I been running Shaft for years. It always has been a challenge to stay alive out on the battlefield. The two weak points about the shaft is it's reload time and it's out of scope weak power mode. When the enemy finds you the odds are stacked against you of surviving the confrontation. The laser adds more trouble for shaft. Shaft is a sniper it's not a beacon of hope. I don't think the Dev's considered that this also adds to a dumbing down of players. The ability to deal with a shaft out on the battlefield without a laser teaches them cognitive battling skills. By adding a laser players no longer have to think just stay away from the laser beam. According to Wiki shaft is a sniper and a sniper doesn't make their presents Known out on the battlefield. Shaft should be the most powerful weapon out of all the turrets in scope mode. Shaft is a one shot one kill sniper and it should not be balanced. That's what makes shaft special and that's what makes team mates lucky to have a great shaft player covering there back out on the battlefield. Please remove the laser! Please refund my crystals back to me if your not going to remove the laser and take my shaft back. I have invested in a M3 Shaft fully Micro Upgraded.
P.S. Shafts on both sides of the battlefield make this turret a balanced weapon! Most players do not like shaft due to it's slowness. I'm a shaft that will remove key players who also are well equipped. These players at my rank have fully micro upgraded hulls, turrets, paints and battle supplies. This laser is not feasible at my rank. The shaft needs as much help as possible not adding more obstacles on to it. Maybe you just don't have any idea really what a shaft has to deal with?