Scout Archive

So I want to use a glow wire trap to get the ranged weapons bonus.

I use maskscent to camp a spot 35 meters from the Krahlu nest my mission calls for me to destroy at the "optimum" range for my sliced DH17 Carbine.

Laying prone, to even further guarantee solid hits on my targets I throw my trap and hit F11 to spam /legShot2 over and over.

I get one shot off as the critter charges me and I have to go to a kneeling position and fight at point blank taking damage to my HAM and wounds.

Next target, another Krahlu. I go prone and spam /legShot2. The critter wanders as I pummel it with blaster fire and dies after 3 shots, never figuring out where its being attacked from.

So my question is, what's the point of traps when by throwing one you give away your position and literally invite a point blank attack. The Lecepanine trap for me would be one of the most useful traps if it didn't give away my position every time I use it. The Lecepanine trap knocks 15%-30% of my targets Action which is great for Carbine users like me because our weapon targets the Action bar. Just like the Noise Maker would be perfect for Rifle users because it affects the Mind. The issue is, the moment that trap hits the target the thrower is attacked.

What's the point of using a trap when you can just use a blaster and shoot from relative safety. I can wipe out entire herds of paralopes, vrelts, and lesser critters in a matter of seconds with my carbine not taking a single point of damage. If I throw a trap before shooting each one a few will get thru and give me a good kick. Sure the damage is minimal, but still, a blaster can be fired from safely from a prone position 4-6 times before you are attacked, but a trap brings it on instantly.

And forget using traps on larger creatures like Humbabas. That's just asking to be incapped.

The only time I've found a trap mildly useful is throwing it after being detected by my target, but in most situations it just wastes time that would be better spent shooting it.

Any discussion? Am I just using traps wrong or am I just using weapons like the Laser Carbine and EE3 that are powerful enough to make traps unnecessary.

You could hit with more than type of trap per creature also. I usually will hit creatures with like 4-5 traps. They do work.

FUna,

From the description of what you are saying you're doing, I'd say you're using them wrong.

The first trap you throw should ALWAYS be a root type trip - Adhesive Mesh, Wire Mesh, etc. This slows the critter down and lets you get another trap off. This could be your glow juice, for the ranged bonus.

After that, start hitting your specials. But keep in mind, a trap is a combat attack, just like another other, so it's going to PO the creature, and he's going to come running. So be prepared for him to get close. I would suggest having warning shot ready to go to push him back if one of your traps fails.

Generally, though, if you have a good enough weapon and good enough skills, you can usually take down a lot of the lower level critters without needing traps. Traps are best (when you aren't going for XP) either when you are soloing medium level creatures that aren't social and you just want the extra help, or in a group against larger, tougher creatures, and you've got pets or someone helping to hold the aggro while you get your traps off.

Hope this helps!

B

FUna,

Here's a snippet of mine from another post demonstrating one example of how traps can be useful.

Personally I like to get 45 meters from the target, throw a trap to slow the target, then a couple of traps to damage the mind, then a couple of head shots with the rifle. By that point the slow trap expires and I'm kiting the target with my pistol. Then I throw another slow trap (while on the run), get some range, throw another couple mind-damaging traps and then take a couple more head shots. This usually works for me when I'm soloing "red circles." If the target is still alive, it's usually weak enough at this point that I can kite it with my pistol or charge it with my sword for the final blow.

For low-level creatures, I don't bother with traps unless I'm trying to grind trapping XP. For medium to high-level creatures (/con white, yellow or red), I don't throw a trap until I have gotten off at least two shots, with at least one of them a bleed shot. I have found that throwing a trap causes a creature to aggro sooner than weapon shots, maybe because I'm usually prone when initiating combat with a weapon.

So a typical riflecombat string might look something like this:

mindshot1
headshot2
throw adhesive mesh
throw noisemaker
headshot2
throw p-dart
headshot2

By the time the creature can start running towards me at speed, he is usually close to dead.

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DeltaXi65 wrote:

FUna,

From the description of what you are saying you're doing, I'd say you're using them wrong.

The first trap you throw should ALWAYS be a root type trip - Adhesive Mesh, Wire Mesh, etc. This slows the critter down and lets you get another trap off. This could be your glow juice, for the ranged bonus.

After that, start hitting your specials. But keep in mind, a trap is a combat attack....

Hope this helps!

B

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Actually it does.

I thought I must me doing SOMETHING wrong because I'm seeing so many people swear by this or that trap and all I've been using them for is to grind XP.

Whats the affect duration of the Wire Mesh trap and once its duration has worn out can I throw another? The reason why I ask is it seems Lecepanine traps only seem to work once.

All the comments I've seen help...I'm now putting together a clearer idea of how to use them correctly. I'm thinking a Wire Mesh, Lecepanine, then Glow Juice before turning to legShot2 would be incredibly effective if all three traps affect the critter. IIRC the Glow Wire trap also slows the target...so a Glow Wire + Lecepanine SHOULD be the optimum combo for my carbine.

I'll experiment some more tonight.

Thanks for the tips -- apparently I needed a solid whack with the foam cluebat.

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MaddoDoggiy wrote:

For low-level creatures, I don't bother with traps unless I'm trying to grind trapping XP. For medium to high-level creatures (/con white, yellow or red), I don't throw a trap until I have gotten off at least two shots, with at least one of them a bleed shot. I have found that throwing a trap causes a creature to aggro sooner than weapon shots, maybe because I'm usually prone when initiating combat with a weapon.

So a typical rifle combat string might look something like this:

mindshot1
headshot2
throw adhesive mesh
throw noisemaker
headshot2
throw p-dart
headshot2

By the time the creature can start running towards me at speed, he is usually close to dead.

---

That's very similar to how I've been using traps to grind XP...but for higher level critters I've been wondering how other people use traps. It seems like I was close to being on the right track, because I wouldn't throw my traps until about the 3rd or 4th time I hit my target while prone. I think I went wrong by not using a Wire Mesh trap to slow them down first.

FUna,

You're on the right track. Just keep in mind that Wire Mesh is a lower level trap, and may not always work that great on the higher level critters. I suggest Adhesive Mesh- you only get two of 'em, but they rock.

And the root timing depends on the creature as well. It works better on (big shock) lower level creatures. You can freeze a gnort pretty good. But the higher level critters may only give you an extra second or so. Like I said before, make sure you've got warning shot ready.

B

My preferred trap combo is:

• ActionShot2


• Adh. Mesh


• Phecnacine Dart


• LegShot2 spam...


• Adh. Mesh


• Phec. Dart


• LegShot2 spam...

Wash, rinse, repeat...

Depends upon the trap. To this day I swear by phecnacine darts.

I agree - I love the phenacine (or however you spell it, heheh) darts. Best thing to come along, at least for lower medium level prey. When I first started grinding on traps, I had to remind myself to even use them. I was so used to the old /attack/spam specials/harvest routine, that I'd constantly forget to use them. Now that I've worked them into my "bag o' tricks", I'm finding the traps grind to be fun, and not a grind at all. Can't wait to get level 4.

Good luck.

It seems the original poster is touching on a rather sore issue with traps - they instantly reveal your location to your target.

They work, and they are useful, but they do have that little drawback - apparently the AI is very good at tracing back a throw arc, but really bad at tracing back a blaster bolt.

What I'd suggest is you don't bother using them on those lil' suckers (except for xp). Use them on the humbabas and so on, but as Delta (I think) said, start with a phecnacine or the adhesive mesh. My personal recommendation for traps is to whip up a whole stack of phecnacines, and toss them as needed to keep your target nice and slow. Then, kite.

The rest are more useful when you're in a group; glow-wire will help everyone's accuracy, but the time it takes for you to throw it vs the number of attacks you are (probably) missing doesn't quite add up right for me.

Sometimes i just get an insane ammount of fails in a row, my record in failed trapping attacks are 24 in a row, this with a doc healing my action and my pet tanking, i'm 1 box from master ranger, and serioulsy thinking about dropping the trap skills i can drop, and not get master. To raise either my ch or rifleskills.

I was not out to grind my xp, i just got so pissed off, when my traps failed i just tossed them until one stuck, and the trap that stuck was the last one i had in my backpack.