Okay, so I have several handguns and I'm questioning which alchemy paths I should take for each.
Here's the list, followed by each choice. Please, answer which one you think is generally better and why.
Magnus- Callahan or Iron Slug?
Pulsar- Supernova or Polaris?
Callahan - Either that are Blitz needle if you need a pierce gun, Blitz Needle may do more damage but the Callahan IMO is far more flexible, if used right its also fairly decent at PvP while the Blitz is near useless in lockdown. Iron Slug is a glorified blaster, don't use it.
Polaris - I don't have one (yet) so I'm saying this from what I hear, though you should investigate alchemers too unless you just need a gun to pop turrets with
What about the catalyzer? Is it any good? What alchemy path would I take for it?
Also, how good is the Valiance?
it really depends, are you a gunslinger? sword wielder? bomber? or hybrid of those?
if ur a gunslinger, i REALLY suggest get a specialized damage type gun instead, and use the last weapon slot for either a bomb or leviathan for knocking back enemies.
if ur a sword wielder, valiance is good for kitting and have decent damage... but i suggest getting Polaris to gun down those turrets, and it can knockback enemies.
if ur a bomber... i don't really know much about them, but i saw alot of bomber uses polaris for a sidearm, but i dunno, ask a bomber pro!
P.S. Catalyzer aren't really good IMO, you'd rather use a polaris if not going for biohazard, and there's still umbra driver...
So what type of specialized damage gun should I use? Maybe an alchemer? I don't know any other specialized damage type guns other than those...
he means guns that does elemental or shadow or piercing damage.
for piercing damage: blitz needle line or callahan line.
shadow: umbra driver line or biohazard
elemental: alchemer line or polaris line
there are threads that compares the above guns in the same damage group. you should take a look at them, they are really helpful. I've used all of the above lines and i prefer the first gun in each of the groups.
I consider myself to be a pro-gunslinger, have lvl 10 nameless set and working on leveling my deadshot set for FSC (about lvl 6 at the moment)
My rec for pierce: Callahan
I have both Callahan and Blitz Needle, and I must say that, except for FSC the Callahan is a better choice simply due to its (already mentioned) flexibility. The types of enemies vulnerable to pierce tend to be those nasty kinds that won't stay still, like wolvers and devillites. Blitz may work early on but once you get to later Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels I find using the Blitz leaves you flaying around looking silly trying to land a hit on an enemy who keeps teleporting around you, the Callahan's much faster shot is hard for them to dodge and often stuns or knocks them over, leaving them vulnerable to a follow up attack, often you can actually 'juggle' a wolver or even a gremlin to death just by constantly knocking them over.
The reason I say the Blitz is better for FSC is because nearly all enemies there move around at a snails pace, and the Trojan (fiend) is slow enough that you can fully make use of the Blitz's higher DPS, also Vanaduke (he's a fiend, despite whatever the wiki says) is a big fat slow target who will easily absorb every shot you dish out.
For PvP the Blitz is useless unless your enemy is lagging or stupid and runs right at you, even then you will probably get a sword in your face before you can fire your gun. The Callahan is actually pretty decent as you can quickly fire and move, also a lot of people tend to wear less pierce resistant armor (beware of skolver players) and the Callahan can tear a large chunk of health out when it hits.
My rec for shadow: Umbra
Catalyzers are more for special situations rather then general combat, the Umbra is powerful and reliable and will serve well in nearly any situation involving slimes, and gremlins, it also performs rather well against beasts and constructs. You can get a Catalyzer to play with later but I say get the umbra first for your shadow damage needs.
let's not start another callahan vs blitz or biohazard vs umbra or whatever vs whatever in here lol...
I am a full time gunslinger, not gonna be pretentious and say 'pro' or 'master', but I have run every type of t3 strata and all bosses regularly and successfully solo and in groups - I will let those who know me be the judge of my skill.
For general gunslinging you will want:
Slot one - either an elemental alchemer (all are good, hail is probably the weakest in a group but great solo) or Polaris (good solo, bad in groups when expanded shots are used all the time)- my preference: nova driver (mine has construct med, I would prefer ctr)
Slot two - either biohazard or Umbra driver - my preference: biohazard (both guns are pretty even and have their own pros&cons, its really just personal taste here - I like the poison, mine has ctr med)
Slot three - Callahan or blitzneedle - my preference: Callahan (asi med) for the no-dodge factor, except in fsc of course
Slot four - whatever, I recommend a sword and most times use my DA with asi high, but Levi is a solid choice too
For fsc is use:
DA (asi high)
Polaris/alchemer (depending on my mood)
Blitzneedle (ctr high)
Either shivermist or DVS depending on what the group needs
Armourwise I run with a nameless set, both parts with a max fire uv & a grey owlite max shadow, plus of course two elite trueshots (essential to any gunner build if you want respectable dps). I've listed uv's not so much to show off but to show the kind you should aim for (or better, mine aren't perfect) as they all serve practical purpose.
A note on deadshot for FSC - not necessary in my opinion, the lack of ASI is a pain & the undead bonus not really needed - all the shadow damage is easily avoided in fsc - what you need is elemental & fire to combat the envioroment / vanaduke. As gunners get screwed on gear your only choice is to invest in some good uv's for fsc.
@ happyapathy
"Catalyzers are more for special situations rather then general combat"
This statement is, respectfully, total crap - I use my biohazard (including the charge shots) all the time vs slimes & gremlins - it is powerful and reliable and as many discussions on the subject have shown - no better or worse than Umbra Driver.
Let's not get hasty people...
umbra vs biohazard, Both of them good.. Really depends on personal taste. Umbra have bullets that splits on contact and biohazard have poisons and exploding charge atk..
Callahan vs blitz, let's face it.. Blitz only good on FSC and tier 1/2.. Callahan's a good general-purpose pierce gun.
"Don't start a war!" , "Callahan vs blitz, let's face it.. Blitz only good on FSC and tier 1/2"
them's fighting words!
if you want to have wolvers and devils running around harrassing you and ur team, use the callahan. if you want to dispatch alphawolvers and devils quickly, use the blitz.
to everyone who says blitz is only good in fsc and t1/2, please learn how to kill t3 wolvers and T3 devils with a blitz without getting hit
Oaky, so now I'm looking at getting an alchemer, but which one? After hearing Happyapathy, I think that the Umbra Driver could be good, but what about a purely elemental one, like the magma driver (I like the fire status effect.), how good are they?
Somenubcake
How do you use a blitz against wolvers & devilites? I honestly have no idea and fail at doing it well. Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, perhaps you could give me some tips!
Thanks
pretty much only use the charge and knowing the range of the blitz is crucial. the general philosophy to using the blitz is "1 charge, 1 or more kills" (unlike callahan's philosophy of safe and sustained piercing dps)
t3 devilites:
the blitz out range them, use this to ur advantage by keeping good distance away from them (out of their range, while they are still in your range). basically i shield-charge and move away from them. they'll follow and once they are in range i spray them. sometimes they will start throwing stuff at u right when you are about to shoot them. that's ok if you are careful about the distance between yourself and ur target (they won't hit you but you can still hit them. also at the distance that i usually keep myself from them, the blitz charge will spread enough so they won't be able to dodge out of it.
t3 wolvers and alpha wolvers:
don't fire when they are attacking but do fire when they are barking/charging up for/just finished an attack. they won't teleport when they are charging up for an attack. i tend to be pretty close to these wolvers to ensure 1 charge = 1 kill.
abathur made a blitz needle demonstration video against t3 wolvers, check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJtNczQ5zU&t=2m25s
somone recommend my vid *__*
If they charge they sometimes MAY teleport behind u and hit you anyway ... i guess its some buggy thing. Against shock wolver it's deadly.
Blitz vs Calla is an old fight and there is not really a winner. They are both able to kill what they need to, but Blitz is a bit stronger but harder to use, while Callahan sux against everything thats not beast or fiend and it also sux against trojans :o Blitz is still pretty strong against undead (not mewcats) and also together with Callahan they are even better against grems than any shadow weapon :X
I recommend you:
2 weapon build: Callahan + Polaris
3 weapon build: Callahan + Polaris + Biohazard
4 weapon build: Callahan + Polaris + Biohazard (+ Blitz Needle or Nova Driver)
in the end i guess the best is:
Blitz Needle, Polaris, Biohazard and Nova. Polaris is just for turrets, Nova will outdamage (orly) it anywhere else (exspect FSC). Also Polaris is pretty annoying in teamfights, so just use it rarely and never spam it D:
You may add me ingame for demos, got actually 18 guns and i wanna get all :3
Callahan- pierce damage and chance of stun
Polaris- elemental damage and chance of shock