Drifting Away from Light Assault

Discussion in 'Light Assault' started by Malcmodnar, Jan 15, 2014.

  1. Malcmodnar

    Fair warning: this post may contain large amounts of rambling.

    I don't normally post here, but I believe this is worth it. In every game I play, I gravitate towards the class that lets me take unconventional approaches, that lets me neutralize threats before they become one. Why fight fair when you can win?

    In Planetside 2, I immediately chose Light Assault. A class focused on outmaneuvering opponents, on hitting from unexpected angles and generally not being where people expect it? A jetpack (which Section 8 trained me to use to lethal extent)? Explosives that can, with luck and clever use, kill tanks and MAXes? Light Assault had the makings of the perfect class, in my opinion. It did not disappoint... at first.

    Lately, though, LA has just seemed pointless. I don't know why, I don't know what has changed, but over the past few months I've felt that LA is making less and less an impact on the battlefield. I'm the kind of player who doesn't care how many kills I get (though it is no less fun to go on a tower kill-streak) or what my KDR sits at (above one is good enough for me). If it doesn't help our team take the base, eliminate the threat, or contribute to global domination, the greatest killing spree in the history of Araxis is meaningless to me. That's how LA has left me feeling lately.

    I consider myself good at this game. Not great, but good enough. I've rolled LA almost exclusively since I first joined PS2. I've helped weaken chokepoints so the team can overrun it. I've killed Sunderers and likely brought an early end to at least one major battle. Now, though, that doesn't feel like it's contributing. I can kill the occasional Sunderer, but more will come (assuming whatever plan I concoct to add a sliver of damage to it works in the first place). I can blow up a tank or two, but there are always more. I can weaken a point, but unless I get a large team of Light Assaults, they'll be back up to strength in no time.

    I know that one soldier rarely has a massive impact, and will likely lose against a team. But LA is designed, it seems, to be alone, to augment the team by taking a back door. And yet recently I seem to lack the staying power to hold a point long enough to pull pressure off the others, the firepower to kill most threats, and the utility to disrupt enemies. I used to, but something has changed.

    Recently, I tried Heavy Assault. It's a whole different world. I still think light a Light Assault, and I can get into surprisingly good positions even without a jetpack. I can get the drop on an enemy just as well, but even if I don't I can still reliably overpower them. I can suppress vehicles without having to hug them. I have the power to weaken a defensive line and the force to punch through. Sure, there are moments when I'd love to be able to jump a wall or hop up a floor, but I can usually get the same effect by walking around an unguarded side. HA gives me reliability, firepower, and flexibility without sacrificing much in the way of mobility. Having its tools at my disposal, LA just seems... flat. It's not the same as it used to be.

    I don't know why, but it's as though the "Assault" in Light Assault has just vanished for me. HA has the tools, the ability to take and hold, and can still flank and outmaneuver with a few moments' thought. And so I ask those of us crazy enough to strap several pounds of rocket fuel to our backs and light a match, do you feel the same? Do you have any advice for someone looking to influence the battlefield without having to renounce the jetpack? Or has Light Assault lost its luster for you, too?

    Thanks for indulging my musings, and happy hunting.
    • Up x 4
  2. HerpTheDerp

    You're simply using LA wrong. You're a team, objective-based player, and LA is a solo, K/D-whoring class.
    • Up x 2
  3. Pat22

    It doesn't have to be. It's just that that's the way most people will play it instinctively because hey, you have a jetpack. Why go through the doors and climb the stairs when you can fly up to the roof and cross the entire base?
    Why stay on the ground getting fired at and constantly avoiding explosives of all kinds when you can go hide in the tree and pick at targets from up high?
    But that doesn't mean you HAVE to play that way. I play with my squad, I stay close to the ground and follow them around. I use my jetpack to evade enemy fire. Instead of going solo over a building, I come in through another door, swinging in fast throwing down grenades to distract the enemy defense and disrupt their lines so my squad can push in through the front door.
    I'll probably die doing that, but by staying near the ground and near my squad, I can almost be sure the medics will get me.
    • Up x 2
  4. Iridar51

    You're doing just now what you should've done a long time ago: try out each class. Not to specialize on it, just to know the strengths and weaknesses. Playing only one class all the time is limiting. I love LA with all my heart, but I still need a change of scenery once in a while.

    And about that LA seems weaker to you.. Well, we did receive a steady stream of small nerfs over the last year, but the difference is not huge, and LA is still performing his intended role. Whatever that is. So you really sound like a case of bad mood and game fatigue. Quit for a while, and return several updates later, hopefully we'll get some new toys by then. Or play other classes, like you're doing now.

    You say "K/D-whoring class" like it's a bad thing.
    • Up x 2
  5. Pat22


    It's a series small indirect nerfs to the LA, really.
    -Many of our old perching spots got removed, or made so we can't land on them.
    -Windows got blocked up to prevent tanks from spamming shells into them, but also preventing us from using them.
    The underbarrel grenade launcher got nerfed several times to the point where it's not really worth having all that much compared to when it was the main selling point for the SF weapons.
    -The hipfire nerf hit us hard, accuracy while using your jumpjet took a massive dive, and it was uncalled for. I
    -Carbines got their ranges reduced.
    -C4 AoE was reduced.

    Might be a couple more I forgot.

    The hipfire nerf is the one that really bothers me. t's not like LAs were outperforming every class in firefights by hipfiring from the air. In fact, most LAs didn't engage from the air at all unless they got caught by surprise and had no choice.

    Overall the class still achieves its purpose, as you said, but I hope they keep facts in mind when the LA class revamp eventually happens.
    • Up x 3
  6. AMW1011

    Any class that lacks usefulness in a squad is useless in Planetside 2. If you want to pad you're K/D then pull armor/max/liberators.

    Light Assault is almost useless as it is now. They are worse than every class at just about anything except being above you.
    • Up x 2
  7. LostAlone

    It's incredibly frustrating that SOE seems to think that a jetpack is the same as cloaking when it comes to making stealthy approaches, when in fact it's nothing like that. LA aren't stealthy, they are maneuverable, but we get given C4 as our only anti-vehicle, anti-max option as if it's expected that we can sneak into packs of tanks or max and place it.

    That kind of thinking follows out to the rest of what LA is. We are only really useful in close range fighting, but we aren't any tougher than the people we are fighting to make up for being in situations where we are likely to take damage. We can use jetpacks to get into great positions, but we don't have access to any long range weapons, so mostly there's no reason to do that.

    I'm not changing away from LA, because it's the only class that actually feels different compared to other games. The jetpack feels great to me, and I miss it the second I switch classes. But the class also feels really unloved, and I think SOE needs to think harder about what they want to do with it.
    • Up x 4
  8. TheMercator

    I think they forgot, that the Jet pack is little more than the ability to jump high, not something, that makes you a fast and deadly killer.
  9. Kuriby

    LAs were a very niche situational class. The truth were that they were never useful when compared to any other class.

    If you dedicated yourself to LA and took a switch to HA you'd understand why this game is heavyside 2. The HA is just so much more viable then the LA.

    LA needs a revamp. Either give us the ability to carry anti-vech weapons or two primaries or a specific role. Cause frankly, everything the LA can do (except fly on to rooftops), any other class can do better.

    <---- use to be a LA dedicated player
  10. Poorform

    Any squad leader that isn't Light Assault is a bad squad leader. Getting bacon into hard to get to spots is key for any offensive.
    • Up x 1
  11. RenegadeHelios


    I honestly think that LA's should be given some kind of battle rifle or scout rifle. Long ranged combat, slap a flash suppressor on it, jump on top of a large object, and bam. Cheap stealth.

    I mean, weapons like the Razor work well at range. They're not too shabby. HV ammo helps. Still wish we had dedicated long range however.
  12. Pat22


    Some time ago I would have argued against this for balance.
    However, in light of the recent nerfs to hipfire and ADS while flying, it seems pretty obvious that we're not meant to be a CQB class, thus, I fully support this idea.
    • Up x 2
  13. HerpTheDerp

    CQB doesn't mean shooting while flying.
  14. Pat22

    But if you don't fly, then really, you're just an engineer without the fancy toys.
    • Up x 1
  15. Akeita

    One LA don't do much, 2 LA might break a defense include C4 group of enemy and MAXes, so as bring down engineer on AI turret for a second, but you will need to let your squad know so they can rush in without taking much damage.
  16. MrGhosty

    I don't know that I agree LAs have lost their meaning, they still have good uses and can even be extremely useful when dealing with specific scenarios (aside from Squad leads needing to be one when placing beacons). LAs are most useful when all other avenues of approach have been exhausted, they can circumvent most enemy positions and get at objectives or disrupt the defense. They are extremely useful when it comes to capping points which have a lot of chokepoints but are wide open from the air. I've found I typically only pull LA when fighting in bio lab, precarious bases such as the sky base on Indar (the name escapes me, the base where you can only reach it via air or jump pad) and some instances in Tech Plants or Amp Stations.

    I think the real takeaway is that you should never stick to on particular class, the beauty of this game is the ability to change classes based on the needs of the moment. With the recent hipfire and fire rate changes to HA, I wouldn't say that any one class is superior.
  17. HerpTheDerp

    You do fly. You just don't fly and shoot.