the dreaded nerf issue : Lighting Rod

just thought I'd start a new topic for this as it has become a concern (again

)

my recent activity with my AM has led me to the belief that the range of the Rod needs to be reduced.

thoughts ?

Rod or Beam?
The rod can be found and used by anyone.

Flak Monkey wrote:

Rod or Beam?

Rod.

At the moment the rod, when running with a DD, gives loads of xp. This is mainly because it can be sustained due to the adrenaline bonuses from the killing sprees. Which keeps the sprees going.

Without the adrenaline from the sprees, the rod would use up the adrenaline quite quickly.

Szlat wrote:

Flak Monkey wrote:

Rod or Beam?
Rod.

At the moment the rod, when running with a DD, gives loads of xp. This is mainly because it can be sustained due to the adrenaline bonuses from the killing sprees. Which keeps the sprees going.

Without the adrenaline from the sprees, the rod would use up the adrenaline quite quickly.

With my WM I pretty much use the rod only when I get DD and only for the 30 seconds the DD lasts. After that the adren drain is too huge to justify. I hope it isn't nerfed too much for the non AM characters.

I can see the concern with the AMs though, even without DD the rod can go on and on especially if being used with an e3 weap.

Would just lessen my desire to start an AM character in the future. I find the rod very useful (even tho I am just a WM) in crowds of baddies. Very rarely get the opportunity to run it with a DD. Does suck the adren alot when used around titans and queens.

Rod is not an issue, look first you must hope for a rod, then you must fight others for the DD, so to odds arent that high of making overkilling shoots..

IMO the rod/DD combo should be left alone, and certainly don't eliminate the rod altogether.

If anything, get rid of the beam and bolt. Bolt is almost completely useless after the last nerf (time in between uses, and doesn't do nearly enough damage to warrant the adren cost). We all know that beam is used primarily as an instagib on waves 6 and 14. Other than that, it too is rather limited in use.

The rod works well because it requires no aiming, and is easily used in conjunction with any other weapon. In answer to the rod being able to be sustained for large lengths of time, I don't see that as much of an issue.
The DD/rod combo gets the kill streaks going primarily on small/tight maps with lots of enemies spawning in the general vicinity. Otherwise, kill streaks can be harder to get on most maps. Not to mention the DD time expires fairly quickly, so the combo is shortlived.

Let's be realistic here. I personally use the rod for when I am completely surrounded by mobs and/or don't have much help from other players. In that situation without a DD, your adren goes from 250 to 0 in seconds and really doesn't allow any kind of kill streak unless you have several other players weakening the enemies so that the rod becomes the kill shot. We all know that the rod by itself isn't that great at actually killing even weakest monsters by itself. If you (or someone else) isn't shooting the monster as the rod is hitting it, the monsters don't go down very quickly.

The rod is best used in early waves for it to be most effective. It's too weak and costly to be of much use later (without a DD). If I'm looking to stay alive as an AM in late waves, the rod is not the first choice. Globe all the way.

Lately it seems the there has been some discussions that seem to be aimed at deconstructing what makes any certain class special. AM's get to have an arsenal of adren based artifacts (some of which, I should remind are available to all as a drop or gift) and adren skills to utilize them. If we start stripping away the most useful artifacts, then what's the point of playing as an AM? I've said this before....I'd rather see the poison, freeze, megablast, magnet, and teleporter all go away. I bet I could take a poll on how often those artifacts are used and not be surprised at the results.

I look at it like this: if the non-AM type players out there decided to play as an AM and master the class, then we wouldn't be having this discussion. Seeing what life is like as another class is important. It's easy to armchair quarterback these discussions from the outside. I've played as the other classes and I enjoy something about each one. They're all unique and have reasons why they are fun to play. This server has several elite players in each class that can light it up. Your skill as a UT player and your actual level on this server tend to influence your opinions on these matters. I have seen these issues through the eyes of a newbie, a novice, and a skilled player. Before we go and alter the classes again, let's think about what makes each class special, and whether something is actually unfair, or just appears that way.

Well said Elec.

Ditto.

I agree with you as well Electrician (see my post to get the Medic separated from the Engineer in the adjustments) but...

I started this topic only after playing my AM frequently lately (not that I'm that high of level/skill or think it needs to be "nerfed" just tweaked)
my suggestion is to limit the range of the L-rod because in my experience it can be too effective in later waves in conjunction with the DD or Triple
when I have full adren and run those combos I can clear a room fairly easily and then go on a adren fueled run killing spree (wave 16 even)
I'm concerned that at my level (around 90 currently) its too easy to do , and that it takes very little skill
those other artifacts you mentioned are never used because their power and effectiveness are nothing in comparison to a well used Rod
for lower lvl Ams the Rod is a must and the only reliable source of xp they have, which is why is needs to stay
I'm suggesting making it a little less encompassing so an AM has to be closer to his/her targets to kill them