My inability to decide what to save up for next has inadvertently resulted in me saving up 1000 certs, any advice as to what I should buy? Part of me was thinking the Skyguard but it seems kinda crap testing it in the VR, so my next 2 choices would probably either be the Crossbow or the AV Mana Turret (though I'm open to other suggestions as well) Also, are the forums being really slow today for anyone else? Takes my browser about 3 minutes to open a new page, and that's with a pretty fast internet connection.
Definitely not the Skyguard or Crossbow. Skyguard is really vulnerable and depends heavily on other armor for support and taking fire away from it, and its range isn't great which against air...well, you won't get many kills except against bad pilots. Unless for some odd reason you really like getting that minimal assist and damage-to-air XP, it's a very dull and unrewarding thing to pull a Skyguard most of the time. Crossbow is a sidearm, with some situational uses and decent for camping as a stalker infil if you want to hide out in some weird spot and grief vehicle terminals or AMS sunderers or whatever. It's not going to be a great side-arm for general purposes though. It's pretty niche. And yes, the forums are very slow right now. AV turret...well, it's overpowered but it's going to depend on how much you want to use it. I never end up using mine much in spite of always feeling I should have it. If this is your first 1000 certs ever, think about which classes you play most, and what play-style you have with them or want to have. Post that here, and you'll get better suggestions. You might not want to dump it all on one expensive item either, can potentially get a lot out of spreading it around.
DONT get the crossbow. There are better ways to spend 1000 certs. I made the mistake of getting it, and I regret it. I've been able to make it semi-useful by getting the explosive bolts and using them against MAXes, which is the only thing they are really useful for.
I pretty much always play Engineer, though I was considering getting into either Combat Medic (but I'm probably gonna leave Medic to the NC alt I'm passive-cert-farming, since the NC ARs seem to be a bit better overall) or MAXes (which I haven't really bothered with because all their stuff is so goddamn expensive, same thing with vehicles to a lesser extent) I tend to be a rear-line fighter for the most part (outside the odd Biolab Brawl or flash of recklessness), spotting & softening up enemies from a distance for everyone else, usually providing ammo for an Infil or two since we tend to gravitate to the same spots. This is part of why the X-bow & AV Turret were my 2 most likely choices, since the former would let me place detection darts (and maybe use explosive ones to hit enemies in cover when I do go CQC, though I might just get the S-Carbine with UBGL for that) and the latter would allow me to soften up/snipe vehicles too.
Your "First" 1000 certs shouldn't be spent on weapons. Upgrade the classes you mostly play(overshield , nanoweave , etc) If you insist on getting a weapon : Skyguard is worth the investment if you're willing to chill behind and PRAY for an ESF to fly close enough for you to kill it. AV Turrets are a good investment if you wanna chillback and hunt tanks , but puts you to the risk of getting sniped. Crossbows are a luxury item. Maybe wait for the new SniperRifles if you're interested in infiltrator gameplay(if you're VS/NC) SMGs(empire specific ones , not the NS) are downright amazing and worth every penny.
I've really more-or-less done that, my Repair tool & Nanoweave are each only 2 ranks from max rank, and given how the former supposedly gives less XP when upgraded (something to do with Repair XP being based on time spent repairing and not amount repaired) and the difference between base Nano & max Nano is "20 bullets to kill you" to "21 bullets to kill you" I don't really see the point to maxing out either just yet. From what I can gather SMGs are really more for Hipfire, and I tend to ADS 90% of the time anyway (plus I rarely do CQC on top of that) Besides, my Haymaker has served me pretty well in that regard.
If you're engineer then the AV mana is fun if you can give up the regular turret and in some situations it feels so OP (usually when you find a good postion that ESFs, libs and snipers don't think to look). But it's great you'll get some excellent kills with it (i bought down a Gal yesterday with it ). But yeah having an AV option is always useful because, well, if your can't run away as infantry (or spend is it 600C +resource on c4?) then you're already dead, might as well get a bit damage in if you can before they farm you... Proximines are fun too and now AV mines aren't pizza boxes it might be worth getting them too. With the proximines you can do this thing where if you know there's an infil nearby you stick an ammo pack down near a bush (but visible) and you put the mine in the bush. Providing the infil is hungry for ammo, it'll go and sit in the bush. Sometimes it even works when there's no bush xD.
The skyguard is really good if you routinely find yourself traveling around in large armor columns. You can just chill near the back and shoot down any aircraft that attempt to mess with your buddies. Very valuable but also very situational so I wouldn't recommend spending your first 1000certs on it. If you are looking for an anti-air option the second burster arm for the MAX makes for one of the most reliable anti-air weapons in the game and is suitable to all combat situations. It also has the advantage of being able to be quickly pulled at any spawn room or Sundy terminal should the need arise in a jiffy. The AV turret is a good choice if you like playing engi and find yourself always hanging out way in the back of a fight. Like 350m+ away. You can do some serious damage to armor columns back there. (though I have a feeling they are going to nerf it in the coming months)
Max out the Medic-Tool and get yourself to the frontlines. You will drown in Certs, I can guarantee you that.
If your main class is engineer, and you play a defensive role, then Anti-infantry Mines and then Tank Mines would be a great way to go. You said you don't do CQC much, but if you do Max Support, then the last levels of Nanoweave and Repair Tool are a must to keep you and your Max alive. I love the Skyguard. It's a high skill-cap weapon though. You really need to learn how to baby it, how to put yourself in the best position to score kills, how to lead targets to land hits, and how to avoid the inevitable armored response to your presence. So it's not going to pay off big at first. Keep in mind, if you can land 2/3 of a clip on an ESF, you will likely get shoot-down credit. I haven't gotten a Crossbow yet, but if I do, it will be to equip radar darts to my Heavy Assault. I can't see it being useful for much else. AV Mana is a good choice right now, but I would bet it will get a range nerf soon. It takes some getting use to as well.
The skyguards really sucks on a stock lightning. How good that weapon is really depends on the chassis itself. Don't buy lightning upgrades until your sure you want to invest more into the lightning down the road. Expanding your options as a support infantry will allow you more certs faster. upgrade repair gun- Faster reps, more useful to the team, more certs, less max dying on you. AI mines- no more backstabbing, great cat and mouse tactics, more utility when holding down a point. Upgrade ammo pack- Why noone mentions this? Making the pack last longer is huge enough. Its cheap, and the range increases are very dramatic. It will trump other ammo packs, and net you certs fast. Basic weapon upgrades- Unless your VS, the stock carbines are very good. Get a 1x scope, foregrip, and softpoint ammo ASAP. If your VS, consider buying a serpent. VS has good carbines, but the stock aint one. Armor- nanoweave or flak. I go flak because engies are support. A few flak upgrades will save your life. Rather then spreading your points out so that you are bad at more things, try to focus on getting good at one thing THEN expanding. You need a foundation to build on, and the engy is a great foundation. Also, the AI turret is very good. The AV turret can be a bit more situational. It'll get you killed at closer ranges (which is why I doubt it'll get another range nerf as mentioned prior). The AI turret can be used for cover, a distraction, and as a awesome weapon.
Don't get the crossbow. It's nice but very niche. Since you like Engineer, go for the AV turret. It greatly expands your effective range and gives you something to do in situations where previously you would have just been doing nothing. Always go for the thing that opens up new roles for you first.
I would recommend (since your an engineer) getting the AV MANA turret. I use the Skyguard, its a beast of a weapon don't get me wrong, and it is far too situational for 1000 certs (I got it for SC so I could use it on my Alts). I would not get the crossbow since I have only been killed by crossbow users whilst out of ammo and attempting to engage in fisticuffs. AV MANA turret is kinda OP (lol at the range of it) but it will probably still be a good investment. My non-weapon purchases would be: Utility Pouch (fully cert it), C4, Tank mines, and AI mines. This will probably run all 1000 certs dry but it will be well worth it. Alternatively, you could cert out your ammo pack, then your repair tool, and then cert out your turret cool down. But all of this is up to you.
As a VS engineer spending certs on an Eidolon(AMR-66/Warden for the other factions) Battle rifle (Medium-long range), Serpent Carbine(CQC), and NANO-repair kit upgrades. worked wonders for me and it has been raining certs and a KDR increase for me. Havent considered getting an AV turret though.
The Lightning turrets and the Engy AV turret are better purchased via SC if you play alts, then they are unlocked for all characters like any other NS weapon. Having a Skyguard and AP turret for my Lightning on every character I create is great. As others have said, use your certs on tools or suit slots, stuff you can't buy with SC first, when you feel that you are comfortable with those purchases then you start using them for weapons and such.
Cert repair tool to max. The thing you're repairing not exploding is going to be worth the most certs, though I'd swear that the base XP goes up with the higher ranked tools. I find flak universally more useful for the Engineer, since you tend to be around a lot of explosions and exploding vehicles. After that I'd prefer Shield regen, especially since as a second-line fighter you'll be taking more grazing fire than to-the-death duels. Maxed tools and/or class abilities are usually worth their weight in gold. As TR, your base automatics become amazing with a 1x sight and foregrip. Grab that stuff before getting specialty weapons.
