Balance of power... did NC draw the short straw?

I'm not seeing all the trade-offs between the factions, but I did notice certain things like NC has no chain gun, and the VS have that incredibly maneuverable Hovertank.

What are the major pros and cons between the factions, and does the NC have the leg up anywhere?

Siiiigh...
AP Vanguard? AV and AI MAXes? Reavers with Vortek/Mustang? 167dmg default carbine and 200dmg default LMG? Phoenix? Really?!

Our thing: we miss a lot, but our guns HURT LIKE HOT DICKINGS. But we get a bunch of other cool ****, like phoenix and vanny shields. Not discussing balance, but I'm just saying the idea is that NC hurts...when we actually manage to hit something.

you forgot the incredible strong CQC maxes with shotguns ... they can shredd other maxes in seconds ... + riot shields

The AC-X11 and the Jaguar are in a tier of their own in terms of carbine power. I've even heard some top end players exclaim that the AC-X11 is the best primary in the game.

Alert shotgun MAXes are fairly invulnerable to C4, a primary method of killing a MAX.

The Air Hammer is still silent and OHK deadly.

Scatmax best MAX
GODSAW is amazing
So is the Cyclone
And Anchor
And GD-22S
And AC-X11
And A-tross
And GD-7F
And NC14 Bolt Driver
And Vortek
And Blitz
And Canister

NC is doing fine. They've got the fewest duds out of all the infantry weapons, and a couple which are really outstanding, like the Cyclone. The Vanguard shield makes it hard to beat in 1v1 scenarios. Raven MAXes are the best long-range AV in the game at the moment. The air hammer may be worse than the LPPA at its intended role of infantry farming, but it's weirdly good against other ESFs, which is a reasonable trade.

As stated already here, and as I have elsewhere, I feel the NC rewards aggressive play styles. Even if you miss, throwing a buckshot or twelve as your enemies when you're close enough to grope them will scare them.

I like how you slipped a TR weapon in there.

Whoopsie Jaguar lol, was reading Leftconsin's post while typing
Ninja edited!

Close enough for a grope. Good enough for a grope.

The Jag is just that good.

Playing a game of grabass with the VS during the middle of a firefight gets a little weird sometimes.

You've had Higby's blessing since day one. Case closed.

I thought this weapon was hated for having absolutely no advantages over the Reaper DMR except a slightly larger magazine?

This is actually really only useful for long range engagements and finishing off already wounded targets (the alpha damage advantage is only useful with the first shot which only helps against already wounded targets as stated), dps wise the NC LMG arsenal is at a disadvantage compared to the other 2 factions in having no 750*143-125 dps range weapon the way the other 2 factions have.

TR have the best dps weapons across all classes (sniper rifles, scout rifles, shotguns, and battle rifles excluded as they are the same cross factions) with NC stock carbine and assault rifles having a little over 3 dps more then the stock VS carbine and assault rifle.
Mind you dps isn't everything, VS having no bullet drop makes up for that small dps difference along with faster reload and better bloom per shot.

imho what NC have that is awesome:
Ravens, lets face facts, its currently the best max AV outside of pounder range (maybe rivaling AP Anchor prowler for best AV in the game!)
Jackhammer, Lord and Savior of all Shotguns.
Vanguard, the best "in your face" tank.
music.
phoenix, though situational is very very powerful.

can't believe no one mentioned this

As much as I'd like to pat you on the back, I do have to step in and say the Jackhammer is trash. The role of being 'the best' shotgun is once it can't take for many reasons, but it doesn't really succeed at its role considering there are plenty of other shotguns better for many different reasons, but more, than the Jackhammer.

Also, NC has the best faction theme: