Higby and Spencley201 perfectly summed up my opinion of the Lasher.

Spencley201: "Can't wait for people to learn how to use [the Lancer] properly like the Lasher... Rubbish in most hands, amazing when figured out."

Higby: "You're not wrong. Of all the [Empire Specific Heavy Assault] weapons the Lasher does best statistically by the top players, by far."


Quoted source: https://twitter.com/mhigby/status/315316258780377088

Previously stated opinion: http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/...ns-that-you-fear-respect.106295/#post-1418946

Lasher + confined spaces = lollies.

Its the only weapon I use when getting my biolag on.

+1

I don't pretend to be one of the 'top players' but the Lasher is my top kills on VS and I wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone just tries to use the Lasher like an LMG/Carbine/AR and then thinks it's the gun's fault when it doesn't work. Area denial is it's own tactic like sniping or CQC, and as someone who appreciates area denial I'm glad there's a weapon in the game for me.

Good players I see with the Lasher aim center mass or for the head, often in tight areas.

Bad players with it use it from a mile away and only ever hit with the (negligible) splash damage.

Using it in close and tight areas still puts you at a disadvantage when anyone with pretty much anyone weapon (even pistols) is right in your face. You have a very high TTK with the Lasher so you become very vulnerable without people watching your back. Most people do not have trustworthy friends covering them, which is why they say the Lasher sucks. For the actual real gameplay of PS2 that 90% of the community experiences, the Lasher does indeed suck. You need to be around other VS players constantly and take up a supporting role.

And it does work very well in this situation, but then you run into the friendly fire problems that are almost unavoidable due to how slow the orbs move, often by the time you fire, it is very possible and very common for someone to accidentally step into them out of your control. With a typical gun, you can just stop firing to avoid hitting friendlies. Because of this, anytime a Lasher is being used, it restricts friendly movement if they try to mind your orbs or it gets your grief points if they run around freely and don't care about your orbs. Total Catch 22.

Yes, I can see the potential power the Lasher, but it is way too situational and, even in an ideal situation for it, you are almost always going to lose if an enemy gets close to you because your TTK is higher than his, which means you have to rely on his aiming mistakes if you want to kill him. Factor in the high possibility to injure your team and it becomes a weapon that is not worth using very often unless you simply do not care. What I wouldn't give just to have a pistol as good as the TR's, it could at least alleviate the shortcomings of the Lasher knowing you basically had a miniature SMG in your pocket to fall back on in CQC.

Typical player who thinks it's to be used as an LMG, comparing it to other guns and sprinting into buildings...

I solo with the lasher all the time. I charged an outpost and killed three people, then again when they respawned, coming from over a tall hill. I repeated this and blew their generator three times. Had a blast and added them all to my friends list, and none of them would ever say any of this BS about the Lasher after playing against me.

The player base of PS2 just has no sense of positioning. You see it in the shotgun rants especially. LMG's walking up stairs at half speed and approaching the inside corner to step into the middle of the room... HURRR DURRR SHOTGUN SO OP WHEN I WALK UP AND HUG IT!!! If you can get your head around where to move and why the Lasher can easily hold it's weight in most situations.

The only situations where I put my Lasher away is garaunteed pure CQC, like rushing a cap point the enemy is taking, and fighting uphill where there's nothing behind the target but sky.

Just saw a heated thread over on the Heavy Assault forum where there's a remarkably aggressive and vocal group of players who are asserting the exact opposite of what Higby says here: https://twitter.com/mhigby/status/315316258780377088

I'm now honestly surprised that I haven't been flamed yet.

In other words, all three ES HA weapons are turds, only the Lasher is slightly longer and browner and therefore the best?

Like what was agreed upon between Higby and Spencley201: "Rubbish in most hands"

haha it's funny how they claim the weapon requires any kind of skill, when the game is designed around players with none as it is. Low time to kill, lock ons... I mean come on, what a joke.

i cant remember the last time I was killed by a lasher. The reason is simply that the splash damage radius is a joke, it's easy to avoid. I see this giant slow moving projectile coming at me and it gives me ample time to run perpendicularly to it.
Like said before, it's useless in a direct encounter... so it is a garbage weapon, unless by some miracle you find people who are stupid enough to stand next to the glowing orbs.

The lancer on the other hand is great.... if you can render past 2000, which I can't. It's the kind of weapon where it is distinctly designed for catching MBTs/Aircraft/Max/Infantry offguard from far distances, but.. usually in those situations you have enemy snipers to contend with who can kill you instantly well if at least two see you.
It's not that it is "underpowered" in the general sense, but so incredibly situational that you're generally better off using something else.
I could see it having its damage increased, but effective range slightly reduced to make it in-line with the other faction launchers.

I would like to add that the Lasher is completely unique; there isn't anything else like it.

The Jackhammer and T7 Mini-Chaingun are just another shotgun and light machine gun, respectively; and debatably obsolete ones at that (especially considering the pump-action shotguns, T9 CARV, T32 Bull, and TMG-50).

Pretty much. The only reason the lasher is used a bit more than the other is because it has a function no other infantry gun in the game has, suppression potential. So indeed, using it as lmg is the wrong way to use it. The suppression potential makes it a decent squad support weapon. If you're not on a squad however (or can't use zerg as fodder), pretty much any other lmg is a better option.

"You guys just need to learn how to use the lancer/lasher man! It's totally awesome"

"Care to show a guide/video and explain how to use it properly then?"

"Guides? Videos? Nah man, you just gotta know how to use it!"

Instead of telling everyone how great it is and fanning the flames just make a short video of how you use it. Why keep this argument going when you could end it yourself by actually showing people its strengths? This is why I can't take Higby seriously with those tweets. He acts like a kid who won't share a joke because it would be more satisfying to him knowing we'll never get it.

Let's be honest, it also looks cool. It looks awesome at night and I'm sure that's also a big draw card for some people. The other ES weapons are completely forgettable

People that don't know what teamwork is are people who don't like the Lasher.


The Lasher is a devastatingly effective weapon. It's the fault of VS outfits and squads of not utilizing it.

One person using it, is useless. Like the Annihilator(pre-nerf), terrible on its own. Also like the Annihilator, incredibly overpowered when used as a collective. Get 10 guys shooting at one spot and enjoy gibbing everything that steps into that area of effect. An extremely useful tool for indoor fighting, especially in Bio Labs. A handful of individual, uncoordinated players wont be effective, an organized platoon with tactics and direction would use it to dominate the fight by just denying players access and killing players that try to push through enmasse, because hey, area of effect damage.

The only liability of the Lasher is the stupidity of your friendlies.

Want to show what one guy with a Lasher can do?



What a squad+ looks like using it?

You want a video, you say? This video makes the Lasher seem like the best (and most aggressively) kept secret in PlanetSide 2:

10 people using shotguns is far more effective then 10 people using lashers.

UBGL, your welcome.

@Fenrisk people dont want to realize that, what you can do with the Lasher can be done with other weapons and they are usefull in other situations.

Depends.

1 person using a Lasher is more effective than 10 people using shotguns in this video:

wow. want have it!