BUFF THE SKYGUARD!!!!!

How far you can see something and spray bullets at it isn't really worth talking about. You are zero threat to an aircraft 1000 meters away.

Can we please make a sane argument about how the skyguard is fine without this stupid hyperbole?

Could use a projectile speed buff perhaps, and maybe a very tiny CoF buff. Maybe.

I think of the Skyguard the same way that I think of a Burster Max. There needs to be more than one active unit to be deadly. One Skyguard is merely a deterrent to ESF lolpodders. I cannot solo a Lib or Gal.

If I am solo in my Skyguard, I try to be as stealthy as I can. I shoot and move almost like when I am long range sniping. If I can partner up with a Burster Max or another Skyguard then that is the perfect force multiplier to change my role from defensive to offensive.

I think the OP is asking for too much from his Skyguard. It is a great weapon, though. Keep pulling it!

Kinda sad how people don't know how to use the Skyguard. Since I have it as an SC purchase, pulling a Skyguard on a new character is a no brainer, its simply one of the lowest risk/no cert things you could start the game with. I use mine most times without a zoom for air, zoom just throws it off and makes it harder to lead/hit ESFs further away most times. Then with the easy certs it brings (vehicle kill assists are worth 2 infantry kills most times), you just cert up your engineer repair gun, get zoom 1, ammo 2, and throw on nanite repair 1 when you get the opportunity.

You just need to be aware of your surroundings, know how to place your Lightning, don't stay in one spot too long, and pick your targets. You could easily do BR1 -> BR15 in a Skyguard (assuming SC purchase). Try doing that in an ESF (even if you have pods from SC) or Lib (with weapons from SC), it won't be near pleasant nor easy an experience for most. Uncerted ESFs/Libs are mere cert pinatas, though possibly a top ace ESF pilot might do better in one as long as he doesn't run into the better pilots in the air on the other side.

It's not so much the Skyguard is underpowered as it is the Liberator is overpowered.

^^^ This.

Skyguard is affected pretty strongly by damage drop-off. At such distances, the projectile will do almost no damage. That's assuming you can even hit the target because the CoF is so big and only gets bigger as you fire. It's like the rounds leave the barrel sideways. On top of that, the projectiles move very slowly so you have to lead sometimes by up to 3/4 of your screen-space in-front of your target. AND on top of that, it's also a tank weapon that actually has recoil.

So yeah. Just because you can get a hit to register at 1000m doesn't meant he Skyguard has an effective range of 1000m. It doesn't.

I miss the old bursters, hitting esfs as soon as they rendered. Stupid cof bloom
I like the Skyguard though, once I learned to control the recoil(I've been spoiled by bursters) it was way better.

Skyguards sucks no matter what others try to pull up.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN TAKEN DOWN BY A SKYGUARD for as long as I can remember.
And when I was, I know that was because of the many other projectiles that hit me beside the Skyguard.
While with Maxes there had been occassions on which I underestimated them too much and lost my ESF.

Skyguards are a Joke. They cannot be switched for other Weaponry and you can be locked-on.
Just because it escape faster as an Max doesnt mean its harder to take down.

But most over all its unflexibility compared to a Max is crushing its ability to compete.
Its a cripple compared to the Max. And all you ESF-players -> stop your as discussion disguised whining. Noobs.

I think that the skyguard is fine atm. It decimates ESF's and can't beat a lib in 1v1 (unless luck or whatever).

I run with my skyguard quite a lot, but i don't want it to become a mobile globe of doom for air units! Liberators are (supposedly...) dedicated anti ground unit, and at that a multy-crew vehicle. It would be bad if a single skyguard could pluck them out of the sky.

Besides, multiple skyguards are quite effective even against libs and galaxies, any buff to it and there won't be any air to shoot at :/

I would rather want to see liberator buff vs ground and esf buff against liberators

Hell NO. Skyguards are strong as it is. Air should be able to take out a Skyguard and that's hard as it is unless air easily outnumber Skyguards on the ground. G2A damage is already very strong against air and your idea is just bad.

Fixed it for you.
Cause the different between you and me is that i can kill them at those distances and you obviously cant even hit a galaxy from 300m..

hahahahhaa
This is funny, flak in general makes it so esfs cant even enter a 12 man fight or larger and the tank/infantry people want a buff to it hahahha this is hilarious.

This is me hitting and killing airfcrafts from 1000m to 1200m (Render distance stops at 1200m)
Damage drop-off stops at 300m.

I've got 410 aircraft kills within 1 day and 20 hours playtime.

Im not lying. If aircraft is within render range, you can hit it. No damage falloff

The only thing I'd tune on the skyguard would be it's cone of fire. It's insanely large to the point where it's difficult to hit a stationary infantry target at 30 meters. Doesn't really make sense for it to be so large. The barrels are inches apart but the projectiles come out of the barrels at least 10 feet apart, how does it work?

You should never die to Skyguards unless their are 3 or more

I personally think they need a nerf. Limit the rate of fire or increase the cone of fire so if your flying an ESF you can actually escape a Skyguard. Look at all the whining about lock on launchers. I use them alot and i never kill off a plane by myself. When flying I can hit flares and escape a lock on but how do you escape a Skyguard? You dont, you die. So... While you can avoid coming in too close to anti air turrets at a base you dont know which tanks have skyguard and you cant really render tanks fast enough anyway. You have to get so close that you would already be dead in an ESF before the tanks render. NERF EM, NERF EM, NERF EM.
You should be able to bug out once you are taking hits so decrease the fire rate, and accuracy to allow a lot less hits. Then they would become a deterrant like lock ons are rather than and air killing machine. Maxs are similiar, they dont render, but they dont fire as quick and kill as quick.

The cone of fire on flak is absolutely ridiculous. I've killed more friendly infantry than enemy aircraft because of it. It needs to go.

I was looking at the thread title thinking "Yeah, why not. A tighter COF and some more velocity would be nice"
Then i remembered that any buffs to SG is going to make it that much better at infantry farming aswell.

Besides, its already a decent AA weapon. The problem is the papertank, that is a rolling ball of free xp for any worthwhile players with AV capabilities.
But even the squishy downside of the lightning can be negated by traveling with other vehicles, etc.
Give those anti-lightning enemies something else to shoot at.

Um just fly in a different direction and whammo Skyguard problem solved