If I had to choose one class and empire combination that I would play for the rest of my Planetside 2 career, it would be a NC Medic. The GR-22 is the reason... my God that thing is sweet. The stock Gauss works well as a medium range option and the Reaper DMR is nothing to scoff at as a long range weapon.
I personally like the Gauss Rifle S with a smoke launcher. It allows me to rez players that are in bad locations, and does pretty well in combat as well.
The problem with the GR-22 is its a TR or Vanu gun without any of there advantages, it has bullet drop and no extra rounds in the mag... I like it too but when I put it like that I just can justify it.
How do people feel about the Carnage BR? Like a good, detailed run down. I feel like the 143 damage / 750 RPM weapons usually have the best combination of effectiveness and handling. Not lacking in CQB due to high rate of fire, yet at the same time, not saddled with enough recoil to become ineffective at mid range. The only thing it's missing is 0.75x ADS movement multiplier. NC is extremely lacking in that category.
Alright, first off: The Carnage does have 0.75x ADS speed multiplier, NC is the only faction with two assault rifles that have that (GR-22 also). TR only has it on the TAR, not the TRV, and VS only on the H-V45. You are right though, we do have fewer guns with 0.75x ADS speed. We have two assault rifles and the NS common pool guns. VS has two LMGs, AND an assault rifle, TR has two carbines and an assault rifle, so NC is one gun behind in terms of how many 0.75x ADS guns we have to pick from. Second: I think the Carnage is a good, versatile gun that rarely leaves you hanging. As you say, 750 rpm with 143 damage is usually solid enough in CQC. The biggest problem is that 143 damage guns with 30 shots in the mag just have less damage before having to reload than our Gauss Rifle or any TR gun. At least it reloads faster than the GR-22. Now, for my money, the Carnage BR really works great with Advanced Foregrip. Its base hipfire cone is generally good enough, and with a 1x reflex sight it's a great mid range gun. At 30-35 meters it does more damage than a GR-22 because the GR-22 fires faster but has steeper damage degradation. Another flaw of the Carnage is that its horizontal recoil jitters left and right, so if you run Advanced Laser, you harm its mid-range capabilities a lot, at which point, just get a GR-22, in my opinion. GR-22 is annoying at midrange because it pulls very strongly sideways, but only one way, so actually easier to compensate than a Carnage without grip, which dances back and forth. Another point: I recommend skipping the Compensator if you run the Carnage, its vertical recoil is not bad enough to warrant harming your hipfire cone. I enjoy the Carnage a lot, but I can't really claim it does anything outstanding that you couldn't be doing with another gun. And if you do a lot of open field fighting where you tap fire distant targets, the higher per-bullet damage and first shot accuracy of a Gauss Rifle or Reaper is a bit better....but at that point, how about fighting at a range where the enemy can't just hide and regain shields? In conclusion, I love my Carnage, but for someone who is on a budget and wants a versatile assault rifle, the Gauss Rifle with laser runs you 100 certs (130 with a sight) and performs at all ranges. Gauss with laser still has 650 m/s velocity and very easy horizontal pull, so it's solid at range, and with a laser it has a better hipfire cone than a Carnage with Grip (very slightly). The Carnage has better burst damage, the Gauss more damage per mag and faster reload with higher velocity. So both are versatile, but the Carnage tends slightly more towards closer ranges and the Gauss to longer ranges. I love our assault rifle selection and have enjoyed them all (Gauss Burst doesn't count). It actually kind of eats into my certs to get attachments for all of them across my alts. TL;DR: Pro: Versatile, both Adv. Laser and Adv. Grip available 0.75x ADS speed Short reload superior to other CQC assault rifles Base hipfire cone tighter than other mid-to-long range assault rifles Solid damage. Damage degrades less than that of other CQC assault rifles (TRV, TAR, H-V45 and GR-22 drop to 112, Carnage to 125) Tied with GR-22 for best velocity on a CQC assault rifle Better velocity, damage per mag and hipfire than our other Adv. Foregrip assault rifle (versatility!) Affordable (250 certs) Con: Mid-range versatility really wants an Adv. Foregrip due to horizontal recoil being the two-directional kind. No 2x Reflex sight Versatility sacrifices some long-range performance compared to our other Adv. Foregrip AR, which does more damage at long range with potshots First shot accuracy inferior to both the Gauss Rifle and the Reaper - coupled with lower damage, it's just not as good at long range shots. No HVA or SPA 50-100 rpm less than some other 143 damage CQC options Some people don't like short range ADSing with a 1x reflex
I play primarily HA which is why I point out that NC is lacking in the 0.75x ADS movement speed category. A lot of people swear by the Gauss SAW... my experience with that gun is that it simply cannot keep up with an aggressive play style. In fact, I find NC HA's LMG selection to be lacking in comparison to their opposites. The Anchor and GD-22 are decent, but not as good as say, the Orion VS54 or the T9 Carv. But that's besides the point. Thanks for the write up. I guess its kind of exactly what I expected, though I wasn't prior aware the Carnage BR had such high horizontal recoil. Also, I could've sworn that the Carnage BR was 1,000 certs, but hey, 250 certs? All the better, because I do plan to pick it up. Completely agree with the magazine size comment. At 143 damage / 750 RPM, 30 rounds is fairly limiting. I find myself playing TR a lot exactly because of that reason. At least give VS / NC players an extra magazine! Having 60 less rounds sucks! I run out of ammo a lot! That's exactly the thing though. The Carnage BR looks like an excellent general purpose rifle. I find 143 damage / 750 RPM to be the performance sweet spot. You won't really find yourself lacking in most engagements, especially if you're already a good player.
Yeah, when they slashed cert prices on a bunch of guns, Carnage was included. You are exactly right about the general purpose thing, it's why I like it so much. I just mentioned the Gauss Rifle for anyone else reading my post Besides, 600 rpm/167 damage is a bit less than 750rpm/143 (but more than 700 rpm/143) and it also feels really good for me. I really enjoy the Mercenary, Gauss, Anchor and EM6 for that reason, and the Cyclone is my favorite SMG. Maybe I just like 167 damage guns. We have the best of those. And I don't think the Carnage's horizontal recoil necessarily feels high, but it feels annoying to me...I tried it without grip and the left/right jitter makes it feels like you're spraying past more distant targets on either side. You get that one some VS guns too. Guns with one-sided horizontal pull may be annoying without grip but generally feel a bit easier to work with for me. Just pull down AND left or right. You can't compensate as well when you don't know which way the gun will go, then it goes the other way. Maybe that's just a personal hang-up, I don't know. It's why I like the VS Equinox less than the Gauss S. Both with underbarrel launcher, Equinox has left/right jitter, Gauss S only pulls one way, so I can use it better at range even without a grip. It's predictable. And I generally like our LMGs as well, but yeah. I always say the NC has the best gun selection, cause we usually have at least one of any type, but we do lack a 750rpm LMG. Now, I like our LMGs just fine, but you can't get around the fact that up close, the Carv/Orion do more damage than the Anchor/EM6/SAW (our highest burst damage LMGs), so it comes down to who is better/has more nanoweave/hits shield sooner or something. At least the Jackhammer is pretty rad now. Also I wish we had some higher velocity on the LMGs, but the bes we got is 615m/s on the SAW S. But they're just nitpicks. I honestly love our guns, they do pretty well for me, and sound/look better than the other faction's guns for me personally. I still do really well with the Anchor and love it, but I'm under no illusions.
nah, tar has it by a little imo but yeah the Carnage is very good, and the best you're gonna get on NC for ARs imo
You'd be better off with the Cyclone for classes other than Infiltrator man. But still, for CM, the Carnage BR. The Carnage BR is just that general purpose sweet spot where you can pull off almost anything if you are a good player. It has both Adv. Forward Grip and Adv. Laser Sight, it has a Compensator, the only thing I don't think it has besides ammo attachments is a 2X Reflex and a 6X Scope. Overall it will just wreck given most situations, just keep your crosshairs on target and control your COF at range.
I'd like to make the case for the blitz (The 50 round SMG). When fully certed, this weapon has very good long-range accuracy but is also great for 'spray and pray.' My playstyle is that I'm a very aggressive medic, up front with the assaulters because reviving someone mid-combat has far more impact on the battle than once an area has been won and the group is advancing. The Blitz, with the 50 round magazine, is great for suppressive fire. I'm also able to go through 3 enemies at a time if I get behind enemy lines before I have to reload. Kill one enemy, the next one things I'm reloading and charges, and get that one too. If you're really good at first person shooters, a weapon with higher damage but a smaller magazine is likely better for you. If you play a medic because killing enemies because at least corpses aren't trying to dodge your medic gun, I suggest looking into the blitz.
Carnage? That the 200dmg MiniGauss SAW? 20 rounds? I know in VR I certainly kinda liked it, but figured the slow ROF of the gun would leave me dead in to many situations like the NC6 did. Buuuuut, adv laser? plus its a AR not an LMG, im sure the Hipfire is accurate. I know it has a very good recoil control like the Gauss SAW....soo, I might have to use that thing when the time comes. And the 20 rounds will kick my *** for awhile...im used to no less then 50 rounds or 100..20 leaves me staring into the barrel, smacking the bottom of the rifle, wondering...is there more?
You are confusing Carnage BR with Reaper there. Carnage is 143 dmg/750 rpm good at everything weapon, only minus is lack of SPA/HVA.
Oh. I dont care much for 143dmg guns. I played with the T9 CARV for awhile and im now playing the TR HA again.... Mostly the same things, but a bit better. I would prolly have to give the Reaper a wack or the ACX11. I know both of those have high *** damage. How are they? any one know?
They are very easy to control and pack a big punch, same DPS as the Gauss SAW. Instead of a large magazine they have 20 rounds per mag, super fast reload though. I would try the ACX-11 first since it costs less, and they both handle about the same in terms of recoil, reload speed, etc. If you are good with LMG's you will probably love these. Still, for best NC medic weapon it is either the Carnage BR or the Gauss Rifle.
I hate the jittery recoil on the Gauss Rifle. Its not vertical recoil, whcih can be stopped, its the horizontal recoil...nothing really stops that. I tried the handgrip once......didnt really help. I will prolly at some point try the ACX11 or Reaper
Might I note what you could be experiencing is a thing with the sight. Basically, when you are using a Reflex sight (1X and 2X) it causes the dot to bounce to the left which confuses you as to where you actually aim, the actually recoil goes in both horizontal directions and vertically.
Weelllll...whatever it is, throws me for a loop. I dont experience it on my LMGs which use x2 sights. And on the 1x of the T9 CARV, I hardly have issues with recoil. Seems very easy to handle with that optic. The NC1 wtih the x2 on it seemed very jerky. I like guns with limited to no horizontal recoil to begin with. Its the worst on 3.4x optics...lol
