23 replies to this topic

[Hastur609]

The main site where I looked at the weapon before buying it on my Infiltrator told me fully charged shots go faster and do more damage.

Some random players on the forums told someone it does more damage uncharged.

I only got to test it out with bots last night and don't want to run into a match misinformed and dying more because of it.

So what I'm really asking here is...

Is the Heat Cannon strongest Charged or Uncharged_

Thanks!

[Hijinks_The_Turtle]

I think (I'm not completely sure about this), but I believe that the uncharged heat cannon is slower but you can fire more of them than a series of charged heat cannon rounds + the AoE is smaller.  The charged heat cannon takes more time between shots, but it's much faster and the AoE is larger.

[Hastur609]

So...it does the same damage or_

[Silverfire]

Charged HEAT cannon does more damage than uncharged HEAT cannon.

[Hijinks_The_Turtle]

I believe it does the same amount of damage
Ninja'd by Silverfire, thanks for the correction.

Edited by Hijinks_The_Turtle, April 02 2014 - 05:01 PM.

[Hastur609]

Guys...c'mon...don't do this too me

[Silverfire]

You can check for yourself if you like here: https://docs.google....#gid=1436396673

The data is a bit dated, but the HEAT cannon has always done more damage charged than uncharged as far as I can remember.

Edited by Silverfire, April 02 2014 - 05:05 PM.

[WarlordZ]

Hastur609, on April 02 2014 - 04:52 PM, said:

The main site where I looked at the weapon before buying it on my Infiltrator told me fully charged shots go faster and do more damage.

Some random players on the forums told someone it does more damage uncharged.

It does more damage per shot when charged, but the time it takes to charge up reduces your total damage per second.  In other words, charging is more powerful in the short term, but weaker in the long term.  Charging also speeds up the projectile and enlarges the AoE, so it can make difficult shots easier as well.

Edited by WarlordZ, April 02 2014 - 05:35 PM.

[GearsTw0]

So, the best way to do this is to charge your first shot and just go uncharged until the fire fight is over_

[Lion_ThunderPants]

GearsTw0, on April 03 2014 - 05:34 PM, said:

So, the best way to do this is to charge your first shot and just go uncharged until the fire fight is over_

Yes however you should pay attention to when you can charge a shot in cqc as well, it can be a huge advantage in a fight

[N0stalgia]

HEAT Cannon 101.

Uncharged shot's projectiles move slower to the target. They do less damage than a charged shot, but the rate of fire is faster, so if you hit several uncharged shots in a row, the damage per second is higher.

Charged shot's projectiles move very fast to the target so it is easier to hit. Charged shots do more damage per shot and have a larger AOE. However, the rate of fire is much lower so the damage output per second is less.

A lot of players feel that it is the most versatile and effective primary gun in the game. It does take some time to master.

~Nos

Edited by N0stalgia, April 03 2014 - 06:37 PM.

[SuperSpartacus]

Wait so you can't airburst the heat cannon, correct_

[Stingz]

SuperSpartacus, on April 04 2014 - 05:53 PM, said:

Wait so you can't airburst the heat cannon, correct_

No airbust, but has more splash and even faster speed than TOW when charged.

Don't forget DPS only matters if you're hitting the target.

Edited by Stingz, April 04 2014 - 08:14 PM.

[ArnieF4440]

what everyone has said before. The Heat cannon charged shells are faster, but in terms of dpm, etc, uncharged is better because the extra damage when charging is not really proportional to the time spent charging it. Just check the stats. IMO close range, uncharged, just be careful about overheating. Longer/mid/peek-a-boo charge since you have the time/might as well

[GearsTw0]

I don't see how this weapon would be useful in cqc.  As a scout pilot, I would be to worried about my own splash damage all the time.

[N0stalgia]

This weapon excels in CQC, especially on a scout. Normally, there is enough cover to play corners. A nice tactic is to charge a shot behind cover, then fire the shot the moment before you launch a TOW. The splash from both weapons is enormous and around a corner, you can hit the target you don't even see. If you are caught in the open, it is wiser to use uncharged shots and to shoot them as fast as you can at the target while dancing around with superior speed.

Ultimately, there are better weapons for CQC, but the HEAT is not at all ineffective. It just takes more time to master.

Also, it helps to shoot at the target's feet.

Edited by N0stalgia, April 04 2014 - 09:08 PM.

[SectionZ]

GearsTw0, on April 04 2014 - 08:30 PM, said:

I don't see how this weapon would be useful in cqc.  As a scout pilot, I would be to worried about my own splash damage all the time.

Oh good, so It's not just me then.  If blowing myself up like an idiot with the Infiltrator instead of the Scout.

I love the HEAT's style, but since I lack the psychic powers to consistently nail my fellow A classes with it in direct combat, I keep falling back to the AR.

[Stingz]

SectionZ, on April 04 2014 - 09:07 PM, said:

Oh good, so It's not just me then.  If blowing myself up like an idiot with the Infiltrator instead of the Scout.

I love the HEAT's style, but since I lack the psychic powers to consistently nail my fellow A classes with it in direct combat, I keep falling back to the AR.

HEAT is a medium-range weapon, full charged splash makes close-range fighting awful without Failsafe to reduce self-damage.

If you use AR on Infiltrator you might as well use SMC Bezerker.

[kanamisan]

the other day I had the luck to be dropped in a short team match vs a pair of pro scouts, it caught me off guard because when they attacked, it looked like they fired two tow missiles at once. and that is a very scary, more to the point, they never gave me a chance to really shoot back and it really, had to be the most nightmare fueling thing I have ever seen, more to the point, knowing how hard it is to get a direct hit with the tow, I can see the heat being a very difficult weapon to use. that is why its such a scary thought for a player like me, I know that if anyone has it on a scout and is good enough to use it, that they will kick my ass anyday and there is very little I could do, unless I some how get good or lucky. that said, I feel its much more of a def weapon for keeping people away from you and your base. (after all the scout is a def class mech) and when fighting a heat mech, the best way not to take damage is to just back off. so it does its job well. that said I will at some point buy the heat for my infiltrater because I want to get good too. :3

[Clinchicus]

N0stalgia, on April 04 2014 - 09:07 PM, said:

This weapon excels in CQC, especially on a scout. Normally, there is enough cover to play corners. A nice tactic is to charge a shot behind cover, then fire the shot the moment before you launch a TOW. The splash from both weapons is enormous and around a corner, you can hit the target you don't even see. If you are caught in the open, it is wiser to use uncharged shots and to shoot them as fast as you can at the target while dancing around with superior speed.

Ultimately, there are better weapons for CQC, but the HEAT is not at all ineffective. It just takes more time to master.

Also, it helps to shoot at the target's feet.

Good tips - thanks for the info!

Just picked up the HEAT on my Infil last night and played a few games with it - any tips on getting the Grenade Launcher and HEAT working well together_