GunTecher HELP!!

[Robotica]

Hey, i need help, i have a lvl 50 cast guntecher, but i have NO idea how her pallet should look like, i bascially want to use more guns then magic, but i need help with what should i put, with mags or wands or idk.. please help!

[ashley50]

2 slots for techs? (buffs for 1st slot and Heals for 2nd slot)
4 slots for Guns?

(at least that's how i do it)

[Anduril]

I would say dump any TECH-MAgs you have and just stick with Wands paired off with Crossbows or Machine guns. Also remember that Twin Handguns are a Guntecher's best friend so a few of those should fill your spots. You might want to consider having either a bow or rifle on the palete, though which is entirely up to your preference. I personally always have a shotgun on my palete, but some may think that a less than ideal weapon for a GT since they are more mobile gunners. That's my 2 cents on the subject.

[Robotica]

Haha thanks bro.

[gryphonvii]

here is what I usualy carry
rifle or bow, able to switch between them
wand and tech-mag for buffs
crossbow with wand with healand defense debuff (can seriously up you output when leveled
machinegun with wand with heal and debuff
the other two slots I usually carry a backup rifle/bow or crossbow/mag or you can do whatever.

[Robotica]

ok guys this is what i think imma do,

Rikauteri/Hirokteri
Rikauteri/Hirokteri
Arb Boa
Twin Tornado
Bulletdance/Tesbra
Bulletdance/Uransara

Hows that?!

[angelslayer]

Bow
Laser Cannon
Xbow/Wand
Xbow/Wand
Xbow/Wand
RMag/Wand

[Fure_Rakune]

Ill post my palette since Im a Cast GunTecher as well.

Hanmateric 10/10 - Virus, Burn, Silence Arrows - Level 4 SEs are applicable with Burn and Virus, Silence for shutting up wizards from afar.
Shigga Bines 10/10 - Shock, Confuse, Silence and Charm bullets - Shock is all around wonderful, confuse for mass mobs, silence for sneaking up on mobs of magicians and charm cause dammit I love them hearts floating about.
Twin Tornado 5/10 - Freeze, Shock, Silence, Twin Mayalee - Standard for mobile damage and applying Jellen with Mayalee.
Muzzlefever 3/9 & Shiratsuno-zashi - Freeze, light and Mayalee Fury on the machinegun, Buten-shuren zan on the dagger.
Ranpegi 4/10 & Majimra 5/10 - All my buffs are on these so shifta, deband, retier and zodial.
Mira-kikami 5/10 & Majimra 5/10 - I have all card PA's except for light, ground and lightning. Wand is used to heal so resta and reverser.

I rely on my shotgun, twin guns and machine gun to deal out damage while the shotgun is my main SE spreader. The bow is great for applying SE4 burn and virus while maintaining a safe distance from mobs. I dont use crossbows since Im really not a big fan of them, but they are also great for applying mobile damage and SE3, but its a matter of choice for you really.

[gryphonvii]

what are you gonna have on those wands?
If you are gonna be in parties with other FT or AT or if you solo I suggest you get megistar, you can get it to level 21 (level 3 buffs) in less than 40 minutes and it can save you slots on your wands while allowing ou to buff yourself.

[Robotica]

idk what to put on those dang wands man, i was just gunna put all the elemental pp usage spells like damfoie and the ice one and ish..

[Robotica]

but guys tell me how this pallet looks:

Rikauteri/Hirokteri
Rikauteri/Hirokteri
Arb Boa
Twin Tornado
Bulletdance/Tesbra
Bulletdance/Uransara

[gryphonvii]

I'd say take out a bulletdance and put a cubo tuma, crossbow buullets are a pain to level but are worth it.
and attack spells won't be worth it on GT untiul they get level 30 attack, then I'd suggest ra-type spells.

[Robotica]

alright, so magic on a GT is only used for support =/

[Magus_84]

I'd suggest:

Level a rifle. And a shotgun. And probably even a laser.

Rifles do great damage per hit, fire faster than bows and gain knockdown at 31+. That last bit's the most important. It gives you options for dealing with big enemies and knocking down casters before they cast the techs that make the Guntechers fall down.

Shotguns are your highest single-target damage option. Lasers are your highest damage option for groups of more than three enemies.

Bows are far easier to level than rifles, but you get what you pay for, so to speak.

You'll want at least one TCSM, as it's far easier to cover buffs when you have all four on one pallette slot. I've taken to putting Shifta and Giresta on a TCSM, and Zodial/Retier on a Wand, and making that my bottom pallette slot. Deband either goes on another wand above that, or doesn't go anywhere. Doesn't seem to have enough of an effect to be worth the casting time. The other three are far more noticeable, and Giresta's HP buffer is absolutely wonderful.

Attack techs aren't super-useful with a 20 cap, but they do have some occasional use. I'd stick to stuff like Diga and Foie at the moment, though Megid can be useful against groups of bots. Regrant isn't bad for the whole "trapping stuff in a corner" bit, but rifles achieve the same effect, more consistently, from far longer range. And don't slowly kill you.

You're a cast, so your tech damage will be even more "lol" than GT's is normally. However, techs do have the ability to inflict status effects on shielded enemies. Once we get the attack cap increase, the Ra-techs, Noszonde and Nosdiga will all be very much worth looking into.

[Adriano]

I'd suggest:

Level a rifle. And a shotgun. And probably even a laser.

Rifles do great damage per hit, fire faster than bows and gain knockdown at 31+. That last bit's the most important. It gives you options for dealing with big enemies and knocking down casters before they cast the techs that make the Guntechers fall down.

Shotguns are your highest single-target damage option. Lasers are your highest damage option for groups of more than three enemies.

You'll want at least one TCSM, as it's far easier to cover buffs when you have all four on one pallette slot. I've taken to putting Shifta and Giresta on a TCSM, and Zodial/Retier on a Wand, and making that my bottom pallette slot. Deband either goes on another wand above that, or doesn't go anywhere. Doesn't seem to have enough of an effect to be worth the casting time. The other three are far more noticeable, and Giresta's HP buffer is absolutely wonderful.

This. However I use xbows instead of shots because I think A rank shotguns are ugly.

[Dragwind]

I think you should try to squeeze a crossbow in there in my opinion.

[Robotica]

ok guys heres my pallet, tell me what you think...

Hikorie, or what ever that bow is called
phantom
Twin tornado
hyper viper
bulletdance/tesbra
cubo tuma/uransara

is that good? Just tell me what i should put on my wands, cuz i dont have pa frags for ultimate pa's so let me know what to do with what i have..

[Adriano]

I'd get another wand and put it on the hyper viper slot, and move the xbow to that slot aswell, then have a shato at the bottom slot for allthe buffs, on the non buff wands just put resta/giresta/reverser whichever ones are available

[Gen2000]

IMO The problem with your pallet is that you have too many weapons that's alike.

Phantom, Hikouteri T.Tornado, Hyper Viper.

In terms of range damage Rifle > Twin Handguns >>>>>> Bow. Just pick one.

Personally I would just stick with either all element Rifle or all element Twins bullets. It will be a while before any GT Srank Twins beats a Phantom+10 though but at least when that time comes you'll be ready I guess. It currently beats out Arb Boa/Twin Ruby Bullet+10 which are Twin Handguns that rivals 11-12* their counterparts.

Rifle not only does the best range damage but has a nice support ability with it's knockdown bullet at lv.31. You only need one of these on your pallet. Only thing Twins has over Rifle is mobility but then that's what Xbow is for.

You also lack Shotgun and Lasers, both that are really powerful even on GT and their Arank only limit. In the Shotgun's case, not having one means your gimping yourself vs. certain mobs and bosses.

[Poncho_Jr]

Here's my opinion.
Have a slot for at least one Bow and one Throwing Blade.
Your top priority should be weapons that aren't useable by rival Fortegunners.
Throwing Blade are a definite. You will deal loads of damage, while able to stay out of danger. The rest is up to you.

[mvffin]

I change pallets depending on what build of GT i'm playing.

for support GT

Mag/Wand (buffs)
Card/Wand(Giresta/Reverser)
Xbow/Wand(R&R)
MG/Wand(R&R)
Xbow/Wand(R&R)
MG/Wand(R&R)

For MAX DMGS GT

Mag/Wand (Buffs)
Card/Wand (Giresta/Reverser)
Shotty
Laser
Shotty
Rifle

[Kryslin]

My Pallet

9* Yohmei Rifle (Killer Shot)
Shigga Bines 6/10 (Elemental bullets)
Twin Ruby Bullets 7/10 (Elemental bullets)
Ebrozike (Ground) / Kusanigira 0/10 (Rising Strike) (for the bullet resistant monsters)
Pegic 5/10 (Resta/Reverser)/Magical Wand 4/10 (Giresta/Zalure)
Pegic 6/10 (Zodial/Retier) / Magical Wand 4/10 (Shifta/Deband)

I tend towards solo play, hence the prevelance of Yohmei weapons. More PP = More Shots Fired. Give me a couple of Beaters (Tylor and Kurz are typical) and I'm ready to go...

I typically have an Ulteri 6/10 (Dark or Fire) in inventory, along with the
9* Yohmei Cannon (Ice, Lightning, Ground)

If I'm levelling bullets, I'll have a pile of 5 or 6* weapons in inventory. Right now, it's 5/10 Falgohohs, for Killer Shot.

The problem with GT is that it takes a lot of work to be effective across the board.

Steve

[Darius_Drake]

I am still feeling out my way as a GT but my pallet is:

Phantom (Status Effects from a distance)
Cubo Tuma / Magical Wand (Resta/Reverser)
Shigga Bines (Heavy Damage & Status Effects)
Shato / Magical Wand (Buffs)
Shigga Bines (Heavy Damage & Status Effects)
Cubo Tuma / Magical Wand (Resta/Reverser)

I am playing with the idea of replacing Reverser with Giresta on my second Xbow/Madoog combo. While I may not be as seasoned at this job as others I do feel that I have a nice amount of flexibility to deal with a bunch of different situations.

[Astarin]

I solo a lot with my GT, but it's just as easy to do party play. My usual GT pallet:

Pitoc (Retier, Zodial) / Cometarac (Shifta, Deband)
Cubo Tuma (elemental bullet) / Magical Wand (Giresta, Reverser)
Frauduke (earth) / Tesbra (Jellen, Foie)
Cubo Tuma (different elemental bullet) / Magical Wand (Resta, Reverser)
Bulletdance (Grav or Plasma Fury) / Magical Wand (Zoldeel, Megid)
Hyper Viper (elemental bullet)

First slot is buffs, and I like Pitoc better than Pegic visually, so I use that. Grinded, it gets over 1000 PP anyway, which is plenty.

Crossbows are my primary weapon in parties, as they give me access to my heals, do great damage and spread SE. I can burn or infect with just a couple shots. I also have ice and light.

The Tesbra is for debuffing and teching on bullet/melee resistant stuff, like Bil de Vears. I get free Stun SE from the paired Frauduke. If melee is better, I'll switch in the Shiratsuno-zashi with Hikai Shuha-zan that I carry.

My second-last slot is variable. The Megid wand is for crowds/bots. I pair it with either a machinegun or a card, as I've got levelled bullets for both. If I don't need Megid, I can put Diga here, or a dagger, or switch the slot out for a second twin handgun. Solo, I usually opt for the second twin.

The Hyper Vipers get used more in solo play. Not that they aren't awesome; range, first person capable, strafable, and excellent damage. They're also my boss killers. But I like to have Resta close at hand in a large party. I use twin hanguns more and more now that all my bullets are level 21+. They get fantastic boosts all the way up from 21 to 30; I can only imagine how useful they'll get near level 40. I've got all six elemental bullets for twin handguns.

I also carry around a Kohibumiteri with dark or fire, but I haven't actually needed to use it for months. It used to get pulled out when I wanted SE 4 on big monsters. Now that 3 is good enough, I just crossbow 'em in the face. I may drop this weapon. I carry Burn G and Confuse G traps, too. And Mira-Kikamis.

My pallet is a bit of an oddity, looks like. I don't use Rifles, Shotguns or Lasers at all. I prefer to use the weapons that a class gets as S rank whenever possible. It lets me play around with what features are truly unique to that class. With that said, I don't really need any other weapons. I find that this mix gives me something to use in every situation. Crowds/mobs? Twin handguns and/or crossbows. Robots/mobs crammed into a small corridor? Megid. Bullet resistant? Burn or virus 'em with crossbows, then pound away with technics or Hikai. Need something held in place so people can wail on it? Machinegun. Large enemy? Again, burn or virus, then blam blam with twin handguns. Boss? Twin handguns, and/or Hikai/Foie/Frauduke, or Cards.

[Akaimizu]

I understand the want to utilize weapons your class S-ranks in. Guntecher is an oddity in which some of their best stuff actually comes from weapons they only A-rank in. Not that their S-ranks are that bad, either. Crossbows being especially gravy for a Guntecher.

I actually spent the majority of my Gunteching life promoting the S-class(able) stuff. Nowadays, I do a large range of stuff on my Guntecher. I have easily over 50+ PAs just for my Guntecher to swap between.

Thing is, there are quite a few fun ways to play a Guntecher. My favorite really is mob control. (It always has). Whether it is drawing a little aggro with fast-repeated bullets, stunning enemies, locking them down, or doing stuff to disable them. Of course, throwing damage on them is nice; but I love running into a location, and pinning down distant mobs to a near helpless pattern before anybody else even really begins their attack. Thus the party can go all out with little dodging necessary. Supporting an all-out offense is one of the most satisfying things for a support gunner when a "Plan comes together" like the A-team.

Crossbows and Rifles are great at doing the trick, but I also like the good ol' twin handguns for any moment I can see to use them with which they are still appropriate. Partly to support my *character's* love for Twin Handguns.

Still, nowadays, I go from all kinds of bullets, including plenty of laser and shotgun action for crowds; a decent use of techs on pesky bullet resistant mobs, and even some small bits of melee for particular specific mobs. Rifle knockdown is probably the king of supportive monster pin-down tactics without having the use of EX traps.

So let's say, my pallette is a constantly evolving thing, just like the class has been constantly evolving. Sure, there are some favorites and remembered works of love, in my past. (Especially getting all those Twin Handgun bullets way up there in the early days of PSU. Tynselle without high elemental Twin handgun bullets is just not Tynselle.)

My Current pallete (but not permanent)

* Madoog/Wand (All buffs, for the quickest weapon-based cast time)
* Shadoog/Wand (Giresta and the most appropriate attack tech for specific mobs on the level, when guns have problems with them. My Favorite Shadoog being A-rank Burn ones with the triple shots. The TP boost GTs got has totally changed my opinion on this option.) Note, this is often where if I go to a place where certain specific multi-hit-location mobs (that allow me to stay close) I swap in the Saber. Strong Simultaneous attack options from this combination allow GTs to cake on thousands of points of damage *very* quickly, even on mobs they are characteristically known for not being Guntecher-friendly (even more so when the mobs are strong and they get the Status Effect. Something A-rank triple-fire shadoogs do extremely well).
* Crossbow/Wand (I use the Tumas. The 11-star Crossbow, which is my favorite looking bullet graphic in this entire game. Crossbows may be the only GT specific S-rank weapon left; but they certainly produce something pretty enough to make it feel worth it. The wand is my Healing/Reverser wand. My crossbow is usually a hard-hitting debilitating element.)
* Twin Handguns (A staple for my Guntecher. I have every element of these. But I tend to favor them for certain Boss' weakspots.)

The Last two slots are interchangable. I tend to throw something big in those.
Currently: Rifle and Shotgun.
In rare occassions, I'll swap in the Bow for a couple of Double-headed dragon fights which can be darn near fustrating to try to keep hitting the bullet weakpoints. (Especially when they channel Stevie Wonder and have to constantly move their heads around and keep another part of their body between their heads and you. Boss playing weakpoint keep-away).

I also keep a lot of weapons in my inventory ready to swap in and out of the pallette (especially ones of different, but complimentary for the level elements). I used to keep two Twin Handguns and Two Crossbows in my Pallette. Nowadays, I don't bother because I use too many situational weapons for that and thus am willing to swap the extra gun or two, out of my pallette when things dry up, or I need a faster method of swapping elements. Unless ST decides to allow a button to shoot a different gun element with the Y button, that's how it will have to be.

[Mururu The Guntecher]

I'm a Cast Guntecher lvl 130
If you want to know some good Guntecher weapons don't use duel pistols at all if you can you don't need them you need to work on crossbows and cards as your main weapons and then have bows or rifles for states effects I also recommend mac guns for fast damage. here is a list of what i use...

Rikauteri 11* 10/10
Serdote 9* 10/10 / Card Regas 9* 10/10 <----(Resta/Reverser)
Uransara 10* 10/10 / Cubo Musrana 10* 8/10 <----(Giresta/Megid)
Serdote 9* 10/10 / Cubo Tuma 11* 10/10 <----(Resta/Reverser)
Serdote 9* 10/10 / Shato 9* 10/10 <----(all buffs)
Serdote 9* 10/10 / Bulletdance 11* 10/10 <----(Resta/Reverser)

(The two handed weapon at the top is interchangeable I will sometimes switch it out with a Laser Cannon or Shotgun when needed)

Cards will end up doing about 715-745 (damage per blade)
Bows will do about 1100-1300
Mac gun will do about 570-620
Crossbows will do about 650-715 (damage per bullet)

PS. get your buffs and healing to 21 asap they will help you and your party a lot.

Have fun saving the universe :lol:

[Mururu The Guntecher]

:-?Wow i was looking at what a lot of you people put down for Guntecher and i'm not liking it at all.... why would you use a R-mag... when you can use something that might help like a Mac-gun or Card.... and don't use Duel pistols they are not a good weapon for GT use a Bow,Rifle,or shotgun.:-?

Please do not use: R-mag or Duel handguns ^^

[Tetsaru]

Well, it's been forever since I last played as a GT, but I have a FG character and an AT character, so I can probably share a bit of both worlds for ya...

First of all, if you're playing as a CAST GT, it would be much more advantageous to use mostly gun weapons instead of techs, so you're heading in the right direction for this. GT's are more geared toward support techs instead of attack techs, so you'll mostly be using buffs along with Resta, Reverser, and Giresta. You might dabble in a few attack techs, but I'd just stick to your guns.

Now, as far as WHICH guns to get, it's ultimately your preference. Most gunners will tell ya that rifles are MUCH better weapons than bows (they just take a while to level, like a lot of gun weapons do), and that crossbows tend to be more useful than twin handguns. I'd set up my palette along the lines of this (keep in mind, this can be highly variable):

rifle
laser
twin handguns or shotgun
crossbow + dagger or wand with Resta/Reverser
card or machinegun + wand with Giresta/offensive tech of your choice
wand + tech-mag with Shifta/Deband/Zodial/Retier

Armor-wise, I'd be looking for a Storm Line with the following units:

Head: Har/Quick
Arm: Solid/Power S, Giga/Bullet PP Save, etc... whatever you prefer
Body: any appropriate /Resist unit for the mission, Orpad/Legs, or Legsless/Rainbow... again, your preference
Extra: Paradi Cataract

I'd stick with your crossbow most of the time, as that's GT's signature weapon. Use your rifles for long-range, lasers/shotguns for mobs, and your dagger/attack techs for bullet-resistant monsters, etc. Also, be sure to keep your teammates healed and buffed properly; just be sure that, if there's another techer in the party with higher-level buffs than you, to let them use their buffs instead. =P

[HELLBOT]

this is my guntecher palette

Phantom 4+/10
Shigga Bines 4+/10
Rikauteri 2+/10
Degahna Cannon 2+/10
Pegic/Tesbra (Giresta,Reverser/Megid.ramegid)
Pegic/uransara (Buffs)

twin pistols are absolutley pathetic they should delete them >.>

[Celi-Ka]

The essentials for my GT palette...not necessarily from top-to-bottom

Wand/TECH-Mag - Buff set
Wand/XBow - Healing or Debuff set/DMG at close range
Wand/Card - Healing set/Homing DMG from a distance

The other 3 slots can be a mix of any 3 of the following, depending on situation:

Rifle - Knockdown and/or Killer Shot, situational (KS isn't 31 yet for me...)
Shotgun
Laser Cannon
Twin Handguns

My offensive options vary depending on the mission and what my party consists of. I don't solo too much as a GT.

[Akaimizu]

Don't knock the R-mags until you try them. You do realize that I do have everything else. Simultaneous output is a very fun thing to do, in this game. While something else looks nice, you aren't doing two things at once. Some R-mags are worse than others. I've yet to find a single S-class one that I'm satisfied with. That slow single shot stuff doesn't really do what I want them to do. If I run up on a Drua and use he quick Raising strike to damage them, there's no harm in also throwing a near guarranteed strong burn DoT on him, too. Just for kicks. Of course, I also play as a human with a Quick unit. (Normally for fast support casting as I'm often relegated as primary support without Acrotechers) I really sneered and scoffed at the crazy idea of why ST tried to promote R-mag use on a GT. I was like, "What?! I got Crossbows, mechguns, and the like!! That R-mag stuff isn't even compatible with my setup! I mean, our techs suck, out melee mostly sucks! Why would I even go that route??!"

Then ST said, "Let GTs get a significant TP boost and let them know level 30 attack techs are coming."

I opened my mind and gave it a whirl after the first Tech boost. (I remember how strong the combo was when I played the AT, and mobs just died like crazy to it). Figured, it would be a nice thing as I'm levelling more attack techs in anticipation of the up-coming GT attack tech-level boost.

Also, if you're deciding to utilize techs, nothing wrong with extra attacking while you cast. Not like they become your entire pallette. I experimented on certain Bullet resistant stuff, mainly.

So remember folks. There's a big difference of the idea of ONLY using weapons that you think are strongest in the situations and playstyle that you use; and those who use a broad range because they have a mix of playstyles and tactical roles for which they can utilize the variety with.

[Kryslin]

:-?Wow i was looking at what a lot of you people put down for Guntecher and i'm not liking it at all.... why would you use a R-mag... when you can use something that might help like a Mac-gun or Card.... and don't use Duel pistols they are not a good weapon for GT use a Bow,Rifle,or shotgun.:-?

Please do not use: R-mag or Duel handguns ^^

"To Each His Own." With as many people that play this game, there will be nearly as many playing styles.

Why use a R-Mag ? S-Rank R-Mags with Earth Element stun enemies quite frequently. Useful for getting clear of a pack of Grass Assassins, or those Drua Gohra in Tunnel Recapture S2. I've had three stunned at one time in Scarred Planet S. Makes for easy pickings with the melee weapon. You don't have to grind S and S2 missions for the 60 or 90 PA Frags to get the equivalent rifle or cannon bullets, either.

Dual Handguns are my mobile firepower, I can keep moving around and keep pounding things. Since all my twin handgun bullets are L30+, that's a lot of damage for the low cost. At L104, I'm averaging about 450 a hit, give or take, with a neutral element.

It all has to do with the way you play; Some people prefer using mostly single handed weapons (Cards, Mechguns, Crossbows) while others gravitate towards the two handed weapons (Rifles, Cannon, Twin Handguns, Shotguns, Bows). For me, it's the closest I can come to playing a character class from PSO I dearly loved - the RAmarl - which primarily used guns.

It all comes down to whether or not you're having fun. I most certainly am.

Steve

[Astarin]

Dual Handguns are my mobile firepower, I can keep moving around and keep pounding things. Since all my twin handgun bullets are L30+, that's a lot of damage for the low cost. At L104, I'm averaging about 450 a hit, give or take, with a neutral element.


This. That's for all the twin handgun haters out there. The bullets gain tremendous increases from level 21-31, both in atp % and elemental %. Twin handguns are my bread-and-butter weapon, when I don't need a wand handy or SE3+.

[haruna]

Rifles got a pretty wicked boost. Higher rate of fire vs bows, knock down at lv 31 and same high SE level.

I've been doing the absurd Beast GT for a while. I ran with:

Vanbrella
Aikasoki/Heal Wand
Phantom
Pitoc/Wandrac(buffs)
Tuma/Heal Wand
Card Regas/Saber

Reserve Weaps:
Dambarta/Nosdiga wand
Thunder Cannon
Twin Ruby Bullet(or Twin Tornado if I don't feel like dealing with the sound effects...Gawed they can be loud!)

Twin HG bullets are great with levels. Invest in em, you'll get rewarded. I stick Yak Zagenga on the Aikasoki, as it consumes PP like mad. That and I've managed to grind one up pretty well.

[Akaimizu]

Funny enough, I have all the Twin Handgun elements way up there. Unless the enemy is bullet-resistant, I'm typically spitting out 650x2 damage (non-crit) on appropriate foes each time an attack is made. It's not super, but pretty nifty for distant mobile damage. Then again, these days with my weapon's load, I tend to leave the bullet saves behind and go straight for the Cati-Power now that my bullets last long enough.

[darkante]

This. That's for all the twin handgun haters out there. The bullets gain tremendous increases from level 21-31, both in atp % and elemental %. Twin handguns are my bread-and-butter weapon, when I don't need a wand handy or SE3+.

Even i agree, they are not as bad as people make it out to be.
I prefer it over shotgun even on my FG actually.
And no one can´t damned say "LOLool, noob" i have damned 5 Shotgun bullet at lv 40 so not bitching please.

Enemies dies fast it is, why not have fun at the same time killing at a decent rate instead?
That way, you can have fun dodging things instead.

I love to dodge Olgohmons Barta attacks and Hive mages Foie just to prove them that mobility is key to survival.