should the next merc be a 200 health tank?

(Bluesquid0630) #1

We kinda only have Rhino for that role. Thunder isn’t played enough to warrant him that spot (but I do love my Russian teddy bears)

I just feel like the game is really lacking in Tanky mercs…

Aura doesn’t count

(Ptiloui) #2

No, Rhino is enough a real pain in good hands, don’t need to have more cancer in the game.

(TheStrangerous) #3

Oh sure, maybe if it acts like Droideka from OG Battlefront games, then why not?

#4

If you look at the stats Rhino has the most HP in theory, yes. In-game it’s an entirely different story though for the most part. Players tend to maneuver themselves in scenarios in which they are exposed and end up being focused down. Saying that a good Rhino isn’t something you want to mess around with and can cause havoc if he catches you by surprise.

Sparks on the other hand is one of the two lowest HP mercs but because of the instant healing medpacks it’s a pain to get rid of her.

#5

Yes. We need a fat boy medic.

(henki000) #6

If I want to play tanker game, I’ll switch to Paladins. Absolutely no.

(Chris Mullins) #7

Saying that because Mercs don’t get played, doesn’t mean they should be discounted from that role. Mercs will always fall in and out of metas which are created both organically and by design. Dirty Bomb is meant to be a fast paced game so I would argue, is there a solid place in the game for a full on tank class of Merc? The bigger the Merc, the slower the movement and the more like a wall they become. Walls aren’t too fun to play against, but making you find alternative routes can be fun. So many options D:

(ImSploosh) #8

Thunder actually works as a good tank, especially with a pocket medic. If you conc a room, push in against 5 enemies while having a Phoenix behind you, coupled with your LMG, you can easily take down 2 out of the 5 enemies and wound the rest- which SHOULD be eliminated quickly by your teammates. Unfortunately, teammates lack awareness and make bad decisions like running away rather than finishing off the remaining enemies. In turn, you die, the enemy plants the bomb, you lose. It’s actually really sad. I’ve been playing Thunder a lot lately and have noticed that although he has the potential to be an extremely powerful merc, the lack of cooperation makes him lackluster.

Anyway, being that this is a fast-paced game, most people prefer mercs that can move a little quicker (part of the reason Rhino isn’t played much). Another problem is medics who don’t see the Rhino as a huge part of defense and let him die alone. I think any merc with more than 200 HP just wouldn’t fit in this game as they would be too tanky and also way too slow. With that being said, I wouldn’t mind seeing a couple more mercs in the 150-200 HP range. Would be cool to see a big man medic with healing pulse grenades… <3

(Nail) #9

nope

(Xenithos) #10

How about no. We don’t need a tank style class. Rhino and Thunder and Fragger are each tankier, and you can feel it when playing them too. We have spawn time rotations for a reason as well.

#11

No love for tanky mercs? :neutral: I’ve always wanted a medic in the 140-180 HP range. I don’t see why they’d be hated, anyway. Time to kill is still high in DB. Rhino is awful, Thunder can be tough to deal with but he’s pretty underplayed and nowhere near as threatening as Fragger - and I wouldn’t even consider Fragger much of a tank. Fat boy medic, please!

(Press E) #12

I kinda hope SD moves away from tanky mercs actually. Squishy fast mercs are the most fun to play as and against imo.

Tanky mercs also tend to be assault oriented, and we have more than enough of that atm.

(bgyoshi) #13

@STARRYSOCK said:
I kinda hope SD moves away from tanky mercs actually. Squishy fast mercs are the most fun to play as and against imo.

And fuels the sniper body shot hate

“But sniper rifles r 2 stronk bodyshots so cheap y u make skill-free guns SD” says the players refusing to pick mercs above 90 HP and can’t get hit more than once before they have less HP than required to get killed by a body shot because they love Tracer Scout fast mercs too much.

(Press E) #14

@bgyoshi said:

@STARRYSOCK said:
I kinda hope SD moves away from tanky mercs actually. Squishy fast mercs are the most fun to play as and against imo.

And fuels the sniper body shot hate

“But sniper rifles r 2 stronk bodyshots so cheap y u make skill-free guns SD” says the players refusing to pick mercs above 90 HP and can’t get hit more than once before they have less HP than required to get killed by a body shot because they love Tracer Scout fast mercs too much.

Fatter mercs complain about snipers just as much. And if someone isn’t good enough to properly dodge as a fast merc, they probably won’t do too well as a tanky one either.

DB is a fast paced game, having too many slow mercs doesn’t fit with that. And well, we already have a hell of a lot.

(GatoCommodore) #15

we already got speedy hard carry medic
guardian

(Sorotia) #16

@TheStrangerous said:
Oh sure, maybe if it acts like Droideka from OG Battlefront games, then why not?

On a bit of a classic battlefront kick this week aren’t we? lol

Back to the OP, honestly I’m not sure…I would want to know what kind of abilities he would have before I really say yes or no.

Just hard to picture someone who could be equal to Rhino, except maybe if they did like a character with a flamethrower. But then it may feel like a slightly different version of Rhino…

(TheStrangerous) #17

@Sorotia said:

@TheStrangerous said:
Oh sure, maybe if it acts like Droideka from OG Battlefront games, then why not?

On a bit of a classic battlefront kick this week aren’t we? lol

This is what happens when “Galaxy in Turmoil” gets delayed :frowning:
WITHDRAWALS!
Sure SWBF2 did get an update, but I find it hard to go back to it, since gunplay ain’t as refined as in DB, which spoiled me…

But yeah, some ideas from that series could work in DB, especially since most of the abilities form modern hero shooters originate there.

(Sorotia) #18

This just popped into my head after watching The Expendables earlier today.

Besides maybe a flamethrower maybe could give a 200 health merc something like a AA12…another weapon deadly in shorter ranges.

(Meerkats) #19

No. Dirty Bomb doesn’t even need additional mercs as is.

First, define a role that is needed and not fulfilled. If you can get past this criteria, consider the type of gameplay that you want to encourage. Will this merc’s mechanics gel with the current game mechanics? Is the merc redundant / essentially a palette swap? How would this merc improve the game?

If you don’t have satisfactory answers to these questions, then leave the merc roster as is.