30 replies to this topic

[Aristo]

Hi folks,

 

I just got into HAWKEN today and after toying with FRED, I decided to pick up the Berserker. Since they have the same weponry, it was pretty familiar and I felt like I did pretty well for myself with it. Had plenty of games with 15+ kills and deaths either in the single digits or none at all. Flanking and boosting around suited me pretty well, I think. I like the idea of high mobility over armor. 

So after levelling that halfway through, I got the itch to try something new. I used the HC I earned to check out the Reaper; I watched some videos and thought it'd be an interesting change of pace. Boy, was I wrong. I understand the role the Reaper is intended to perform, but as a mech, it just seems so underwhelming. Whereas I could rack up pretty good scores in the Berserker or FRED, in the Reaper I struggle to even go 1:1. My overall K/D plummetted from 3.0+ to less than 2.0. I spend far more time trying to line up angles than I do delivering actual damage, and when I get the chance to lay into someone with the guns, the output isn't consistent enough to yield kills, and they often escape by the skin of their teeth, or I'm left with tons of assists, but no finishes. When the fighting inevitably comes to close range, I can hold my own with the mech decently, but once the rest of the team's gone, it's gg. 

So that said, what am I doing wrong? I'm using it as a medium-range marksman, and I try to position myself behind the front line and pepper whatever I see. Problems arise when the line collapses and I get dragged into the fight, or can't outrun my attackers. It just seems like whereas I could run around with the Berserker as a semi-independent ambusher and dominate, in the Reaper, I fail to do much at all. 

 

Maybe I should stop trying to force myself into another plastyle, but I'm stubborn and stuck with the thing, so might as well level it up a little.

Edited by Strigon_Leader, 11 April 2015 - 12:20 AM.

[DerMax]

The Reaper is underwhelming at this moment because of its near-useless ability which should be changed.

[CrimsonKaim]

Reaper can't burst, Reaper has no ability at all, Reaper is slow, Reaper has a small Fuel Tank, Reaper has no decent DPS, Reaper is Mech you play for fun.

[Aristo]

Balls. Wish all the YT guides had mentioned something... Time to grind again.

Edited by Strigon_Leader, 11 April 2015 - 12:43 AM.

[devotion]

Reaper can't burst, Reaper has no ability at all, Reaper is slow, Reaper has a small Fuel Tank, Reaper has no decent DPS, Reaper is Mech you play for fun.

reaper has better vanilla dps than ss.

[CrimsonKaim]

reaper has better vanilla dps than ss.

 

With a Slug SS, yes.

[Amidatelion]

It's not all that bad.

 

You've just started playing, so all those kills streaks are... well, no offense, but they're not hard, especially with the cheese machine that is the Berserker. The Reaper, as stated above, is currently rather underwhelming as a standalone mech. However, those qualities make it extraordinarily capable as an improvement mech.

 

The Reaper is entirely unforgiving. You have little armour, a small fuel tank and a worthless ability. On the other hand, the Slug Rifle is 100% accurate at all ranges and the KE-Sabot is similar at 95%. These weapons are fantastic for improving your aim, which you have already sort of discovered: you mentioned spending a long time setting up angles. Given time on the mech and more map knowledge you'll improve your positioning, which will lead to better aim when you don't have to work to find those angles.

 

Spend some more time on it, learn its weaknesses and learn how to overcome them - those skills will make you a better pilot in the long run.

[Erzunterweltler]

Do you play in the EU region or in US? If you played in EU I would recommend you to check the Saturday Training Centre out.

 

It starts next week Saturday, there we can show you how to play with the Reaper. I admit it's not the easiest Mech to master, but I promise you'll be able to do it.

 

The first Primary weapon you have is the AM-SAR. It's okay, but it's commonly used on Close Combat Reapers and for that you would have to learn to dance with your enemies, we can also show you that next saturday. So I recommend you to play the Hawkins-RPR, it doesn't make you rape your left mouse button and you can play pretty well with it at mid-range, when you know how to dance, close range also isn't a problem and with its ability you can sometimes even fight at long range. If you want to fight at long range most of the time, the Slug Rifle is the best choice. It just has got the best accuracy (what makes the Reaper's ability useless) and what you want to do with it, is that you want to "Quickscope". Of course you don't have to, there are also other ways to play with it, but I don't want to waste your time for reading this, so we can show you all that the next saturday, everybody is welcome!

[reznog]

I recommend to stick to the AM-Sar, the RPR has lower range at which the reaper gets outgunned by other mechs. Slug is only for experts looking for a challenge.

 

I try to position myself behind the front line and pepper whatever I see.

 

Theres your problem.

The speed and mobility of A-Class mechs allow them to leave the savety of their team and take the fight to the enemy.

Scout/Infil/Zerker play hit and run or stick to corners to avoid damage, the reaper has its range, solid ground speed and the games highest fuel regen.

Get into a position to take the enemy into crossfire between you and the rest of your team. Push and pull according to how much attention you attract. If someone gets too close, try a quick boost to get some distance and retaliate while they are forced to follow.

Edited by reznog, 11 April 2015 - 06:37 AM.

[Meraple]

Why does everyone hate the RPR?

I damn well love it.

 

It's also the weapon that the ability is best for in the Reaper's arsenal.

[Coboxite]

Why does everyone hate the RPR?

I damn well love it.

 

It's also the weapon that the ability is best for in the Reaper's arsenal.

Because when you have so little armor, sitting there plinking off health is the last thing you want to be doing.

 

Honestly, I think that Reaper is entirely inferior to the Sharpshooter, at long range sniping that is. Once you get closer, the Reaper gets sort of better than Sharpie, but at that point you might as well be using a Infl or Zerker.

[brackets]

reaper has better vanilla dps than ss.

But the Sharpshooter's burst+dps still has a lower ttk against all A-B class mechs than the Reaper's burst+dps, even disregarding the Sharpshooter's ability.

[opicr0n]

The reaper needs an special playstyle I guess.

[Crminimal]

Think remote flanking.. engage when a push is about to happen, cause confusion and relocate to find new lanes of sight, You really need to be aware of escaperoutes and your surroundings. It's a less bursty more mobile SS with no armor, so you better have the slippery mindset or u ded :D
Oh and use that sweet fuel regen! 

[Panzermanathod]

I'm fine with ol' L AC Roo'Jizah (my reaper). I don't get many kills with it... but that's kinda the point. It's distance support. Why be all up in the enemy's grill when you can be further away, ready to leave at a moment's notice as you plink off some health.

 

I use the Slug Gun, and sometimes RPR. If you wanna be a team player, Reaper has its place. If you're more lone wolf, get something else.

[Rei]

It's funny, whenever the other team doesn't have a sniper, I tend to be more effective in a reaper. It can tag more targets more often since most people will hide behind something the instant they get tagged from a sniper. Less burst damage than a SS, but more DPS overall. Also it can also change positions more often. Even if a frontline falls, reaper is fast enough to get out of there. Slug reaper is the most effective btw.

 

The ability is useful when someone's near you in the close-mid range area. The best place for a reaper to fight if someone gets to you is actually right on top of them so they will have to do splash damage to themselves if they fire their secondaries.

 

Currently the mech itself is in a weird place, it's not bad, but it's countered easily by a sharpshooter since it has A Class armor and sharpshooter is good against nearly everything.  The main problem is for the reaper to do it's higher DPS, it needs to always see targets/not be hiding after each shot. Whereas SS can shoot and hide until reload.

[( XD ) wimpyhugz]

Reaper was the first mech I bought when I got enough HC with the Assault... currently on rank 5 so I'm using the Slug Rifle now. Damage per shot is pretty good, especially simultaneous shots from Slug/Sabot. Downside being the reload time.

[Lioot]

Reaper is my new not favourite mech. Instead, on a favourite rank of 1 to 10 its around 9 with every other mech.

 

It certainly is different from other mechs and may seem underwhelming in terms of damage when compared to the Sharpshooter but its faster secondary fire rate when paired with the Slug Rifle and expert cornering can help you deal nice damage.

 

But the ability is useless, I don't even zoom in

[CraftyDus]

Reaper is among mechs that are underwhelming to novices and those players looking for the easiest trash to in which to dunk on, and require some modicum of je-ne-sais-quoi from the player in order to wrestle out the viability to get work done in.

 

It's just right as it is.

 

It was up there in easy-town a year ago after a buff to the slug.

It spent a short time as a pony-car in a sea of kids who think the world of bitchin' camaros.

A great chorus of medocrity demanded a nerf, which was given.

And all was right with the world.

 

About the reaper as it is now.

Keep at it. It builds character.

[Panzermanathod]

Reaper was my first mech after CR-T. I don't use it much anymore but I don't regret the purchase.

[Bratwurst]

Personally as a Reaper player, I go for Slug Rifle, always stick to your teammates and pick off the ones with low HP, Reaper is an assassin, not a brawler. Once you get the Slug Rifle you have very good burst damage so make sure to abuse the heck out of that.

[Winterflea]

I just started playing this game, think I am level 8 now, and the reaper was the first mech I picked up when I had enough points to unlock it.

 

Personally? I love the little guy. Right now I have a 4.2 k/d ratio with him and last match went on an 11 kill streak. Of course, given that I am brand new to the game, I'm sure my level of opponent is not very high and I still have a lot to learn. 

 

I've always liked to play from the flanks in shooters and the reaper suits that kind of mentality very well. I try to figure out where the main line of battle is going to be drawn and I try to get to the side of it. Not behind it on the enemy side, because if the enemy turns around and collapses on you, you are dead. But just to the side where you can easily boost back to safety. Engage from the side to pinch the enemy out of cover and into the waiting guns of your team. If one enemy notices you, feel free to gun duel for a bit, especially because you should be engaging from cover and outflanking their cover. But the second more than one enemy turns their guns on you get out.

 

I like to save my ability for when I get caught in a duel and really need to make sure that every single one of my shots lands, or to ensure getting those last couple of hits on a fleeing opponent to secure the kill and prevent them from maybe getting away and repairing.

 

Still working on unlocking a full set of internals and items for the reaper, but I'm really enjoying him. Just be a constant thorn in the enemy side.

 

I haven't played much Hawken yet, but I get the feeling that what's really OP in this game is getting a mech that clicks with its pilot. The wrong mech for the wrong pilot just isn't going to work. Even if one mech is currently a little stronger numerically than another, if it doesn't suit your play style, it's not going to work out.

[Aristo]

I think the problem was mostly regarding my movement up in the mmr tier; after I had bought the 'Zerker as my first mech and started tearing it up, I eventually found myself playing with slightly more proficient lobbies. Transitioning to the Reaper while playing with more experienced players most likely accounted for my poor output early on. I've hopped in it again here and there since then and have gotten better results; as I wrapped my head around the game and better understood how things work, I didn't have so many problems.

 

Still not sure how much the Reaper 'clicks' with me though; I guess I'd have to try the alternative weapons. I've been toying with Scout and Infil most of all, which throw me in much different combat scenarios. I'm sitting at the 1,990s in mmr and as I climb up, I'm learning from duels and the more experienced community.

[Bratwurst]

The Hawkins is a viable weapon for duelling as it is a fast hitter and uses very little heat.

[brackets]

The hawkins-rpr is the worst choice for duelling, in my opinion. While the hawkins-rpr has the highest DPS of any of the Reaper's primaries, the Reaper still has low DPS compared to most other mechs and it doesn't have the armour to tank damage. To put the hawkins-Reaper into perspective, the Berserker has better armour, better sustained dps, better burst damage, better mobility, and a very useful ability for sustained fights. The only advantage the Reaper has over the Berserker is range, and choosing the rpr minimises this advantage.

 

The Slug rifle is my preferred choice for duelling with the reaper, getting you strong, unavoidable burst damage at any range (whereas the high burst damage of most other mech's secondary weapons such as TOW rockets can be dodged, the reaper's burst is entirely hit-scan). Keep in mind that the slug-Reaper has lower DPS than the technician, so your success is entirely dependent on your ability to corner-poke (and your accuracy). From my experience, slug-Reaper works best against A-class mechs where a single hit (slug + sabot) can take out over a third of your opponent's health, but you'll need a good understanding of how A-class mechs tend to move in order to hit consistently (and even then it can be difficult).

Edited by brackets, 17 April 2015 - 10:22 PM.

[ROSING]

The Hawkins is a viable weapon for duelling as it is a fast hitter and uses very little heat.

 

 

The hawkins-rpr is the worst choice for duelling, in my opinion. While the hawkins-rpr has the highest DPS of any of the Reaper's primaries, the Reaper still has low DPS compared to most other mechs and it doesn't have the armour to tank damage. To put the hawkins-Reaper into perspective, the Berserker has better armour, better sustained dps, better burst damage, better mobility, and a very useful ability for sustained fights. The only advantage the Reaper has over the Berserker is range, and choosing the rpr minimises this advantage.

 

The Slug rifle is my preferred choice for duelling with the reaper, getting you strong, unavoidable burst damage at any range (whereas the high burst damage of most other mech's secondary weapons such as TOW rockets can be dodged, the reaper's burst is entirely hit-scan). Keep in mind that the slug-Reaper has lower DPS than the technician, so your success is entirely dependent on your ability to corner-poke (and your accuracy). From my experience, slug-Reaper works best against A-class mechs where a single hit (slug + sabot) can take out over a third of your opponent's health, but you'll need a good understanding of how A-class mechs tend to move in order to hit consistently (and even then it can be difficult).

 

Awk.

 

To reconcile these two views, if you are going CQC reaper the first thing you gotta do is wear down their health from afar. The ripper still holds its own moderately well at long distances. That should even the playing field so that by the time they get to you, they're half dead and you should be less so. And if the fight is really sour, the KE Sabot does alright as a burst weapon and a few bursts with the ripper can chip down their health bit by bit.

[Cliv]

I made my reaper video on youtube

[DallasCreeper]

Once you unlock it, the slug is the way to go with the Reaper. I use my reaper as a harassment mech. Use its mobility (which, while lackluster for an A-Class, still beats out B's and C's) to get behind the enemy and poke them outside of retaliation distance. Basically a Sharpshooter that can actually go somewhere quickly.

[lo_spaghetto]

Other pilots are right. The Reaper does not do well as a "standalone" mech. It is support.

 

Advantages: range, and mobility (yes, that's right).

 

Range: You can deal out more damage at range than other mechs (except SS). Keep your distance.

 

Mobility: You have the fastest fuel regen. This will give you JUST enough mobility to get you out of bad situations. Use your boost liberally in the midfield. 

 

 

**Don't get close enough for enemies to deal consistent damage. You will die quick in a gang bang, so know when to leave your position. Position yourself so you can  flank at range while your team is still close enough to fall back on. Remember to always try to outnumber enemies, and act quick.

[X0X13X0X]

I'd agree the Reaper is a strong support mech, in that I've found my Reaper is always more effective when I'm able to consider my own team. Situational Awareness is crucial. The textbook Reaper counter-tactic is to close quick and thrash it in close quarters. So I get those good first pokes in, then when they charge, I run. But I try not to run blind. I try to run them right through my own squad. Either they stay on me and my teammate gets them (assist), or they "SQUIRREL!!!" off to engage my teammates and I turn and finish them off (kill).

 

Remember that your Reaper is most effective when it gets those first shots in before your opponent knows where it is. Thrusters announce your presence on the enemy's radar. Avoid unnecessary blasting around the map, and keep a little distance from teammates who want to thrust everywhere. Let them be the bait and draw the enemy out.

 

Also, try to get good at fighting in close with your Reaper. Because of the oft circulated counter-tactic mentioned above, a lot of less experienced players will charge in and assume the Reaper is an easy kill up close, forgetting that "easy" is a relative term. I can sometimes surprise them by feinting a retreat, then setting up around a corner to get a couple good shots in before starting my dodge and circle. A skilled opponent may still have the advantage, but often I manage to catch someone flat-footed because they thought I was just going to die without shooting back once they got close. 

 

The OP expressed frustration at not being able to quite finish off their opponents. I have a couple thoughts on this. The first is that if you get confident fighting in close, you can snipe them down and then close to finish them when they try to duck out under cover. Unlike the SS, the Reaper can close quick; I've lost count of the times I sniped someone down and then closed on the wall they dropped behind only to find them repairing right there because they figured I was a sniper and wouldn't pursue. Just be careful you aren't falling for the same kind of ambush tactics I described earlier; always try to anticipate an escape route back to your own squad if things go pear-shaped.

 

My other thought on not finishing opponents is what I think of as "sniper karma." Sure, it's frustrating to get a few good hits in only to have your target move behind cover just as your teammate, AssaultYawn420, rolls up for the easy kill. But if you stay alive and keep at it, you'll find for every time that happens, there will be another opportunity to one-shot an already wounded opponent. I find it all comes out in the wash: sometimes you make your teammates' day, sometimes they make yours. Remember that lots of assists will pad your personal score, help your team win, and will translate into kills later as you get better at finding those good sniping opportunities.

[EM1O]

Range, some speed, support, vicious cqc wth slug/sabot combo, quicker firing thanss .
Reep!