What am I missing?

[wolverine848 13,097]

Because thunder has sledgehammer rounds.

 

 

Just topped a DM (I had a mission) with 3 firebirds (one incendiary mix) and an incendiary vulcan in it, along with 2 ricos. Having no modules against those didn't stop me from getting 25 kills and gaining 399 crystals (vs up to gissimo). And it's not like they were m2s. I took a screenshot with prntsc but I foolishly copied the quote over the screen link, so I can't show it anymore.

 

Anyway, sledgehammer is ridiculously strong and I 100% recommend getting it if you are to use thunder.

I agree.

[rebar619 41]

Because thunder has sledgehammer rounds.

 

 

Just topped a DM (I had a mission) with 3 firebirds (one incendiary mix) and an incendiary vulcan in it, along with 2 ricos. Having no modules against those didn't stop me from getting 25 kills and gaining 399 crystals (vs up to gissimo). And it's not like they were m2s. I took a screenshot with prntsc but I foolishly copied the quote over the screen link, so I can't show it anymore.

 

Anyway, sledgehammer is ridiculously strong and I 100% recommend getting it if you are to use thunder.

I have Sledgehammer and it is only useful with the Hornet OD IMO

[wolverine848 13,097]

The long and short of it is it sounds like the best investment is in protections and not in drones or hulls. Is that a fair statement?

Also, what the hell were they doing with Gauss? Looking at the parameters for it, it sure looks like Thunder is obsolete. Why would anyone buy Thunder when Gauss is superior in damn near every way?

Drones are very expensive - especially the MU-part.  If you play a LOT of DM, Trooper drone might be worth it - allows you better chance of surviving the crucial re-spawn period.  But for the most part - drones are "end-game" acquisitions.

 

IMO modules are very important - they allow you to survive longer to deal more damage or cap flags, etc.  More important to non-campers than campers, as campers are not placed in danger as often.

 

Having two hulls at your rank would be good. You will want a medium hull and either a heavy hull or light hull, depending on your play-style.  All 3 if you can swing it, but not absolutely necessary.

[XxStriker 519]

I have Sledgehammer and it is only useful with the Hornet OD IMO

I spam people all match on top of my titan and it almost always tops the scoreboard... I literally can't use it with hornet even if I have it m3. @Chameleos is the account if you're curious.

Edited July 23, 2019 by XxStriker

[TheCongoSpider 8,942]

 

So as I stockpile crystals do you have any recommendations on what I should invest in to make things go better? Protection against Magnum and Gauss seem to be in order. They have really taken over the game. I am going to keep saving until the next discounts weekend, but want to make a plan so that I can not be so miserable when I am put into matches with Legends.

Between Magnum and Gauss, go with Magnum. The numbers have increased in Legend battles. The number has died down just a bit these days but they are prevalent. Maybe 1-2 per team. Sometimes, even 4 per team.

 

 

I've topscored in legend matches often with thunder, I see none of these terrible firebirds you speak about, it's almost nonexistant.

There is always a Compact Tanks or an Incendiary Mix Firebird in my battles, whether it be on my team or the enemy team. They kill my Hornet in about 1.5 seconds so I don't think Firebird protection would really help me out when they get me to maximum temperature in less than 2 seconds.

 

Plus, as a fire user, the incendiary part of the firebird damage is WEAK. Why else do you see only incendiary mix on the few ones that roam? Afterburn has a non-modifiable 300 per second, which can get to 150/s as easily as pressing DA. Note that DA will also make it so you heat slower. And even at the maximum possible temperature, you get 10 ticks of damage, so with DA you're taking just 1500 without any module. If you were to add a module too it does a pathetic 750 damage for a monumental effort... Meanwhile if you use incendiary mix you can literally shoot for those 10 seconds, and deal a whooping 50 extra damage per second. But not only! This 350 damage you gain from incendiary mix is affected by DD and viking overdrive.

 

However given the range of firebird it's often stomped before it reaches its target unless it's an ambush, where it'll most likely win regardless.

The joys of having a fixed number throughout all tiers. It will be powerful for one tier and shruggable for another.

 

Compact Tanks is still the most encountered Firebird alteration I see. 300 damage per second for me is no laughing matter (since I don't own Firebird protection on this account). And it's worse when they have Compact Tanks because they're making sure you're dealt at least 12 ticks of afterburn damage as they get you to maximum temperature very quickly.

 

An M4 Hornet has 2,000 HP. A Stock Firebird requires 2 seconds to get the Hornet to maximum temperature. after 2 seconds, the Hornet has lost 1,700 HP, and will die in the next second (or 0.5 seconds if you look at it more realistically). Now if that Hornet had double armour now, then (I'm assuming it'll take 3 seconds to reach to maximum temperature with Firebird now) the Firebird would deal 1,350 damage to the Hornet, and then 8-10 seconds of afterburn which would kill it. Compact Tanks heats them faster and allows security that the target is at 100% maximum temperature.

 

All of that is if you're alone. It's an 8 v 8 with various terrains and various turrets with various ranges. Maybe you'd say, "There is a repiar kit for that". Butin the heat of battling a Compact Tanks Firebird and another enemy, it's almost impossible to concentrate on when to time your Repair Kit to completely heal you or heal as much as possible. Any damage stops the healing process. That damage could have been the direct damage tick of the Firebird. Or it could have been an afterburn tick. That's only the Firebird alone, remember, you have another enemy shooting at you, and with a random turret, you'd just have to sacrifice it and get back 1,150 HP when you maybe could have gotten a bit more if you waited. But waiting can also seal your fate. So it's rather demanding and needs concentration and situational awareness. Getting rid of your enemies' repair kits as earl as possible is vital, even if you really want those kills for stats for the Challenges.

 

Compact Tanks more or less forces them to use their repair kit at some point in heating (unless you have both double armour and max-levelled Fox module). So when that repair kit is used, you're open to their teammates offensive. Just spraying a group for 2 seconds is enough to break down their defenses.

 

This applies to all ranks that are either above or ranks that are put in battles with ranks or higher. But in the lower ranks, it's just really frustrating.

 

 

I spam people all match on top of my titan and it almost always tops the scoreboard... I literally can't use it with hornet even if I have it m3. @Chameleos is the account if you're curious.

That with Hornet's Overdrive wrecks. That dismantles enemy defenses if you flank them with it. I'm accustomed to using Hornet now and Sledgehammer Thunder would be very useful a lot of the times when I have my Overdrive ready.

[XxStriker 519]

I played a few ASL matches with rebar today, all full legends. Every match had at least 2-3 shafts and 2-3 magnums in the enemy team... It wasn't great. Especially for his hornet, I could at least survive a bit with DA on viking/mammoth.

[The-Operator219 1,929]

The funny thing is, I spent like six bucks total and I was instantly at a competitive level due to the battle pass rewards, supplies, etc. It boils down to what you main and how well you maintain your upgrades, supplies, etc. If you want the advice of a buyer pick something practical and stick with it. Not Magnum, Shaft, etc but maybe Railgun, Smoky, Thunder. Something with a more generalized application.

 

The more you specialize, the more special the battle has to be for you to perform.