In these posts I will have a small set of blasters, their purpose, their strengths and their weaknesses along with pictures.
Scenario Description: Close range combat with lots of walls and other obstacles in the way. Range not particularly important. Usually few players, thus usually small or no teams.
Keys to Victory: Mobility/maneuverability, adapting quickly to changes in scenario, fast firing blasters with short reload times.
Unnecessary Burdens: Weight, bulk, excessive amounts of ammo, slow firing blasters, large blasters, unnecessary sidearms, unnecessary attachments.
Dart Tag 1 CQC
Primary: DT Furyfire (on bandolier?)
Secondary: DT Sharp Shot (on Ammo Belt, optional)
Gear: Vortex Ammo Belt (pouch, blaster hook - secondary)
Ammo: Darts
Purpose: Providing good range, accuracy and reasonable capacity without burdening the user with weight and bulk
Strengths: Maneuverability, potshots, reloading on the go
Weaknesses: Capacity, spam fire, reloading numerous darts
Description: This loadout is small and light, intended for fast paced, close range and short games. The Furyfire provides a decent capacity, range and great accuracy as well as easy single shot reloading. Its main weakness is its inability to reload all darts quickly. The Sharp Shot is slightly more powerful and a lot smaller for potshots and around corners shots. It also can cover you while you reload the Furyfire. The Vortex Belt holds both the Sharp Shot in a quick-draw position, and over 30 spare darts for reloading.
Dart Tag 2 CQC
Primary: DT Snapfire 8
Secondary: DT Sharp Shot (on Ammo Belt, optional)
Gear: Vortex Ammo Belt (pouch, blaster hook - secondary)
Ammo: Darts
Purpose: Providing instant-fire reasonably powerful shots, while still being highly maneuverable and light
Strengths: Maneuverability, potshots, reloading on the go, not having to prime every shot
Weaknesses: Capacity, spam fire, reloading numerous darts
Description: This loadout is even smaller and lighter than the above, intended for super short games. The Snapfire is ideal for indoor CQC as it allows you to fire blindly around corners more than once without the annoyance of flywheels. It is also reasonably powerful and superlight and small. Of course, you lack high capacity, but generally in CQC you have time to reload a few shots, and the Snapfire's open turret is great for reloading. The Sharp Shot is for accurate, long range shots as the Snapfire isn't that accurate on power mode beyond 8m.
Clip (Mag) System 1 CQC
NOTE: Anywhere in this loadout where it says 'Recon' can be replaced with 'Retaliator' as the two have identical functions and almost identical designs.
Primary: Recon CS-6 (any stock or no stock, no barrel, several 6,12,18 clips [mags] or 18 drums)
Secondary: Any dart firing single shot (in Tac Vest)
Gear: N-Strike Tactical Vest (spare clips [mags]/drums, spare ammo, secondary)
Ammo: Several clips (mags)/drums, darts for secondary
Purpose: Providing reasonable range and high, easily replaceable capacity without burdening the user with a large amount of weight and bulk
Weaknesses: Accuracy (Recon only), vulnerability while reloading, spam fire
Description: This is the smallest clip (mag) system loadout possible. The use of 18 drums/clips (mags) allows good capacity without great weight and bulk. The Recon is capable of a decent ROF with reasonable range, but the inaccuracy of Streamlines really hurts the Recon. The Recon is also only compatible with Streamlines, thus hurting your dart compatibility. Because of its CS nature, the Recon is quick to reload, but while reloading you are completely vulnerable to attack. For these reasons a dart firing single shot is necessary. Not only will it allow the use of all other darts, but it will allow you to fire accurate potshots and cover yourself when reloading the Recon. The Tac Vest allows you to hold 4 spare clips (mags) (and the bandolier 6 more), meaning you can outlast a lot of opponents from sheer capacity. It also holds extra ammo for your secondary and the secondary itself.Clip (Mag) System 2 CQC
Primary: Alpha Trooper CS-18 (any stock or no stock, several 6,12,18 clips [mags] or 18 drums)
Secondary: Any dart firing single shot (in Tac Vest)
Gear: N-Strike Tactical Vest (spare clips [mags]/drums, spare ammo, secondary)Ammo: Several clips (mags)/drums, darts for secondary
Purpose: Providing reasonable range and high, easily replaceable capacity without burdening the user with a large amount of weight and bulk
Strengths: Outlasting opponents (capacity), maneuverability, reloading, rapid fire
Weaknesses: Accuracy (AT only), vulnerability while reloading
Description: Slightly larger than CS 1, this combo adds maybe 100g in weight and 10-15cm extra length, but for the extra bulk and weight you get the ability to slam-fire with the awesomeness that is the Alpha Trooper. Pretty much everything else is identical to CS-1, including necessities for the secondary.
Revolver 1 CQCPrimary: Spectre REV-5 (any stock, no barrel)
Secondary: None
Gear: Vortex Ammo Belt (pouch)
Ammo: Darts
Purpose: A super lightweight combo for quick, close range and short matches.
Strengths: Maneuverability, accuracy, stability
Weaknesses: Vulnerability while reloading, low capacity, several opponents
Description: An extremely lightweight combo, with just a Spectre you won't be taking on loads of people. This combo is more oriented towards 1v1 or 2v2 duels where high capacity is not totally necessary. The maneuverability of the Spectre coupled with its range and accuracy make it a highly effective blaster if used correctly. Note the lack of sidearm - the Spectre is reliable enough that you won't need another blaster which would just burden you anyway.
Vortex 1 CQC
Primary: Praxis/Lumitron/Pyragon
Secondary: Dart firing single shot (e.g. Jolt)
Gear: Vortex Ammo Belt (pouch, mag holders, blaster holder)Ammo: Vortex mags, discs, darts
Purpose: Giving the user the advantages of disc blasters, while still allowing them to use all main ammo types.
Strengths: Range, accuracy, ricochet shots, ammo compatability, quick reloads, not totally vulnerable when reloading
Weaknesses: Discs are rarer than darts (in general), discs curving at longer ranges
Description: The Vortex line brought with it incredible stock ranges and great accuracy. This can be exploited in an indoor situation, where Vortex mag blasters reload faster than revolvers, and have greater accuracy than mag system blasters. Obviously they are at a disadvantage when they run out (discs are rarer than darts), but in CQC generally if you're well prepared that won't happen.
Thanks, I've had a Alpha Trooper for some time now. Never really figure out a good loadout, and my friend said I should go with a 36 shot drum. I consider these a pain to carry, so I use 2 18 shot clips attached with a dual magazine clip. Is these a fairly good loadout? I prefer the dual mag clip for it's easy reload while on the field, plus it makes restocking easy. Does this sound like a good idea?
ReplyDeleteYeah, a dual 18 clip is probably the best way to go. I've found that a 35 drum can't keep up if you slamfire an AT or rapid fire a Rayven, and you don't want your blaster jamming up on you when you need it. 18 clips don't have the misfeeding problem, and can feed fast enough to support an AT with no jams.
DeleteI personally hate 35 drums because they're really large and heavy, and have a tendency to misfeed/jam. My favourite in the 18 clip which feeds fast enough for pretty much any blaster, as well as looking good and being easy to store (easily stacked).
why do you like the AT so much and the retailiator isnt like the recon its soooooooooooooo much better
DeleteI like the AT because of its comfortable design, pump action and slam fire, as well as its low price, and (at the time of its release) above average range and accuracy.
DeleteNowadays I prefer the EAT over other Elites because of the pump action and slam fire, since the Elite clip system blasters share the same plunger tube dimensions.
The Retaliator uses the same base shell as the Recon, and thus for the purpose of CQC where range is somewhat irrelevant, serves the same purposes as the Recon.
Well I have the retailiator and can figure out what to do with it.Can you help?
ReplyDeleteWell from what I know, the Retaliator is reasonably reliable (haven't heard jam complaints) so you won't need a high capacity sidearm; a Nitefinder or Jolt (or other single shot) should do just fine for backup.
DeleteAs for attachments, you'll probably be best with just the Retaliator stock (sturdy, comfortable and small for good maneuverability), and whatever clips/drums you please except the 35 drum. I personally find that the 35 drum is too bulky and heavy for most blasters, particularly the smaller blasters.
You'll want to avoid open confrontations if other players are using blasters such as ATs and Raiders with superior ROF, so you're probably best sticking to cover and firing off shots whenevr possible.
Basically, just remember that the Retaliator is not a sub machine gun. You cannot run and spray and pray with it, but you can take reasonably accurate potshots with it. If you stick to cover and fire off well aimed shots, you should do fine.
you must be some special kind of stupid to suggest a reacon, they have a jam rate close to 50% in my experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm special, yes, but I'm definitely not stupid.
DeleteWhen using older, more worn out darts with slower feeding clips/drums (e.g. an old Raider drum) a Recon can have a jam rate of 20% or more if you're not careful. A smart user can reduce this to 5-10% by taking care when reloading, loading clips, and priming.
When using good/new darts in fast feeding clips (e.g. 6,12,18 clips) Recon jam rates are 5% at most, and almost never occur with good users.
It also helps to use a newer Recon. My old Recon has jam rates about twice that of new Recons, at up to 30-40% with worn darts (I take care when using that Recon).
In any case, the Retaliator is so much better than a Recon, and from my experience never jams.
the stryfe fitted out with the retaliator stock and grip may be good for cqc, in theory of course. thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI'm in the process of adding new (updated) loadouts, and a Stryfe is definitely a possibility for CQC.
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