The recent release of the Molotov has been followed up by yet another weapon packing some serious firepower (pun intended) and the Workshop Team have once again opened up the lab for some testing!
So, what are we looking at here?
The flamethrower MRA3-6 (from here on will be referred to as the MRA for the sake of simplicity) is a secondary weapon under the prototype category, and can be acquired in the Black Friday "Fire Carousel". It shoots a continuous stream of fire, dealing both area effect and direct damage. A fuel tank will be visibly equipped by the operator and it will detonate/rupture on death, dealing fire damage in the explosion itself and also spread fire across the area.
(* = can be upgraded via operator talents and/or mods)
- Damage: 1000
- Melee damage: 335 *
- Ammo: 10
- Fire rate: 300
- Range: 13 m *
- Movement speed: 90 *
(* = can be upgraded via operator talents and/or mods)
As well as the Molotov the MRA offers some unique ways to approach the game. They share some properties, but the MRA takes it one step further and can be a lot trickier to counter than the Molotov. The same rules apply when trying to extinguish the fire, but there is one big difference that most of you probably have already discovered: the MRA acts like a huge leaf-blower and instead of losing the ability to operate in smoke, it actually blows the smoke away, rendering any attempts to use smoke as a fire protection more or less obsolete. In some cases the MRA is even more effective at clearing smoke than landau.
The MRA has shorter burn time and burn damage than the Molotov in terms of area effect (setting objects or the ground on fire), but if you are able to hit an opponent at point blank range and empty the entire fuel tank it will deal a massive amount of damage.
The mechanics of the MRA differs slightly from the other Prototype weapons, both primaries and secondaries. The SMS aims and release the shot when pulling the trigger. MGL and Roach does the same but only fires when the trigger is released. The Kapitz-A is in effect as long as you hold the trigger, and launches objects on release. The MRA discharges the entire fuel tank under a circa 2 second duration when the trigger is pulled. The ways to cancel the stream of fire is to either dash, change weapon or use a special weapon.
It is also very slow to move around with while shooting, especially when aiming laterally. Using adrenaline will speed up things up but you will still be slow when turning, so it is preferred to rotate the operator around the axis of the flame instead of the other way around if you need to make quick turns.
The MRA has shorter burn time and burn damage than the Molotov in terms of area effect (setting objects or the ground on fire), but if you are able to hit an opponent at point blank range and empty the entire fuel tank it will deal a massive amount of damage.
The mechanics of the MRA differs slightly from the other Prototype weapons, both primaries and secondaries. The SMS aims and release the shot when pulling the trigger. MGL and Roach does the same but only fires when the trigger is released. The Kapitz-A is in effect as long as you hold the trigger, and launches objects on release. The MRA discharges the entire fuel tank under a circa 2 second duration when the trigger is pulled. The ways to cancel the stream of fire is to either dash, change weapon or use a special weapon.
It is also very slow to move around with while shooting, especially when aiming laterally. Using adrenaline will speed up things up but you will still be slow when turning, so it is preferred to rotate the operator around the axis of the flame instead of the other way around if you need to make quick turns.
Another Zloy killer?
As if the Molotov wasn't a blow hard enough, the MRA now adds more fuel to the fire (another much intended pun). The MRA does indeed ignite gas, but also dissapates the smoke that Zloy can use as an alternate for talent 10 (Smoke Screen). Using said talent could potentially be used as a counter, preferably in conjunction with T7 (Good Genetics), but since the vast majority of the playerbase doesn't have access to the 10th talent we will simply leave it out as an option for now.
But Zloy is not down for the count yet! He still has the improved dash ability which will greatly help in reducing the damage, especially when using the Good Genetics talent and that build will also indeed make him a threat against enemy players while equipped with the MRA.
But Zloy is not down for the count yet! He still has the improved dash ability which will greatly help in reducing the damage, especially when using the Good Genetics talent and that build will also indeed make him a threat against enemy players while equipped with the MRA.
Is secondary the new primary?
Making the MRA a secondary weapon is an interesting decision by Panzerdog. In many scenarios the MRA can be used as a primary weapon, without the need to use the actual primary weapon at all. Unlike many other weapons the MRA dishes out the same devastating power when unmodified as when having 3 gold mods applied. The reload speed talent does also apply, but the MRA will actually reload significantly faster when "holstered" (a.k.a tactical reload) making it a very viable option for being used as a primary weapon, with a short range primary weapon as backup. The range sits at 13 meters (13.6 with the range talent) without any mods, and while it might appear short "on paper" it is actually more than enough in many cases.
Offense or Defense?
The fact that the MRA is such an effective weapon (not only by secondary weapon standards) now creates an interesting dilemma. The general consensus among the players is that the injector is one of the most (if not THE most) important tools in the game. The injector is going to be vital in the efforts to counter the MRA, and since they take up the same inventory slot it has now created scenarios where the injectors that usually would have been present, now are absent in favor of the MRA. It is up to the playerbase to decide which path to take, and it could prove to be a tricky decision to make.
Conclusion
The MRA offers devastating firepower even in an unmodified state. The opinion in general among the players is that the MRA simply is overpowered. It does have its limitations, but at the time of writing this blog there are not many viable counters to it. As mentioned above, some operators have the ability to apply the "Good Genetics" talent which does reduce the effect of incoming fire damage. However, one interesting note is that if an object even as small as a crate or a street sign sits between you and your opponent the MRA will not deal any damage at all, completely missing its target. Whether this intended or not will remain to be seen but with the limited counters available at this present time this could (and should) be well kept in mind.
/Workshop Team