As a result the Magrider relies very much on its secondary weapon and gunner for survival and dealing damage. To make matters worse the rear hitbox on the Magrider is vertically the largest of any MBT, making it easier to hit from a distance and from the air. The tank itself also rotates very slowly, slower then the turrets on any other MBT, if a Magrider is caught from behind it has a greater chance of dying then any other MBT. The main gun is also mounted distressingly low on the frame, while this means it impedes your view very little it also makes chest high walls into one of your worst enemies and makes shooting over small inclines nearly impossible. It pays a great price for all these unique traits though, its main gun is spinally mounted and can only move up and down. It also has an afterburner you can buy for 192 cert points, which allows it to reach speeds unrivaled by another land vehicle for brief period, making it even more evasive. The Magrider is easily the most unique of the three it hovers and can (eventually) reach any location, it can also strafe from side to side, letting it dart from rock to rock and evade rockets, tank shells, and the swearing of frustrated enemy Heavy Assaults or bombard enemies from hard to reach locations. The three faction MBTs have an interesting relationship, not quite rock-paper-scissors, but each clearly excels in a small set of circumstances and will easily triumph over the other two in them.
However, tanks can still have an incredible effect, their main guns deal significant damage to infantry, hostile vehicles, and allow the driver to quickly move with a lot of firepower.
Planetside 2 is fundamentally a game about infantry combat brutal meatgrinders where you can spend half an hour securing a stairwell or half of a hill.