Thoughts on the NS-03 Thumper?

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Campagne, Jun 26, 2019.

  1. Campagne

    As always I'm curious as to how others are receiving the new weapon. NS this time around!

    [IMG]

    Looks good, but feels a bit clunky and the sight doesn't actually do anything and can't be used.

    It's an alright weapon. It can kill with two direct hits to the chest or head or three with hits to the legs. The grenades are fairly heavy and slow so the effective range is somewhat short.

    Against standard infantry targets a minimum of four grenades is required to kill using only splash damage.

    When holding the weapon the user moves 10% slower. Equipping a secondary weapon or item in another slot removes the penalty until the weapon is equipped again.

    The Thumper features three attachments and two new ammo types.
    • Automatic Trigger: Increases the RoF by 10% and allows for automatic fire over semi-automatic, and increases the minimum CoF by 25%. In my opinion this isn't a very good choice.
    • Launch Accelerator: Increases projectile velocity by 25% and significantly increases the vertical recoil. The boost to velocity and the effect on projectile gravity allows the Thumper to be used at a longer range more effectively, though it is still a mid-range weapon at best.
    • Lightweight Materials: Removes the movement penalty when equipped but increases the angular recoil by 33%. Again, I personally don't see this as a very valid choice.
    • Disruptor Ammo: Impacts strip 50 shields and 10% of maximum ability energy. Like an EMP, it will also destroy deployable objects such as beacons or motion spotters. In exchange the blast damage is reduced by 33%. It works as a support tool.
    • Incendiary Ammo: Deals 350 damage over 3.5 seconds (100 DMG per second), and reduces blast damage by 66%. Again, better used as a support weapon. The fire takes much too long to kill and increases the number of direct hits to kill to three if just firing full-auto.
    The recoil varies depending on attachment choices and can be quite significant or not an issue at all.

    Known Bugs:
    • Currently does not work with ASP.
    • ADSing while reloading causes the player to be stuck in ADS mode. This reduces field of view and causes the player to move very slowly.
    • ADSing seems to negate recoil penalties caused by attachments.
    Final verdict: Not terrible. Could be fun, but not very effective. Isn't very powerful so hopefully it won't be spammed and won't be a chore to play against. Doesn't really perform very well in any aspect.

    I would suggest adding an ammo type which allowed the weapon to damage heavy armour but increasing the projectile gravity. It currently cannot damage heavy armour and is ultimately almost less effective in every role than a Crossbow with explosive darts.
    • Up x 1
  2. TRspy007

    I like that the devs are coming out with new weapons, I would've liked faction specific grenade launchers but I'm glad to have something new to try out.
  3. Dargadon

    Fun? Yes. Effective? No. Convinient? No.
    So far it feels like heavy Candy Cannon. Farts and giggles, nothing more.
  4. TR5L4Y3R

    neither ammobelt nor munitionspouch offere any additional rounds ... so that is dissapointing ...
    i still my get it for my VS character cause i´m not super fond of the lasher ...
    but i think it still need some tweaking .. i´m just not sure were ... maybe on range?
    definittively should be able to at least damage light armor ...
  5. Scrundle

    I may have been wrong as it was quite a hectic moment but I swear to god I just pounded 8 grenades into the side of a Valk and none of them did any damage, which struck me as extremely odd and I would have experimented more but I was being murdered most brutally at the time.
  6. Drakortha

    looks and feels like another boring vanilla NS weapon.
  7. Clipped!

    Because that's what it is. I even said so on the forums when it was on the PTS (before I'd given up here because the devs only talk on reddit which is insane) that it was just completely ineffective. It needs not only the impact being able to damage armor and a full meter of inner blast, as well as the outer blast being extended to 4 meters or just increased to 100. As for the ammo types they should only take away half the blast damage and the disruptor ammo having a bonus 3x vs shields (effectively 50% pen vs health and 50% bonus vs shield compared to standard, and then the incendiary ammo should be 200 over 2 seconds.
  8. FateJH

    The only Thumper I trust.
    [IMG]
    • Up x 1
  9. JibbaJabba

    Problems so far:
    It does not count headshot damage.
    If will reduce damage for legshots, but not increase it for headshots.
    Net result:
    Takes two direct shots to kill.
    Because of the ballistic arc there is a significant chance shots land on legs.
    As such it typically takes 3 direct shots to kill someone.
    Landing a direct headshot with the round does nothing to improve this. ie, if you land a legshot, you'll still need two headshots to finish them.

    The ADS on it is janky. It merely move the crosshairs to a location inconsistent with hipfire. Not change in CoF or Bloom.

    A player is completely incapable of defending themselves in a 1v1 with this weapon. They need a good side arm.

    Harassers are immune to it.
    Armor / Sundies are immune to it.

    IMO this is kinda crap.

    Also the king bug: It's broken with ASP right now.
  10. TR5L4Y3R


    that thumper however would not be a heavy weapon, would it?
    also from what i read this IS a commonpool weapon .. not a TR weapon as some seem to have claimed
    and sorry but that model looks ugly, i rather take UT2003´s flakcannon instead ..
  11. Naskoni

    The thumper as it is is a pointless gimmick and a total waste of a weapon slot and 1000+ certs. Holiday event weapons are more useful than it is...
  12. FateJH

    In PlanetSide Classic, it counted as a Special Assault weapon.
    I'm not even sure what you're going on about here. It's not like people claimed that the Suppressor was an NC weapon, yet still this was its "poster."
    [IMG]
  13. TR5L4Y3R


    let me just repeat, some people (NOT directed at you) claimed the thumper to be a TR weapon, despite on the wiki it says it´s common pool ..

    as for the thumper i rather would have liked it to be a medicprimary for AV support
  14. DarkStarAnubis

    It feels like a support/situational weapon occupying the primary slot without a good reason.

    Put that as replacement of the rocket launcher so HA can use their LMGs and have some occasional fun with the Thumper when the need arises.
    • Up x 2
  15. Moggram

    I have played round with it for some time. This is all just my opinion, so use the info as you plz. I also feel like this should have been a Class Tool slot for the light assault. (The Rocklet Rifle needs a brother.)

    There are three ways to run this gun. (IMO)
    1: Play as a support weapon. You should use Launch Accelerator attachment and the EMP or Incendiary ammo.
    ♥ Lock down door ways if you get a friend and keep hinting it. (No one like run through fire)
    ♦ Checking for Infiltrators on a control point. (Man this thing gets them running)
    ♣ Checking for anything just inside a door way. (Mines or bad guys)
    ♠ You can fire over walls into a control area and (maybe) soft'n up the defenders.

    2: CQC weapon. Use Automatic Trigger attachment and normal ammo.
    ♥ For the most part, you play as if it is a shotgun. Use Flak Armor!

    3: Bunny Hoping. For this one Lightweight Materials attachment and normal or Incendiary ammo.
    ♥ Implants: Athlete and rank 5 Catlike. If you don't have that then Sidewinder can be useful.
    ♦ Always be on the move.
    ♣ If you see a target, jump - fire - run and then do it again.
    ♠ Yes this a meme lordout but it is fun.
  16. RblDiver

    I've been using it almost exclusively since it came out. I find it terrible currently (what can I say, I'm a masochist). The fire dot just refreshes to the 350 damage, doesn't stack them up. Has limited range (as in, I can arc it very high, but they'll explode on their own in midair). No bounce ability. Loves to hit the cover I'm aiming over (fire from crotch region). Anyone over ~30ft away, I have to aim so high to try to hit them that I can't see where I'm actually aiming.
  17. DemonicTreerat

    Definitely in need of something. The original Thumper was such an very effective weapon that just about every squad going to breach a door had 2 plus a mix of plasma & EMP grenades. In fact that was one of my jobs as a CE/ medic in Azure Twilight - hang just behind the front line guys with Lashers (the real ones, not the current abomination claiming the name) while bouncing plasma grenades ahead of them to force defenders to choose between roasting behind a crate or facing focused lasher fire without cover. This version is less effective at all of those aspects in close quarter than using hand-held grenades while lacking enough effective range to be useful outside of thrown distances.


    My suggestion is remove the speed penalty & allow it to be equipped in the secondary slot with the right ASP perk like the rest of the heavy guns. Replace the lightweight attachment with a variable fuse option (uses mode select to cycle between 1, 2, and 5 second delays). This way the Thumper is better suited for doing what grenade launchers are intended to do - force the other guy to choose between being blown up inside his hole or get out and get shot.

    Frankly right now its almost as if Wrel in his continued idiocy/ "MLG-pro (cough cheaters cough) are the only ones that matter" fanboism freaked out at the mere prospect of a weapon that doesn't require a "mano mano" macho epeen measuring contest to be effective. So much so that he applied every nerf and penalty suggested to account for the very first version to something that was already balanced with said situations in mine.
  18. Liewec123

    i am VERY happy that it is relatively weak,
    i saw the thread inwhich someone was requesting that the nades bounce around corners and i just had to wonder,
    do they realise what they want to unleash?

    splash weapons need to be weak!
    (and i say this as a lasher enthusiast!)
  19. Demigan

    SURPRISE

    PTS changes from friday
    • Up x 2
  20. Moggram