SAW S got some pretty nice buffs in the rebalancing patch; its stock hipfire cone is tigher than the EM6's now, and its already solid stock velocity got a buff too. It has a slightly lower RoF than the EM6, but SPA should more than make up the difference in DPS/TTK at most ranges. I had been planning to go back to the EM6 once I finished out the auraxium medal on the SAW S, but now I think I'll stick with the S for general use.
And that Niche is 10m away up on a hidden ledge with a suppressor and all day to camp while noone in the world knows or cares that your up there so they dont fire back.
I spent about 10 hours trying to get the Standard SAW to work for me with a 2X Reflex Comp and Adv Grip. I just couldn't get on with it. Tried a few others, but it really boils down to how a gun "feels" rather than stats and numbers. In the end, I went with the SAW-S, purely because it feels most comfortable for me. I tried the same for the Carv-S but its just not sitting right for me, so went to MSW-R instead. I do like the NS15-M, but while its very accurate, versatile and precise, it does lack the raw DPS compared to nearly every other LMG out there.
GD22S - great when you are starting out. Fast short reload really helps. Easy to use gun. EM1 - fast ROF really gels with some people, others hate the low damage. It's a love / hate gun. There is no inbetween with this. EM6 - Rewards accuracy and burst firing. Fantastic middle of the road all rounder being a nice all rounder. LA1 Anchor - beastly cqc LMG if you have high accuracy. I love this with SPA, ALS and 1x. Good fun gun for cqc. Gauss Saw S - I hear good things. Looking forward to using it. NS15M - Another love hate gun. Some love it some hate it. Fans of the EM1 like it so I am not looking forwarding to this one. Jackhammer - undisputed king of shotguns. Has range, burst fire for messing up MAXs. Best gun for breaking out a sieged tower. Awesome stuff.
NC6 Gauss SAW: This is the go-to weapon for any NC HA as far as I'm concerned. A laser sight makes it surprisingly effective up close, though it does quite well with an advanced foregrip and other attachments for long range. EM1: Adv. Laser Sight for this puppy makes for a delicious close-quarters weapon. It can do everything, but it excels at nothing. Very good when you have no idea what weapon will suit the situation. NC05 Jackhammer: The King of Cannons, the Doomsday Bazooka, the Auraxian BFG, and other monikers apply to this monstrosity of a shotgun. If it has legs, this thing will kill it with dizzying speed. The NC4 Mag Shot and LA8 Rebel both make for excellent sidearms. Neither will disappoint you. The choice rocket lawnchair for the time being is the GD-68 Hawk. Almost as much damage as the Shrike, but it can swat Mosquitoes and Scythes much better. That pretty much sums it up.
I'm going to vouch for the LA1 Anchor. I've modded it out with soft point ammo, a tech flex scope/night vis (I switch between two according to time of day), and a forward grip. I FLIPPIN LOVE THAT GUN. It's just so much fun, I find myself in CQC loads and the RoF does help big time. I love how accurate the gun can be once you figure where it's going to move after a good spraying. I run with a commissioner as well, two shots to the head usually finishes any light assault. Go for the Anchor, bear with it and just keep putting certs into it, such a understated beast of a gun. Also worth mentioning the PDW you can get in the fresh meat pack is actually very decent without any modifications, provided you know you're going into hells kitchen, or you just don't have a Jackhammer yet. All hail the Anchor.
Hmm I'm seeing lots of good suggestions here... I finally bought the GD 22s and it's very, very, very good. Just slap a foregrip and a decent x2 or x1 sight and you're done! Next one I'll be trying is the EM6. Also, I've tried the LA1 Anchor and I really cant get along with it... I just find the recoil plain weird, even with foregrip and supressor. Maybe it's just something wrong with me but... I just cant get along with it. Any other suggestion? I'm mostly going for mid-long range but I'd like to know what LMG is best at CQC too (AND YES, I KNOW, THE JACKHAMMER. BUT ITS NOT AN LMG OK?) Anyways, thank you very much for your advice!
Ok, so whats up with the NC6 Gauss SAW these days? Its already one of the most difficult for a noob to use with its High Recoil and all that, but now it also has horrific CoF bloom to boot? Its supposed to be a long range weapon yet its stats make it so its not great at it. I know about bursting but incurring that FSM+ high recoil really hurts the ability to do that. Meanwhile with the horrific CoF bloom it now has the gun is far, far worse in close as well. Needing to burst already the slowest firing weapon in the game while up closer is a huge disadvantage that really kinda makes the Gauss SAW quite bit ******... It blooms out like mad after like 6-8 rounds. So how is this thing to be used now? Less as a Machinegun and more as a Semi Auto Sniper Rifle? Cuz as a close-mid range LMG its kinda bad now. Esp if the player is a true noob to this game, I can see where they would become seriously disenchanted with it and the NC as a whole, and possibly the game.
Best bet: Ignore everything you've read in this thread and figure out for yourself which gun clicks with you. Every single NC LMG is a viable and pretty good weapon, the EM1 included. The only real difference in their effectiveness lies in individual playstyle. As nobody here but you knows exactly how you play and what feels "good" to you, nobody is going to be able to give you truly accurate advice on which gun is best for you. VR them to see how their effectiveness changes for you with different attachments and sights, then trial them to get a feel for how they work for you in actual combat conditions (albeit without said attachments). Pick the one that feels best.
Trials suck, we should be able to trial a weapon for 24hrs, hell, we have a 30d cool down and 9hr cool down on each weapon and between trials.... PLus said trials should let us use w/e attachments we want for that 24hr period. Or, if not 24hr, atleast 2hrs, but 30 minutes doesnt really let us get a solid feel for a weapon. Not to mention some weapons like EM6, GD22S and EM1 have horrid irons that suck if you trial them. They could give one a warped sense of the gun. I know the EM6 I didnt totally dig until I just broke down and got it. With gizmos its pretty good.
Ok so last question: What is the most effective LMG at long range? Do I put some certs in the SAW or do I buy another gun? That's really the only thing left to figure out... Thanks to everyone for your advice! BTW I'm using the GD22s and EM6 for mid-long range and they work very well. The GD feels better thou. And I'll definitely try Anchor for CQC with laser and spa.
I find the SAW rather lacking lately since the CoF Bloom nerf mixed with its already high recoil. I dont even like using it at range anymore. You cant full auto at range but you also cant really effectively single or burst it at range either. It will either recoil to much or bloom to much..... EM6 is just fine at range ifyou control it well. Its a very all round gun. GD22S is prolly much the same, handles a bit better to.
For my Guerilla loadout I use GD-22S + NV scope + Silencer + Foregrip. GD-22S is a great weapon, like an assault rifle with 50 bullets: controllable, accurate, acceptable hipfire and reload, able to use 1X and 2X (unlike the Anchor) scopes. Also, it's cheap. For CQC most people recommend shotguns. I'd get a shotgun that is available for other classes, not a Jackhammer.
