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Marauders is a fascinating twist on the looter shooter genre, wrapping its 1990s setting in a dieselpunk aesthetic. The game’s unconventional gear and strategies can take some time to master, though the basics can be picked up easily. With a few tips, the player will be living out their sky pirate dreams in no time. Here are some pointers that every new Marauders player should know.
6 Bring The Right Gear
Similar to other hardcore shooters like Escape from Tarkov, Marauders requires the player to think carefully about everything they bring with them on a mission. The better the gear, the more likely the player is to survive, but dying means losing everything, so sometimes it’s better to play with a cheap kit in order to minimize one’s losses, especially when one is still learning the game.
A good helmet and vest are necessary to keep the player alive, and good weapons are important for cutting the enemy down, but a backpack can be just as important. Having enough room to haul away loot means the player will be able to turn a solid profit from raids and bring even better equipment with them next time. Try to strike a good balance between quality and cost so as not to risk too much if things go awry.
5 Loot Wisely
As the name suggests, looting is an essential component to any good looter shooter, and there are ways to do it right and do it wrong. Just being a loot goblin and grabbing everything is fine while the player is learning the game’s basics, but once they understand more about Marauder’s economy and raids, the player will develop a more discerning eye. After all, it isn’t worth getting shot and losing everything over a piece of scrap.
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Weapon cabinets, toolboxes, and storage containers are just a few of the places where the player can find loot during raids. Looting is dangerous since the player must turn their attention away from their surroundings. Items must be identified before they can be moved to the player’s inventory, but the player can speed up the transfer process by Shift-clicking instead of dragging and dropping items. Similarly, the player can quickly discard unwanted items by Alt-clicking. This allows the player to minimize the amount of time they’re vulnerable.
4 Prepare For Battle
The shooting in Marauders will feel familiar to any longtime FPS player, but a few things set it apart from arena shooters and other subgenres. One is the importance of ammunition. Players must decide how much ammunition to bring into a raid as well as what type of ammunition. Bringing too little ammo or the wrong type of ammo means facing enemies with an empty clip. It’s better to bring too much ammo and discard it to make room for more valuable loot than to bring too little ammo.
It may take the player several raids before they have a clear idea of which ammo they favor and how much they’re likely to actually need during a raid. Play it safe and bring extra at first. Greater familiarity with the game will allow the player to fine-tune their loadout, but until that point, stay stocked up.
3 Peek Corners
There are plenty of shooters in which the player can charge into battle guns blazing with zero cover and emerge more or less intact. Marauders isn’t one of them. Even armored players can go down in no time at all if they expose themselves to enemy fire unnecessarily, so it’s important to play things slower and more strategically.
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Rather than charging around corners, use the Lean mechanic to peek around them. This allows the player to expose less of their body while checking the area for enemies or trying to line up a shot. Peeking isn’t completely safe, but it’ll keep the player alive more often than not. The more comfortable with the flow of the game the player becomes, the easier it will be to move quickly from pushing a position, peeking, and repositioning. Don’t take unnecessary chances.
2 Know Your Ship
The player has a variety of ships available to them. From the Rust Bucket, which is just as well-maintained and valuable as its name implies, to Scout Frigates and beyond, every ship has its pros and cons. Ship combat in Marauders can be punishing, going so far as to require the player to manually grab a fire extinguisher to put out blazes if their vessel sustains too much damage in a fight. Know what a given ship is capable of and what is expecting too much.
Players focused on speed may prefer a fast but vulnerable Interceptor, while those who prefer greater security can opt for the slower, sturdier Heavy Frigate instead. The Vulture splits the difference with decent speed as well as a reasonable amount of armor. Capital Ships have two turret areas for increased firepower, but they shouldn’t be a beginner’s priority when first learning the game.
1 Learn To Trade
All the loot in the world doesn’t mean much if there’s nowhere to sell it. Similarly, being wealthy doesn’t matter if there’s nothing to buy. Marauders offers a variety of vendors from which players can purchase items and to whom they can sell their ill-gotten gains.
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The vendors’ stock rotates frequently, so check in on a regular basis in case something desirable is now available. Every Vendor belongs to a faction, and the player can improve their reputation with that faction by completing Contracts for them. Doing so will grant the player discounts when shopping with Vendors of that faction. It will also unlock new gear for purchase, so it’s worth investing some time into improving one’s standing.
Marauders is available for PC.
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