Weapons: Heavy Assault LMGs

First, let me apologize in that the HA LMGs are my weakest point. I don’t really play HA much, and while I have toyed with their weaponry, I am no expert at this. If you have personal experience with any of these weapons, please feel free to chime in.

LMGs, General
Orion
Damage: 143-112@115m
Mag: 50/200
Reload: 2.8s/4.6s
Speed: 615m/s
ROF: 750
All the factions’ base LMGs are decent all-rounders. It’s got low per-shot recoil and is very controllable at medium-long range. The Orion is notable for having the highest ROF an highest DPS of all Vanu LMGs, and thus the lowest TTK. Its relative lack of attachment diversity, however, means that you’re probably better served specializing in another weapon. Notably, the Orion has 0.75x ADS walk speed.


Pulsar LSW (100)
Damage: 143-112@115m
Mag: 75/300
Reload: 3.2s/4s
Speed: 620m/s
ROF: 698
This is a pretty straight upgrade of the Orion. It’s got a 50% larger magazine and more reserve ammo in exchange for a slightly lower ROF and longer reload time. Notably, it also has slightly lower per-shot recoil (although it pulls right, whereas the Orion is balanced horizontal) and the exact same recoil bloom characteristics as the Orion. Combined with a slightly slower ROF, it’s a touch more controllable at medium range.

Considering it’s only 100 cert, if you’ve ever had a problem with running low on ammo with the Orion, give the Pulsar LSW a look. I find I tend to use around 18-20 bullets/kill with the Orion on average, so this extra mag capacity could easily mean one more kill per reload.


SVA-88 (500)
Damage: 143-112@115m
Mag: 75/300
Reload: 3.84s/4.8s
Speed: 630m/s
ROF: 698
This weapon is basically a slightly longer-range variant of the Pulsar LSW. It can take HV Ammo and a 6x scope (the Pulsar maxes at a 4x scope), and it has MUCH lower first-shot recoil (1.5x compared to the Pulsar’s 2.75x). It undoes the recoil characteristics of the Pulsar, though (bloom is identical, but it has basically the same per-shot recoil as the Orion). Notably, it also has 0.75x ADS walk speed.

If you’re looking for an Orion with slightly better long-range punch without losing too much close-range ability, check this one out.


Flare (250)
Damage: 167-125@125m
Mag: 75/300
Reload: 4s/5s
Speed: 600m/s
ROF: 577
The Flare is the generalist LMG for the Vanu HA. You can take basically any attachment, allowing you to spec for either short or long range engagements. While its ROF is pretty anemic, it does have better damage than the other Orion-frame Vanu LMGs. It has better ADS accuracy than any of the Orion frame weapons.

Notably, this can also take the extended magazine rail attachment, bringing you over 100 rounds per magazine.

For its relatively cheap cost at 250 cert, if you’re only going to get one LMG upgrade, make it this one. For a few hundred cert more, you can have a variant for close-range base assaults and a variant for long-range suppression fire on the same frame.


LMG, CQC
VX-29 Polaris (1000)
Damage: 143-112@115m
Mag: 100/300
Reload: 4.185s/5.1s
Speed: 625m/s
ROF: 652
Technically, this is another Orion variant, but it is noticeably kitted out for close range with its Advanced Laser Sight. The enormous magazine allows you to hold a location like no other. If you want to play an Arnold Schwarzenegger class badass and walk in with your own minigun with inexhaustible ammo swinging from your hip, this is as close as you’re going to get.

It has similar recoil characteristics to the LSW, but with the lower rate of fire you’re really starting to take a hit on damage potential here, so it’s less appropriate for medium-range fighting.


LMG, Long-Range
Ursa (1000)
Damage: 167-125@125m
Mag: 75/300
Reload: 3.6s/4.5s
Speed: 640m/s
ROF: 550
This is basically a long-range focused version of the Flare. It has ever so slightly better long-range accuracy (a slightly lower first-shot recoil multiplier and slightly lower per-shot recoil), slightly better reload times, and slightly better bullet velocity, but a slightly lower ROF and no SP ammo to compensate.

Ultimately, the Ursa outperforms the Flare at long ranges by about the same amount that the Flare outperforms the Ursa at close ranges. The choice comes down to what your focus is, but note that the Flare is significantly cheaper than the Ursa (200SC or a massive 750 cert).


Recommendations:
Save yourself a lot of trouble and just only buy the Flare. It's all you really need and it is cheap. The difference between its generalist capacity and the specialist weapons is not sufficient to justify the specialist weapons' price tags in my book (Carbines? Hell yes. Here? Not so much).
That's not to say the specialist weapons are poor at their roles. Rather, they're quite good. The problem is just with relative cost. If you're not already rolling in certs, your time is probably better spent buying into the Flare first. If you've got cert/SC to burn, by all means grab the Polaris or the Ursa; you'll be quite pleased with them as long as you play to their strengths.

Okay I play Heavy Assault primarily, and while I haven't used all of the guns, I have found a few things out about the guns I do use.

My favorite LMG so far is the SVA-88. As a generalist LMG it really excels. When Virtia says it has much lower first shot recoil he's not kidding. Compared to the Orion, that first shot is dead center every time, and even at very long ranges the second shot usually hits too.

My standard loadout for it is a VHO Reflex [2X] optic, the Compensator barrel, the Forward Grip rail, and High Velocity Ammunition. I've gotten in the habit of pretty much always firing down sights, unless I need to run somewhere. Even at close range my turn rate is fine, and the .75 move is really REALLY useful.

Firing from the hip is pretty inaccurate in comparison, as the initial cone isn't great, so only at knife range do i really pull out of ADS. More recently I've been experimenting with the TriGon-6 [6x] scope, and while it's great for head shotting snipers at pretty decent range, I miss the close range accuracy of the reflex.

That said, the Flare is next up on my list of things to try, so I'll let you know how that compares.

In Summary, the SVA-88 is solid at close range, will outgun most other heavies at long range, and really excels at medium range. 1v1 against other heavies, I pretty much only die at knife range to NC heavies, with their superior armor, and high DPS they can kill me fast when they're close enough that their bad accuracy doesn't matter.

Khodexus wrote:Okay I play Heavy Assault primarily, and while I haven't used all of the guns, I have found a few things out about the guns I do use.

My favorite LMG so far is the SVA-88. As a generalist LMG it really excels. When Virtia says it has much lower first shot recoil he's not kidding. Compared to the Orion, that first shot is dead center every time, and even at very long ranges the second shot usually hits too.

My standard loadout for it is a VHO Reflex [2X] optic, the Compensator barrel, the Forward Grip rail, and High Velocity Ammunition. I've gotten in the habit of pretty much always firing down sights, unless I need to run somewhere. Even at close range my turn rate is fine, and the .75 move is really REALLY useful.

Firing from the hip is pretty inaccurate in comparison, as the initial cone isn't great, so only at knife range do i really pull out of ADS. More recently I've been experimenting with the TriGon-6 [6x] scope, and while it's great for head shotting snipers at pretty decent range, I miss the close range accuracy of the reflex.

That said, the Flare is next up on my list of things to try, so I'll let you know how that compares.

In Summary, the SVA-88 is solid at close range, will outgun most other heavies at long range, and really excels at medium range. 1v1 against other heavies, I pretty much only die at knife range to NC heavies, with their superior armor, and high DPS they can kill me fast when they're close enough that their bad accuracy doesn't matter.

This thread has been replicated in the new forum; would you please duplicate your information over there?

(Also, NC doesn't have "superior armor" on infantry; they only get a bonus on Vanguard tank frontal armor)

I already did.