Evolve Guide: How to Play the Assault Class

In Evolve, Hunters have to work together to win. It’s just a fact of the game’s systems. No single Hunter is capable of taking down a Monster like the Wraith even in its weakest form. A team of players has to work together, using their abilities in synergy to bring down whichever hulking beast they are pitted against. All four of the classes have an important focus and the Assault is no different.

When taking down a Monster in Evolve, the team has to ensure they all stay alive while also dealing enough damage to the creature to put an end to its murderous rampage. This is where the Assault comes into his own. Assault characters are not nuanced like the Medics nor do they hold the hands of their peers as the Support characters do. Trappers focus upon forcing a Monster to stay in one place while the Assault focuses 100% of its attention on a simple task – putting the Monster into their (rather large) grave.

Each of the three different Assault characters does this in their own special way. They don’t ever stray from this task though. An Assault character is not a finely sharpened scalpel for surgical slaughter, it is like taking Hulk and giving him a couple of shotguns for hands while replacing his buttcheeks with a pair of Claymore mines. He is the embodiment of damage dealing and singular focus. While he must protect his comrades, his skills are all tuned to assist him in his role rather than keep friends alive.

All of the Assault characters share one ability in their Personal Shields. These work much like the shield some Support classes are able to imbue fellow Hunters with in Evolve but they’re not targeted. The Personal Shield of an Assault protects him and only him from damage. While they can be heavily drained or broken, the Personal Shield can last for up to 10 seconds with a 30 second cooldown period. It is best used when the Monster is right up in your face and you’re preparing to throw out your powerful close ranged attack. It can also be used when you are downed to keep you alive for longer while fellow Hunters come to your aid.

As we’ve said a couple of times already, there are different versions of Evolve‘s Assault class, so let’s go through each of those.

Markov

Markov is the first Assault players come across in Evolve and has enough power to be one of the most feared. By using his Assault Rifle and Lightning Gun, he can dish out plenty of damage on enemies at a greater distance than his fellow Assault characters. Markov is often the choice for any Assault player who know’s their about to go up against the Kraken for just this purpose as this beast likes to stay as far away as possible from your clutches.

At the forefront of Markov’s loadout is his Lightning Gun. This weapon is capable of chaining lightning attacks between targets that are in close proximity, dealing massive damage to them and making it the go-to gun for clearing out swathes of wildlife. Its range isn’t all that long though. As a result, Markov has to ensure he is in close proximity with the Monster or other enemies before unleashing the power of electricity. It’s best used, of course, with the Personal Shield. A bonus to this weapon is that it’ll latch onto the nearest enemy, making it priceless when fighting a Monster who has avoided your sight or the stealthy Wraith.

When the Monster is at a longer range Markov can switch away from his Lightning Gun and take into his hands a powerful Assault Rifle. While it may lack the overall killing ability of the Lightning Gun, this weapon can make mincemeat of any animal in Evolve with nothing more than a point and shoot. It’s also handy for chipping away at fleeing Monsters or for blindly firing into the creature until you’re close enough to bring the Lightning Gun to bear. Don’t be afraid to take potshots with it either as you’ve got an infinite amount of clips and a surprisingly quick reload time.

While Trappers are the quintessential masters of area denial in Evolve, Markov does his fair share of helping in this. He can place up to five Arc Mines at any time. These are fairly powerful and will sit in the area until their set off by a creature or destroyed. They’re best used around the Power Relay in a Monster’s Stage 3 attack or in Evolve’s Defend scenario. Arc Mines can also be put to use when you’re being chased down by Monster. It takes a few seconds for these things to arm, but when they do the creature will get a face full of electrical hell Tesla couldn’t even dream of.

Hyde

When an Assault player has spent enough time playing as Markov, they’ll invariably unlock Hyde. Where Markov specializes in some fairly pinpoint attacks with his Lightning Gun and Assault Rifle, Hyde is something more of a loose cannon. His Flamethrower covers anything nearby in fiery death while the Minigun strapped to his back spits hundreds of bullets at anything he reckons to have looked at him funny. Hyde excels at being put into the middle of any battle, be it Monster or random member of Shear’s vast array of fauna.

Hyde’s signature tool for killing every living thing from here to Shear is the Flamethrower. Attached to his left arm, this spits out a huge jet of flame up to 15 meters in front of Hyde. It also allows him to deal damage over a period of time to whatever should be unfortunate enough to get in his path, as the fire will continue to burn for several seconds after the initial shot has been fired. It can be used to flush out sneaky little Wraith’s or burn through the healthpool of any Monster easily, at a price. That price is Hyde’s need to be in incredibly close proximity. To maximize the potential of this Flamethrower, fire it towards the Monster and backpedal away from their grasp.

For affairs dealt with over a longer playing field Hyde’s Minigun takes center stage. It doesn’t have quite the damage capabilities afforded to the Flamethrower, but it can throw it out over a much greater distance. The Minigun spits out 400 rounds per minute and can make short work of most smaller prey.The best way to actually make use of this weapon is to use it first to kill off a few Albino wildlife creatures that infest the forests of Evolve. If one should happen to have the Buff which grants the Hunters poison to their shots, you’re onto a winner with Hyde’s Minigun.

Away from projectile weapons Hyde uses Toxic Grenades. They do exactly what it says on the tin, spreading a cloud of noxious fumes around a wide area centered upon their landing. If you hold the fire button you’re given a telegraphed trajectory which can be used to accurately aim the Toxic Grenade at a position. You can’t throw these all the time though. Each cloud lasts for 7 seconds and there’s a counter on the side of the grenade so you’ll be able to work out when the next one is ready. This is incredibly strong against a Goliath who has just used their Charge and Leap Smash abilities, while also holding its own as a general piece of gear to block off an access point.

Don’t forget that his Toxic Grenade can have a painful effect on your teammates as well as the Monster. Not many things can slow down the Hunters in Evolve, but the Toxic Grenade is one of them so be sure to call out a warning before letting one fly.

Parnell

Parnell doesn’t worry himself with the problems of area denial or throwing grenades. He focuses on one thing and one thing only: blowing the Monsters of Evolve into chunks of Trapjaw food. Where Markov wastes his time throwing down Arc Mines, Parnell powers up an internal effect which increases his firing speed and overall lethality by using Super Soldier. Pair that up with an Automatic Shotgun and Multifire Rocket Launcher to see the true face of death that is Parnell.

As you’ve probably worked out by now, the Assault class is typified by its use of close range guns alongside long range weaponry to damage the Monster as much as possible in Evolve. Parnell’s weapon of choice to deal massive damage at close range is his Automatic Shotgun. This thing has a clip of 10 rounds which can be fired either one at a time or in quick succession by simply holding the trigger until it’s empty. When used with his Super Soldier ability this gun can rip through any Monster Evolve dares to throw at you. Unless you’re fighting against an airborne Kraken that is, in which case you’ll have to use something with a longer range.

Something like maybe a freaking Multifire Rocket Launcher. With five rockets in each clip, the Multifire Rocket Launcher is one of the most powerful long range dealers of death in Evolve‘s Assault armory. Its projectiles are far from the quickest in the world though, so this is best used when an enemy isn’t moving or distracted by another less important target (like another Hunter). Against a Kraken this weapon is nothing short of wonderful. When fighting against a Wraith however, the relatively slow projectiles aren’t all that useful. Only use it when the Wraith is approaching or when you use Super Soldier.

Super Soldier is a joy to behold. At the cost of a tiny amount of health (which can easily be replenished by a Medic) Parnell’s speed and power are heightened to superhuman levels, making him the second most dangerous thing in Evolve after the Monsters themselves. Activating it increases his already substantial fire rate by a further 80%, not to mention boosting other aspects of his skill set like reload speed and jump height. It only last for three seconds, but it can be boosted up to 9 with some Mastery bonuses. Activate this when the Monster is in your sights to dish out so much damage that the whole Evolve infrastructure begins to crack under the pressure.

Being a Good Assault in Evolve

While every different Assault has their own personal little specialty, there’s an overarching framework to them all. When you are assigned that little red bomb icon you have to remember that you are going to be there to dish out damage. You have all of the tools to do it, not to mention the means to protect yourself should you get into any unwanted trouble. The important thing to consider when playing Evolve as the Assault is what tools to use against which of the Monsters. So let’s make that a little easier shall we?

The Goliath and the Assault class are like the rock and hard place of Evolve. One has a buttload of armor on its back while the other revels in ripping it away. When facing a Goliath, the Assault should first be sure to put himself between the creature and the Medic. Activate that Personal Shield and make the Monster scream in agony until it leaves the Medic alone. Markov should also be throwing Arc Mines down along the route of the Goliath to give it a little something to think about. Across all three characters, use the longer ranged weaponry until you see the whites of the Goliath’s eyes and then switch out to your close quarters killer.

Kraken are a slightly more difficult foe for the Assault to get to grips with. They’re capable of flight, nullifying each Assault character’s close range killer in an instant. They do have a much lower armor rating than their bigger Goliath brothers though, so using the Assault Rifle or Multifire Rocket Launcher is slightly more effective. Throwing down grenades or mines where you expect a Kraken to land is never a bad idea either. When playing as Parnell, get the Kraken floating above you and then aim directly at them before engaging Super Soldier. Use the 300% jump boost to fly straight towards the Kraken and unload 10 shotgun shells into its tentacled face.

Now the Wraith. These slippery little ladies are nothing short of a pain in the ass for Assaults. Again, Toxic Grenades and Arc Mines can be a blessing in disguise but they just don’t have the quick fire capabilities to bring down a Wraith. At this point, Assaults should work closely with the Trappers of Evolve to lock Wraith’s in place before they dish out the massive damage. It’s also a good idea to save your Personal Shield for when the Wraith targets you with an Abduction, then activate it and switch to your close range death dealer so the beast has a harder time taking you apart.

What are you personal pieces of advice for the Assault characters of Evolve? Do you prefer one of the classes over another in Evolve? Let us know in the comments down below.