A video review of the new faction specific knives (carver, LB, ripper) as well as the knife update for the default. Posted here specifically due to the relevance to infiltrators / stalker cloak users; while the new knives are unimportant for people who will never brandish the knife, they're almost a compulsory purchase for a stalker infiltrator: 1. In the field, both audio mitigators for the new faction knives can be safely avoided. The passive hum is easily drowned out by battlefield ambience, and when in small fights where you are more likely to have that passive sound noticed / more likely to face isolated targets, by following the method in the video, you can switch to the one hit kill mode and kill a target before the activation audio / passive audio actually start playing, allowing you to simply switch it back off, re-cloak, and go about your business (as the mode is useable, equipable, and toggleable while cloaking and sprinting). 2. The marginally-slower swipe speed, due to bad hit detection / net code, is an insignificant mitigating factor, because it is much safer to line up a one hit kill to the torso on your initiating knife swipe on a target, rather than attempt to land additional swipes on a target that is potentially moving and alerted to your presence. The default knife can now headshot, but does not one hit kill on a headshot - that said, it is now capable of headshot comboing with a beamer headshot - so the beamer can be used for silenced takedowns now (and the 375 gimmeck pistol shots to the torso if you land the knife headshot) however due to the aforementioned issue with hit detection, the OHK knife is pretty much a flat upgrade to a stalker infiltrator at this time, much safer and more reliable, and as demonstrated in the footage, can be used to wipe out entire squads safely, quickly, and easily. You can still use the default knife to wipe out squads (Eg with an emp grenade and such), but the new knives do it faster and safer - at least for a stalker infiltrator, in the current state of the game with the issues the other knife faces.
They are not worth 1k certs. One day fun only. Because in order to hit someone player must be standing still.
Its nice to have some variety, but I still feel more effective with crossbow and older knife being able to take out moving targets. That said new weapon combinations are very much needed for stalkers. I think in a few weeks people will get more creative and adapt to using the new knife more selectively. Forcing myself to imagine what it was like when Stalker first came out... I could totally see a player with fresh eyes learning specific locations where enemies stop or move less and building experience around that. Frankly that is far to passive and conservative for my tastes but it doesn't mean someone won't crack that nut. It would be a new style of ambush for sure with completely altered restrictions. Spiker / Beamer (vs) might be a neat thing to try with it. Frankly using motion spotters as bait for a new stalker could be helpful. Same thing goes for taking advantage of enemy bubbles. Reworking how you think about windows, instead of entry points but as farming / ambush locations just waiting for someone to peek out. I mean there are possibilities here. It might not match my current playstyle but we have to consider the merits regardless.
