Making Phantom Viable Again?

[Doggerinoz]

@SnakekillerX - The spot icon could also be coloured differently so people would know that it is a Phantom spot, and could be used as an assassinate target kind of queue.

I think it should have a target or a cross-hair icon over his head for the Phantom marker and that it should give team members say +30EXP or +50EXP for Phantom assigned/spotted players, except you can only Phantom spot one enemy at once to prevent massive EXP dumps for say when the enemies get spawn wiped? I dunno maybe a EXP dump would be good for Phantom to reward players more for playing him. Just my thoughts though.

[STARRYSOCK]

I still hold to my initial idea that would catapult him into a more useful state, not that his current state isn’t useful at all, (I just topped the scoreboard in a full stopwatch using only him) but he could use more to be viable against other mercs as a team pick as opposed to a solo killing machine. Just giving him a throwable EMP nade and taking away the EMP effect from his cloak to make it a separate ability would instantly shove him into viability without breaking any balance.

The cloak EMP is much more useful than a grenade. An invisible ghost doesn’t suit this game, that’s why they added the sound effects to his cloak and made him more visible. Being able to actually hold down deployables while his team pushes is what sets him apart.
Sure, maybe separate the abilities so he can use his cloak without necessarily EMPing, but don’t turn it into a throwable. Losing the continuous EMP effect wouldn’t help him at all.

[ThunderZsolt]

[quote=“STARRYSOCK;c-227926”]
Sure, maybe separate the abilities so he can use his cloak without necessarily EMPing, but don’t turn it into a throwable. Losing the continuous EMP effect wouldn’t help him at all.[/quote]

Vassili can throw his sensor, and it stays there functioning. Phantom could have a similar device disabling enemy deployables.
When someone says “throwable” it doesn’t necessarily mean how Thunder’s EMP used to work.

I’d say buff his cloak’s CD and make it work like Redeye’s goggles would be enough. Not every merc should be top tier OP imo - Phantom is good to mess around, and inducing some rage on the enemy team.
If he would be really good, nobody would get annoyed if a Phantom killed him.

[TheStrangerous]

[quote=“STARRYSOCK;c-227926”]
The cloak EMP is much more useful than a grenade. An invisible ghost doesn’t suit this game, that’s why they added the sound effects to his cloak and made him more visible. [/quote]

I’m pretty sure they made him half-invisible and noisy due to the fact, that he can instantly shoot from his cloak (which was a bad idea from the start), instead of turning it off first.

Do wonder if there’s any other alternative ability, replacing refractive armor.
Disguise perhaps? In ET:Territory Covert Ops can undress dead hostiles and pretend to be one, not sure how useful that was.

[Brycko]

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find Phantom to be surprisingly tanky with his refractive armour. In many ways we works better as an invisible tank than an assassin. But its weird.

Phantom has too many abilities that contradict: His refractive armour is nullified by the noise and frankly how visible he is when running around. So the best thing to do is to stand still and aim for the head at the right time, or go in swing your katana wildly,running around like a homicidal maniac.

But then you have to run around to use the EMP, which is countered by the noise, so you get shot and the EMP disactivates before you even get in range of any deployables :’(

Basically, there are 2 ways to play Phantom:

1. Run around like and invisible tank, charging in to melee and destroy health stations (like now).

2. Stay put, sneak up on pesky snipers and take them out with a quick stab, shoot from the shadows, and throw in an EMP grenade to spot/support the team.

To make version 2 a reality;

• Decrease the protective value of his refractive armour, or simply remove it.
• EMP grenade that disables briefly (i.e 5 seconds) that also spots deployables (10 seconds). Otherwise might be a bit overpowered.
• New Loadout Cards featuring a longer range weapon (i.e trade in Crotzni for Driess)
• Phantom can’t sprint whilst refractive armour is on (Can’t just run in stabbing wildly)
• Decreased noise whilst cloaked
• Decreased visibility whilst crouching

In my dream of dreams we also get to see Phantom with the SUPER SEXY Selbstadt with Silencer:

I approve of an EMP grenade for Phantom. #FragsforPhantom

[SnakekillerX]

Rather have the current EMP field than a grenade honestly. Its nice being able to disable things like detectors and mines through walls without even knowing they were there to begin with.

If I had to throw a grenade at them it would probably be too late in many cases and I would be detected or blown up.

A hidden single target spot for assassinations (allowing people to focus on the same target for a quick take down) would be wonderful and I feel like Phantom would be just perfect.

[watsyurdeal]

So because you don’t know something is there…that is better than a grenade? Something you can literally throw to clear out for your team without endangering yourself???

[TheStrangerous]

Least they should’ve made a hotfix, by making current EMP a separate ability (default “E” key).

Kinda like in Crysis games, with different suit modes.

P.S.

I demand “CLOAK ENGAGED” quote once modding is allowed

[SnakekillerX]

So because you don’t know something is there…that is better than a grenade? Something you can literally throw to clear out for your team without endangering yourself???

That was an example of the ability saving you even in times where you didn’t mean to disable anything.

A different example… often you can hear an enemy device from the other side of a wall, and rather than throwing a grenade at the wall and hope you hit something through the wall and potentially miss it due to incorrect positioning. (since you can’t see through walls… I hope )

At least with the EMP aura you can activate it and walk around a bit near the wall and attempt to disable, and even stop there for a moment if needed while your team pushes. Which works really nicely against health stations. You might lose 1 man for that push, but they also lose their health station and might really be depending on it.

Its great for disabling detectors that get thrown in odd places, as you don’t have to guess and throw an EMP grenade at it to cancel it… but just cloak and walk around the area a bit until you see the “disabled +XP” message.

[watsyurdeal]

[quote=“watsyurdeal;c-227975”]So because you don’t know something is there…that is better than a grenade? Something you can literally throw to clear out for your team without endangering yourself???

That was an example of the ability saving you even in times where you didn’t mean to disable anything.

A different example… often you can hear an enemy device from the other side of a wall, and rather than throwing a grenade at the wall and hope you hit something through the wall and potentially miss it due to incorrect positioning. (since you can’t see through walls… I hope )

At least with the EMP aura you can activate it and walk around a bit near the wall and attempt to disable, and even stop there for a moment if needed while your team pushes. Which works really nicely against health stations. You might lose 1 man for that push, but they also lose their health station and might really be depending on it.

Its great for disabling detectors that get thrown in odd places, as you don’t have to guess and throw an EMP grenade at it to cancel it… but just cloak and walk around the area a bit until you see the “disabled +XP” message.[/quote]

The cloak already protects you from Turrets and Mines, as the cloak keeps you hidden from the turret and the armor soaks up the damage from the mine. The cloak now also gives you away immediately by disabling ammo and healing stations, so the enemy knows you are there and will kill you on sight. The spotter is irrelevant since you have to be blind not to be able to see phantom.

For everything the emp supposedly protects you from, it does far more to put you in harms way.

The EMP should be nade, so my team can still get the benefits of the EMP, without having to risk losing a player if I go down and get gibbed.

Plus it would be an excuse to buff cloak so it gives you full invis but disables attacking while cloaking, making Phantom the perfect Ambusher.

[hawkeyeguy99]

The EMP should be nade, so my team can still get the benefits of the EMP, without having to risk losing a player if I go down and get gibbed.

^^^ THIS. This is the main problem with Phantom. Because he has to physically be in the area to disable anything, meaning he becomes a solo pusher and usually ends up dying alone with the rest of his team fighting. If you separate the EMP and make it a nade similar to Vasilli’s spotter that sends out say, 3 pulses to disable stuff in the area, he could throw it forward, disabling healing stations, mines, turrets, etc WITHOUT putting himself in danger. Then he can go be sneaky beaky elsewhere without ever giving away his location. I’d be down to even main that kind of merc because he’d have so much more use in a team chemistry.