Shotguns worth buying?

Depends what shotgun, but overall I'd say no! I have a pump action and a semi automatic, the semi-automatic sucks, the pump action is really good but if you miss, you're dead.

this should hopefully help

It's nothing I would use if I was a new player since an extremely powerful CQC weapon won't help you if you get constantly shot in the back. Imo, you need to know how bases and buildings are designed in order to make the most out of a shotgun. They're definitely worth it though. But you should also have decent framerates, otherwise scrap it. The semi-autos are probably the most versatile currently.

I'd pretty much agree with this. Shotguns have been nerfed, not into uselessness or anything, but they are much more situational, and I think a SMG it probably generally better in CQB.

Killing shotgun users just outside their effective range is one of my favorite pastimes.

thanks

why were they nerfed?

Nope, not really. Not sure if any recent updates have changed the shotgun situation or not but from what I recall the autoshotguns > non-autos because they put out way more DPS and DPS is really all you should care about with a weapon spec'd for melee range.

It can be quite frustrating to get a solid shot on someone in CQC with a shotgun and die because you did not get quite enough pellets as headshots to get the OHK and since most weapons have a CQC TTK shorter than the pump shotgun refire time this is a likely scenario when using the pumps.

With the autoshotgun you are not able to take out many targets before reloading because you dump so much ammo but you are far more likely to get at least one kill because no other weapon can compare to the autoshotgun in terms of raw DPS.

I would have to agree with Goretzu that you are probably better off with a SMG because they are a lot less situational than the shotguns and are very competitive in CQC.

Because devs were being flooded in tears.

ok...

How do you use melee and what is the best weapon for light assault and heavy assault in your terms

Don't get a shotgun early on. If you absolutely have to, get the 250 cert one, it is actually the best shotgun anyway.

Knifing is your melee attack. I think the default setting on the keyboard is the letter T. Best weapons for any class is highly debatable and also depends on the player's playstyle. You can do quite well with a shotgun on a light assault, but you can do just as well with a carbine or smg. Different guns for different situations. In general, shotguns have the shortest effective range, then smgs, then carbines. Shotguns currently give your position away on the map when fired. Smgs and Carbines can be equipped with suppressors to stay hidden on the map (gun will still make noise, though). If you like to get right up to somone, grab a shotgun. If you like to be a bit stealthier, stick with a carbine or smg.

The melee attack is initially bound to your mouse scroll when you press on it and it's pretty powerful. I think it does around...600 damage, so if you're in CQC, it can help kill an unaware enemy or if you're "dancing" together. That said, I think it's a bit wonky as the range seems a bit shorter than it should be; or it may have a lower priority than other attacks. I've been in more than a few fights where I was sure I knifed an enemy, but they were still able to take me down with three or four bullets. It is probably tied to the lag.

With the "best" weapons, for CQC. I think the factions' close quarter carbines are "very" good, thanks to the high damage, high RPM, and their hip-fire accuracy. Even the 800/845 RPM guns are effective (thought the GD-7F and I don't get along), as they trade a bit of accuracy and control for extremely high DPS. As for HA's, I tend to go with the medium-range LMG's. They can be a bit slower with their fire rate, like 600-750 RPM, but they're also more stable, so you can be a threat at 20-40 m. That said, if I know I'm going to be in close, I tend to switch to one of the other classes, as I'm more comfortable with SMG's and quick-firing carbines and assault rifles when I think the fight's going to be within 10 or 15 m.

First, if I remember correctly, melee attack is "T" by default but beware because since you pass through (ghost) other characters you have to be fairly deliberate with your knife strikes.

Best weapon for LA really depends upon your preferred playstyle.

If you like an "in your face" run and gun playstyle then the SMGs are great (shotguns would apply here as well but IMO they are just too situational) and I would go for the SMG that has the built-in extra magazine for the extra ammo capacity. So, get yourself the SMG, get the advanced laser sight, compensator, softpoint ammo and the HSNV scope (though you will rarely want to ADS with this setup).

If you prefer more of a positional flanking sharpshooter playstyle then I would probably go with the NS carbine since it is like a Mario- well rounded, does not excel at anything per se but is a very good all around weapon (with the advantage of being unlocked across all factions and characters if you buy with SC). One of the best things about the NS carbine is that with the foregrip+compensator+3.4x or 4x scope setup then it is deadly accurate at mid range ADS (so long as you do not move or turn and throw off the garbage ADS sights) and you can reliably land headshots.

You may want to try both of these setups in VR.

Best weapon for HA I think depends a lot more on your faction.

For VS I would say go with the SV-88 since the high bullet velocity coupled with no bullet drop means that you have a relatively large effective range of engagement.

For TR I am probably not the best for giving advice as I do not have a lot of experience with TR but I hear that many compare the MSW with the SAW since the MSW can maintain a little better accuracy at distance than the Carv9.

For NC I would say try to stick it out with the SAW and upgrade as much as possible. It takes getting used to but will pay off in the long run- the EM6 appears to be the major NC competitor with a lot of higher BR players suggesting it over the SAW.

Of course, those are primary HA weapons- if you have a greenhorn HA I would recommend trying to adapt to the default LMG at first and if you do spend early certs on weapons then I would take a long look at things like concussion grenades and the various launchers. As VS it seems the Lancer adds quite a bit of utility, especially against things like harrassers. As TR it seems a no brainer to go with the Striker but it sounds like there are stirrings about a possible upcoming nerf. As NC it is a tough call- the Pheonix is fun and different but probably a lot less effective overall than a decimator and you would see greater increase in utility by getting an AA lock-on so you can have the grounder loadout (default rocket launcher) and an AA loadout (Anni or the other).

They were supposed to be making them more "skill based", but basically they were just nerfed in power (argueable the non-MAX ones were too powerful - and the cynical may well suggest that they'd sold enough/weren't selling enough other weapons; they may well have been right).