LA and new Advanced Shield Capacitor

Discussion in 'Light Assault' started by Myrgatroid, Jul 27, 2013.

  1. Myrgatroid

    Is anyone else loving the new ASC with the LA? I've found it to be quite powerful and a welcome addition to my LA. Some of the new bases/terrain design on Esamir seem to be conducive to using the new ASC. Basically, many of the outdoor areas and new bases on Esamir are filled with so many nooks and crannies that the LA can easily scramble/jet towards for cover after engaging targets. The new ASC allows my shield to recharge so quickly that I only have to briefly hide, and can reengage targets that may or may not be pursuing me after a strong hit to an enemy flank.

    In short, just wanted to see if anyone else was using the ASC and how the rest of the LA community felt about using this in their suit slot. Sure, I'd probably use Nanoweave if I felt like maxing it out on my LA, but I don't feel that I play LA enough personally to invest the certs into full Nanoweave. The ASC allows a bit of a different play-style that supports hit and run tactics nicely.
    • Up x 1
  2. Corezer

    Nanoweave gives 29-33% more survivability in a gunfight, allowing you to more safely engage heavies more safely.

    for asc to make that difference you have to both lose shield then wait 7.5 ish seconds for you to have half shield and me to have none.

    The buff out really needed was +10/20/30/40/50 shield, making it take one more bullet to be killed but rechargeable +asc benefit to make it an alternative to nanoweave...
  3. TeknoBug

    I've only been using it on medic, lets me hop in and out in seconds to rez rather than waiting forever for shield to come back.

    ASC is 4 seconds now, not 7.5 seconds.
  4. Corezer

    I know its 4 seconds, but you don't get an advantage until 7.5

    before it was 7.5 but no advantage until about 10.

    it still takes a few seconds for the shield to actually charge.
  5. Corezer

    whoops, meant 9

    anyway, the point is if you and someone with nanoweave both shoot off each other's shields, it's about 7.5 seconds until you have more total HP than they do.
  6. Kayth


    While this is a useful bit of information, this is a very narrow way to look at it. (I'm not doubting you already understand this) If you get the drop of the person / have better aim / use cover better / etc, then ASC is used better and better. And I think it is much more accurate to assume you down your first target and engage a second player shortly after. This is when it helps you most I think.

    @OP:
    ASC is one of my favorite abilities in the game for the sole purpose of how perfect it feels for LA (flavor wise, not statistically). It was the thing i was most excited for being buffed and had wanted this change for a long time. So of course I am running it on my LA and actually do like it and have noticed an improvement. I think it's something you as a player have to take advantage of though, as compared to NWA which just does it's thing without thinking. It being so cheap is another reason I like it so much.

    I still think it could use another small buff though. I'd really like to see a 5/10/15/20/25% increase in charge rate or so, but I'm afraid that cert costs might have to increase for that.
  7. lilleAllan

    I have always used ASC on my infiltrator, but will probably get it for my Mercenary LA as well now.
    Less down time = more kills.
  8. Corezer

    Well then I will look at it your way.

    Lets say you engage someone, catching them by surprise and killing them, taking no hits and engaging someone else after rapidly. Advantage NWA

    Lose half shield, engage immediately
    Advantage NWA

    Lose half shield, engage after 1-6 seconds
    Advantage NWA

    Lose half shield, engage 7-10 seconds
    Either advantage NWA or even, depending on if the amount of shield you have charged will allow you to take the same number of shots to kill as the NWA player, who has been sitting at 1000 combined HP and shield the whole time.

    If you lose all your shields (and don't lose health to a high degree), there is a brief period of time where your shields will be charged enough that it takes you 1-2 more shots to kill than someone with NWA, but the window of advantage is awfully small, something like 2.5 seconds... for the most part, NWA is just the better choice unless you have few certs.

    I used to find ASC just as good, but in a different light than NWA, and used to run maxed ASC, but after they doubled NWA, there is just no beating it with ASC. my buff idea of giving it a small amount of extra shield (50 at rank 5) would at least grant some sort of alternative for people who don't want to shoot up after fights, but the extra recharge delay reduction is just tinsel wrapped around ****. still stinks.

    if they wanted to bring it to NWA's level with just delay reduction alone, it would have to be buffed to something stupid like -8 seconds
    • Up x 2
  9. Corezer

    Of course, the best buff they could do to ASC is just allowing 2x suit slots. ASC always seemed like a supporting act to something much more important like NWA, bando, flak or G-bando. That would also bring more variety so they wouldn't have to constantly buff/nerf things to make players change it up. as it stands with only one thing per slot, it's pretty much impossible to balance to a degree that you will see a lot of variety, there will always be a best.
    • Up x 1
  10. Thrustin

    I always was interested in ASC and hoped that they would introduce some sort of shield buff for using it, like being able to take 1-2 more hits at max and recharging it faster, something which makes it competetive to NWA. Only then would I consider using it.
  11. Sock

    I think it's an issue of personal preference/playstyle really. If you need the extra health and struggle in 1v1s, nano weave is the clear winner. Faster recharge doesn't help much when you're dead. However, if you feel confident in 1v1 engagements and your issue comes down to having shields up by the time you run into your second/third/fourth encounters, ASC is the way to go. I've always had ASC on my LA, so this was just a outright improvement for me.
    • Up x 1
  12. KnightCole

    I wont trade in 250hp for a faster shield.
    • Up x 2
  13. Corezer

    but really, I just addressed that.

    engaging rapidly, there is about a 2 second window where ASC> NWA, and that is if you lose all shield and no HP in the first fight, no guarantee. there is also no guarantee that you will see an engagement in that 2 second window. ASC is better for saving certs, that's it.

    I don't struggle in 1v1, I'm just not an idiot, please don't attack me as a player and try to remember that this debate is ASC vs NWA.
    • Up x 1
  14. Sock

    Hello, insecurity. I didn't make a single comment on you as a player. Like I said, it comes down to preference/playstyle. I just gave the reasons I think each one is viable, they're both good choices. You do well with NWA, cool. I prefer ASC.
  15. Corezer

    Cool, bro, if you need to spend less certs because you struggle with any task which may accumulate them, ASC is the clear winner. Otherwise basic math and any sound probability calculation places NWA as the clear winner.

    Even though I choose to quote you, don't take this veiled insult personally, that would be insecure of you.

    Can you just own your words so everyone can move forward?
  16. Sock

    You seem to have a lot of misplaced anger. All I'm saying is both are viable options, they're just suited to different playstyles.
  17. jak

    I think ASC is better in practice while NWA sounds better on paper.

    That being said, I still prefer Flak.
  18. LibertyRevolution

    It works great if your play style is hit and run, so I'm running it currently.
    Drop on someone, shoot them, fly away and recharge, drop on the next dude.
  19. TheMonkey

    Works well for light assault, been using it for a while. I might max it out now that it's better. I still won't replace flak on engie and medic or NWA on heavy.
  20. Kayth


    Okay, you have a point. I definitely miss-spoke by saying it shines in a rapid encounter situations like that. Let me adjust my conclusion to say it is better in situations that allow you to engage and disengage easily. What I mean, is if you are well placed behind cover, or ontop of a building or have some sort of escape route from combat, it begins to reward you when it is taken advantage of.

    In that sort of situation it literally takes of 4 seconds of downtime every time you engage an enemy. This combined with getting the drop of your opponent and having better aim/higher damage weapon result in you taking less damage which lowers the chance of you losing actual health.

    So it is very situational and harder to use. I agree NWA generally is more useful, but ASC does have very possible benefits. Additionally, I don't know why NWA was buffed in the first place, it was already very widely used before the buff.

    I really don't like the idea of ASC increasing shield capacity because currently each defensive suit slot works distinctively differently, which I really like.