Should Ravengers be added as a caste?

[Toroic]

In case you don't know, a Ravenger is a Ravager that instead of a charge gains fire breath. It's description is that of a goddamn dragon.

That said... is there actually a strong reason that it shouldn't be added as a normal caste, as a variant of the ravager? Fire has some pros/cons for xenos as it damages them and weeds, but you can definitely have a queen + ravagers + ravengers offense that is fire immune.

What I'm saying is that while this seemed like a meme come to life, it could actually add more depth and variation to rounds, expand tactical options, and keep things fresh.

Thoughts?

[Sambalu]

If I recall correctly, ravengers can't actually heal from weeds. They'd be screwed if the queen is not in ovi mode.

[kamenkuro]

No, boilers are bad enough. Ravagers are already terrible as they are. Unless they were paper thin and exploded into a fire that harmed xenos, no

[ValGarilovich]

They can also shoot fire through all obstacles(even hull walls), which is problematic. And the fact that they cant heal is bad.

I think only with a bit of an overhaul(which is unlikely) that ravengers could be CONSIDERED to be added as a normal part of the tree.

I like them as they are currently, a sort of unique xeno that enacts vengeance. Having them be a standard part of the round would remove the magic from them

[Toroic]

They can also shoot fire through all obstacles(even hull walls), which is problematic. And the fact that they cant heal is bad.

I think only with a bit of an overhaul(which is unlikely) that ravengers could be CONSIDERED to be added as a normal part of the tree.

I like them as they are currently, a sort of unique xeno that enacts vengeance. Having them be a standard part of the round would remove the magic from them

Shooting through walls seems like the kind of bug that would be fixed before they were added in, and I don't think trading fire breath for rav charge makes them significantly more powerful. Rav mobility is very important.

[Heckenshutze]

I wouldn't want it to be added

[Artemis111]

I feel like the only way to balance this would to make the fire not stick to marines and still hurt xenos. I think it would be pretty neat.

[Toroic]

I feel like the only way to balance this would to make the fire not stick to marines and still hurt xenos. I think it would be pretty neat.

The impression I got was that it didn't ignite on contact and currently did hurt xenos. Main issue was fire breath ignoring walls.

[thatguyfromlife]

It could work if it was a tier 4 beno like the queen. That way there'd only be one, and it'd have to evolve from a rav.

[TicTac]

Best case scenario, marines just get lit on fire and die. Worst case scenario, it's friendly fire heaven. I can't really see this being something I would want to see in the average game, it's really lame to die to as a marine, and the fire would just be an obstacle for aliens.

[Cry of Wolves]

No -1.

[Slywater]

I don't think the devs are too keen on adding any more castes (for now anyway), especially a variant of an existing caste.

[Simo94]

It would add xeno FF and EORG and all that nice shit, my answer is no.

[Clutch]

no thx

[kamenkuro]

It would add xeno FF and EORG and all that nice shit, my answer is no.

Oh, xeno ff would be great, if they got hindered by boiler gas that'd be awesome

[ExGame]

This is too ridiculous even for CM standards.

[biscuitsakimbo]

Nah that would be lame, Ravengers are cool BECAUSE they're rare, not because a xeno spitting fire is inherently cool.

[Troika]

We don't need a caste capable of setting Marines on fire, they do that quite well themselves without anyone's help.

[Solarmare]

no


If you want an actual reason fire breathing xenu is not exactly an ideal when we're moving a bit towards realism.

[Simo94]

Someone did suggest a new T2 xeno caste focusing on boiler's acid spray ability on the Gitlab, which is more or less equivalent to flamethrowers, it was turned down, then they suggested adding this ability as an option for spitters, that was also turned down, gg no re.

[Sambalu]

I think devs have said that they're not adding any new castes for now anyways.

[Toroic]

no


If you want an actual reason fire breathing xenu is not exactly an ideal when we're moving a bit towards realism.

Staff both collectively and as individuals have a right to their opinion and I respect their desire to share.

That said, his has to be the most intellectually lazy, ignorant, bold-faced lie I've read in like two weeks and I keep up with American news.

There are a lot of fantastic things about Alien, and more importantly Aliens which this server is based on, and realism is not part of that. Scary aliens, entertaining explosions, a bunch of big guns and ultimate badasses.

Look me in the fucking eye and tell me that marines being unable to open pill bottles or read or use autoinjectors effectively is about realism. I've taught children to do all of those things. (Literally. Epi-pens are part of basic first aid.)

I can also understand why you personally might not be able to handle the thought of a twelve foot firebreathing lizard. That's the sort of awesome shit that puts hair on your chest, and maybe you like still being able to pluck for that smooth look, I don't know.

Put please for the love of Ripley come up with something better than "realism" in a universe where crab-faced Jamaicans hunt acid blooded lizards with spears while civilians fight giant lizards in exoskeletons and duct tape flamethrowers to pulse rifles because sometimes you just can't kill shit hard enough with one or the other.

[Solarmare]

Realism is a fine enough reason not to put in something that breathes fire when that is the anathema of the rest of the race. It's a thing for admins to use on the rare occasion and nothing else.

[Vispain]

I'd go -1 on this. While it seems cool I see potential FF and just plain weirdness. As some other people have mentioned, xenos don't do fire. Acid, sure. Fire, no.
Keep it for events and other times when needed. They are truly amazing then (and not as likely to become an issue).

[Toroic]

Realism is a fine enough reason not to put in something that breathes fire when that is the anathema of the rest of the race. It's a thing for admins to use on the rare occasion and nothing else.

You'd think an admin would know that both Queen and Ravs are immune to fire already, and neither boiler nor prae would be in a dangerous area. Crushers are hopeless trash right now, so none of the T3 castes would have an issue with extra fire on the battlefield. Fire is actually far more dangerous to marines (and predators) than to xenos, as they can't lay down for 10 seconds and heal all the damage.

"Realism" is a lazy argument that is clearly thrown out the window when gameplay changes are made for marines in a universe where "realism" barely has a toehold to begin with.

I'd go -1 on this. While it seems cool I see potential FF and just plain weirdness. As some other people have mentioned, xenos don't do fire. Acid, sure. Fire, no.
Keep it for events and other times when needed. They are truly amazing then (and not as likely to become an issue).

Marines deal with FF successfully all the time, and marine FF is far, far worse than non-igniting fire breath. Unless you're deliberately griefing (for which we have admins) a xeno that is already near death fire will just do minor damage, at worst. CM xenos already deviate heavily from "lore" (which is a contradictory mess) when you have 120 marines vs 20 xenos and xenos can take more than a handful of bullets.

That said, I appreciate you providing a decent argument.