The headshot bonus is kind of crazy if you think about it, on smaller frames if you aim for the chest the reticule is halfway on the head anyways....thats an absurd damage multiplier.

In the past I've suggested a few reasonable nerfs for the Heavy/HMG combo, including:
Remove dual stream Rep Tools
Reduce Dispersion
Reduce Turn Speed
Reduce (slightly) Range

Not all of them to be applied concurrently.

But, since you people are insistant on a more aggressive nerf, I propose this:
Remove Headshot Bonus from the HMG

When I started using Heavies, the HMG was "laser focused" and yet I rarely got Headshot Kills.
Immediately after the Dispersion fix I started getting Headshot Kills 10-15 times per match.
I appreciate a good skill Kill as much as the next guy, but the Dispersion allows the Headshot Bonus to be applied up to ~48 times per second.
Admittedly, that is bad. I don't have the maths on it at the moment, but I'm sure one of you lovely people wouldn't mind posting the hard data...

We (those who suffered through the bad HMG days) have been trained to aim it well. I put the center most point of the reticle on a target and they're instantly dead now. I get rewarded for skill Kills when I'm just spraying into 3-10 clustered mercs.
Granted, I spray high to achieve this because it is effective, but if a nerf is to be applied, this should be the starting point.

Honestly the HMG kills scouts and med frames so fast the damage bonus doesn't even matter. My PC cal scout has less than 400 hp and a hmg can kill me in about .5 seconds, which is already faster than i can react most times, especially with real laggy PC matches.

The only time the hmg head shot bonus really matters is against other heavies. So I say keep it, let those fat bastards kill each other faster.

In the past I've suggested a few reasonable nerfs for the Heavy/HMG combo, including:
Remove dual stream Rep Tools
Reduce Dispersion
Reduce Turn Speed
Reduce (slightly) Range

Not all of them to be applied concurrently.

But, since you people are insistant on a more aggressive nerf, I propose this:
Remove Headshot Bonus from the HMG

When I started using Heavies, the HMG was "laser focused" and yet I rarely got Headshot Kills.
Immediately after the Dispersion fix I started getting Headshot Kills 10-15 times per match.
I appreciate a good skill Kill as much as the next guy, but the Dispersion allows the Headshot Bonus to be applied up to ~48 times per second.
Admittedly, that is bad. I don't have the maths on it at the moment, but I'm sure one of you lovely people wouldn't mind posting the hard data...

We (those who suffered through the bad HMG days) have been trained to aim it well. I put the center most point of the reticle on a target and they're instantly dead now. I get rewarded for skill Kills when I'm just spraying into 3-10 clustered mercs.
Granted, I spray high to achieve this because it is effective, but if a nerf is to be applied, this should be the starting point.

Nerf the shotgun too then

Nerf the shotgun too then

That bonus is a bigger problem for suits with lower HP pools, smart guy.

That bonus is a bigger problem for suits with lower HP pools, smart guy.

Lower the turn speed as well and it makes sense.

Lower the turn speed as well and it makes sense.

Best counter to HMG is to spec into it

Or use something with a range past 50 meters. That requires thinking though and honestly after playing a couple days ago the people playing the game are either high drunk or both. People dont think at all now in game. People were actually charging me with my hmg... wtf?

That sorta disadvantages the Burst's HMGs Role don'tcha you think?

Not so much because the base DPS is still hefty enough to carry it. The Burst would still be effective against other Heavies, as it is now.
I can see that my numbers nerds are sleeping on the job.
I'll have to put something together to prove my point.

Shotgun dispersion isn't nearly that of the HMG.
Aiming for the upper chest from >5m away doesn't equate to a (or several) Headshot Bonus(es).

Best counter to HMG is to spec into it

Nerf HMG? You are dumb. Look at what we have here. DUST is basically TF2. Heavies need logis to even be effective. Scouts are OP and med frames are not even really used. What we need to nerf is people. Stop all these dummies from making QQ threads about that last weapon that killed them.

Nerf HMG? You are dumb. Look at what we have here. DUST is basically TF2. Heavies need logis to even be effective. Scouts are OP and med frames are not even really used. What we need to nerf is people. Stop all these dummies from making QQ threads about that last weapon that killed them.

since when should any weapon be only useful against heavies?

I can honestly get similar effect to the HMG by putting a prototype Shotgun on a fatsuit and damage modding it.

2 seconds to kill anyone with an HMG....

2 shots tops with the proto shotty which takes... two seconds.

Coincidence?

The only difference is if I mount the shotgun people will b*tch about fats running light weapons and OHKing everyone rather than with a (Clearly inferior to everything) HMG that we have had in the past and everyone (Except heavies) was happy with because it was utterly f*cking useless. I ran shotgun fatty during those dark times for a reason.