Note that all of these Carbines are common to the Light Assault AND engineer classes. Both the gun unlocks AND all purchase attachments can be used on both classes without having to buy them twice.
Carbines, General
Solstice
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 1.65s/2.2s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 698
The Solstice is a solid all-rounder, with all the major options. Really, there’s not much to say about this weapon, and its inclusion here is really only for comparison purposes.
Solstice Burst (100)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 1.65s/2.2s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 698
As with all Burst variant weapons, the only difference between this and the Solstice is that it has a 3 round burst firing mode. Skip it. You can do the same thing for free by not having horrible trigger discipline.
Solstice SF (500)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 1.65s/2.2s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 698
The SF variant Solstice is a fairly excellent upgrade for a generalist. It offers both ammunition types, scopes from 1x reflex up to 6x, all the barrel options, and all of the rail options. The Underbarrel grenade/smoke launchers are especially notable for their utility. The GL will kill in one hit, but has a very very narrow splash radius (though it is very accurate once you learn its drop). It’s particularly excellent for LA’s jumping in. The Smoke, on the other hand, is pretty solid for providing a screen for an engineer who needs to repair a vehicle in a somewhat hot zone and wants some cover from sniper fire.
The Underbarrel Shotgun is notable for being horrible. It is a one-shot kill, only at point blank range, where you could have just shot them in the head with like four normal shots. It also has a one-shot magazine, which is pretty awful.
Carbines, CQC
VX6-7 (1000)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 2.15s/2.7s
Speed: 465m/s
ROF: 800
Serpent (1000)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 2.65s/3.8s
Speed: 420m/s
ROF: 845
Both of these are AMAZING short-range carbines with slight differences to set them apart. Both of them get the excellent Advanced Laser Sight, and should never be used without this attachment.
In the VX’s favor, it has a notably better cone of fire when firing from the hip, as well as a significantly faster reload time. Additionally, the slightly faster bullet velocity means it doesn’t feel like you have to overcompensate for leading shots too much.
In the Serpent’s favor, the faster ROF gives it higher DPS. It also has slightly lower per-shot recoil than the VX does (though the faster ROF means it has fairly similar overall recoil behavior). The lower per-shot recoil is more manageable in ADS fire modes, though, giving the Serpent slightly better mid-range accuracy (though it’s still not great). The Serpent also has lower first-shot recoil multipliers (2.5x instead of the VX’s 3x), which further cements its mid-range ADS advantage. The projectiles on this thing are slow as balls though, meaning you WILL have to lead targets, especially if you use a suppressor.
Either of these is a fantastic option. My personal preference is for the better hipfire on the VX – if I want a CQC carbine, I want it to be VERY CQC, not to dabble in midranges. That said, if you can compensate for the slight accuracy differences, the lower TTK of the Serpent may be more to your liking. If anyone cares, the VX’s recoil is up and to the right, while the Serpent’s is up and to the left, though I doubt that will sway you one way or the other.
Carbines, Long-Range
Pulsar C (250)
Damage: 167-112@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 2s/2.65s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 577
The Pulsar C is an EXCELLENT long-range option. As is standard for long range weapons, its shots hit nice and hard (it also has a naturally extended falloff range – 112m compare to the usual 100m). It can equip sights up to 6x, as well as the fantastic Advanced Foregrip rail accessory. With a Compensator and Adv. Foregrip, you have a brilliant medium-long range platform. Its relatively low ROF means you will be flat outclassed at point-blank ranges though, but Engineers should rarely be in that position and Light Assaults can often jet out of it. If you want to take your LA up to some hidden perch and plink at the groundies, this is a great weapon for you.
Recommendations:
--The Solstice SF's versatility makes it a great early option, and I recommend packing it when venturing into unknown territory.
--Either of the short-range options are fantastic weapons, but they fill a tactical niche that *can* be mostly filled by a shotgun, so you may want to avoid buying one of these.
--The Pulsar C is fantastic at what it does, but it will get you killed up close. Personally, I wouldn't advise going for this unless you're very sure that it's how you want to play. I do use it occasionally, but purely in a harassment role (eg, getting on a roof in a bio lab as light assault)
--The multi-class support here makes buying any Carbine a very attractive option if you multi-role heavily. Engi and LA are my most commonly played classes anyways.
Carbines, General
Solstice
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 1.65s/2.2s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 698
The Solstice is a solid all-rounder, with all the major options. Really, there’s not much to say about this weapon, and its inclusion here is really only for comparison purposes.
Solstice Burst (100)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 1.65s/2.2s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 698
As with all Burst variant weapons, the only difference between this and the Solstice is that it has a 3 round burst firing mode. Skip it. You can do the same thing for free by not having horrible trigger discipline.
Solstice SF (500)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 1.65s/2.2s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 698
The SF variant Solstice is a fairly excellent upgrade for a generalist. It offers both ammunition types, scopes from 1x reflex up to 6x, all the barrel options, and all of the rail options. The Underbarrel grenade/smoke launchers are especially notable for their utility. The GL will kill in one hit, but has a very very narrow splash radius (though it is very accurate once you learn its drop). It’s particularly excellent for LA’s jumping in. The Smoke, on the other hand, is pretty solid for providing a screen for an engineer who needs to repair a vehicle in a somewhat hot zone and wants some cover from sniper fire.
The Underbarrel Shotgun is notable for being horrible. It is a one-shot kill, only at point blank range, where you could have just shot them in the head with like four normal shots. It also has a one-shot magazine, which is pretty awful.
Carbines, CQC
VX6-7 (1000)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 2.15s/2.7s
Speed: 465m/s
ROF: 800
Serpent (1000)
Damage: 143-100@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 2.65s/3.8s
Speed: 420m/s
ROF: 845
Both of these are AMAZING short-range carbines with slight differences to set them apart. Both of them get the excellent Advanced Laser Sight, and should never be used without this attachment.
In the VX’s favor, it has a notably better cone of fire when firing from the hip, as well as a significantly faster reload time. Additionally, the slightly faster bullet velocity means it doesn’t feel like you have to overcompensate for leading shots too much.
In the Serpent’s favor, the faster ROF gives it higher DPS. It also has slightly lower per-shot recoil than the VX does (though the faster ROF means it has fairly similar overall recoil behavior). The lower per-shot recoil is more manageable in ADS fire modes, though, giving the Serpent slightly better mid-range accuracy (though it’s still not great). The Serpent also has lower first-shot recoil multipliers (2.5x instead of the VX’s 3x), which further cements its mid-range ADS advantage. The projectiles on this thing are slow as balls though, meaning you WILL have to lead targets, especially if you use a suppressor.
Either of these is a fantastic option. My personal preference is for the better hipfire on the VX – if I want a CQC carbine, I want it to be VERY CQC, not to dabble in midranges. That said, if you can compensate for the slight accuracy differences, the lower TTK of the Serpent may be more to your liking. If anyone cares, the VX’s recoil is up and to the right, while the Serpent’s is up and to the left, though I doubt that will sway you one way or the other.
Carbines, Long-Range
Pulsar C (250)
Damage: 167-112@115m
Mag: 30/150
Reload: 2s/2.65s
Speed: 515m/s
ROF: 577
The Pulsar C is an EXCELLENT long-range option. As is standard for long range weapons, its shots hit nice and hard (it also has a naturally extended falloff range – 112m compare to the usual 100m). It can equip sights up to 6x, as well as the fantastic Advanced Foregrip rail accessory. With a Compensator and Adv. Foregrip, you have a brilliant medium-long range platform. Its relatively low ROF means you will be flat outclassed at point-blank ranges though, but Engineers should rarely be in that position and Light Assaults can often jet out of it. If you want to take your LA up to some hidden perch and plink at the groundies, this is a great weapon for you.
Recommendations:
--The Solstice SF's versatility makes it a great early option, and I recommend packing it when venturing into unknown territory.
--Either of the short-range options are fantastic weapons, but they fill a tactical niche that *can* be mostly filled by a shotgun, so you may want to avoid buying one of these.
--The Pulsar C is fantastic at what it does, but it will get you killed up close. Personally, I wouldn't advise going for this unless you're very sure that it's how you want to play. I do use it occasionally, but purely in a harassment role (eg, getting on a roof in a bio lab as light assault)
--The multi-class support here makes buying any Carbine a very attractive option if you multi-role heavily. Engi and LA are my most commonly played classes anyways.
Last edited by Virtia on Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:16 pm; edited 1 time in total