How come the Skyguard is always ignored?

With the recent buffs to MAX survival ability, the skyguard lightning has officially become obsolete to the gameplay.

It's a larger target and can be seen and targeted from much further away.
It's range is horrible when compared to the MAX and AA Turrets.
It's damage is on par, but only up to a much shorter range than both the MAX and AA Turrets + drops off strictly.
It's WAY less accurate and has WAY more recoil and CoF Bloom than both the MAX and AA Turrets.
It's less maneuverable than a MAX (unless going in a strait line)


How is this weapon even relevant any longer?

It pretty much isnt relevant anymore.

Its an excellent AI weapon if you can aim it, but against aircraft the effectiveness of the Burster MAX and the Skyguard need either equalising or switching around completely.

well it is ok for camp under trees and kill bads with lolpods, the advantage is it has more ammo than a max so you can camp solo, but thats about it.
oh and for some reason it is amazing vs armor lol, come from behind empty mag into another lightning/mbt <3

I've noticed this as well.. Maybe it's a bug they are unaware of. Would explain why the damage drops off so strictly after 60m. Those just aren't feasible aircraft distances

Maybe because the Skyguard really isn't that bad off. I use the darn thing quite a bit and get a good deal of honest to god ESF and Liberator* kills with it.

I'm not saying it couldn't be better. A cert line that increases the Magazine capacity, a wide area Aircraft focused radar for the utility slot, and an increase in the IRNV/Thermal optics ranges for that specific turret would be welcome.

* If I'm not the only thing firing at it in the area. A Dalton Lib is just something you don't expect to live through If they find you before you've emptied a mag or two on them.

Those pilots must have been completely braindead.. Especially the Lib pilot.

I just got rocketpodded today (post GU8 Patch) from beyond the effective and accurate range of my skyguard. The esf didnt' move at all and I was still defenseless. (was there a buff to rocketpod accuracy, today was the first day this has ever happened). I however was moving all over creation trying to dodge the rockets, but the mossy was too high for me to reach with my skyguard. (he didn't move at all until he was out of rockets). I survived, but it seemed odd that I fired at a small ESF for almost 2 minutes and he only got to half life due to the inaccuracy of the cannon given his distance.

I have gotten a few kills on it since release (November) but only when I am supported by 2 or more Maxes and I just so happen to get the last shot. I'm not saying it is completely ineffective, I'm saying that MAXes and Turrets are FAR and away more superior for taking out Aircraft than this tank. Something seems wrong with that.

The problem is, people insist on using the Skyguard like a Burster. The Skyguard is an escort, not a static defense.

It won't be relevant until Burster Maxes a range nerf so they can't interrupt dogfights from 600m away, and Skyguards get a projectile velocity buff and COF reduction.

Funny how good threads have so few comments they drop off the boards because no one has much to say about it.

Skyguard is best used as an escort for armoured columns. 2 accompanying a large group of tanks and sunderers is a good start.

I often get above 200 SPM with my skyguard, also its armor got buffed, things could be worse.

Now you have the harasser, Fix a ranger/Walker on it and get a Buster max on the back and you have a much better AA Escort. Heck you could have a lock on Launcher Heavy on the back and then hit stuff out of the air at top speed, If you tried that with a Skygaurd you wouldn't hit anything.

Skyguards should actually have the better velocity of the two...

Its effective COF, I have a theory on.

You also need to keep in mind that a Harasser decked out like that requires 3 people to operate, a skyguard takes 1.

they should really make it feel "deadlier" for esfs. Seriously how can a Max-held burster be better than a tank AA? Only in video games haha

Because the guy in the MAX suit is better than the guy driving the tank?

it's not really even AA anymore, it's just a general purpose machine gun. they might as well just let it traverse down a bit so crouching infantry aren't completely safe and call it the lightning version of the basilisk.

we're not talking about skills here. It's how the weapon works. Have you tried using both? If you do then you dont even have to give this comment. haha

I kinda like how it fills its role perfectly and that being an escort vehicle for sunderers and/or tanks. Having two or three Skyguards in a platoon convoy is magic.

Yes I suppose, But A Harasser with a burster MAX on back is still more Effective than a Sky Guard even if you don't have anyone on the basilisk. For the same Cert and Resource cost and the addition of 1 extra person and 100 extra infantry resources You can Outclass a Sky-Guard significantly and You can pull a Harasser at any base.
Additionally the harasser Can be Heavily certed In to a Anti-Vehicle or Anti infantry role and still outclass a Sky-Guard with that MAX on back.
Also Gate Shield defuser or Turbo can get you places that the Sky-Guard can't and the Armor upgrade when fully certed means the Harasser is better protected from all directions not just one(all though I Don't know how it compares to a lightning stock).