With all the discussions on how this merc’s OP and that merc UP. There lies a good question: What is the general consensus, regarding balanced mercs? Which of them belong to this category? Without the need to either nerf’em or buff’em?
Which mercs are considered "balanced"?
watsyurdeal
(watsyurdeal)
#2
Everything is op, everything is up
That’s basically it in a nutshell
It really is dependent on people’s experience and where they play.
TheStrangerous
(TheStrangerous)
#3
“…but some are more “OP” and “UP” than others”
[spoiler]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-s-z9MC_Kc/VyEt95gmWWI/AAAAAAAACbs/r-7fBIEAy2gHEtaxZbeIbIU2VLQ7V8-iQCLcB/s1600/all-animal-equal.jpg
[/spoiler]
Thanks for reminding me this 
So much true.
ThunderZsolt
(ThunderZsolt)
#6
If so, is Aimee OP or UP? (I know Vaseline is considered OP because he rocks long range, but also can hold himself up close - Aimee is a worse version of him, but still not UP imo)
Is Nader OP ur UP? She handles certain situations extremely well, but sucks in most others
Also I’d say Fletcher is on the same level as Arty/Skybro, and Phoenix makes an excellent 2nd medic, definately not underpowered
EDIT: aside these mercs I agree
MisterBadmin
(MisterBadmin)
#7
[Insert standard opinion disclaimer and warning about wall o’ text]
I’m just going to rank everything here, using Way Too Good, Too Good, Slightly Too Good, Balanced, Just Not Good Enough, Not Good Enough and Phantom (AKA Not Good) as my balance levels. Note that comparisons are to the entire cast, not to the class. (Overall per class was determined by some advanced mathematical wizardry*, don’t take it too seriously.) I’ll keep the most balanced things towards the top of each section.
Let’s run down the list, class by class, individual mercs discussed in spoilers:
Fire Supports:
OVERALL: Balanced
[spoiler]Skyhammer: Balanced
Ol’ Reliable is a really good benchmark. Pretty much always useful in pubs because of versatility of weapons and ability to keep everyone shooting, even on offense. Being able to pseudo-assault (AKA Baby Fragger) with the marker indoors just adds to his capabilities. Sees competitive uses on EV maps, for pretty obvious reasons.
Stoker: Balanced
Slightly more versatile than Skyhammer but worse at dropping EVs. Better at dropping secondary objectives and area denial. Nearly put into Slightly Too Good because of the Stark, but the stationary ammo station is weaker on offense, which helps compensate.
Kira: Balanced
Much more niche than Skyhammer and Stoker, but more flexible with area denial. Better than Stoker at dropping EVs, but not as good as Skyhammer. Glass cannon nature makes the Stark palatable, if still painful.
Arty: Slightly Too Good
About as versatile as Skyhammer. Not quite as capable in dropping EVs, but gets more explosives downrange than any other Fire Support.
My boy is ranked Slightly Too Good because of the Stark. There are no major factors that compensate for it, unlike Kira and Stoker.
[/spoiler]
Medics:
OVERALL: Balanced
[spoiler]Sawbonez: Balanced
THE pocket medic. I’ve written about the frontline doctor multiple [url=“http://forums.dirtybomb.com/discussion/comment/223914#Comment_223914”]times, and everything I said still stands. He is really good at keeping himself and one or two others alive, but struggles to keep an entire team pushing. He is built for competitive environments, and is serviceable even as a solo medic in pubs.
Aura: Balanced
THE area control medic. Squishy, but able to sustain herself and her team. Great at holding defensive chokes, and serviceable at holding gained ground on offense.
Sparks: Balanced
THE offensive field medic (AKA necromancer). Highest skill floor in the game. Skill ceiling no longer matches. Great at reanimating the dead, but lacking in direct combat effectiveness.
Phoenix: Just Not Good Enough
A jack of all trades, master of none. Phoenix is a lackluster field medic and a lackluster pocket medic, along with not standing up to Sawbonez in frontline combat potential. I absolutely love every aspect of Phoenix, but everyone else does everything he does, just better. [/spoiler]
Assaults:
OVERALL: Slightly Too Good
[spoiler]Nader: Balanced
Versatile enough to pretty much always be a secondary DPS, and good at breaking secondaries. Able to help with EV damage.
Rhino: Just Not Good enough
Exceptionally good at dominating close range. Weak to range, explosives, area denial, being flanked and poachers. Good enough to be a situational pick, just not good enough to be an always pick.
Fragger: Too Good
Fragger’s entire design is being able to fight anywhere, anytime. The pineapple is a Swiss Army Knife: when lacking the proper tool for the job, it’s probably good enough. This makes Fragger an always pick, at least when Thunder is banned. You really need someone to initiate fights, so Fragger and/or Thunder become core to any team. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it means they stand well above the rest of the cast.
Thunder: Way Too Good
Do I even need to explain this?[/spoiler]
Engineers:
OVERALL: Balanced
[spoiler]Bushwhacker: Balanced
Capable, but not an oppressive force on offense or defense. Could absolutely be better, but by no means anemic.
Fletcher: Too Good
An oppressive force in even moderately capable hands. Who thought letting an Engineer serve as an assault was a good idea?
Proxy: Not Good
An oppressive force when 5 competent players decide to grab shotguns and spawncamp Terminal for 12 minutes while spamming “I call shotgun…” Otherwise, underwhelming. Still, screw shotguns.[/spoiler]
Recons:
OVERALL: Balanced (Blame Phantom)
[spoiler]Aimee: Balanced
Aimee is how snipers should be balanced. Super squishy with the potential for massive damage and lacking personal defense if enemies get close. If she was the only sniper in game, she would probably fall into Slightly Too Good, but Vaseline and Redeye exist.
Vaseline: Too Good
Hey, look! It’s Aimee with more health, automatic secondaries, a better bolt rifle, and literal wallhacks!
Redeye: Too Good
A very oppressive force. Would be Just Too Good if the Grandeur and PDP didn’t have their minimal spread and 50 damage buffs.
Phantom: Phantom
I named a tier for how bad he is. That’s all I have to say.[/spoiler]
*[spoiler]I assigned numbers 1-7 for each rank and averaged for all the mercs in a class, then rounded. It’s not rocket science.[/spoiler]
neverplayseriou
(neverplayseriou)
#8
-Skyhammer, needs a shorter cd on airstrike but overall is balanced.
-Kira, needs a shorter duration on laser or a longer cd on it, op(also has access to 3 way to strong guns).
-Stoker, molotov needs a slight buff, slightly up (imo).
-Arty, Arty strikes have to be fixed so they don’t have the ability to obliterate deployables through walls, op(also has access to 3 way to strong guns).
-Sawbonez, balanced.
-Phoenix, terrible medic but has access to the hochfir which makes up for quite a lot, up.
-Sparks, broken by design, way to op.
-Aura, once (if ever) Arty strikes get fixed she would be balanced, do however need a merc limit and shotgun nerfs cause multiple shotgun Aura’s is just retarded (gl pushing a choke if you’re not an explosive merc against 2 shotgun aura’s on a station), slightly up cause of Arty.
-Nader, almost balanced, would personally like to see a slightly longer cd on her nades.
-Rhino, minigun is way to strong, no clue what the guys that do balancing were thinking when making the minigun, merc itself up(fat sitting duck) ability op.
-Fragger,(compared to what he used to be able to do) up, didn’t need to be nerfed to 140 hp (there’s also other ways to make people go Thunder sd), grenade damage gets absorbed way to easily and doesn’t punish teams not watching out for spawn nades anymore (what used to be 4 kills is now 1 and if lucky 2 kills), still a great merc but would love to see the nade get better.
-Thunder, op, if this needs any explaining you’re retarded.
-Phantom, up, bad at what he’s supposed to do.
-Vasilli, op, Bolt actions and pdp need a nerf.
-Redeye, op ability and op weapons, op.
-Aimee, op weapons, op (up when compared to redeye).
-Bushwacker, garbage, useless ability that’s easily eliminated with the how strong some weapons (cough burst rifles cough) currently are.
-Proxy, quite a decent merc, it’s mostly just the players that make her look like a complete shit merc, always throwing random mines and trying to shoot them (and in the process getting a ton of teamkills).
-Fletcher, op, stickies have been needing a decent nerf for ages, low skill high reward, even when your sticky doesn’t stick to your opponent you can still deal enough damage to easily win a fight, even against an assault as an engineer.
Dawnlazy
(Dawnlazy)
#9
OP: Vassili, Redeye, Aimee (weapons only), Thunder, Fletcher
UP: Proxy
Alright but could be tweaked a bit (nothing serious or urgent, just slight buffs and nerfs, maybe in combination) : Aura, Arty, Bushwhacker, Phantom, Phoenix, Rhino, Skyhammer, Sparks, Stoker
Perfectly fine, don’t fix what isn’t broken: Fragger, Kira, Nader, Sawbonez
Eox
(Eox)
#11
[quote=“MisterBadmin;c-226919”][Insert standard opinion disclaimer and warning about wall o’ text]
I’m just going to rank everything here, using Way Too Good, Too Good, Slightly Too Good, Balanced, Just Not Good Enough, Not Good Enough and Phantom (AKA Not Good) as my balance levels. Note that comparisons are to the entire cast, not to the class. (Overall per class was determined by some advanced mathematical wizardry*, don’t take it too seriously.) I’ll keep the most balanced things towards the top of each section.
Let’s run down the list, class by class, individual mercs discussed in spoilers:
Fire Supports:
OVERALL: Balanced
[spoiler]Skyhammer: Balanced
Ol’ Reliable is a really good benchmark. Pretty much always useful in pubs because of versatility of weapons and ability to keep everyone shooting, even on offense. Being able to pseudo-assault (AKA Baby Fragger) with the marker indoors just adds to his capabilities. Sees competitive uses on EV maps, for pretty obvious reasons.
Stoker: Balanced
Slightly more versatile than Skyhammer but worse at dropping EVs. Better at dropping secondary objectives and area denial. Nearly put into Slightly Too Good because of the Stark, but the stationary ammo station is weaker on offense, which helps compensate.
Kira: Balanced
Much more niche than Skyhammer and Stoker, but more flexible with area denial. Better than Stoker at dropping EVs, but not as good as Skyhammer. Glass cannon nature makes the Stark palatable, if still painful.
Arty: Slightly Too Good
About as versatile as Skyhammer. Not quite as capable in dropping EVs, but gets more explosives downrange than any other Fire Support.
My boy is ranked Slightly Too Good because of the Stark. There are no major factors that compensate for it, unlike Kira and Stoker.
[/spoiler]
Medics:
OVERALL: Balanced
[spoiler]Sawbonez: Balanced
THE pocket medic. I’ve written about the frontline doctor multiple [url=“http://forums.dirtybomb.com/discussion/comment/223914#Comment_223914”]times, and everything I said still stands. He is really good at keeping himself and one or two others alive, but struggles to keep an entire team pushing. He is built for competitive environments, and is serviceable even as a solo medic in pubs.
Aura: Balanced
THE area control medic. Squishy, but able to sustain herself and her team. Great at holding defensive chokes, and serviceable at holding gained ground on offense.
Sparks: Balanced
THE offensive field medic (AKA necromancer). Highest skill floor in the game. Skill ceiling no longer matches. Great at reanimating the dead, but lacking in direct combat effectiveness.
Phoenix: Just Not Good Enough
A jack of all trades, master of none. Phoenix is a lackluster field medic and a lackluster pocket medic, along with not standing up to Sawbonez in frontline combat potential. I absolutely love every aspect of Phoenix, but everyone else does everything he does, just better. [/spoiler]
Assaults:
OVERALL: Slightly Too Good
[spoiler]Nader: Balanced
Versatile enough to pretty much always be a secondary DPS, and good at breaking secondaries. Able to help with EV damage.
Rhino: Just Not Good enough
Exceptionally good at dominating close range. Weak to range, explosives, area denial, being flanked and poachers. Good enough to be a situational pick, just not good enough to be an always pick.
Fragger: Too Good
Fragger’s entire design is being able to fight anywhere, anytime. The pineapple is a Swiss Army Knife: when lacking the proper tool for the job, it’s probably good enough. This makes Fragger an always pick, at least when Thunder is banned. You really need someone to initiate fights, so Fragger and/or Thunder become core to any team. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it means they stand well above the rest of the cast.
Thunder: Way Too Good
Do I even need to explain this?[/spoiler]
Engineers:
OVERALL: Balanced
[spoiler]Bushwhacker: Balanced
Capable, but not an oppressive force on offense or defense. Could absolutely be better, but by no means anemic.
Fletcher: Too Good
An oppressive force in even moderately capable hands. Who thought letting an Engineer serve as an assault was a good idea?
Proxy: Not Good
An oppressive force when 5 competent players decide to grab shotguns and spawncamp Terminal for 12 minutes while spamming “I call shotgun…” Otherwise, underwhelming. Still, @$!# shotguns.[/spoiler]
Recons:
OVERALL: Balanced (Blame Phantom)
[spoiler]Aimee: Balanced
Aimee is how snipers should be balanced. Super squishy with the potential for massive damage and lacking personal defense if enemies get close. If she was the only sniper in game, she would probably fall into Slightly Too Good, but Vaseline and Redeye exist.
Vaseline: Too Good
Hey, look! It’s Aimee with more health, automatic secondaries, a better bolt rifle, and literal wallhacks!
Redeye: Too Good
A very oppressive force. Would be Just Too Good if the Grandeur and PDP didn’t have their minimal spread and 50 damage buffs.
Phantom: Phantom
I named a tier for how bad he is. That’s all I have to say.[/spoiler]
*[spoiler]I assigned numbers 1-7 for each rank and averaged for all the mercs in a class, then rounded. It’s not rocket science.[/spoiler][/quote]
I don’t think it was needed to say that a whole category of mercs is OP/UP, because it’s not relevant. But the review is fairly on point.
I would just add that being “underpowered” doesn’t mean that you do not deserve some kind of rework tho. Let’s just look at how annoying Proxy is. A lot of people wouldn’t mind a Proxy nerf despite the fact that she’s the worst engineer competitive wise.
frostyvampire
(frostyvampire)
#12
I think all fire supports are pretty balanced. Kira just needs to be fixed so her laser doesn’t kill people that are inside a building anymore.
Sawbonez I think is pretty balanced too
Bush will be fine if they just make the turret be placed towards you instead of against you so you can position it better
Vassili is also balanced if you don’t count his weapons : 3
CyberVonCyberus
(CyberVonCyberus)
#13
proxy: needs a complete redesign as she is good against idiots but lackluster against peoples who have ears and a brain