From being on the receiving end of a melta I think its fine aside form the minor issue's like the blinding flare(it also needs to do more damage to tanks.) It will certainly drop infantry but if you get jumped and get a melee player in your face it won't save you, it kills but not instantly.
It definitely needs some sort of wind up time. And a hard limit on firing time. Even if you increase the damage you have to have at least 2 second warm up and only a maybe 4 second blast until you can fire again. Indoor fighting has become +8 people crossing their streams until the last standing guy dies from the dots he has on him anyway.
From what I gather the Melta was designed to be a viable close range anti-vehicle/anti-infantry weapon. However, the Storm Bolter already fills the role of close range anti-infantry. So I hope they're aware that if they don't balance it proper the Storm Bolter becomes obsolete. In my opinion the Storm Bolter should be the Go To for close range anti-infantry fire. The Melta should be a compromise between anti-vehicle and anti-infantry. I have an issue with the DoT the Melta adds. I've played a few hours today and when I'm close range trading with someone (as you often do) and we're both equipped with Melta's the situation often is that one kills the other, then the survivor has so low health they die to the DoT immediately after. I think that's an issue. I think on vehicles it works fine.
I think the stormbolter is better. Gonna throw that down there. Also the meltagun seems to pull to the left?
I love the meltagun. It looks and acts like nothing I imagined, and yet I'm comfortable with it. It has an ease of use for the first time user and a strategic mechanic for the long term lover. Yes, it will need changes, and yes, the stormbolter will need changes to be a comparable close range option. But right now, already I'm seeing the massive spam of ground assault/ground traitors melt away. An emphasis on longer ranged weapons in the meta has already appeared, and the assaults are no longer as brazen when they charge in. This is a good change for EC. <3 afterburner
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. To be clear, I have not gotten to test this weapon yet, but from the videos on it, the 2 most important changes it's creating is (as previously mentioned) 1: We have new purpose for mid/long ranged characters 2: Melee needs to be careful before just diving into a room headlong. I feel this will positively change our combat strats going forward.
I've had a chance to do some testing this evening, with the following initial impressions: Stormbolter vs. Melta, in the "we both just stepped around the corner and are face-to-face" range, the stormbolter wins more frequently than the melta. It seems when most of the bolts are hitting, the stormbolter has superior DPS. Bolter vs. Melta, the greater range on the bolter gives a flexibility that I prefer, though if the melta closes before we start shooting at each other and maintains focus it can burn down health with frightening speed. It does seem that firing slows the melta user's traverse rate, so trying to circle around can give you brief breaks from the beam as they reorient. The DOT effect is quite potent though, resulting in several cases where I would kill the melta user, then immediately die myself. Melta vs. Melee, melta can win reliably against melee if the melta sees the melee coming and melee charges straight in, just like melee vs. the stormbolter, but again getting around, behind, or hitstunning the melta gives the melee character the advantage. If forced to use ranged against melee, I would prefer the stormbolter over the melta. Melta vs. Vehicles, melta has to get close, but doesn't seem to do much damage once it does. I'm not sure whether the heat-buildup mechanic works on vehicles. The amount of damage they take as I hit them seems (at least from these limited initial experiences) constant, rather than increasing as the beam is focused. I'll have to do testing to confirm that, but what I can say with certainty now is that against manned vehicles it can be near suicidal to try to close to melta range and stay there. Firing makes you a great-big-shiny target, and not just for the crew of the tank. Overall when dedicated to tank-hunting I'd prefer the powerfist or lascannon. It seems like a close ranged generalist's weapon, allowing anti-infantry and anti-vehicle work but excelling at neither, compared to existing equipment. Being the right class to cap while carrying it is a nice bonus. A note on glare- It does appear empowered by the Emperor's Saint JJ Abrams. The glare can be irritatingly disorienting when trying to stab the person waving it around, especially in the darker interior rooms, or rooms with their own sources of absurd glare. When using it myself, I did have characters I was shooting at act oddly while being hit by it, I presume because they couldn't see me very clearly. Definite psychological impact from the shiny. A note on executions- usually, a target downed with the melta will take DOT damage and die on their own. If you do manage to trigger an execution, the animation has the melta shooting bolts like a bolter. I found that amusing, anyway.
I wouldnt know how the melta gun is. The goddamn pathetic bleep bleep bleepedy bleeping latency issues in this game mean that I can stand their for 5 minutes apparently making someone deep fried and crispy only to have them one shot me and be at 100% health.
