originally posted in:PvE
View Entire Topic
Ideally, we'll do one of these for every class and subclass. We can knock out at least two more before launch.
During the beta, I only had opportunity to play with the Hunter Gunslinger. Feel free to chime in if I'm wrong about something or you have something to add. We're trying to collect the accumulated wisdom of everyone here
General overview: Hunter Class
The Hunter is a bit faster, a bit quicker in changing direction, and a bit more explosive in the jump than the other two main classes. It's more likely to be able to approach an enemy without being noticed. In some ways it's the weakest class, as you have the armor of a Warlock, and the recovery of a Titan. It's uniqueness is that the class is focused on taking out point targets. Against a single powerful enemy, the Hunter can dominate. Against a horde of less-powerful enemies, the Hunter will have problems. The melee attack of the Hunter is the knife.
Gunslinger Sub-Class:
The special power of the Gunslinger Class is the Golden Gun.
Make sure you're behind cover when you activate it, as the animation takes some time, and you're vulnerable during it.
Despite all the commentary on the class ability page about the golden gun timer, you have plenty of time to get your shots off. Take the time to aim and squeeze the trigger. You start with 3 shots. Abilities such as Circle of Life may let you reset that counter under certain conditions.
Three aimed shots with the Golden Gun seems to be adequate to take down anything other than a bonafide boss. A shielded Fallen Captain, a Wizard, or a Knight can all be removed from the battlefield in a matter of seconds.
The incendiary grenade is more straightforward than the other classes grenades. It goes boom and does damage. The damage lingers, but at a quickly diminishing rate that might as well be considered initial damage. This is the Gunslinger's only area effect attack. In a chokepoint, it can blunt the worst of a mook mob.
The throwing knife Is another single-target weapon. It does damage like the hunter's knife, but seems to benefit from ranged hit location multipliers.
The hunter's knife might do the most raw damage of any of the classes' melee attack. But unlike the others, it does little if any knockback to the target. If you time an attack well, you can intercept a leaping thrall or dreg before they can inflict damage on you. The attack has a recharge of a second or two, so you can't just spam melee attacks. A knife attack will not kill a healthy enemy, and there is not an option to assassinate an unaware enemy with it.
Thoughts on tactics:
Use cover. You can't take punishment like a Titan, and you can't recover from it like a Warlock.
Backpedal. If you're being charged by a group of mooks, keep your distance as best you can, and drop them as fast as you can.
If you have warning that a wave if enemies is coming, don't waste time. Try to get on top of something in a defensible position so that you don't get swarmed. But also try to put yourself in a position where you're not a sitting duck for any enemy with a ranged weapon.
Protect your fireteam members from enemies with ranged capability, and hope they protect you against the mobs of melee combatants.
English
-
I can't confirm it, but I've heard rumor that the Hunters are the only class that don't have a weapon sway when ADS with sniper rifles. Another tip is once you unlock the Better Control perk for the Hunter double jump, you can change direction midair with (I'm guesstimating here) about 3/4 to 1/2 the original jump's momentum, depending on the direction other than straight forward or up. I'd estimate the double jump adds 1/2 momentum if you continue forward at the peak of the jump, and maintains it if jumping straight up. I've tried testing the momentum changes myself, but haven't come up with an exact value. Again, I'd like some help confirming the Better Control double jump perk, [i]but[/i] it's useful regardless due to being better able to trick enemies, reach more cover, or recover from a missed fall.