Mining with experimental plasma charger

[MemoryJester]

Was watching YT video and found it cool to use EPC as minig tool. After upgrading it, as it was done in video, i found out that i couldnt mine with it.
So, the question is: is it possible to mine minerals with this pistol?
Also, is this gun more useful compared to default Sabata pistol?

[Chibbity]

Yes, it's possible; takes practice.

No, Subata-chan is waifu.

[MemoryJester]

Am i right that you need to fully charge EPC shoot it and then shoot again (not charged)? Or am i doing something wrong?

[Chibbity]

No clue, never liked the EPC personally, plenty of guides and such on it though.

[Cactus-Cat]

The Subata is better for single target damage at any range. The EPC has multiple ways to do additional AOE damage at close and medium range.
My favourite EPC build for mining is 22112. You have to hit a charged shot in midair with a normal shot to trigger the implosion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjRZmyHgaKg

[Majic]

you need to hold a charge shot and immediately let it go once it's charged and instantly tap the fire button. It's clunky because if you hold the charge shot and let fire automatically you will begin charging the next shot and instantly overheat, it's a very powerful tool that require quite the practice.

[Majic]

you need to hold a charge shot and immediately let it go once it's charged and instantly tap the fire button. It's clunky because if you hold the charge shot and let fire automatically you will begin charging the next shot and instantly overheat, it's a very powerful tool that require quite the practice.

[koan]

You can mine extremely efficiently with it.

[Geck0]

Imo epc is cooler, and I personally like using it with Cryo cannon, but subatas more practical and if you wanna mine, driller does have a rather hefty pair of drills, unless you're talking about mining minerals in which case all I can say is "if only explosives could be used for minerals"

[Spittor the Lizard]

Yes its possible to mine with it and quite effective. Its really usefull for solo play.

But it requires much much training to master and use efficiently. I needed several weeks of using it to be able to reliably mine ceiling and wall minerals with a single shot.

You just need to find the right feeling for distances and when to fire your single shot to explode the charged one.

Hell right now iam even able to mine PE aquarks off the ceiling and walls with it using two shots. Amazingly usefull.

But the main reason i actually abandonned my trusted subata was in an elite solo deep dive mactera plague. I kept dying because i couldnt handle the neverending swarms that sniped me. With the thin containment field epc you can dissolve an entire wave of mactera flies with one shot. Love it. The mining is the cherry on top.

But is epc more usefull? Yes and no. You give up a big part of your single target dps for mining and aoe. To me it was absolutly worth it tho. It is so fricking satisfying to mine an entire gold vein from out of reach in 2 seconds. Finally mining requires skilla gain. Like back in the day of quick Q-mining. Who needs scouts and engis? Just make sure you take axes with you then. You need that single target dps.

[Karl Co.]

Oooh it is by far my most favorite build for the Driller. Not the deadliest, not the most ammo efficient. But boy is it fun to watch Scouts scratch their head when they find themselves grappled into an empty hole that was a gold ore a second ago. If you are firm with the handling, you can easily outperform Scouts when it comes to mining.
But be warned. Not everyone knows about this build. People will start wondering/complaining about why you are shooting minerals, in case you miss. It helps to inform your team via text/voice chat about what you are planning to do.

[Dreadmight]

You can use it for mining no problem. I tend to only do it to reach stuff that would otherwise be cumbersome to reach, or there isn't a scout/engi on the team. It can also be really handy for making a quick perch in a wall if needed.

I don't know if or how it interacts with buff beers like Dark Morkite and Pots o' Gold.

[kestrel]

honestly i don't consider a niche mining technique which requires extensive practice worth it to bring along the epc, which (at least in my mind) is the worst weapon in the game

even if mining with it is efficient, i dont feel like crippling myself out of a sidearm to suffer with all the problems the epc has. it's not the driller's job to be grabbing resources that are out of range anyway. if your scout and engie are remotely competent they'll be working together to pick the cave walls clean in no time.

[Ailen]

Originally posted by kestrel:

honestly i don't consider a niche mining technique which requires extensive practice worth it to bring along the epc, which (at least in my mind) is the worst weapon in the game

even if mining with it is efficient, i dont feel like crippling myself out of a sidearm to suffer with all the problems the epc has. it's not the driller's job to be grabbing resources that are out of range anyway. if your scout and engie are remotely competent they'll be working together to pick the cave walls clean in no time.

Not only mining with EPC is effective, TCF also a pretty good weapon if you know how to use it properly.

[kestrel]

Originally posted by Ailen:

Not only mining with EPC is effective, TCF also a pretty good weapon if you know how to use it properly.

i know how to use the epc just fine
i also know how to use the pickaxe, but that doesn't make it a good weapon to use in combat

[Ailen]

Originally posted by kestrel:

Originally posted by Ailen:

Not only mining with EPC is effective, TCF also a pretty good weapon if you know how to use it properly.

i know how to use the epc just fine
i also know how to use the pickaxe, but that doesn't make it a good weapon to use in combat

But can you do this with your pickaxe:
https://youtu.be/r6zcrvJO_7U
?

Doubt it.