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Shoulder cannon is the worst of the new abilities by far


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The shoulder cannon is pretty much useless. It takes too long to load, too long to fire, and doesn't do very much damage. It is worthless in PvE while the other abilities are not. Yeah you can use it while you are stunned, but who cares when it's so slow to fire, doesn't do any real significant damage and with the increase dps of every other class you die so fast while stunned to really benefit from it.

 

Thoughts?

Edited by NathanielStarr
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Its off the global cooldown. That is more than enough of for it to be useful as a dps. It is literally just extra damage. How is that bad?

 

Read my post above. You really think it's good? It has no where near the utility of the other new powers that other classes got. We don't need another weak to mid attack, especially a slow one.

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Shoulder cannon is a fine ability. The reason why vanguards aren't good right now is because they nerfed your plasma cell dot to the ground. Shoulder cannon actually contributes more damage than your relics do. It is not a bad talent to have. Edited by bbare
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Read my post above. You really think it's good? It has no where near the utility of the other new powers that other classes got. We don't need another weak to mid attack, especially a slow one.

 

Middle tree gets extra damage (and missiles) on it, tanking tree gets extra damage, threat, and healing off it.

 

I'm curious - how is an instant off the GCD "slow"?

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Something like that.

 

 

Like, I won't say Shoulder Cannon is BAD, it's objectively an improvement to Vanguards. It's free damage we wouldn't otherwise have.

 

 

I will say it's underwhelming though. Doesn't really change anything with how we play, or really increase the fun factor or whatever you want to call it. You press the button, wait a few seconds, then press it again for a little more damage and possibly healing depending on spec.

 

/shrug

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Don't most of the new abilities have long cooldowns? Electro Net is 90 seconds. I forget what the length on the others are like.

 

yeah long cooldown long time to fully load.

 

It's certainly nothing special. It is not the tumble that agents got that changes their game play, it's not hugely different like plasma walk, it's not filling a hole in the class like dual saber throw...etc.

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Its a poorly designed ability. Its not "bad" just like its not "good". It provides a level of utility we didn't have before and its not useless its just.... poorly designed.

 

My biggest issue with it in PvP is you either pop it and have it loading/loaded before you engage or else it takes too long to load once you engage.

 

In PVE its free damage but it feels somewhat clunky. It's got a LONG CD for what it does and it doesn't add anything fresh to the play style.

 

Comparatively: Twin Saber Throw gives Sentinels a free, moderate damage AoE ability (and looks awesome). Saber Reflect gives Guardian tanks an amazing tool and its great for the DPS ones as well in PVP but somewhat limited in PVE. Sage's new super bubble gives them tools to handle situations that would just kill other people. Scoundrel got much needed mobility in Scamper. Whereas Vanguards got a slight (and IMO clunky) DPS boost, Shadows got a teleport that has very questionable value (***?) and Gunslingers got a gap closer/opener that they didn't really need.

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I think people are forgetting that you can fire it while stunned. I can't count the times since it launched but i have stopped caps while being stun locked in NC, CW, and Hypergates. It's utility that is hard to beat.

 

Indeed, makes Vanguards VERY good node guardians, between that and Hold the Line.

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If you really look at the shoulder cannon its a great tanking ability. Specing into it on the shield tree grants you health and is a massive threat generator. So during boss fights and you have no taunt or healer is low on energy you have the four shots standing by you can either get threat back or get a few heals in and give healers the time they need to get energy or even heal other op teammates. Can not look at it strictly from a dps numbers stand point or how it looks. I am loving the shoulder cannon.
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If you really look at the shoulder cannon its a great tanking ability. Specing into it on the shield tree grants you health and is a massive threat generator. So during boss fights and you have no taunt or healer is low on energy you have the four shots standing by you can either get threat back or get a few heals in and give healers the time they need to get energy or even heal other op teammates. Can not look at it strictly from a dps numbers stand point or how it looks. I am loving the shoulder cannon.

 

what he said.

 

shooting while stunlocked = profit

dps without energy usage = profit

burst if used at once, tactical usefulness if shooted one by one for interrupts etc = profit

AP spec with increased dmg and 7 rockets instead of 4 or Shield spec with increased threat and healing = a cherry on the top

 

i would only LOVE to see one change - make shoulder cannon usable WHILE channeling flame thrower.

Please.

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I like having it in pve. It's basically extra free damage. If you have all your abilities keybound you just basically spam it empty while doing your normal rotation. Nice to have for burn phases as well if you time it right. And being able to use while cc'ed is sweet. Do wish it was on a 60s CD though instead of 1:30. And/or the missiles loaded up front instead of taking time to load... that makes it feel a little clunky at times.

 

Edit TIP: Have learned though to hit the shoulder cannon ability right after hitting whatever is next in my rotation. If you are simply spamming it or you hit SC the same time or right before hitting a normal ability it can kinda screw up the GCD where your main ability doesn't go off or seems delayed. Works much better if you time the SC immediately following hitting a GCD ability.

Edited by Keypek
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I like having it in pve. It's basically extra free damage. If you have all your abilities keybound you just basically spam it empty while doing your normal rotation. Nice to have for burn phases as well if you time it right. And being able to use while cc'ed is sweet. Do wish it was on a 60s CD though instead of 1:30. And/or the missiles loaded up front instead of taking time to load... that makes it feel a little clunky at times.

 

Edit TIP: Have learned though to hit the shoulder cannon ability right after hitting whatever is next in my rotation. If you are simply spamming it or you hit SC the same time or right before hitting a normal ability it can kinda screw up the GCD where your main ability doesn't go off or seems delayed. Works much better if you time the SC immediately following hitting a GCD ability.

 

i'm thinking most vanguards/pt's have'nt figured out how to properly use this ability yet.. and if they actually give it some time to figure out how to apply it to their rotations they might stop crying so hard about how useless their class have become.. granted it could use bit of a reduced cd.. 1 min would be better imo.

 

here's a hint.. you dont have to wait for it to be fully loaded to use it.. it'll keep loading while you use it

Edited by hallucigenocide
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Let me spec in to an ability called "overload" that fires all missiles at once. Then the shoulder cannon becomes awesomesauce. As it is, I tend to agree that it's pretty meh in comparison to the other new abilities. The damage is mediocre and I just don't see it making a difference in high end pvp. As someone noted previously, it can/will make a difference in guarding a node/door/pylon. It would be better if the range was greater than 10m. Seriously, who fires a missile at someone 10m away?
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Let me spec in to an ability called "overload" that fires all missiles at once. Then the shoulder cannon becomes awesomesauce. As it is, I tend to agree that it's pretty meh in comparison to the other new abilities. The damage is mediocre and I just don't see it making a difference in high end pvp. As someone noted previously, it can/will make a difference in guarding a node/door/pylon. It would be better if the range was greater than 10m. Seriously, who fires a missile at someone 10m away?

 

that would make you op once again.. consider this you can instead use it together with 4+ abilities(depending on spec) giving each of them a nice damage boost.. i do agree though that the 10m range is a bit questionable but it does'nt bother me much since i tend to get up close and personal anyways... just bind it so that it's easy to access and then you can slap 1 on with each strong ability you got.. for pyro/assault for instance rocket punch+ 1 missile, also fire 1 away when TD/AP is about to to blow and ofc let one accompany RB/HIB..

 

spamming shoulder cannon wont benefit you much but if you attach 1 missile to 1 of every heavy hitter you got then you'll find yourself with a decent amount of extra burst

Edited by hallucigenocide
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what he said.

i would only LOVE to see one change - make shoulder cannon usable WHILE channeling flame thrower.

Please.

I would love that, that is the first thing I tested when I got it, I though of the awesomeness it would have as Tactics/AP but alas it cannot :( I still like it though, 7 rockets is nice as tactics or the rare time I go tank in pvp the healing from it is a life savior since it allows you to heal while stunned.

Edited by BardaTheHobo
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that would make you op once again.. consider this you can instead use it together with 4+ abilities(depending on spec) giving each of them a nice damage boost.. i do agree though that the 10m range is a bit questionable but it does'nt bother me much since i tend to get up close and personal anyways... just bind it so that it's easy to access and then you can slap 1 on with each strong ability you got.. for pyro/assault for instance rocket punch+ 1 missile, also fire 1 away when TD/AP is about to to blow and ofc let one accompany RB/HIB..

 

spamming shoulder cannon wont benefit you much but if you attach 1 missile to 1 of every heavy hitter you got then you'll find yourself with a decent amount of extra burst

 

This is a good piece of information. I believe that I was in fact misunderstanding its freedom from the GCD. If I can pop an HIB and then stack a rocket on top during the 1.5 GCD then that should add some much needed punch. Thanks for the constructive feedback. :)

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It's not a bad power. It's just not a great power. It's underwhelming. They need to up the damage, or replace AP in assault with a launch all missiles power... Or increase the range on it. Quite honestly outside of pve tanking non bosses... It's meh. In pvp... It doesn't heal for that much... Again, it's not bad. It's just not in par with scamper, teleport, or other new abilities.
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The shoulder cannon is pretty much useless. It takes too long to load, too long to fire, and doesn't do very much damage. It is worthless in PvE while the other abilities are not. Yeah you can use it while you are stunned, but who cares when it's so slow to fire, doesn't do any real significant damage and with the increase dps of every other class you die so fast while stunned to really benefit from it.

 

Electro Net is worthless in PvE, since all the boss mobs have immunity to movement impairing effects. At least shoulder cannon will add 4.5k of damage over 90 seconds.

 

Personally I really like the gameplay aspects of shoulder cannon. You are pressing buttons much faster. It makes the game a lot of fun. It's just a shame you get to do that for 6 seconds out of every 120 or so. If shoulder cannon were on a 30 sec CD, I'd actually play my Pyro again.

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Electro Net is worthless in PvE, since all the boss mobs have immunity to movement impairing effects. At least shoulder cannon will add 4.5k of damage over 90 seconds.

 

It's not worthless. It won't snare, but it'll still add DPS, more if they move.

 

It's just like using it against a player in PVP if they use their stun break. You'll still get damage out of it, for cheap.

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It's not worthless. It won't snare, but it'll still add DPS, more if they move.

 

It's just like using it against a player in PVP if they use their stun break. You'll still get damage out of it, for cheap.

 

It's worthless. You just spent a GCD that you could have used to try and proc Unload. So yeah you did damage, but no additional (marginal) damage over what you would have done if you had been active. And no, if a player uses his cc breaker, your damage will not increase. Same with boss mobs. Shoulder cannon is a significantly better buff for pve than electro net. Now on the other hand, electro net is better than shoulder cannon for pvp.

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