Catalyzer versus Pulsar
So, 01/04/2015 - 18:06
Finally, no more Magnus in these comparisons!
I think the Catalyzer is the best, despite the gunner update, but I got mine after the update, so I perfectly fine. Here are a few reasons:
- You can deal a near infinite amount of damage
- If your party is cooperative, then you can use your gun to spew out lots of damage and knockback
- Easy to get (RT isn't that hard... if you know the proper methods, like me.)
- Better to use in solo
- EXPLOSIONS ARE SATISFYING
However, here are a few disadvantages:
- Doesn't deal direct damage (I don't care)
- More ineffective to use in a party if your group doesn't cooperate
- Big, blue explosion can leave teammates briefly confused
- Takes more time
The disadvantages to me aren't that bad. But the time it takes... I still bring a Blaster or Magnus (<----- THE MAGNUS) along.
What are your opinions? I expect a lot against the Catalyzer family and praises for the Pulsar family.
So, 01/04/2015 - 20:04
#2
Here's my two cents.
Pulsar
Here's my two cents.
Pulsar and catalyzer essentially fill two different roles. Pulsars are sidearms for the most part, and catalyzers are...well, I really couldn't tell you what role it fills. Bomber gun maybe? Burst damage? I dunno. It's pretty different. Here's my pro's and con's.
Catalyzer Pro's:
-Excellent at crowds when used correctly
-Obliterates most things when enough shots are placed
-Good for soloing
-Two different damage types to choose from (normal and shadow)
Catalyzer Con's:
-Highly disruptive to the vision of you and any teammates you might be with
-Terrible for party play, unless you might be playing with other catalyzer users
-Takes time to kills. Not the gun to sue for speedrunning
-No damaging regular atack
Pulsar Pro's:
-Three different damage types to choose from (normal, elemental, and shadow)
-Three different statuses to choose from (freeze, fire, and shock)
-Reliable knockback for the most part.
-Goes well with a large amount of other weapons as a sidearm
Pulsar Con's:
-Damage has been nerfed. Decent, but nothing to brag about, at all
-Crappy charge, for the most part
-Disruptive to the vision of you and teammates
-Terrible as a main weapon
Now, after weighing the options, I would go with a pulsar. More options for damage types and statuses, and it pairs well as a sidearm for a large number of weapons. Granted, catalyzer will always be better for burst damage, but if I need something that deals some damage, keeps enemies at bay, and can actually be used in parties, pulsar will likely always be the better choice.
So, 01/04/2015 - 22:10
#3
I wouldn't recommend Catalyser for trying to make things easier, but I do recommend it for any one to whom it looks fun to use. I'm not clearing rooms as fast as with weapons I'm used to, but it works well enough and I'm enjoying it. I don't know what its role is in practical terms, I haven't yet found something it's ideal for making easier, but it's fun to use.
I'm mostly not even bothering with the combo attack, I prefer to just thump monsters with the charged attack. It's strangely satisfying, I guess mostly because it's so different from the other weapons in the game. The thump seems about the size of an uncharged Autogun burst, but you wind it up beforehand instead of cooling down afterward. The projectile rolls along slowly and hits fairly hard, but with little drama for how hard it hits, which to me makes the gun feel kinda like a blackjack. When fully heated, I can easily keep the thumps rolling fast enough to keep a turret flinchlocked until it's destroyed, and I expect Chaos set to make this weapon even more satisfyingly fast.
Pulsars are discussed at great length by peops who have much more experience with them than I, and I don't think I have anything to add mechanics-wise, but I do have a pet peeve with how the big gun update gave us highly pairable Fire and Freeze variants of the Pulsar rather than the Catalyser, what with the "annihilation of opposites" theme the Catalyser is supposed to be largely about. It could even have been one new weapon instead of two: if there were a Catalyser upgrade with Fire on the uncharged attack and Freeze on the charged attack, (or vice-versa) that would be a must-have item for me. Maybe if that happens, there could also be a Shock one, and both in Shadow damage, so that Catalysers do for Shadow damage something vaguely like what the Alchemers and Brandishes do for Elemental damage.
Mo, 01/05/2015 - 19:00
#4
Menders in Stratum 4 are EXTREMELY annoying.
The subject line says most of it. Here is the remainder:
Gremlin Menders can heal each other when there are two, making it EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY annoying. Now, with the Catalyzer, you can simply just hope you have put enough tags on the mender, and let it blow (It is extremely satisfying to watch them blow... since they are so annoying). If it doesn't kill the mender, REPEAT. Why? Simple. Stratum 4 Menders heal 134 - 137 damage per "point" of the wrench wand.
Di, 01/06/2015 - 06:39
#5
On catalyzer charges
The charges of the catalyzer can work like Magnus line shots in T1, effectively flinchlocking most monsters provided you have enough CTR. In a large enough party with good enough CTR and Aim you could steamroll a floor relatively quickly.
There are lots of strategies that can be applied with catalyzers, the problem is that most require a higher degree of cooperation that most pub players are capable of, and finding a private party who isn't trying to speedgrind CR, Heat, Crystals, etc is also hard.
Most players are capable of recognizing the purpose of a Vortex user but few leave a Catalyzer knight to their selected target.
Di, 01/06/2015 - 17:13
#6
Somewhat Catalyzer
The catalyzer has a lot higher damage per shot (obviously), though as said above, not the fast weapon to use. The thing is, If u have a whole server (4 people) using catalyer, the enemy WOULD be pwn. I personally have both, and it seems that Catalyzer is more of a damage weapon, but Pulsar is a supporty wep as it has the knowckback. Also, catalyzer explosions (when placed 10 or more) laggs out my computer KINDA BAD. xD In my opinion, its VERY situational. Though if u want to take down gremlin healers, take the catalyzer, cause in stratum 6 they are alowed to cast a shield for themselves and they can heal inside, and if u dont kill him in one shot, hes gonna heal himself. Also he can whack u in strat 6.
The Catalyzer (in my opinion) got moved to an equally bad spot.
Before and after the update it had problems with parties, however, prior to the update it still had limited use in even an uncooperative group since you could still spam the regular attack like a slow knockback free blaster.
By switching the detonation attack to the charge you are now forced to use the Gimmick.
________
Pulsars on the other hand are pretty easy to use but more difficult to master. Much like bombs these weapons are used to clump and reposition enemies (into the nearest corner).
The best pulsar so far is the Wildfire since it's status doesn't hinder knockback it makes for a reliable weapon, Polaris is OK, and the Permafroster isn't made to be spammed (rather you fire single shots or charge bullets and prep a sword charge when you get a freeze).