Callahan vs. Final Flourish/Snarbly Barb
Di, 06/21/2011 - 12:32
I've been having a tough time choosing between the two, so I thought I would try to see what someone with experience thinks.
I am admittedly going to be using gear for swords (Vog Cub and/or Skolver), but I have heard pretty good things about the Callahan. Is there any reason to use it over a Flourish, or is it not worth sacrificing the bonuses?
My primary concern is efficiency.
Thanks.
Edit: I guess the Snarble Barb might also be worth considering in this comparison.
Di, 06/21/2011 - 13:08
#2
I'm aware of the moving
I'm aware of the moving restrictions, but I was hoping the damage output and utility might compensate for it. Does the range improve at all, or is it the same as the Mega Magnus?
It's kind of disappointing, as I like the gun conceptually, but it sounds like I might be better off just using the sword.
Thanks for the input.
Di, 06/21/2011 - 13:19
#3
The wiki says the
The wiki says the (Normal-damage) Iron Slug's bullet travels slightly farther than the Mega Magnus. No information on the Callahan's range though...
Di, 06/21/2011 - 13:39
#4
On a side note..
If you have no other guns it might be better to pick Snarble Barb over Final Flourish. As someone said.. "The projectiles from the charged attack fly very fast-- almost as fast as the bullets from a Magnus. This means you can sometimes catch a Wolver with them." And if for nothing, you could use the projectiles for the switches and monster crowds.^ ^' It does the exact same damage as final flourish too.
Di, 06/21/2011 - 15:02
#5
callahan
I use the callahan pretty regularly. It's good for popping a teleporting wolf. They have a tendency to teleport even when they're hit. I'm thinking a good strategy would be to pop them with 1 shot of the callahan and move in with sword while they're laying on the ground. The pierce damage is pretty nice too.
The same goes for gremlins and fiends. As a gunner, I usually just pop a fiend once before re-targeting. A good swordsmen usually picks up on this and takes advantage of it.
-Blueflood
Di, 06/21/2011 - 15:09
#6
I actually have a Master
I actually have a Master Blaster and Silversix at present, so I'm not really hurting for guns. Does the Snarble's charge attack have any other useful properties? I'm not really familiar with the uses of either piercing sword's charge attacks.
Di, 06/21/2011 - 15:24
#7
FF would be my choice
I have a Final Flourish and a Barbarous Thorn Blade, between the two I really prefer the FF's charge attack. Both charge attacks take advantage of particular opportunities. The FF does massive damage to one target, the BTB does a damage spread to many targets using small projectiles, which may hit or miss your intended targets. I just find myself in a situation much more often where the FF is a better choice, for example taking down an Alpha Wolver, poking a trojan or crashing through a bunch of greavers chasing me.
I would think that a BTB would shine when confronted with a bunch of wolvers or devilites, but despite both traveling in packs they are usually too spread out for most of the projectiles to connect. The projectiles don't have a very long range, you jump back when doing the charge attack, and only 1 or 2 projectiles will connect with each target that does get hit. It would take quite a few well-aimed charge attacks to actually kill something, by that time could have just finished them off using the already-powerful basic attack.
Can't say much about Callahan, don't have one yet.
Di, 06/21/2011 - 15:57
#8
well..
http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/10265
Check out this thread.
It depends on your playing style really. Flourish is good for focusing on one enemy while Barb can deal with a crowd. Not sure about the range, but it seems okay. It won’t send you lashing out like flourish though and make you jump back instead. I find that if used correctly (flourish charge) you can use it to slip away after being crowded.
On another note, the flourish series is pretty fast hitting. You might also want to consider those status inflicting branches. I personally went for flamberge.
While on the topic, after charge finishes there might be a slight moment of vulnerability as the final slashing animation finishes. All you need to do is hold shield to skip the animation and still do the damage, shielded.
Di, 06/21/2011 - 18:11
#9
Gigafreak, go craft a Magnus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKyeEMZxdmk
This video shows the long range, fast projectile speed, and area damage of the Magnus. I would NOT consider it a melee weapon.
However for pure obliteration of Fiends and Beasts, I suggest either the Flourish or Snarble Barb. Personally, I favor the Flourish, since I can also kill Gremlin Menders in one charge attack.
Di, 06/21/2011 - 19:25
#10
As a huge fan of the Callahan
Coming from a huge fan of the Callahan (and a gunner)... I say you can't beat swords for efficiency, particularly with your gear set. I consider the Callahan as more of a support weapon. In a group I'll use it to knock down a pesky gremlin healer, or get rid of one of those butterfly healers. Also helps for wolver management in t2 (if I have a party of sword users in t3 I'll generally refrain from shooting at all since each bullet will cause a teleport and it just makes things more difficult for the rest of my team, although it's great for griefing :D).
Di, 06/21/2011 - 19:39
#11
@Noodleface
I am also a huge fan of Callahan... the purpose of a gun is to (safely at a distance) inflict constant status dmg. Unfortunately, While I wear full 4* gear right now. I cannot say that the IAS helps at all. The reload time kills any hope of easy kiting. However, if you have good allies, or a bomber to blast enemies away from you, theres no one better than a callahan user to keep wolvers at bay. Of course, t3 wolvers are way too pissed off and we become obsolete again because they can attack while teleporting...
@Sumio...
I gotta recomend against callahan for a sword user... the main reason a sword user whips out a gun is cause:
1. Hit a button
2. Almost dead
Callahan doesnt let you kite easily.... lots of people say you can kite with 1 bullet, precise aiming, and shielding, while most slingers can do all that (cause we have to... not cause we want to), I don't think taking advantage of game mechanics is a viable way of staying alive... this game just wasn't meant to be that hard....
SK hates gunners...
Nuff Said...
Mi, 06/22/2011 - 09:01
#12
Watched that video. The
Watched that video. The Magnus' range is a little longer than I remember, but the bullet travels slower than I remember...
The point wasn't that it's a melee weapon, the point was that it carries similar risks to one. You can't fire while retreating, and the stop-and-pop nature puts you at risk of retaliation if you miss-- just like if you swung but missed with a melee weapon.
And, well, that demonstration vs. Devilites made me like the Magnus quite a bit less than I did before. "You, TOO can get hurt a lot fighting midget office workers with this gun! You can only consistently hit a Devilite while it's getting ready to throw something, in which case it's too late to shield-cancel and block its counterattack even with IAS bonuses!"
I think I'll have to stop recommending this thing to people.
Mi, 06/22/2011 - 10:16
#13
RE: Flourish vs. Snarble
RE: Flourish vs. Snarble
I never liked the "snarble barb is for crowds" argument. The piercing weapons are great for single/low numbers of targets due to the narrower hits, and forward push, whether against pierce weak or neutral; for larger packs of mobs, you're better off using your other weapon, like a calibur charge, or a heavy sword.
Specifically, in the case of devilites and wolvers, you'd rarely want to charge up with a bunch of the former throwing things at you (why aren't you 1 hit shield cancelling to abuse the wide arc?), and, against the latter, the push and speed from your regular attacks not only separates them, but dodges a majority of the teleport-bite-you-in-the-butt attacks and most likely flinches anyone caught in range.
So after ruling all that out, I can't really see a good opportunity to use the snarble charge. Someone prove me wrong?
Mi, 06/22/2011 - 12:09
#14
Thanks for all your
Thanks for all your responses. This more or less confirmed what I was afraid of. I think I'll probably go with the Flourish line as I cannot think of any reason why I would need to use the Snarble's charge attack.
Mi, 06/22/2011 - 13:05
#15
SS
I have the Snarby Sword, as I like to call it, and I actually use its charge attack for lots of things. It can clear away boxes/bushed/whatever that gets in the way quickly, and it can be used to hit eneimes from a distance before you go melee. I usually run around charging my attack until i come to an enimy. I relase it, and usually .at least two hit (one if only one enemy). then i go melee. this actually helps me a lot when fighting mobs of wolvers. Dunno if it'll work for u though
Callahan doesn't let you move or turn while firing or reloading. Might be good if you were wearing Gunslinger gear, but its short range and stop-and-pop style is very restrictive. On the bright side, the enemy usually flinches if you score a hit with it.
Strange... it's a ranged weapon, but carries similar risks to a melee weapon. Namely, enemy retaliation if you miss.