Questions on a possible Vanu setup (long)

[Knuckles]

Hi and Hello

I�m quite new to this game and since I �discovered� this game, a few days ago, I�ve been browsing message board, after message board, to get some in depth info. So far I�ve been kind of interested of joining the Vanu. Their armour looks real sweet to me and You can�t really go wrong with the coolness factor that plasma weapons bring. (This was until I started reading that the VS arsenal seemed underpowered. A small whine on that below.) I know - the game is still in beta, so much will happen before release, and also after release, I guess. (Coming from EQ I know what SoE can do with the nerf bat.)

I�ve seen You answer lots (and lots) of questions before, so I�m just going to blurt them out. Hopefully this will spark some discussion on tactics too (and not just replies in the line of �search the forum, idjit�.) My line of questioning will mostly be on the Vanu setup:


WEAPONS

The Lancer:

- How good (or bad) is it compared to the other anti vehicle weapons?

I like the idea that it can be used on multiple kinds of targets, but if it�s really hard to aim (especially against moving targets) and doesn�t pack any punch � what�s the use?

- Can it be used successfully against both vehicles, aircrafts and Max�s (and other armoured personel)?

The Lasher:

Damage: Medium
Maximum Range: Medium
Refire Rate: Fast

Looks good on paper, but from what I�ve read, and seen in the latest official video, the Lasher really has some issues. The projectile/orb moves ) w-a-y too slow. What�s the point of this weapon if Your opponent will have ample time to see the orb coming, and simply strafe a step or two to avoid it? If they speed up the orb I think this will become a very interesting choice of weapon, but as it stands now the mini chain-gun seems to be the uncontested king of the heavy assault throne.

The Pulsar:

Damage: Medium
Maximum Range: Long
Refire Rate: Fast

This one has obviously been upgraded, but from a number of posts it seems that it�s still underpowered, compared to the other assault rifles. Still � if the Lasher won�t receive an upgrade I think I�ll pick the Pulsar. (If I have a target, dead on, in my sights � I want to actually hit it when I pull the trigger. Not see my opponent side step and let out a muffled laughter.)

- Does it come with any magnification options?

The Beamer:

How is it with pistols? Is it something You use right in the beginning, when You start out the game, never to use them again when You move on to heavier weapons? It does say:

Damage: High
Maximum Range: Short
Refire Rate: Medium

� for the Beamer. Can it be the case, that it�s actually better, than for example the Pulsar, indoors (where much of the action takes place)? � Or is it the ROF that �kills� it?


ARMOR

Reinforced:

I like the idea of being multi purpose, that�s why I�ll probably pick this armor, with its multiple slots for weapons and increased inventory. That and the fact that I can take some direct hits without dying right away. The drawback would be that reinforced armors move slower.

- How slow is �slower�? Are we talking sitting/waddling duck here?

- Is it possible to have 2 different rifles and keep the Nano Dispenser in the inventory (or is it simply too bulky, even for the reinforced inventory)?

- For You who have played the Vanu: what would be a good weapon combo for a reinforced?

Stealth:

The stealth suit sounds really exiting. Apart from hacking far away enemy bases (which is probably considered pretty lame), You could work on enemy support units during a �siege�. Hack enemy AMS and ANTs etc., knife snipers and so on. Also � not having to spend points on heavy weapons and armor would free up lots of points that could be spent on certificates for vehicles - everything from tanks to ANTs and/or aircrafts.

- What�s Your take on the stealth?

Do You consider it to be �multi purpose� too (along the lines above)? (I guess we�ll see how SoE will balance the �stealthers�. Pretty imblanced that a single guy can break a continental lock without too much hassle.)

Max:

Although the MAX seems way cool, with its big weapons and heavy armor, it really seem too specialized for me. (Way more specialized than any stealth suit.) A bit scary too to jump into 1 of three kinds of max setups, only to find out that the actual battle turned out way different than You thought it would� and You end up as road kill. (Example: You hit the party dressed up in Your snassy AA max outfit � only to find out that there ain�t a single aircraft in the fight� but lots of tanks and guys with heavy weapons, and they really like You!)

I understand You can only pick one kind of very specialized weapon (AA, AI or AV) and no other guns what so ever. (Ok � I get the concept.) But are You also barred from using any other kind of equipment? Meaning no hacking, engineering or medical equipment available? Can You drop mines? Anything?

If not, I doubt I�ll ever try out a max.

- What is there to spend cert points on if You are a max? Please, enlighten me.


CERTIFICATIONS/EQUIPMENT

These are the certs/equipment I'm thinking of picking up:

Medical:

I was originally thinking of taking up both the medical and the engineering profession (see above � multi purpose), but after reading that many people chose the regeneration implant, or simply opt to respawn when they are down, I really wonder if the points used for the medical certs won�t come to better use somewhere else.

Question on general game mechanics: Is the �re-spawn rate� too fast (i.e. has it made medics obsolete)?

Hacking:

Even advanced hacking, probably. The game seems to evolve around this and it just seems like something one should have.

Engineering:

Repair mine (and others) armor, plus vehicles? Oh (hell) yes.

Thresher:

It seems imperative to be able to get around in this game.

- What about the thresher?

(I originally thought of making a separate headline for vehicles� But I think I am already stretching Your patience.) Would be just the size to fit into a drop ship, and I would help my team even more as a driver of this vehicle.

- How fast is it?
- Is the flux cannon any good? (What targets is it effective against?)


IMPLANTS

Since I�m leaning towards going reinforced I�m thinking of taking up these implants:

* Darklight - because there�s not going to be any freebees while I�m around.
* Personal Shield - This one looks like a no brainer to me, especially since I am planning to take up both medical and engineering certs. (I.e. I can heal myself up plus repair my armor- and everyone else, of course). I just like the idea of getting �staying power�! On paper, this implant looks way superior to the regeneration one (at least to me).
* Surge - Both to charge a room/enemy, or run for cover. Sometimes it�s just handy to be able to move! (If this implant fits badly with the reinforced armor � please speak up.)


Soo� There You have it.

Reinforced armor
Pulsar
Lancer
Medical
Advanced hacking
Engineering
Thresher
Darklight
Personal Shield
Surge

Think You�d like a guy with that outfit/setup on Your team?

(Sorry for the rant � but I had a whole slew of questions. :) )

[Confectrix]

I can't give you solid info [open beta tester], and this reply is basically worthless but all I can say it wow, you've really thought it through.

Nice post, can't wait to see some questions answered.

[Sputty]

I'm sure someone will come along soon. People are feeling generous now that the NDA has been dropped

[simba]

Oh My God, nice list :p u werent kidding when u told us it was long :eek: .
Very interesting, I woud love 2 answer that if I knew anything about it.
One thing, u cant heal every1 and repair every1:s armour including urself even with a full-packed inventory with medkits and bank:s.

[Led]

Nice, and well thought out setup ^_^

However:

I would reccomend dropping medical and your personal shield implant (it drains way way too fast to be really useful), and getting the advanced regen implant. With that and your engineering cert, you can regen your health and fix your own armor :)

Also, that is a very offense oriented setup. I doubt you would really have many opportunities to put advanced hacking to use. Odds are you will have an infiltrator in your squad that could handle hacking the bigger stuff. Just carry a REK with you at all times, because you will find yourself the last person alive to recap a base more often than you would like :D The extra speed of advanced hack would not really save your butt in that situation, though. Either there is enough time to finish the recap at base speed, or you will get shot so fast that advanced hack would not have helped anyways :)

I cannot really comment on the lancer, because I have yet to use it myself, but I can pass along what I have heard. There is a half second or so warm up time before the shot, so you have to lead a little. But from being on the recieving end of two people with lancers whlie I was in a max, they DO hurt ;)

The pulsar is a very... middle of the road weapon. I do not doubt it will be tuned up more in the coming months, though. At range, you will be outshot by a gauss user, and at close range you will be destroyed by a cycler user. But the trick is to shoot the cycler guy at range, and jump the gauss guy in close quarters :D The secondary AP setting is very useful, it can take down maxes pretty quickly. I love looting this thing when I spend all my rockets on vanu maxes, it makes a great secondary weapon ^_^

Yes, reinforced is slower than the other armors, but not THAT slow. An agile user with his weapon drawn runs at about the same speed. Just remember you can run faster with your weaponry holstered, and you will be golden.

And aye, you can keep spare weaponry in your inventory just fine. I, in fact, also have a nano dispenser hanging out in my backpack in my default config. Pretty useful for repairing generators, since no one else seems to carry them :D The dispenser takes up the same space as two boxes of ammo, side by side. Not that big a deal.

[Destroyeron]

I'm not Vanu, or a beta tester so i really couldn't give you the specific answers you want, but I looked it over and said that you have WAY to much time on your hands. (lol i did the same thing :P )

[LLMerc]

WEAPONS

The Lancer:

- How good (or bad) is it compared to the other anti vehicle weapons?

It's bad, not awfull, but it's bad. It definately needs a boost, although it can 3 shot kill a reinforced =)

I like the idea that it can be used on multiple kinds of targets, but if it�s really hard to aim (especially against moving targets) and doesn�t pack any punch � what�s the use?

It's dificult to aim at first but you get the hang of it eventualy, especialy once you get the timing right

- Can it be used successfully against both vehicles, aircrafts and Max�s (and other armoured personel)?

Yes it can, or it will if damage is uped some.

The Lasher:

Damage: Medium
Maximum Range: Medium
Refire Rate: Fast

Looks good on paper, but from what I�ve read, and seen in the latest official video, the Lasher really has some issues. The projectile/orb moves ) w-a-y too slow. What�s the point of this weapon if Your opponent will have ample time to see the orb coming, and simply strafe a step or two to avoid it? If they speed up the orb I think this will become a very interesting choice of weapon, but as it stands now the mini chain-gun seems to be the uncontested king of the heavy assault throne.

The Lasher is quite good even now. When they remove lashing friendly targets it will be even better as it won't generate huge amounts of grief. The trick is to create a V patern with the target at the wide part of the V. That way they simply can't dodge the missles as they come at him. Remember, even misses count with the lasher. Just not as much. It OWNS against a large group of targets too. I have some in the locker -=)

The Pulsar:

Damage: Medium
Maximum Range: Long
Refire Rate: Fast

This one has obviously been upgraded, but from a number of posts it seems that it�s still underpowered, compared to the other assault rifles. Still � if the Lasher won�t receive an upgrade I think I�ll pick the Pulsar. (If I have a target, dead on, in my sights � I want to actually hit it when I pull the trigger. Not see my opponent side step and let out a muffled laughter.)

I don't like it, I just don't like the feel of it. However it is much better now. A bit faster fire rate would benefit it well

- Does it come with any magnification options?

2x and 4x zoom


The Beamer:

How is it with pistols? Is it something You use right in the beginning, when You start out the game, never to use them again when You move on to heavier weapons? It does say:

Stealthers use it a lot =) And they kill reinforced with it regularly.

Damage: High
Maximum Range: Short
Refire Rate: Medium

� for the Beamer. Can it be the case, that it�s actually better, than for example the Pulsar, indoors (where much of the action takes place)? � Or is it the ROF that �kills� it?

Pulsar is still better IMO. But Stealther can't use pulsar. Also, if you use rifle slot for Nano dispenser, this is a good side arm.


ARMOR

Reinforced:

- How slow is �slower�? Are we talking sitting/waddling duck here?

Slower, but not hugely. The big advantage of agile is the less stamina used with implants IMO, however, the speed and ability to drive any vehicle is prety nice too.

- Is it possible to have 2 different rifles and keep the Nano Dispenser in the inventory (or is it simply too bulky, even for the reinforced inventory)?

Yes, it is possible to keep nano dispenser in inventory

- For You who have played the Vanu: what would be a good weapon combo for a reinforced?

TR or NC weaponary =)

Stealth:



- What�s Your take on the stealth?

If the stealther has skill, it's deadly. If not, you are toast. If both stealther and target have skill, odds are against stealther. FFfast computer helps with stealthers too, expect to do a lot of strafing =)

Do You consider it to be �multi purpose� too (along the lines above)? (I guess we�ll see how SoE will balance the �stealthers�. Pretty imblanced that a single guy can break a continental lock without too much hassle.)

They are multi purpose. Can be medics (stealther reviving people in the field) hacker (obvious) engineer (boomers are one shot kills on anything but MAX) and they can even kill using the pistols, although vanu and NC are better at this than TR.

Max:

Although the MAX seems way cool, with its big weapons and heavy armor, it really seem too specialized for me. (Way more specialized than any stealth suit.) A bit scary too to jump into 1 of three kinds of max setups, only to find out that the actual battle turned out way different than You thought it would� and You end up as road kill. (Example: You hit the party dressed up in Your snassy AA max outfit � only to find out that there ain�t a single aircraft in the fight� but lots of tanks and guys with heavy weapons, and they really like You!)

I understand You can only pick one kind of very specialized weapon (AA, AI or AV) and no other guns what so ever. (Ok � I get the concept.) But are You also barred from using any other kind of equipment? Meaning no hacking, engineering or medical equipment available? Can You drop mines? Anything?

MAX can only shoot their weapons and use med pacs. They have use of some implants.

If not, I doubt I�ll ever try out a max.

Stealth hacking an equipment console within an enemy base and then equiping MAX armor can surely hurt that bases defenses.

- What is there to spend cert points on if You are a max? Please, enlighten me.

Consider a MAX like a special purpose cert. 3 points get you one of the 3 MAX suits. You can play a pilot/grun/medic/stealth whatever. Then when needed, you slap on that MAX suit. it's great for defending a cap room of a base you just hacked for example. With 2 MAX armors, some grunts and an engineer and a medic, a squad can hold of a large rush =)


CERTIFICATIONS/EQUIPMENT

These are the certs/equipment I'm thinking of picking up:

Medical:

I was originally thinking of taking up both the medical and the engineering profession (see above � multi purpose), but after reading that many people chose the regeneration implant, or simply opt to respawn when they are down, I really wonder if the points used for the medical certs won�t come to better use somewhere else.

Question on general game mechanics: Is the �re-spawn rate� too fast (i.e. has it made medics obsolete)?

Not in my opinion. When you respawn, it is usualy away from the battle. There are some situations where medics are obsolite yes (actualy they need a boost in their skill abilities) however, sometimes they are invaluable. Figthting on the plains near Gunuku, yes, they are useless prety much. You die too easily. However, fighting in a base, as a squad and they own. You can enter a base as a squad but the defenses can easily close behind you. Die, and you can only respawn outside the defenses. And likely never join your squad again, untill they all die. However, have a medic with ya, and you get resed, healed up and you are ready to go. Add to that an engineer to repair your armor and you can hold off in a room for a long period of time. We've help cap rooms for 15 minutes against twice our number even more, just because we had 2 maxes and 8 gruns, 3 of which were engineers/medics.

Hacking:

Even advanced hacking, probably. The game seems to evolve around this and it just seems like something one should have.

It's usefull. But anyone can hack what maters hacking. Hacking eq terminals and vehicle pads is usefull, yes. But don't think this skill is necesary for everyone to have.

Engineering:

Repair mine (and others) armor, plus vehicles? Oh (hell) yes.

Vehicle only if you have combat engineering. Don't forget placing boomers, mines, sensors and turets.

Thresher:

It seems imperative to be able to get around in this game.

- What about the thresher?

It's not bad I guess. Not many of them seen around. Marauder is still better =)

(I originally thought of making a separate headline for vehicles� But I think I am already stretching Your patience.) Would be just the size to fit into a drop ship, and I would help my team even more as a driver of this vehicle.

- How fast is it?

Fast enough

- Is the flux cannon any good? (What targets is it effective against?)

Not too sure


IMPLANTS

Since I�m leaning towards going reinforced I�m thinking of taking up these implants:

* Darklight - because there�s not going to be any freebees while I�m around.

Necessary sometimes, but a lot of time it is wasted (very specialized)

* Personal Shield - This one looks like a no brainer to me, especially since I am planning to take up both medical and engineering certs. (I.e. I can heal myself up plus repair my armor- and everyone else, of course). I just like the idea of getting �staying power�! On paper, this implant looks way superior to the regeneration one (at least to me).

You need to be quick to activate it. Not that high on my list but others love it

* Surge - Both to charge a room/enemy, or run for cover. Sometimes it�s just handy to be able to move! (If this implant fits badly with the reinforced armor � please speak up.)

Great, my first pick, I love the thing =)


Soo� There You have it.

Reinforced armor
Pulsar
Lancer
Medical
Advanced hacking
Engineering
Thresher
Darklight
Personal Shield
Surge

Think You�d like a guy with that outfit/setup on Your team?

No, he ain't TR =)

(Sorry for the rant � but I had a whole slew of questions. )

[Led]

You can use the nanodispenser with basic engineering. All combat engineering gets you is the ability to use the ACE thingy.

[NapalmEnima]

<deep breath>

Originally posted by Knuckles
The Lancer:
- How good (or bad) is it compared to the other anti vehicle weapons?

I like the idea that it can be used on multiple kinds of targets, but if it�s really hard to aim (especially against moving targets) and doesn�t pack any punch � what�s the use?

- Can it be used successfully against both vehicles, aircrafts and Max�s (and other armoured personel)?


The lancer is a bit under-powered at the moment, and it's ammo is (in my opinion) too big. It's quite accurate however, and has one of the fastest projectiles in the game, so vehicle movement isn't much of an issue (until you try hitting a mosquito at top speed, or something like that... but tracking missles have the same problem with them).


The Lasher:

What�s the point of this weapon if Your opponent will have ample time to see the orb coming, and simply strafe a step or two to avoid it?


There's always the lashing effect. And at point-blank the lasher now does almost as much damage as the chaingun or jackhammer. It's projectiles travel quite far, so it's also good for knocking out parked vehicles.

Don't forget to crouch.


The Pulsar:
- Does it come with any magnification options?


Yup. x4, which is quite nice. Pistols, unarmed, and the default suppressor come with x2. Some positions have no magnification at all.


The Beamer:

How is it with pistols? Is it something You use right in the beginning, when You start out the game, never to use them again when You move on to heavier weapons? It does say:


There's not much point in using a pistol if you have a rifle that can shoot the same ammo. But there are times when you don't have that rifle... engineers with their nano-dispenser... AV troopers, that sort of thing.

Reinforced:
- How slow is �slower�? Are we talking sitting/waddling duck here?
- Is it possible to have 2 different rifles and keep the Nano Dispenser in the inventory (or is it simply too bulky, even for the reinforced inventory)?
- For You who have played the Vanu: what would be a good weapon combo for a reinforced?

- I'd say around 10-20 percent slower... not a big deal, but you do notice it when the two armors are running along side-by-side.

- Yup. I have a loadout with a pulsar & devistator, with an extra devestator in my inventory, and a pulsar & lasher with a nano-dispensor in my inventory.

-I like devestators (did ya notice?). 2 hits from one will kill a MAX at full health (barring the NC's shield, which you really don't see much), 1 hit will take a mosquito down to a sliver of health, or kill an ANT. VERY powerful, but the projectile is slow enough that it's really only useful against stationary targets at range. Up close, it can put you on nearly-even terms with an AI MAX. I generally take both support certs (medic and eng) and carry those tools in my pistol slots, while loading up with a pulsar and X. That X depends on what we're going up against, and what everyone else is carrying. Might be a nano-dispensor, or a shotgun, or a devestator, or whatever.


Stealth:

- What�s Your take on the stealth?

Do You consider it to be �multi purpose� too (along the lines above)?


Stealth suits are a useful tool. A phrase that's been knocked around the beta boards is "h4x to the m4x". Infiltration suit, hacking cert, and a max. Sneak in, hack your self an inv term and get your max, then wreak havok. Loads of fun. Its also a good way to take towers, now that you can spawn a MAX in one (an ability which may be removed)... only you hack the tower's command console rather than an inventory.

They're good for general intel gathering, though you don't see much of that at this point. And they're pretty effective against lone soldiers (snipers for example), particularly with an NC scatter-pistol.


Max:
But are You also barred from using any other kind of equipment? Meaning no hacking, engineering or medical equipment available? Can You drop mines? Anything?

If not, I doubt I�ll ever try out a max.

- What is there to spend cert points on if You are a max? Please, enlighten me.


Nope. No gear of any kind. The only thing you can actually use outside of your built-in weapon is a medkit. All the other tools go into a weapon slot and have to be "wielded" to be used.

Each suit costs cert points. AA's are 2, AV and AI are 3 each. No pre-requisites.



Medical:
Question on general game mechanics: Is the �re-spawn rate� too fast (i.e. has it made medics obsolete)?


I haven't seen anyone rez'ed yet. That doesn't mean it won't happen, or isn't useful. It just means that people need to get organized enough to know when a medic is nearby, so they can benefit from it. Hoofing it the 300 yards or whatever from the nearest tower kinda sucks, though MAXes can cover that distance pretty quickly.

MAXes in particular should be sticking around for their rez. Each suit has a seperate timer, so they might not be able to get it back immediately. AMS's can't creat MAXes, and towers might not be able to in the near future. All that adds up to MAXes benefiting from rez'ing more than the average joe.


Engineering:

Repair mine (and others) armor, plus vehicles? Oh (hell) yes.


Yup. Armor and <everything else> are two seperate tools. MAXes count as armor, and they almost always need a fix. MAXes LOVE people with the BANK. Anyone who's been in a fight will need you. It's nice to be loved.
:love:


Thresher:
It seems imperative to be able to get around in this game.
- What about the thresher?
- How fast is it?
- Is the flux cannon any good? (What targets is it effective against?)


A member of an outfit can depend on that outfit to supply them with transportation, but just about everyone else could benefit from a vehicle cert at some point.

The lightening, all buggies, the ANT, basalisk, and wraith can all fit in a Galaxy.

As far as the thresher goes, it's the fastest buggy around, it has the most open cockpit (so it's passengers are easier to hit directly), and the cannon is okay. I really don't know how it measures up to a regular 20mm recoiless, I haven't had the chance to use it.

It can also cross a fairly wide body of water before it poops out on ya, which can be handy when going from A to B.


IMPLANTS


I actually like the regeneration implant. It saves you from having to carry med-kids. HOWEVER, if you've got a medical cert, don't bother. That's just redundant.

The only problem with the shield implant is that just turning it on drains your stamina fairly quickly... something like 3 points per second. I still use it from time to time, but I'm not yet in the habit of turning it on. Need to work on that.



Soo� There You have it.

Reinforced armor
Pulsar
Lancer
Medical
Advanced hacking
Engineering
Thresher
Darklight
Personal Shield
Surge


Looks good. Other vehicles that you might consider:
Deliverer, Sunderer (needs a tech plant), mosquito (ultimate peronal transportation), basalisk (not bad either, and easier to come by), or the MagRider. Tanks make things go boom. I like making things go boom. I like tanks. The MR can also cross water, though not quite as well as the thresher (not as fast). It also requires a tech-plant.

[�io]

Wow... i need a few copies of

http://bohica.planetside-universe.com/images/forumPics/postcliffnotes.jpg

[Sputty]

:lol: Anyone know how to Striker works? Is it worth using or is it lacking in ability?

[LLMerc]

Striker is very worth it. It has a few bugs with lock on that need to be worked out (not able to lock onto phalnx turets or MAX while it's on a tower balcony, but otherwise no complaints really.

[FliggenMan]

all this talk about how vanu are underpowered is making many hate them, yet it only makes me understand them more. now i am not an open beta tester although i will be playing it now and then through a friend, but maybe certain parts of the VS are not underpowered but misunderstood.

ok so maybe some vanu weapons do need a little boost, but lets look at the facts. vanu rely on speed and mobility in place of armor stregnth, and a promptness advantage in their weapons; meaning if they can hit u first then u better find a good hiding place or u lose the fight.

so maybe if the vanu lured other empires like the TR into some sort of area with hit and run, and then ambushed them from a a ranged distance they would hav a sporting chance since the republic need time to power up their heavy firepower. and with weapons like the lasher( if its rof was boosted) the AOE projectiles wud cream them.