Whats the point of this weapon??? I started a new NC engineer and i played the first lvls with the Archer. My K/D ratio is low caused this weapon,i like the weapon caused its unique but cant do other things than: -Kill MAX units (Archer designed for that) -Destroy base turrets (after 14 or more shots) -Destroy vehicles (Flashes needs 3 shots,other vehicles more than 3 shots) -Destroy base terminals (useful when defending a base and an enemy infiltrator hack a base terminal,so,shot,destroy and repair,base terminal again for the home faction) -Destroy engineer turrets (this is a sure kill if the engineer dont notice u) I question to any Archer expert: anyone has been Auraxiamed this weapon??? So my suggestion is: make the Archer to kill infantry in one headshot or maybe make reload faster. This weapon for infantry its a joke. Good versus the things mentioned,but bad versus normal infantry. P D: If u see my NC char K/D ratio low is caused im using full support engineer,good for exp and make certs,but bad for kill people other than MAXes. For defending myself i only have the Blackhand as secondary,and not always its effective...
While unrealistic that what I'm assuming is a 14.5mm round can't OHK infantry in any way, it's understandable for balance. The Engineer class is the support unit of the game, and it would mess up balance if the class had what was basically a sniper rifle. The weapon is incredibly handy, not just for taking out MAXs and base turrets, but also for driving enemy vehicles into cover. You're helping your team by swatting vehicles away, albeit temporarily. On top of that, it hits aircraft pretty dang hard. It's a niche weapon, but in the right hands, it's an excellent support tool.
The draw, reload and rechamber time are too high. Lower all of those down a bit and leave the damage as is. I mean, it is just ridiculous that you need to stay 5s(or 6.25s) doing nothing while rechambering and reloading. It is not a damn Gauss SAW with 100 bullets...
Your kd is not low because of the archer but because of the way you use it. IT's primarily a max counter with some niche uses to finish off vehicles - troll flash runs etc. I was always a little meh to the archer being a engi-weapon. The reason the archer has to function as poorly outside it's niche is that it would be op in the hands of an engi otherwise (infinite ammo). If the archer is to be buffed to a oneshot headshot infantry kill it needs to be moved to the infiltrator and be a very low ROF anti material rifle. Not sure why it was given to the engis - tank and harasser crews love it for it's ability to deal with (especially raven) av-maxes, and finish of esf's. Outside of that it's a very expensive niche weapon. Why you would use it as your main gun to the point where you blame your k/d on it is beyond me.
Wasted potential as Wraith Flash counter, not helpful against anything but MAX relative to any proper AV weapons. Making a "counter" 2-3 shot the 1 thing it counters and bad at everything else is not how to make a counter, 0/10 coded by dev's dog. Buy it when it takes 10% off Harasser, 15%+ off ESF and 2shots Flash.
Yeah,i noticed that. When i shot the Archer to enemy tanks,they priorize his targets to me first. Or maybe they run into cover. Also,i dont post another useful way of the Archer: destroy walls on the construction system,between other things. One can destroy a wall where it blocks the pass to the friendly tanks,once destroyed,it opens a way for the friendly tanks.
I agree that it is a wierd weapon (for balance reasons I guess).............it will do no more damage to regualr infantry than to a Max suit and is hardly effective against vehicles. I got it when it came out and I have hardky used it after the first couple of trys. Not enough Maxes around to burden myself with ti while far away from a spawn point.
The Archer really isn't a sniper rifle, but I agree that its a missed opportunity. I'd change the behavior of the Archer depending on what class carries it and open it up to more classes. Engineer - Basically unchanged vs Infantry and Maxes. More damage to Vehicles. Infiltrator - Engi Damage vs Maxes, OSHS vs infantry. Reduced damage vs vehicles. Heavy - Increased damage vs Vehicles, 3/4 damage vs Maxes. reduced damage vs infantry.
Honestly, if they did something like this, they might as well add different types of anti-material rifles. The Engineer would stick with the 14.5mm (or is it a 20mm?) Archer, able to clobber MAXs and dink away at vehicles. The Infiltrator would get some kind of 50-cal rifle. The TR already has a 12.7x75mm rifle, but it isn't a proper AM-rifle. The 50-cal would be capable of one-shot kills with body shots out to a certain range, but would suffer from a slow fire rate, a very long reload time, and absolutely atrocious hip-fire accuracy. Heavy Assault would get a 40mm recoilless gun that fires specialized APCR rounds, capable of dealing good damage to vehicles at longer ranges than rocket launchers.
Apparently, the rechamber time is being reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5 in the next update. It'll be a nice buff.
Stop stop stop... if you're shooting something that is not a 2,5 mts heavy walking armor you're doing it wrong. The Archer is only for killing Max units. The fact it can potentially damage something else doesn't mean it's a good choice. It's niche weapon and it's not for kill farming. Imho it fills an extra small niche and it's not worth the certs to buy. Want to kill Max Units effectively? Get C-4 or a rocket launcher and you're better off.
I think this information from the 24/10/2016 (screw you 'murica dates) can help to the discuss. https://forums.daybreakgames.com/ps2/index.php?threads/game-update-10-24.243218/#post-3429512
I've killed 30 ESFs, 20 lightnings and at least 7 MBTs with the archers constant peck damage. Do you know what an archer squad do to a tank THROUGH AN AV SHIELD?! Let me tell you, it is adorable watching them panic.
In my opinion, trying to kill anything but MAX Units with the archer is like the attempt to kill an ESF with a pistol: definitively possible but not recommended because there are better ways to do it. But i don't regret buying it. Not that it will pay off within the next 2 years or so but it is absolutely priceless to watch NC MAXes panic when you open fire with it in crowded fights or when they feel safe camping on that hill a few hundred meters away
Yes I know what an Archer squad can do to tanks: less than a rocket launcher squad. That doesn't even take the risk to be wiped away by common ai weapons. It's a cool weapon sometimes but Max sniping is a too small niche to justify the cert cost and the lack of flexibility.
I like the Archer. It has its role, its pretty good at it, and safely below average at everything else. I feel it could do a bit more damage against Flashes and ESF's - neither of which is exactly 'armored.' One thing it does need is an increase in damage against placed objects, it is supposed to be an anti-materiel rifle after all, so it should only take one shot to take out mines, beacons, ammo packs and the like. which last I checked wasn't true for all of those (though I haven't had the chance to try recently, so ignore this if it's been changed).
I've found it has some really entertaining benefits besides using it as an anti max sniper rifle First, i use it as some additional damage to vehicles while my AV turret is cooling down. Second, it is good for clearing mines and such at longer ranges. Third, if i remember correctly, it functions similar to a small arm in respect to shields, so it can be shot through shields like the ones at mani fortress, where vehicles can't shoot back, making it a very good weapon for finishing tanks while they go to repair in places like that. however i do agree that it doesn't have enough for game play, especially since most maxes are taken out by heavies anyway. my suggestion isn't to buff the damage or fire rate, but to make it over penetrate infantry, which would add a very unique ability to injure several infantry units at once. or injure both the engineer repairing their vehicle and the vehicle. it would be a frustrating mechanic cause you would probably often shoot allies on accident.
I really enjoy using it just because it's funny. People seem to get really angry when you pick them off with it on foot, though that may just be a Connery thing.
