VLAD-1000 Nailgun is bad??

[Zoinho1]

Quite some people say otherwise, but why isn't vlad a popular weapon? Katana/Pulverizer are bad, some say but every Zerk out there still used.
I tried as they said, but...

The single-fire is head shot ONLY (good luck against raged zeds)

The shotgun mode the damage is not bad (though still are headshot-only as well)
Has a terrible spread, you need to literally hug SC and FP, which vlad is supposed to be good against (remember we can't parry with her, which i say is the main reason she isn't popular)
From the Zerk view, has a slow reload and swap speed

All guides say the same, you need the skill "spartan" so you can easily unload a mag on your target, making useless for low lv zreks. Or a swat or sharpshooter use they grenades then you go and kill the target.

When those requirements (and many others) are achieved, vlad works perfectly. But that is ask too much effort to make a single weapon work, where other Zerk weapons may not kill big zed fast but they are more versatile/reliable to use.

Of course, i'm from south america so this "vlad trend" maybe just don't reach us yet. Which i doubt, those people sound as if vlad become meta, and anything related to meta in any game usually spread fast.

[Robin (Don Quijote)]

The way you described the use of the Vlad is how i have seen other players use it. It is effective against big zeds if you use it as a berserker but personally i could not say how to use it. I dont like that gun

[Hudson]

Pointless on Support since all other shotguns are more precise and get the pellets onto the heads more reliably.

For Zerker I only used it with the Katana since it's bad vs. SCs/FPs, if I get to prepare I fish for a parry, switch to VLAD and unload in Shotgun mode. Most Zerkers are too busy holding M1 and switching is too cumbersome.

[Littlefoot]

VLAD is actually great now, not just because of it's damage buffs but because Skirmisher, a perk that never worked with it, now actually does.

[randomselect]

i'm not an expert on it but i would categorize it as a mid-advanced weapon, it has some advantages but it's not as easy to use as some others.

for example as you mention you can headshot raging zeds pretty consistently once you are used to their movement and the nail speed, but that takes a while.

as for big zeds, it has better dmg multiplier than slashing and bludgeon, so it can have decent burst.

one of the reasons it might not be popular is because at the start almost none of the skills affected it, and they have been make them do so bit by bit, but by now almost everyone has settled for their favorite loadouts.

[Aya]

VLAD is in a much better position, going as far as to addressing the Berserker's weakness of being a melee class in a ranged game. He actually has a ranged weapon that he can use to get enough money for his higher tier melees.

[randomselect]

Originally posted by Aya Shameimaru?:

VLAD is in a much better position, going as far as to addressing the Berserker's weakness of being a melee class in a ranged game. He actually has a ranged weapon that he can use to get enough money for his higher tier melees.

being melee is far from being a weakness, and you can't even truly call it a ranged game when most zeds don't have range and zeds spawn on top of you and most maps are closed quarters. if you have trouble earning dosh as zeker that's just bad teammates. if anything i'd say Melee might be overall stronger for said reasons+parry, which makes a lot of zeds more manageable.

[Dark Savior]

Originally posted by Zoinho1:

Quite some people say otherwise, but why isn't vlad a popular weapon? Katana/Pulverizer are bad, some say but every Zerk out there still used.
I tried as they said, but...

katana is good for lesser zeds but not good against big zeds. There is an exception to this.
Pulverizer is in a similar situation. Due to the explosion animation the big zed takedown time is slow when compared to other similar cost weapon.
For casual players the pulverizer does provide a safe takedown for big zeds.

VLAD is good if used properly and bad if used incorrectly.
VLAD is good for husk, QPS, SC and FPs takedowns.
Outside of those zeds, melee does a better job.

Most guides are written with max/min strategies.
My opinion on these guides is to take their advice with a grain of salt.

[Killer Goblin]

I use the Vlad using support, sometimes. The buffs given with Grim Treatments is nice, the support skill that narrows the spread of shotguns (It appears to make the spread smaller to me at least) makes it better for hurting big zeds without being melee range (you need to be close, but not clot-grabbing range)

Basically, it fills for me a role I've wanted for support:
Semi auto shotgun that's...
1: Lighter than the AA12 (and backing it up when the AA is empty)
2: Reloads with magazines rather than one at a time shell reload like the combat shotgun's reloading.

[Action Gooseman]

Originally posted by randomselect:

being melee is far from being a weakness, and you can't even truly call it a ranged game when most zeds don't have range and zeds spawn on top of you and most maps are closed quarters. if you have trouble earning dosh as zeker that's just bad teammates. if anything i'd say Melee might be overall stronger for said reasons+parry, which makes a lot of zeds more manageable.

Melee is a weakness against sirens (especially the choirs) and husks if you don't have something to get parry up with or a spare EMP grenade, especially so on abomination (and doubly so if your teammates are knobs that kill everything they see). "Ranged game" refers to the advantage the other perks can keep zeds at a distance to deal their damage, even when the maps involved are relatively cramped.

Doesn't mean that zerk's general tankiness when it can keep parry up isn't good, usually they handle themselves fine in a chaos-perk team. Zerk's melee capabilities stomp hard when it isn't being hard-countered, more or less. Same reasoning behind a railsharp, bad at handling constant trash but instantly destroys big zeds.

[Mavrodiev]

Vlad is dead weapon. It is completely useless.

[bumblebeetuna]

bear in mind that the vlad is a tier2 weapon. with the recent buffs (thanks for listening twi!), it can really help you out in early rounds. i find it very useful on the survivalist perk with one or two upgrades, but it is more of a fallback weapon than a main weapon. perk skills that allow for elite reloads really help the vlad to shine, dont be afraid to spam 3 or 4 close in shots, and then back up and reload for another volley.

[Mister Torgue Flexington]

for the longest time, I refused to use the VLAD-1000 Nailgun on the Berserker, because it always slowed him down even while specced into his Skirmisher skill. So I ended up using it on my Support guy, due to his shotgun damage and extra penetration (not to mention, making full usage of his "Tight Choke" skill).

But since it was brought to my attention during the "Grim Treatments" Beta, that the Nailgun got fixed and now synergizes with the "Skirmisher" skill and allows the Berserker to keep his increased movement/sprint speed.

[Psycho Dad]

As you really only need one melee weapon, what reason is there not take that VLAD?
It kills FPs, its ridiculous in Zed time, its cheap. What more can you ask for?

[Gonzodiac]

Originally posted by Killer Goblin:

I use the Vlad using support, sometimes. The buffs given with Grim Treatments is nice, the support skill that narrows the spread of shotguns (It appears to make the spread smaller to me at least) makes it better for hurting big zeds without being melee range (you need to be close, but not clot-grabbing range)

Basically, it fills for me a role I've wanted for support:
Semi auto shotgun that's...
1: Lighter than the AA12 (and backing it up when the AA is empty)
2: Reloads with magazines rather than one at a time shell reload like the combat shotgun's reloading.

Thanks for the hint! Haven't tested the buffed VLAD-1000 yet when playing Support, but gonna do that soon. How about some kind of large magazine build (AA-12 + VLAD + HZ12)?

[Zoinho1]

Hmm, so is really a trend that dont reach the south america servers yet (lol, wut).
Still, is a weapon nearly impossible to use on public and would be nice another set of tweaks for her.
Replace the single-fire for block/parry
Heavily decrease the spread, 80-85% (or even more). That would make more safe for low lv zerks to play and supports finally have a weapon that dont need the tight choke skill.