User blog comment:Undead RVD/Final Echo Elite vs Savaged Locust/@comment-143604-20120925003751

Drayco90's Edgy Edges of Edginess


 * Close Range- Final Echo Elite. The Screamer has more rounds per clip than the Locust's Boltok, and can be reloaded quicker than the Boltok which is essentially a standard revolver. The Screamer's secondary fire of explosive flares is another devestating edge that give the Echo's gun a variable in the battle- the Locust won't expect an enemy trying to plant an explosive up their collective asses (literally) with a revolver. Even if it didn't have the secondary fire mode, the superior reload time, greater clip size and comparable range would seal the deal for Final Echo here. Throw in an explosive surprise like those flares, and it's all gravy.


 * Mid-Range- Final Echo Elite. Once again, the Final Echo are bringing in a gun that is by and far the superior weapon. The Sawed-Off has the shortest range of any weapon I have ever seen in a video game- it literally has to be used in melee range to actually do anything, and even then it's a difficult weapon to actually use in the midst of a battle, requiring a higher level of focus and determination just to get the gun close enough and steady enough to make a killshot. The Boneduster, on the other hand, doesn't have all that short of a range, at least as far as video game shotguns are concerned. The Four Barreled monstrosity deals a hell of a lot more damage and has a higher chance of hitting due to the larger spread offered by the quad-barrels. Charging the weapon up to literally unmake the bastard in front of it is icing on the shotgun cake. In the end the firearm with the greater range, greater damage, greater accuracy and more options available to it simply overpowers a shorter ranged and harder to use weapon.


 * Long Range- Final Echo Elite. The Savage Locust are bringing a much more primitive firearm to this fight- the Retro Lancers aren't just an old type of gun, they're literally old guns plucked half-functioning and falling apart from long abandoned and archiac battlefields out of desperation. The weapon can hardly hit the side of a barn with its crazy spread and low accuracy, and it has fewer rounds per clip than the Final Echo weapon, and the COG weaponry, especially the Lancers, are frequently known for thier horrible jamming and general failure in combat- it's simply not a gun built to last, but these are decades old weapons that have lain in horrid condition for all that time- that's not a recipe for success. In comparison, the PMC is much, much more accurate and with a much longer range, it has 20 more rounds per clip and it's a tough and reliable model that won't worry about jamming or falling apart. As for the secondary fire options, the Bayonette on the Lancer is primitive and generally not very helpful- the main reason that the Lancer was upgraded to a chainsaw on the modern versions is because the blade would shatter on contact with the Locust's skin- and Final Echo's armor is likely to have a similar, if less dramatic effect. Charging with the bayonette is a risky proposition as well, as the wielder must abandon cover and recklessly charge forward, leaving themselves greatly open to fire. The Locust being much stronger than natural humans will have an effect, making the weapon far more effecient in their hands in this manner, but overall the Retro Bayonette simply isn't a practacle option. Meanwhile the Final Echo charge-shot may not be as flashy as the charging attack, but it's a hell of a lot more effective. A powerful blast that can reduce a foe into a skeleton is a damned effecient tool, and in the time it takes a Locust to charge forward with the bayonette, a shot could be fully charged and fired, insuring that blade never even touches them before they are reduced to nothingness.


 * Explosive- Final Echo Elite. The Bola Grenades of the Locust have been noted on this wiki many, many times for their general lack of effeciency. The weapon is akward to wield, dangerously vulnerable to wind up and throw and not prone to incredible accuracy. The blast isn't that large and the distance it can be thrown is fairly minor as well. The Flail Gun takes a lot of what the Bola Grenades do best, and make it a viable combat tactic. The Flail Gun can shoot it's Bolas at much greater range than the throw, and due to being fired from a firearm, there's no risk in winding up the throw or positioning it. Both can be used to set traps, but the Flail Gun gets a huge edge for having the range, speed and force to actually do something- it can tie up and incapcitate a Locust, decapitate an enemy with it's chain, or turn a foe into a living bomb, all with little risk to the operator of the Gun. Once again, the Locust weapon is a dated and short-falling piece of equipment by comparison.


 * Special- Final Echo Elite. The Leash and Gravity Boots combination is a hard to top one- the Leash is a dangerous and awesome tool that can be used to great effect, allowing the user to decimate whole squads single-handedly in a few short seconds. Using the Leash can eliminate the advantage of cover, can set up enemies to turn them into weapons by planting explosives on them before slamming them into their friends, or can simply be used for an easy kill by tossing a Locust off into a pit or swinging them into an environmental hazard. The Gravity Boots allow the enemy to be transformed into a body shield/cover and can be used like the Leash to set up someone for a brutal kill on themselves and their allies. They even directly make the Ticker into a weapon more dangerous for the Locust than Final Echo- the Ticker getting a kick in the face is already an effective way of dealing with them by the Gears, but once they go slow motion, the Final Echo members will have plenty of time to launch them back at their masters, raining their own explosives down on them. While it's hard to overcome sentient creatures with technology in my opinion, Final Echo's gear is so specialized to take down their foes, and especially the Tickers, that it's hard to not give them yet another solid edge.


 * Deadliest Warrior- Final Echo Elite. Mind-blowingly enough, after taking every single one of my edges, the Final Echo are going to take this battle. They have FAR superior equipment, with top of the line gear that deals much more damage at greater ranges and a highter rate. They have better team-work and coordination, they're better trained and disciplined, more creative with weaponry that rewards creative thinking and they are far more intillegent. While they are only human, and the Locust have greater strength and endurance, their incredible array of weaponry, tech and skills will make this battle an absolute cakewalk.