Hi all, I was considering certing into a second AI arm for the MAX, but then I noticed that there are a few options apart from the scattercannon. Has anyone tried these alternatives? Are they better? In all or just in certain situations? Would you bother certing into them again if you had the choice, or would you have just gone with the scattercannon? Thanks all for your help! Sonny
IMO the hacksaw is great, it's an automatic shotgun so you can instagib someone right in front of you, and anybody dumb enough to cluster together in a tight group.
I'm using the dual Grinders - most notable difference is default 9 round clip. They're very nice but then I enjoyed dual scattercannons in beta. I didnt know the extra clip size was only 150 certs so I'll probably get the hacksaw for full auto goodness with extended clips. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who tries the mattock + slugs?
I am also wondering what to buy for my AI guns. Just getting a 2nd Scattercannon is cheaper but id be prepared to get 2 alternatives. Tried the hacksaw in beta, full auto is nice but not sure its useful for me as i like to pick my shots rather than hold it down. Hacksaw is apparently weaker too. Yes theGwa, dual Hacksaws with extended mags does sound good though! I trialed the grinder and reload time appears identical to the scatter even though stats say otherwise. Gotta wait 30 days till i can try that gun again... If they have the same damage and range as Scattercannons i might have to go for the pair. I also tried the mattock but its hard to tell what the range benefit really is.
So after using the dual Grinders I have alot of positive feedback. This is all anecdotal but I find the groupings of the pellets seem a bit tighter, I'm able to do more damage at the 20m range. Also, the 9 round clips really make a difference. I also agree with Avenger, the reload time is the same as the scattercannon. I will save up certs for slugs and extended clips I think... 1300 =/
If you're looking for something a bit longer range, I'd recommend the slugs. They're not perfectly reliable, but as long as you single fire them they'll more than double the effective range. 3 hit kill, 2 if one is a headshot.
Still not completely decided, might have to try the other arms grinder as i have a 30 day wait on the right one!. If what you say is true and, assuming the devs dont fiddle with much it might have to be dual Grinders for me too Slugs are tempting to try but id rather go for extended mags hehe
I like just using a second scattercannon so I don't need to worry about two weapons with different fire rates, reload times, and ammo capacity. Left and right click at the same time, reload at the same time.
I use duel mattocks with slug ammo in both and they can be devastating. They require a fair bit more precision at all ranges as they seem to pack the spread quite tightly but they can used be as makeshift snipers at med/longish range. one shot from both arms will sort out anyone dumb enough to come near you but like i said before you need to be a fair bit more accurate as they dont spread so well. I would love to try two hacksaws just to do some close range steam rolling but i dont have ze money
I've got them all and Hacksaw is by far the best. You just need to move and tak cover when reloading.
The big problem with the NC MAX is the reload time. Every other problem is just situational and can be fixed by chosing better scenarios to fight. I tested the Hacksaw together with a Scatter and it seems that if you just press your button like mad, you'll be almost as fast. In Planetside 1 I had the Auraxium Medal for the Scatter MAX which means like a couple of thousand kills, so I think I know how to play it. In Planetside 1, Scatter was scissors to paper and a guaranteed 3:1 ratio against infantry. In Planetside 2, you are lucky to win a 1on1 against a jumping opponent exploiting latency and even if you survive, you go down against the next guy. I am sure that some guys will claim that they own the battlefield in their MAX, but I doubt that this is true on average. Currently there is absolutely no incentive to play MAX, because it is expensive, restricted and ineffective on top of it. I get more kills as Heavy Assault easily. Unfortunately I wasted money on a 2nd Scattergun, but at least I won't spend any certs on MAX until it gets upgraded, which will happen for sure.
I have tried both hacksaw and mattock and find them both to be worse than standard scat. IMO if you are good at aiming then standard.scat is all u need, hacksaw is for bad aimers. Scattercannon is the best overall, the other three have niche roles but are not worth buying for the 5% of the time they'll be more useful. Get slugs and extened mags for scattercannon and you've got yourself the best AI weapon in the game.
To alleviate the reload issue, couldn't you fire one arm out of ammo and then fire the other arm while the first is reloading? Firing both arms, you have no choice but to reload both.
^this. i have dual extended mag scatcannons with slugs, and with 12 rounds it finished reloading before the other arm stops firing if i fired one arm at a time, which is VERY nice, continued fire for literally like 1:30 minutes. if i am using pellets though, i DO like to press each arm down, especially at over 7m+ away, double the pellets in the same spread is very nice if you know some arent going to hit.
I get much higher than 3 to 1 kill ratios in my MAX, but to be fair, I only use it in very specific circumstances. (I.E., ones where I either have a pocket engi, or where I have a safe zone I can retreat into.) That being said, I'm not sure that my impressive kill statistics reflect an equal level of strategic value. I killed a lot of people, but I'm not sure it made much of a difference compared to what I could have done in another class.
Not quite AI unlock but I felt like sharing anyway. Mind I'd still gladly peg Falcon shots at infantry at long ranges. Since I don't want to spend SC on it...I'm strongly considering getting a left arm Falcon actually. Now I've found that I'm pretty groovy with the Falcon. I've gotten a significant number of infantry kills simply by beaning them directly with it. In addition I find it's pretty awesome against tanks. I've also found that I often grab a max for anti-tank or anti-air work and often wish I could have both. Thus a Left Arm Falcon would expand me from default kits to L/R Falcon/Burster - Anti-Vehicle + Anti-Air (with some anti-infantry if I aim well) Falcon/Falcon - So when I get the range down the target takes damage twice as fast. Also faster range finding as I can cycle them. Scattercannon/Burster - Default Scattercannon/Falcon - Default. Granted a L-Burster would do similar things but with an AA focus instead of anti ground. I tend to go max more for anti-vehicle work though and have a good friend with an AA tank. A single burster is usually sufficient for my usage and I often wish I had a Falcon when an enemy tank shows up. That said I haven't spent the certs yet and I'm also curious for a solid anti-infantry weapon with some range to it.
I've ended up going for the left arm scattercannon with right arm hacksaw. I use the charge ability to run into the middle of a group of infantry, spam the hacksaw (rapid-fire) until I use up the ammo, get a kill or two, then reload and simultaneously use the scattercannon to mop up those who are (generally) running away. Seems to work well, although I only use this combo exclusively at super close range.
