Actually, the person who posted the numbers before you is correct, one level 3 shot hits for about 750 damage before resistance values. So both shots combined equals 1500 damage before resist values. Not 3000. I think we'd notice if the Lancer was doing THAT much damage.
Additional info gleaned from the Planetside 2 wiki site. Muzzle velocity for Lancer shots increase by 100m/s with each charge level, starting from 600m/s at charge level 1, to a total of 800m/s at charge level 3. Makes for more incentive to get those level 3 shots off doesn't it?
the numbers you are looking at are the anti infantry numbers. The lancer deals double damage to ground vehicles (or ground vehicles all have a 100% vulnerability, whichever way you want to look at it), hence 1500 for a full charged shot.
http://planetside.wikia.com/wiki/Vehicle_armor_and_damage_resistance Look at résistances values and compare it to medium ordnance. Lancer is like an annhilaor that trades lock on guidance for high velocity+no drop and alternative fire mode. Both deals as much damages at charge 3 than ES lock-on launchers to vehicles. Make some tests in RV if you don't believe it.
Huh, learn something new every day. This just makes me love my Lancer even MORE, *grins wickedly*. Thanks for the heads up,
I game stats are becoming irrelevent. Until they reflect resists you cant trust the numbers they give. Hopefully they fix that soon. Its very deceptive.
Against MAXes poking in and out of a corner, charge a lvl 3 shot followed by three lvl 1. From experience I can tell you they do not expect to be killed so fast.
My personal favorite way to use the lancer, and the way I suggest it be used, is to snipe vehicle kills from others when they are lit on fire. It's a messed up thing to do, but d@mned if it doesn't work like a charm!
This works quite well against close range ground vehicles as well. Charge your first Level-3 shot from behind cover. Peek out right as it reaches full charge, fire immediately and then followup with three fast Level-1 shots before diving back behind cover. BAM! 2450 damage in ~1 second.
A small update. Me and a buddy did a test to compare damage inflicted on a MAX suit between a single shot from the stock S1 launcher, and one level 3 shot from the Lancer. This test was conducted with a stock MAX with no armour certifications, and again with a 2nd last level Flak Armour certification. In both tests, the Lancer shot inflicted enough damage to bring the MAX just below half health, while the S1 inflicted damage that just barely stopped below the 50% mark. This test confirmed two things. One, that you can two-shot an enemy MAX at range with the Lancer, which again, assumes that he/she isn't being repaired by an enemy Engineer. And two, that the Flak Armour MAX certification does NOT mitigate direct hit damage from a rocket launcher, Lancer or otherwise; only the splash if the rocket misses (irrelevant for the Lancer; it does not have splash).
The Lancer is the best AV HA weapon in my opinion. The high velocity, rapid reload, lack of bullet drop, and an increased vehicle damage multiplier make it the perfect weapon that could actually be used very effectively as an individual, but becomes hellish in numbers.
Yeah, I'd recommend this approach as well, unless you are absolutely certain you can land a second charged shot (by having high ground and a clear LOS to target). The simple reason is that by charging a second time, the vehicle driver will have had enough time to respond to potentially pull out of LOS, which effectively denies you the chance to do further damage. So despite the math saying that two charged shots is the optimal theoretical, the one-two punch of a charged shot and three standard shots might often prove the best practical.
This is also very true; there can often be a dividing line between "most damaging", and "most practical".
