So, the Vanguard Shield...

once the shield is nerfed the vanguard will be totally worthless. might as well pull an AP lightning. but that's really the way this game has been going since launch, so it's not really surprising. it would have been nice if the shield actually worked 8+ months after the game launched though.

my "Balance" patch prediction:

• Activating the Vanguard shield now causes the vehicle and its occupants to explode into confetti and certs.

Really though if they do have to change it, I hope they make it less of a long CD strong ability and move towards shorter CD less strong. If they give us the same thing they gave our maxes I may never pull another vanguard again.

Yes I'm serious. And we're going on 4 pages now of this thread and over 90% of the people commenting are saying something similar in that you have to approach the engagement differently. And you can't tell me being able to strafe around obstacles with your gun trained on a hostile tank only to have him round the corner and have you magburn away isn't useful. And I've also seen magriders in many places any other tank cannot go (yes , post nerf around the games 2nd month in existence) so yes mobility can be an advantage .

Bottom line for me is if you have multiple tanks versus multiple vanguards then i give the non NC the slight advantage. 1v1 I'd go with NC but I wouldn't say the other side doesn't have a chance. What time I have spent in tanks around 50% of my kills are vehicles for what that's worth. I don't camp spawns and I prefer a challenge and no spawn camping for me.

If you get a vanguard in amongst trees, rock formations, etc then he might as well be a sitting duck. The shield is necessary because if you're facing multiple tanks then before you know it you're over extended and either you're slow as hell moving forward or likewise in reverse so retreat is not an option.

I will say I think magriders projectiles need straighter trajectories but that's the only discrepancy I see. My 2 cents.

Yes I find it fun. I find it incredibly fun to watch a noob magrider driver attack me, and continue to attack, as my tank glows brighter than the Northern Star.

I have a ball laughing when they're not smart enough to keep distance from me and strafe, waiting for the shield (which I spent a TON of certs on to max) to run out of time.

I also think it's hilarious when a magrider attacks me from an angle that gives me the advantage, along with my "Iwin" shield.

BTW, if it's an "Iwin" shield I want my 1800 certs back. It doesn't work half the time.

Hello,

I'm a full time NC player and personnaly don't think the vanguard shield needs to be changed. But...
If it's gonna change into something different like a resist shield or so, a good (keeping differenciations between factions) buff going with it would be that it could reverse at the same speed than the forward speed (passive attribute). So it can use it''s strength (front armor) at full potential for retreating and such.

What do you think about that?
It could be pretty different than the other tanks and so NC could keep their flavor.

Sorry for my english.

Bye.

I don't think the way MBTs in general are balanced is very good game design. Anchor is extremely situational and mostly useless for anything but hill sniping, and even so you can get along fine without it. The vanguard shield is a do all end all be all ability for every situation ever. There is a rather large disparity whether you have the mental capacity to admit it or not.

Guys, guys I'm totally not trolling and no, I'm not calling for any nerfs.
So, these aren't loaded questions, okay, but;

Are you happy with the Prowler Lock-Down in its current state?

Are you happy with the Magrider Magburner in its current state?

Oh. The Vanguard shield helps me get up hills more easily (boost) and kill enemies who are unaware of me more quickly by increasing my DPS (lockdown)? Thanks for telling me.
PS: Nice use of a preemptive insult of everyone who tries to disagree. Sorry (not really) for calling you out on that cheap tactic.

Quote of the year.

I'd have to say "Yes". My catchphrase when piloting Vanu armor? "YOU SAVE ME YET AGAIN, MAGBURNER" Seriously, I maxed it out, spent a lot of CERTs on it, and I just LOVE IT. If I get in too deep? Spin around, Magburn out of it. Enemy Vanguard column comes down the road? Spin to my left, magburn off the road and over the ridge. Enemy Lightning is almost dead but almost back to his battle lines? Magburn after him and take that hipster down like a lion on a gazelle!

I respectfully disagree. Both Prowler and Magrider have weapons that are more adaptable than the Vanguard. I believe the statistics drawn from the game make this very clear also.

Is OP really asking players if they are happy with their instant-win button? What kind of answer do you expect?

No, it's a boring and uninteresting mechanic that promotes one-sided engagements and frustration from players who get killed by it. Like many things.

Edit: NC here.

If you assume head on, and you assume every shot lands from every tank, then yes, statistically, the Vanguard will always win with a shield, but that's not how it plays out on the battlefield. Tactics play more of a role than numbers.

Which is when the vanguard shield shines even more. 1on1 you win with the shield....1 on 2(or more) you have a serious chance to take at least one enemy down or back off and survive....if you are caught off guard from behind, pop your shield and you got again a good chance to win/survive...if you see a c4 dropped on you, pop the shield and you survive...if a lolpodder comes your way, pop the shield and shoot him down(cause the vanguard main cannon has as many ESF kills as dedicated AA weapons like bursters etc.). No matter what strat your enemy is using...the shield is a hard counter for it and your enemy can't do anything about it no matter how smart he acts.

Tanks were designed for mobile warfare, but the lack of speed for the MBT makes it unsurprisingly as low performing as the Reaver.
Its inability to fight or flight effectively puts its crews mortatility rate higher than the average. The shield is so circumstantial that i always run smoke.

The only thing i've seen the shield used effectively for is safely clearing off C4.

You don't always win 1v1 with the shield; I've taken down many shielded Vanguards with my Prowler. The Vanguard might have a shield, but it only lasts 8 seconds, so you only need to force them to pop the shield and then be evasive for 8 seconds... and the Vanguard reload and movement is so slow, 8 seconds doesn't allow them to get a lot of shots off; and it's only a threat if it's running AP rounds, which a lot of Vanguard users do not use. And the Prowler is fast enough to circle the Vanguard rather quickly and tightly, making it difficult for them to hit you, especially if you're popping smoke because they're liking using zoom instead of thermals.

The shield isn't as powerful or as useful as you think it is; it will let you survive a number of first strike 1v1 encounters, but that's all it does, give you a chance. It isn't going to ensure your ultimate survival.

On the flipside, I use the Vanguard a lot as a NC; I know it's strengths and weaknesses and I use its shield often (which I have max'd out). The shield doesn't guarantee 1v1 success, it gives you a chance, and only if you use it sparingly.