Thantos, Pandora or Phobos?

Discussion in 'Engineer' started by Quiiliitiila, Mar 2, 2013.

  1. Quiiliitiila

    I'm looking to round out my Engineer with a Shotgun and I'm considering these three. Frankly I'm leaning towards the Thantos, but now that the Phobos came out it seems that it out "guns" both the Thantos and the Pandora. In fact the stats for the Phobos and all the pump action shotguns seem much better than the old shotguns. Is the Phobos truly better than the Thantos or Pandora?

    The Pandora is fully automatic, but I hear it's damage and reload speed is lacking, the Thantos had better damage and reload speed at the sacrifice of having to click to shoot (GASP!).

    Suggestions?
    -Quiiliitiila
  2. Neurotoxin

    Thanatos remains my bread & butter. Extended magazine, Reflex x2 or HS/NV, and optional slugs. I use this with HA as my standard tower defense and gal drop assault configuration.

    The Phobos is a primary-slot melee weapon. Point blank kills in one shot are possible, usually it takes 3 shots at even 10 meters, anything past that and you might as well switch to your pistol. Its slow, the reload and refire speed is slow, even the time between clicking and having the shot come out is slow (which ruins the close-range precision).
  3. Anvildude

    Pandora is rather fun, however, and does wreck in close combat. One of it's major disadvantages- the fact that you chew through ammunition, is pretty much gone when you're playing an Engineer, though, meaning that it's somewhat "Better" in the hands of that class. It's also rather useful as an anti-MAX weapon, since TR and NC Maxes have such large hitboxes- the loss of accuracy the full-auto gives you is somewhat mitigated, and more pellets hit (in default non-slug mode).
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  4. Selerox

    I think the Nova is worth considering. With extended mag you have a 12 round magazine, which can be very useful in assault situations, as it let's you keep pushing for longer before having to reload. But to be honest, the Thanatos is a really solid choice; I don't know many people that have regretted certing one.

    Whenever I've tried the Pandora I've always felt it was a little "twitchy", and you have to be very careful to avoid blasting through ammo faster than you'd want to. I haven't yet tried the Phobos, but it seems like it's a very unforgiving weapon. If you can get up close and make the shot it's awesome, but if you're forced into using it a slightly longer range and miss the first shot then you're in deep trouble.
  5. Phebus

    I'm testing the Phobos (bought it with SC) out and am being told that it's a great gun by my outfit, however, I'm not totally convinced. It does have the bonus that you don't change an entire clip on reload so if you use 1 shot you can replace it quickly, this is countered by reloading an entire clip taking ages and the re-fire rate is not as fast as the Thanatos.

    If you like being in the thick of a fight then the re-fire rate and the reload of an entire clip being faster then the Phobos is probably not for you.

    I would definitely recommend testing all of the weapons before you spend SC or certs, the shotguns are all unique in many different ways so you really need to see which one plays to your personal strengths.

    I personally feel that the Thanatos is a well rounded shotgun for all classes (it's great for CQC medic) and the Phobos is a weapon that is best equipped by light assaults. The Pandora is OK but you have to be really careful not to burn through your ammo.
  6. Marinealver

    Pandora and point blank this is a twitch shooter. Run and Gun

    For longer ranges maybe a mana turret but if you are an engineer you should remain in a sundy AMS and repairing it.
  7. Gav7x

    Phobos.
  8. JudgeDeath

    I cant recomend the pandora, not in pellet or slugform.

    10 rounds with extended mag and you burn thru your pathetic 20 extra rounds in the pocket in seconds. Only usable as engineer and you need to be literally running around paving your every step with ammopacks. Damage and accuracy are lacking in comparison to the other two alternatives.

    The new pump one is nice but the reload cycle is abit sluggish and buggy atm. Havent tried the thanatos personally but I have only heard praises from multiple people and not a single negative review of it. Thats got to mean something ;)
  9. Plague Rat

    I use the mauler, which is the NC eqiv of the Thanatos, and I got to say it's hard to go wrong with that one. Quick reloads, and even a tigeter spread than the Nova or Pandora, which means better chance of landing more pellets. The damage on the Pandora is just the same as the others per pellet but it has the widest spread so it can feel like less damage if luck isn't on your side.

    I kind of have a love-it hate-it going on with the new pumps. They're damn powerful but with the RoF and just the nature of close range you're more likely to lose out due to lag. Spread is bigger but with 10 pellets it's not that big of a deal, but my main concern is that if feels like the pellets may actually drop damage faster. I didn't like it enough to buy it, but I'm curious how slugs work on these. If the damage was raised proportionately with the pellet increase it could mean a regular 2 shot with the potential for a OHK headshot, but if it wasn't raised it would be a pretty weaksauce attachment.
  10. Sian

    No love for the Nova anymore? =(
  11. Radeonman-K

    Each one has slight advantages and disadvantages.

    The pump is strait up mean if you can learn to be very deliberate and patient (yet quick) in close combat. You suffer from slow follow through shots and a smaller magazine tube, however the magazine can be "topped off" quickly. The Pump is also quiet useful as a short - medium range slug gun (one headshot kills in short range with slugs). It features the higher velocity (275m/s) of the Thanatos, and higher muzzle damage than the Auto or Semi slug shotguns. However, as with any pump, in sustained long range shooting the pump action gives you a longer wait between shots, coupled with damage drop off this weapon lacks for longer range slug shooting.

    The Semi shotguns feature a much better rate of fire, yet lower muzzle damage. Where a single well placed body shot at close range from the pump will kill, you need two decent body shots from a semi to kill. Follow though shots are easier though, and the weapon handles smoothly. Instead of a magazine tube that can be topped off, you get a standard magazine with a set reload time. For slugs, I find the semi autos are superior for medium-long range. The better handling and quicker follow through allow you to place more shots on a target at long range quicker. Closer in you must be very deliberate and almost always need to ADS in order to make your shots count, with a lower base muzzle damage than the pumps you will find close range use of slugs is harder (not impossible).

    The Auto, well I don't use it much. It sports a slightly higer rate of fire over the Semi autos, and aside from not having to click for each shot it has very similar handling and recoil. When using it for long range slug shots you have to use trigger discipline since the rate of fire is faster than the recoil recovery.

    The difference between the Thanatos and Nova are: Thanatos has a higher (25m/s) velocity, lower capacity (6 vs 8 or 10 vs 12), and faster reload time. Since you can drop ammo packs I favor the Thanatos.

    Exteneded mags are a must. I prefer the 4x crosshair for slug guns, but the 2x is a great happy median.
  12. VanuSovereignty

    Anything but the thanatos. The faster you kill your enemy the better, and if you're caught reloading you can run away or jump around.
  13. Xebov

    I use the Thanatos and its realy nice.
  14. Serin

    For engineer I still prefer the Pandora over the Phobos. You'll have ammo packs to make up for how fast it blows through ammo. Just depends on how much its reload bugs you.
  15. Ganjis

    I like the Pandora on my engineer for when I am doing MAX support. If the MAX dies, you have time to switch it out and avenge its death (assuming CQC of course). Extended mag means you can start shooting a little further away and not run out of magazine before you close to point-blank. It is also pretty good for medics on healing duty.

    Not recommended for any other role though really.
  16. ChironV

    Pandora.
    With the extended Mag you have a brutal CQC weapon. Plus and an engie ammo is not a problem. If you run out of ammo you A) probably tried to clear a room on your own or B) forgot to throw down an ammo pack and pause for a second.
    Good news is you CAN clear a room in CQC unless you are facing another automatic shotgun user or a dual hacksaw max.
  17. Anvildude

    And even against a dual hacksaw MAX, you can still hold your own if you're smart about it.
  18. M4L4CH1TE

    Thanatos for both Engy and Medic. Love it. With the X3.4 scope you snipe out at medium range and drop most people with 3 quick slugs. Short range 1shot kills to the head with skatershot - 2 to 3 to the body.
  19. Xasapis

    Thanatos is probably the best shotgun to use in conjunction with slug ammo.

    On the other hand the introduction of Phobos made the usefulness of Pandora questionable in close quarters. Phobos is better than Pandora against infantry, however Pandora is better when facing maxes.
  20. OddChelsea

    Anyone who tells you that the damage on a fully automatic shotgun is lacking in this game is completely full of ****. I can still shred someone using a pump action if I am not using slugs, maybe even with.