Favorite Loadouts?

[Chaoz]

Now that I've gotten to messing around in NG+, what loadouts are the most fun for you? Turning the Valve into a semi-auto AR with its 15-ammo magazine is amazing for me, and Revolver Sniper is also kind of fun.

[GreyNaide]

Personally, when starting a NG+, I choose the Helsing instead of the Tikhar, as it saves a bucket-load of resources from crafting ball-bearings all the time, as the bolts are able to be re-used when looting corpses. (Helpful when playing Hardcore!). Second, I use the Ashot shotgun fully upgraded with a double barrel, as I find it reloads way quicker than the Shambler. And lastly, I use the Kalash fully upgraded with a heavy barrel, small mag, & 4x scope that doubles not only as a semi-auto assault rifle, but a long-range sniper rifle as well, & does almost as good a job as the Valve, but with ammo in more plentiful abundance.
I also use the "Throwables" vest that lets me carry a heap of throwing knives for close-quarters stealth kills, as well as molotovs & grenades for area suppression/ large enemies.

[cuss]

Silenced Kalash with 4x scope
Long barrel Ashot with open reflex sight
Tikhar with auto pneumatic upgrade only with 6x scope (railgun upgrade is too noisy imo)
And as mentioned, the throwables vest. You can never throw too much stuff.
(but remember, if the enemy has spotted you don't waste your time throwing cans because they'll just mock you which makes it hard to stay alive when your laughing at them)

[Chaoz]

Yeah, AR and Shotgun combo is the most practical loadout, and both of the stealth weapons work as long as the Tikhar isn't a railgun. Personally, I prefer the Helsing, not only for the reusable bolts, which is indeed useful, but because it's just freaking funny to use, sending enemies flying or pinning them to walls.

May I ask why favor the Kalash over the Bulldog? I tried using the Kalash as a mix of sniper and assault rifle, but for me, it was far too inaccurate to get the job done. The shotgun covers close quarters combat, so the Bulldog is perfect for medium-long range because of its lower rate of fire, higher accuracy & damage, and the fact it fits a 6x scope, not to mention it accepts the suppressor barrel, making it suitably stealthy if you want it to be.

[cuss]

AK because it's known to be almost indestructible and I got the impression the Bulldog might degrade faster though I never tested that. I also prefer it's higher fire rate which limits your likelihood of getting swamped by enemies while you're waiting for the next round to chamber, always frustrating. And for accuracy over distance I don't worry too much because I'm inclined to move in close for combat anyway and I always have the Tikhar if needed.

[GreyNaide]

I agree. When both the Kalash & Bulldog are in 100% perfect condition then the Bulldog is the superior weapon. However, the Kalash is definitely more robust due to it's simplistic design & works better for longer when dirty compared with the Bulldog that must be kept clean in order to work well. So for me, i'll take reliability over firepower & that means the Kalash.

[Chaoz]

Ahhh I see, yeah that makes sense.