Melee fortegunner...awhuh?!?

[amtalx]

Well I've got all of my bullets where I want them, so in order to stave off boredom I have decided to start up a whole new weapon class. I'm starting with Machineguns. I've got my guns and my bullets, now I just need a right handed weapon. Any recommendations? I would like to have something with knockback. If thats not possible, launch will do. Since I'm a life long ranger I don't know jack about hunter PAs. What do you think will suit my needs?

[ljkkjlcm9]

Well you have the choices of Saber, or Dagger.
They both have two PAs
If you're staying fortegunner, and want knockback, the only choice for saber is rising strike
For daggers, you have Shunbu or Buten. Shunbu will knock enemies into the air, while Buten will do a few hits and then knockdown.
you never get above level 10 on your skills, so that's really your only choices for knockback, and honestly your only choices for melee PAs that would actually help.

Being a fortegunner, if I wanted melee PAs, it would be based purely on knocking them up or away, so I'd get rising strike and Shunbu.

THE JACKEL

[Niloklives]

^ What they said.

a few things worth noting: Shunbu has a much lower PP cost, this is coupled with higher accuracy on daggers and better PP regen, so the dagger will give you more time to let your mech gun regen. the downside is the startup time on shunbu is not very good.

Rising strike has higher cost but will do more damage, it's a bit quicker to start up, but the weapon won't last you quite as long when compared to a dagger. as a GT I use Shunbu, but either works quite well.

[Genoa]

as fG it's not as commonly used compared to GT, but yes, the knockback melee PA's are best seeing you're not exactly shooting for high damage, but for the effect of the photon art. If you can hinder the enemy or make them go flying with the melee PA's, you can fire away with your Mech/Crossbow.

Seriously though, despite having lvl.10 skills, putting a knockback melee PA that doesn't require a combo to do so, combined with the lvl.30 potential of firearms that can be used in the same combination as the melee weapon make a pretty handy combo for various situations.

[Allison_W]

Personally, I'd be tempted to advise Rising Strike just because it's faster, and as a Fortegunner, I'm pretty sure you don't want to give an enemy within melee range of you any more time un-taken-care-of than absolutely necessary.

While the PP business is a valid point, Rising Strike's faster execution on your knockup will quite possibly cost you less in Photon Charges than Shunbu's slower execution would in Trimates. To offset this, I'd use a Falchiora (Yohmei 6* saber) for your melee work. It's cheap (compared to A-ranks, anyway) and it has the best PP regen available on any currently-released saber (with the exception of the Deljabaner, I believe; maybe that's what you really want). You're only using it for knockup, not damage, so the ATP isn't a problem; you're a Fortegunner, so the ATA isn't a problem, either.

[Kuya]

With AoI "right around the corner", what would be recommended then? fG gets melee arts boosted to 20, so will that make a difference in the two? http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[Kent]

Well, let's see...

Rising Strike, at 11+, will do two hits for a launch, then the second step does two hits (in one swing) for knockback. I think that'd be best for a Ranger type, simply because it's faster at getting enemies off-balance and away from you... Which, I'm guessing, is what you want enemies to be, as a Fortegunner (you know, away from you).

Buten shuren-zan takes longer to execute, mainly because the animation does four hits, the last of which knocks down, then the second step does another three slightly-slower attacks before knocking back on the last hit.

I haven't really used Shunbu shouren-zan much, so I don't know if it is any faster on the second step... But the startup is pretty slow on the first part.

I'd go with Rising Strike, if I played Fortegunner.

[chibiLegolas]

As a FoG, I use rising stike a lot with my left handed guns simply cause it gives the quickest result. It also staggers certain enemies long enough for you to place non G traps down as well, while they're still getting up. (like Tengohs).

But I've found Buten shuren-zan is better on robots. (In case you don't have killer shot). Knocking them down wouldn't let them blow up in your face as rising strike would. But I have a hard time aiming that darn last hit for knock down at times.

I say get both if you can and test each to your liking.

[amtalx]

Bearing in mind that us fGs will get level 20 skills, is there one that really stands out at 11+? Even if its not that useful at level 10, I would rather plan for the future and save the effort of having to level another PA in the fall.

[ljkkjlcm9]

if you're using it completely as support for your guns, Rising strike is your best option. If you want high damage, Gravity Strike or Buten, personally, Buten is my favorite single hand PA

THE JACKEL

[Pillan]

Buten Shuren-zan and Gravity Strike are definitely very good PAs with the complete combo. Those two already get more attacks than most PAs with a third combo and deal a pretty high amount of damage.

Rising Strike and Shunbu become less useful at 11+ and I generally reserve them for an enemy that uses an annoying attack as soon as you approach (read as fighting Vanda Mertha as a Hunter). I rarely have a need for them when I play Ranger though. Shunbu is the worst at 11 since it's just a weaker and slower Rising (less hits that deal less damage and slower start up). Its only advantage is the lower PP cost.

Don't forget about fG's access to spears though. Both of the current spear PAs are decent at 11+ (you know this if you ever played WT) and there's always the off chance that fG is further increased to 30 skill whenever they get 50 bullets. It's not quite as useful as a 1 hand melee, but it becomes a great tool during solo.

[amtalx]

I don't plan on using it for damage at all. I probably won't even invest in a decent saber/dagger unless one falls in my lap. This is purely as a defense mechanism to protect myself should my bob and weave method prove insufficient. Rising Strike it is then? Time do to the tutorial so I can save myself 1000m...600 hours after character creation. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[imfanboy]

Of the two, Buten Shuren-Zan and Gravity Strike, I actually prefer... Gravity Strike. You move around a LOT, but that's good because it's hard for enemies to get a lock on you. I tend to use Gravity Strike exclusively in B3 of Valley of Fire A, because diga misses me a fair amount when I keep aware of who's flinging it and from where. Plus, it's harder to be flinched out of the combo with Gravity Strike, but with Buten it happens at the drop of a hat.

But that's for my hunter-types who have better PP regen than the other classes. Buten has a low PP cost, matches Gravity Strike in damage, and IMHO the A-rank daggers look better than the A-rank sabers.

[Niloklives]

gravity is pure offense and I really don't reccomend it to anyone. if you're planning ahead for AoI, get rising strike. it'll come in the most handy. Even I wouldn't use shunbu at 11+

[amtalx]

Ive started working up Rising Strike to Lvl 10 (that should take about 2 hours haha.) Its actually kind of funny though. No one expects to see someone running around with a nice grinded Beam Vulcanic in their left hand and a neutral C-rank Saber in the right.

[panzer_unit]

I get lots of comments as a Fortegunner, while running around with handgun and saber. You can take the job off the Protranser, but you can't take the Protranser off the job.

My suggestion* is to get some good daggers and learn Shunbu & Buten. Shunbu is arguably worse than Rising Strike, but IMO there's no competition between Gravity Strike and Buten. Buten's cheaper, stronger, packs an extra hit, knocks monsters down, and has that mid-move leap for positioning.

If you're considering AoI, also grab some Spears and get both PA's to 10 so you can have 'em at 11+ (particularly Dus Daggas) ASAP. They're good for damage on bullet-resistant stuff.

* (unless you've got your eye on PT as a side-job, since they can only use sabers)

EDIT: never mind, I guess... if you've already got yourself set up on Saber

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: panzer_unit on 2007-05-31 06:46 ]</font>

[Yoshiflash]

Shunbu is so muich better than people give it credit for and is the only melee PA I use other than spear or buten on bosses.

Shunbu has fantastic stat mods at lvl 10 and possesses attributes that set it apart from the other melee arts. Shunbu actually backs your character up after the PA rather than moving them forward to get locked inside of a large enemy to get beatin on.

Go find a Kamatoze and use any melee PA on it till its dead, then use Shunbu. You'll see what I'm talking about. You're ALOT safer after Shunbu. You can spam the bejezus out of it and rarely get caught in the dambarta.

[Hrith]

What he said *spams Halp Serafi + Shunbu Shouren-zan on Kamatoze*