Wow theres a lot to go over. First, dissuade any expectations of "bRiNg bAcK D1 ThOrN!"
Second, [b]It is important to note my Ending Arguments are my main gripe with the weapon.[/b] The DoT gameplay changes are welcomed and were expected.
I'll start with the good and move to the bad.
First, the quest. Its pretty good. Lots of avenues to progress, and although the Void HC kills grind is difficult, it is also manageable (Especially with weapons like the Ikelos HC)
I was disappointed by the Final Strike, however. I was expecting something along the lines of TLW, or maybe Malfeasence. Instead we got the same exact strike, just with the dialogue ripped out, and 2 extra Knights. Oh and everything 1-shots you. So if you asked "Would you get Thorn on a 2nd character" my answer would be "I would immediately shard the quest, only because of the Final Strike"
Second, the Weapon Itself. In PVE it is great. Near unlimited Ammo, decent damage, plus its fun to use. Not my first choice, simply because of the Exotic Slot, but its alright. In PVP, which lets not lie to ourselves, is where the gun SHOULD shine, Its just... meh. The stats are alright, and the recoil feels nice. My issues lie with the DoT mechanics, however... they just are [b]not the same.[/b]
I don't mean the Damage the DoT itself does, I mean the way the DoT effects gameplay. In D2, compaired to D1, there are simply too MANY ways to counter the DoT Mechanic. There are too many ways to initiate Health Regen, and because of that, the DoT mechanic itself falls to the wayside 80% of the time [b]except with Soul Devourer.[/b]
The [b][u]Utility[/u][/b] of the DoT has changed from D1 to D2, [b]radically[/b].
Whereas in D1, the DoT could force players out of engagements, in D2, relying on the DoT to push players back will almost certainly get you killed.
Whereas in D1, the DoT allowed you to quickly peak, shoot, hide while the enemy wasted away Pre-Firing, then take another Shot, in D2, attempting to Peak a 2nd Shot will almost certainly get you killed against average players
Whereas in D1, the DoT allowed you to hit and kill players who are already Low HP, in D2, chances are they are just going to pop a Healing Rift, or a Hunter-Dodge, or a Barricade to initiate health regen.
Finally, I want to talk about the weapons [b][u]Bloom[/u][/b]. Now the actual ADS is clean and crisp, and the Sights are pretty good and open. It leaves a lot of room for you to see sneaky shotgun or TLW rushers. However, put [b][u]Simply, this weapon suffers from the same fate as all Hand Cannons in D2.[/u][/b] But MORE than that, it SPECIFICALLY suffers from the same problem as Sunshot, and that is the Bloom [b][i]combined[/i][/b] with the Recoil Animation.
Its borderline Unmanageable, [b]and this is coming from a PC Player[/b]. You shoot. Does you weapon go up and to the left? Up and to the Right? Up and Center? Who knows? All I know is that I can't see a god damn thing in front of me for a solid .25 seconds after I shoot, and while thats not a big issue in PvE... in PvP, it turns this weapon from a Top Tier into an Average Weapon. [b][u]Practically, the weapon can only be Accurately used as a 110 RPM because of the Animation, while maintaining 150RPM damage numbers and a low Mag. This is detrimental to the effectiveness of the weapon.[/u][/b]
[b]I guess what I'm trying to say is... If you don't have any Nostalgia about Thorn. If you're solely looking for your Best option in PvP, not only is Thorn NOT that weapon... its not even close. And thats a big problem considering that it is the main thing keeping PvP players around for the next 3 months.[/b]
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cant relate, I love it for PvE and PvP, thorn + sniper or shotgun is really solid, use the poison to stop regen, and track, been averaging 30 kills a game in quickplay, 15-20 in comp with it.