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Trying to find a use for Mercy (Janus does it better)

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  • R Offline
    Rodimus_Prime
    last edited by 1 Dec 2023, 20:15

    I've been experimenting with Mercy in sandbox mode, trying to find some practical application for it, and am coming up short. Like Janus, the DoT means it is terrible against shields and requires 3 passes to kill a T2 Pgen. Also like Janus, it's great at destroying groups of T1, T2, and Engies.

    Unlike Janus however, a single Flak can kill the entire squad of Mercy before they hit. A Janus will survive at least 2 passes over a Flak, dealing a lot of damage each time. Coupled with not being reusable, I'm just not seeing any use for the unit. The change to DoT means it can't even be used as a T4 deterrent anymore. So what's the point of Mercy these days?

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
    • T Offline
      TheWeakie
      last edited by 1 Dec 2023, 21:35

      You counter t1/t2 spam with it (and clumps of engies)

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • R Offline
        Rodimus_Prime
        last edited by 1 Dec 2023, 21:45

        Unless there is a single Flak. Mercy is the only unit that can't get 1 attack vs. Flak. In its' current state, I'd think you're better off taking a UEF engie from your teammate and using that for your air.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • F Offline
          FtXCommando
          last edited by 1 Dec 2023, 21:57

          Why wouldn’t the UEF have the better aoe air tool when that’s literally their whole t2 air stage while it’s option #3 for aeon

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • R Offline
            Rodimus_Prime
            last edited by 1 Dec 2023, 22:09

            If the Mercy is now sub-par by design for balance, that's another matter entirely. I thought perhaps there was some edge case for using it I was not aware of.

            J 1 Reply Last reply 1 Dec 2023, 22:15 Reply Quote 0
            • F Offline
              FtXCommando
              last edited by 1 Dec 2023, 22:11

              It isn’t shit by design, but comparing it in some equivalency to janus is silly, might as well as have uef be flabbergasted stingers cant one shot flak like specters while comparing how a mercy interacts with flak compared to janus

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • J Offline
                Jip @Rodimus_Prime
                last edited by 1 Dec 2023, 22:15

                @immortal-d said in Trying to find a use for Mercy (Janus does it better):

                If the Mercy is now sub-par by design for balance, that's another matter entirely. I thought perhaps there was some edge case for using it I was not aware of.

                One edge case is that the mercy can be quite strong against moving shields because of the large damage radius in combination with damage over time. When shields move around they may let the damage source slip underneath the shield and the shield generator would be destroyed almost immediately

                A work of art is never finished, merely abandoned

                R 1 Reply Last reply 3 Dec 2023, 15:30 Reply Quote 0
                • S Offline
                  SuperiorTrainer
                  last edited by 2 Dec 2023, 00:48

                  faf elite always win

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • Z Offline
                    Zeldafanboy
                    last edited by 2 Dec 2023, 17:01

                    The Mercy is not supposed to be an offensive unit, but a utility unit

                    put the xbox units in the game pls u_u

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • I Offline
                      IndexLibrorum Global Moderator
                      last edited by IndexLibrorum 12 Feb 2023, 19:43 2 Dec 2023, 19:39

                      I would love to see mercies have a specific use again, so they don't look like a failed Janus clone. What if they do something similar to the absolver, and do large damage to shields?

                      I can see usecases not just on firebases, but also against those units that have shields themselves, like the harbs, obsidians, and titans, (where strong shield DOT could be really interesting). This gives you a cool utility unit that remains relevant up to and including the T3 stage.

                      "Design is an iterative process. The required number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time."

                      See all my projects:

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • R Offline
                        Rodimus_Prime @Jip
                        last edited by 3 Dec 2023, 15:30

                        @jip That's more luck than anything, but I appreciate the thought. Sorry, but Mercy in its' current state is not worthwhile.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • D Offline
                          Defiant
                          last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 05:29

                          I liked their original pinpoint use better. It forced proper AA to defend. it was a gamble to use.

                          I 1 Reply Last reply 4 Dec 2023, 13:49 Reply Quote 0
                          • I Offline
                            IndexLibrorum Global Moderator @Defiant
                            last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 13:49

                            @defiant So did I, as it really hammers in the fact you need to bring AA, but the AA didn't always shoot them down properly. Can't have such a strong unit without a functional counter.

                            "Design is an iterative process. The required number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time."

                            See all my projects:

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • T Offline
                              TankenAbard
                              last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 14:03

                              The Mercy is going to be as much of a pain as the Fire Beetle to balance. 1-time use units need to be cost effective, but not TOO cost effective. The Mercy in its current state is... Okay. If you rush T2 air, they can be absolute terrors for a little while, but lose favor pretty quick. Great for clouds of T1 stuff. I'm not sure how this could be better without it being too good.

                              I 1 Reply Last reply 4 Dec 2023, 14:10 Reply Quote 0
                              • I Offline
                                IndexLibrorum Global Moderator @TankenAbard
                                last edited by IndexLibrorum 12 Apr 2023, 14:11 4 Dec 2023, 14:10

                                @tankenabard More damage on shields, so it is firmly put into the role of a tactical tool rather than a must-used snipe unit.

                                "Design is an iterative process. The required number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time."

                                See all my projects:

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                                • A Offline
                                  arma473
                                  last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 16:50

                                  If mercies had 2 damage circles, a wide one that does damage over time + a small one that does damage for a longer time, that would make them more useful

                                  They could be used to snipe buildings like T3 mexes using the small circle. They could be used to force an ACU to move (to leave an upgrade). They might even be strong against shields (if you can get the small circle damage against a shield bubble, it would eventually collapse). If it damaged reclaim over time it would be a way to deny reclaim

                                  But units/armies could easily move around that small spot. "Just don't stand there"

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                                  • T Offline
                                    ThomasHiatt
                                    last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 17:45

                                    Give mercies the sacrifice ability.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • R Offline
                                      Rodimus_Prime
                                      last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 19:25

                                      So here's a thought. Perhaps we must accept that a single-use unit can never be balanced across skill ranges. Scrap that design concept entirely and change Mercy into a traditional bomber which compliments the Swift Wind. The Fire Beetle would need a similar update.

                                      I T 2 Replies Last reply 4 Dec 2023, 20:40 Reply Quote 0
                                      • I Offline
                                        IndexLibrorum Global Moderator @Rodimus_Prime
                                        last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 20:40

                                        @immortal-d

                                        Perhaps we must accept that a single-use unit can never be balanced across skill ranges.

                                        I'm not willing to grant that assumption out of hand, and remain strongly against any move such as this that reduces faction diversity.

                                        "Design is an iterative process. The required number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time."

                                        See all my projects:

                                        R 1 Reply Last reply 4 Dec 2023, 21:33 Reply Quote 0
                                        • R Offline
                                          Rodimus_Prime @IndexLibrorum
                                          last edited by 4 Dec 2023, 21:33

                                          @indexlibrorum I'm all for maintaining faction uniqueness. That said, when was the last time you saw Mercy or Fire Beetle used in a serious capacity? Something has to give.

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