A Question of Competing Choices
Here I'm comparing to a few other weapons that aren't exactly top tier frontrunners dominating the current metagame... the Paladin and the Saber (They wish they could be like the Harrier or Talon or whatever, and really the extra headshot accuracy at very long range doesn't do them any grand favors in the equation thanks to the shield gate and practical consideration of extra aim time / risk).
Now in the interest of fairness, I'll compare all weapons at the same level... Crusader X to Saber X and Paladin X. But realistically, you can't get the Crusader to X, and the comparison looks even uglier with, say, a Crusader V.
Crusader:
Damage per bullet: 608.3 (at V, it's 540.6, at I it's 486.6)
Base Burst DPS with no refire error: ~811.1
Base Sustained DPS with active reloading and no refire error: ~687.3
Firing Time: 3 seconds.
Other factors: High recoil, very high weight (2.0), .25m innate penetration.
Mod options: Extended Barrel is a no-brainer, but what of the second mod? Smart choke is useless (since it's already pinpoint accurate), so that leaves the lackluster extra clips or armor penetration for slightly more damage against armored foes and penetrating thicker cover. The fact that you kinda wanna take penetration anyways reduces the worth of the small free penetration. There's also the option of a melee mod, allowing it to shoot through guardian shields without using AP ammo or a shredder mod while offering a damage boost for melee characters.
Paladin:
Damage per bullet: 531.1
Base Burst DPS with no refire error: ~885.2
Base Sustained DPS with active reloading and no refire error: ~603.5 (With Magazine Size mod ~691.5)
Firing Time: 1.8 seconds (3 seconds with extended magazine)
Other factors: Negligible recoil, low weight (0.7)
Mod options: Your mod options are considerably better than the Crusader. You can go for an extended barrel or switch it out for even more damage advantage over the Crusader with the cranial trauma system if you plan to be headshotting (essentially the point of the Crusader, Paladin, and Saber). You also get a greater penetration distance than the Crusader with the Pistol Piercing Mod than with the Shotgun Shredder Mod + free penetration. There's also the choice of an extended magazine for more sustained damage and firing time or a scope for easier sniping. There's also the option of a melee mod equivalent to the Crusader's. Choices, choices.
Saber:
Damage per bullet: 534.8
Base Burst DPS with no refire error: ~713.1
Base Sustained DPS with active reloading and no refire error: ~583.7 (With Magazine Size mod ~632.5)
Firing Time: 6 seconds (A whopping 10.5 seconds with extended magazine) means that you're almost never stuck reloading and it takes a long time for your DPS to drop below 700.
Other factors: Higher recoil than the Paladin, still a much lower weight than the Crusader (1.4)
Mod options: Extended Barrel is a no brainer. Besides that, you can choose between a scope for easier sniping, an extended magazine for more sustained burst firing time than you'll ever need, and a piercing mod which is better than the version the Crusader gets. You get a greater penetration distance than the Crusader with the Assault Rifle Piercing Mod than with the Shotgun Shredder Mod + free penetration. There's also the option of a melee mod equivalent to the Crusader's.
And then we compare to something really competitive in the current metagame...
The Cerberus Harrier.
This gun is a bit different from the others in that it has an actual spread and is fully automatic, making the comparison a bit more complex. However, it is very accurate at long range... enough that you can reliably headshot with it at a considerable range and reliably body shot with it across the biggest maps like Dagger. It also loses next to no damage to the shield gate, and requires sustained fire. The fact that damage is distributed across more bullets also means that its aim is more forgiving. It also has a decent rate for staggering enemies or causing them to roll.
Damage per bullet: 129.5
Base Burst DPS with no refire error: An incredible ~1187.1
Base Sustained DPS with active reloading and no refire error: An equally impressive ~908.2 (With Magazine Size mod ~1014.1)
Firing Time: ~2.18 seconds (~3.93 with extended magazine mod)
Other factors: Almost no recoil, lower weight than the Saber (1.25), low ammo (though this isn't a problem for characters like grenadiers who should be making ammo box circuits already).
Mod options: Extended Barrel is a no brainer. Besides that, you can choose between a scope for easier sniping, an extended magazine for more sustained burst firing time (though the reload is so fast and the damage so high that it's not really needed), and a piercing mod which is better than the version the Crusader gets. You get a greater penetration distance than the Crusader with the Assault Rifle Piercing Mod than with the Shotgun Shredder Mod + free Crusader penetration. There's also the option of a melee mod equivalent to the Crusader's.
A Question of Niche
Who is the Crusader good for?
Sniper Infiltrators? After all they care less about weight. But then they also get a base damage boost to competitors like the Black Widow, easily giving them better damage output with the same innate penetration.
Characters who don't care about weight at all? But then they have less firing time or burst damage than the alternatives, and more importantly those characters aren't really the guys who benefit more from weapons that can't break the shield gate. (Elaboration on this point by EvanKester and myself: http://social.biowar...3962/2#13534381 and http://social.biowar...3962/2#13534458)
How about characters that easily get rid of the shield gate or otherwise synergize well with headshot weapons like characters who use Overload, Energy Drain, or Stasis? Well, it turns out that a massive weight increase without any real payoff compared to the Saber or Paladin matters to them.
A Question of Thresholds
The extra single shot damage a Crusader deals just won't bump it up into territory where it can one-shot a lowly Gold Cannibal with a body shot without extreme bonuses. In order for you to one-shot a lowly Gold Cannibal with a body shot, the unattainable Crusader X would need a whopping 333% weapon damage.
In order for you to one-shot a Platinum Cannibal with a headshot, you'd need 174% weapon damage.
The point is, if you fall just short of this and you need a second shot, meaning that your extra damage compared to the Saber or Paladin is being wasted. A Saber that's not even at level X can kill a Gold Phantom in two shots from an Asari Vanguard without taking any weapon damage evolutions. The Crusader cannot take less shots to do the same, and has half the clip and much more weight.
Conclusion
The Crusader sucks pretty badly for its rarity class. It's a black card, commendation pack only weapon that simply doesn't fulfill any particular niche in the metagame as well as its competitiors.
In short, it could really stand to receive a few well-deserved buffs.
Personally, I would prefer to see it get a meaningful damage upgrade over anything else. A simple weight reduction would just make it more similar to its competitors.
Modifié par GodlessPaladin, 07 août 2012 - 03:14 .
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