Tribes: Ascend Marksman update adds Sentinel gear, 100% inheritance Blinksfusor, Rage tweaks

I think I might start playing Sentinel again in Tribes. Though I was courted away from the sniper class by the speed and glory of the flag-capping Pathfinder, yesterday's Marksman update is wooing me. The patch gives Sentinels the SAP20, a more powerful Phase Rifle variant, a secondary shotgun, and speed-activated mines. I could be in the minority, but I quite like all of them.

Sentinel stuff

The SAP20 rifle sucks up more energy than the original Phase Rifle, but does more max damage than either the Phase or BTX1 rifles. Since I always preferred the BTX1, I'm not used to the Energy constraint, but the power is worth it. I switched my perks to Ultra Capacitor I and II for my new build to compensate.

The Accurized Shotgun deals less damage than the Pathfinder's shotty, but its tightened spread makes it effective at longer ranges. It requires a lot of precision amid the jet-powered close-quarters skirmishes, but it's effective enough that I make a comfortable living chasing slower-moving mammals as they try to trundle off with the flag. Its range keeps surprising me, and I'm a fan even though it may not be objectively better than the Sentinel's other secondaries.

The new Motion Mines pull off a cute trick, only detonating under targets traveling over 120KPH. Experienced flag-cappers are pretty good at clearing the flag stand with their Spinfusor, but the speed traps at least slightly increase the odds of scoring a useful hit - no more big guys stomping all over my stuff. They're also harder to spot than Claymores.

I don't know if this new build will keep me locked into a scope forever, but it's at least renewed my interest for now. And that's all I'll say about it, because I'm probably one of the few talking about the marksman-related updates in the Marksman update.

"100% inheritance"

No, everyone is talking about the Pathfinder's new Blinksfusor and its 100% inheritance. That means that, unlike all other Spinfusor variants, its projectiles inherit 100% of the user's velocity when fired. The others only inherit 50%, giving them an odd, but classic drag which can take a while for new players to get used to. But, of course, now that we're all used to it (and were before Tribes: Ascend), the addition of the Blinksfusor has some baffled. Others see it as more logical than regular spinfusors (yeah, it sort of is), while others yet say, "Eh, whatever. I guess you could use it if you want." I'm with that camp. It felt weird for a bit, but didn't have a noticeable effect on my accuracy. I won't use it.

Rage redone

Also notable is an update to the Rage perk. Rage actives when a flag grab occurs near the player, briefly increasing Energy and reducing player mass to jump-start the chase. With this update, the Rage effect makes players immune to their first self-inflicted damage after it activates, though self-harm also removes the effect. It was a much asked-for adjustment.

There are tons of other tweaks, nerfs, knob-twists, and so on, so have a look at the complete patch notes .

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.