AV needs a boost

[CrazyCrazy]

Yesterday, during a nice NC zerg on solsar (with my NC character) I noticed I was the only one using a phoenix. A few weeks ago there would have been four or five others next to me, taking out wall turrets and maxes. But yesterday, it looked like out of several hundered NC, I was the only one still using Anti-vehicle.

I post this because when I returned to sanc later, a newb was asking advice on whether he should get special asault or heavy. I said special, since I have special and AV, but obviously , most people said heavy. I love special assault now that I've figured it out, so I am biased towards it (the thumper is my favorite weapon in the game). I gave up heavy a while ago to get combat engineering. But it made me think of trading in AV for heavy again. Right now, AV is only marginally useful, no matter what empire you're in. In most cass, if you only have the three cert points to spend, you're better of going with special assault, or saving it for Heavy. The fact is, anti-vehicle is simply not worth 3 cert points.

I think what they neeed to do is add a few common pool items to anti-vehicle. After all, with special assault you get three weapons. I think one could be a missile launcher that deals the same damage as a phoenix, but locks-on like a striker, holds only one missile, and no dumbfire mode. Another coudl be a shoulder -mounted Flak cannon for anti-air. It would fire at the same speed as an AA TR max that isn't anchored.

[Daeda1us]

I think they can accomplish all that if they gave the decimator a speed boost. Goddamn is that thing slow!

[PhyreFox]

I hear that!

I've had MAX's strafe out of the way of the decimator after I fire it right at them from almost touch range... Too bad I can't just throw the whole launcher at the guy, and bean him with it.. at least the missile would get there faster :rolleyes:

[CrazyCrazy]

First off the decimator is special assault, not anti-vehicle. secondly, the decimator RULES! It can take out pretty much any vehicle (except tanks), in 2 hits or less. It is slow, and does suck outdoors, but since it is special assault, and you have 2 other weapons to pick from, I'm not complaining. The decimator is THE max-killer. No need to boost it.

[PhyreFox]

Make no mistake, I love special assault (THUMPER RULEZ) and I do enjoy the masive wallop the Decimator delivers, as well as the lack of any lock on warning (Especially for those silly Vanu maxes that perch in the trees around bases, begging to be picked off. :love: )

But I really feel it needs to go a little faster. (or let us send it to the enemy, Federal Express)

I can't seem to use the odd looking rocklet rifle at all though to any great effect, other than presenting a nice target for the enemy :D

[Daeda1us]

I agree, the Decimator is mos def the beesknees when dealing damage against armored targets and maxes. But I can't hit with it very well. It's me not the weapon. But since upping the speed of the rocket is easier than me getting better I opted for that ;).

I would how ever sacrifice 2 of the 3 rockets for one much faster rocket at slightly more damage.

Kinda like a L.A.W.

[Queensidecastle]

Special assault is way better than AV IMO....of course unless its the Striker...

[Lonehunter]

SA is definatly better than AV. But, it all matters on your style. If you like running at vangaurds head on then, yeah get AV.

[Ghost06]

Thumper loaded with frag nades: your all purpose ass kicking boom-stick.

[Eliaas_Demens]

AV seems pretty decent. I've been hit by NC and TR missles long after I've floored it away from the AV trooper. And the Lancer is a pretty good sniper rifle against infantry.

[kidriot]

av's strength is in #'s. you cant make it singularly powerful or it'll go way overboard once u get multiple people firing them.


which is why i prefer spec assault (deci)

[Sleepwalker]

the decimator isn't very slow when you fire it in secondary, you just sacrifice the ability to dodge enemy shots. also, the time before your next shot is VASTLY decreased in secondary. if you're right next to a MAX, switch to secondary, shoot, and immediately shoot again.

[Eliaas_Demens]

True. Our outfit is rather small, but almost everyone has a Lancer. When six Lancer users take on a Vanguard, it's not pretty.

[CrazyCrazy]

Originally posted by Eliaas_Demens
AV seems pretty decent. I've been hit by NC and TR missles long after I've floored it away from the AV trooper. And the Lancer is a pretty good sniper rifle against infantry.


Just because you've been killed a few times by AV, doesn't mean its worth 3 cert points. That is the point of the post. And I'm not suggesting a buffing of the AV weapons we already have, I'm suggesting a few common pool items to make it worth those 3 cert points. The other option is to make it 2 cert points.

Right now, my NC char is BR 15 and I really don't want to give up special assault or a vehicle cert to get HA, so what I'm left with is the decision to give up AV, which only comes in handy in certain situations. Even when I reach BR 20, I would rather have a second vehicle cert and a support role than take back AV.

[00AgentDuck]

Yeah I agree with you about AV. In numbers they are awesome, but alone they aren't a threat at all it seems. But deciamtors are an even bigger threat in numbers. I'm pretty good with the decimator, I almost think that it shoudl be AV seeing at how good it is on vechicles and maxs (and those reavers that hover and shoot and don't realize that since they're standing still even a beamer can kill them:D ). But I also don't want the AV to get upgraded in damage, seeing as I'm a vechicle driver. If they got upgraded anymore then everyone would probably get rid of they're vechicle certs, except maybe the reaver pilots. And the funny thing is that they call the lancer a AV but it's used as a infuntry sniper rifle.

They shoudl make AV 2 certs, or add some more weapons to the list. Wait, what am I saying! I'm a vechicle driver! I don't even use AV weapons, they destroy my magmower, and I'm trying to defend them!:doh: Oh well:hitit:

[SandTrout]

I have an AV soldier, and I've tried special assault, and I prefer AV.

However, the reason is not particularly its effectiveness against tanks/Maxes(though it is good for that at range), but rather I (as an NC player) just love the fealing I get from guiding an explosive device right into someone's face. Also, the AV weapons are MUCH more effective against aircraft(particularly the stiker) than special assault.

However, I have also noticed that there are few people that use the phoenix on NC. I feal the phoenix could use a slight(noticable, but not large) increase in it's anti-infantry dammage. I consider this fair because the stiker's 3 round Magazine makes it more effective against infantry and easier to kill MAXes with at close range, while the Lancer is a nice sniper-rifle against any unit. Meanwhile, you're better off useing a pistole against infantry than a phoenix.

[Caspertoo]

Sandtrout hmm, yes I'd agree the phoenix should be able to do a bit more damage against infantry, but they do seem to make up for it by you being able to fire it sight unseen.

Other day I landed to rearm from my inv to my reever, and to repair and every 8-10 seconds I'd get a bang and the damage would spike on my reever. A NC AV was shooting at me well beyond visual range having followed me with one of those phoenix's.

The thing I can't figure out is how you guys guide them so precisely, i've tried them and I find they don't manuever very well. Whats the secret?

I think of the AV the striker is the best as a pure AV, plus it can lock onto max's and aircraft, making is a useful AA weapon. The downside is that it has very little to no anti infantry use.