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I use heavy weapons have prof 3 on both and no i dont run proto because its a waste of isk for no benefit what so ever. I specced heavy to use heavy weapons, not to make a an AR user with more hp. I have both shields and armor at lvl 5 and use complex plate just to survive long enough to *maybe* kill things in my optimal.

So not even a maxed weapon?

When I run into any good and decently specced heavy in CQC, I'm normally dead before I can even turn around. If you can't be effective in CQC with the HMG, its mostly your own fault IMO.

Right that extra 6% makes all the difference... all you have to do in CQC is strafe dance and you will win 90% of the time. If you stand still thats on you but the HMG will almost never kill a moving target before the heavy is dead

I've said it before and I say it again, getting killed in a 200K proto suit due to some skilless scrub exploiting a cheap mechanic isn't any fun at all....

At least the time to kill has improved a bit. It may feel a bit like cod right now, but if you compare the two you will see that cod is much much worse in regards to time to kill. It's just insane over there in cod. If someone were to even look at you wrong, you are already dead.

An ongoing issue, or raher issues, that have been my main gripe with Dust is slowly diminnished patch by patch. I am talking about what I and many other "protostomping wannabe elite players with inflated ego" have experienced as noob friendly mechanics. Prime examples of these are the LLAV nerf, the Flaylock nerf, the MD nerf due to better LOS weapon hit detection and now recently the FG blast radius nerf.

I've said it before and I say it again, getting killed in a 200K proto suit due to some skilless scrub exploiting a cheap mechanic isn't any fun at all.... There was a time when I felt that 9 of 10 deaths I had wasn't deserved at all. Lately not so much, not even close. Dying by a militia AR getting the drop on you, simply getting outgunned or dying to an enemy blob due to too aggressive play is all ok and should be expected.

So the TTK is reduced by 1.6 and many players used to being carried by more EHP and DPS has just lost a little of that crutch and situational awareness, fast reflexes and superior aim has never been more important. I am not a direct fan of the new TTK, a little too fast IMO, but nothing game breaking. It might be a deliberate act to tap people faster for expensive suits in an attempt to cure the economy, I don't really care.

Conclusion:

If the current line of development continues, Dust will become a true competitve FPS sometime in the future. I am very positive towards the current trend of development in this regard, though it could always go faster...

There are however more stuff that needs to be done, to reduce what I call "cheap deaths", if you have more suggestions please bring em forth and I'll update the OP.

- Nades, and especially their spammability needs a serious nerf.
- The AI turret aim is just simply insane and needs to be toned down.
- Exit and enter time for fatsuits with LAVs needs to increase. Its just too easy to drive an unkillable LAV and pop out, kill a dude and pop back in again. Two "scrubby russian players" have done this for, well ever, in EU ambush. Its hard, next to impossible to counter, I'd like to see these players perform without this huge benefit.

So CCP, moving slowly in the right direction, keep it up.