Spiral Knights - Gunslinging

Gunslinging

23 replies [Last post]

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 14:00

The-Hot-Spitta

Ok I now have enough financial stability to become a gunslinger.

1. Is Nameless set, Grey Owlite, Callahan, Polaris, Umbra Driver a good slinger set? I have a haildriver but since I already have an Umbra Driver I was thinking of changing it up a bit so I got a pulsar and am thinking of upgrading it to a Polaris.

2. What exactly is the role of a gunslinger? Surely it isn't to deal out raw damage, but specialized damage. To me it seems gunslingers are strictly at a support role, like a medic. To me a good gunslinger doesn't lose too much health and can revive swordies when necessary. Do I have this right?

3. Where exactly are gunslingers the most useful (levels, tiers, against which enemies, etc.)?

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 14:29

Cl0wnBaby

Legacy Username

Don't take my word for it....

I too at one point was thinking of becoming a gunslinger but that day hasn't come yet that I can craft the gear for a UV.
That being said I think the Nameless set is the best one to got for and looks cool too. As for shields Grey will work but you're gonna want a few shields to interchange with whatever stratum you're on but grey does kinda cover all your bases. As for the pulsar, learn proper usage before getting it, and one thing I think every gunslinger should have is an antigua line gun. I don't care what anyone says its hands down the best underrated gun in the game, and if you're a gunslinger its like your first weapon to have. Its your sword for lack of better comparison.
As for your role, ranged support. Use pulsar to kill puppies that swordies otherwise can't get to quickly or to wrangle groups. But consider your spot behind everyone else shooting everything except mecha knights. Also you get to take the agro from trojans every time, at least you should.
Finally, a blitz needle or plague needle is a good consideration..... but don't take my word for it

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 14:36

Liltonyabc

Legacy Username

Gunslinging

A general weapon set for a gunner is

1.polaris
2.callahan
3.bio/umbra

the blitz needle is great for FSC but wont help you in other levels
and please dont buy an AP its the best way to reduce the already low dmg of a gunslinger

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 14:52

634R6R1ND

Legacy Username

Gunslinging

As a perenial gunslinger, I can fully endorse the Polaris line. Also, I've tried both Nameless and Deadshot, and I prefer Nameless hands down.

As a gunner, the role of medic does come naturally. Using knockback weaponry allows you to deal with angry mobs very well. Autogun variants do wonders for keeping back monsters that are prone to dash, and you can take a needlegun and hold off a dozen gremlins at a time.

If you're looking to maximize DPS, just aim for large groups and make use of your damage bonuses. Your distance will give you plenty of time to cycle weapons.

Stay clear of Alchemers. They all suck. All of them. Two shots isn't enough, and they don't have any damage behind them. Any remotely viable status effect is pointless in the face of the absolute damage output of your melee bretheren.

And good luck PVPing at all. At T3 you have to be some sort of Gundam to avoid being murded right off the bat. Basically your range advantage is nullified completely by strikers, and nothing you use will be able to break their shield fast enough to slow them down. In addition between the slowdown Gunners suffer while firing, and the fact that you actually speed up when you use most sword combos, you'll be lucky to hit anything let alone, blow through enought health to earn a kill.

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 15:08

damon180

Legacy Username

Here's my setup. Shadowsun

Here's my setup.

Shadowsun helm and armor
Two 5* charge trinkets
Grey Owlite Shield
Volcanic Pepperbox
Callahan
Umbra Driver
Nova Driver

Hail Driver (swap with volcanic during PvP).

Before the charge trinkets, i would use 1 shot at a time with the alchemers. I could solo any level any stratum, and am still usually the last one alive during the danger rooms and last level of t3 arenas. It depends on how good you get as a player at avoiding being hit.

During pvp i use charge attacks a lot. Freezing people with the hail driver lets you just charge, walk behind them, and execute. Dash is your best option for this. Otherwise i equip callahan and go invisible - partnering with a swordsmen to have them as bait while i surprise their opponent. Does great damage for single shots.
With the charge shots i often end up out damaging my fellow players in pvp. Depends on your style though. Without the option of shield bumping in pvp, being a single shot gunner with improved attack speed would seem pretty impossible since you can die in a 2 hit combo from a GF. I personally dislike the polaris, since it knocks everything around way too much (which disrupts your teammates), but that's your call.
Just wanted to give ya some ideas :)

Blueflood

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 15:37

634R6R1ND

Legacy Username

That's great!

But how are you managing to hit with such slow projectiles? With DA and autoaim I still have a terrible time simply hitting people.

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 18:00

Poopsie

eh...

In pvp, I love to be a polaris nub. It's a tool to shoo those cats out of Control Point.

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 18:30

damon180

Legacy Username

The charge shot i usually

The charge shot i usually start spraying before I'm anywhere near the control point. For monsters it's pretty easy to gauge where they're going to be for the central blast. If you have trouble, turn autoaim off like a lot of us do so you can predict where the target is going to be rather then have it just lock on where they are.

Blueflood

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 18:46

Blue-Asylum

I'm mostly a gunslinger using

I'm mostly a gunslinger using mostly the Hail driver and the Umbra driver. The alchemer series has to be understood to be used well. Each shot has the chance to fling additional shots, aiming those into crowds can really make these guns destroy. The Hail driver is great for elemental damage and freezing enemies allowing for better mob control. The Umbra driver is pure shadow damage which is great for Jellies and Gremlins, and does more dmg overall than the status effect alchemers.
While the Hail driver is still my favorite gun, it may get replaced by the Polaris which is a lot of fun.

With some speed and damage boosts (Swiftstrike shield and trinkets) guns turn into flying death. The main advantage is that getting hit becomes an accident rather than something expected.

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 18:55

Speetz131

Legacy Username

@634R...

I agree with that guy completely. I'm a swords man now but respect the guns, as I kinda wanna use them in PvP... But yeah, I got 2 Alchemers to Drivers and don't use them. They suck, at least in comparison to other guns, later on in the tiers.

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 19:53

#10

Afoxi

Legacy Username

My General Purpose

My General Purpose Gunslinging Set, used anywhere with one or two changes except IMF.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/247623/Screenshot_Captor_Directory/Capture110917...

Gunslinger outfit not really required IMHO, i now do my gunning in Valkyrie/Dragonscale.

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 22:13

#11

Goldmaker

No love for the Nova driver ?

No love for the Nova driver ? does the same dmg than a levi/umbra driver =( even more than a pulsar explosive shot.

OK, Ok its only dmg without status but its awsome.

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 23:10

#12

Afoxi

Legacy Username

The Heavy Drivers can be

The Heavy Drivers can be manually aimed to explode multiple times on a single target quite reliably. 300+200+200 on a slag walker in FSC every few seconds with Nova Driver is quite common.

There was one rare occasion where i managed 300+200+200+200+200 but I think that was lag/luck, because i've never managed to do it again.

Sat, 09/17/2011 - 02:11

#13

BiggestLoser

Legacy Username

Zelda

#12 just aim for the straight center, having to aim in order to land multiple hits is a bad rumor..i also use umbra n nova

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 03:58

#14

Afoxi

Legacy Username

#13 if i posted video

#13 if i posted video evidence of me doing it multiple times would you believe it?

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 04:17

#15

Dirt

Legacy Username

Please, for the sake of your

Please, for the sake of your bomb- and sword-using party members: do not use the Pulsar while they are in direct combat. Thanks in advance.

My gunner loadout, when I'm feeling snipy.

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 04:23

#16

Silent-Echoes

Prisma Driver and Umbra

Prisma Driver and Umbra Driver are great. The other alchemers aren't so good though, Hail can have it's odd use for removing specific targets from a group with ice and Magma can make up for its lacking dps with fire somewhat, but their dps as a whole is too lower compare to Prisma/Polaris. Essentially your gunning loadout should be;

Pierce
Callahan / Blitz Needle

Elemental
Polaris / Prisma Driver

Shadow
Umbra Driver / Biohazard

I wouldn't bother with a normal gun where pure gunslinging, but if you do want one the Supernova or Valiance are your only choices more or less.

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 08:35

#17

damon180

Legacy Username

gun swapping

If you aim above the head of the enemy or to the side, your chances of landing multiple hits with the charge shot increase. I agree that with the trinkets, it seems that gunslinger armor really isn't necessary. I started changing my armor shortly after they were released, but stopped when i just wanted to do more damage with guns rather then having more defense - hence the shadowsun series.
Prisma is great for construct (mine has UV + dmg very high to construct, i can 1-charge shot turrets with 3 or less people in party).
Pvp people seem to have less shadow defense, so I mainly use just Umbra.. and Callahan for picking them off. Just be smart with your gun selection. Like you're going into the clockworks, see what they have equipped, and use the appropriate gun.
Vailance is pretty useless in Pvp, since just about everyone has good normal defense.

Blueflood

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 09:29

#18

Akher

- swagg swagg

Go for the Mercurial Gunlisnger.
(since the speed will let you dodge and make you move fast)

- Mercurial Set
Elite Trueshot Module (x2)
(the shield is based on ocations, Try to have the best 5* shields, also try to have Swiftstrike Buckler, it will slightly replace that ASI for High)
Guns

Elemental:
- Storm Driver / Hail Driver (Hail Driver is in special ocations, good for Lockdown)

Piercing:
- Callahan / Argent Peacemaker (Callahan is preferable)

Shadow:
- Umbra Driver (Biohazard is slow and i see no good in it since you will be suing it for Slimes (easy to kill) and Gremlins (they dodge normally))

(as a forth slot i try to have a Normal Damage gun or a Secondary Elemental Gun (Hail Driver))

Normal:
Valiance / Supernova (i dont really like supernova since it will break the mobs)

Always try to be moving, you dont want them to get close since shooting is not about that.

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 12:06

#19

Blue-Asylum

The Mercurial set is an

The Mercurial set is an interesting idea. Right now I have maxed ASI partly because it allows me to be more agile and mobility seems to be the key with gunning. While I have a couple 4* and 5* shields I always end up using the swiftstrike shield because the ASI is more important than a good shield.

The standard gun is pointless, I started going down that line just to check it out and while it becomes useable it's damage and lack of anything special sinks it.

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 12:44

#20

Feedmefire

...

Any gunner that claims that a Polaris is better than a Storm/Hail Driver is doing it wrong. If you want to be that idiot who just stands back and clicks furiously while the mob gets pushed everywhere, go for a Polaris. If you like actually helping your teammates by jumping into the middle of the mob and obliterating everything from the inside out with your ricochet, get an Alchemer.

Callahan over Blitz, no questions asked. Blitz is ONLY better at Vana and v. Trojans. You're not a gunner without a Callahan.

Also, I'd say Sentenza over Bio/Umbra-- it's much better for Goblins, and Jellies are easy to kill anyway. I should mention that Bio is terribad v Goblins, though, even though it destroys Jellies. That's just my preference, though.

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 13:00

#21

Blue-Asylum

Going beyond the talk of gear

Going beyond the talk of gear is technique.

While some bad guys are obvious, like stay away from the Lumbers big club and shoot away (freeze is great for this, especially getting a whole pack stuck together) others not as much.
Electrodes - their eye beam is stopped by any sort of ledge or incline, so firing behind one is always smart.
Mecha knight -The slow down caused by firing guns can keep you from running away from their charged attack, so something it's better to run than shoot. Shoot one shot to raise their shields, then two or three more after the shield drops to do damage. The shield has the bonus of freezing them in place and stopping the early part of their attack. Careful not to cause knights to shield as a sworder is using a charged attack as they will block it.

Sun, 09/18/2011 - 13:31

#22

jooozek

Legacy Username

If you are going to recommend

If you are going to recommend the Mercurial set record a video of the movement bonus from it because from what i've heard so far everyone was saying that speed increase is unnoticeable and you are telling people to waste over 2000CE just to see if you are right and i'm sure you are just biased and justifying your craft.

Mon, 09/19/2011 - 06:11

#23

Twiddle

Armor: Get the Deadshot set,

Armor: Get the Deadshot set, Justifier set, and the Nameless set. Get all three. Each guards against a different element.

Shields: Get one 5* shield to defend against each type of special damage. Grey ouwlite shields used to be overpowered because 99% of the time you would be blocking gun puppy fire and gun puppies deal elemental damage. But now there are howlitzers and polyps in the game so you will be blocking piercing and shadow bullets as well. So the grey owlite is no longer as powerful as it was. Even so, the grey owlite is a good shield.

Guns: As a gunner, I prefer mobility over power. For pure gun specialists, I would get either two alchemers (shadowtech and one more of your choice,) or an alchemer/antigua combo. These guns allow you to move while firing. Weapons from the pulsar line work well, but are a bit unwieldy and require skill to use properly.

The Magnus and Callahan lines are good but slightly dangerous to use as you stand still when you fire them. Autoguns are a poor choice as they force you to stand still for 2 seconds every time you fire them. This is no big deal in Tier 1, but it becomes a massive handicap in Tiers 2 and 3.

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