Everyone is complaining about the new launchers. How many of you have REALLY tried them?

I'm not talking about shooting at stationary, harmless enemies in the VR. That's not experience any more than shooting-ranges are combat training. Trying out a weapon in the VR does little to prove its actual usefulness.

Neither am i talking about plinking away at a tank for 30 seconds, determining that the weapon is bad and then switching back to your Dumbfire.

I am a firm believe that nothing is bad, and that everything has its use. I spent 3 weeks learning the optimal use for the EMP-grenade, while everyone else said it was useless.

The weapons in this game are supposed to be sidegrades. Yet everyone are upset when the weapons are not OP. And every faction seems convinced that they got the worst weapon and the other two got the awesome weapons.

Do you remember how everyone thought the Annihilator was useless at first? Yeah, we all know what happens when people figured out how it was supposed to be used.

So how many here have actually gone out on the field and experimented with the new launchers? And i'm not talking about comparing DPS, or TTK. That means nothing.

How many have actually tried NEW strategies? The striker is fairly similar to old lockons, but the Lancer and Phoenix brings something completely new to the table. Of course you shouldn't use them like you use your regular launchers. Try new strategies. New approaches.

Instead of spending so much time on the forums complaining about the launchers, go out there and try to figure them out instead.

PS: And yes, i am aware that they are buffing the ESRLs. But their basic principles will still be the same.

Are you kidding? I'm pretty sure everyone went and bought the new launchers.

I like the Pheonix. I have used it for a couple hours. It's nice that I can shoot tanks from the tops of the towers, without having to stand in view of them; either waiting for a lock, or just long enough to dumbfire. I can quickly get a look where the tank is, take a few steps back, launch and drop the missile on the top of the tanks. Very handy to fire from cover.

However, I have also been sniped quite a few times while flying the rocket. It makes you a stationary target, perfect sniper bait.

As i said, i'm talking about EXPERIMENTING with the launchers. Not just seeing a tank, shooting at it like you would with any dumbfire, and saying "It's awesome/it sucks."

I'm talking about trying out new strategies and tactics.

I've tried all 3 and here are my issues:

Striker: Just feels weak
Phoenix: Needs a destruct function like PS1. At any given time you could break contact with the missle (like if you heard a cloaker in the area)
Lancer: Turn off the auto fire and let us make the shot when we release the button

And the biggest problem with all the launcher: They should have released these FIRST along with the deci, THEN added all the others. They took the wind out of their own sails by releasing all those other launchers first

That's it

Pretty much feel the same way

100% feel the same way, you hit the nail on the head so hard i think you broke the hammer.

There are no new strategies to try with the striker.

I used it in VR, and trialed it while defending against a nearly continuous Air/Tank zerg next to the Vanu WG.

Its powerful, but not any more powerful, or different, than if they had just made the Annihilator do more damage per shot. It feels the same as the Annihilator, plays the same, and works the same.

It will be good with the exact same strategies and tactics that were good with the Annihilator, and bad with the exact same strategies as the Annihilator.

They could nerf it or buff it. I don't care. Until its something other than an Annihilator that shoots 5 times per reload, I won't like it, or think that it has a valid reason to exist.

I've used the Pheonix and the Lancer...

The Lancer's damage IMO is pathetic, and needs a buff for at least the fully charged mode... I had enemies I was shooting at yell out "why am I taking terrain damage, I'm not moving" because they honestly thought that the only thing happening, was the game glitching and making them take terrain impact damage... might as well paint your VS Heavy red and call yourself "Tickle me Elmo".

The Pheonix is almost perfect, it hampers maneuverability enough to force you to plan your shot, makes you stand still, and you can exit the rocket if you start taking damage, or simply have it on course and want to reload a little faster, the thing that bothers me is that the rocket has a dumbfire mechanic, but instead of using it once you hit maximum control range, the rocket just up and dissapears... there's no way around this, you can be 305m from a tower turret, unwilling to move closer because that puts you in front of the hill, fire the rocket at a high angle, immediately exit the rocket with E so that it dumbfires the whole way to the target, and right before it reaches the turret... nothing... that' my only gripe, it needs to dumbfire past 300m, then it'll be great.

I have not used the Striker, but I'm dissapointed a little anyways... I mean, it's no different than the original planetside's one, so i don't know what I was expecting them to do, they gave the TR their beloved launcher back, but I just feel like they could have done more, like cluster missiles or some dumbfire capability, or just, something more, you know?

The Lancer is waaaay better than people think it is. Give it a month or so when organized outfits start using it properly and people are going to be whining like crazy.

With regards to the OP I feel that way about the Striker... am I using the same Striker everyone else is? Because mine is a lot of fun! I freely admit I've absolutely no experience with the other factions launchers so I'll stick to comments about the Striker.

It's not epic or godly but it's very effective. Got quite a few kills, lots of kill assists, and scared off countless air and ground targets with it. There are comments ranging from it being a godly OP'ed sledge hammer to "it feels weak". I think it's just about right. If you can get in a good position with plenty of open airspace then you can seriously harass aircraft... even kill a couple! Same with armor; if you can get into position where they have little cover to hid behind... they are in for some serious trouble! However there is A LOT of cover in this game so 8 times out of 10 my lock gets broken or the rockets ram into something else. Honestly it's only a threat to the low and medium skill players and keeps the high skill players on their toes.

Well, the thing about the Lancer is that it is practically a Anti-Armor sniper-rifle. It is literally impossible to counter. You can't dodge it. You can't pop smoke to stop it.

Put 10 HAs with Lancers and an Engineer somewhere and organize target calling, and i have a feeling they will wipe the floor with everything.

This is what i want people to do. Stop complaining about how bad the Lancer is, and instead figure out when it is awesome.

I purchased the lancer, so I can try it as much as possible in real time battles.
It's complete ****.

I've tried using the lancer. So far in my experence, bar shooting at aircraft a dumbfire is as effective in any situation I came across. Hell if I run around with a Hades(AA lockon) I can dumbfire close targets, lock on aircraft and have less vunerability then a lancer since I do as much damage a shot (compaired to a charged shot) without the charge up time.

How did you try it? Did you try it with an organized squad? Or did you just solo-play it like an ordinary dumbfire?

How many here condemning the Lancer have actually tried it in an organized fashion, with focused targets? Just like the Annihilator is best used?

yes tried it with my squad on the day they came out. At one pont we were on a cliff shooting down towards tarwich, with 3 lancers and 3 engy AV turrets. Lancers were doing minimal damage, even if they managed to hit a target, while the Engy AV turrets were just cleaning up the area. Whenever any aircraft came by we focused lancers on them and bearly took them to half before they esily boosted away.

*forgot to mention that the problem is that the Lancer has no real point that it stands out as being diffrent. Your talking about the annihilator being best used in groups. The thing is that the Annihilator then is a better weapon for group play then the lancer since by its Lockon nature you are more likly to hit, and at longer ranges it does more damage then the lancer does.

Me and 2 of my friends IRL were using them, I guess that it would be better in a squad. But I wish you wouldn't have to use it in a group, like the phoenix.

You'd have to coordinate that 10 person group to not only shoot the same target,
but to also start holding down the fire button at the same time, because once you
charge the Lancer, its not like you get a moment to wait for your shot, and once
shot, your target it going to start moving.. and then the large tracer that comes off
the target starts to obscure your view, especially if there are 10 of you firing.

And you seem to have missed the part where the Lancer at max charge fires 3
different plasma balls.. they're in a triangle formation, but they each have a chance
of missing past 50m. Now graphically they've fixed that to where it looks like it's
only one charge, but it's still 3, and you can still miss 2 out of the 3 max charges,
but now you just don't realize that you've missed, because one connecting looks
like they all did. You're just left wondering why your shot did less damage.

I don't see how 10 HAs + Engineer are going to be able to get into cover, while
only being about 75m from their target, and all reliably hit something, while not
calling attention to themselves. I guess you could have 10HAs individually placed,
and 10 Engineers with them to supply ammo, and then that might work.. but that
seems like a lot of effort when you could just cut out the HAs and make sure the
Engiees had AV Turrets.

Frankly Annihilators would be better in that situation because you'd at least have
a lock and could all fire at your leisure and at the same time.

Annhilators can be countered/dodged/avoided. Lancers cannot.

Does anybody have any larger groups that they have tried with? 3 people doesn't really demonstrate what i think could work.

Have anyone tried it with 7 or more Lancers focusing a target?

So you're opinion is that the Lancer is completely fine
"as-is" and they shouldn't make any changes to it?

Is the Phoenix also fine?