A small little guide on how to effectively use the LAV-25A1 and M1A1 Abrams based off my experiences using these vehicles. This is more tailor made for 64 v 64 servers and your experience on 127 v 127 or 32 v 32 may differ entirely.
How to Use the LAV-25A1 and M1A1 Abrams
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Introduction
So you want to try your hand at using the BTR/LAV or the T-90/M1A1. When in the hands of the right person, these vehicles can absolutely break an enemy advance or be the entire reason your team manages to steamroll the other team. While I am by no means an armored vehicle expert, I do happen to use the LAV-25A1 or the M1A1 quite often.
I’ll mostly be referring to the US team’s vehicles for this guide but keep in mind that both vehicles on either team have the same features and capabilities and this extends to each option.
LAV-25A1
The LAV-25A1 has 9 seats, 8 of which have no weapons or utility and are just simply there for transporting players. It’s great for moving a full squad around the map and quickly assaulting objectives while providing greater protection than the humvee. Seat #1 controls the LAV’s movement and primary weapon – the 25mm cannon. The 25mm cannon is a relatively good anti-infantry weapon, usually taking about 3-4 hits to kill a player and it has splash damage.
The main gun is also capable of knocking down walls and cover, which is very good if you’re getting hit by pesky RPGs in a highrise apartment building. The LAV-25 is best used in hit & run moves because of its faster speed and lighter armor, taking 3 hits from a RPG-7 HEAT or 1-2 hits from a RPG-7 Tandem. C4 is an instant one kill so it’s best you don’t put yourself in positions where enemy players can sneak up on you. All it takes is one lucky move and you’re done for.
Unlike the other ground vehicles, the LAV-25 & BTR-92 are also amphibious, meaning they can drive in water. This is a CRUCIAL feature as you can also shoot while in water which puts you at an advantage because infantry cannot. This is incredibly useful on water dominant maps like Isle where you can assault objectives from the water and not have to worry about some lucky hit with C4.
M1A1 Abrams
The M1A1, unlike the LAV, is a 3 seater. Seat #1 controls the movement, main 120mm gun & a coaxial .50 cal machine gun. You get 16 AP (Armor Penetrating) and 16 HE (High Explosive) shells. The AP shells are perfect for taking out other tanks or quickly taking out lighter armored vehicles like BTRs or Gaz Tigers. HE comes in handy for dealing with groups of infantry, demolishing buildings or lighter vehicles like Gaz Tigers or helicopters if you can score a lucky hit. Seat #2 has no weapons of its own but instead has a thermal imager and the ability to spot. While this seat may not be as exciting, it’s still a necessary part of the tank and a good spotter can make all the difference. Just know that if you’re in seat #2, the driver and machine gunner don’t have thermals so be careful and specific about your call outs. Seat #3 controls a simple 7.62 machine gun with 400 rounds. This is great for keeping enemy infantry off your back and when I’m in #3, I like to keep the machine gun pointed at the tank just in case someone tries to rush the tank or watch rooftops. This will often come in handy and you’ll help keep you and your crew alive by doing this.
Conclusion
I should also add that you should AVOID using these vehicles on night maps. There’s no headlights and you cannot access your night vision or any low light imaging options unless you’re in the M1A1’s #2 seat. This puts you at a huge disadvantage because you can’t really see anything while enemy infantry can see you and sneak up on you a lot more easily. If you do decide to use an armored vehicle on a night map, I recommend the LAV. The autocannon can act as a bit of a light source when you shoot but I don’t recommend doing that as you’ll waste ammo. Just save your rounds for the enemy and you’ll be okay.
Always stick to cover when you can. Don’t use buildings or treelines as cover as there’s not enough visibility and there’s plenty of hidden spaces for infantry to hide and ambush you. Instead, stick to cover that can’t be destroyed like hills or rocks or even a bunker. But as always, just be careful so infantry doesn’t sneak up on you.
What’s absolutely key with the LAV-25, as with the tanks and its Russian counterpart, is to stay away from buildings or trees if you can help it. Players often love to hide in whatever cover they’re in, see a vehicle going by and rush it with C4. And if you’re like me, you’ve seen how ♥♥♥ OP C4 is and have been on the receiving end of it many times. It’s not fun and even at full health in a LAV-25, you’re getting one shot by C4. Stick to open fields or better yet, stick with your team since they can kill anyone trying to bum rush you.
So there’s my advice on how to use armored vehicles in BattleBit. I’m guilty of not following all this myself but when you do it can really change the match up for better or for worse. This guide may not be accurate in a month or two depending on whether or not the devs rebalance explosives or vehicles. Personally, I’d like to see the vehicles’ armor and how explosives interact with them redone but that’s a discussion for another time.
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