It's not a weapon, it's a slot. Kinetic armour. Since I certed this up I win way more than I lose. This also makes you strong vs a NC MAX who can rarely down you before needing to reload. NC MAXes are an easy kill unless you barge into a small room/hugging range. Even then, if they don't have extended mags (which about half don't), you will win while they do their glacially slow reload. TR MAXes are 50/50. Due to rather slow TTK, often one side retreats successfully (due to presence of other troops about). I use Blueshifts (comparable to the usual TR Mercies) with extended mags due to their accuracy vs infantry. Other guns do more dps but seems silly to make a specific anti-MAX setup when it is infantry you are fighting 90% of the time. In addition, high accuracy = more headshots = higher EFFECTIVE dps which is something spreadsheets ignore. Extended Mags are very useful as they decrease your chance of having to reload (with fatal consequences) during a due. Enemy MAXes don't check if you have a full magazine before commending their attack. TLDR A MAX is something where you do notice the effect of the certs you spent. *Kinetic Armour 4 or 5 -> significant HP boost, bonus vs NC MAXes *Extended Mags -> reduce risk of reload during fight *Any dual AI - (dual AV cripples you where you encounter 90% of enemy MAXes = airbases/biolabs) - I recommend Blueshifts (you will appreciate the extra accuracy in general)
i agree with evilmonkey..but my loadout is different, mainly due to just starting to put certs into the max class...i am in the process of buying the second blueshift i need due to the recent nerf of the cosmos (cosmos used to be the best due to effective accuracy and large magazine size to begin with) and for armor i go with the auto nanite repair...it may not keep you from taking as much damage so not ideal for super close quarter combat but ive been able to stay alive longer in more situations...but i definitely plan on maxing the kinetic armor eventually
The Comet in every way except projectile velocity (damage for a L3 Vortex shot is close enough to be almost identical) is a superior weapon.
And that projectile velocity is everything. Fire rate and power are only good when the shot connects. The Vortex has such a phenomenally greater engagement range that you need not waste time getting riskily close, and with 500%+ the MV, should never have lost DPS due to misses. The Comet is good for a specific nearby target but pales compared to the targets of opportunity for a Vortex.
The Comet's velocity is 90 m/s and fires the instant you press the trigger. The Vortex, in order to do ~20 more damage, needs to charge for 3.2 seconds (which then fires instantly, can't hold the charge at all) and travels at 450 m/s. This means that firing on a stationary target, you will get better DPS up to 280ish meters using the Comet. Now the 450 m/s may help at hitting a moving target, but it's not hitscan (and it shouldn't be) so you still have to lead. And lets be honest, no one would intentionally pull a MAX to shoot at a vehicle at 280+ meters, or at 200 meters. BTW, the Comet is more accurate than the Vortex as well. People use AV MAXes when they were either using their Burster MAXes and vehicles just rolled up on their base, or they were using their AI MAX and vehicles/MAXes just rolled up on their base. You MIGHT pull it for a vehicle which is at 100-200 meters, and if you have trouble leading with a 90 m/s projectile at that range, you've got bigger issues the Vortex wont help you with. Furthermore, Fractures, and to a slightly lesser extent Ravens, can be used to effect inside a Biolab, while the Vortex cannot but the Comet can. The Vortex is a niche weapon without a niche. It's an extreme long range weapon design attached to a unit which at best is used out to the far edge of medium range. The Vortex is like taking a MAX, attaching to it a bolt-action sniper rifle without any optics on it and no way to aim down the sights, and calling it the new AI MAX. It's a bad designed weapon, with poor DSP because of a lame mechanic which worked for the weapon it was based of off, attached to a unit ill-suited to use it. It's crap in pistol form. It's a carny trick and those who bought it are rubes. Compared to the Fracture and the Raven, it looks silly and performs worse. Those who haven't purchased it, trust me, save your SC or buy the Comets.
The charge isn't released instantly; this is a misconception among players who haven't used the weapon much. The charge level is not synchronized with the sound effects. When the third square lights, it's ready to fire and can be held for around a second (though there is no reason to do so). To each their own I suppose, but having played the MAX a great deal with every weapon but the Nebula I find them more useful than anything else. 50,000 xp/hour is not uncommon with them, working as infantry snipers, aircraft poppers, and tank wreckers.
Really, you get 50k exp an hour with that? You're saying you get, on a common basis, 833.33 exp per MINUTE with the Vortex? Well, I looked up all the Sardaukars playing PS2, considering that the highest level is 32 and plays TR and NC, you don't even play VS, but please post a link to your character which gets, on a regular basis, 833.33 exp per minute using dual vortexes. Now, back to the truthful statements. For those of you who have not purchases either the Comet or the Vortex, buy the Comet IF you want an AV weapon for your MAX. If you are considering buying the Vortex, but don't play MAXes that much, buy the Lancer instead. It's the better/original version of the Vortex and is actually good because of its accuracy and range. If you DO play the MAX a lot, then you know how often you find yourself shooting at a vehicle target 200+ meters away and you would NOT buy the Vortex as a result.
Ahem. https://players.planetside2.com/#!/5428010618036004417/ Seems Vortex stat tracking is broken, unfortunately. http://i.imgur.com/p0kaQUn.png Not the best I've had, but the only one I've bothered to upload. Performance is generally 35k-55k depending on enemy activity. If we're done with the silly approach of casting doubt on the person you're arguing with (this is bad form in debate fyi, np) I hopped on the test server to make sure of something and had a friend check as well to confirm. It is indeed two seconds to reach a full charge- 120~ frames from charge begin to third square lit. A further 60~ frames to release of charge- so that's two seconds to reach full damage, not three, with 50% of that time available afterwards to hold the charge. I don't use the Lancer much, preferring previously the Comet and now the Vortex on my beloved MAX suit, but from other GOKU members making the switch I've been told that the Vortex is more useful than it, with a comparably negligible reload and greater magazine capacity anyway. I'm sorry the Vortex didn't work out for you, but you should probably refrain from writing so much against it without proper experience using it.
vortex has AV dps of 420 per arm using level 1 shots (and no its not dificult to fire at max speed, thats 3 shots per second). The commets have 346 dps per arm. I am not positive what the charge times are for the vortex, but if you assume 1.5 seconds to level 2 and 3 seconds to level three then level 2 gives 267dps and max charge gives 280 dps.
I was refuting your claim that you regularly get 50k exp using the Vortex, which you still haven't done by the way. I could show you an exp screen shot similar and claim it's all from Beamer kills. Your kill log doesn't support what you are saying either, however as you point out that could be because it does have problems. It does show some Vortex kills, but no where near to support your claim. This is only important because you want to use as anecdotal evidence as to how superior the weapon is, which you aren't doing. As for it being bad form, you raised it as a support for you argument. I did not bring it up as a ad-hodminem attack against you. The Vortex is still crap even with the 2 second charge up time (thank you for showing the bug with both the timer and sound. Every available feedback from the weapon was saying it was on 2 charges still and not three, but if you tested it and it shows otherwise then that should be reported and fixed) as that just means it's more useful than a Comet beyond 180 meters, not the ~280 I had said before. Under 180 meters, which is the range most MAX combat takes place (aside from AA), the Comet is superior. Better DPS, still better accuracy. I'm glad you are enjoying it and don't feel like you got ripped off, but the truth is that for the majority of combat that MAXes get involved in, the Comet is better performing. The Vortex is only better for the niche long range, which most MAX players don't get involved in.
How did you reach the 346 DPS for the Comet when it does 475 per shot, 2 shot magazine, 120 RPM (values shown on display are infantry values if I remember correctly, so it's more vs vehicles)? I admit, math is hard for me and I freely admit I can be an idiot. Also, I get 315 DPS for the Vortex using nothing but L1 shots (again, infantry values shown). Stats says 105 up to 300 meters, 180 RPM (level one shots). Again, it's a Sunday and my brain is enjoying its day off.
reload adjusted dps. And yes the displayed value are the infantry values, the vortex does more to vehicles (2x), the comet has the same AV damae as its AI damage though. Commet has two shots at 475 (so thats 950 damage) with a .5 second refire (2x0.5 is 1 second) and a 1.75 second reload, so the entire fire cycle is 2.75 seconds. 950/2.75=245.5 and I rounded up to a whole number. The vortex does 210 vs vehicles and has 12 shots with a .33333 second refire, (12*.3333 is 4 seconds) and a 2 second reload. Thats a 6 second fire cycle for 12*210=2510 damage. 2520/6=420. Interestingly enouph if you fire 11 shots and reload your vortex dps raises to 447 due to the short reload time being 1.5 seconds (so 11*210=2310 and 1.5+11*.333=5.16667 so 2310/5.1667=447), though with the precision timming that would take on the part of the human its not practical.
Hi, I came into this thread to discuss how much I love my Vortex's. However, it appears that Sard has already done all of the work, so I will now be taking on the role of peanut gallery. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaayum! Vortex haters getting taken to school in this thread.
Thank you for the numbers Frosty. I see the error I made. It's the charge up mechanic which throws off everything for me. I'll trial it a bit, but I'm obviously not sold on it. Again, I didn't mean to offend. I freely admit I'm an ******* and it's difficult for me to come across as something other. Frosty explained where I am, hopefully, wrong.
Comets are incredibly effective vs maxes now, havent tried the vortex's. Though I cant imagine them being more effective than the comets currently, they're arguably OP.
Remember kids, Vortex's are bad. Total streak was 34 kills with dozens of vehicle assists. inbeforethisprovesnothing.
Comets are the best against other MAXes, with Kinetic or Nano-repair, and Charge (so a to flee when you are in trouble ). You will melt down vehicles, and you won't be useless against infantry, from any range. But you won't hit ESFs.
What does it prove? With a lot less effort you could have gotten three times as many kills with ravens/fractures?
