First of all: I am a Skyhammer main
I deliver the Ammo, shoot the enemies and throw Airstikes at EVs, I don’t repair-stack
Yet I got a bad Reputation for playing him because he’s always associated with noobs
The pros mostly tend to replace Skyhammer with Arty (at least according to what I experienced) I myself don’t want to play with Arty, he’s similar to Sky and I rather Spend the money for buying other Mercs
Is he really that bad and disposable?
after consecutive buffs to arty’s arty, there is just very little that sky can do that others dont do better. though i would say that on pubs where chaos rules, the swing potential of a 3-4 airstrike kill can win objectives, especialy obvious on chapel last obj
I have over 1000 hours in DB and I still play him. I must admit I replaced him with Arty (is is just supperior) on EV maps (and Dome. And Trainyard) for a long time but I am playing Skyhammer more lately cause he works fine on Pubs, I really like the character and those explodydendron badge are always a good reward on Chapel last stage.
He is not bad, he is average and maybe the airstrike cooldown could be reviewed.
I must admit he is less effective VS good players but you will baerely face them. There is really no need be ashamed for playing him and I never associated him with noobs. I think Skyhammer is a loved merc within DB population.
Skyhammer and Arty occupy a very similar gamespace, but their abilities have very different effects on tempo.
Skyhammer can cause massive momentum swings, such as ensuring the attackers get enough space to get things done (i.e. Chapel stage 3, clearing the bus or spawnstriking) or stopping the attackers in their tracks (i.e. any EV).
Arty gets many more strikes that cause smaller momentum changes. Rather than winning a fight by taking out the entire enemy team, he can give his team the edge by taking out one (i.e. that pesky Aura on her healy box) or forcing the enemy to move (i.e. the one crouching behind the EV).
The choice between them in pubs is largely preference. I prefer my Dreiss and having the utility of taking out secondary objectives, so I mostly play Arty.
In coordinated environments, the choice has more factors. You’ll want at least one of them on an EV map, but having one of each isn’t a bad thing. Your team might only have space for one, and having the Stark to dance at range is a really nice proposition. Arty also has spare strikes when the EV is already down, which only makes him more versatile.
No fire support is bad or disposable. Part of the reason Skyhammer has a bad reputation is all of the Babyhammers that don’t know game mechanics. I would argue there is a second part to this, one I only thought of while writing this:
A good fire support goes unnoticed.
It’s very apparent when someone isn’t pulling their weight in a team-based game, particularly when murdering cannot occur due to a lack of ammunition. It may be very apparent that one player is significantly better than their opponents. Someone in the middle of the pack is just another merc that was (hopefully) satisfactory in their job.
Skyhammer got slightly overshadowed with arty and stoker being around. He could use some small buffs or tweaks but overall i think he is my most played. I like how versatile his ability is ( I wish i could use it as a grenade even outside sometimes ), i really like his loadouts and overall his voice lines crack me up. He is just lovely really.
@Guziol said:
Skyhammer got slightly overshadowed with arty and stoker being around. He could use some small buffs or tweaks but overall i think he is my most played. I like how versatile his ability is ( I wish i could use it as a grenade even outside sometimes ), i really like his loadouts and overall his voice lines crack me up. He is just lovely really.
You can use his Airstrike as Grenade but it will only cause small splash damage, maybe you are lucky and hit someone whose HP is so low that he dies from it
@Guziol said:
Jesus christ. Reading comprehension is not your strong point.
So what was the context then?
Basically the marker is quite usefull as a grenade and i don’t always want to blow it on an airstrike and wait 70 seconds when i throw it outside. Would be nice to have an option to make it not call an airstrike in.
I also mains Skyhammer sometimes, don’t worry
Just keep delivering ammo, strike the EV, and multikills with the airstrike to show them who’s the noob lmao
I personally like Skyhammer and usually switch to him when I get bored with Kira or im underground.
@GatoCommodore said:
buff skyhammer cooldown to 60 seconds
Considering how fast the EV can be repaired I think it could be even lower, but then it would probably become too spammy.
Skyhammer is a great merc.
He is great at clearing out a big area of enemies (best example is attack Chapel on last point, I just love using him there).
Arty is better at taking out the EV and health stations, which is why most people prefer him, but he can’t clear out areas as effectively.
Arty is also viable on every map (even Underground). Skyhammer just requires you to play on a map with a lot of sky visibility (Trainyard, Chapel, Dockyard, maybe Dome)
Its a 50-50 for me.
Arty lacks automatic firearms and is better at mid-long range, Skyhammer at close-mid range.
The same can be said aboug their abilities as Arty can mark from far away and almost instantly bomb unsuspecting enemies while Skyhammer is close enough to hear his callout, see the marker and again hear/see the plane before it’s too late.
Finally their cooldowns are understandable you’re unlikely to hit enemies with a strike unless you caught them by surprise, Skyhammer has a larger chance for collateral damage, leading to the reason as to why Arty has more charges and a faster cooldown snd Skyhammer a single but longer one.
Except of course when tossed indoors leading it to work like a 100 damage frag grenade with a 10 second cooldown which leads to some good uses indoors, making Skyhammer a versatile Fire Support while Arty and Kira can’t fuction indoors and Stoker is a close-midrange and indoor specialist.
Tl;dr: Skyhammer is versatile.
Ability Wise alone, here’s his versatility
He’s the second best indoors behind Stoker with his flares serving as grenades, can toss more out indoors than Stoker can his molotovs, he can even counter Stoker’s molotov with a flare, blasting away flames.
Compared to Kira, his attack can be less predictable than hers since one needs to lookout for his incoming plane and bombs while one simply needs to stay away from her laser.
His longer cooldown compared to Arty is acceptable considering his collateral damage capability.
@Reddeadcap said:
Its a 50-50 for me.Arty lacks automatic firearms and is better at mid-long range, Skyhammer at close-mid range.
The same can be said aboug their abilities as Arty can mark from far away and almost instantly bomb unsuspecting enemies while Skyhammer is close enough to hear his callout, see the marker and again hear/see the plane before it’s too late.
Finally their cooldowns are understandable you’re unlikely to hit enemies with a strike unless you caught them by surprise, Skyhammer has a larger chance for collateral damage, leading to the reason as to why Arty has more charges and a faster cooldown snd Skyhammer a single but longer one.
Except of course when tossed indoors leading it to work like a 100 damage frag grenade with a 10 second cooldown which leads to some good uses indoors, making Skyhammer a versatile Fire Support while Arty and Kira can’t fuction indoors and Stoker is a close-midrange and indoor specialist.Tl;dr: Skyhammer is versatile.
Ability Wise alone, here’s his versatilityHe’s the second best indoors behind Stoker with his flares serving as grenades, can toss more out indoors than Stoker can his molotovs, he can even counter Stoker’s molotov with a flare, blasting away flames.
Compared to Kira, his attack can be less predictable than hers since one needs to lookout for his incoming plane and bombs while one simply needs to stay away from her laser.
His longer cooldown compared to Arty is acceptable considering his collateral damage capability.
-2nd best indoor
-not fragger
skyhammer is probably 3rd or 4th most useful indoor
@GatoCommodore said:
-2nd best indoor
-not fragger
Fragger isn’t a Fire Support, he’s an Assault.
Like I said Arty and Kira weapons are meant for longer ranges, Kira lacks health and their abilities don’t fuction indoors.
If Skyhammer’s flare goes off indoors it does at most 100 damage, a player a 19 seconds window between throws if indoors, its damage isn’t as effective as the airstrike but 100 damage isn’t something to sneeze at.
Stoker on the other hand tosses a molotov with a 35 second cooldown and 10 second duration, meaning theres a 25 second window between grenades unless dissipated with explosives or smoke.
@Reddeadcap said:
@GatoCommodore said:
-2nd best indoor
-not fraggerFragger isn’t a Fire Support, he’s an Assault.
oh right, sorry there i was sleepy and didnt get the context
really sorry