Carbineer Archive

I know we're all celebrating the spiffy new toolbar icon on our still broken suppression fire! And I think we've got a longer warmup now, too! If it's that overpowered now, I can't wait to see it when it works.

Distinction isn't our most urgent problem, but it is a problem. It's possible to build a BH/Pistols/Rifles template that has all the functionality of a master carbineer, and most of the unique abilities of each of those profs:

BH: Duelist stance for +160 def, torso shot (which is somewhat underpowered for a DOT), critical shot (broken since criticals don't seem to work, but unlike suppression fire this one is still very useful), eyeshot for the only ranged blind (commando acid splashes blind too, i know), confusion shot that does a multiple debuff, including only ranged dizzy

Rifles: aim for +200 acc, concealshot/cover, 65m range, high damage

Pistols: warning shot for a def debuff, intimidate for a damage debuff, stopping shot for root, quickdraw (the rapid cycle time has its uses)

With fanshot and sprayshot, underhand shot, and kneecap shot, these profs cover all of the carbineer's functions too (unless you consider a wider damage cone to be a unique function...that would be one to all the above)

(an example: MR/MP/BH0134 has all but critical and duelist stance, and has nicely stacked acc and def mods, adv startling shot and disarming shot for delays, and burst shot and confusion shot for stuns)

No carbineer build can include all those abilities. Stacking with Carbineer can cover maybe one and a half of those profs unique features. We need some unique functionality to distinguish us from other profs that seem to have more than us anyway.

A full spectrum of area offense would do it. Full auto area should do more damage than spray shot. Adv suppression could be an area snare AND a 100pt attack speed de-buff (this would cost the targets 2-3 attacks over the next 10 sec, not that overpowering), instead of nothing at all, for instance. Improved charge shot might have a narrow cone effect, keeping its current damage and KD, and maybe also stunning.

I wanna suggest some more radical ideas too, in the spirit of some of the more novel abilities other profs got in CU.

Area knockback-probably lost forever, but this would be the ultimate position control ability. Could be an effect of improved charge shot with a narrow cone, or adv suppression with a wide cone. Nearby targets would be knocked back more than distant targets, no-one knocked to outside of 50m (a target that starts 0<R<50m from the carbineer might end up 10m+4R/5 from the carbineer, for example). This would be a unique position control ability used to corral groups of enemies as a setup for a barrage of full auto area.

A tactical stance-a buff state, similar to duelist stance. We'd reduce movement speed to snared pace, so that we could use this aggressively while kiting a crippled opponen; but the speed debuff wouldn't stack with any snares on us, so it can be used as a counter-tactic when we are snared ourselves. Possible buffs we get in exchange could be along the lines of +100 acc, +25 ranged def, -10% on action costs, +25 attack speed.

Point blank full auto blast-We have an infiltrator title that suggests we should have some close quarters combat ability. It also just makes sense that we should be able to do something like this. Of course, accuracy and damage could fall off quickly with range, or it might not work outside of 10m. Damage would be higher than rifleman's improved headshot, and it might have a KD, delay, critical hit, or stun effect on it. Tactically, it's used to finish off a softened opponent as they close the final few meters after alot of kiting. Or sometimes we might want to use our snares and KDs just to catch an opponent to unload on them. To keep it from being used as a toe to toe damage ability, it should have a high action cost and/or long cooldown. It would also force an opponent to be careful as they close those last few meters. I'd like to point out that advanced rapid fire isn't doing much for us right now.

An even more radical option would be to take the area damage away from BH and pistoleer completely. BH might keep spray shot as the point blank full auto option (makes good sense for a BH to have that instead of an area attack, doesn't it?), while pistoleers don't really deserve fan shot at all, (do they???). (although I am starting to combo full auto area with fan shot or spray shot with some good results).

Anyone else concerned about our lack of distinction, and what would you hope is done about it?

As carbineer and BH I will be pleased if sprayshot is changed for another attack (a BH version of stopping shot *crosses fingers*), because we are supposed to be good at 1vs1 combat, but pistoleer is supposed to be crowd control, I think they deserve area attack.