon… your SMG is probably better, even more if one has unlocked the clip expansion upgrade from Northern Strike. Still, there will be times where a one shot kill will be advantageous, or just fun.
Up Close You might get lucky and hit an enemy trying to shank you, though you have a better chance of hitting a guy who ran up and stopped to shoot you.
Method: Center the enemy in your screen and fire; pray.
Medium Range (up to about 50m) The Pilum can hit infantry at longer ranges than 50m, but it’s really iffy.
Method: Best chance of getting a hit is to be in an elevated position, like a roof top and to see a prone enemy. This will give you the largest possible target. Remember what I said above about the larger, outer reticule ring? Try to position as much of this large ring to cover the enemy. If most of the ring is filled then you’re almost assured of a kill.
Moving Infantry Don’t waste your ammo on moving infantry. Before someone posts to say they do it all the time, sure it’s possible. Still for 99% of us who are not uber or leet it will be a waste of ammo.
The Best maps for the Pilum are obviously vehicle heavy.
Titan Maps I mainly play as an engineer and use the Pilum on all the Titan maps before the shields go down, especially Verdun and Minsk.
Conquest Maps
The Pilum best supports a style of play rather than a specific map. For example, if you are a tank whore like me you will use the engineer kit. So...
This section will not teach you how to protect yourself from our lovely rifle. It's about how the Pilum can make you a better Tank Whore.
The Pilum really helps turn around a loosing tank battle. If your tank is about to blow, jump out and finish your opponent with the Pilum. Now go look for a new tank.
If you are in a tank and know that your opponent is close to being destroyed you can prevent one of his shots from hitting you. As soon as he fires, fire your tank round, immediately jump out and follow up with a Pilum shot, then jump back in the tank. Your Pilum shot should destroy him before his tank reloads.
I’ve only tried this once, but it worked like a charm. I was lucky that I exited the tank with a clear view of my opponent. If you exit and have to run around your tank to see him this will not be effective, as your tank would have reloaded by then.
Obvious: Always use the scope Crouch or go prone if shooting at a distance. Always lead moving targets – aim ahead of them
If a large vehicle is driving away from you in a straight line and begins to disappear (as in your video card no longer “draws” it) still try to shoot it. There is a good chance you will hit.
As with the ‘emergency infantry kill’ you can fire without being scoped if the target is a large vehicle (anything larger than a jeep) and you are within 10m of it.
Use Emp mines to stop a tank/vehicle to make a 1 shot kill easier. This is especially helpful when defending an area. Stopping a tank in the bunker corridor on Minsk with EMP mines is very helpful when trying to get a 1 shot kill. Also useful on Camp Gibraltar when defneding the narrow passage leading to the Toll Station to the Central Camp. Works for either side defending against tthe opposing team's Battlewalker.
For a fun waste of ammo try shooting vehicles when parachuting.
The following is paraphrased from a post by Artiz. I have not tested this, but pausing before a shot should always be helpful: "There is 1-2 seconds of 'settle' time after you move. For best accuracy: Drop prone/kneel, aim, wait 2 beats, fire."
There is currently a bug where if you shoot at a jeep driving towards you the round might pass through the jeep and not hit. Needless to say you get splattered. I'm guessing that it has to do with the code for two fast moving objects coming together or miscommunication between the server and client as to the location of the two objects.
In my experience this happens 50% of the time. So if a jeep is bombing for you don't be surprised when your round floats right through the FAV and you become a hood ornament.
