Is the Iron Slug Overpowered?
So, 10/04/2015 - 21:19
Iron slug + ctr max and dmg max...
What enemies can withstand such a crushing blow?
Please, Share with me your ideas and comments :D
-Witelite
Mo, 10/05/2015 - 09:57
#2
The reason its powerful without being too powerful is because of the limitations it comes with, many of which are foreign to other weapon lines-
1. Weak normal shots; huge focus on charge
2. Difficult to aim charge that does nothing when missed
3. Forces the knight to briefly stand still
4. Doesn't fully penetrate many enemies (like trojans)
5. Is often easily out damaged by certain weapons in many situations
6. Crafted at 5*, making it harder to get and heat
Compared to say, acheron/combuster, which are by far the easiest things to compare slug to-
1. Strong normal hits
2. Charge comes with initial hit that does tons of damage and is easy to land
4. Strong normal hits make up for not penetrating many enemies
6. Starts at 3*, ready to crush the jelly kingdom and much much more
(shares other weaknesses)
Which certainly isn't to say that acheron/combuster are strictly better, as acheron/combuster come with their own can of worms, like limited range (especially on their charge-swipe), lack of stun, and arguably lack of normal damage as a "main type".
Really, the balance on Iron Slug is similar to the balance on the alchemers; it's really, really, really good but also requires a good deal of practice and time being put into it and even then isn't going to do everything; just a lot. It can easily become the center piece of your loadout, but you have to really put a lot of stats onto it and possibly invest in weapon/trinket slots as well as UVs before you can see its full potential in action.
Mo, 10/05/2015 - 11:48
#3
data
Ok, so I was curious
Acheron Charge attack Vs Iron slug Charge Attack (fully heated lvl 10)
NOTE: These damage numbers are without any damage modifiers, and where both weapons are against neutral enemies. These numbers are for IDEAL instances where all shots and explosions land on the monster.
Acheron: (against beasts and constructs, NORMAL damage)
Charge sword swipe - 600
explosion - 141 * 5 = 705
Total Damage = 1305
Iron Slug (deals normal always)
Charge Attack - 385 * 7 = 2695
Note: the number of sequential hits on an enemy with the same charge can and will differ. The most hits with 1 charge attack I have seen are in this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mPLuLA0afs
Therefore, If you are in a perfectly Ideal world, and you can land the charge attack on the same enemy 7 times (which is very hard to do consistently on most enemies) then the Iron slug deals more damage than Acheron, but REMEMBER, the Acheron also deals shadow damage, and I think is more reliable vs slimes and gremlins. In real life, the Iron slug usually, in my experience, lands 1-5 hits, assuming you are good at aiming. I also believe the Iron slug is almost useless if you are using normal, non charged attacks.
-Witelite
PS. How can I set a word so if you click on it, it takes you to a webpage. I have no idea how to do this, as I am new to the forums
Mo, 10/05/2015 - 12:01
#4
^
Click "More information about formatting options" below the "post new comment" section. (Right above the "preview post" button)
Or you can click this: More information about formatting options
Mo, 10/05/2015 - 14:32
#5
You got it :P
I rounded these numbers a bit but they're of the correct magnitude which is what really matters-
Iron slug combo: About 2000, possibly much more
Acheron combo: ~1300, ~1600 if effective
When iron slug only hits twice because it's a turret or deadnaut or facing away: 700-1000
When Acheron hits point blank with its charge against those types of things: 800 - 900
Iron slug's biggest thing though (or, one of, anyway) is that it deals normal damage as opposed to shadow with these types of numbers.. whereas voltedge or acheron paired with a vortex fails to hit some combination of gremlins and fiends, iron slug will always deal the same reliable normal damage. A lot of times this doesn't matter, like in compound C42 where ~100% of the monsters are weak to shadow. A handful of rather important times that we should pay mind to this matters a lot.
Mi, 10/07/2015 - 01:13
#6
Have you tried using an Iron Slug on vortexed enemies while under the stacked influence of Attack Up drops and the Drakon's Attack Up buff? It's absolutely insane. We're talking 500+ damage per tick for 6,000 or more total damage depending on the position and number of enemies, and that's without any equipped damage bonuses.
Do, 10/08/2015 - 09:46
#7
^
Not too hard to pull off with a Maskeraith's Deadly Cloak instead, which is by all means easier to do as you can just charge straight out of the cloak animation with no concern for aiming the firestorm. If you time it properly, which is necessary with CTR Max at least (haven't tried lower, OP UVs are OP), you can flash the charge and basically kill an entire crowd in an instant.
Sa, 10/10/2015 - 12:49
#8
↓
I'll also add the interrupt potential of the slug on normal shots. Works great for spookats.
So, 10/11/2015 - 21:58
#9
Not too hard to pull off with a Maskeraith's Deadly Cloak instead, which is by all means easier to do
Except it only affects one person. Drakon's ability affects your whole team
I'll also add the interrupt potential of the slug on normal shots. Works great for spookats.
And effing awesome for turrets. Bang-bang in a party, turret can't do crap all. And it only takes one shot to stagger a turret when you're solo. This is a lifesaver when a Rocket puppy shows up out of nowhere, or god forbid, 8. You can hole up in a corner on the rocket puppy wave of an arena and alternate your shots between the two puppies that have seen you, then just clear the rest one by one, without a single rocket having been fired.
Mo, 10/12/2015 - 16:59
#10
Drakon's attack buff is only a 10% buff while maskeraith gives 30% while cloaked and 40% for a couple seconds afterward. Optimally, you'll drop a couple of damage bombs (dark retribution) before using it, then pop up behind a mender or deadnaut and wreck havoc.
I'll also add that the interrupt can be finicky and unreliable, in addition to not dealing enough damage to warrant serious use beyond finishing off that one last slag or toxigel. This makes it very useful, but more of a compliment to the charge and your other weapons than a main feature, as demonstrated by the number of people using slug seriously before it received a buff.
Mo, 10/12/2015 - 18:45
#11
↓
I'd have to check, but I thought maskeraith was 20% (for both during and post cloak). Honestly, I've never checked the boost while cloaked.
I'll also note that upon the cloak ending, it removes all boosts including boost pickups.
Mo, 10/12/2015 - 21:03
#12
I'll also add that the interrupt can be finicky and unreliable
Of course, it depends what enemies, difficulty, and depth. However, I guarantee you all turrets (except for depth 28 with a full party on elite) will be staggered using two slug rounds. (I don't know what depth you lose the ability to single-shot stagger enemies on solo because I don't play solo very often)
This was a big debate after the gunner update buffed Iron Slug. Some players commented that Iron Slug was the only weapon you needed for the entire game.
(I even created a knight to test that idea. The knight would have no weapons above 3-star except Iron Slug. I lost interest around the transition to 5 stars. Maybe I'll resume it, now that Radiants are more common.)
There are dodgy enemies that cannot be hit reliably with magnus-style charges. Other than that, magnus-style charges are certainly pretty potent.