Sandbox Team.
With the next few updates I think a large portion of the community would be really happy to see some positive changes for snipers in the crucible.
In today's meta, the strength, range, ammo advantages, and overall usability of shotguns make them a clear choice as the superior weapon. Many of us want to branch out and use snipers but with how they work in the game today... it's just not realistic.
- [b]Flinch[/b]
I think anyone who has attempted to snipe in the past few weeks will tell you that the flinch on snipers in unreasonably bad. The maps are already small but even when you are far enough away and well within "sniper" range, a handcannon shot from across the map can still send your reticle into the sky. I think most of us don't mind how powerful pulses are in the current meta but a sniper should be the better choice at longe ranges... and right now it's clearly not.
Also, horizontal flinch is probably one of the most frustrating game mechanics and makes all snipers feel very flimsy.
- [b]Handling[/b]
If you put Destiny 1 back into your console and pull out a sniper, you'll immediately notice that holding one feels much different. It doesn't have the sluggish feeling that most snipers in Destiny 2 (Note: on console)
- [b]Scopes[/b]
Small maps in Destiny 2 is fun. It keeps the gameplay exciting knowing there are always enemies right around the corner. The fact that snipers are long scoped, high zoomed weapons makes them really tough to use in most situations. Most lanes are not more than a few hundred feet, so using a long range scope on these maps is about as useful as trying to use a telescope to read a book. It's just unnecessary and does more harm than good.
- [b]Aim Assist / Hitbox Size[/b]
I truly believe that you can fix snipers even if you only touch ONE of these two things. If you want to argue that snipers shouldn't have aim assist and everyone should just [i]get good[/i] that's fine but then we need to increase the size of the hitbox. Just play a game with a sniper or watch someone else do it. The amount of times that you will get a body shot that you thought was a headshot is far too often. Watching the clips back in slow motion, I really think the hitbox is just too small. That combined with the flinch means that you will lose most 1v1's where the other player is looking your general direction.
- [b]Damage[/b]
Imagine you hear a super pop, you are aware of their location, manage to escape, gain some distance, turn around and make an incredible play to headshot them. To your dismay, sniping a sentinel / hammer / nova warp in the head only for them to notice you and then proceed to wipe the floor with you using their super is frankly just defeating. You did everything right, you made the right decisions, the skilled play, and still lost. Sniper headshots should kill supers. Enough said.
In conclusion, there is currently not a single situation in the game today where a sniper is the better choice for the everyday player. Up close you will lose to shotguns, sidearms, fusions, etc. At range you will lose to pulses, scouts, and even handcannons. Note: Just because you can get kills with a sniper doesn't mean that it's the better option. Just look at the use rates for snipers. Almost non-existent.
I hope you take this as genuine feedback from a long time supporter who loves the game. You've made a lot of strides in the past year and the snipers in the community are ready to make those legendary plays. We don't want easy mode, we want a chance... to make the legendary plays that made us fall in love with the game back in Destiny 1.
Please upvote this and hopefully @dmg is reading this and will pass it along to the sandbox team.
[spoiler]Moderator edit: This thread has been moved to #Feedback forum so that other Destiny players can weigh in. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/139533839/0/0] See Cozmo's thread here[/url] for more information about the #Feedback tag and its uses.
Feel free to private message the moderator who moved your post, link to topic for further clarification about why this topic was moved.[/spoiler]
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You're right, just a nudge might make snipers more competitive. Ammo - i think this is the golden ticket here. I think giving 1-2 extra shots on re-spawn or 1-2 extra rounds on ammo pickup may help. The logical choice would be to go back to green boxes - but I think the method we have right now is put in place for future exotic releases. Icebreaker wouldn't have been a problem if everyone else re-spawned with ammo. No Land Beyond wouldn't have become an alternative if everyone re-spawned with ammo. Invective, that one primary shotgun that had a meta. all the same underlying reasons. Those guns became meta at certain points because of ammo restrictions on other guns. Aim assist and scopes - i think this is in a good space right now. You have to shop around for a sniper that has both good accuracy and short scope. Also, to people thinking about this topic - a lot of the hitbox mechanics are based on frames and where your shot goes in relation to the frames. Headshots against opponents in air seem to land better because their head is moving vertically between frames. Flick shots because of your horizontal motion. (at least that's how i comprehend it) red lights on lanes - i personally never had a problem with the camping sniper. I know where he is, i know where to flank him. We're in a spot right now that two guys with bows will ruin a lane more than 2 guys with snipers. Unless your opponent is really good at sniping, your odds on getting shot are low if you keep yourself weaving. If he's good, but camps - you know his position and can avoid or flank. Not to make it a shotgun vs sniper arguement, but a good shotgunner can be everywhere depending on where you respawn or he respawns. A sniper has less options to be everywhere unless he's mastered quickscoping - and even so, he deserves that win. in quickplay, sometimes a shotgun flank just feels like RNG because of the chaos of the situation. Sure you can back-pedal, but you can't back pedal as fast as they can sprint forward. There was a time in D1 where snipers were the choice of competitive players and shotguns were entry level. Right now shotguns occupy both spaces because the risk/reward structure of snipers aren't balanced correctly.