I play T3 Lockdown as a recon gunner and I do pretty well, probably about as well as a recon gunner who doesn't gun switch could hope to do. I'm interested to find out what T2 Lockdown is like, but my impression is that recon gunning is even less viable there than in T3 (to the point of unplayability). Is that impression correct, or are there any tricks to overcoming guns' lack of damage output?
Recon gunning in T2 Lockdown
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 14:14
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 16:18
#2
That doesn't sound too
That doesn't sound too promising since my preferred style is pure recon gunning. I will look into getting a heavy sword and trying to go mixed, but if that's the best I can manage I'll probably just stick to T3.
I've heard that T2 Lockdown is "more balanced," but so far it seems the opposite is true to me.
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 17:37
#3
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Most gunners I see use the cyclops cap for extra damage, although being 0* you get a handicap in health and defense. So I play as striker to be able to avoid incoming clones easier.
Perhaps I'm not playing correctly though, as I manage to get kills and get killed...
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 17:51
#4
Well...
It is possible to get kills as a recon in T2, but its a lot more difficult because...
1.Low damage output- Even with a cyclops and pulsar you deal like 2 bars of damage
2.Bullets are a lot slower in T2
3.Trinkets make clones TAKE FOREVER to kill
@Breaker-Xd
Well it is certainly difficult to obtain damage as a gunner, I have gotten 6.9k pure gunning damage before, but I used gun switching.
@Flowchart
I choose to use the normal gunslinger set cause I dislike the health penalty that comes with cyclops cause I cant dodge XD
Wed, 01/02/2013 - 05:19
#5
The Force and the Balance
^yeah, Star Wars puns.
T2 isn't exactly balanced in and of itself. Weapons like the stable, rocket hammer, swift flourish/twisted thorn blade, kilowatt pulsar, and sealed sword are probably the only things you will be seeing much of, as well as a sea of Dusker coats.
However, in comparison to T3... DA/GF = SS, FF/BTB = SF/TTB, Polaris = KP. These weapons remain the same in usage and attack style.
However, the Warmaster Rocket Hammer gets caught up with by DA and the brandishes.
Armor becomes specialized, just as weapons do. Vog, Snarble, and Skolver are all commonly used, providing more variety in the meta game, A downside that I have not personally examined is health versus damage. T2 gives strikers very little health, so they make it up with trinkets. The result is something like a 5 hit kill with a swift flourish, and maybe a 3 or 4 with an SS. This is compared to the 2 hit kill of a GF on a Vog-clad Wolver in T3.
TL DR: T3 = die faster, shorter duels. T2 = takes longer to die, longer duels.
Regarding gunners.... My apologies. I have no idea.
Thu, 01/03/2013 - 19:32
#6
.
hmm on my way to getting a t3 gunning set, i'll try out t2 LD over the next 2 weeks or so and see if i can actually make recon gunning work.
Thu, 01/03/2013 - 19:44
#7
Actually
As a cobalt-wolver hybrid in LD. I tried gunning once...... Aaand no one could hit me. At the same time it was hard to kill someone so I have to finish them of with a Kamarin. Recon gunner in the mean time...... I tried it with an Antigua and I got like 1k damage only.
In other words striker gunners can own if they have good dodging skills.
Fri, 01/04/2013 - 19:01
#8
Gun is fun
@Kalaina-Elderfall #OP - Basically, dodge. Avoid any kind of damage while keeping your cloak. Gun switch is probably the most useful method for recon gunning, but without it... well, that'd depend on your gunning style really.
@Breaker-Xd Post#1 - I completely disagree with you, and I'm sure many other people will. Gunning in T2 is almost as effective as in T3. As for Classes, it's true. Recons are more fragile than the "glass-canon" Strikers, since cloak falls apart too easily and health bonus doesn't compensate for it. 4-5k is my average gunning, with my best being 9.6k. Not much if compared with swordies, but still good.
@Kalaina-Elderfall Post#2 - Recon gunning is just more dangerous than striker since you have a harder time dodging. That's when hiding comes in, use your cloak wisely, and try to save it at all costs. And T2 is the most balanced tier IMO, since T1 is ASI High hatchet and hammer spam, and T3 is the Skolvers den; not only that but few players invest in ASI and armor resist.
@Flowchart - Armor won't make difference if you don't get hit, and dodging is probably the key point of gunning, be it striker or recon. Also, killing and dying is the basic cycle of LD so no problems.
@Thelhawk - 1. Pulsar with Cyclops deals about 3 pips AFAIK... 2. Yes, they are REALLY slow... It's a pain if you are used to T3. 3. Not much if you can shoot where they are and will be. Many clones just mindlessly walk into the bullets...
@Breaker-Xd Post#5 - Mm yea that's the usual clone analysis. Gunners are the closest thing that can somehow counter the clone movement...
Fri, 01/04/2013 - 21:17
#9
Pew Pew
@Rm-Amami,
In my defense, unless you can refute my claim that Wolver clones a) are the most common setup and b) usually deal the most damage, with hard evidence, I believe my first point still stands. From my own (recorded) observations, most T2 Lockdown matches are guaranteed to have at least 2 Wolver clones, and only occasionally will someone switch to gunner for fun.
My argument of T2 v T3 is purely based on gun damage data. I've never played much T3, and have spectated only a few matches. If guns are just as effective in T3 as in T2, then please forgive me, I misspoke.
My opinions of mixed versus pure, as well as classes, are quite reasonable; gunning someone to death takes from 6 to 8 shots, whereas a flourish can kill in 4 or 5.
One point that I should raise is that gunners are great at distracting the other team; a good gunner can keep 3 or 4 players distracted (as in chasing after him) for an indefinite amount of time. Needless to say, anyone who isn't caping or killing isn't benefitting their team, but a distracting gunner can keep half of the other team wasting their time, slashing at thin air.
Fri, 01/04/2013 - 22:36
#10
I gotta add
I noticed that hammer spammers fail against gunners. Which is good for me.
Fri, 01/04/2013 - 23:27
#11
"Pew Pew' is my line >:U
@Breaker-Xd
This is a bit weird, but I meant I disagree with your opinion on pure and mixed gunners. I do believe it was my mistake, for not specifying what I disagreed with. My apologies. As of myself, not only I manage to hold off crowds of clones, but to kill groups efficiently and proceed to cap depending on enemies, and many other gunners do too. Both with Striker and Recon (Myself, not well with it), guns are a good way to counter swords: Deal with melee using ranged, close in for kill and surprise enemies. About swordsman and the Wolver clone comment, indeed, they are the most common, , and maybe the most effective, but that's where the problem comes in: Too effective. A random Dusker throwing toothpick AT combos might just get 10k damage, while a gunner firing a whole Alchemer clip won't do any good to himself nor to his teammates. Also it's a bit personal dislike for swords, I find them boring.
For me, guns in T2 compared to T3, T3 has the same effect of swords: More damage, die faster, shorter fights. In T3, gunners have access to Gun Damage increase MAX with Shadowsun set and Elite trueshot, making them pack a good punch. Similar to swords, where you get either Damage or ASI max only by wearing one of the Wolver line sets.
The count of shots is somewhat accurate... But do remember that if a pure gunslinger uses Weapon switch the firing rate can be enormous spaced with enough time to avoid invincibility frames from each shot plus bullet bounces, having a higher potential DPS than any sword. As I see, it is really a matter of tastes, whether you prefer something over other.
Usually the main asset of a Striker gunslinger is being dodgy, therefore hard to kill. That is not entirely the same for recons, however. Distracting is a option, but when 2 or more enemies chase him, he'll mostly have a hard time. I doubt a recon gunner can keep at bay crowds for long, but then comes the cloak: element of surprise. Making sure to hit first, and hit hard, a recon gunner can cause a little panic and mess a bit with, for example, a group of player capturing. But all in all, making people slash into thin air really is the best thing, for any class, any playstyle.
@Hawxindanite
Try shooting an Alchemer bullet into a dashing hammer... No invincibility frames, 2-4 hits at once with bounces...
Sat, 01/05/2013 - 00:37
#12
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Sat, 01/05/2013 - 05:31
#13
T3 Pew Pew
OK, I played a few games in T3, I know what the guns are like now.
T3 guns CAN actually kill things, and are MUCH MORE POWERFUL comparatively than T2 guns.
It was an interesting experience...
T2 Lockdown is the Wolver Clone's battlefield; the majority of games are dominated by Wolver Clones. While gunners can be extremely effective at pestering clones, pure gunners rarely kill, and rarely do more than inflict annoying statuses. The highest gunner damage that I have ever witnessed was 5k, compared to a 9k that same match by a wolver clone.
Most clones carry Kilowatt Pulsars, so they can (kind of) gun back, but most gunners use the Mk II alchemers to switchschoot.
To be perfectly honest, my opinion is:
Pure Striker Gunner = no. You will never manage to get kills, but if played correctly will never get killed either. It's kind of just for harrassment
Pure Recon Gunner = no. You can status them with an alchemer. Then what? Guns are too weak to quickly finish off clones.
Mixed Striker Gunner = my suggestion. Status, dodge, and then rush in and finish with a flourish or sealed sword.
Mixed Recon Gunner = viable. Status and then vanish, and then hit them with a heavy sword.
I favor Striker over Recon due to the fragility of recon's cloak, and the speed advantage that Striker boost gives (allowing you to dash back to base whenever you need to heal instead of dying out in the field and waiting to respawn)
My thoughts on Wolver Clones, using the clone, and dealing with the clones, can be found here, but be prepared for walls and walls of text.