How many hackers should you have?

I find Hunzakuts +Barid(s) combo sufficent.

 

It really depends on your Meta and the Mission. I almost always take an Al Hawwa with AHD, because she can be Mid-Field at the begining of the game and do objectives.

In my meta and for most missions, one has been enough.

 

I like Barid + Rafiq + Hunzakut and maybe a khd. If I bring a khd, I usually go with the Barid, but Leila is more well rounded.

That’s just me though. I think the big thing is mission and opponent. Your personal play style will probably have a large impact on the exact number/composition.

One thing about AHDs though:

They can be at a big disadvantage against khds, which are all over the game right now. That said, I’ve never had a hacker killed by a khd. Not once.

 

From my experience, KHD are way less scary than they are thought to be. Still, if someone has a decent Repeater network and especially does use KHD as support to other Hacker, that can be nasty.

My last game (Corregidor actually, not Haqq) I had two Hackers (HD & Camo Infiltrating KHD), and three Repeaters (two on Infiltrating troops, one on an offensive REM, able to shoot Pitchers too). The opponent was Onyx, so quite a few juicy, hackable targets.

HD managed to IMM-1 an enemy REM (2nd Order), so one of the Infiltrators could peek around the corner and shoot it safely, after neutralising enemy Sniper just behind the REM.
The KHD got jumped by an enemy AD, and despite vigorous defence, was made out-of-play.
The assault REM moved forward, shot a Pitcher, and that allowed the HD to IMM-1 the enemy TR HMG REM (again, spent 2 Orders doing that). The TR REM then neutralised the TR HMG bot.

Enemy HD+ used his Cybermask to jump the assault REM. While my defensive Suppression Fire failed, my HD was able to Wound the HD+. In my following turn, she used the nearby Pitcher-deployed Repeater to claim range on enemy HD+, and fry his brain.

She then tried to ARO IMM-1 one more enemy REM, but failed.

And that was Nomads, with thier excellent Repeater network...,

 

I'm experimenting with a list for Deadly Dance (Qapu). I have one AHD(Al Hawwa), one KHD(Leila), one HD(Alguacil), with 2 fanous, a Rafiq and a... a... that Rem that has Smart Missile Launcher.

Since I'm not taking TAGs to the party, I'll make sure my opponent can't either. Or at least that's the idea.

 

In my meta its all in or none. Just having one or two is either easy kill for the opponent that went all in or a waste for the opponent that didnt. I like the AH Tureig, to camo offers a lot of protection against killer hackers

 

As a Nomad player, I look at Haqq feel a touch jealous about the combination of Leila + Al Hawwa + (1 or 2) Hunzakut FO (for the Dep Reps) for general Hacking. The great benefit of those three profiles is they're awesome even if you never use their hacking options; so you don't really notice the additional cost of the (X)HDs.

That being said: a single Camo'd AHD is more than sufficient if you're primarily using it as a button pusher / occasional HI/TAG headache. You'll just have to be cautious around enemy (in particular Nomad) Camo markers (based on the Nomad forum list suggestions - so YMMV - the most common Nomad Camo+Infiltrate specialist is a KHD).

Also remember that Mutts are ridiculously good at dealing with KHDs. Isolated turns off their KHD, eliminating them as a hacking threat to your AHD.

 

Fully agree with everything said in this thread. The Hawwa is an awesome unit and can be deadly effective.

 

My default is 2. But I sometimes vary. If I'm playing a remote heavy or a tag list I'll add an extra KHD. If my list is purely LI I may drop to 0 to remove all targets for his hackers.

For a while I was playing DBS (druze sectoral) with lots of remotes and I had to try and go against Nomads. At first I tried upping my KHD to attack the threats, but it just became easier to remove all the remotes and hackers to give them less targets. Intruder are imbalanced if you only attack them by hacking, especially with DBS hacking options. I'm back to Haqq now. Until DBS gets more options, I'm shelving them, and I don't feel like going Ikari.

 

@inane.imp 's advice is excellent (as usual). If you only rock one hacker, have it be a camo AHD. A KHD that doesn't cost much to be there is also useful. When you start fielding regular HDs though, always have a helper HD aorund (AHD or KHD), in my experience. Unsupported normal HDs in a linkteam are asking to get picked off as a way to weaken the linkteam when their ARO fire cannot be challenged directly.

 

I personally prefer in Haqq to go with KHDs and AHDs. The regular HD has supportware, but I don't typically find myself drawn to fielding shooty REMs in Haqq that often due to the lack of assault REMs that PanO, Yu Jing and Nomads have. Similarly, the EVO Hacker is a buffer for if you take lots of Hackers, Drop Troopers and REMs, and again that's not really my Haqq playstyle, though I have experimented with an EVO Hacker and max AVA Yuan Yuans before in QK! I have also considered taking Leila, Druze and Barid KHDs and coordinated order-ing them into Cybermask with an EVO Hacker buuuut I dunno if it's worth it. Probably not, just gimmick-y.

KHDs and AHDs are very strong offensive options though, and Haqq has some really good options for them. Notably the Barid, the Al'Hawwa, the Tuareg, Leila Sharif and actually the Govad KHD is extremely nasty if you use them right. Druze too, if you take a link; SSL2 on a KHD and an AHD is very capable! But if I take an AHD, I allllways take a KHD to protect them. Besides KHDs are just so lethal!

 

As I’ve said before, I agree with what’s been said in this thread. It’s solid advice. I will, however, say that I have fielded a single Barid HD many times. He can immobilize HI and buff a Rafiq (my favorite REM in Haqqislam) from safety using his pitchers. At the same time, I don’t worry about him getting killed, and here’s why:

The Barid is a common Lt. In vanilla, and my meta is aware of this. I often put him in a good spot to lob repeaters and have semi-secure cover. I often tag a Ghulam or naffatun along to sell the lie.

While doing this, I make sure it’s a little bit easier to reach the Barid than my actual Lt. Once my opponent has committed to assassination of the Hacker, it is often too late to find or reach my real Lt.

*note that a khd is the most likely to attempt assassination. I place my repeaters in areas that will likely expose them on the approach. This creates a simple trap for any trying to hunt the hacker down.

Haqqislam is very good at making your opponent waste orders with these decoy games. I often win games because of wasteful orders.

 

Quick question then (since everyone in Rules section is sick of "Hackable + Holo" question by now): how does it work? On his active turn, when will opponent see that your trooper is not actually hackable? Will it happen during resolution when he has already attempted an attack, or some time earlier?

 

As many have stated before, Vanilla Haqq has zero attack REMs nor big AVA to justify the inclusion of an EVO HD. Nonetheless, Rafiq & Fanous are almost a staple on every list I play. Even when I do include a Shihab, I rarely include a HD to buff them, nor an engineer. I know the power of a Rafiq LSG + MMLv2, but those are points and SWC best spent in other troops.

I've tried the Barid Lt. + Farzan CoC when I want to splice the things a bit, but again I prefer to run other things instead.

So yeah, you can survive fairly well with just a Hawwa AHD and/or Barid KHD (assuming you are already running a hunzakut) just to check the avance of a TAG/HI (Looking at you, SuJian) and to do the Sabotage classified. Marker state makes him a fairly durable piece who packs a BSG for good close-quarters defense.

I think that the synergy between Hunzakut repeaters and Lsg bot compels you to take at least one hacker, but maybe you can manage without any.

Haqim-wise, doesn't hurt bringing a HD who can protect your HI you're already investing into. But bear in mind, very few people will bring an AHD vs Haqqislam, so you can cut it too.

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