Review [Issue 25] Firebird or Freeze?

[Pathfinder 1,690]

 

Firebird or Freeze?

Preamble

Firebird vs Freeze - an age long battle for the title of ‘best short-range turret’. But will there ever be a victor?

[The rank at which any item unlocks has some bearing on its power. So in order to effectively compare any two items, we must look at the fully micro-upgraded M3 statistics. This is also logical as many players want to plan ahead and start upgrading their ‘endgame’ equipment early on.]

Basic Comparisons

The primary parameter of any turret is of course its damage, and Firebird has no equal at short range. A damage of 72 per second will destroy any light hull in just less than three seconds and in fact any medium hull in one full burst of fire. This, combined with the ability to blaze multiple targets simultaneously makes Firebird possibly the turret with the highest damage-dealing capacity in the entire game.

Freeze is formidable too, with a damage of 68 per second. True, this is not far behind the awesome calibre of Firebird, but even the smallest damage could be pivotal depending on the situation, and could mean the difference between killing an enemy and coming desperately close. The damage difference is amplified the longer the turrets are shooting, and doubled with drugs, and so Firebird comes out on top.

However, you can’t deal damage if you have to recharge, and in this department, Freeze comes out stronger, being able to fire for seven seconds continuously, while Firebird can only manage five. Two seconds may not seem like a long time, but in reality this 40% longer shooting time is definitely significant, and could mean dealing, or indeed taking, 140 points of extra damage.

In terms of recharging, Freeze takes 11 seconds to prepare seven seconds of snow (or whatever it is), while Firebird takes 12 seconds to load five seconds of napalm (I definitely know what that is). And so it is Freeze that also comes out on top here.

What about range? Firebird and Freeze both deal maximum damage up to 10 metres, decreasing to zero at 23 and 20 metres respectively. Is Firebird’s 15% extra range significant? I think not. Having ensnared the enemy in an icy grip, range certainly won’t be an issue.

So, no clear winner in the basic comparable parameters, time to take a look at the specialities of the two turrets.

Secondary Comparisons

You may have noticed that Firebird can deal damage even if it’s not shooting directly.

Every tank has a parameter called temperature, and a Firebird can heat a tank, increasing its temperature when it shoots. A normal tank reaches maximum temperature in 4 seconds, and once there will take 10 damage points per second, decreasing slowly to 0 as the tank cools down. This is the ‘after-burn’ effect- a devastating ability exclusively available to Firebird. You may think ’10? Why would I care?’ Well, a tank that has been heated to maximum temperature will burn for 62.5 seconds until it cools back down. Do the maths - that’s potentially a few hundred damage points. And with the new introduction of self-destruct penalties, deterring tanks from driving off the edge, this effect is even more potent.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, temperature of a tank can also decrease, and this is caused by Freeze’s ability to (unsurprisingly) freeze enemies. A frozen tank has its manoeuvrability fractioned, making it very hard (and indeed impossible with skilled Freezers) to return fire or escape with an enemy flag. This makes Freeze absolutely invaluable in Capture the Flag games, stopping quick getaways by flag-runners.

Game Modes and Hulls

Deathmatch: The priority in deathmatches is securing those important kills, and so Firebird has to be preferable, dealing higher damage. ‘After-burn’, although small, may help gain extra kills too. It’s true that Freeze’s better reload and longer shooting time is helpful, but for me, Firebird would be the better choice.

Team Deathmatch: It’s all about the damage that you place on the enemies, and so again, Firebird wins this for me. The fact that you get assists for kills makes this advantage even more comfortable.

Capture the Flag: As mentioned above, Freeze makes it very hard for enemies to make it out of your base alive, while the rest of your team put the finishing shots on the enemy tank. On the other hand, Firebird too makes an excellent defensive weapon, based purely on damage alone. Furthermore, the enemy will be left taking ‘after-burn damage’ even after leaving your base.

Freeze can prevent enemies from giving chase as you flee the enemy base with their flag. But, since you don't really want to stick around after taking the enemy flag, Firebird also makes a great offensive weapon, since you can quickly flee and let after-burn do the rest!

Capture Points: With Freeze slowing enemies down from reaching points and Firebird to obliterate enemies while they are at the points, this is a tough call - both turrets are very strong here, their respective abilities to hit multiple tanks being very effective, since many enemy tanks will be congregated at the capture points.

Light Hulls: Contrary to the lower rank myth, I think Firebird suits lighter hulls like Wasp, Hornet and Hunter better. The fast speed allows successful circling and evading of fire even without freezing the enemy, and the poor protection is balanced somewhat by Firebird’s ability to deal massive damage in return.

Furthermore, you may not be able to fully utilise Freeze’s full seven seconds of shooting time with a light hull - you will probably be shot down before you get the chance!

Heavy Hulls: When frozen, the speed of your tank won’t matter as much when you are circling, and thus I believe that heavier hulls like Viking, Dictator, Titan and Mammoth suit Freeze better than Firebird. The health of the hull allows the use of Freeze’s long shooting time to maximum effect, and is great also in defending where manoeuvrability is less of an issue (recall that Freeze is one of the best defensive weapons in CTF).

A Controversy Put to Rest?

Unfortunately, the variety of different game scenarios means that there cannot be an outright winner. There are many factors that play a part, such as game mode, map and hull to name a few.

But ultimately, it is down to personal preference. Everyone has their unique playing style, and you must weigh out the argument yourself.

And I hope that I have given you enough to do just that.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to give and discuss your own thoughts and comments below, it's appreciated!

Edited July 31, 2017 by Hexed

[g08408 10]

quite informative! u included all my reasons why freeze is the best!

[Guest Maserati]

quite impressive :)

[MA3CTPO_HA_XAHTEP 832]

Nice, good job.

[TheLonelyEpic 212]

Pretty good first article I've read of yours, possibly slightly biased, but that's why the game is so fun. Everyone is running around with different combos.

[falcosenna1 8,320]

Very useful and interesting for the doubters between us :p 

[EatYourMeat 27]

Nice job kirby, this is certain now that you deserve the Reporters staff :)

[Pathfinder 1,690]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

[mitropam 18]

NOT BAD, NEW GUY...

 

 

(If anybody didn't get the Daario Naharis joke from Game of Thrones, well, what can I say?!)  

Edited August 9, 2014 by mitropam

[trombone_ftw 734]

Oh my gosh I literally created a topic called Firebird vs. Freeze shortly before this came out... awesome!

[I.WalkAlone 548]

It's a very good article, but according to me it's purely a matter of preference. Also, freeze suits lighter hulls better as it makes it easier to circle around a tank. A good freeze can use this tactic to destroy a tank without receiving much damage.

[MehranLatif 2]

They can be quite equal... But I prefer Firebird, Because of the burning time and Damage is superior. I can also handle the recharge. Thank You for the article as it helped me choose :D

Edited August 10, 2014 by MehranLatif

[Pathfinder 1,690]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

@AOFox I'd agree with you there myself :) what I was saying by Firebird suiting lighter hulls better was that on a lighter hull, firebird might be the better choice generally, not necessarily that for a freeze a heavier hull is better :)

Edited August 11, 2014 by Pathfinder

[blackopspaul 753]

Nice article.

^I love Firebird with medium hulls like viking or hunter.

[3edy.z 0]

quite Amazing  :o

[fufususumumu1 240]

WOUDNT FREEZE BE SLYTLY BETTER? ONCE IT CATCHES U U ARE DONE FOR. EVEN IF U HAV DRUGS U R HELPLESS AS U CANNOT TURN UR TURRET FAST ENOUGH TO DESTROY THE FREEZER. U CANT SAY THE SAME FOR FIREBIRD AS U HAV THAT GAP OF 4 SECONDS TO ATTACK IT. (sorry for caps). even is u die u can still inflict some damage upon the enemy as u can move ur turret freely.

 

[Pathfinder 1,690]

^ I think it depends on the circumstance. Certainly 1 on 1 what you're talking about is realistic, but circling an enemy 1 on 1 successfully is easier said than done.

 

Sorry for the confusion guys- I'm not trying to suggest that for either turret a heavier hull is better. What Im suggesting is that if you had a heavier hull, I'd pick freeze over firebird. And vice versa In my opinion. That's not the same as saying a heavier hill is better than a lighter hull for freeze!

 

Thanks for your comments guys!

[Frontlinerrr 4]

 I choose Firbeird!

[MyLife_MyReign 256]

Great article Kirby!

No more doubts :)

[jack2b111 130]

fire bird will win 

[TheLonelyEpic 212]

Yeah, I do have to say that when I see straight up 1v1 it's always a frozen tank still standing.

[pizzaslad 471]

You can overcome Fire's reload quite easily. If you are using a light hull, you can move around and hide while you are reloading. Same with Freeze. In the case of heavy hulls, it all comes down to who can deal more damage quicker and how since both can kill a Mammoth in one charge.

[lukey0 27,543]

Good article well written and good points made.

[7919zola 252]

Anything before the generalissimo rank, I would have to say firebird is the dominant choice of the two. Since at generalissimo rank, the paint Zeus is unlocked and has some serious protection against firebird.

Edited August 14, 2014 by 7919zola

[trombone_ftw 734]

Inferno does also exist Zola .-.