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Planetside 2 LMG Beginner's Guide

Planetside 2 LMG Beginner's Guide by Quor

So you're new to Planetside 2, and you've maybe checked out this Heavy Assault (HA) class and said to yourself "Yeah, that's what I want!" but you see the selection of weaponry and your left a little speechless. Which one do you use? How do you use it? (hint: pull the trigger....I jest of course) Well have no fear, because Quor is here! And yes, I've been saving that one for awhile now.

It should be noted that, for using NC weapons, learning how to control the recoil of your gun, and subsequently, how to burst fire, is a key skill to practice. So take some time at the warpgate to learn how the shots group and how each gun pulls (all LMG's have vertical climb, while some also have horizontal pull in addition to this).

Gauss Saw
100 round magazine. ~6s reload time. Fires about 500 rpm. Hits hard. The standard LMG that every NC HA starts with. Poor at CQC, decent mid/long-range uncerted. Becomes much better at mid/long-range combat when certed properly.

Arguably the toughest starter LMG to learn how to use effectively, the SAW really only begins to shine when you put some certs into it. Your priority will be certing for a forward grip and compensator ASAP. The SAW has the slowest rate of fire at 500 rpm, and as such doesn't do very well in a close quarters environment (CQ combat, or CQC). Properly certed with a compensator, forward grip, and ideally a sight (230 certs total for all three) you, with practice, can turn the SAW into a fairly strong mid-and-long range LMG.

Gauss Saw S
75 round magazine. ~3.8s reload time. Fires about 570 rpm. Hits hard, but not as hard as the SAW. The SAW S is a direct upgrade in terms of rate of fire and reload speed, at the cost of a smaller magazine and lower per-bullet damage. The SAW S is very nice right out of the box, but unlike the SAW, the base sights (iron sights) leave a lot to be desired (this is a common theme for all the other LMG's the NC has). Can be certed to specialize the gun towards either long or short range combat, depending on preference.

Not much to say here that I haven't already said. The SAW S is a solid gun. Along with the EM6, it has arguably the most versatility out of all the NC LMG's, doing well in all ranges, with attachments offering further specialization as needed.

EM6
100 round magazine. ~3.5s reload time (when empty). ~2.8s (when reloaded before empty). Fires about 580 rpm. Hits for slightly less than the SAW S, but with a slightly higher fire rate. As noted above, the EM6 and the SAW S are very similar in terms of adaptability and stats. The advantage of the EM6 over the SAW S is a slightly higher rate of fire, with a larger magazine, at the cost of some damage and control. The EM6 tends to have a bit more recoil than the SAW S, and can be slightly harder to put shots on target at range. But the difference is very slight, so much so that preferring one over the other really comes down to personal trial and preference.

EM1
100 round magazine. ~3.5s reload time, slightly shorter when reloaded before empty. Fires about 600 rpm. Hits for a lot less per shot than the SAW, but with a much higher rate of fire. The EM1 has a good amount of versatility in its attachment choices, but it's high rate of fire and relatively low cone of fire while hip firing means the EM1 is a weapon most suited to close combat. It's the closest thing the NC will get to an Orion or CARV as far as CQC goes. Certed with a reflex sight and laser dot you become a very accurate close range fighter. Swap the dot for an extended magazine to put an ungodly amount of ammunition down range.

Whereas the SAW is more of a mid-to-long range weapon, and the EM6/SAW S are adaptable "middle ground" LMG variants, the EM1 is very much a CQC weapon. It's ease of control and high rate of fire mean you can land headshots while in close very easily, and landing consistent headshots is what determines the winner in CQC more than anything else.

GD-22S
50 round magazine. ~3s reload time, slightly faster if reloaded before empty. Fires about 600 rpm. Hits nearly as hard as the baseline SAW. The GD-22S takes the hitting power of the SAW and combines it with the fire rate of the EM1. You will burn through your 50 rounds VERY quickly. But you will also put people down very quickly. The GD has the drawback of carrying only 300 rounds total (vs the 400 for SAW/EM1/EM6 and the 375 for the SAW S) and coupled with the fact the the GD basically projectile vomits ammunition, you'll need either an ammo belt armor cert or a good engy buddy to keep you going.

The GD tends to be very accurate, even with burst firing and without attachments, and it's high rate of fire means it also excels in CQC. It's cone of fire bloom is fairly insane under full auto, but proper trigger discipline can help that problem greatly. The biggest handicap is the smaller magazine, as even with the relatively low reload time on the GD, you'll still find yourself reloading while enemies are breathing down your neck. A good way to think of the GD is like a combination of the SAW's power with the EM1's fire rate coupled with a lot of CoF bloom on extended full auto bursts (anything over 7 rounds). Knowing how to burst fire is essential to using the GD at anything beyond point blank range, but once mastered it's a very rewarding gun (and to be honest, all the NC LMG's are the same in that regard).

Any comments/thoughts to add my fellow NC'ers?


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