Spiral Knights - Arsenal Podcast Discussion: Callahan and Iron Slug

Arsenal Podcast Discussion: Callahan and Iron Slug

6 replies [Last post]

Mon, 05/06/2013 - 16:16

Latisan-Sklay

Next coming down the barrel (>.< see what I did there?), Callahan and Iron Slug lines!

Do you use either of them?
Is it ever more worth it to use one over the other?
Do you feel that the weapons are well balanced or unbalanced? Why?
What strategies do you employ when using these weapons? DO you [need to] employ strategies when using these weapons?
Is there any time when you HAVE to have this weapon?
What do you think of its looks?
What would be appropriate "limit breaks" for these weapons (listen to Episode 30 if you don't know what that means)?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

--
More links:
Spiral Knights weekly news: www.youtube.com/sklayelite
Item modification idea thread: www.sklayelite.com/arsenal/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=101
Tev's Great Big Contest 2.0: http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/79624

Mon, 05/06/2013 - 19:40

Magnicth

The Long answer: I have an

The Long answer:

I have an iron slug, and I have to say, it is a fun little gun indeed. I don't know how good the callahan is, but guessing that it is alot like the
magnus and mega magnus, I think I'd still stick with my iron slug. It is unbalanced however, and desperately needs that promised buff, but it does look pretty sweet. When using it, I focus on one or two enemies. Shoot, shield,move,shoot, rinse and repeat. While it may not have stun, it does have the ability to interrupt all sorts of things, which can be pretty handy. As for situations where I would HAVE to use it, those situations don't really exist. A fun little gun indeed.

The Short answer:

1. Yes, I use an iron slug.
2. Slug, to me, is more beneficial with it's ability to interrupt a much larger range of things than callahan.
3. Slug is unbalanced and needs that buff. Callahan seems fine where it's at.
4. When using my slug, it is simply shoot, dodge,shoot, rinse and repeat. I sometimes use the charge shot to snipe enemies at a distance.
5. There are no situations where I would HAVE to use my slug,no.
6. It looks awesome.
7. I'm afraid I have no answer for this one.

~Magnicth the Magical Bush

Mon, 05/06/2013 - 23:35

Fehzor

Do you use either of them?

I have and use both of them, but only for fun. I never seriously rely on either of them to get me through new content type stuff.

Is it ever more worth it to use one over the other?

Callahan is nice for grievers.. other than that, iron slug sometimes flinches turrets, which makes it better.

Do you feel that the weapons are well balanced or unbalanced? Why?

Unbalanced- they deal relatively low damage, and don't always stagger the enemy I'm firing them at.

What strategies do you employ when using these weapons? DO you [need to] employ strategies when using these weapons?

I usually use them to knock enemies down to the ground and then switch to a sword to kill them while they're down. That, and I flinch turrets if applicbale. Both of these require a ton of ASI and damage to pull off though, so its kind of eh.

Is there any time when you HAVE to have this weapon?

No.

What do you think of its looks?

I think that both of these look completely boss.

What would be appropriate "limit breaks" for these weapons (listen to Episode 30 if you don't know what that means)?

I have no idea where I would even go to listen to episode 30. I mean, I guess I could find it and search through it to find it, but eh.

Wed, 05/08/2013 - 13:48

Latisan-Sklay

Boop.

Stayin alive.

Wed, 05/08/2013 - 18:28

Zeddy

Do you use either of them?
I have both. Calla was my third gun, and I made Iron Slug much later.

Is it ever more worth it to use one over the other?
Calla has stun, so if you're not expecting constructs or jellies, Calla is just better. Poor Slug needs a buff. Calla too, really, but that's mostly because alchemers are broken. That being said, if there are constructs or jellies in the area, Iron Slug exists at such a high level of damage that Callahan isn't that much stronger. Stun apart, they'll perform close to equally against both beasts and fiends, moreso if you have damage bonuses going.

Do you feel that the weapons are well balanced or unbalanced? Why?
I would give them a bit more power, especially because Supernova has the damage and interruption of Iron Slug without rooting you in place or having a small clip. Most of Slug's underwhelminess stems from Alchemers being broken, though.

What strategies do you employ when using these weapons? DO you [need to] employ strategies when using these weapons?
Absolutely! Every shot with a Magnus matters. They're basically Troikas in a gun. Wait for your opponent to telegraph an attack, then counter-attack. This will interrupt them and as such support your team. Other than that, you can use the charge attack to kite and snipe devilites from outside of chair-throwing distance.

Also: sniping cap points in Lockdown.

Is there any time when you HAVE to have this weapon?
Callahan is really handy against devilites. I also don't have a shadow alchemer so they're my preferred guns against gremlins.

That being said, I mostly bomb anyway.

What do you think of its looks?
What Fehzor said.

What would be appropriate "limit breaks" for these weapons
Limit breaks were a horrible idea and you should feel bad.

Thu, 05/09/2013 - 11:21

Mohandar

Gunner here, with some

Gunner here, with some answers for your questions.
1. Got both (in fact, I finally have every gun except Plague Needle). I use the Callahan when I want to have fun in a Wolver Den, but both are poor choices for a serious, speed/efficiency oriented run.
2. Callahan is universally better on non-construct/slime: it deals the same or more damage, and inflicts stun. The Slug is primarily better against turrets, but its poor DPS overall means it's not a great choice for getting anything done with speed/efficiency.
3. The fact that Slug doesn't have bonus damage over Callahan (which has status) is odd. Another problem is, the stun rate on Callahan is too low considering its rate of fire. It is slower and has more drawbacks than Alchemers, and procs Stun less frequently. However, I don't consider Alchemers to be broken- if you were to say Alchemers are overpowered, then you would have to say swords in general are far more overpowered.
4. Shield-canceling and fast single-switching are essential to using these guns. Otherwise it will take you forever to clear a level. Additionally, as these are primarily single-target guns, you should isolate a target and bring it down rather than spreading your fire. As with any weapon that has a (relatively) high damage per attack balanced by low rate of attack, every attack counts. Auto-target can be helpful when using these guns, as you typically want to hit dead-on, and they fire near-instant shots.
5. No. Every situation that warrants a Callahan can be resolved quicker and more easily by some other weapon, which is even more true with the Slug.
6. Boss. These two guns are the hand cannons/sniper rifles of Spiral Knights, and their damage output should be ramped up to let them play the part.
7. Don't think limit breaks are a good idea, but the charged attack could use some fixing. Personally I'd like to see them play both of the above roles- charge attack should be longer range, and 100% accuracy (always hit, unless blocked by obstacle) at the cost of rooting your knight while charging (they track the target like a pre-nerf Wolver, could even show a red laser line), and no splash damage.

Fri, 05/10/2013 - 00:09

Fehzor

@Zeddy

Slug isn't broken because alchemers are OP, slug is broken because slug is broken.

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Arsenal Podcast Discussion: Callahan and Iron Slug