The overheating thing is just a silly gimmick designed to “balance” a weapon they feel would be overpowered without it. There’s a lot of that going around in this game.
The overheating thing exists because:
-This is exactly how overheat weapons work in Tide games.
-This is exactly how the Plasma Gun works in all Warhammer 40k games. It hits hard but you can blow yourself up with it.
I run nothing but the Plasma Gun. So let me tell you my take after 40+ hours with it, talking purely about Heresy performance.
#1. It only damages you when:
-You vent the gun at above 35 heat.
-You attempt to fire the gun normally while at 100% heat. This causes it to immediately vent 20 heat after a small animation (which you can actually cancel out of with a weapon swap), and you take a little damage. And by little, I think 10 damage.
-You attempt a charged shot while the gun is at 100% heat. This causes the gun to explode and down you.
#2. The weapon is usually a one-shot kill on Infested, Scab and Dreg regulars. Occasionally it is not. I think this is a bug. I have shot flak armor guys in their arm, blown their arm off and killed them. And I have shot the same with what I thought was a body shot and they survived. If not a bug, what it might be is the shot hit something else and they took the splash damage.
#3. The splash damage isn’t very impressive. It staggers but it doesn’t often kill adjacent enemies.
#4. The shot penetrates. Whether it’s the single fire or the charged shot, all its shots have some degree of penetration. A fully charged shot can penetrate multiple elites.
#5. The charged shot will knock down anything short of a Monstrosity. And, oddly, Mutants. Which I don’t think can be knocked down at all.
#6. The gun has perfect accuracy at all ranges.
#7. The gun does have damage fall off of about 50% when shooting across the length of the Psykhanium, which is still enough to kill any non-specialist or elite enemy at any range, and can usually kill a bomber or sniper at any range.
#8. The damage on the Charged Shot, when combined with the Vet career skill, will kill non-Ogryns in 1 to 2 shots. Ogryn in about 3 or 4 depending. A regular shot will kill most non-Ogryns in a max of 3 shots. A regular shot will kill an Ogryn in about 4 to 6 shots.
#9. Ammo is completely manageable except for the Charged Shots. They eat up a lot of ammo quickly because there are so many elites and specialists on Heresy and up.
#10. The reload is the worst part but that’s why you get a magazine of around 80 by default. That’s 80 regular shots, or like 16 charged shots. You have to choose your reload moments, and yes, occasionally sit out of the action for 4 whole seconds! while you reload.
#11. It ignores cover the same way most enemies do, even on its regular shot. If an enemy is behind some sandbags crouching, you shoot the front of the sandbags and they die. If a guy is a behind a corner, you shoot the edge of the corner and they die. I haven’t found another weapon that does this. Maybe it has materials penetration, maybe it’s some affect of the AoE splash, I don’t know. But I rarely have to worry about what is between me and the target with the Plasma Gun. Whether it’s enemies or concrete, the Plasma Gun DNGAF.
My group usually has two of us running Plasma Guns.
I’m not even going to debate it against the bolter. The bolter probably has nerfs coming anyways and has its own issues.
The point of the Plasma Gun is that it’s not a run and gun weapon. Comparing it to run and gun weapons is misguided and misses what it’s for.
It’s the game’s sniper rifle. You don’t use a sniper rifle to shoot trash within arm’s reach of you unless its panik time. You don’t compare a sniper rifle to a submachine gun. They do different things.
When you need something to die, at almost any range, the Plasma Gun will do the job. When you need something to not be shooting at you for whatever reason, it does the job, by either killing them or knocking them down so your team can close on them. Can’t count the number of times I’ve knocked a flamer, Reaper, Bulwark or Crusher on its ass right when the team needed it the most. “But the bolter would have just killed it dur dur dur dur.” Right. I can count that against the number of Heresy runs we’ve failed with bolters where they didn’t make the difference.
And for the comments that are like “it’s not good against las squads!” I’m just going to disagree again. Las squads are annoying because they run away from you, seek cover and pop out to shoot. You know what’s great against that, when your whole team is pinned down and can’t move? A highly accurate weapon with unlimited range that doesn’t care about cover. It becomes trivial to pick off an entire las squad one by one so people can start moving forward again.
Re: Heat Management. It sucks, but it’s always sucked. It sucked in VT2. It just either becomes a playstyle you learn or you avoid overheat weapons. And yes, I mained Sienna in VT2. The trick with heat management is #1 you can ALWAYS get another shot out of the Plasma Gun if you’re willing to take a very minor amount of damage. Sometimes that extra shot is what saves asses and runs. #2, never ever try to do a charged shot at 90% heat or above. Just sear that in your brain meat. Obey that rule and you’ll never kill yourself with it.
Really the Plasma Gun is about a playstyle. It is not a run and gun weapon. You can’t think about running and gunning with it in your hands. I know in a fast paced shooter like this, that if someone is shooting something and you’re not or you can’t, then gun you’re using must suck or something.
That’s a player hang up. The Plasma Gun requires you to choose your targets, and decide what’s worth shooting vs. not. I will often wait while my friends are blasting stuff and hunt for targets they’re too busy to deal with, that are too important to let live a second longer than they need to. You don’t use a cruise missile to kill an ant.
I think the Plasma Gun is great. I wouldn’t mind some buffs, because I like it. But I think it has a role to play and it fills that role very well.
But if you pick up the Plasma Gun after using the shotgun or Recon las or Autogun, and expect it to be that kind of weapon, you’re missing the point of it and then going “ddduuurrrrr it sucks.”
The gun demands a different kind of playstyle and if you don’t adopt it, then it will suck as bad as trying to snipe with a shotgun.
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Not at the frequency they overheat in this game.
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It’s 6 regular shots or ~3 charged shots to max out heat, weapon stats and traits depending. Regardless of how fast the heat does or doesn’t build, the point stands: Plasma Guns overheat and kill you in Warhammer 40k if you’re overzealous with them. Could it overheat slower? Yeah, I wouldn’t say no to that. But I don’t think the weapon is fundamentally underpowered or broken because of how fast it currently overheats.
#6. The gun has perfect accuracy at all ranges.
What? Gun works like bow, it doesnt have perfect accuracy at all…
#4. The shot penetrates. Whether it’s the single fire or the charged shot, all its shots have some degree of penetration. A fully charged shot can penetrate multiple elites.
Again what? No gun in this game penetrates anything that is solid cover
#5. The charged shot will knock down anything short of a Monstrosity. And, oddly, Mutants. Which I don’t think can be knocked down at all.
Haven’t seen anything being “knocked down” unless you hit weak point with Bolt gun, tried this with plasma and it was no bueno.
#1. It only damages you when:
-You vent the gun at above 35 heat.
-You attempt to fire the gun normally while at 100% heat. This causes it to immediately vent 20 heat after a small animation (which you can actually cancel out of with a weapon swap), and you take a little damage. And by little, I think 10 damage.
-You attempt a charged shot while the gun is at 100% heat. This causes the gun to explode and down you.
I’m fine with being damaged when firing over 100% because it’s safety risk.
Venting gun after every shot is meme. No Space Marine or Imperial Guard had to do this in mid of combat! What is the use of a gun that needs to be cooled down after each shot? Pointless. This is why majority of Space Marines used Bolter as their primary if they didn’t use Sword/Chainsword… and if they used Plasma weaponry it was PISTOL instead of Plasma GUN as it was easier to use due to it being in offhand.
IMO it didn’t damage them and served it’s 1 purpose on trash vs 1-3 shots on specials
#8. The damage on the Charged Shot, when combined with the Vet career skill, will kill non-Ogryns in 1 to 2 shots. Ogryn in about 3 or 4 depending. A regular shot will kill most non-Ogryns in a max of 3 shots. A regular shot will kill an Ogryn in about 4 to 6 shots.
I can achieve same on Bolt Gun, no self harm package included…
#9. Ammo is completely manageable except for the Charged Shots. They eat up a lot of ammo quickly because there are so many elites and specialists on Heresy and up.
Charge up option including all CONS is not worth it really over BOLT GUN
#10. The reload is the worst part but that’s why you get a magazine of around 80 by default. That’s 80 regular shots, or like 16 charged shots. You have to choose your reload moments, and yes, occasionally sit out of the action for 4 whole seconds! while you reload.
I agree on reload part.
Choosing moment is like… “RNG” within “RNG” again not worth the hassle over BOLT GUN
Also another thing.
It’s not Vermintide.
It’s futuristic W40k*
More advanced technology, weaponry, science.
There is no reason why weaponry would damage you for using it or FIGHT against you for using IT!
There is literally no skill in this
If anything Plasma GUN is advocating for more MELEE fighting that using ranged weaponry and if anything I WOULD ADOVACTE FOR CHANGING PLASMA “GUN” INTO PLASMA “PISTOL” as unique weapon with decent balaning but no self harm and acting as either main or offhand weaponry as it did for Astra Militarium Officers!
Also, Shotgun is amazing compared to Plasma Gun. Sniping with shotgun is rewarding.
Using Plasma gun as ELITE UNLOCK feels like middle finger towards player.
Another one.
Death Korps of Krieg were consider elite regardless of their “fancy” equipment, here in Darktide, W40k Krieg weapon sucks balls
Veteran is heavily lacking and that is a fact.
His Feats are garbage and it’s least interesting class to play vs 3 others.
Elite gun just makes is even less interesting.
Kay. I don’t know what to tell you, we’re not playing a different game. Maybe pay more attention or spend more time in the Psykhanium. I know I did. The gun shoots like a rail gun. If you think it has a ballistic trajectory, you need to get your ****ing eyes checked.
No where did I say you should do this or this was how it was meant to be used.
Lol, I’ve been enjoying 40k products for 25 years. This is part and parcel of the setting. Your own technology killing you is a feature of the 40k universe. And it’s a feature of every game Fatshark has ever made. You’re pissing into the wind.
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Kay. I don’t know what to tell you, we’re not playing a different game. Maybe pay more attention or spend more time in the Psykhanium. I know I did. The gun shoots like a rail gun. If you think it has a ballistic trajectory, you need to get your ****ing eyes checked.
Gun literally how big drop down at longer ranges. Unsure which one of use has it’s eyes in “…” It’s Projectile. with drop range. Nuff said here.
No where did I say you should do this or this was how it was meant to be used.
"-You vent the gun at above 35 heat. "
This can be considered after every shot or should I specify charged shot? Because that’s how this gun is being used to it’s MAX effectiveness?
Lol, I’ve been enjoying 40k products for 25 years. This is part and parcel of the setting. Your own technology killing you is a feature of the 40k universe. And it’s a feature of every game Fatshark has ever made. You’re pissing into the wind.
First of all don’t hit me with “lol” especially when you say you “enjoy” it over 25 years. You give off vibe of being little brat. Honestly to me"lol" word died in year 2000 and was never heard of again. then we had some weird “rotfl” stuff etc…
Back to game itself and it weird balancing at the moment.
Fatshark isn’t exactly “perfect” with their “balances” or “implementations” without community voice.
Vermintide 2 is proof of that.
Plasma Gun is trash as it is and it’s not worth the hassle, especially in “PUG” matches or casual game.
There are better weapons which are easier to use without so many CONS and that is a FACT.
Having supposedly “unique elite weapon” specific for your class which is TIERS worse than what you are having now is just bad balance/implementation
Also Veteran is worst overall from all classes in the game ATM with his FEATS.
Melee combat reigns over Ranged regardless of class intention.
Plasma Gun could be “good” but not in this state of game and effort you have to put faith into your teammates.
Problem with this is, if you get CRIT chance and + % power perks perks on bolt gun ( I do have stacking +17% stacking more power for each stagger [max 5 stacks] which is easy, now thats 85% bonus damage…) , it just outperforms Plasma gun in long term runs with less cons…
Anything that is good means self sufficient excluding your teammates.
Anything that relies on your teammates is liablity and RNG that you need to account for and RNG is BAD in every aspect especially when you go vs HORDES of enemies with Random people.
Please don’t bring argument: “Play with your friends” as it’s not valid.
After 10-12 hours of work daily I prefer to sit down, press “play” and have fun instead of theorycraft like this is MMORPG with heavy RPG min/max aspect which:
THIS GAME DOES NOT ALLOW BECAUSE STATS MEANS NOTHING ON WEAPONS ATM
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I agree, Plasmagun in this game is some kind of homunkulus. It Has WERY good damage, and SUDDENLY - good penetration (like what? why?). That’s all.
Tested it in Psycanum, it realy have good penetration, like 3+ enemies. And, it don’t have splash(AOE) of simple shot(penetration instead), only overcharge shot have, like, 30cm radius of AOE. This is simply ridiculous, because for now it reminds me more meltagun, than plasma.
And special move: quick heat release… Why character so DUMB, that he releases heat in his face? It have more than 1000C temperature, some books say, that plasmaguns as hot as a STAR. Are character trying to kill himself instantly? Why not point heat soure away?
Plasmaguns must make good damage, like it have now, no penetration, and have AOE, greater then Bolter, NO PENETRATION. And suicidal heat in the face. For now, with such “unlore”, broken weapon I don’t see the need of Meltagun in game at all.
IMO Plasma gun just needs a bit more splash and more heat capacity on its base value. The rest is manageable.
This is why we should just get “Plasma Pistol” with bit less damage without charge, ability to charge between 30-50% per shot and less cons.
There is a boss at assassination that use Plasma Pistol, he charges around 3 shots and it is just “good” compared to what we get
Right now we get gun that seems like it’s lacking either “special class/subclass” but it’s added because they had to fill “unique” slot for class
@Eidorian plasma guns in 40k have a 1/6 chance of KILLING the user in all 40k lore.
I think the plasma gun should be a risky to fire twice kind of weapon, but massive damage and a little aoe.
I mean plasma technology is rare in the imperium, its a weapon that is treated like a relic so it should absolutely vaporize anything other than a boss on any difficulty. Maybe 2 shots for ogryn but really it should wreck them.
it also got a damage drop over range , and quite large drop over range damage
here is a video for reference
Sweet God Emperor on the Throne.
Just go to the Psykhanium. Put your back against a wall. Put the reticule directly over a guy. Shoot. Notice how there is zero shot drop. At least test something before you just print a screenshot of a weapon panel and a label that says projectile and tell me I’m wrong.
Whether you choose to vent after every shot is up to you. I find it inefficient, and it’s better to just hip fire/charged shot until it hits 100%, put it away for about 40 seconds, then fire off some more shots. The self damage only starts if you vent above 35 heat. That’s all I said. Quit trying to make a meal out of it.
The “lol” is me laughing at you talking about 40k as though you understand it while demonstrating you don’t. Self owns never go out of fashion.
I don’t disagree here. Maybe tone down the rhetoric and actually test a weapon before coming to the forum and TYPING IN ALL CAPS LIKE BEING LOUDER INCREASES THE RIGHTNESS OF YOUR POST.
Never mind. Just call things TRASH and BIG LETTERS because you DON’T ACTUALLY READ WHAT IS BEING SAID. I’m sure your feedback will get serious consideration due to its accuracy and level-headedness.
I used the boltgun for about two runs and went “readying this thing up 100 times a run is a pain in my ass and it runs out of ammo too fast to be worth shooting trash with it” Its ADS is good, it has great splash damage, it doesn’t care about armor at all. It’s ok to good. I still prefer the Plasma Gun.
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Two things i find annoying:
-
Heat % “colour” does not give clear indication when its safe to manually vent without taking damage.
-
Manual Venting seems to scale based on how hot the gun is - to an absurd point - after taking 1 shot its faster to NOT vent (venting slows down temperature decrease in that case).
The Heat decrease does seem weird. 90% - 100% is slow, then it accelerates below 90%.
I’m fine with this statement honestly.
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I just tried it and have no idea why I would run the plasma gun instead of another gun.
Felt very underwhelming to me.
I would recommend you practice with it, because it’s outright the best heavy weapon for higher difficulties.
Bolter hits hard, but the equipping animation is an extreme hindrance that feels garbo in a lot of situations.
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I truly is worse than even the Autoguns.
With an Infantry Autogun, the automatic version, you easily deal with a cluster of range mobs, charging ragers, and specials. Its decently quick to pull out and got a fast reload.
The plasma gun struggles to kill anything on Heresy, let alone Damnation. And if you go for the charge, you are overheated in no time, which forces a long reload on you. And how in the hell are six normal shots enough to bring this thing to full heat?
I tried to love it. I took it to half a dozen Heresy map and half as many Damnation runs, and all it accomplished was me wanting to nail that thing to a wall and scream at it “YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!”.
In the current state Iam not even sure if the plasma gun would be able to compete with the current Autoguns, if the heat mechanic would completely vanish. The only reason the ammo capacity of that thing feels decent, is because you can hardly shoot it. The ammo pickup rate on it, which is horrible, doesnt help in the slightest.
The gun could stay exactly how it is, but the damage output needs to be ramped way up to make it worth using. It doesnt matter that we can pull it out in an instant if looking at the enemy in a mean way does more damage than firing the gun.
6 Shots is more than enough to kill most specials in the game, don’t miss and aim for the Head, I never have ammo issues with it using it how it’s intended, if anything the ammo lasts a surprisingly long time.
Probably because I’m using it for it’s intended purpose, it’s not a horde-clearing weapon.
Nor is the Bolter, you use these weapons to focus Bosses and Specials.
Again, it’s mostly a matter of practice, because you outright will not do with an Autogun, what you can with a Bolter or Plasma Gun. They’re just not comparable, the Auto and Lasguns are for clearing crowds, enemy gunners and the like.
Bolter and Plasma guns are for the big boys, that’s their job.
Bolter fails at this when it matters most because of the aforementioned equip time being so long.
It would be better with 2 more shots before overheat, 8 normal and 4 charged, yes.
Even a bit more damage to match the long reload and the overheat, but as it stands the Plasma gun is by far the most useful weapon if you’re a special killer.
You don’t need to shoot every Lasgunner with your Plasma Gun… just run up and chop their heads off.