DRL > Discussion
Pimp my Rocket: Rocket Launcher Builds
Ander Hammer:
--- Quote from: Creepy on March 27, 2012, 18:14 ---I would think there's a small gap in tiles where you're outside melee but too close to safely use a rocket. In that gap one could switch without juggler and not worry over the lost time, maybe? I don't exactly have the timing down on weapon switching. If I'm wrong then yeah, a level of Juggler is probably needed.
--- End quote ---
Having an ever-ready chainsaw does eliminate the need to pause and think about switching or positioning - nothing is less manly than having to dive for cover just to pull out your chainsaw, putting your rockets away in the process.
Subtlety and strategy have their places, and they're with tactical assault troopers shooting shotguns from behind corners, not crazed berserkers swinging a chainsaw from one hand and shooting explosions with the other.
spacedust:
--- Quote from: Ander Hammer on March 27, 2012, 22:05 ---Subtlety and strategy have their places, and they're with tactical assault troopers shooting shotguns from behind corners, not crazed berserkers swinging a chainsaw from one hand and shooting explosions with the other.
--- End quote ---
Can I sig that? That is awesome!
Ander Hammer:
Hey, Not Too Rough Angel of Purity Rockets/Melee full win. This kind of build can work out pretty well after all, thanks to The Wall.
--- Quote from: spacedust on March 27, 2012, 22:18 ---Can I sig that? That is awesome!
--- End quote ---
Sure.
Demetrious:
The Rocket Launcher doesn't get enough respect. At all. First MAD run I did, I headed to The Wall, confident in my devastating, armor-piercing shotgun - and almost got killed. When I busted out my [A] - Modded Rocket Launcher, I started kicking tail. Knockback sent them out of sight, and they'd step forward just in time to catch another rocket to the face. Rinse and repeat. I've lost track of the times this has happened to me - situations my build couldn't handle, but the sweet wrath of high-explosives could.
As for Rockets/Rocket Launchers being inferior...
Spoiler: Wall O Text Analysis (click to show/hide)...let's consider that. First, the "inferior to guaranteed specials/assemblies" argument.
Missile Launcher has perfect accuracy, 0.8 fire time, 4 rockets on-hand and a pretty slow reload. Clearly perfect as a special-case weapon for those without Rocket Launcher traits; anybody can use it to unload four rockets in somebody's face really quickly. Micro-Launcher is similar - a basic assembly (i.e. anybody can make it) with +7 accuracy and major fire/reload time boosts. Why do these exist? Because the Rocket Launcher wants Reloader and Eagle Eye, typically mutually-exclusive traits, either in pragmatic necessity or in actual fact (MAc, for instance.) On the other hand you're very likely to have one of those traits, so covering the other with mods is easy. Thus it meshes well as a secondary weapon. Then there's Micro Launcher/Missile Launcher for the builds with neither EE or Rel - a Launcher for everybody! This leads people to conclude you don't need a Rocket Launcher. Well, duh - Kornel obviously had consideration for the many builds that would never find the vanilla launcher useful.
But some people take this further and claim the Rocket Launcher is inferior even if you specialize in it.
These people are barking mad. just being dramatic not hatin
Let's start with the Tactical Launcher. 1.0 fire time, 0.8 reload time, 5 round magazine. That's 0.8 seconds to reload 5 rockets. The Missile Launcher takes 4.8 to refill four. As a primary weapon for extended fights, I know which one I'd be using. Tactical Launcher has the smallest blast radius of any Launcher, only 2 tiles. That's a good thing; much more precise firepower lets you use rockets liberally without worry of nuking powerups/items/ammo. Unlike the Micro-Launcher, it takes no damage nerf. And the Tac Launcher, unlike the Missile, can still Rocket Jump. The wonders of the Rocket Jump have been discussed more as of late, but it bears repeating - the uses are endless. Lava Pits with one enviro-suit? Rocket Jump. Getting past those effing Lost Souls at the Anomaly? Rocket-Jump. Closing with the Arena Master? Rocket Jump. Mortuary? Rocket-Jump out of a pack of Barons and surf the explosion right into an Arch-Vile's face. And best part is the enemies nearby take the full brunt of those blasts. The damage you take is acceptable with blue armor on, minor with Red, and negligible with Fireproof, which you should really make.
If you've got Eagle Eye, the Tactical Launcher makes the Missile Launcher look like a chump. And you don't even need Reloader.
And then there's the vanilla Rocket Launcher, which is to the Tactical Launcher as the Double Shotgun is to the Combat Shotty. One-shot, slow reload, average fire-time... and biggest blast radius of any launcher; 4 tiles. If you specialize in it - that means Eagle Eye and Reloader, perhaps a Bulk mod if you really want - it becomes moderately terrifying. Yeah, Rocket Launchers don't have Master traits. When you're dishing out 6d6 damage to everything in an 8-tile sphere, who needs them? Unlike shotguns there's no damage drop-off at range and no doubled enemy armor. And most satisfyingly the blast propagates without regard for monsters in LOS of one another, so those miserable cowardly Arch-Viles can't use monsters as meatshields nearly as well.
--- Quote ---And most damningly... MAD removes armor problems.
--- End quote ---
If you've got MAD I feel bad for ya son I've got 99 problems but speed ain't one. MAD works best with Elephant Guns, and the Elephant Gun works best with Active Defense, the traits for which are blocked by MAD. And tanking/corner-shooting wants lightning-fast attacks, but MAD blocks finesse. What you can do with MAD is hurt multiple enemies at decent range every 1.0 seconds.
Like the Rocket Launchers do. Except they don't need Master traits to do it.
The Rocket Launcher's drawbacks are primarily ammo-related; they tend to blow up their own ammo when dropped by enemies just rocketed, and as plentiful as rockets are, they've got small stacks and you can really pump them out fast. Much like anything shooting power cells it should be paired with a low-tier weapon for finishing blows, mop-up, small fry, etc. If you go with the vanilla Launcher you'll probably take Reloader... so pick up a Chaingun or Plasma Rifle. Yes, you heard me. Even without SoB. Just make it a High-Power weapon and get the equivalent of 2 SoB levels. Reduced magazine size is horrific anethma to most rapid-fire builds but you don't care, you clever Reloader you. You'll already have Eagle Eye anyways. May as well slap it on a Plasma Rifle for the halved armor damage and more common ammo late-game - with the Rocket Launchers massive blast radius you'll find yourself wanting the precision option more often, which means a backup weapon with a bit more oomph then a shotty.
If you go with the Tactical Launcher (which simply doesn't need Reloader) then I'd take a Combat/Tac shotty. With the reduced blast radius the Tactical Launcher can be employed more flexibly and more often, so you'll need your "backup" less - usually as the Final Blow on a pack of Mancubi so you can harvest delicious rocket, for example. Tac Shotties only need Reloader for extended fights, but your Launcher's doing the heavy lifting, so that's no problem.
tl;dr Great thread. The Tactical Launcher is much better then you give it credit for, though, and could easily be the base of a highly-effective build. A suggestion for Tactical Launcher builds: since the Tac launcher doesn't need Reloader, go ahead and take Fin->Fin->Wiz to start with. Since the Shotgun has a fire/reload time of 1.0 each, saving time in either category increases your effective attack speed. Or EE->EE->Int-Int and hope for a Captain on the first few levels, or grab the one that spawns during Hell's Arena to finish the Barons.
Ander Hammer:
--- Quote from: Demetrious on March 28, 2012, 09:19 ---The Tactical Launcher is much better then you give it credit for
--- End quote ---
Thank you.
I have no idea why, but I know I've seen people saying the Tactical RL is bad because of its tiny blast radius. What?
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version