I absolutely LOVED Stalker/Crossbow Combo when it came out. I Auraxiumed in a day or two, and was even within the first 100-200 to do so. Now, this Blackhand seems to offer similar game play ideas. I'm still patching, so I've not got a chance to give it a shot yet, but from those that HAVE been able to, what do you think? How does it measure up?
In many ways it's a lot better than the crossbow. You can actually lead your target at range, rather than try to be psychic and predict where they'll decide to go. The RoF is much faster, making it far more likely that you'll land a followup shot before the target freaks out and goes into evasive maneuvers, and making it a lot more practical for close-range defense. On the other hand, the Blackhand isn't quasi-suppressed like the crossbow, it can't do the bolt+knife combo, and it will struggle to kill before the reload purely with body shots. In short, Blackhand + stalker is good. I recommend trying it on LA, as well. Equip ammo belt, climb a tree on Hossin, and farm away.
I like it. Kind of like having a mini semi auto sniper while still having a stalker cloak. No silencer like a commie which is fine, the loud roar the thing makes when you pop an engie on a anti vehicle turret in the back of the head is quite satisfying. Edit: It currently appears to suffer from the same issues as sniper rifles in that at certain ranges you actually have to aim lower at a target than the usual just a bit above due to bullet drop. I'm assuming this is an overall issue rather than just a Blackhand one as it happens on my Rams after the patch as well.
It will probably be replacing my crossbow for most (but not all) team-play engagements. The crossbow is still fantastic, and offers options being "silenced" beyond 10m. However objectively looking at it: Crossbow CONS: -------------- Time between shots Projectile velocity / drop Requires "Psychic Powers" to know enemies future location. Takes longer to re-equip then other sidearms Pairs poorly with active knives due to increased risk when trying to re-equip. Crossbow PROS: --------------- Crossbow still has the best quick-knife synergy. (older style) Silent beyond 10 meters Pairs with EMP's for OHK. 2 Hit kills everything within 75 meters A wider variety of optics. Which is actually a big deal CQC since lower optics is easier. So clearly in a situation where I am going to be outdoors with plenty of escape routes, or near many allies who provide me with a safe fallback then I would be better off using the Blackhand. You can kill steal **cough** get assist **cough** more easily with it. The weapon also lends itself to using the new active knives. I believe the time to go from holding a knife in your hands, to holding the blackhand is much shorter then the crossbow. So if you do miss a quick knife or the enemy gets beyond your reach (with an active knife out) you could possibly salvage the situation with a blackhand more easily. The crossbow is still pretty great when your doing solo work, indoor work, or your wanting those super clean ambushes. If I walk into a capture point with 4 guys on it. The only way I am going to clear them out rapidly is with a crossbow EMP. I cannot just chuck an EMP in there and Blackhand the room. Final Edit: I should probably add what I really love about the Blackhand especially outdoors is the ability to make more kills rapidly. I kinda feels like a really loud scout rifle. Very worthwhile and I don't think stalkers have ever seen this kind of raw numerical killing potential. It works really well since stalkers can easily disengage and lose enemies (despite the lack of silencer) and the increased range decreases our overall risks substantially.
Well Said (whole post), Though I disagree on one point. Crossbow has just as much potintal at Long range as does the Blackhand. the Difference is in WHERE you use it. The Blackhand is more suited to high octain, more fast pace, fights at longer distances (like you said, its like a little Sniper rifle). The Crossbow, once you get a hang of it, is not just a close to Mid range weapon, it can work very well at long range during slower fights, like Camps or heavy defenses, where the enemy is hold up in one spot and you can pick them off one at a time from a distance.
Oh yes for sure. Like I said... the Crossbow still 2 shot kills within 75 meters. I guess what I am trying to convey more then anything is our lethality is considerably more potent CQC with a crossbow then with a blackhand. People should not assume the crossbow is retired just because technically there is a new very good alternative. I didn't mean to make it sound like the crossbow was garbage at range. I totally agree with you, it just takes skill (reading enemies) for a player to master the drop and projectile speed. Its still very useful.... However we can't deny that the Blackhand doesn't require reading your opponents to be effective. The Blackhand is a great deal easier for anyone to pick up and use. Both weapons can kill at medium and long ranges but one does so with considerably less effort. For me at least when using the Blackhand in an allied rich setting... it resulted in more kills overall then I could have scored otherwise. However I feel the Blackhand seems to be most useful for Stalkers specifically. Since we can overcome its drawbacks. For example I will remain using a Crossbow on my SMG loadout. And like i said whenever I want to knife targets or hold indoor points as stalker. Or do my thing in trees because silenced tree camo stalker is OP. SMG Bando + 4 EMPs and a Crossbow provides too many opportunities to pass up. Its really fun tossing one of those into a room for a clear, whipping around the corner and scoring 1-2 kills with the crossbow. Instant OHK +EMP are just so so incredibly nasty. Sometimes I'll try and be aggressive like in that video... However the better thing to do after and EMP ambush tends to be escape after the initiative is lost, and flank around them with the SMG. It seems everyone these days assumes if you are using a crossbow, then your a stalker infil. Having SMG + Crossbow combo provides such a good pairing and catches people off guard. You can even anticipate enemies at a distance and use the bolts to strip away their shield, take cover, and switch to SMG to finish them. Its such a wonderful combination and there is no way the Blackhand would pair as well in closer style engagement. Anyway I couldn't agree more the crossbow still has its place. <3 I'd just be crazy not to endorse the Blackhand for stalkers as well.
