So, I get the impression that I'm the only person on the planet who likes playing as a heavy with a battle rifle (Eidolon). I'm new, and I had no clue what I was doing when I bought my first weapon and opted for the Eidolon. The result was immense frustration and a k/d ratio around 0.3. It doesn't help that I'm not good at FPS in the first place, I kept getting myself in face-to-face confrontations with other heavies, I willingly became cannon fodder in large battles, or stiid still to snipe and (of course) got walloped in the head. However, since I started a week ago, I've gotten much better with the battle rifle, and I'm now typically at 1.1 or 1.2 k/d, playing exclusively as infantry. By most standards, that's not good, but I suspect it's better than most people assume would be possible for a noob heavy with a battle rifle. The key is keeping space in between me and other heavies, but it doesn't have to be a lot of space. I just back up an extra 10 meters and pop them in the head. Because I'm heavy, I find I stand a much better chance of surviving such confrontations than when playing as an inf or others. It's always satisfying to take out a 100br heavy in a one-on-one shootout, as the bulk of their rounds go sailing past me. The rifle can't put as many rounds downrange as LMGs, but the precise aim compensates. The 4x scope is just about perfect for the Eidolon. I've dropped non-heavies at mid-range with a single head shot. Does anyone else use the heavy's durability with mid-range marksmanship? I know the conventional wisdom is that it's insane, but the Eidolon feels so much more powerful than my LMG, so I keep going back to it.
Oh God... I was EXACTLY like you when I first started playing the game. Oh God... the memories:') I remember playing the game, not liking the Orion a lot. Saved up enough certs to get the Eidolon, as I really liked the description. I got it, and I wasn't too good with it, but I still loved it dearly. I then uninstalled the game... and then reinstalled it. I learned my lesson; got the Flare first, which became my first Auraxium, moved on, and then got the Eidolon... One of the most nostalgic moments in Planetside history occured. I know what you mean, man! Never let the Eidolon go!
You ought to make an NC character and give the Gauss SAW a try. When you fire single shots, it's pretty much a far more accurate battle rifle with 100 rounds in the mag. And of course, you can go full auto for competitive close-range DPS.
I know exactly how you feel. I've been playing PS2 since closed Beta. I bought the Eidolon the day PS2 launched and have been using it faithfully (well, mostly ) ever since. Eidolon + Lancer is my primary outdoor loadout whenever I'm not in a vehicle and it is the ultimate long range setup for HA. But like you, the whole time I've played PS2 I've usually felt like the only person on the battlefield using a Battle Rifle at all, much less as an HA. BRs have an extremely bad reputation. They play differently than the vast majority of weapons out there, which are mainly short-to-medium range automatics. Most people gave up on them after trying them out for only a little bit, finding them too weak or thinking they have too small of a niche role to be of much use. Or they switch to the Infil class instead for the cloak and superior (OHK) rifles. But you and I know differently, don't we? The HA Overshield works great w/ the Eidolon since it can let you survive one bolt-action sniper shot to the head, which usually allows you to stay exposed in a long range fight long enough to zero in on your target and fire the 5-8 shots you need to get a kill. If you haven't already I strongly suggest you invest at least the 10 certs needed to get Level 1 Resist Shield for your HA, and at least 41 certs for level3 Advanced Shield Capacitor. Resist + ASC syncs very well w/ battle rifles since (assuming you're at full health) it can protect you from a sniper headshot the whole time it's up as it doesn't lose its strength over time, and it has a much shorter recovery time than the other HA Overshields so you can get back in to the fight quicker. Also, feel free to watch at least the 2nd vid in my sig so you can see the Eidolon + Lancer in action! /shameless plug
I like the Warden a lot and don't get the hate. I don't use it on the heavy though. I much prefer to use it on an engineer, so you can spam the weapon. Which imho has way too little ammo to really work on the heavy. Just pop in and out quickly try to get a headshot or 2 but if it costs too much time, rage tap that single fire into the torso, and duck back. It is a nightmare for snipers cause they have to decloak and hold breath. A game of whack a mole you most often will win with a BR. You are ata real disadvantage close range with a BR and being a heavy doesn't commonly "DO" it for me when it comes to making up for that. Often times it is just a death by "insert: auto-fire weapon" or you shoot them in the face fast enuff.
============== Actually I also use the Eidolon as longrange weapon as we do not have a proper longrange LMG on VS which sustains its bullet dmg over a longer journey. Neither do we have accurate longrange LMG on VS for sustained fire to at least hit several low dmg shots on the enemy due to strong bloom and weapon kick. *Just remebering sidenote here on the SAW / GODSAW - which got battlerifle dmg on 3 consecutive point accurate shots ~500dmg when certed with "adv forward grib" and "compensator". So the only longrange chance to get near that dmg is the Battlerifle for VS HA
Everyone was horrible when they first started playing Planetside 2 (except maybe BigIronRanger, that guy is crazy), and a poor KD is to be expected. I remember my first fight when the game was still Indarside, and I instant-actioned into TI Alloys at night, with a full on 3-way battle, with 48+ allies and 48+ enemies, probably 96+, but you couldn't tell back then. I died over and over and over and over again. But once you realize how to work the gun you are using and how to use the class properly, it's not so bad. If you like battle rifles, that's fine, you know that you are the king of mid-long range, and you also learn that you are definitely NOT the king of CQC. Battle rifles are just underrated currently, seeing as LMGs are still great at mid-range but can still compete up close, unlike the battle rifles. The other big problem is using a long range scope to gain accuracy, but you have large recoil, so you have to decide on pinpoint accuracy or stability. But if you like using Battle Rifles, use them, you do best once you find the gun that works for you. Horrible words of wisdom right here: "A gun is like an extension of your body, of your mind, it is a weapon, like your fist, just a fist that shoots bullets (or laserz, if VS), if it doesn't harmonize with your mind, it is ineffective, if it does, you are unstoppable."
Recently bought the Warden as well. It's stupid and I love it. But I wish they would put canted iron sights in Planetside, so you could have both irons and a 4x scope. That would be amazing for battle rifles.
I was wondering about the Eidolon myself for a HA ! I've bought it but never used it much because most of the battles I found were CQC where the battle rifle would not get good efficiency, but I'll force myself to give it a go It really feels like a good weapon for the Vanu HA when paired with a Lancer a a Resist Shield, to keep a solid ranged fire base. Like the OP, I always felt the Vanu LMG (save for the Lasher) were not that good compared to other factions (I'm enjoying the T9 CARV like a maniac on the TR side, this gun is sooooo good !). Perhaps Eidolon is the way to go ^^
I use the Warden on a build I affectionately call my "Armour-Hunter". Munitions pouch, Rocket Launcher, Flash with Scout Radar, and Warden. Great fun on Indar and Esamir riding around hunting down tanks. Warden is great for picking off survivors, and also for targets of opportunity if you happen to pull up behind some people. Strangely, it's also fun to play in Hossin. Riding through the swamp with my rifle hunting people down--feels a bit like Vietnam.
