A Bad Crucible Players guide to the Thorn PVP void bounty

I made this post in answer to a question that wasn't asked in a different thread, so I thought I would stick it here to help others in the struggle to complete this part of the Thorn bounty. [b]From someone who improved from being bad at Destiny PVP (0.7 KD) to totally mediocre (0.95)[/b] *edit - just did the bounty on my Hunter on the weekend and took it from 0.64 -> 1.06 in 16 matches* **edit 2 - did the bounty on my Titan and it only took 9 matches [b]PRO TIP:[/b] [i]Certain times of day will be more suitable for you to find success in the Crucible. Like COD and other games, night can bring out vets who can make your quest miserable. You want kids that just got the game and are home from school ideally. This is a pro secret that has been used by YouTube stars for years to get pub-stomping gameplays - shhhh![/i]** I took the Thorn bounty because it forced me to play Crucible; something I avoided because I sucked at and hated it. What I really wanted was that sweet Crucible vendor arc machine gun - Zombie Apocalypse and the bounty gave me a reason to level up my Crucible rank. I was decent at fps like COD where I had an KDR over 1.5 by the end of Ghosts (over 2.0 the last couple of months). The mechanics, lag and super deaths in Destiny infuriated me and I barely played (because COD never has lag). However, I wanted that arc machine gun badly for Nightfalls/ridiculously tough Captain targets and approached it deliberately; equipping [u]void fusion rifle, shotgun, sniper, machine gun and Truth launcher. [/u] If you have [u]Aetheon's Epilogue[/u], equip it and use it, even if you do better with other primaries. If you don't have A.E., I suggest going with a Void fusion rifle that has decent impact and range (like Wizard 77) and use your best primary as a secondary when needed. On most maps, a fusion rifle will kill what is front of you. You need to be always aware of void kills; Warlocks, use Voidwalker and void grenade, Titans, use your void grenade. Armor that reloads special weapons can come in handy there, as will a Titan's Armamentarium or Warlock's Voidfang. Non-Warlocks should hang onto their supers for game objectives or to save your life; remember that a 6-kill blade dance (+0) is less help to the bounty than saving one death (-2). Most people know the drill; +5 for void kill, -2 for any deaths. There is something else in there as well, so these numbers are just simple approximations (all kills being with void weapons): 2.00 KDR - 20 K, 10 D match --> (20x5) - (10x2) = 80 (7 games to complete) 1.00 KDR - 10 K, 10 D match --> (10x5) - (10x2) = 30 (17 games to complete) 0.50 KDR - 10 K, 20 D match --> (10x5) - (20x2) = 10 (50 games to complete) [u]Simple Rule #1: [b]Use the Heavy Ammo[/b][/u] - learn the spots that they spawn and the times to expect them and be in the area to get them. They drop at approximately the 9:00, 6:00 and 3:00 minute timer marks (someone can correct me if this is off). I prefer to use my machine gun over a launcher, because you can potentially get a lot more kills. I make an exception if there is a crucible bounty for launcher kills. The slower firing, heavier damage machine guns work best. Heavy Ammo rules the crucible and will be your best friend. Note: People make 2 mistakes regarding heavy ammo, ignoring it or grabbing it before any teammates can get close. Give them a chance to get near so they can get some too, it will make a difference in the game. You may even want to save a non-void super to protect or steal a heavy ammo drop. [u]Simple Rule #2: [b]Use map appropriate secondary[/b][/u] - a sniper can be great on The Shores of Time but suck at another, closer quarters map that will likely be better approached with a fusion rifle or shotgun. [u]Simple Rule #3: [b]Leave Leroy Jenkins at home aka Camp Your Azzoff[/b][/u] - As a yet to be good crucible player, I like playing Control because of the more predictable spawns. If your team has a flag or two, you don't need to run up and cap a third, because the enemy will spawn on top of you and put you down. Keep the bad guys in front of you and you will die less! [u]Simple Rule #5: [b]Mini-Map![/b][/u] - Always be checking your map so that you know where people are coming from. If you see a red slice appear and you are in an exposed area, you may need to back off so that you can get into a more defensible spot. It could be a group or a single person rushing in to drop their super on you. That mini-map awareness can have you priming your fusion rifle before they pop around the corner. In summary, keep your back to a wall/edge of the map on your side of the map, watch choke points to your flags with the appropriate weapon and [b]camp that heavy ammo! [/b]