Blackhand pistol worth it?

Discussion in 'Light Assault' started by Maxence822, May 2, 2015.

  1. Maxence822

    Hello!
    Is the blackhand pistol worth it? I am currently trying to auraxium the NC carbines to be able to get the Fortuna carbine. And I have close to 1000 certs so is the Blackhand pistol a good secondary? I play with drifter jump jets mostly in towers and biolabs when I can find good fights in them but I'll play anywhere there is a good fight.
    Thanks,
    Maxence822
  2. Pfundi

    Its no secondary and shouldnt be unlocked with Certs.
    But I can imagine that it could work on a LA. Sniping from a tower or such. Never even thought about getting it.
    Anyway, 1000Certs... Already got all SMGs? All Carbines (excluding NS-11C and NS-7 as well as MKV)? Got maxed out Jumpjets?
    And the normal secondary is just fine.
    I guess I didnt help with the NS-44L question, sorry :D
  3. Iridar51

    Nah, not worth it until a 1000 certs means nothing to you. It's a nice utility to have when rolling with a shotgun or SMG, but superfluous with a carbine.
  4. Maxence822

    Allright thanks. Is maxing out the drifter jump jets really worth it?
  5. Maxence822

    Or maybe getting maxed nanoweave?
  6. _itg


    The last rank of drifters is a huge benefit, as it doubles your flight time, so if you're set on using drifters, this is absolutely worth it. The last rank of nanoweave is definitely in the category of things to buy when 1,000 certs means nothing to you. It might let you survive one extra bullet compared to NW4, now and then, but because of the way bullet damage tiers line up with the precise effective HP bonus from nanoweave, it will normally take exactly the same number of bullets to kill you with NW4 as with NW5.
  7. LordMatt XLVIII

    Do you want tp be a badass? If so, the answer is yes.
  8. Leivve

    I wouldn't say rush to it, but I would say if you think it'll be interesting to use, and you're at that point where you have everything you need, go for it.
  9. Grumblefern

    It's not superfluous with a carbine.

    Admittedly, it is better for stalker infil than LA. However, a carbine is weak damage even if you choose the best ranged options past a certain point. They're also not spectacular at hitting targets behind cover.

    Blackhand can reasonably quickly 2-headshot kill at most ranges including beyond practical carbine range. I've gotten plenty of kills I might not otherwise've been able to go for with the thing. You also have to factor in carbine damage drop-off means often you're giving a target time to react if you're shooting from decent ranges, and any other class can have a superior ranged primary to a carbine. The Blackhand OTOH can often kill before a target has time to react to being double tapped.


    It's also great if you've ended up in a strong camping position but run out of primary ammo. Being able to continue sniping things from some sneaky spot can extend a kill streak a fair amount depending on the situation.


    It does suck if you have to hip-fire it at close range, so it's not the greatest general-purpose finisher pistol though. And a crossbow is a better stealth option, being silenced naturally.

    I use it on all classes at this point anyway though. Pocket Battle Rifle > CQC finisher in my book. YMMV.
  10. Iridar51

    With a shotgun or SMG, Blackhand provides utility of double tap headshot at any range, and an option to engage enemies outside of effective range of primary weapon.

    With a carbine, Blackhand only gives the utility of double tap headshot, which only works against stationary targets. Pretty hard to nail 2 headshots on a moving target. And with body shots, Blackhand has roughly the same TTK and effective range as a carbine.

    I don't really consider the double tap headshot being the main feature of Blackhand. It's a nice thing to have, but defining all your engagement about stationary enemy is just limiting yourself.
    • Up x 1
  11. Grumblefern

    But the way in which it kills is much different than a carbine. It takes fewer individual shots, is better for targets behind cover, and you've got a 4x scope to work with, without that limiting your CQC ADS visibility.
  12. Iridar51

    High-magnification scope and low rate of fire come hand-in-hand, those are not individual advantages. Single high-damage shots are usually better for range, but Blackhand with its super low damage per mag has very low margin of error, it should not be discounted.

    High-magnification scope isn't an advantage in itself for an experienced player, it's absolutely possible to effectively aim with 1x scope at almost any range.

    It's true what you say about hitting targets behind cover, but, again, only if it remains stationary. If target isn't dumb, it will just react and hide completely.

    Overall, carbines and Blackhand when used at range have their own strengths and weaknesses. In the end they average out to about same effectiveness in my mind.
  13. Shiaari

    What Iridar said.
  14. Nhar


    If I'm not mistaken, you only need to land one headshot and another just about anywhere. Maybe not hands or feet, I don't know, but after a headshot the chest feels 10x larger than its actual size, sort of. To me the pistol comes with a manual stating its mandatory for the fist shot to be a headshot. Which isn't that difficult to achieve on moving targets when compared to 2 consecutive headshots.

    I'd like to hear what you think.
  15. Iridar51

    It depends on distance and if target has nanoweave. Blackhand kills full nano targets in one headshot and one bodyshot within 60m, and no nano targets within 75m. For reliability's sake, it's better to assume all targets wear full nanoweave.

    60m does sound like a considerable distance, and it is. The tricky part is being able to tell if the enemy is within that distance, and it's hard to do without prior special training.

    It's definitely something Blackhand users should pay attention to, but the gun has potential to go outside of that 60m range with double headshot.

    Hands take same damage as body, as far as I know.

    Out of headshot + bodyshot pair, it's better for the headshot come first, the first reason being that enemy might be wounded, and that one headshot is all he needs to see the respawn screen.
  16. Nhar


    As you mentioned, I always go for the headshot fist, use it within certain range that I just 'feel' comfortable with and the gun is effective, I have no certain distances in mind but it's gotta be as you mentioned.

    It might be worth mentioning that my first 18 kills with the gun were one kill streak. I tracked enemies for 2 hexes until the fight died out and I had to redeploy. Having in mind where would they go next, using the terrain to your advantage, where their armor and sundies will be and where their snipers are.. maybe I'm a little inexperienced with my LA to have done this before with a primary but it was loads of fun and for me this is where the gun shines.

    I just don't think of it as a secondary. It bounds you to certain play style particularly with LAs. And your primary becomes the backup in case someone gets close.
  17. Corezer

    blackhand opens opportunities for counter-sniping or short term perching against a hill full of stationary characters. I feel it does just as well as the commissioner in the backup department because where I usually do that is at close enough ranges where there is no retreating and reloading, meaning the slightly worse hip fire doesn't have much effect. Now when I see a sniper that doesn't see me, or a heavy aiming a rocket somewhere else, I can get a quick target of opportunity kill rather than have to move to proper range. This is the same reason I always have C4 on me, and we all know how good that is for LA

    Yes, I feel the blackhand is worth it.
  18. Certs-For-Days

    There are many things that the word "best" can fit into. If you are a run and gun, CQC type of person, then no, the Blackhand would not be a good choice because it has a low magazine size and a high optic scope. If you are the laid back, behind the lines player, then yes, I would consider it.

    But the main thing is this: Find your preferences and then make a decision based on the data that you find and collect.
    Close range recommendation: Manticore, Mag-Scatter, Repeater, Underboss. Long Range recommendation: Underboss, Inquisitor, Rebel, Cerberus.

    ATTENTION: I have a YouTube channel that is just starting out and I would love feedback/constructive criticism to improve my videos. Thanks for checking out my channel if you have the time. Here is the link.

    https://www.youtube.com/user/AnoculoptGaming
  19. Agiond

    Well i have a similar question, and i'd prefer not to open a new thread.

    NC LA here. I use the Razor as main weapon, tho half the time i can't help keep running into buildings as if i was using a SMG or a GD-7F. But somehow, i almost never use my pistol. In fact, i'm still using the first one and never cared to buy a comissioner. But now, with the Blackhand, i'm not sure if i should get it or just keep my way forgeting that pistols even exist.
    So, should i pick the Blackhand? I have jumpjets certed and the fast shield recharge (i know, i'm a noob, pros use nanoweave. But i need shields up ASAP. No health implant nor medkids here, just C4, so shields are my life-saver)
  20. Iridar51

    Unlike AC-X11, Razor is not terrible in close quarters. As long as you don't use Compensator, even without laser sight you'll have acceptable hip fire and scary 3 headshot kill within 10m.

    So it's not that bad to run in a building with Razor, if you don't use something like compensator + 4x scope combo.

    It's not surprising you don't use sidearms much, considering Razor has slow RoF and decent damage per mag, so it's hard to waste ammo, which you should have enough to always deal with at least one target. And lightning fast reload on top of that.

    As long as you acknowledge that ASC is convenience, and not combat efficiency, it's fine to use. Nobody can tell you how to enjoy the game, after all.

    Razor is what I consider a ranged carbine, so Blackhand on top of it would be a bit superfluous. But it does have the utility of surgically removing specific targets from long range, especially if most of the target is hidden by cover. It also makes a better perching weapon. It's not something you "need", but if you've got certs and no better place to spend them, then sure, go ahead.

    Blackhand will also serve as a nice supplement to SMG or a shotgun when/if you ever decide to use one.