Meet The Pros

For Titanfall we have assembled a team of gamers with an eclectic mix of skills, backgrounds, and professional gaming experience. Together they have put hundreds of hours into Titanfall with the end goal of creating the most complete and comprehensive guide available.

Name: Michael Cavanaugh

Michael has extensive knowledge in competitive FPS gaming and has been competing for the past nine years. Known to pick up any game and become a master at it, Michael’s dedication and drive are key factors behind his gaming success, winning several major professional tournaments in the last five years. Most recently, Michael took first place in a worldwide tournament held by 343 Industries and Virgin Gaming’s Infinity Challenge (Halo 4), winning a 2013 Halo Edition Ford F-150 Raptor. Outside of FPS gaming, Cavanaugh enjoys rock climbing, wake boarding, skydiving and many other action sports. He is also an avid old-school gamer.

Author Acknowledgements

I’d like to give a BIG thanks to everyone at Respawn Entertainment for letting us work on this remarkable game. It has been an honor and so much fun playing Titanfall. I can’t wait to spend many more hours on this game! Thank you Abbie Heppe for teaching me to run on walls and wall jump. Joel Emslie for intriguing me with the many ideas that inspired Titanfall. Ryan “Brockhaurd” Lastimosa for the great games during the Alpha and Beta. Dominic McCarthy for all the insight on the game at the Titanfall event. Game Testers for spending a day gaming with us and teaching us a few new tricks. Thanks to everyone at Prima for an incredible visit. The best welcome ever. #Incredible

Thank you to my family and my beautiful girlfriend Ellen for supporting me. Thank you to all my fans and friends—I wouldn’t be here without any of you.

Name: David Walsh

A true veteran, David enjoyed a successful professional gaming career for ten years, winning more than 30 major tournaments over five different game titles. One of his biggest victories was winning GameStop’s Battlefield 2: Modern Combat tournament in 2005 where he won a Dodge Charger SRT8. In addition to his numerous wins and sponsorships, David popularized the “Claw” grip as a way of holding the Xbox controller. Although he retired from competing in 2012, David is still active in the competitive scene, serving as a tournament commentator. He’s also a member of the board of directors for Gamers Outreach, a charity which donates games and gaming equipment to children’s hospitals and troops overseas. Outside of gaming David enjoys reading and traveling the world.

Author Acknowledgements

I want to thank Prima Games, Electronic Arts, and Respawn Entertainment for the opportunity to work on this guide. I want to thank my family for always supporting me while I follow my dreams. I want to say thank you to Michael Cavanaugh, Steve Herbert, Chris Posthumus, and Zach Wigal; a few close friends of mine who have been there for me during some tough times in my life. Last I want to say thank you to my fans out there—I’m optimistic about the future of gaming and plan to be involved in this field for the rest of my life!

Name: Michael Chaves

Sponsored by Red Bull, Michael “Flamesword” Chaves has been a professional gamer since 2009. A natural leader, Mike found success in 2008 when he created the prestigious Halo team “Status Quo”; where he won several tournaments. Waiting for the next big competitive shooter, Flamesword has joined the OpTic Gaming organization and coached two events for the Greenwall. Now known as the infamous OpTicBeard, Mike enjoys bouldering, Crossfit, biking, and other action sports which keeps his reflexes and hand-eye coordination above the competition. Mike believes in hard work and pursues excellence in everything he does, always striving to better himself and the ones around him.

Author Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Respawn, EA, and Prima Games for allowing me and the team to work on this project. Abbie Heppe for her incredible cooperation and guidance throughout the entire experience. Dom McCarthy I know you must have been incredibly busy, but you my friend are a hero! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to send over the assets we needed, they were a game changer. Mathew Everett, thank you for the invite to the private Titanfall event where we got to meet and game with members of Respawn. Vince Zampella, one word for you, GENIUS!

I want to thank my family and dog “Lucky” for all their love and support, Joe (my mentor) and Gina Pennacchio, Sam and Audrey (it all started with you two), my extended family, my fans from the beginning and new, the Buffalo Brotherhood, and Red Bull for giving me wings to better myself each and everyday.

Name: David Knight

David is a veteran Prima Games author, writing more than 50 guides over the past decade. Specializing in first-person shooters, David jumped at the chance to be part of the Titanfall team. Over the last 12 years, David has written guides for dozens of games including Battlefield 1942, Battlefield 2, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, Shadowrun, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, Medal of Honor (2010), Bulletstorm, Rage, Battlefield 3, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, and Battlefield 4. When he’s not rodeo attacking enemy Titans, David enjoys biking, target shooting, and playing basketball.

Author Acknowledgements

Creating this guide was a true team effort, so there’s many people I’d like to acknowledge. First I’d like to thank our dedicated team of pro gamers, Michael “StrongSide” Cavanaugh, David “Walshy” Walsh, and Michael “Flamesword” Chaves; the long hours paid off! Thanks to Loren “Evil Drew” Gilliland for not only creating our maps, but for providing critical technical assistance. Another special thanks to our team at Prima Games including Paul Giacomotto, Jesse Anderson, Don Tica, and JJ Zingale. Working with Respawn Entertainment was a great experience; a huge thanks to Abbie Heppe for being such an awesome and responsive contact…and for introducing us to Bottle Caps at Blue Dog Beer Tavern.