So I tried the Vanu...

I'm sort of new to the game compared to the other people playing here (with about 80 hrs in). When I first downloaded PS2 I choose the NC (Waterson) because I thought they were the underdogs. However, when I started playing the NC had a huge population advantage over the TR and VS (I know that has changed now). The VS in particular where getting stopped to hell with like 20% population. It was not fun for me to be on the winning team earning easy victories. After a while, the NC started pissing me off! Their tactical decisions suck, and they just zerg everywhere and get themselves into bad tactical positions.

Ssto I made a Vanu character and I will not look back. To begin with the Vanu weapons are awesome, and anyone who says otherwise is wrong! Our weapons have little recoil and feel accurate, allowing us to place our shots on target more often. Honestly, I feel far more effective with low recoil/ high rate of fire, but that is my opinion. It also feels good to be helping the underdogs on my server. What really sucks about the VS is that the magrider is completely unappealing. When I was playing my NC character I put a lot of certs into the awesome vanguards, and I never feared the magrider. It looks ugly and plays awkward IMO. If anyone has used this vehicle to any effect please give me advice!

I made this thread to encourage people to SPREAD OUT, try other factions and take it upon yourself to balance your server!

+1. Went with NC at Christmas when they sucked, went to VS when VS was losing players. Went back to NC for a little while a couple of weeks ago and hated it. Give me Vanu or give me death.

While I share your sentiment that the large, roaming NC zergs are a nuisance and ruin the fun of balanced gameplay, I'm afraid it's NC or nothing for me, since early beta. It's called faction loyalty, and it's not so easily dropped by more dedicated players.

+1

The most loyalty this game will provoke is outfit loyalty, if the factions had differences other then color and a few weapons here and there i might care about what banner i fight for

The Vanu weapon stats are fine. The vast majority of them sound like trash, however.

One of the big problems with PS2 is that faction balance plays a big part of the game experience, playing the over pop/under pop faction can can be boring/frustrating. Getting veteran players to switch factions is hard because their is no way to transfer your character investments at this time. Some people won't transfer due to faction loyalty, but I bet there is just as many that would if there there was a way to carry your SC investment, and time investment (certs) along with you to your new faction. This is something SOE should be looking at addressing in the near future.

Switching from a faction that you're so used to, feels liberating and so while there are some things you couldn't have done before - you can do now with another faction's weapons.

It may seem OP at first but give it the same months and months of gameplay then switch back to another faction and continue the cycle.

I used to play strictly NC for a few months. Went TR and it felt liberating as Hell, OP, I would say. A few months into it, maybe 5-6 and I went back to NC (on the Test Server). Felt liberating and NC felt OP.

I switched to VS on a different server because I was getting tired of playing with 40% pop on Miller. I won't go so far as to say the VS weapons are clearly better than TR, but they're definitely more accurate and every bit as good in general. I miss my 10 extra rounds, but the faster reload actually works out better for me since I'm constantly reloading anyway.

My only real complaint is having to grind everything all over again. I spent all my SC on my main TR character, and I can't bring myself to plop down another $50 to buy everything again in purple.

Biggest problem is VS is the magrider atm. So I hope it gets some attention, its just a few nudges it needs, more bullet velocity and increased angels on main turret and it would be fine.

Anyhow, worst part of VS are teh gun looks and sounds. Worst is the Vortex. Complete trash looking gun, where other MAX's get cannons strapped to their arms, VS gets a tiny **** gun with a pistolgrip.

i love Vanu, however the Magrider nerf was totally overkill

you never stand a chance face-to-face against a vanguard or even a Prowler if they are half-decent certed and are not terrible

I think Higby tweeted awhile ago that they were overhauling the VS weapon SFX, so there's that.

You play hide and seek with it - peeking around cover, fire, duck back into cover and such. You drive it where no one would expect or try to take another tank cause they'd get stuck. You always value a secondary gunner and let someone join you if you're alone.

That's about it really... its not a tank you charge head on into fights with rather you approach battle with it as sort of a skirmisher, much like the Harasser is used. In numbers with teamwork, then head to head fights are viable, and a secondary gunner is a big plus.

Magrider is horrible (other tanks pluck ESF/Libs from air as ripe plums and shoot the crap out of MAG in 1on1), Vortex is ridicolous (common 10 direct hits to kill infantery) , Glancer is sub-par (should atleast kill an ESF with full charge+2 fast shots) so dont change side from NC to VS go TR instead and have 2-faction fights... (let VS die in peace since SOE apparently hates them)

I actually like look of VS weapons, but i dislike their stats. I rather have gun that is hard to control but when correctly controlled its more deadly than easy to control weapons.

I love Vanu and it will always be my main faction, but to say our guns are accurate is kind of a joke. Most VS guns bounce all over the place and have really bad spread. It's so common to lose a duel against the NC, we struggle to make our hits land and meanwhile the NC guys don't need to burst or anything, just spray full auto at long ranges and tear you to shreds with their 200 damage per shot Gauss SAW.

NC is the faction with hyper accurate, high damage and easy to control recoil guns. Literally the only downside is slightly lower rates of fire, but that is a benefit to their overall recoil control. Higher ROF weapons are harder to control, especially the vertical recoil. There's a reason NC is so highly populated across the board, it is the easy mode "go to" faction right now because the guns are all basically like playing with hacks on.

Everytime I mess with my NC alt I am in awe at how easy it is to play the infantry of that faction.

When I launch a prowler, I feel great.
When I launch a magrider, I feel frustrated in battle. (not driving over mountains though)

I hate riding in it. When I pull a harasser out, I feel.... overwhelmed with FUN...
My main tank is the harasser.

Mostly it is because the shooting mechanism. It's too low to the ground and it is slow...

Talking about faction loyalty, as long as they keep max damage for TR the same i never switch. I have character on all factions and i might play with them of course, but TR remains as my primary.

I can agree with u that the magrider looks like crap!