Anyone have any suggestions for Vanu LMG? I'm liking the Orion, it just only really shines in CQC. I played NC and really liked the GD22s, which was awesome at CQC but had the ability for mid and long range too. Is there anything even similar? I've heard a few people say "what's the best" Vanu LMG. I tried out the SVA-88, didn't really like it to be honest, it just felt like an Orion but not as powerful.
SVA-88 and Flare are pretty much the best long range Vanu LMGs because they have access to a 6x scope, compensator and high velocity ammunition. Flare does more damage per bullet than an SVA-88 yet fires less RPM. Flare might pull slightly ahead of an SVA-88 at long range due to higher bullet damage (which is useful in single fire mode). However, SVA-88 can perform reasonably at short, medium and long ranges, whereas the Flare can specialize either in long or medium (and will always be below the rest at short). Pretty much the only reasons you should not consider using an Orion is magazine size and/or scope flexibility. If you are encountering multiple enemies at once or in rapid succession you need a larger magazine to avoid reloads (reloads = dead). Orion doesn't have access to a 2x scope, which is arguably the best one for medium range. Personally I think Pulsar LSW or SVA-88 are good all round LMGs for every situation. The TTK is competitive with an Orion at every range, yet they have 50% bigger magazines. Pulsar LSW allows you to keep a Flash Suppressor and gain a 2x scope (over an Orion). SVA-88 grants you high velocity ammunition, a 6x scope and a compensator, at the cost of the Flash Suppressor.
The advantage the SVA-88 has is that it retains a lot of the same Orion strengths. The Orion and the SVA-88 are the only two LMGs in the game that have a quicker ADS movement speed. The stats are on par with the Orion in most categories, except it's slightly worse when ADSing and slightly better when hip firing while sprinting. The ROF penalty gives it less DPS, but it's still the 2nd highest DPS of any VS LMG. If you like the CQC dominance of the Orion but want to upgrade for long range, I can't think of a better choice than the tweener SVA-88. If you don't care for CQC dominance and just want a strong, accurate all-around weapon, the Pulsar LSW is your best choice. The Orion is the CQC dominator, people love it because nearly every battle involves CQC, it's not the only good weapon.
Take a look at this thread, about halfway down it has great links to pure weapon data. http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/lmg.62685/#post-782974 As I said in that threat, you can make sense of it all on paper as much as you want but until you try them (dont forget about the 30 min free trials) you wont be able to tell for sure. Im solidly sold on the SCA-88, but Im also basically a marksman with a rocket launcher lol.
