ZOE max its worth the cost, although you do need to cert in higher ranks of either flak / bullet resistance then before to negate the ZOE downside. Frankly , they should just redesign the ZOE max . I've played abit with the VS max ( granted this is BEFORE ZOE was put in ) . I'd rather see the devs give ZOE slight upsides with slight downsides instead of something which has a huge upside versus a huge downside. Make it such so that when ZOE is activated : Rank 1 - +2% Move speed +1% strafe speed lose 2% damage ( to weapons, AI, AA, AV) Rank 2 - +4% move speed , +2% strafe speed lose 4% damage ( to weapons, AI, AA, AV) Rank 3 - +6% move speed , +3% strafe speed Lose 6% damage ( to weapons, AI, AA, AV) Rank 4 - 6% move speed, 3% strafe speed , concussion / flash / emp grenade duration cut by 50% Lose 8% damage ( to weapons, AI, AA, AV) Rank 5 - 6% move speed, 3% strafe speed, 100% reduction to those grenade affects . Lose 10% damage ( to weapons, AI, AA, AV) Does a few things . 1) Jives with the VS empire trait WITHOUT having to make the LA class redudant ( movement speed / movement freedom in 2 directions instead of 3 ) . Giving VS maxes a higher " jump " or even jump jets can/ will make the LA class abit redudant . Also would force the devs to redesign parts of the map ( Like the bio labs or amp stations ) if the VS max can scale over certain obsticles better then its counter parts which infringes upon the LA class domain. 2) Gives the VS max " freedom " for mobility without having going to extremes ( like what the ZOE is currently at, it has a huge MS buff coupled with a huge armor debuff along with a minor damage buff) . 6% movement speed *should* put it on par with infantry MS while the strafe speed for VS maxes are lower then infantry but better then that of stock regular maxes. 3) Resistance to concussion / flash / emp grenades , its unique , isn't OP and again jives with the VS empire traits since they *should* have better movement options then other empires.
At this point- no, unless you're using dual Comets the ZOE max is overhyped and not worth it. People still hate it, and they complain about it because it's a mechanic that can make enemies feel very powerless against it when used in the right way. This is why it gets a lot of hate. (It's also why Libs and ESFs get a lot of hate. People don't like being deprived of any opportunity for counterplay.) That said, the ZOE is also very easy for skilled players to deal with, and will usually end in you wasting the MAX. (Especially true after the MAX resource nerf.) Maxing Charge, on the other hand, makes it an extremely powerful positioning tool that lets you engage at the range you want to engage at and can be used offensively or defensively. The strategic utility it brings to a fight far exceeds the "One less bullet to kill" the ZOE affords you, and typically is better at getting you out of dodge than the ZOE. Tl;DR: Charge is secretly still the best option for all 3 MAXes. ZOE is FoTM but Overhyped.
I have ZoE maxed, it's good for comet work (it lets you use your entire mags of both arms, 2x2, to kill an infantry... it may actually take just 3 of the 4 shots, but you have to reload anyway...) and for burster work (though you glow wildly, alot of times you are not being shot at, which makes for a net gain)... for AI it's meh... the damage increase is low, the speed is good but the damage debuff on yourself is pretty bad (especially indoors). Two heavies will take you out in a few seconds... luckily they don't know that and they tend to run from you... so shoot them fast if you have ZoE up. It's also good for catching up to your friends on a short run... a long run you're better holding down shift because it's the same speed after a couple of seconds, and you don't glow. (no, you can't use ZoE to get to max speed then shut off just the glow... you have to get to max speed again without it from scratch) Also, here's a tip, if there is more than one target shooting anything at you... TURN THE THING OFF. You're not dodging anything from a normal opponent at normal infantry hip shooting speed.
sorry WHAT?? the vs AI weapons are ummm BAD the only one which is a bit capable is the Blueshift VM5, with improved accuracy, in trade, the damage is pretty low.
No, look at my comparison of raw output, the VS versions already often either have the exact same accuracy or better than the TR. The VS weapons are better than the TR versions in many cases because of better acc, better TTK and a more forgiving over damage, meaning you can miss 1-2 rounds and will still have the same TTK as the TR or better. All that even without including ZOE!
Charge is definitely better for getting out of dodge... However, I prefer ZOE for getting into position in the first place. It helps with overall agility and moving from one engagement to another. It's much more consistent and quicker (you don't have to time your charges)... even moving from one side of the room to another to mix things up, etc. To be honest. As far as movement goes, Charge and ZOE is a much more balanced choice than any of the others. It's more of a sidegrade like they intended it to be. If I don't have a consistent engy, I usually fight with ZOE off and only use it for moving between fights, especially if there are a lot of targets around. Also, for those newer max users. ZOE is a much more efficient use of certs. ZOE 1 gives all the movement benefits, whereas Charge really needs to be certed up to highest or next to highest level to really shine. (They really should make ZOE gradually get better at movement the higher the cert level) I think that's why you see so many non-dedicated max users with zoe... its a cheap alternative to Charge.
If I know it's coming, I can dodge it. In large fights (hello biolabs) or when I don't have time to react before the rocket is fired, I can't dodge in time. Instead, it's better to just hit F to turn ZOE off and take less damage. And that pink glow... god it's like a giant bullseye strapped to my face. Still, I like ZOE. The extra mobility and agility feels very VS.
This is a pretty interesting statement. a) Noone can dodge a rocket he can't see. b) ZOE MAXes CAN dodge rockets they can see (which is something neither TR nor NC MAXes can) c) as you mentioned: you can switch it off instantly to avoid additional damage - which makes you as sturdy as any other MAX out there d) pink glow: you may think it is a bullseye; other people see in it a reason to leave the battle (one ZOE may not be too hard, but in an infantry battle with 20 vs 20 participants 3 ZOEs are mostly a "I win" button. I play NC so just kill them is not possible.)
No. If you start shooting an nc max at mid range, he just shields and either backs off or marches towards you. TR just fractures the crap out of you. It takes less than a single clip to kill a vs Zoe max(assault rifle) and even light assaults can take off most of your health in a few seconds just by shooting you. VS maxes are no longer competitive. Unless half your squad is maxes and the other half engies with maybe a medic theres not really any point, even then, a few guys blanketing a doorway with fire will keep out any max, seeing as it won't take them long at all to burn through all your health. Its not even worth using with bursters anymore unless the enemy air is right in your face. in an entire platoon, you might see 4 maxes total. And there is a reason for this. i've found my light assault is vastly more effective than my max now. as i shoot once with my max, 7 guys appear to put all their bullets into my skull.
Ghost. Capping. Low resistance, and if there happens to be any, it's 4people Maximum. I took out 4 Nc's while in ZOE yesterday, But I had like 3 health thingies left XD. Good thing they were engies and medics!
a) By "If I know it's coming, I can dodge it", I mean to say that if I see the rocket fire and only then start strafing to try and dodge it, it usually still hits. But if I see the guy switch to his launcher and start pro-actively juking in a "try to make him lead at the wrong angle" sort of way, I dodge it. That's how it normally goes for me. b) NC MAXes can whip out dat shield. TR maxes though... yeah I don't have an answer for that one. c) Yes and no. Most damage is bullets, and I do take a lot of hits (see D) with ZOE active, therefore the armour penalty is a factor in the majority of ZOE MAX fights. And there is plenty of other damage that I never see coming, that's the nature of infantry fights when enemies flank properly and LAs get the chance to drop C4. d) Well if you give up the moment you see the pink glow, that's your fault not ZOE's. Do I give up the moment my magrider encounters a fully-crewed & shielded Vanguard with AP cannon and Enforcer at close range? No. And because of that, I sometimes win those encounters. The fact is that the larger and more visible a target in a combat zone is, the more likely it is to attract fire. 3 ZOE MAXes are no more an "I win" button than 3 shotgun MAXes. Incidentally, NC MAXes seem to be doing fine according this website. In fact their weapons seem to have the most kills versus time equipped out of any MAX weapon. So yeah. I'm not saying ZOE sucks, I really like using it because the MAX feels sluggish without it and agility is kind of the VS thing (see: Magrider). The constantly-increased movement speed gives us a tactical advantage - mobility is hugely important in infantry battles - and the damage boost (at max rank) is not to be sniffed at. But what I am saying is that level 1 ZOE doesn't turn someone like me with a mostly-uncerted MAX into a god of war the moment I switch it on, which is what everyone makes it out to be. Is it the best MAX ability? In my opinion, yes. The NC shield is nice too and fits the NC like a glove, and I think you should be able to move at normal speed while it's deployed. Lockdown... yeah, when exactly is that useful? I can't think of any infantry combat situation where I'd want to stand perfectly still for more than a few seconds or steady aim. And if it makes you feel any better, I'd sell an internal organ to get the TX1 Repeater.
Yeah, if they're silly it can be extremely easy. I play on briggs server and the guys who consistently kill me are all over level 70. They know what they're doing. But I got a burster yesterday, I start being shot, RAPIDLY losing my health, turn to find a light assault hiding in a corner shooting me, I was in the red before he finished his clip out.
Even before all the nerfs I only used ZOE from behind spawn room shields, as AA, or against single non HA infantry. ZOE for the most part is just a movement buff when sunderers leave me behind and I have to run to the next base.
Just a few days ago i hit a zoe with an av grenade and quickly followed it up with my default rocket launcher. The max barely got a shot off before he died and didn't even drop my HAs shields.
I'm BR88 on my TR and BR37 on my VS. I killed more infantry in two days with my level 2 ZOE max with level 2 nanite auto repair than I have the entire time I've been playing with the TR max. Mobility is everything especially when playing a max. If you know how to move as infantry, you tend to live longer...if you can move like infantry with a max, even better. Learn how to play and the ZOE max owns all.
2 rocket/tank rounds will kill any max ZOE or not. And yes, I've been seeing recently people prefer to use blueshift ZOE max over HA.
I bet those Blueshift MAXes are just incredible against things like Sunderers, much better than a HA.
What the **** are people typing here. "ZOE not strong?" - Hell to the no. ZOE is amazingly strong, I advice you max it out. Get Nebula's and enjoy your high K/D.
