They're not unusable but people basically only defend them because they're better than SMGs at long range. Compare them to any other automatic weapon class and they start looking really sad. Velocity of a carbine, terrible magazine size, bottom-tier damage output (652rpm/143 is the second worst damage tier after the Corvus for an automatic weapon), hipfire like a clunky LMG (think Carv/SAW level), and on top of that, 143 damage guns suffer from inferior first shot accuracy compared to 167 and 200 damage automatics, so it's less reliable at long range pot shots too. On top of that, they lose more accuracy during ADS movement than comparable mid-long range assault rifles and carbines. They lose as much accuracy as the Reaper, which is a 200 damage automatic, all 3 of which are notorious for worst-in-class ADS-movement accuracy but better sustained damage than other long range guns. It's just a puzzlingly, unnecessarily bad combination of downsides that really don't all need to be there. Not unusable, but VERY puzzling design.
It's pretty good, though it's both harder to use and more situational than the other weapons available to the infil. I'd typically choose the semi auto over the full auto scout in almost any situation, the semi auto has the added advantage of making people think they're being sniped, regardless of if you're 5 feet from them, so they don't bother searching for you once they get rezzed. I'd like to see the full auto scouts fill a distinct space that no other gun fills, I think an extremely accurate low magazine size moderate projectile velocity weapon would be an interesting way to have the weapon, right now its accuracy isnt good enough to have any significant killing power outside of ranges that can be handled far more easily by repositioning with any other weapon, without the risk of revealing yourself with full auto midrange fire. But whatever I know it's not nearly that simple, it's a perfectly fine weapon, just if you're a good infil, you'd probably choose something else unless you specifically want a full auto ranged option for fun or style.
With 24 ammo, it's not that good... It's 250 certs, so get it. Outperformed by everything, pretty much.
Design wise, sure, I get it. SOE had to be careful, you can't give a fully automatic pin-point accuracy weapon to a stealth class... when the game first came out... now that N5 is everywhere and everybody has a max shield... you need that design. IMO all the Infiltrator weapons should have almost 0 bloom (or any of them that are Inf exclusive). Skill at aiming over just holding down the trigger like a moron should be the classes design.
I've just started using the SOAS, so am certainly no expert and haven't got many kills with it yet. I'm definitely finding it harder to get to grips with due to both the recoil and CoF/bloom. It almost feels like there is a delay between the first shot and the rest but that might just be me. I am finding though that, for an automatic weapon, more of my kills are headshots at about 25%. I can only put this down to the recoil and guess that I start firing at the torso and the weapon naturally 'wallks' up to the head as I burst.
I'd say SOE finally managed to make the auto scout rifles not the most useless crap rifle they had in the game. But that's it already. Infiltrator still features the most crap weapons in existance. Only the semi auto sniper rifle is even more questionable. I still can't understand why a weapon must have bad damage output, bad ADS and HIP fire stats and low ammunition count all in one. Why, game designers, WHY? I can live with the low ammo and the lower damage than other weapons I am used to from the NC arsenal, but at least make the weapon something like a sharpshooter or marksman would use: give it superior ADS and HIP stats to make up for the lower ammo count. It would be fair and would fit the class design.
The reason why I have success with the auto scout is because I don't treat it like a carbine nor SMG, you have to get the jump on enemies and that's where it shines- it kills faster than SMG's except the Cyclone and you don't have to be within 6m either. With NC I'd always pick Cyclone over Stalker though I have both, Cyclone hits harder and isn't stupidly loud like the Stalker (and SOAS-20) are, luckily the Artemis is one of the quietest guns in the game with a silencer and that gives me an advantage in getting 5-6 kills before I'm either spotted or run out of ammo (which doesn't happen that often anymore since devs bumped ammo count to 240).
I have no idea what that means... "getting the jump on somebody"... means what (as far as what you are trying to say)? you run up behind them and shoot them?... there is no way a Scout is killing anybody faster than ANY of the SMGs in the game if you do that. Now if you are using the Scout medium range like a bad Medic Rifle, then its ok... but, only ok, since the NS7 basically does what any of the Auto-Scouts do... just better by about 2x.
I agree in reality these days its pretty tough to sneak on people because of the cloak and yes i would pick the cyclone or the blitz over the ASR simply because its more effective
The auto scout has a high fire rate and you can quickly kill someone assuming you have perfect control over the rifle, dead aim and full head shots
Here's how the VS options stack up in pure time-to-kill (on a Non-Infiltrator w/ No Nanoweave) NS-7 PDW + SPA 0-20m 0.64 seconds to kill 21-35m 0.72 seconds to kill 36-49m 0.80 seconds to kill 50-55m 0.88 seconds to kill Sirius + SPA 0-8m 0.57 seconds to kill 9-14m 0.64 seconds to kill 15-22m 0.71 seconds to kill 23-35m 0.78 seconds to kill 36m-40m 0.85 seconds to kill 41-55m 0.92 seconds to kill Eridani + SPA 0-7m 0.56 seconds to kill 8-16m 0.64 seconds to kill 17-22m 0.72 seconds to kill 23-55m 0.80 seconds to kill Artemis w/ 2x Refliex + Laser Sight 0-5m 0.64 seconds to kill 6-125m 0.74 seconds to kill (NOTE: this does not account for accuracy, just how fast they can kill if you get all bullets on target) I have the Artmeis and Sirius, and prefer the Artemis currently. I don't have the NS-7, though I have used it extensively in VR. I like the Artemis because it is very accurate at placing bullets on target at 25-35m. It has better bullet speed. It is quieter. And while it is weaker in closer ranges (especially ~6-10), it can be used to kill decently in those ranges when needed. (something not all Infil guns can do) As I stated in my post in this thread, the 2 biggest drawbacks I feel for the Artemis are: 1) Magazine Size (especially a problem with Nanoweave opponents) 2) Hipfire Accuracy at 6-10 (6-15) meters (Laser Sight only extends the Hipfire to +3 meters to 8 meters, which is pathetic and also robs the user from using the Forward Grip which is much better for improving the gun at its main role) I do agree that the NS-7 easily beats the ASR in 6-20m: better damage, and better hipfire out to much farther range. The NS-7 parallels the ASR from 21-35, even beating the ASR slightly with damage, bigger Magazine, better Aimed movement, and a cross-faction sound that does not alert enemies what faction you are. But in testing, the NS-7 was much louder and slightly harder to keep bulletes on target at longer range. But I have not played with NS-7 in-game, so I can't comment on how it feels vs. Artemis in the field. I get that many of you don't like the ASR. But currently I do prefer my Artemis in the field over the Sirius.
Before I said anything more stupid, I got the Stalker and the SOAS, put a silencer/grip/NV scope on it and went around killing stuff. The range is a bit better than I remember it being (I have not used them in some time). Seems to fall under the same category I put the Semi-Auto-Sniper rifles in... DONT SHOOT AT HEAVIES, just ignore them unless they facing away from you and are at a range where you can't possibly not kill them. I still like the NS7, but really only because 24 rounds just does work out most of the time, versus the number 1 abused class... HA.
I agree that the ASR Magazine Size is very poor for the current game. It limits the types of situations you can use the gun reliably in (if they are moving and have a better gun than you skip it; if they are facing your direction, are between 0-25 meters, and are a non-Infiltrator skip it) and it limits the types of opponents you can engage reliably. Once SC goes on ~2x Sale again and the NS-7 goes on sale, I will grab it and give it a try. I am feeling more and more like it might just be the better gun than the ASR.
