Flamethrower boost

[DestXyter]

Yo guys 1st I want to say that I like what you did with LW, just technical should get some love from "hot" side build.

I like this class very much, tho have mixed feelings from it. Well maybe this problem is mostly with flamethrower which still remains useless and since now its like primary bounded skill for them....There isnt much of chances to use it. Technicials would really need skill "Run and Gun" from the moment when they become technicial class. Because flamethrower has low range and most of the time when fight starts enemy isnt in close range or in range of possible use of flamethrower.

Also improving skill set for it would help. I tried improved range of it in hope it will look like flame from skill which force your enemy go away from that position....Ehm...I got like 2 squares >_> not much of improvement. Lil bit more pls.

Note: I wrote this on steam and I got reply that it increases range like double which didnt happen in my chase (maybe bug?)

Personally I think it would be also nice to improve it this way: normal flamethrower - 50% chance to panic enemies as base stat + remain chance of burnt enemies (dunno chance, but sometimes they dont burn so this would stayed unchanged). If you improve it by skill: you would get 100% chance of paniced enemies and 100% chance they will burn.

I dont think this would make weapon OP, but it would make me trying to use it more often. Its really difficult to use it even from good position since enemy uses cover at 4 diff places. But would be great if using flamethrower was more effective or worth of risk.

[Devon_v]

Burning is a very powerful debuff in LW2. Aside from the damage over time it disables all actions. The AI reacts to it by running back and forth, which i highly exploitable via overwatch. Try starting a fight by ambushing a whole pod with the flamer, you basically win as soon as you confirm the ability.

I lit an ADVENT general on fire last HQ assault, guess who was a non-issue that fight?

[code99]

Flamethrower is a good ability, really strong. Its just hard to get into range to use it most of the time but once you manage to do it, its glorious!

I think a small range buff wouldnt hurt tho.

[Daergar]

Burning is a very powerful debuff in LW2. Aside from the damage over time it disables all actions. The AI reacts to it by running back and forth, which i highly exploitable via overwatch. Try starting a fight by ambushing a whole pod with the flamer, you basically win as soon as you confirm the ability.

I lit an ADVENT general on fire last HQ assault, guess who was a non-issue that fight?

If the flamethrower had a guaranteed chance to ignite, I'd agree with the sentiment. Without looking at the code, I'd wager it stands at 50%, perhaps influenced higher by having aliens start moving on their burning tile?

The incendiary grenade used on a grenadier is a far more exploitable item/skill if we're judging by crowd control ability (it's how I dealt with my latest advent general, after luring him and all his buddies outside by flying a hacked drone past them).

Based on experience from playing with a technical in almost every mission, I'd advocate one extra tile range on the base flamethrower. I believe it used to be seven previously?

[The Boz]

1st Perk in the Burninate tree needs to be "Coming In Hot" - Activate to dash and still be able to use Roust or Flamethrower. 3 turn cooldown."
There. Burning's fixed.

[Alketi]

1st Perk in the Burninate tree needs to be "Coming In Hot" - Activate to dash and still be able to use Roust or Flamethrower. 3 turn cooldown."
There. Burning's fixed.

Yep, Technicals would do well with a Run & Gun equivalent. The Flamethrower is too short of a range and too easily blocked by cover to be consistently usable against multiple enemies.

[Dwarfling]

That's why my flamer techs are exclusively high mobility soldiers, equipped with SMGs and max 2 items. I'm cool with getting a range increase, but just saying, you can work around it.

[Daergar]

Is range counted from, or including, the tile the soldier is standing on? Because I just realized the gauntlet actually lists flamethrower range as 7 on the stat screen, yet it extends only 6 tiles.

Even the preview lines to the side of the cone extend 7 as far as I can tell, yet the high-lighted tiles themselves only light up 6.

Is this working as intended or not?

And yes, I realize it's only a single tile, but from simply playing the game I've noticed there are so very, very many instances where the distance from cover to enemies you desire to see cooked in righteous fire is seven tiles.

Just got the extended range perk on a technical, I hope it adds more than a single tile.

[Garthor]

Burning is a very powerful debuff in LW2. Aside from the damage over time it disables all actions. The AI reacts to it by running back and forth, which i highly exploitable via overwatch. Try starting a fight by ambushing a whole pod with the flamer, you basically win as soon as you confirm the ability.

I lit an ADVENT general on fire last HQ assault, guess who was a non-issue that fight?

If the flamethrower had a guaranteed chance to ignite, I'd agree with the sentiment. Without looking at the code, I'd wager it stands at 50%, perhaps influenced higher by having aliens start moving on their burning tile?

The incendiary grenade used on a grenadier is a far more exploitable item/skill if we're judging by crowd control ability (it's how I dealt with my latest advent general, after luring him and all his buddies outside by flying a hacked drone past them).

Based on experience from playing with a technical in almost every mission, I'd advocate one extra tile range on the base flamethrower. I believe it used to be seven previously?

Ignite chance is 60%, and the chance for each tile to be ignited is another 50% I believe, so you have in theory an 80% chance of setting something on fire, assuming you get the little targeting square under them rather than just clipping them with the edge of the cone.

[Goumindong]

Burning is a very powerful debuff in LW2. Aside from the damage over time it disables all actions. The AI reacts to it by running back and forth, which i highly exploitable via overwatch. Try starting a fight by ambushing a whole pod with the flamer, you basically win as soon as you confirm the ability.

I lit an ADVENT general on fire last HQ assault, guess who was a non-issue that fight?

If the flamethrower had a guaranteed chance to ignite, I'd agree with the sentiment. Without looking at the code, I'd wager it stands at 50%, perhaps influenced higher by having aliens start moving on their burning tile?

The incendiary grenade used on a grenadier is a far more exploitable item/skill if we're judging by crowd control ability (it's how I dealt with my latest advent general, after luring him and all his buddies outside by flying a hacked drone past them).

Based on experience from playing with a technical in almost every mission, I'd advocate one extra tile range on the base flamethrower. I believe it used to be seven previously?

Burning is 100% if they're standing on a tile that is burning i want to say.

Frankly i think that the flamer is insanely strong and only gets better as you go up in levels/abilities. Its main downside is that its hard to get in range. But if you're speccing for it you should have plenty of mobility. Once you get the heavy weapons suit you should also have plenty of ammo to consistently use it.

[ConradKurze]

There are two kinds of Technicals. Those with low-standard mobility, and those destined to purge Xenos with fire.

If your Technical has 14 or less mobility don't even both with Flamethrower perks, just make them explode things with rockets. If your Technical has 15+ mobility then give them an SMG and watch them be able to consistently burn shit. Once you get an Exo suit you can have 4 standard flame attacks and 2 rousts per mission (plus 1 horribly high scatter potential rocket). Since the patch I've not had any issues using my Technicals as Flamethrowers. Apply burning to a 12hp 2armor muton that no-one else has a chance to kill? Well it is officially not doing anything for its next turn.

I wouldn't mind a run-n-gun style ability for flamers, but it is far from necessary.

[GavinRuneblade]

I did not know the exo suit added more flame attacks. This is very cool news.

[Manifest]

Is range counted from, or including, the tile the soldier is standing on? Because I just realized the gauntlet actually lists flamethrower range as 7 on the stat screen, yet it extends only 6 tiles.

Even the preview lines to the side of the cone extend 7 as far as I can tell, yet the high-lighted tiles themselves only light up 6.

Is this working as intended or not?

And yes, I realize it's only a single tile, but from simply playing the game I've noticed there are so very, very many instances where the distance from cover to enemies you desire to see cooked in righteous fire is seven tiles.

Just got the extended range perk on a technical, I hope it adds more than a single tile.

It used to be seven, now it's six. And I'd say it shouldnt count the tile you're standing on or you'd call melee weapons as having two range.

One tile is surely a big deal for anybody. The late game technical skill increases range by one, and the late game grenadier skill boosts it by only two, so one is taken for granted to be a big deal.

[Daergar]

It used to be seven, now it's six. And I'd say it shouldnt count the tile you're standing on or you'd call melee weapons as having two range.

One tile is surely a big deal for anybody. The late game technical skill increases range by one, and the late game grenadier skill boosts it by only two, so one is taken for granted to be a big deal.

Yeah, played a bit more last evening with the extra range perk. Hell if I could count how far it reaches now, but it's truly magnificent and feels more like eight tiles than the presumed seven.

It definitely only extends six tiles away from the soldier. The listed range on a gauntlet is seven, and the preview lines extend beyond the high-lighted six tiles. Shrug, just seems weird to me!

As for those advocating mobile technicals, indeed, smg, exo suit and high mobility is a given, with the aid of Command from the officer to truly burninate with glorious intent. The point is the listed range and how it simply seems one tile too short.

[cerebrawl]

Technicials would really need skill "Run and Gun" from the moment when they become technicial class. Because flamethrower has low range and most of the time when fight starts enemy isnt in close range or in range of possible use of flamethrower.

I agree, but it's also a fairly trivial edit to give it to them, though be aware that you'd need to fix your current technicals with a console command(MakeSoldierAClass) for it to affect them.

In XComClassData.ini

Find this:

Code: Select all

+SoldierRanks=(	aAbilityTree=(	(AbilityName="HeavyArmaments",		ApplyToWeaponSlot=eInvSlot_Unknown) \\
							), \\
				aStatProgression=((StatType=eStat_Offense,StatAmount=2), (StatType=eStat_Will,StatAmount=4), (StatType=eStat_CombatSims,StatAmount=1))\\
			)

Add a comma after the paranthesis in the heavyarmaments ability line, like so:

Code: Select all

+SoldierRanks=(	aAbilityTree=(	(AbilityName="HeavyArmaments",		ApplyToWeaponSlot=eInvSlot_Unknown), \\

Copy in run and gun on the line after, and it should look like this:

Code: Select all

+SoldierRanks=(	aAbilityTree=(	(AbilityName="HeavyArmaments",		ApplyToWeaponSlot=eInvSlot_Unknown), \\
								(AbilityName="RunAndGun_LW"				) \\
							), \\
				aStatProgression=((StatType=eStat_Offense,StatAmount=2), (StatType=eStat_Will,StatAmount=4), (StatType=eStat_CombatSims,StatAmount=1))\\
			)

Save and done.

[gimrah]

Inclined to agree it could do with either its range or its damage back.

Doing average 3.5 damage to mid game enemies is pretty meh. Yes it's mainly about the status effects but at the end of the day it's a flamethrower not a flashbang.

And even with an smg I find few opportunities to burn more than one target. The extra tiles of range back would be help.

[Devon_v]

I did not know the exo suit added more flame attacks. This is very cool news.

Technicals have the option to take an extra rocket or a larger fuel tank as their heavy weapon. The E.X.O. defaults to the shredder cannon now.

Inclined to agree it could do with either its range or its damage back.

Doing average 3.5 damage to mid game enemies is pretty meh. Yes it's mainly about the status effects but at the end of the day it's a flamethrower not a flashbang.

Don't forget the other 2-6 DoT, which is very relevant because the burning enemies can't do anything so you can just let them burn while you deal with their buddies.

A great tactic for Technicals is to let the first pod patrol into their cone and burn them all. Even if you don't ignite them all, the scamper move will run some of them though the fire. If you can't mop up in one turn for some reason, just Command the Tech back to better cover.