Why we shouldn't nerf strong items

I'd like you all to close your eyes and imagine something with me.... something special

Imagine the VS without ZOE and Saron

Imagine the TR without fractures/vulcan/mauruder

Imagine the NC without....Ok i can't name an OP NC item...


The point is that without these items each faction loses its identity and become pretty much identical
Another point i'd like to make is that the NC need items desperately (NO NOT ANOTHER SHOTGUN)


I'd also like to note that i didn't mention the striker because there is a thin line between strong and game breaking.

The striker is unfun for both the receiver and the user but its hopefully going to get the "fix" it needs





TL; DR

STOP ASKING FOR NERFS AND USE IMAGINATIVE WAYS TO FIX PROBLEMS

(example: Make striker wire-guided----Give the NC a midrange option that is weaker than TR/VS counterparts and give TR/VS a close range option that is weaker than NC counterparts----instead of nerfing ZOE how about we buff lockdown/aegis)

The fundamental problem is that the more creative and unique your fix, typically, the harder it is to implement because it uses new mechanics. At the end of the day, if you only need to tweak numbers in a database or code missiles that sparkle, you know which is easier and more cost efficient.

Easier? Yes probably
Better? No, not at all

Usually when SOE tries to "fix" an item its either as OP as hell or it gets nerfed into the ground.
Not much weapons in the game are deemed OP so i wouldn't imagine it taking too much time/resources.

Tbh there's a huge difference between a good weapon (a good weapon can be not much effective but fun, see the phoenix) and an overpowered one, and they simply implemented those stuff badly,
- ZOE got balanced altough it's still very powerful with the surprise factor, one does not simply escape it,
- Fractures are getting balanced next week,
- Strikers are getting fixed and a Lock-on update which should make the pilots life more fun and rewarding is coming hopefull SOON.
- The Saron is perfectly fine given the lower projectile speed of the Magrider cannons which balances the tank itself, by depending more on the secondary.
- The marauder is as powerful as the Harrasser is, it's a better Fury ok, but it's the vehicle below that makes it strong, and the fact that it's a decent option for MBTs compared to the PPA / C85 for the other empires doesn't mean it should be nerfed, but that NC & probably the VS ones altough I've seen a couple good videos of people playing the PPA and doing wonders (inb4 higby's "vanus are funny, they don't play stuff unless it's OP), should get improvements.

So in the end with the upcoming GUs those very OP things will be tuned to be along the line of other weapons ingame, the only problem is the Timing with it, IT TAKES TOO MUCH TIME for them to Apply such simple Tweaks,
Why the hell one has to wait for 3 WHOLE weeks for a simple item statistic change?
They should be faster and apply hotfix when they have decided on how to balance a weapon, and not let their players endure pain and boredom for all the time it takes for their Update schedule calendar to have it deployed on Live Servers.

No need to make the Striker wire-guided or other stuff like that, they already have a Solution, the question remains unsolved.. When?!

The saron sucks now, halberd is much better IMO

Oh, I agree with you. A more diverse game will typically have more depth. But time is money, and there's a mountain of features, promised or otherwise absolutely needed, to be chewed through. It just seems a pipe dream to really hope that new mechanics are used to balance rather then simple numbers.

I find it pretty powerful when used on armor.
I believe the issue is the magrider itself, not the Saron

Time is indeed money, and that money will come back to you in the long run.
I'm not really a business man but having quick/short-term solutions to everything will end up harming you.

How many buyers have you think left due to the striker? I'd say at minimum 100
How many buyers do you think left because they simply couldn't run the game? I'd say minimum 1000

That just there is a lot of money lost due to not looking at the future

The most annoying reason people give while askign for nerfs or removal of items/abilities/weapons is that they require no 'skill', what they usually refer to is then a weapon with many drawbacks or a very small niche in which it works, it works well in that niche and is easy to use within that niche, but horrible outside.

But nope, it's skill less, it must go, to employ some hyperbole:

If you want to beat me in my ESF in which I have 10 months of practice you better get into your near stock ESF youself and fly better then me... WHAT? YOU'RE USING LOCK ONS OR YOU DARE TO USE SKYGUARDS/BURSTER! YOU SKILLLES PLEB, HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT MY CERT FARMING!

Of course, some weapons that require no skill are a bit OP (every TR will scream anti-TR bias now) and that would be the striker which does double the damage of the Annihilator and is an improvement in it in every way, from lock on time to reload to DPS.

Yes it is pretty powerful against armor, but I originally bought it months ago because it can OHK enemies. Now I just bought the halberd because it basically acts like the old saron.
Getting 2 hits on an enemy with the new saron while either the magrider and/or the enemy is moving requires a great amount of aim or luck. And the whole releasing a clip in a matter of a few seconds is also not effective against infantry, although it does do wonders against vehicles.

I think one of the reasons this is annoying is that the TR Vulcan is still fairly good against infantry while the Saron and Enforcer are just worthless against them as they lack the damage or volume of fire necessary to do that.
Of course, if the Enforcer Modified/PPA made up for this in some way that wouldn't be a problem, but the Marauder is arguably better then the PPA and the Enforcer modified is just a weapon you buy as a joke and to troll your gunner.

It's still way better than the NC enforcer at AI, thus making it Viable, I have a VS alt on Miller and I like my Saron, and as NC player I really Fear the SARON burst dps, talking about skilled drivers here, not your random player which plays his magrider occasionally.

Exactly, balancing other guns without nerfing the "op" ones, that's definetly how SOE should move and I do believe that's whats coming up next, It would make No sense whatsoever to nerf the marauder / vulcan as of now, would only angry TR players and still leave other empires with useless guns.

True. Very true

Well said

Well to be fair all AV weapons aren't that great on infantry including the vulcan.

I'll have to disagree with you there. I find the vulcan rather bad on infantry whilst having immense power on vehicles close range
The Marauder is also a close-medium ranged weapon while the PPA can be used from larger distances without having to account for drop.
The Enforcer Modified needs to be replaced with a railgun

A thread talking about weapon balance that didn't turn into a crapfest in half a page? Blasphemy!

In all seriousness, I completely agree. Each faction should be overpowered (for lack of a better word) in their respective situations. Just look at the ES Launchers:

The Striker is amazing at AA and workable at AV

The Lancer is amazing at long-range AV and workable at AA

The Pheonix..... Is amazing at being blue and making the user a prime sniper target.

A lot of things people complain about aren't OP, the other ES competitors are UP.

When they start giving every faction OP stuff, then everyone will just be coming to forums complaining.

At least right now they're keeping about 2/3 the games population happy.

That's right, we need more op stuff for NC to have some balance.

Exactly.
I feel that each faction loses its identity with each ES nerf

Allow me to quote you

"When they start giving EVERY faction OP stuff"
Each faction go after its lore not asymmetrical balance
TR: Fast yet weak
NC: Slow yet strong
VS: I forgot but it has cool alien stuff
Do this and every faction will be unique. A lot of people will complain, which i find rather ordinary

Well that'd be nice but unfortunately it really doesn't apply.

The only thing which it could be said to apply to is the MBT's. However, in exchange for the Vanguard extra armor, they reduced its DPS. In exchange for TR's lower armor, they upped its DPS. So the net difference in TTK in a Prowler vs Vanguard fight is minimal to varying degrees depending on range/loadout.

NC also have the slowest ESF (people keep trying to tell me its the Scythe but my Reaver does 214 in level flight with V-thrust and my Scythe does 218 in level flight with V-thrust). We were supposed to have extra armor to compensate, but we don't.

In a competitive FPS where it takes several hundred hours to get everything unlocked on just one toon, people don't like switching factions constantly. Faction differences and imbalances aren't like they are in a game play Battlefield, because at the end of a match, we don't all switch sides.

When NC will get buffed, VS Saron accuarcy will get buffed(it's **** as it is now), Lasher will change so it could hit something and T2 Striker will get nerfed then I'm okay with what you say.

I still think the MBTs fit each faction nicely
The vanguard is definitely the strongest in Tank V Tank while being slow
The prowler is best in AI while being fast
The magrider has mobility while being weak.

NC have the most damage on their plane which is also NC lore
VS have mobility on the scythe
Mossie has speed/small frame

Nothing can be done about the past, its the present that we should work on.
(although i find that the MBTs and ESFs display each factions lore very nicely).

I never said anything about people switching sides. You should choose the faction that suits you most and stick with it