It's not the AR that's the problem, it's the elitism surrounding the AR. When this topic explodes into a 10+ debate, check out some of the elitists posts about how a hitscan weapon with aim-assist somehow requires more skill than whatever gets mentioned, most likely mass drivers since they're a hot topic. Terms like gun game, noob tube will be thrown about and for some reason planetary conquest will be brought into the argument as some kind of virtual prestige to hold over the heads of others as if it adds leverage in an argument that it's not very relevant in.

This is primarily a product of CCPs desire to have a "persistent" skill system.

When you force people to play one way for long periods of time, most will go for the safest, most general weapon set / fitting they can find, to optimize their chances of their build staying relevant as time goes on and they unlock more. This also forces familiarity with the weapon, so many become accustomed to or even grow to enjoy that weapon.

This is why you mainly see ARs, not that they don't still need a little work, but because CCP has designed a system which promotes this kind of behavior.

Diversity will occur as the game goes on and the playerbase ages. ARs are what everyone starts in and sinks SP into first.

I know many people that started as ARs and are now experimenting with different weapons and landed on Mass Driver, or Scrambler Rifle. Honestly as far as Mid-range combat goes... there are limited options.

There are CQC weapons (shotgun, plasma canon, any sidearm, HMG), there are long-range weapons (sniper, scrambler rifle, TAC AR, forge, laser), and there are mid-range weapons (AR, assault scrambler rifle, Mass Driver)

... there just isn't this plethora of weapons that people think everyone should use. If you want a mid-range weapon, you have three options. If you want a GUN you have two, and of the two the AR is more balanced vis-a-vi shield/armor damage.

That's it.

"Use other weapons!!!" chanting is not really about the AR, it is about short-to-mid-range run-and-gun playstyle that has been the favored meta for a long time...

... You want people to change their playstyle, not their weapon of choice.

If that's the case, this game might be hopeless because all I see is droves of players running around like lemmings on crack, zerging objectives. Niche weapons are supposed to break them out of that mentality, but instead it drives them zerg the forums because it's not their lack of strategy, it's the weapon...

If that's the case, this game might be hopeless because all I see is droves of players running around like lemmings on crack, zerging objectives. Niche weapons are supposed to break them out of that mentality, but instead it drives them zerg the forums because it's not their lack of strategy, it's the weapon...

Truth is, I would love to test out other weapons, but I went to AR prof. 5 during the last respec, Nothing else really even compares so far, and I'm at that point that if I want to lvl anything else up I need 400k sp here or 700k there.

This is NOT a request for a respec but simply pointing out that I have so much sp into AR's that everything else just seems worth less.

Maybe when I finally finish my build I'll spec more thoroughly into something else.