Flash grenades VS Smoke + IR/NV combo for light assault

Jaged · 2013-01-14, 02:38 AM

With two C4 I feel I have enough explosive power on my light assault to swap out my default grenade for something more tactical. I had the idea the other night to use smoke grenades with my IR/NV scope to make most of my enemies blind while I can still see though the smoke.
Compare that to flash grenades, which would blind all my foes, even if they had their own IR/NV scopes.

Which effect lasts longer, the blind or the smoke cloud?

Which effect has a larger radius?

Which grenade takes longer to detonate?

Does either give the enemy a warning indicator?

Which would be more effective at the task of blinding my enemies while still allowing me to see?

gunshooter · 2013-01-14, 04:52 AM

Frag grenades are still better (c4 blast radius is small and requires you fly over your target which is far harder than just football throwing a grenade) but if you have to use the other grenades to be "tactical" then flashes are way better. Smoke doesn't work right on lower graphics settings, while flash grenades are basically "frag grenades with a slightly larger blast radius that don't kill the people they hit, forcing you to charge the room to follow them up and likely die because you're a light assault, because if a single enemy doesn't get hit by the flash you die"

Wrel · 2013-01-14, 07:49 AM

Here's a review on Smoke Grenades.

I had this same dilemma; whether to use Flash grenades or not. I'm planning on doing a review on them in the near future.

And Frag Grenades are not always better. You won't see a grenade indicator on Flash Bangs, or on Smoke Grenades. So the enemy won't know to run from them.

Flash Bangs have a bigger radius, but the blinding affect isn't as disorienting as it should be, and you don't know whether or not anyone was actually blinded, because no hit markers show up.

The hardest thing about using Flash Bangs is getting into the room to clean the enemy out before the affect wears off.

Kerrec · 2013-01-14, 07:51 AM

Smoke may have its uses, but for the purpose of "blinding" your enemy, I say no. Smoke will blind YOU as much as THEM. And it is countered with an IR/NV scope. So if you don't have a scope and your enemy does, you've done more harm to yourself than to them. IMO, smoke is only useful if you do not travel thru it. That is, you throw it onto your enemy position, and wait for him to come out of it. If you throw it and walk thru it, then you've just given your enemy the upper hand.

I've been flashed for the first time this weekend. It is debilitating and lasts long enough to be killed. I tried to exit the room I was in by memory, but I got caught up on something and never made it out. Had to wait after death to see where I died.

If I had to spend certs on one or the other, I'd choose Flash in a heartbeat.

Jaged · 2013-01-14, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by Kerrec

Smoke may have its uses, but for the purpose of "blinding" your enemy, I say no. Smoke will blind YOU as much as THEM. And it is countered with an IR/NV scope. So if you don't have a scope and your enemy does, you've done more harm to yourself than to them.

That's why I specifically said smoke + IR/NV combo. I would always have my scope when using smoke.

SeraphC · 2013-01-14, 11:17 AM

You can't see the smoke from smoke grenades on lower settings. So it does nothing if your facing a playing with his settings set to minimal. (This might also be in the video, I didn't watch it).

Kerrec · 2013-01-14, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Jaged

That's why I specifically said smoke + IR/NV combo. I would always have my scope when using smoke.

Ok, so you're stuck ADS while moving thru smoke, so you can actually see. That means you have a limited field of view and can't run. Still has drawbacks for YOU. And your grenade slot will be filled with something that may or may not work, depending on whether your opponent has NV/IR or not.

Still seems like a bad choice. Smoke has its place tactically, but room clearing isn't one of them (IMO).

RykerStruvian · 2013-01-14, 03:20 PM

I played Light Assault for about a month before switching over to Heavy Assault. From my experience, using flash grenades really made the game kind of difficult because it was really hard to tell if someone was blinded or not. At times when someone SHOULD have been blinded, it sure seemed like they weren't.

Because of this I would say go for smoke grenades. At least you know they are working, how they work, and where they are as opposed to the guessing game you play with flash grenades.

GLaDOS · 2013-01-14, 03:43 PM

Don't forget, if you get the S or Select version of your empire's carbine, you can get an underbarrel smoke grenade launcher. I think the cloud is smaller, but the grenades don't cost resources and it will let you have flash grenades too.

Aurmanite · 2013-01-14, 05:00 PM

Between frags and the under barrel grenade launcher I don't really see the need for C4. I carry medkits.

What am I missing, people? Tell me!

Ghoest9 · 2013-01-14, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by Aurmanite

Between frags and the under barrel grenade launcher I don't really see the need for C4. I carry medkits.

What am I missing, people? Tell me!

usefulness?

You cant kill tanks, sundies, repairing aircraft and you lose far and away the best way to kill a MAX.

If you want to actually matter to winning the battle you need C4. If you just want to chose K/D I guess you can do with out it.

Aurmanite · 2013-01-14, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by Ghoest9

usefulness?

You cant kill tanks, sundies, repairing aircraft and you lose far and away the best way to kill a MAX.

If you want to actually matter to winning the battle you need C4. If you just want to chose K/D I guess you can do with out it.

In beta 2 C4 didn't kill a Sunderer, does it now?

I agree that C4 would be nice to blow up MAXes, but I either avoid them or blow them up with grenades from my under barrel and finish them off with face shots.

I have mines on my engineer for all the rest of the stuff. I get a lot of Sunderer kills.

Higby is the king of light assault, perhaps he could drop some wisdom on us all.

Brusi · 2013-01-14, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Kerrec

Ok, so you're stuck ADS while moving thru smoke, so you can actually see. That means you have a limited field of view and can't run. Still has drawbacks for YOU. And your grenade slot will be filled with something that may or may not work, depending on whether your opponent has NV/IR or not.

Still seems like a bad choice. Smoke has its place tactically, but room clearing isn't one of them (IMO).

Sounds like you've never tried it, mate.

KesTro · 2013-01-14, 05:44 PM

I keep a couple of different loadouts for my Lightassult. The first and most used loadout is the Gauss Compact S with the underbarrel Grenade Launcher and Grenade Bandolier for 3 frag grenades. That combined with your C4 makes for a lot of ordinance.

The second loadout is largely the smae only I swapped the Underbarrel grenade launcher with the underbarrel smoke launcher and used three smoke grenades as well. This can make for a powergul combination if you ahve a squad of people with the IR/NV scopes as you can completely smokescreen out an area. I use this for breaching room in smaller outposts or defense towers.

I haven't gotten a chance to play around with flash grenades yet but I've heard they are extremely useful in the right situations.

Ghoest9 · 2013-01-14, 05:49 PM

2 C4 will take a max health sundy to burning - it will blow then if no one reps.

If the sundy has even a little damage it will just blow up.

And 2 C4 always kills any tank.

Using it usually wont help your k/d it will help win the battle(and earn certs.)