All AV Max weapons got a huge nerf against infantry on the latest test server patch. Fractures will be worse than Falcons lol
I think the speed of fracture makes it superior for AV role still. They all got damage modifiers against infantry in september which is still there and in latest patch it seems like they made the trajectories parallel as opposed to auto converging between a certain span of range. Meaning there is a closest possible distance where they can converge and there is a longest possible distance. The 2nd generation has a 0m distance close convergence point while the others has 10m or 40m.
I think Fractures and Comets are fine as AI Weapons. You need to get direct hits, which requires some skill. If you miss, you are screwed, because you have to reload. VS reloading speeds are insanely fast, but that's another topic.
I think fractures are just as good if not even better than the Comets but with ZOE you can quickly fire the two shots from each arm and get back into cover to reload. Those two shots are enough to get a frag or two, you can get some repair an then back at it again. I'm sure fractures are good an I will try to cover them as well when I get the chance
thank god for upcoming nerfs nc wasn't part of the av killing infantry party so hopefully no one else will be either.
INNCORRECT........... I think. Vortexes need 6 shots to kill a normal infantry. I think they're getting a buff. I might be wrong but upping a 6 shot kill on the vortexes would be insane.
I'm not convinced comets and fractures are too strong. If they are worthless vs infantry, then AV MAX become essentially worthless. Heavies who are tank hunting don't lose an ounce of AI capability. the problem is almost entirely ZOE mode, which is far too good. The mobility boost actually increases a MAX survivability much more than either shield or lockdown (which decrease it insanely). the shield is not terrible, lockdown is just a suicidal death sentence, ZOE is simply miles better than either. It's effectively both a damage boost *and* a survivability boost. It definitely fits the vanu theme so I like it. Maybe just tweak some #'s on it? I feel just a numbers tweak could make the shield and ZOE comparable. Lockdown is just garbage. It nails the max in place AND restricts his firing arc?
But MAXe's have the ability to use more than one weapon type simultaneously, Meaning If you don’t want to be completely defenceless from infantry you can use a mixed build. It’s only the MAX meta’s insistence on doubling up that causes all of the issues mentioned in that paragraph. If you want to be really good at killing tanks you make yourself vulnerable to infantry, if you want to dominate infantry you become unable to damage heavy armour and if you want to do both to some degree you have 1 arm each and be average at each. If I come across a Burster MAX as a engy I see him as a potential target and try to take him down with small arms, With bursters he still can kill me but at a comparable speed to me killing him and if he is skilled enough he can still drive off individual attackers but without dedicated Anti-Infantry weapons he should definitely be at risk to infantry.
That's all fine and dandy, but did you acutally try combining different types of MAX guns in your loadouts? It is not very effective (read: you do completely squat against both target types), to put it mildly.
That's simply because we can't have nice things and everyone insists on doubling up. If SOE didn't have to balance the MAX weapons on their power of them in duo then we might not have to have half power Arm’s. Maybe if Doubling up the same weapon had some mechanics were they were only 1.5 as powerful as just using 1 weapon of each type like a shared ammo pool for those paired weapons or some sort them maybe they could increase the strength of the arms as individual weapons and Mixing and matching would become more viable. Then MAX suits would be lauded as not dedicated killing machines but as versatile support units that made squads stronger like the Mechs from XCOM: Enemy Within.
You aren't average at both. You are borderline useless at both. A MAX running around with one anti infantry weapon and one anti tank weapon is in all ways far worse than a heavy assault, who takes zero resources and doesn't have a timer.
With the upcoming Max AV Weapons nerf, SOE basically forces the "Rock, Paper, Stone" approach to Max/Vehicle weapons. There is even talk about making the Halberd not OHK Infantry. It's weird and sad at the same time that the only vehicle type that defies this "Rock, Paper, Stone" approach, are the ESFs which are good at killing everything and even better at the task with specialized weapons. (LoLpods kills armor and Infantry equally good. Why?) And off course there is the "Solution to All of your Problems" C4 which kills everyhing equally good. Even Harasser weapons are not good at killing every type of target.
"Everyone insists on doubling up." Do you really think players wanted to pay the double price (2000 certs or 1400 sc) for their weapon - with sh!tty accuracy, no ADS, no attachements and no fire modes - at any time? I very much doubt that. Everyone insists on doubling up because other combinations were deliberately made borderline useless at launch, or possibly earlier. What does XCOM 'versatile support units' has to do with anything? It's not like we can buff morale, accuracy or cover effectiveness in this game. MAXes are here to take hits and kill things.
Comets deal 475 dmg each orb, plus 80 splash, as explosive weapons direct hit includes the splash. 2x comets with their splash includes deals 1110 dmg without zoe dmg bonus. IF the splash doesnt somehow include in the direct hit then they deal 950dmg without zoe. So i think they can pretty much oneshot infantry with zoe and the splash bonus. Atleast everyone without nanoweave. Also no bulletdrop nor dmg dropoff so you can pretty much snipe infiltrators as far as they render.
MAXes are much better at killing everything than ESF's, why don't you show me how many Vanguard kills you can get for every flight with an ESF. MAXes are good in almost all situations while ESF's are only good far from battle. I am not the "rock paper scissors" preacher in any way but comparing MAXes with ESF's is just silly. Very few players can do well in an ESF, MAXes are just plain easy mode.
Hmm... Some decent ideas, some terrible ideas, ultimately I'd like to see a lot of tweaks but it all has to balance out to make the MAX enjoyable to use as well. If ever they were rendered incapable of being resurrected, then those who are dedicated MAX users should have the ability to certify into a reduction in their spawn timer. It does take more than just a Medic to bring a MAX back, you need an Engineer there to give that MAX its health back...otherwise it's going right back down in a few seconds. As an Infiltrator, MAX units don't frustrate me. I know that I am absolutely incapable of affecting vehicles and MAX suits, it's a sort of compensation for such an extreme emphasis on infantry eradication, so I just try to escape them to the best of my abilities...and if I die, silly me. I think the same whenever a tank or aircraft downs me, these things happen...I'm not geared for that role.
