going back to the whole idea of trying to get away from having the ist as the ranged dps and SS as the actual ranged squad.
does anyone else feel like that would be against each unit's apparent roll?
forgetting the Strikes ranged dps for now , their main t2 upgrade adds support abilities and their t2 weapon upgrade is a jack of all trades weapon. Would this not suggest that SS are the support unit and not the IST?
And we all know PEOPLE use ist as a conventional infantry unit.
So the question is , why are we fighting their apparent roles? Why must we try to make SS the ranged dps in t2 when clearly they dont wana be? and why do we need to make IST a support unit when clearly no one wants to use them that way?
Mianly becaue of this unit (Purifiers). If you were to change strikes to play as an offensive unit and make IQST into a truly dedicated ranged unit (which would mean doing what torpid said and that is increasing their health...but also needing to increase their resistance in some nature to damage be taken because they are still extremely fragile) you would need to change purifiers roles. Personally I have gone over this Salty. It's just a question of would everyone be up for a change in purifiers when personally I see them as a pretty solid unit though given granted (I personally don't play them because I feel their role at time interferes with the faction as a whole)
Back on topic, there aren't many things that gk don't have in terms of roles, and the only one that I could imagine fit their role is playing as an artillery like unit. Which is almost like how they play right now with their psychic pulse ability but on a much smaller scale. However if that were to change and they were to become a true artillery unit with large scale attacks that truly pack a punch behind them to which you could compensate that by reducing their melee, then the way in which I also believe people are playing strikes and IQST would be able to work. It's a 3 player swing really. If you want to change them to play how everyone plays them now but still be effective, you need to compensate that so as not to make internal balance but still make it so purifiers are special in that of what they provide to the faction. GK don't have artillery except the plasma cannon dread which is being taken out of its role imo, however if you were to make it so purifiers became an artillery piece unit, then you could get that crappy weapon off of the dread and replace it with the MM to which the role of artillery is given to a unit that may in all respects be an artillery unit, but has been used as a melee unit all this time
*Edit*
Here are the pros and cons of doing so
Pros
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- The purifiers would no longer need "A baby sitter" to be made effective on the battlefield, in that of the form of the libby or the Brocaptain
- They wouldn't be in constant conflict with strikes, If the changes for strikes hold true, then that means strikes will be getting a melee charge, that really in addition to their melee prowess are the major defining qualtities of this unit and now once again they are becoming overly close. Though given granted the melee will never be the same, the charge will not be the same, and that strikes should be in ranged more in melee, but with a melee charge, it will be much more enticing to use them in melee in T2 as compensation for a purifier squad of lower prestige.
- They would no longer be a hindrance for the factions ability to tier, Because purifiers are the fore front they can take a bit of losses, which is normal, but those losses add up and only give reason to not get them, because they conflict with getting termi varients which, while not haveing melee charges, are undoubtedly better at melee than purifiers. Purifiers would no longer be (the bloodcrusher unit)
Purifiers are at their best as a fast purchase in the beginning of t2 when nobody has brought out t2 units, very much like the bloodcrusher. Not many T1 units can handle what they bring to the table, but that window rapidly closes as T2 units come out and T3 rides into view. By making them an artillery like unit, they would no longer be a somewhat "risk" unit purchase choice. That for all respects and purposes become a means of blocking yourself from getting to T3 and taking out the legitimate and high end melee units. Purifiers would no longer be bought to bring a quick means of melee which the faction gets plenty of from interceptors and strikes, they would be an artillery unit.... The only artillery unit... Giving them clear and present rights to why you would get them, because no other unit would conflict with them, because there are none
- They wouldn't conflict with interceptors. Interceptors, filla strong role of synergy in the GK faction allowing means of quick disruption to tie up set up teams, finish off squads, and moreover have the only vehicle snare in the entire faction. Purifiers have nothing in that regards of synergy with the natural gun line manner in which this army plays. They push the pace leaving stormtroopers and strike squads behind taking away from the overall supporting fire provided by them. They unlike interceptors have an inferior means of engaging in melee, where purifiers can easily be CC'D and take high amounts of damage, there is nothing that can be done to stop an instant teleportation. Now given granted someone can have a rhino and use that rhino to get them close and keep the ranged units in close vacinity, the gk rhino "which is not really a rhino" doesn't have the greatest armor and means to support in those regards. The gk rhino usually wants to play defensivelly backing up because it cant reinforce units, to keep a sustainable fight going/ repair going on the rhino if losses are taken.
By making them an artillery like unit, they would no longer be pushing the pace but only further sollidifying the gunline.
It's no secret that the B.C. is a freaking tank which can get into melee without much trouble because he's got a teleport and has sturdy armor. Supporting the B.C. has always been the means of the game, and many gk players have said that ranged is the way to do it. Well if that's the case then well there you go. And if you need a little bit more, you would get interceptors, which also have an instantaneous teleport (no longer, but still somewhat retained so to speak, in that they dont need to run in to cover the distance) Now you have units getting in melee in the most respectable means of doing so (teleportation, just like terminators and paladins) however unlike terminators and paladins, interceptors are not a means to an end like purifiers sometimes feel like, when you compare the two. Interceptors have the snaring support nade, as well as the psych out energy drain nade that will now be doing explosive damage, in addition to the fact they have similar means of travel (teleportation) No longer would you have the unit conflict that comes fro purifiers and termi-variants because interceptors are a truly synergetic piece to the faction.
Purifiers being an artillery unit would also be a truly synergetic piece to the faction because there are no other artillery pieces except the Dreadnought plasma cannon that needs to be removed and replaced with the MM, because the plasma cannon takes the dreadnought out of its role as a walker at the front lines, supporting the infantry with buffs and respectable ranged firepower
Cons
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- Some people really like the offensive melee nature of purifiers in combat and wouldn't care to see that role changed. Pufiers alongside the libby or the brother captain, is really effective. They are a force to be reckoned with in the beginning of T2, and some people like to commit to this style of play that makes them feel aggressive. (In addition their is infiltration provided by the libby to get them in unscather if there is no detector and this to an extent works just as well as an instant teleport)
- Why would we change purifiers after all this time? If something is not broken why change it?
- Strikes being more melee dependant would only act the same as purifiers anyways so what would be gained from switching the roles of these 2 units? The purifiers are a truly respectable melee unit with a small aoe, and the longest charge range in the game. The excel in melee as to where the strikes wont. Strikes strength from what has been gathered by many gk players is at ranged, so why would we change them back to melee going what is respectably seen as backwards?
Purifiers can fill the same role as interceptors if played correctly in that they can corner a vehicle so that a unit like the vindicare assassin can put shots in while the purifiers put the pressure on upclose. The daemon hammer getting rear armor hits alongside a vindicare assassin or some other A.V. unit can be just as good
- If you changed purifiers you would have to change strikes and stormtroopers. Almost as if we were make a complete left turn in regards to the means of how GK play, as opposed to the graudual mannerism of straight as where we have come to now
These are the reasons that I can think of as to why you would or would not change Purifiers into an artillery like unit though I'm sure there are more given for both sides, especially that of cons (Just my natural bias, and means of not having the experience in that of playing the purifier route as much as with interceptors)
But yea I just wanted to post you my thoughts on that of answering that question of unit roles Salty