Reavers: Are they garbage?

Anecdotal evidence seems to tell me so. I want to get into air combat, but most times when I see Reaver pilots in the skies, they're on fire and are typically trying to afterburn away from incoming Scythes and Skeeters. Supposedly, Reaver are boxy AF, slow, and present no notable durability advantage, essentially having a large Kick Me sign on their backs where Mosquitoes and Scythes are much more slim and trim in a dogfight. With no notable standard speed(afterburner will only push you so far without larger tanks), durability or maneuverability advantages to be told of, is this why the NC doesn't believe in air superiority when there's a nightmare always waiting for the lone soul who dares impede the Republic?



In other news, why are Banshees the "default" nosegun for the TR and why do they like dipping on infantry so much?



In news aside, from that, I've given up all hope of fighting the other factions' ESFs and have instead opted to destroy any other vehicle that isn't my size. To this end, I've picked a Kestral cannon with TD optics, Vehicle Stealth, Fire Suppression (which seems to be the standard), Hover Airframe and an uber large Afterburner tank to leverage that pretty dank afterburner speed. Should I drop the 4000 certs into it, or am I an engineer in over my head?

As someone who usually flies a Mosquito, I feel that Reavers are superior. Not from a standpoint of fighting against them, but using them. It just feels easier to aim and hit with the Reaver noseguns compared to the Mosquito's. I'm sure it's an aesthetic placebo, from crosshair UI to more visible bullet particles, but nevertheless, I tend to win more fights against Scythes when using a Reaver. Reaver versus Mosquito has seemed more or less evenly matched for me, though I tend to wreck them more often than Scythes. Obviously pilot skills between factions greatly differ.

High-Capacity tanks are nice and all, (and obviously it's up to you to use them) but in my personal opinion, the default fuel tanks are best. Quick-Charge has gotten some use, too. Less capacity has come off as a fault, but if you adjust your play-style just a bit, it can make for consistent quick jukes in hover fights, and that's something your opponent may not be able to do with their current afterburner.

The positive point on the Reaver to me is its vertical thrust. Using that and reverse maneuvers, you can easily get a leg-up on anyone else, as it's difficult to keep track and aim correctly at a Reaver that is thrusting above and around you so quickly. It's the same thing I've fought against while flying Mosquitoes; good Reaver pilots know to use that advantage, and unless you're using the Dogfighting frame on Mosquito, it's hard to pitch quick enough to keep up; the bullets just ain't fast enough if you can't lead ahead enough.

So yeah, while Reavers are indeed boxy and undeniably easier to hit among the ESFs, they're still my favorite. Aesthetic design, and their other boons that work well with my play-style. Most notably the crosshair UI is really nice. Makes for a good reference point for which to lead your target from above or at a distance. (Just below the "U" arc)

Reavers are in a bad place. There are very few pilots per server who are a good enough shot for their slightly higher dps to outweigh their massive hit box, you can literally count them on one hand. Since they heavily rely on afterburners to get their speed, they're hurt by wing weapons considerably more than the other two ESF. Their single niche in the market was ganking unaware targets, thanks to their insane boost speed and a quicker Rotary 1-clip than the other 2 factions, but that was nerfed with the recent Stealth changes. I wouldn't call them garbage, but they're nowhere near as competitive as the Mossy or Scythe, for 99% of pilots anyway.

A vehicle is only as good as the pilot sitting in - I think that explains everything

No.

From my perspective, I'm just a horrible pilot. I've had some success with blitzing using the AH though but usually if I don't dunk my opponent in the initial/early phase I tend to lose (or crash attempting a maneuver far outside of my capabilities).

Tommyrocket does a good job of conveying how to play at your advantages instead of gushing over what the Mossie/Scythe can do.

The reavers are the worst of the 3 ESFs, but Tommyrocket outlines what they have going for them. Use your vertical thrust to out-maneuver other ESFs in a dogfight. As soon as you see them bring their nose in-line with you, thrust above or roll and thrust aside so you can continue shooting down on their larger top profile. The reaver's higher DPS and better afterburners will compensate for the mosi's general better maneuvers plus smaller profile and the syche's more accurate weapons.

The Answer you are looking for is not "The Reaver" it is "The Striker"

That's incredibly contradictory. If those benefits did compensate for the Scythe's and Mossy's advantages, then the Reaver wouldn't be the worst.

Beating another ESF with a Reaver means being better than them by a fairly large amount, that't really all there is to it.

It's not as bad as you think, it just there more ACE pilots playing TR and VS, since NC has weakest Anti-air support and mass of dumb players.
I personally prefer Mosquito, it has big clear window, and you really feel how enemy trying to hit you, but missing.
Scythe is easy to control, and you must always facing enemy, so you keep smallest hit-box and can shoot back.
And i stopped flying, since there nothing to achieve, and bunch of "ace pilots" only waiting you to take off.

There are definitely less ace pilots using reavers... the main reason is probably due to the fact that they have the largest hit box from literally every angle. However u can still be rlly good with a reaver have a look at mattiace utube channel he’s quit but his guides are still relevant mostly

The Reaver is an ESF that takes a bit of practice, mainly because it favours burst fighting way more heavily then the other two ESF's. It superior afterburner is excellent for getting into positions quickly, and with its abnormally high damage output, particularly in air to air, it can demolish other pilots in short order.

Basically, in air to air combat, its an interceptor, rather then a traditional fighter.

For air to ground, its kinda the same idea (great burst, rapid entry/exit, but you can expect to get hammered until you make your escape).

It just takes more skill to use the Reaver's strengths because its larger profile and less accurate weapons are what makes Mosi's and Scythe's more forgiving to new players.

The only differences between faction noseguns (excluding AI) are dps and damage-per-mag, and those differences have been shrunk over the years. The Scythe and Mossy are more forgiving due to having more bullets per mag so missed shots don't hurt as bad. But the accuracy and velocity are identical. I don't know where you're getting your opinions from, but you're pretty far off the mark in most of your posts regarding air.

Ganking aside, Tommyrocket points out really the only other thing a Reaver can do IF a Scythe or Mossy lets it get close, by taking advantage of it's superior vertical thrust. But that's really the Reaver's only chance, and the Mossy and Scythe can counter it with less skill.

I'm not saying at all that the Reaver is garbage, but to win in it you do have to be a couple levels better than your opponent.

And if one vehicle is easier to use for example because it has a smaller hitbox, the pilot has an easier time being "good". I think that explains a lot more.

Don't try to get off with fancy one-liners that tell less than half the story.

Bloody hell that really a true story?

I have over 500 A2A kills in each of them and over 1000 A2G (ya that's not much A2G I know). The Scythe shots are more accurate (muzzle velocity is not the only factor), but it suffers a lot from it's huge top/bottom profile when ambushed or A2G. Of course, especially A2A, the relative lag between pilots makes a huge difference.

Go back and check those weapon stats. I've been playing for a year and they've been normalized since I've been here, accuracy and velocity. Whatever accuracy difference you're thinking of is long gone.

Bloody hell does that comment hold no value whatsoever?

There's a myth that the reaver has superior vertical thrust.

This would be true if no one was using the hover frame, but it is in fact the opposite, and all ESF are about the same at lvl3. This means that the hover frame for reavers is inferior. Unfortunately, it isn't so bad (and the base vertical thrust so good) that you can opt for a different frame without disproportionate consequence.

Objectively, the reaver is the worst ESF by a mid-sized margin, but it isn't trash because it is still better for the faction as a whole that reaver pilots struggle to break even than it is for them to focus on another aspect of gameplay. That's just how important ESF are...

It's no myth, test it yourself. Equip all 3 ESF with Hover 3. With 0 forward velocity, go from the floor to the ceiling in VR. I don't have the game installed so I can't double check these numbers, but the Reaver has a vertical velocity of around 145, the Scythe 127 and the Mossy 125. If you throw Afterburner in to the equation then the Reaver really puts them to shame. This isn't enough to make up for its other shortcomings, but it does allow it to get some good angles in a few close-quarters situations.