Spiral Knights - Tips for a recon gunner?

Tips for a recon gunner?

24 replies [Last post]

Sun, 07/24/2016 - 21:14

Milly-Souls

Hey all ( This is just an alt ), Millionsouls here, if you've seen me before in random LD.

I'm looking for tips as a recon, gunner, ld player in general.

I'm sorta inconsistent in terms of damage, like it ranges from 3k damage to 13k dmg ( rarely ). Typically 4.5k to 7.5k
I usually main as a recon, BKC ( not fully heated yet ) and chaos cowl, cryo and magma driver. Don't use trinks really, too concerned with buying PvE related stuff :P . Don't use AT, it's more harmful for me and guns than it is beneficial ( I turned it off when I first started the game :P, it's more fun to aim for myself anyways ).

What I typically try to do is alch-switch to inflict status ailments, mainly freeze, then charge my magma at the guy I'm shooting at ( It typically leaves them on fire, critical health, or dead, or none of the above. ) Just a little bit inconsistent with alch switching sometimes, I seem to be better at it in ld, but not pve ( my controls are wasd, e for attack, space for shield, mouse scroll for switching weaps) .I'm trying to improve my recon strats ( Like when to cloak and where to walk cloaked while surrounded by enemies and whether if I should deathmark or not, it's hard to tell for me when it's most opportune to. )

So what do you guys think? Constructive responses from people who've seen me play and killed me would be helpful, I suppose :P

Sun, 07/24/2016 - 23:50

Timoria

blep

Fire and Freeze can be used together effectively, as I've done similar things in the past, however for the sake of switch-shooting I would suggest replacing one of them with something that doesn't have a tendency to cancel the other.

If I'm recon gunning in the same way, I typically use Umbra with Storm. Another popular choice is dual Storm Drivers if you feel like ruining someone's day. I say go for shock since it removes invincibility frames, which means you can land more hits during the spasms if you switch fast enough.

Recon in general is all about the mindgames, and as such I try not to mark people right away if I'm confident I can land a shot before the fight initiates. Once my presence is known I do what I can to give the death mark before proceeding.

Sometime they run. Sometimes they spazz randomly in an attempt to find me. Either way it works, and both outcomes are generally amusing.

You have a few options with pure alchemers, though this is mainly opinion based on personal experience.

---

1.) Snipe them from off-screen with charges before going in for the kill. Preferably with shock or freeze, something that will interrupt their movement. If it lands and causes a status, then proceed. If it lands and doesn't, cloak and let them flail around for a bit before trying again. Same for if it misses.

2.) Fire a shot and cloak/move away. This is good for starting a fight out with an advantage to you. It works even better if the first hit causes a status, though it's not always necessary. After landing a hit, move away (or closer, depending) and repeat the process. If you get found out feel free to try and switch-shoot them in their face until one of you drops.

3.) Be a hero and immediately walk up to them while cloaked and try unloading everything you own, switch-shooting without remorse.

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I'm a recon, but not really a recon gunner, so take what you will. Good luck.

Mon, 07/25/2016 - 03:51

Lethal-Bunduru

Recon gunner? I mained recon

Recon gunner? I mained recon gunner before, avg. 15-19k dmg (20k+ with flourish hybrid) Here is what I would recommend:

1) Nova driver. Get some asi, and learn to single switch it. ASI Med-High is in about the right range where you can lead shoot at the right frequency to almost stunlock them. You need single switching though for this. The damage far outweighs status, even though it is fun to make loners rage over shocklocking.

2) Flourish, as backup. As a gunner, once a swordie gets all close, you lose your advantage, and you can't cancel hits. A last resort close weapon is good.

3) Third weapon: eiither another alchemer if you haven't mastered single switching, or a blaster (arcana/rift). The blaster will help you outspam other blaster/antigua spammers. Blaster + deathmark is especially potent, since the blaster range is far and dmg is good.

In terms of tactics, move in an unpredictable pattern (switchback very often, as opposed to going in a predictable arc of movement). Most ld players are very linear thinkers, and aren't able to outsmart what they can't see. Use this to bait them into your bullets. After enough practice, it will seem as if the they auto target onto themselves and die, which is exactly what you want. Good luck, and make some ATers rage.

The most enjoyable thing, though, is having a magnus. Charge it up far below the enemy (take advatnage of angle), qnd fire it onto a point of useless AT strikers. The splash, KB, damage, and status combined will destroy them. Then cloak and watch as they run around like headless chickens trying to find you with their AT. Yeah, imma salty old barnacle, I know, but what are old players for?

Mon, 07/25/2016 - 14:12

Wqkipedia

...

I would probably get another gun like a blaster to also switch with. The blaster has a decent amount of knockback as well as decent damage. I would use the alchemer on groups or next to walls as the ricochets will really benefit you. I would use the blaster to have a nice weapon to quickly kill single strikers or to sniff out other recons.

Tactics wise you want to either kill them extremely quickly in order to eliminate any possibility of dying. You can also rely on a storm driver's shock to get an easy opportunity to land some free hits, this way you can either spam it with single switches ( a more reliable way to get shock but easier to get hit) or you can let off a shot, cloak then re-position and repeat (Slower but safer).

Generally if you can, get a few hits off before marking them that would be better. If there is a guard, then deathmark them and wait for them to drop the shield, or you can try to break it with your guns.

Also try to learn behaviors of strikers both in general (i.e. how long on the map their boost lasts) or specific (Mainly if they combo too much). Also learn how many hits it takes to kill a striker and how many hits it takes to kill you. This can really help with deathmarking as you will want to land as many shots as you can while deathmark is active. You won't want to deathmark when they are only one shot away from death, but if they have 60% health it will really help you.

You will generally want to save your cloak whenever you can. You should learn the high traffic areas where you'll need to cloak and try to find other less used routes. If you're being spawncamped then you should use your cloak further into your locker room to avoid being spotted. Also watch the strikers who go out ahead of you and try to judge when they start to lose health, this will give you a very good idea of when to cloak.

Wed, 07/27/2016 - 09:59

Nebrium

...

Try using Riftlocker. I can get 20k+ consistently if I wanted to, just by spamming it lol.

Wed, 07/27/2016 - 17:28

Milly-Souls

Thanks!

Thanks for the advice, guys. :D

For some reason, I just don't enjoy blasters, but I'll definitely get riftlocker. As someone who doesn't use weapon slots or trinket slots, how important are they in LD?

Wed, 07/27/2016 - 18:03

Nebrium

...

Slots aren't that important if you play safe and try not to get hit. Know what you handle and not handle first before picking a fight.

I've played no trinket and weapon slots for months sometimes because I'm too cheap to buy em. I still make average 20k+ any class depending on the games if ppl are bold to go after me. I have a capping tendency and usually is left alone...

Only time you might wish you have slots is when you go striker. Recon and Guard is very generous with health.

Thu, 07/28/2016 - 03:46

Abelisk

Hi, I'm Abelisk a notorious

Hi, I'm Abelisk a notorious alchemer spammer.

If you want damage, alch-switch Nova + Umbra drivers. If the opposing team has a full-on BKC/shadow equipment load out, bring out your status alchemers. Dual storm drivers work well, but if you want a triple threat, use Hail + Storm + Magma driver set, done with purchasing an extra weapon slot.

You can also use dual Nova alchs or dual Umbra alchs in the right situations.

If you wanna play the jack-of-all-trades, alch-switch Magma + Umbra + Storm + Nova, in that order. This can only be achieved with two weapon slots.

A few extra points:

I personally like asi more than adi. Speed > damage. But I prefer asi max and adi max. I personally have asi ultra and damage high. I also have 4* variants of alchemers, since I'm too lazy to go through the trouble of heating them.

ASI max is highly recommended as you can alch-switch very very quickly. The faster you switch the better.

What I like to do is switch my alchemer load out every time I die in Lockdown. This lets the opposing players not know what to expect from me. They even go and change their equipment to have immunity against my guns - then the Umbra driver shines as there are very very little shadow equipment sets that give status immunity sufficiently.

My highest was 19k with dual wielding status alchemers without any swords/bombs.

I feel I could do higher with better gear, 5* gun variants, etc. I personally don't own umbra/nova, but I feel I could do very well with them damage-wise as they are damage hogs.

(Use dual storms for the sake of making people mad)

Enjoy!

P.S. heart pendants are good. Have at least one penta equipped. If your gear already grants you ASI + ADI Max/ultra, then equip two pentas. The more HP the better.

Thu, 07/28/2016 - 09:32

Lethal-Bunduru

@Itsmeanderson I actually

@Itsmeanderson

I actually found that Damage > ASI for guns. I tried gunning with max asi alchemers, got 6k. Switched to shadowsun, got 13k. This was when I first started gunning. I'd go so far as to say too much ASI is bad, because you can outpace the invincitinks and end up leaving yourself vulnerable. Based on experience, I performed best with High ASI alchs and blasters, but med asi is a very close second.

@OP
I never liked blasters either, but you'll bend once you get rekt by AT trash spamming blasters soon enough.

Thu, 07/28/2016 - 12:55

Deleted-Knight

Disclaimer: I'm not much of a gunner

Switching your play style is key. Start with charge shots only. This will quickly lure strikers into chasing you since you are quite vulnerable when charging. You might take a hit or two, but usually you can get them to do a heavy sword combo or hit them with a lucky alchemer charge. That's when you start spamming them with gun switches. One of your guns have to be shock or freeze alchemer and the other one should be something with high damage output.

One fun thing to do with alchemers is to shoot at walls and have the projectiles bounce around, increasing the possibility of hitting someone. The opponent is also less likely to evade if you aren't shooting directly at them.

Recon gunners generally do not fair well when multiple threats are spread out. Usually it's better to go invisible and stall them or assist teammates with your deathmark. Remember you are best equipped to annoy and draw people away from points rather than taking them out quickly. Skilled recons pick their fights wisely.

Some general tips (not just for recon):
- Abuse PoV. You want to aim north more often than aim south.
- Dodge swordsman by sliding around them rather than running away from them or at a right angle.
- Save your dash/hop for when your shield is busted.
- Can't go wrong with pulsar. Obviously don't be a troll about it. However, I think it's totally acceptable to spam some of if it can help your team make a comeback.

Fri, 07/29/2016 - 23:49

#10

Abelisk

@ Lethal: Damage > Speed for

@ Lethal: Damage > Speed for Nova and Umbra, maybe Cryo. Sure. But for invincitink-busting status effects such as shock and fire, speed is important. But this is my opinion, as my biggest goal is to switch as quickly as possible. Dr-Bugos was my biggest fan as she could switch unbelievably fast, to the point where she couldn't aim properly.

I find that by using fire + shock or shock + shock, extremely fast alchemer switching is deadly, because each bullet will deal damage regardless how fast they are emitted. Also, Lockdown players think linearly; although shooting fast at one opponent in Lockdown may yield invincitinks, there are usually more than one opponent the alch-switcher must face, which is where fast switching comes in play..

Many have told me damage is better, but I just can't play without that ASI.

Also, there appears to be some sort of misconception behind alch-switching. There is no fair "limit" to alch-switching, and players seem to have found the "switch ceiling" where it is impossible to switch any faster than that. I personally don't believe in that statement.

Fri, 07/29/2016 - 06:08

#11

Milly-Souls

Thanks for further tips.

I'm somewhat poor atm to buy weapon/trinket slots, but perhaps in the future I will.

More recently I've hit as high as 14k dmg, and somewhere from 7.5k to 10k, so I think I'm definitely improving. 6666 dmg was also seen :P, but I'm definitely getting out of the 3-4k dmg range slowly.

I've still been going with the original setup I listed, but y'all tips helped me out a bit :) .

I've recently acquired a Black Kat Raiment, so should I replace the chaos cloak with it or naw? I know full BKC set would be somewhat great with a sword recon ( Like maybe FF and Hammer ) but I don't usually go out with swords.

And about Gun asi, I have cryo with asi med uv, magma with asi vh uv. I'm pretty consistent with alch switchin, but when it gets a bit laggy, well.... yeah :P.

Sat, 07/30/2016 - 12:05

#12

Wqkipedia

...

Yaa use bkr, get a shock alchemer instead of freeze

Tue, 08/30/2016 - 14:35

#13

Manava

First you need you need to

First you need you need to change shield to X, space is just too far and you will be much slower,and right click for attacking. What you need to do is shoot once with a gun then cloak and switch to the other gun ad shoot again but with freeze fire combo i would prefer you double switching so shoot once with freeze gun then switch 2 times very fast and shot the freeze gun again till you freeze the enemy then charge the magma. Its not very hard to do.

Tue, 08/30/2016 - 15:02

#14

Lethal-Bunduru

@ManavaBoi, are your hands

@Manava

Boi, are your hands 2" across or something? Space bar is perfect. Also, I would recommend fixing your grammar. Your only excuse is if English is not your first language.

Tue, 09/20/2016 - 17:33

#15

Milly-Souls

I'm back!

After a month long vacation, I am back in action! And more recently I've acquired a voltech alchemer ( still heating though ) with asi H UV

Would this sort of set up be OK to use in LD?

BK set, magma driver (VH ASI UV) and storm driver (H ASI UV).

Also, would it be better to use that sort of setup as a recon or a striker? I'm somewhat leaning towards recon because of my experience with the class, and mainly the health gains. Striker's health sorta turns me off, but I can think of some ways it could be better. What do you guys think?

PS Still too poor to buy weapon and trinket slots.

Tue, 09/20/2016 - 23:25

#16

Gianor

Woo Recon~

Glad to see another man stepping up to represent the most underrated class.

Since you already have stellar UVs, you can safely go Recon and maintain ASI Max/Ultra. With both pieces of Black Kat on, you'll already have Damage Max. You can trade off the ASI Med and HP perks of Recon for Striker if you really need the mobility, but if you're crafty enough while invisible, you'll be doing just fine.

I'd recommend your first priority now would be to get trinkets, specifically Penta-Heart Pendants. Since as a Recon you'll already be ASI Max/Ultra with your guns, the extra HP can cause alot of Striker combos to leave you with just enough health and time to recloak and escape, or reengage and hope for a lucky shock. Of course if you go Striker, Pentas are a must have anyway.

Once you have trinkets, you have several options with weapon slots. You can either go for a fast handgun with range like a Blaster or an Antigua to deal with far away fast enemies, or go for something blunt and slower like a Callahan or Winter Grave which can help setup locks alot easier. Of course you can always pick a Flourish if things get too close for comfort, or you just need lots of damage really fast. A flourish can also combo an enemy quickly while shocked for huge damage. For some unorthodox picks, you could make the third weapon an Acheron. I've had great success with Acheron in my recon endeavors as it's lethality drastically increases when it can pop out of nowhere, but its slower and requires a bit more accuracy to connect than a Flourish. I've also been experimenting with putting a Pulsar in the third slot for added mindgames when dancing around strikers, and for extra defense when capping/defending points.

Hope this helps~

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 23:09

#17

Uberer-Alt

Recon guns is the thing that I might do best in LD so I'll throw my tips here.
Full bk is definitely the way to go, you don't need chaos cos charging isnt very good anyway. Abuse your asi to just spam the 2 guns at everything you see. Keep in mind that you are a recon and that you can hide behind that cloak. Just don't do it too much, you want to switch you guns at everything you see

Sun, 10/02/2016 - 19:30

#18

Milly-Souls

Woot, been getting better.

Been getting 10k dmg and above recently. Still no trinks though.

Mon, 10/03/2016 - 08:58

#19

Nebrium

...

The more I think about it... Recon gunning is kind of gimmicky... The only reason u'd want it is for its asi bonus...

Guardian is a better approach, you lure opponents and have a shield that can last.

Recon is an assassin tool to me. Gunning is meant for bruising, not killing...

If you really want damage, I'd go with striker. You'll get a lot more done and will improve on your footwork exponentially.

Tue, 10/04/2016 - 02:39

#20

Tempas

I would also recommend

I would also recommend striker gunning although recon is pretty good for it honestly(my records on both are 31kish damage). The death mark helps you kill enemies in 3-4 umbra shots so I'd abuse that mechanic. I would also not recommend using doubles of one weapon just because of the ease to switch them. Learn how to use single switching so you can use one weapon for switch shooting. I would recommend using a blaster line and a alchemer line (preferably non status ones).

Tue, 10/04/2016 - 09:30

#21

Contri

Yea 31kish but you can't even record 25 for the records thread.

Tue, 10/04/2016 - 09:35

#22

Lethal-Bunduru

Aannddd the braggart gets

Aannddd the braggart gets shut down, by Contri of all people. Ouch.

@Milly-Souls

Max damage, max ASI, single switch. Blaster, Alchemer, and a 3rd gun of your choice. Single switch alchemer in mobs, blaster spam everyone else.

Thu, 10/06/2016 - 18:26

#23

Milly-Souls

Controls!

So for some time now, I've noticed other players switching their weaps almost instantaneously, so much faster than mouse scroll, because weapon bind keys are so much faster! I've been doing it wrong this entire time .Friend of mines suggested that I should bind weapons to w, r, and t. ESDF for movement. Mouse to aim. Space for shield. A for attack .What do you guys think of this? Any suggestions for controls of your own?

Fri, 10/07/2016 - 04:10

#24

Contri

You can use individual keys while you keep using your mouse scroll, use your mouse scroll for weapons 1 and 2, use scroll up for weapon 1 and scroll down for weapon 2 and then choose another key for weapon 3 (I use the space).

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Tips for a recon gunner?