VS: NOVA or THANATOS with Slugs.

I recently bought a Thanatos and certed it with slugs and x3.4 optics. I love the weapon and play style, flying around to find sneaky spots and sniping, but with the Thanatos, it comes with a measly 36 bullets total!

Is there -any- accuracy difference between the Thanatos, Nova and Pandora? Specifically when using slugs? If not, I think the Nova is the logical choice for this play style (the VS shotgun with 8 starting clip and 40 left over). I know I can throw an ammo belt on the Thanatos, but at something like 150 / 200 / 400 / 500 certs per level, I'm wondering whether I should just unlock the Nova with SCC, then trick it out with a level or two of the ammo belt later. Slower reload time (which I'm starting to think might be the ONLY drawback of the Nova) seems a lot less important than the extra ammunition for slug combat.

Has anyone come across the same problem? Constantly running out of slugs on their shotguns?

If the spread sheets are to be believed the Nova's cone of fire doesn't spread as much while moving and jumping (see: using your jetpack) However, in practice, I don't notice a difference. Also, I take the ammo belt certs anyway because it saves having to look for an engineer ammo pod if you're on a role no matter what gun you're using.

The thanatos does have a tighter pellet spread than the nova (3.0 versus 3.5) but that doesn't apply to slugs.

Simultaneously the "default" shotguns of the 3 factions (nighthawk, mauler, nova) have - as mentioned above - a tigher spread when looking down the sights and moving....which is useless to buckshot.

So one gun has an advantage that works only with buck, the other only with slugs. You have already deduced that a 0.7 sec reload advanatge is not worth the mag size (especially because laser sights are not a bad idea for slugs and the nova still has a workable mag with no ext mag) and 12 extra spare ammo. So I think the conclusion is pretty obvious.

Now for a complementary spanner in the works.

Most people use the pandora for slugs.

But.. Like you said, and I was beginning to assume, the NOVA is the best shotgun for this scenario.

Why on earth would anyone use the PANDORA?

Bump

Where I can find this information ?

This would make sense, since Nova have only 1x reflex and Thanatos 2x, more shots per clip for Nova and not to forget better COF for Nova making it better for close range and Thanatos for slug use. Still not sure what to get for LA + Engineer.

Best TTK; nothing on foot can survive more than 2 slugs (with MAXs and HA shields still going down in a full, unupgraded clip), and nothing shoots slug faster than the Pandora.

Ammo belt is pretty much manditory with a Pandora, of course, especially if you're going lone wolf and there are no friendly engis around.

No
Really - NO

The pandora shoots at a crazy slow automatic rate with slugs. Even a terrible player with a semi-auto will be shooting that fast.
Slugs are powerful - and they fire slowely - use semi-auto for better control so none are wasted.

miss post

I thought slugs were 2 headshot kills and 3 bodyshots?

Marked: 1 headshot + bodyshot OR 3 bodyshots

Okay, next question. If I cert extended magazine on my Thanatos (making it 10) will an ammunition clip add 10 or the original 6 extra bullets?

i.e. Is there any synergy between those two certs?

I think the Nova has better range than the Thanatos without slugs and with slugs I think the Nova has less damage falloff
The Nova can one shot kill to the head at mid range, the Thanatos loses damage at a closer range but has less kick.

Pandora requires two head shots to kill, so I wouldn't recommend getting slugs for it.

So concensus is to get the Nova, if you get slugs?

I think the Thanatos could be handy if you want a mid to long range, more versatile slug shotgun. The Nova jumps from 1x reflex to 3.4x dot scopes, so either you're sniping long or fighting point blank, while the Thanatos has the mid range 2x reflex scope to bridge that gap.

3.4x and 4x would work at mid range if you're getting a jump on someone, but if they're firing back at all, your reticle shakes an insane amount, and slug hipfire is a point-blank tactic at best. The reflex is a lot handier for that kind of head-on combat, and 2x would be preferable to 1x as you still have basically pin-point accuracy with slugs (which makes zoom handy). I wish 2x was available for the Nova for situations with fewer max-range sniping opportunities. As it is, I have to choose ahead of time between sniping OR close range shotgunning, rather than something more rounded for urban warfare with various ranges.

If you're just getting it for sniping OR point-blank shotgun fun (and do not mind only doing one at a time), well, yeah, I have no complaints with the Nova. I fully medaled it quickly, with the vast majority of kills occurring at slug-sniping range using a 4x scope, and the 12 rounds with Extended Mag makes it nice for slinging a bunch of rounds way down-field or not worrying as much about wasting rounds in point blank fighting (I play Engy mostly, so ammo capacity isn't an issue).

But, if you want a slug shotgun with that 2x reflex (which I do), Thanatos is something I'd consider.

Your reticle shakes an insane amount no matter what scope you're using.

The NV scope is usually superior to the 2x reflex anyway, and the Nova gets it.

8rnd clip. Everything else is moot for a slug gun IMO. I just can't notice the spread or recoil at short-medium, and at medium to medium-long I use it like a battle/scout rifle semi-auto so it really doesn't factor.

For buckshot I flip flop between reload and fire rate. Fire rate TTK difference at point blank is less than one human reaction time, but the reload speed will save your butt. Still... the fire rate helps more at SLIGHTLY longer distances like halfway across a room where it will take six rounds to drop them... I have recommended both to different people and I probably will buy both for my NC and continue to flip flop forever.

I'd like to know that as well.
With the Pandora with extended mags, I have precisely two reloads; Not something I'd call plenty.
Getting 6 shots extra might not be worth all the other options.

I have extended magazine and ammo belt suit upgrade, it only gives you the base amount from the weapon. So you get 6 per additional magazine. Also, they are magazines for TR and NC or batteries for VS. Magazines feed ammo into the chamber, a clip simply holds ammo.

The Pandora is the best.

Get extended mags, it pushes you up from 6 ammo to 10 ammo, then the ammo belt will actually give you 50% more ammo, with the second level actually doubling the amount of ammo you can carry.

Don't use slugs with it, though. You're an LA, you can get within feet of anything you want to kill, and the spread actually benefits you.

Reposting my video (and this is unupgraded):


EDIT: I suddenly realize this is moot because he's asking about slugs specifically .