How do you play Light Assault without the Mercenary?

Tell me how your getting on with slugs? I use LA with a sweeper shotgun and extended mag and I just can't see slugs being useful.

You can snipe with your shotgun, the downside being you have to aim down sights in close range as well.

Slugguns - Shotguns with slug ammo. That is the correct answer to all your questions, in my honest opinion.
No, the fact is it comes down to your preferences and play style.

Easy, I use the AC-X11

Sounds like you have a problem with VS doctrine. I'd suggest trying out a shotgun with slugs and engaging from a distance. When I meet a Vanu in close quarters I almost always win, but if we get into a standoff I almost always have to retreat because I know I won't win.

Regarding defaults:

The Merc is better for picking off from a distance if you can handle it right, due to the higher damage per shot (ROF doesn't matter if you're only single-shotting)

The TRAC-5 is better for close-quarter, sustained fire fights. It (marginally) has the slowest bullet travel time, but higher ROF and magazine capacity.

The Solstice is better for dropping in and dropping out, due to its fast reload. It also (marginally) has the highest velocity and no drop, though its maximum damage is a bit lower. It's better than the TRAC-5 at range (but not the Merc), but better than the Merc at CQC (but not better than the TRAC-5).

I don't play NC as much as I do TR and VS, so I don't have all the knowledge, but when I do play NC I find the Merc to be not as good as the TRAC-5 and Solstice at the ranges I'm used to (short). I like the TRAC-5 better than the Solstice in most situations, but I like the Solstice when I'm not in a large battle, because I'm OCD about full magazines and constantly reload (so the shorter reload helps me, though more bullets would be more practical).

Of course, I just ended up buying the VX6 so I can have a TR carbine on my VS (main), and for that sweet Adv. Laser Sight. I use the Pulsar-C or my sluggun when I'm planning to be at range (which I don't normally do, seeing as I play VS and TR more often).

This. The Merc is ok-ish at longer range, but that's like having a bolt action which is ok-ish at close range. I've found that using the GD-7F (bought it in the latest bundle) has made me MUCH more likely to survive engagements at short and even medium range, while not significantly affecting my survivability in longer range engagements. The GD-7F lets me go for headshots, since the next bullets won't be flying above the enemy's head and fanned out too much anyway. I always preferred CQC-ing on my VS account (even though it's on Connery and I'm in Aus - my NC is on Briggs) because the VS default carbine just seemed better at it - but now that I've finally got a carbine which is good for CQC, I don't feel that way. It just sucks that NC have to pay so much money (in game or real) just to get a carbine which actually does well at close range - the area which carbines are meant to do well in anyway. Also, shotguns are great.

OP, if you're trying to snipe people with a carbine, I'm going to have to say you're doing it wrong. Yes, an LA will be killed by a HA if they go head-to-head on the ground (unless LA has a shotgun, or the HA sucks), but likewise an LA will lose a sniping match with an Infiltrator - so why is sitting back and sniping a good idea? At least in CQC your gun is made for that type of fighting. Rifles (medic guns) and long range rifles (inf guns) will easily beat a Merc at long range - even heavy guns can, if used well. The way to beat HAs up close without a shotgun is to make use of your jetpack in order to scout better, surprise/ambush if possible, to dodge during a fight and to get out of a fight which you can't win (that means jetting if you're shot first).

Use a GD-7F, AC-X11 or the Piston.

Practice.

As Vanu, you'll want to get a VX6-7 or Serpent for your high DPS, CQC type stuff. Get a shotgun and build it for sniping with slugs, it is a beast in that role and is very overlooked, LA can snipe with it and wreak havoc, obviously not as well as an infiltrator, but trust me, a scoped sluggun is not to be overlooked. Finally, get a pulsar C and build it for a hybrid between "sniping" and CQC, it can effectively cover all your bases if you think you're going to be changing roles on the fly, it is a pseudo-sniper with single shots at range, but it is still decent in CQC.

LA is easily the most versatile combat class in the game. You have a bit of everything available to you, you also make the best use of C4, you can get to the best camping or scouting spots easily, etc.

When I play LA, I play 'LOL TR' mode.

IRNV Lynx, surpressor optional. Usually not surpressor, as I'm probably in a big fight so there's no point trying to hide. Improved jump jets, shield capacitor, health regen injector (unless we have biolab buffs). I'll start carrying C4 when I've got the two slots unlocked.

Alternately, one of the default / alpha squad carbines with a 3.4x scope. Surpressor optional. Improved jump jets. Health regen injector. Good if I'm playing on a low pop continent and fighting geurilla style (aka hiding in trees, shooting one dude, moving after each attack). Typically run out of ammo very quickly doing this and end up fleeing into the hills with a pistol, so may change to another loadout with the extra magazines or whatever it is.

Been having a lot of fun as a VS LA, and I still hold that the Solstice is a bad gun. Not that its stats are bad but it doesn't fill in a good role. Like its better at CQC than the Merc, but not so good that you can kill people that get the jump on you, or mow through ANYONE like the GD-7F/Serpent/VX6 can. And in long range it just eats more ammo than the merc, and I hold that the best way to play LA is like a mobile sniper that finds really gay spots to camp, jumps between them, and can wrack up like 17+ kills before needing an ammo pack. Its like a better form of an infiltrator, b/c you can hide really close to your enemies and there's nothing they can do about it, other than send their own light assaults after you. Much better than the basically useless infl cloak.

VS get Pulsar, and actually the solstice is not bad in this role either.

TR kind of get shafted in this area -they don't really have a carbine that is accurate at long range with good bullet velocity. Just high ROF CQC hipfire carbines.

Because you will have to have an amazing CQC weapon to even do your job in CQC without just trading 1:1. Say you flank your enemy, gj you're going to get 1 kill because the guy wasn't paying attention, then his friends are going to jump you. If you have a gun like the GD7F, you can kill someone AND win a duel with his friend because of its incredible dps and resistance to flinch while hipfiring. The Solstice cannot do this.

And the infiltrator has longer ranges and can cloak, but the LA's carbines are useful at all ranges and LA's can get to really gay spots to snipe from and run around b/w several spots to catch the opponent off guard.

Why do you compare GD-7F and Solstice? VS counterpart of GD-7F would be Serpent or VX6-7.

What was your problem, again? You like Merc, but don't like Solstice? Why don't you just play NC then? Why **** yourself.

lvl 29 and still going with the basic gun xd

I don't think the solstice even fills a role unlike the GD-7F/Serpent/VX6/Pulsar C. Being mediocre at a lot of stuff just leads it to not being good at anything.

A lot of people play Vanu and you're the only one complaining.

Welp, get an underbarreled shotgun for your purple gun, fire 5 shots in a guys back then knife him, get a laser on your pistol so it becomes hyper accurate, and get a level of extra magazines.

The underbarrel shotty is my touch, if you HS at close range an HA with a full shield, it'll take him down. Its pretty ****.

You have to use all your weapons, including nades and c4, to truly become an LA ninja.


Oooh, you also have to waste 500 certs leveling up to JJ5, thats a must!

I play NC LA CQC a lot and I have no problems taking down my VS and TR counterparts, the problem is you *have* to have the GD-7F, it's the only NC carbine that can compete at close range.

You can use the piston too, but for me it's way too specialized. The range is just too short to be very useful. I'll switch to it if I'm say, dropping straight onto a tower. I don't bother to slug my shotty since I'd just go back to using my 7f if I think they won't be close range.

Like I said I like the shotty, but usually I have to kill a few guys from medium range just while approaching the tower, so I stick with my more versatile 7F.

Or just go EZ mode and switch factions, both have better cqc carbines than the NC does [I love my serpent and jaguar]