Recon mercs need a serious investigation, what are they here for?

(watsyurdeal) #1

So, something has been bugging me for quite some time in regards to Recon mercs, I feel like they lack a distinct role from the others.

Support Mercs, their main jobs are dealing with the EV, Ammo resupply, and just using their strikes to deal massive damage to an open area.

Objective Specialists, or Engineers, they are all about planting and defusing bombs, and all of their abilities revolve around objectives and buying time. Whether it’s Proxy’s mines, Bush’s turrets, or Fletcher’s Stickies, it’s about setting traps or forcing the enemy to be distracted with something else besides the bomb.

Medics, are of course all about healing and reviving people, no more needed there.

Assault Mercs, are all about damage, damage, and more damage. Nader with her strong area denial and bombardment, as well as just nailing directs and cleaning house in closed areas. Fragger with his nades and medium to long range weaponry, as well as having a little more health to survive better in open maps. And of course Rhino, who is all about taking damage, a literal wall.

But Recon mercs are quite a bit different…what exactly can they do?

I feel like the main brunt of the problem with mercs like Vasilli and Phantom, is that they don’t serve a particular role that is better or a decent alternative to other mercs. The only one I can say is an exception is Red Eye, it’s clear he is all about intel.

Giving the his team mates visual cover and spotting enemy forces, that all makes sense. But after the gibbing changes are made, what does Vasilli do for his team? And of course Phantom, he doesn’t kill better than Fragger, doesn’t tank much better than Rhino. And is honestly pretty weak for getting behind enemies.

I feel like Splash is going to have to work fairly hard to figure out how to buff these mercs, and give them something substantial that makes them worth using over the others.

(gg2ez) #2

For the lulz.

Recon mercs are essentially mercs for racking up individual assassinations and making the enemy team paranoid and confused. Each merc has a different way of doing it; Red with his smoke, Vas with his sensor and rifle, and Phant with his very visible-ness.

(RyePanda) #3

They could buff the spotting abilities.

(HeisenBurger) #4

Vassili serves a vital role in 5 v 5s and execution being able to take anyone out of the fight with a single well placed shot while also throwing heartbeat sensors to tell your teamates where enemies are.

(GottaBeGreg) #5

Recon Mercs, to use someone else’s description quite adequately, are Assasins and Ninja’s. They are there to take out high value targets in a way other than just Assaulting their way through. Troublesome medics reviving the enemy team? Send in your Phantom, Redeye or Vasilli to take them out from a more safe position that they can force, or a scenario in which they are in a preferential position.

Vasili preferentially hits a long range situation, and takes out mercs quickly and permanently.

Redeye makes the area his, smoking and reducing visibility to allow a single target to be effectivley dropped.

Phantom forces a close range encounter in his melee range, where he goes debatably unparalleled.

Recons are there to take out HVTs, filling in for the Assault classes that cant quite break certain scenarios due to one key merc. Assault are there to take out everyone, sure, but sometimes they have trouble against said HVTs, as some scenarios make HVT’s insanely important to progressing in offense or defense.

(CCP115) #6

Watchu on about fool

Vassili’s heartbeat sensor is an incredible spotting tool. The only one that needs recon changes is Phantom, because right now he has no spotting tool.

(jazevec) #7

To be fair, Phantom has high recon potential. It’s a bit pay2win though - you need to purchase a microphone and report enemy movement ;-).

Did you know enemies on MG or EV can’t be spotted by Red Eye’s IR vision ? BUG BUG BUG! Turrets also ignore them.