Completing the first tier of Class Directives is a great way to familiarize yourself with the five infantry classes, and earn some implants in the process.

When talking about Directive Objectives, I will only list objectives that you can realistically accomplish with your starting equipment, without investing any certification points or doing any sort of advanced stuff.

Keep in mind that when talking about “kills” in the context of Directives, destroying any vehicle will count as a “kill” too.

Infiltrator

Infiltrators are snipers, hackers and scouts. They are also great at ambushing. As an Infiltrator, your job is to hack enemy turrets and terminals, provide reconnaissance with your Motion Detection Tools, and kill enemies that your allies can’t get to, be it with flanking or long distance sniping.

To complete the first tier of Infiltrator Directives, you have to accomplish two out of these objectives:

Get 15 kills.

Any type of kill will count, as long as you play infiltrator, and you’re not in a vehicle. Infiltrators’ cloak can make sidearms, grenades and even knives potentially more effective than for any other class.

Get 1 Recon Ribbon.

Infiltrators get access to Motion Detection Tools:

• Recon Device fires motion detecting darts, and it should be used when enemies are far from you.
• Motion Spotter is deployed on the ground, and it should be used when enemies are close to you.

These tools emit detection pulses, and when a sprinting or running enemy is hit by a pulse, their position is highlighted on the minimap as a dot. Crouchmoving and immobile enemies are not detected.

When your allies kill an enemy detected by your Motion Detection Tools, you get a bit of progress towards a Recon Ribbon. 

Get 10 Sniper Rifle kills.

By default, Terran Republic and Vanu Sovereignty Infiltrators get access to a semi-automatic Sniper Rifle. To kill most enemies, it requires 2 headshots or 3-4 bodyshots.

New Conglomerate Infiltrators get access to a bolt-action Sniper Rifle. It will kill in just one headshot, but it has to be rechambered after each shot, and it has some scope sway. You can hold “Shift” to “hold breath” and temporarily suppress it. Make sure to equip Target Focus implant, as it provides bonuses to hold breath duration.

Basics of sniping

Try to find a piece of cover with a good view on enemy positions, not further than 100m away. Position yourself behind that cover. Then press “F” to cloak, peek from cover and look for targets. 

Find a stationary enemy, aim at his head and decloak.

If you’re TR or VS, you will have to fire two shots, back to back. Fire a shot, wait until crosshair returns to enemy’s head (that will take around a third of a second), then fire a second shot. 

Then, depending on situation, you can take more shots, if the enemy is alive. Don’t rush, let your crosshair fully return before firing again. If you get the kill, or fire more than 4 shots, cloak again and move a few steps to avoid being counter-sniped.

If you’re NC, you will need only one shot, but you will have to hold “Shift” to suppress scope sway while aiming. After the shot, immediately cloak and move.

If your cloak energy runs out, or you get shot, hide behind cover. Consider looking for another position, because when enemies know where a sniper is, they will eventually either counter snipe you, or come find you personally. 

Get 10 Infiltrator Kills.

Infiltrators are great at killing other Infiltrators, as they can detect their movement when they are going for flanks at close range, and they can effectively counter-snipe them, if they are not smart about their cloak management.

Basic Infiltrator Tips

Your cloak is not perfect. The faster you move, the more visible you are. Cloak is the strongest when you crouch and don’t move at all, but you can still be seen at close range.

Enemies can hear when you cloak or decloak, which will make ambushing harder.

Cloak is great for crossing open ground, but it’s not as effective up close. Try not to move in enemy line of sight within ~20m, especially if they are not distracted by combat.

Be careful about Q-spotting as an Infiltrator. Enemies can hear your voice when you spot, and it will give away your position.

Watch a video with uncut gameplay.

Light Assault

Light Assaults are mobile shock troopers. They can fly on a Jet Pack, which lets them scale obstacles, and effectively flank enemies at close and medium range. As a Light Assault, your job is to deliver a powerful punch exactly where it is needed. 

To complete the first tier of Light Assault Directives, you have to accomplish two out of these objectives:

Get 15 kills.

Any type of kill will count, as long as you play Light Assault, and you’re not in a vehicle. 

Get 10 Carbine kills.

Your starting carbine is a great weapon, effective at close and medium range, and remains accurate even while flying on the Jet Pack.

Get 10 Shotgun kills.

In addition to a carbine, you get a shotgun. It is equipped on your second Light Assault loadout, the “Close Range Ambusher”. Shotguns have extremely short range.

Destroy 3 vehicles.

By default, your only way of inflicting damage to heavily armored vehicles is Rocklet Rifle. It will fire accurate single shots with a left mouse click, and fire fast, but inaccurate bursts with a right click. 

It is a great source of additional damage to vehicles, but it’s not very strong on its own, so it would be easier to go for other objectives, unless you get lucky and snatch a few vehicle kills on already damaged vehicles.

Kill 10 enemy Light Assaults.

Light Assaults naturally encounter a lot of enemy Light Assaults while going for flanks. There are only so many routes you can take, and you will fight enemy Light Assaults for superiority over these routes.

Basic Light Assault Tips

Don’t fight face to face! Your Jet Pack gives you excellent freedom of movement, so flank around, and shoot enemies in the back. This is war. Fighting fair is for sports. 

Don’t use Rocklet Rifle against infantry! It is strictly an anti-vehicle weapon. It also does okay against aircraft hovering at close range. The burst fire mode is extremely inaccurate, use it only when the enemy vehicle is close and immobile.

Watch a video guide with commentated gameplay. It is slightly outdated, so do not follow any certification suggestions in that video.

Combat Medic

Combat Medics are second line and support soldiers. The job of a Combat Medic is to keep their allies alive and healthy. 

To complete the first tier of Combat Medic Directives, you have to accomplish two out of these objectives:

Get 15 kills.

Any type of kill will count, as long as you play Combat Medic, and you’re not in a vehicle. 

Get 3 Savior kills.

A “Savior kill” is scored when an enemy deals health damage to your ally, and then you kill that enemy. This should happen naturally, as you stay with your allies and fight enemies together.

Get 1 Healing Ribbon.

Whenever you heal someone – usually with your Med Tool – you get a bit of progress towards a Healing Ribbon.

Get 1 Revive Ribbon.

To earn a Revive Ribbon, you have to revive 15 players.

Kill 10 enemy Combat Medics.

This is a weird objective, and doesn’t really have anything to do with specifically playing a Combat Medic.

Basic Combat Medic Tips

Stay with your team! Your “combat advantage” as a Medic is keeping a wall of allies between you and enemies. 

Secure the area before reviving. After an ally is killed, you have 30 seconds to revive them. That’s plenty of time, so don’t run blindly with your Med Tool in hands. Look around first, revive later. 

Move around while reviving. Even a few steps to the side can throw off the aim of an enemy sniper.

Prioritize revives over heals whenever you have the option to do both.

Don’t be afraid to fight. Your Assault Rifle is a deadly and versatile weapon.

Value your life. If you die, everyone dies. Don’t put yourself at risk by going for a revive that can get you killed.

Do not revive people who die a few steps from spawn. You’re wasting time, both yours and theirs. They will be safer just respawning. 

Watch a video of uncut gameplay.

Another video.

Engineer

Engineers are second line and support soldiers. Your job as an Engineer is to supply your allies with ammunition, handle explosives and fortify your positions with turrets. Engineers can also repair MAXes, vehicles, base terminals, turrets and generators. They are the first choice when it comes to piloting vehicles or being a gunner.

To complete the first tier of Engineer Directives, you have to accomplish two out of these objectives:

Get 15 kills.

Any type of kill will count, as long as you play Engineer, and you’re not in a vehicle. 

Get 10 kills using a MANA Anti Infantry Turret.

Engineers have access to a deployable turret with a Nanite shield and a machinegun.

The machinegun remains effective at most ranges, and has infinite ammunition, but it can overheat and has limited turning angles. The shield is completely invulnerable to all damage, but doesn’t cover engineer’s head. 

Only the engineer himself can use his turret. Engineer behind the turret is vulnerable to snipers, explosives and flanking attacks.

The MANA AI Turret is best used in defensive situations, and it can be challenging to find a good position where you can shoot at enemies without getting sniped within seconds.

Get 1 Repair Ribbon.

Whenever you repair something with your Repair Tool, you get a bit of progress towards a Repair ribbon. You can even get this ribbon by repairing your own vehicle.

Get 1 Resupply Ribbon.

Engineers can press “F” to throw Ammo Packs, which will automatically resupply ammunition to nearby allied infantry. Whenever you resupply someone, you get a bit of progress towards a Resupply ribbon. 

You will see an ammo icon above an ally if he needs ammunition.

Basic Engineer Tips

Stick with your team! You’re vulnerable on your own, and can’t accomplish much.

Don’t be afraid to fight! Your carbine is an excellent close combat weapon, and remains accurate even while jumping around. 

Watch a video of uncut gameplay.

Heavy Assault

Heavy Assaults are first line soldiers. They can shield themselves to survive things that would kill other infantry, and they carry big guns to unleash hell on any number of enemies and any type of target. Heavy Assault’s job is to take the fight to the enemy and knock their teeth out.

To complete the first tier of Heavy Assault Directives, you have to accomplish two out of these objectives:

Get 15 kills.

Any type of kill will count, as long as you play Heavy Assault, and you’re not in a vehicle. 

Get 3 MAX kills.

By default, Heavy Assaults use LMGs with good damage and large magazines, and they can sustain fire on enemy MAXes. Rocket Launchers are particularly devastating; a direct hit will take roughly 40% of MAX’s health. 

Get 10 Launcher Kills.

Your Rocket Launcher is not very effective against infantry. It will not kill a full health player even on a direct hit, and it deals little splash damage. So focus your efforts on vehicles. Don’t be afraid to fire even if you can’t guarantee a hit, as you carry a lot of spare rockets.

Basic Heavy Assault Tips

Don’t overestimate your launcher. Tanks and Sunderers are heavily armored vehicles, and will require 6-8 rocket hits to destroy. In order to actually kill them, you will need help from your allies. 

Hit tanks from the rear, it will deal double damage.

Don’t forget about your overshield ability. “Press “F” to win” is a meme for a reason. 

Your LMG has terrible hip fire and heavy recoil, so remember to Aim Down Sights and pull the mouse down, unless the enemy is very close.

Keep your sidearm handy. If you get attacked while reloading your LMG or the Rocket Launcher, activate overshields and switch to the sidearm to quickly return fire.

Watch a video of uncut gameplay. Close to the end of the video, I threw myself into a crowd of enemies in order to take control of the Capture Point to prevent enemies from taking the base. We barely managed to save the base in time.