What ASP skills do others like?

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by RabidIBM, Jun 24, 2021.

  1. RabidIBM

    I've had ASP on a couple characters for a while now, and it's not at all new anymore. So I figured I'd ask which other players like.

    The only one I've found much use for is the shotgun secondary on engineer, as it allows me to have the archer and an anti-infantry primary. Other than that I read through the options, and none of them really jump out at me.
  2. Bonemiser

    • Pistol Primary for Carapace Medic memes. It's fun, but it's also good and a really engaging way to level pistol directives.
    • LA SMG Secondary. Unless you want to run Blackhand or Showdown as Shotgun LA, it helps so much to run some of the longer range SMGs in that slot.
    • The Engineer suite of Big Upgrades. There's so many, and you honestly have to commit to really make Engineer go from middling to bonkers. Shotgun Secondary, LMG or AR Primary, EMP Grenade, slip in a Bionics and run C4 or Mines, you get some really disgusting flexibility on a class that needs all the help it can get.
    The alternative here is to ignore Engineer entirely and get the other stuff: for HA, Heavy Weapon Secondary. Whip out a Thumper for any faction, or a Jackhammer for NC to round out your SAW. Battle Rifle Secondary on Medic is okay, nothing special but not bad. Smoke memes if you have the implant or the scope, kind of a waste but it's technically viable. Also Sticky or Flash on Infiltrator, nice pick, not hugely necessary since they start with EMP and that's IMO best in slot.
    • Up x 1
  3. JustGotSuspended

    Basically dump them all on engineer.

    shotgun, ars, lmgs, emps. As for the last point use it on smg for la or spend it on heavy if you work with squads often.
  4. Drgnx

    Yes, I did secondary's for HA, LA, CM, ENGI.

    Does anyone go for LMG Engineer?
  5. Liewec123

    My favourite is probably heavy air discount,
    it's kinda hilarious being able to pull libs (and skywhales) for 260, only 10 nanites more than a puny esf

    I do :)
    Point holding with an LMG, a shotgun, a spitfire turret, anti infantry mines and cloak :D
    People enter the room and engage the only visible target, the spitfire, they then recieve some surprise LMG rounds to the head.
    Hard to get a better point holder than an ASP engi, ready for anything!

    My only issue with shotgun secondary is that I lose my trusty explosive X-bow
    which I usually run on pretty much every loadout of every class, It feels weird not having my pocket AV!
  6. UberNoob1337101

    LMG secondary for heavy
    SMG secondary for light assault
    Battle Rifle secondary for medic
    Shotgun secondary for engineer
    Assault Rifle access for engineer

    I'm not the biggest fan of the battle rifle secondary, even though it has some nice applications with smoke and underbarrel grenades.

    Every other perk on the list is god-tier though. LMG access on engineer is pretty good too, with some weapons like the Lasher or Chaingun it's very entertaining. EMP grenades on engineer is really strong.

    Chaingun engineer is for my daily dose of BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
  7. JustGotSuspended


    Carvs extended mags with emps nade on engineer is OOOF.

    Also guns like the orion and the other low capacity higher dps are ok on engineer, especially if you plan on playing conservatively.

    ARs in general are much better though.
  8. Efraim

    Shotgun Secondary for Engineer
    Heavy Weapon Secondary for HA, got the thumper there
    Reserve Hardlight Barrier for Engi, can set up defenses on a point
    ESF/Valk cost reduction, Stacks with Outfit Armory
    Heavy Vehicle cost reduction, stacks with Outfit Armory
  9. LordAnnihilator

    I'm gonna go ahead and add something different here. Weapon ASPs are a noticeable and pretty obvious pick. But you know what you DON'T want? From the top!

    • Sidearm Primaries: If you like memes, want to better grind Sidearm directives, or just have a boner for Sidearms. Given **** like the Commissioner exists, I wouldn't blame you, but otherwise there are better weapon ASP picks available.
    • Universal Smoke Grenade: Are you addicted to smoke fumes and the Infravision implant? If so, consider it. Otherwise it's perfectly fine on Light Assault as is, and if you really want smoke grenade memes, take a Battle Rifle or the Select Fire versions of existing guns. The Underbarrels are one of the main reasons to take the Select Fires anyway.
    • Universal Decoy Grenade: *Insert Spiderman J. Jonah Jameson Laughter Meme Here* ...Seriously though, don't. Decoys are just kind of bad and only Infil, the class it's available to normally, stands a chance of getting use out of it by turning nests on their users or confusing the occasional lone searcher.
    • The Vehicle Discounts: See, here's the thing with ASPs ultimately. If you aren't going to get much use out of them, what's even the point? These are the poster children for this issue. If you are a Filthy Cloak Flash main, go ahead and get EVEN CHEAPER BUGGIES (by 50%, the only vehicle type to get more than 20%). If you main ESF, go there. If you're that ever-reliable Cloak Sundy deployer, probably a good investment. But if you aren't going to abuse the everloving crap out of these discounts, then they lose a significant amount of value. Buy them for your main if you have one, and unless you barely play ground (a rarity these days), more than one isn't usually worth. There's also the general availability of Nanites and the existence of War Asset Discounts to consider. But honestly, these are still a better pick than some options. Note: This effect stacks additively with other bonuses. Meaning you could have Flashes that cost 10 Nanites. You sicko.
    • Infil Sticky Grenades: Tough sell to anyone who isn't addicted to sticking people and laughing as they explode. Also a tough sell because Infil also has EMPs, literally the best grenade in the game. Honestly, not worth it unless you really dig stickies.
    • Infil Flash Grenades: An easier sell over Stickies, as Flash Grenades are rather good. Certainly worth your time if you want an extra layer of defence to hide you while you uncloak and CQC Bolt/SMG/Knife a flank. EMPs do a decent job of that too though, and despite how solid Flash Grenades are, it's another case of "How much use will you get out of this?" Usually considered a skip because EMP is broke-*** good.
    • LA SMG Secondary: An excellent choice for those Light Assaults who want to embrace their inner MONKE and go full Shotgun Ape. Whether or not you think Shotguns are easy mode or a hard to master art, having a competitive option for past 10m is a very good thing. Alternatively you can main the SMG and use the Shotgun as a secondary. SMG is also a solid choice if you use a longer range Carbine and need something more CQC, though Sidearms already fill that role. Alternatively, Double SMG Memes. Any ASP that allows you to better operate at multiple ranges is a solid choice.
    • LA Concussion Grenades: Hard skip on this one. Why? Because LA already has three excellent shutdown/flanking grenades. Flash, Smoke, and Flash but Shorter. You really don't need another unless handing out Concussions gives you a boner.
    • Medic Battle Rifle Secondary: If you don't hate Battle Rifles and enjoy being able to operate at further ranges, this is an excellent choice. Especially since some of the best Assault Rifles are strictly CQC, and this allows Medics to provide supporting fire from further away, and even maybe challenge wild camping Infils. Also Generation 1 Battle Rifles can arm underbarrel grenades, which is always a nice option, and the Doku rifles can be very potent in the right hands.
    • Medic Carbine Access: Skip. Carbines generally don't perform as well as Assault Rifles, and unless you have a favourite you really want to run on a Medic, giving Carbines to a third class is not the best use of your ASP points.
    • Medic Concussion Grenade: Much like LA, another hard skip, only this time its because Medics unique grenades are frankly too good to pass up on. The Power of Resurrection outclasses the Power of Can't See easily.
    • Engineer Shotgun Secondary: Engineer really won the lottery on ASPs, and also has the most. Shotgun Secondary allows Engineers to have excellent CQC firepower at all times, and they can thus pick their primary for medium-long ranges if they want (And do so through an ASP to boot). Even if you're particularly attached to your Sidearm, its hard to say no to a pocket shotgun.
    • Engineer LMG Access: This one is a very viable pick. The sheer sustain of LMGs, combined with the fact you have infinite ammo, can make Engineers capable of one-man pointholds. I'm probably exaggerating but it's still an excellent choice. However, it directly competes with...
    • Engineer Assault Rifle Access: This. There's no denying Assault Rifles have some pretty solid options, and picking up more than one of this or LMGs is more than likely a waste of an ASP point. Unless you really don't feel like any of the very good options elsewhere, picking both is a little redundant. One or the other, and you'll have a cracking time.
    • Engineer EMP Grenade: This one is a very good option, arguably the best Grenade ASP worth considering. EMPs shut down enemy deployables, break shields, and generally are really rather great. The opportunity to use them on a class other than Infil is certainly worth consideration, though as has been said, it works best if you invest in Engineer ASP-wise, which means skipping out on other equally viable ASP choices.
    • Engineer Anti-Vehicle Grenade: Not the best pick honestly. Driver Engies probably benefit more from Repair Grenades + Bandolier, and using Archer or Crossbow to finish vehicles, and picking this means skipping out on EMPs for ground combat. Unless you want to waste ASP points for the sake of "versatility", which you really don't need AV grenades for.
    • HA Heavy Weapon Secondary: A harder sell than some picks, but possibly worth your time. Do you want double the Dakka, or to bring a longer range gun with a CQC bullet hose? Slap home the Terran Minigun. Want a Shotgun Secondary for your HA? NC, meet the Jackhammer. Want to supress the living daylights out of the enemies of Papa Vanu? Sovereignty, take the Lasher. Want to make the Thumper part of a viable loadout that doesn't rely on your sidearm to win 1v1s? Go nuts. It boils down to if you actually LIKE the Heavy Weapons or not. If you don't, this isn't worth it at all to you. If you can tolerate them? Probably worth consideration.
    • HA Flash Grenade: Its LA Concussion Grenade, but in reverse - HA already has Concussion Grenade for breach and clear, and unless you love Flashing people, probably not worth the buy.
    • HA Reserve Hardlight Barrier: If you want to be a Barrier Warrior, probably better to go back to Engineer and pick up the LMG ASP. Heavies tend to rely on Medkits for sustain, and while C4 is nice, unless you have a medic handy Barrier is not going to see much use outside crowded situations where barrier is usually used.
    So yeah. Thats all the ASPs. By all means correct me if I talked nonsense at any point, but I think I was pretty accurate.
    Also there should totally be a MAX discount ASP byeeeeee
    • Up x 5
  10. RabidIBM

    Ok, thanks for the input folks. I think I'm really just not the target audience for most of them. I came to PS2 as an RTS player who was taken in by the idea that instead of clicking troops around a map I'm VOIPing people around instead. PS2 is pretty much the game I fantasized about as a 10 year old in the 90s when playing original Starcraft. Basically, none of the ASP perks do much for the RTS angle of the game. IVI is what I play when I'm all out of other cards to play. I find that if I ever have the itch to ram my face into the same 3 buildings for 45+ minutes without achieving squat then IVI will scratch that itch, but if I have any ambition of agency over the war, literally any other role will do more. The only none-IVI related ASP perks are the discounts, but I get 75 nanite per minute for being a member, have a dozen boosts ready to go because I ran out of things to spend merit on, have access to my outfit armoury for discounts, and kinda know what I'm doing with the vehicles anyway, so I don't need most of those most of the time anyways. ASP discount is just unnecessary. I only unlocked armour discount on my Vanu because I was trying to make "off colour" night a weekly thing in my outfit, and was handing certed maggies off to my TR buddies.

    Anyways, thanks again for the input, I waa really hoping somebody knew something I had missed.
  11. JustGotSuspended


    Exception I'd say is with the LYNX, GD-7F and Serpent. These on a medic can be extremely potent.

    Main issue is really the fact you lose the ability to have a backup plan. What I mean by this is heavy weapons have much slower swap times and generally reduced 1v1 effectiveness. Whereas with a pistol if you're in a tough situation and quickly need to eliminate a threat, you could pull out a pilot or revolver and down the enemy pretty much instantly. With a heavy weapon, you're throwing the opportunity to get yourself out of tough situations for more farming potential.
    I'd say it's a more squad/team oriented choice.
    Agreed. Also they should let people equip directive weapons, since the things are so niche the only time I would equip a directive wep is as a backup.
  12. JustGotSuspended

    Overall the system feel unfinished and a bit weird. We need access to more points at least so we can try all the perks. But really they need to add more perks and revisit this system a bit I think.

    As for the resource discounts, I'll confirm they are useless. I spent most my points on that at first because I thought it might be good. I purchased a refund for 5k certs and dumped everything on my engineer afterwards.
  13. InexoraVC

    I do. Not really good because lmgs are good with HA adrenaline shield and in close combat LA's smg or carabine will outdps engie's lmg
  14. OneShadowWarrior

    Another system that they built in that feels incomplete. Infiltrators and Max suits got the shaft and even the medic, a shotgun would have been a better secondary weapon choice or even a submachinegun, a medic with a scout rifle at distance makes no sense, they are in close usually rezzing or healing players.

    There are lots of things in ASP that makes no sense, why would I get vehicle cost reductions when I can build air term or vehicle term in constructing bases and pull unlimited vehicles with cortium?

    I generally take secondary weapons in heavy assault, engineer, light assault, medic, nothing else really matters. Either a assault rifle for engineer or light machinegun.
  15. synkrotron

    As a "Lone Wolf," the first A.S.P. I chose was discount on light air because I use the Valk a lot to get me to where I want to be. So far, I am finding that to be a really useful perk for me.
  16. TR5L4Y3R