Buckshot vs Slug: The final debate.

[QuackingFlack]

Personally I feed my shotguns with an alternating pattern of buck and slug. I find that it scares the shit out of certain alien players (IE when they get hit with buck so they move back 3 tiles then get hit with a slug). Especially if it's a semi-auto shotgun. If I need one or the other and it's not loaded, I just shoot it into the face of the thing I'm about to shoot anyways.

Reloading is a bitch so I fill a container with slug/buck in alternating pattern so I don't need to think about it.

[Heckenshutze]

Bumping this shit back to front page due to recent game changes.

Who's the best?

[Crab_Spider]

They're both crap.

[Steelpoint]

Slugs are an effective hard counter to Warrior neck-grab memes. I've been using slug rounds often as a Medic and I find it extremely invaluable during large scale fights where I can prevent someone from being abducted with a well aimed slug shot.

I've also found the rounds themselves to be very effective in general combat. Assuming you can hit your target they deal a decent amount of damage. I even managed to once solo a Crusher as a medic if only for the timely intervention of more Aliens, and I've been able to reliably stunlock many xenos continually and be able to either kill them myself or with backup (pocket .45 m4a3 does wonders for a finisher weapon).

[Surrealistik]

Slugs are better now due to two major changes in the meta (not because buckshot itself got worse, or slugs got better):

#1: No more one handing shotguns reliably: gyros got nerfed to hell; even at close range you will miss with regularity. You have to choose between compromised mobility or compromised hit rates when it comes to buckshot.

#2: Warrior/Defender spam meta has made slugs greatly valuable for disruption per Steelpoint.

[Retrokinesis]

I've also started using slugs as a medic/engineer for the reasons mentioned above. If a Warrior gets close enough to where you'd want buckshot and you don't have backup, you're already dead. They're also very effective against the likely large number of Defenders you're going to be up against. They've also proven to be fairly effective at disrupting pounces if you can see them coming ahead of time, at least in my experience. And, as someone who isn't a frontline combatant, they let you stand back and take the occasional shot and sometimes actually hit something.

Just don't miss and hit someone else. Slug FF is oof.

[Daturix]

Buckshot or gtfo

[zoboomafoo]

IMO they both have their merits. Slugs are in a relatively good place now after the shift in the meta and have caused me a lot of problems when I play xeno. Buckshot is also still very viable in the right situations.

[Surrealistik]

Personally I can't wait until Flechettes become mainstream and make it into the auto-armoury.

[Bulaven]

LET THE DEBATE BEGINS!

There are only two types of people on the Sulaco: Buckshot or Slugs.

Which one is better? Which one is worse? Yes? No? Depends? Explain.

Here is my own opinion: I'm a slug guy, because this three reasons:

Pros of Slugs:

* Armor Piercing

* More bullet range

* More accurate

Cons:

* Lesser damage

* Not powerful enough to take down T2-T3

* You actually have to aim, since there's no additional buckshot.

Cons of buckshot:
* Heavy damage at close range

* Can kill T2 to T3's

* More chances to hit multiple times with one shot

* Spreads so you can hit multiple targets at once.

Cons of buckshot:

* Short range

* More FF

* Damage depends on range.


Give your opinion, tell me if i'm wrong, say your reasons, pick a side.

I fall more into the camp of slugs for one particular reason: while buckshot is very effective at point-blank range, slugs can hit a target more than three tiles away.

[zoboomafoo]

A barrel charged slug is a 2 or 3 shot for small xenos from a distance while a barrel charged buckshot will instacrit most small xenos (though is riskier).

[Luftkommando]

Personally I can't wait until Flechettes become mainstream and make it into the auto-armoury.

This. - While I haven't played with flechettes myself I've only heard positives from those who use them. Although I doubt they'll make it into the general populace's storage. They'll probably be one of those things the Engineers will need to hack the prep-machines for the average Joe to get access to them without going through Req.

Bonus Round (edit): Sans the new flechettes debate I always go buckshot. When I go shotties I normally dual wield and with cbuckshot the lower accuracy needed for successful hits means I'm more effective. Do I get laughed at a lot for dual-wielding shotties in this meta? Yes, but that's the price I pay.

[zoboomafoo]

Flechettes? I know what they are but there are some in game?

[x31stOverlord]

Carry 2 shotguns. One full of buck one full of slug. Everyone's happy.

(Except the Xenos you massacre)

[Luftkommando]

Flechettes? I know what they are but there are some in game?

To the best of my third-party knowledge they seem to be in. I've heard on comms about marines getting hold of flechette rounds while still on the Almayer which means they're somewhere. Need to do a round as CT when I get back from work to see if they're in the CT's dispensers.

[Dolth]

A barrel charged slug is a 2 or 3 shot for small xenos from a distance while a barrel charged buckshot will instacrit most small xenos (though is riskier).

Yeah no. Shotgun BC doesn't do more damqge its glitched since... Months.

Also slug stuns longer. Which is useful.

[Gut_TC]

Slug is useful on group where you can help stun long range some slow caste T1-2 xeno and have your buddies with pulse rifle or anything else finish it or at least give that xeno enough amount of damage before it get back up and retreat for a while. Whatever you do. Don't FF or aim for the head with it. You'll feel really bad if you do. Slug also won't do if you are alone against one or more lurkers that keep zic-zacing on your poor chance of hitting. Slug on T3 won't really do much, and the accuracy for it isn't much neither. You'll miss a lot trying to hit a xeno on the edge of your screen or even half nearby you. Shotgun recovery is pretty awful so don't expect to stunlock with Slug even with Angled Grip equipped.

Buckshot at the another hand can be great or worse possible. The great is that it'll save your ass from xeno at pointblank of you and any additional pellets hit are adorable to notice, the worse is that's the only useful of it. Within range those pellets hit are nothing but some rubber ducks to most of Xeno or would miss leaving you hitting Xeno 3 tiles away from you with only 2-1 additional pellets managed to land. You'll gamble with acid splatter and it actually won't kill even Mature Lurker on weed and Warding on but rather put it on tough Crit state that you still have shoot it again or couple more. So I'd suggest you try to melee your xeno as soon possible as well while your gun is still on recovery. Trying to Buckshot certain Xeno can also be real bad gambling, that xeno could've pounce you before you can calculate your range for your buckshot effectively, it could even just try to neuro acid spam at you, it could even be a damn Warrior that won't let you do shit.
And said. If you use Buckshot. Expect to be hit by acid blood splatter and slash to paincrit or dead. Fast. A lot.

[Geikkamir]

Yeah no. Shotgun BC doesn't do more damqge its glitched since... Months.

Also slug stuns longer. Which is useful.

Slug seems to barely stun at all from my experience.

[FearTheBlackout]

I don't know about you guys, but I use slugs because they're red

[Bulaven]

I don't know about you guys, but I use slugs because they're red

Well. That's one way to pick a side. But, it makes me think of the lost art of 'Cut Shells'.

Y'see, before there were slugs, people would take buckshot shells, and take a knife to them in such a way as to turn the entire front of the shell into a solid projectile, rather than the buckshot separating from the shell and dispersing.

Little history lesson.

[Surrealistik]

Slug seems to barely stun at all from my experience.

The stun lasts about a second; just slightly less than the time it takes before the M37 is ready to fire again.

[Steelpoint]

Bit of a revive. But I'm interested to hear people's thoughts on the newer Flechette shells.

I've not had a lot of opportunities to use them, in theory they seem aimed as a middle ground in between Slug and Buckshot rounds.

They seem to have similar range to slug rounds, but with more spread and better damage closer to buckshot, but they lack any stunning capabilities. Perhaps jack of all trades but master of none.

[DefinitelyAlone0309]

Bit of a revive. But I'm interested to hear people's thoughts on the newer Flechette shells.

I've not had a lot of opportunities to use them, in theory they seem aimed as a middle ground in between Slug and Buckshot rounds.

They seem to have similar range to slug rounds, but with more spread and better damage closer to buckshot, but they lack any stunning capabilities. Perhaps jack of all trades but master of none.

They're sure as hell not jack of all trades when they can't even guarantee their damage at 4 tile range with that ass spread. Would much rather have Buckshot, or even fucking Slug. The stun is way more useful than the tiny bit of extra damage.

[Madventurer]

They get the worst of both worlds from what I've gathered.

[CABAL]

Depends on what you are fighting. T3's laugh at slug, it does only dmg, so the natural choice is flechette, becouse lack of stun doesn't matter.
It's easier to hit, it's more accurate than slug and it can't shoot where you didn't clicked.
I gave it a chance and I'm not dissapointed.