Guide [Issue 25] What to mount on: Hornet

[GoldRock 6,165]

 

Welcome, readers! Many times in the past, the newspaper has focused on the weapons which make our game so dynamic and versatile. But what about the other half to these weapons? Yes, hulls - without the right hull, many weapons can be rendered useless. But if you can find that right combination, regardless of whether it's extremely popular or hardly seen, you can be sure to dominate all of your battles. So, here's the second in the series; I'll be taking a look at Hornet, and what weapons can work best on this quick but versatile hull.
 

Hornet/Smoky.
 

Not a combination you should overlook.

This combination isn't so commonly seen on the battlefield, but it can be very effective. Considering Hornet is more stable than its lighter and nimbler counterpart, Wasp, this means it's easier to cope with the recoil of Smoky. Hornet is still pretty fast, so this combination is especially good for offensive play - and those critical hits come in handy for dealing high damage in one shot. However, it's a bit harder to use hit-and-run tactics with this combination, since the turret isn't located right at the back of the hull. Overall, I'd argue that though this combination may not be as powerful as Wasp/Smoky can be, it still has its merits.
 

Overall effectiveness: 7/10

Hornet/Firebird.
 

A combination of stability and speed.

 

Often, players will mount Firebird on Hornet, simply due to the fact that Hornet is such a versatile hull. However, I'm personally not sure how effective this is - Hornet's larger, bulkier, and so a bigger target. Though it has a bit of extra health, it loses to Wasp in speed - and for me personally, putting this high-damage weapon on such a hull, especially since you wouldn't be able to take advantage of manoeuvring around your opponents as much. However, this combination is still effective; after all, Firebird's after-burn damage really is deadly. I just personally question why one would put Firebird on a hull which has too little health to be a medium hull, and so wouldn't fit into that category, yet isn't quick enough to out-pace Wasp.

Overall effectiveness: 6.5/10

 

Hornet/Twins.


Can be dangerous, but lacks in health.

Well, at least this is more sensible than mounting Twins on Wasp might be. Hornet's pretty stable, so the huge recoil that Twins brings isn't as much of a problem - and the speed with Hornet offers means that this isn't a bad offensive combination at all. However, Hornet does lack in health - though it'd be good in terms of closing opponents down with this hull, this combination would be able to withstand the significant battering it would likely get from a base full of enemy defenders. Therefore, this would have to be used with a different style of play. Ideally, you'd want to face opponents in one-on-one mid-range or close-range situations, but such situations don't happen too often - much of the time, someone using this combination would be up against the close-range weapons, which isn't really what Twins is meant for.

 

Overall effectiveness: 6/10
 

Hornet/Railgun.
 

It's hard not to fall in love with this combination.

This is the combination which has its own unofficial battle-mode based around it, flooding Server 1 - and at this rate, it may well become an in-built option in the game to create XP (Hornet/Rail) battles. Hornet's quick and stable, which is perfect for the hit-and-run tactics which Railgun players often use. I also find that Hornet's manoeuvrability suits Railgun perfectly - that drifting feature which may not suit other weapons so well really does come to life in XP battles, it's great for dodging the shots of fellow Railgun users. The turret feels as though it's positioned perfectly on this hull, allowing you to duck out from behind cover to snipe opponents before they even know what's hit them. Not to mention that this combination actually looks really sleek, too. Need I say more? 

 

Overall effectiveness: 9/10

 

Hornet/Isida.
 

A common combo, seen charging around the battlefields at all ranks.

 

To me, Isida is all about speed. After all, it's the turret with the shortest range in the game - so you really do need that extra speed to keep up with the competition. Isida also has a health-stealing feature when attacking opponents, so health isn't such a huge issue as it might be with other weapons. Under that logic, you'd expect Wasp/Isida to be more popular - but it seems Hornet/Isida actually wins in the popularity category. I guess it's because Hornet is cheap and goes well with most turrets, as well as having a relatively high speed, so this combination is still pretty effective. But I'd argue that it's a bit too mainstream, and that it's not quite as powerful as it might be with that little extra speed that Wasp could provide.

Overall effectiveness: 7/10
 

Hornet/Thunder.
 

Good for medium range showdowns, but not for charging into the fray.
 

Well, this isn't a bad combination at all. Thunder now has a good amount of damage at close-to-medium range, as well as being decent at the longer ranges. So, the speed which Hornet can provide would be useful for finding cover and for splash-damaging groups of opponents from there - and that speed can also be used to dodge enemy fire whilst firing yourself. However, because Hornet is a light hull, it means that this combination would be less effective at charging into the middle of the action, as it wouldn't last as long - and that's where I feel Thunder is pretty useful. As it can damage multiple opponents at once, it seems a little extra health would certainly be a benefit for this weapon. That said, this is still a solid combination overall, as long as you adapt your playing style to suit the extra speed.

 

Overall effectiveness: 7/10
 

Hornet/Freeze.
 

Solid, reliable, and able to take up all positions on the battlefield.

 

Hornet/Freeze is certainly an effective combination. With Hornet's speed and its extra health over its counterpart, Wasp, this is a pretty popular hull with which to use the weapon. The drift feature of Hornet allows it to encircle opponents, whilst the freezing effect of Freeze means that this combination can be used to glue enemies to the spot. As well as this, Hornet can withstand a fair amount of enemy fire, and so this combination does work in a defensive role. Basically, this combination works very well indeed in terms of dodging enemy shots - Hornet is a stable but quick hull, and Freeze lives up to its name with its infamous freezing ability. With Freeze's good reload time, the combination can be used to attack too - and Hornet is a good flag-carrying hull, so a player could use Hornet/Freeze to make an effective escape with the flag from an enemy base. This combination works well because it's so versatile.

 

Overall effectiveness: 8/10
 

Hornet/Ricochet.
 

A good combination if you want that extra speed.
 

Well, this combination isn't necessarily the most effective. True, it comes in handy if you're looking to use Ricochet in an offensive way - but considering Rico already has a good range, you wouldn't need that much speed to close an opponent down. To be fair, Hornet's nice and stable, allowing users to deal with Ricochet's recoil without much trouble - and its speed would be useful for getting out of sticky situations, as Rico takes some time to reload. But the hull lacks in health, and this means this combination can't really be used for attacking multiple enemies head-on; that's potentially where Rico's recoil feature comes in handy. But even so, the fact that Hornet doesn't have as much health as the medium hulls does restrict this combination in some ways.

 

Overall effectiveness: 6.5/10

Hornet/Shaft.


Decent for getting to sniper positions, but not necessarily a match made in heaven.
 

And last but not least comes this combination; Hornet and Shaft. The hull would have a good speed here for reaching camping positions, and is yet again stable enough to cope with the high recoil that the weapon here would bring. And due to the fact that Hornet is quite compact, this would be a good combination for poking around corners and sniping opponents without really being noticed. However, Hornet still lacks the health which I would imagine Shaft would work best with. After all, Shaft's a long range weapon at heart, and you actually have to stand still whilst aiming - so the speed of Hornet doesn't come in handy there! Ideally, you'd want more health when using this weapon, and so whilst this combination can work well, the two components don't exactly fit together.

 

Overall effectiveness: 6.5/10
 

Overall rankings:
Hornet/Firebird - 6.5/10

Hornet/Isida - 7/10
Hornet/Freeze - 8/10

Hornet/Twins - 6/10

Hornet/Ricochet - 6.5/10

Hornet/Smoky - 7/10
Hornet/Thunder - 7/10

Hornet/Railgun - 9/10
Hornet/Shaft - 6.5/10
 

So there you have it - my educated opinions on each of the combinations involving Hornet, from the perspective of the hull itself. As you can see, Hornet is decent with all weapons, as well as being relatively cheap; no wonder it's such a popular hull. Next up will be Hunter; the all-rounded hull of the game, so make sure you look out for that article. Thanks for reading! Feel free to let me know your feedback below, or to share your own thoughts - it's all appreciated!

 

See you in the battle!

Edited July 31, 2017 by Hexed

[SSLegend99 9]

Go Hornet/Rail!  :wub:

[EatYourMeat 27]

Great job Gold! as usual. Very informative and decent guide. I would argue about the firebird-Hornet combo however, it deserves a 7 out of 10 in my view,

[g08408 10]

quite informative- but i think hornet rail deserves better

[Guest Maserati]

Railgun is BOSS <3

Edited August 8, 2014 by Lord.Shadow

[A.I.M.B.0.T 173]

I personally think that Hornet with Thunder deserved an 8.

[Thekillerpenguin 1,731]

Hornet-Smoky deserves a bit more praise than that. I've been using M1 Smoky/M0 Hornet for a long time, and it's a very solid combo that allows you to use guerrilla tactics (not to the extent of Wasp, but still) and charge into combat as long as you're not the tip of the spear. It even works well against Lieutenants and their M2 Hornets.

[GoldRock 6,165]

Thanks for the feedback, guys!
 

Great job Gold! as usual. Very informative and decent guide. I would argue about the firebird-Hornet combo however, it deserves a 7 out of 10 in my view,

I personally think that Hornet with Thunder deserved an 8.

Hornet-Smoky deserves a bit more praise than that. I've been using M1 Smoky/M0 Hornet for a long time, and it's a very solid combo that allows you to use guerrilla tactics (not to the extent of Wasp, but still) and charge into combat as long as you're not the tip of the spear. It even works well against Lieutenants and their M2 Hornets.

All your chosen weapons work better with other hulls, hence why the scores were lower. I focussed on the hull here, not just the weapon.

 

quite informative- but i think hornet rail deserves better

I gave it a glowing review...

[falcosenna1 8,320]

Hornet firebird had to receive more points in my opinion. (maybe because i'm such a big fan of fire :p) I do agree with all other points. Well done!!

[TheLonelyEpic 212]

Very good Gold. Just have to disagree with you on Rico. Maybe Viking is better with it, but it's my number one combo because of it's versatility. No matter if I am alone defending. In a tight battle patrolling mid, or even capping flags, Rico/Hornet wins against many more powerful combos. I believe that the speed is key, allowing you to escape short range turrets and close down Rails or Shafts.

[mitropam 18]

I like what you did with the rankings; top-notch. Bring 'em comin'.

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

These "what to mount on..." series are great!

 

Already helped me out with some planning on my accounts.

Thanks GoldRock for sharing your knowledge.

 

^Indeed: keep them coming!

Hunter next?

[trombone_ftw 734]

Ooo, can't wait for the Hunter one!

[I.WalkAlone 548]

It's a well written article, but a little bit opiniated.

All your chosen weapons work better with other hulls, hence why the scores were lower. I focussed on the hull here, not just the weapon.

 

But what do other hulls have to do with hornet? What matters is how well a particular turret goes with hornet. Not whether a particular turret goes better with another hull or not.

[GoldRock 6,165]

It's a well written article, but a little bit opiniated.

 

But what do other hulls have to do with hornet? What matters is how well a particular turret goes with hornet. Not whether a particular turret goes better with another hull or not.

The ratings given is how well a particular weapon goes with Hornet. If a particular turret goes better with another hull, then it isn't inherently made for use with Hornet. The rating system is based on how close a 'match' the weapon is with the hull. Therefore, both aspects matter, since I'm also trying to offer a relative comparison with other hulls throughout this series.

 

So, the ratings indicate both how well a particular weapon goes with Hornet, and how well the weapon performs on that hull relative to being used with other hulls. After all, the title is "What to mount on: Hornet" - it would be sensible to consider both aspects when deciding this.

 

It seems some readers' favourite Hornet/weapon combination weren't given a glowing review; should I have given high marks to all the mainstream Hornet/weapon combinations? The answer, to me, is decidedly not - a combination being popular or a combination being your favourite doesn't suddenly make it the most effective combination on the battlefield.

 

When the developers were designing the game, did they think Thunder, Rico, Isida etc. would work best on Hornet? All combinations can be used effectively, I'm just rating how effective they are in theory.

Edited August 10, 2014 by GoldRock

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Well, you' ve probably made up a complete "hull related to weapon" rating schedule?

If true, all the possible 63 combo 's have already got their points for overall effectiveness.

 

So my ^^^^ question still stands: Hunter next?

(very interested in this personal big question mark hull)

Edited August 10, 2014 by Lord-of-the-Snipers

[B.R.A.V.E 734]

Great job Gold! as usual. Very informative and decent guide. I would argue about the firebird-Hornet combo however, it deserves a 7 out of 10 in my view,

[hogree 4,179]

I am also a big fan of Firebird-Hornet would personally have put it at least at 7.5. All the same, the article once again displays an incredible "readableness" which is really rather impressive. GJ GJ.

[A_Jl_E_H_T.00 615]

Amazing as always, and do you maybe know what font is that in the title picture?

[Lhamster 4,081]

It's QuadratGroteskCTT. I don't think its available to just find.

[pokipinegmsc 0]

i  think freeze suits hornet because we can freeze opponents very fast

[I.WalkAlone 548]

The ratings given is how well a particular weapon goes with Hornet. If a particular turret goes better with another hull, then it isn't inherently made for use with Hornet. The rating system is based on how close a 'match' the weapon is with the hull. Therefore, both aspects matter, since I'm also trying to offer a relative comparison with other hulls throughout this series.

 

So, the ratings indicate both how well a particular weapon goes with Hornet, and how well the weapon performs on that hull relative to being used with other hulls. After all, the title is "What to mount on: Hornet" - it would be sensible to consider both aspects when deciding this.

 

It seems some readers' favourite Hornet/weapon combination weren't given a glowing review; should I have given high marks to all the mainstream Hornet/weapon combinations? The answer, to me, is decidedly not - a combination being popular or a combination being your favourite doesn't suddenly make it the most effective combination on the battlefield.

 

When the developers were designing the game, did they think Thunder, Rico, Isida etc. would work best on Hornet? All combinations can be used effectively, I'm just rating how effective they are in theory.

I see. 

Just out of curiosity, which hulls do you think suit freeze and firebird better?

[Hunter_Exacute 11]

one thing i find with railgun/hornet is that you are vulnerable after you have fired... yes its a great combo no doubt but once you have fired having a lower amount of armour means that if u miss your first shot you could be a goner. in my personal opinion thunder/hornet is a much better option as you have a medium/high amount of damage with a much faster reload time which means if u do miss that first shot you dont have to worry :)  

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Ok, one more (third) try. It 's a very difficult question I suppose?

 

Goldrock, next hull to be be analyzed by you: Hunter?

[jack2b111 130]

horent and rail and twins