Next merc is Phantom (Katana, invisibility)

(jazevec) #1

//youtu.be/nBqAXM5gY20

Can become almost invisible for short duration. It also serves as damage shield (hits reduce duration, not health).

Has katana which is harder to use, but unlike a real one better than other melee weapons.

(Volcano) #2

great can’t wait for my pubs to be full of these clowns

(PinkFrog) #3

I’m having a bit of a hard time imagining the value of this guy. Especially when you play against people who are focused.
I mean, it looks like he is really easy to see when cloaked, especially in peripheral vision.

We’ll see (pun not intended :rolleyes:)

(poiuasd) #4

The value of this guy is the fact that he wins every duel because he has 120hp and the cloak that absorbs incoming damage, not to mention that he has access to the best SMGs.

(DB Genome editor) #5

You do realize that the cloak goes off as soon as Phantom shoots back, right?

(jazevec) #6

Which is not an issue at all when you’re sprinting at someone with a melee weapon.

Yup, I expect this class to be a main noob magnet together with Vasili. Especially if he comes with Looter perk has no Mechanic in his loadouts.

Main counter seems to be heartbeat sensor. Fletcher also has a stylish way to kill Phantoms - direct hits with Sticky Bomb and wait until damage shield runs out. I think it many cases it will be better to track Phantom without firing a shot, because you don’t want to start the real duel with a depleted magazine.

I wonder if turrets can track phantoms.

I suspect Red Eye will be able to use IR gogles to reveal Phantoms. Heartbeat sensors do. On the other hand, phantom can counter Vasili outside of HB sensor range because of damage shield. So it sort of seems that “Recon” mercs focus on countering each other! They will be TDM-ing all over the map insted of doing the objective.

(DarkangelUK) #7

Energy is depleted a lot faster when sprinting therefore the spare ‘energy’ they have for taking hits will be reduced very quickly, probably to nothing before they even get close to melee. I suspect it’ll be more handy to cloak as you encounter an enemy so he’s forced to use more bullets bullets on you, then when the cloak shield is gone lay into them with your gun as they’ll need to reload to finish you off… depending how bad they are at headshots.

(PinkFrog) #8

I imagine the Phantoms sitting next to an MG in the corner for 10 minutes, hoping that somebody from the other team passes by and can be stabbed in the back.
Fun for the whole family.

(kenpokiller) #9

Seeing as the cloaking doesn’t last long he does seem subpar

Still seems viable to just use cloaking as a shield.

There’s no denying to dat katana tho.

Steal uniforms pls!

(fzl) #10

old and uninterrested…

(jazevec) #11

120 health, nearly as fast as Proxy. Top tier SMGs, but katana is not in all loadouts. Katana is not an ability. This makes it possible to add it… to other mercs later! Ewww.

(spookify) #12

Crouch shoot Phantom? Popping Heads! Will he have enough pop to multi kill and or gib…

He is a solider so he need to compete with a fragger, sky or arty… So him being this strong might be good.

(AssortedStuff) #13

I might be wrong but this is a merc mainly intended to keep the “general public” entertained (since DB is F2P it has to come with some bells an whistles).
I don’t think it will be used that often in tournaments, but we’ll have to see.

(Protekt1) #14

The reason the shield was added to the stealth mechanic is for the very reason pinkfrog pointed out. It makes his ability useful even when your opponents know where you are. Surviving a sniper round or explosive is a big deal imo, especially in upper ranks of gameplay where snipers and fraggers are pretty dominant. We’ll have to see if and how this merc shakes up the meta.

I am looking forward to this merc being released. I guess it isn’t today though :frowning:

(Bloodbite) #15

[QUOTE=spookify;532732]Crouch shoot Phantom? Popping Heads! Will he have enough pop to multi kill and or gib…

He is a solider so he need to compete with a fragger, sky or arty… So him being this strong might be good.[/QUOTE]

I thought he was a covert ops. Arty and Skyhammer are supply/field ops. The soldier units right now are Fragger and Rhino.

I can see people posting OP complaints when some folks start teaming up with a Rhino/Aura choke. Or maybe a new Phantom/Sparks griefing duo.

Phantom will become a true menace in those tight C4 locations too.

(NeroKirbus) #16

[QUOTE=Bloodbite;532793]I thought he was a covert ops. Arty and Skyhammer are supply/field ops. The soldier units right now are Fragger and Rhino.

I can see people posting OP complaints when some folks start teaming up with a Rhino/Aura choke. Or maybe a new Phantom/Sparks griefing duo.

Phantom will become a true menace in those tight C4 locations too.[/QUOTE]

what’s more annoying than a rhino/aura combo is a sparks/nader combo. You can’t gib the nader quick enough, and if you run up to knife her she just martyrdoms you. On top of that, a good sparks will be out of line of sight, so you can’t focus the medic to kill her. HNNGHGHGHHG.

(PinkFrog) #17

It’s like SD introduced a whack-a-mole minigame into DB…

(BioSnark) #18

note that this is a thing,

(SeppOCE) #19

[QUOTE=PinkFrog;532708]I’m having a bit of a hard time imagining the value of this guy. Especially when you play against people who are focused.
I mean, it looks like he is really easy to see when cloaked, especially in peripheral vision.

We’ll see (pun not intended :rolleyes:)[/QUOTE]

He’s an Assassin like Vassili so his value is what you can make of him really.

(Szakalot) #20

you can approach the nader with a knife threatening a gib: either she uses martyrdom - and you run away - or she doesnt - and she gets gibbed.