Your gameplay revolves around hit-and-run attacks. You pounce isolated marines, shred them with quick strikes, and get out before backup arrives. If you get caught face-to-face with multiple enemies, you lose. Lurkers excel when they control the fight’s terms, never when trapped in a slugfest. You’re not built to tank hits or hold ground, you are pure burst damage and mobility.
Your opening moves should be fast and brutal. Pounce, slash until just before your victim gets up, then disappear into vents or cover. You should be able to easily get off 4 hits if you pounce a marine, six even if you use Crippling Strike to cooldown cancel, bonus points if you finish it with a tail stab just after your victim gets up. Harass relentlessly; make marines paranoid and force them to split attention. Use terrain and shadows, not just your cloak, because your stealth isn’t perfect.
Slash cooldown cancelling with Crippling Strike lets you reset your slash cooldown by hitting a target with your slash attack and then activating Crippling Strike. Instead of waiting between slashes, you can chain two attacks rapidly, dealing big burst damage. Just make sure your slash actually hits the enemy, if you miss, the cooldown won’t reset.
Don’t waste time sitting cloaked waiting for the perfect moment. Move constantly, strike unpredictably, and stay unpredictable. Know your enemies: flamers will burn you to a crisp, so avoid them like the plague. Smartgunners can burst you down if you’re sloppy, bait their shots and punish when they reload. Shotgunners require split-second timing; don’t run straight at them. Medics are priority kills; no healing, no fight.
If you’re not getting called a rat bastard in deadchat, you’re probably doing it wrong. Lurking is about being hated and feared for your lethal efficiency