Thoughts on SG-22 Bushwacker

[yourcomrade]

Just found the good old sawn-off shoty my favorite sidearm these days. Here are my thoughts about this weapon's pros and cons, and how the devs might improve it.

Bushwacker has the same damage and knock-back power as the trusty Punisher. Accompanying this with a much higher rate of fire, you get a quite "reliable" sidearm to deal with larger targets that are not easily staggered or killed.

Bushwacker can interrupt commanders' charges and spewers' ranged attacks. And with two well-placed shots, this gun can comfortably kill brood commanders, stalkers and nursing spewers (not the armored bile spewers).

And this brings me to the main weakness of Bushwacker. Although this weapon can do miracles with a two-shot combo, it only holds 3 shells, which often places helldivers in unfavorable situations.

Multiple times have I killed a stalker with a one-two combo (one shot at the body, another at the head, which can usually finish off the target), and then got thrown away by the next one.

Of course I could always switch back to my primary and finish the job. But I think it will be much more satisfying and rewarding if players have a sidearm that can handle two high-value targets with a clip of accurate rounds.

Here are my 2 suggestions about how Bushwacker can be improved:

First, the clip size of the weapon could be increased to 4, and the alternative firing mode could be replaced by a 2-round salvo, allowing helldivers to quickly dispose 2 stalkers, nursing spewers or brood commanders without the need to reload.

Second (and the more interesting one in my opinion), the clip size could be reduced to 2, but compensated with a faster reload speed (maybe the same as Punisher). This will give players a super-shotgun-style sidearm that can deal fearsome burst damage while remaining mobile.

Will this make Bushwacker OP or "too reliable"? I don't think so. This weapon will remain featured with a wide spread and terrible damage falloff, and can only be effective in point-blank combats. Helldivers deserve a weapon that is situationally powerful, given the handlers are skilled and tactical.

The current Bushwacker is by no means a weak gun, but the 3-round feature makes it frustrating to use and sometimes unable to do its job.

Please let me know your thoughts on this weapon. And after all, it is just my humble opinion about a toy in a video game, so please don't take this too seriously.

[dyra55]

Changing its mag size kinda goes against its design of being a triple barrel shotgun

[MrSoul]

Originally posted by dyra55:

Changing its mag size kinda goes against its design of being a triple barrel shotgun

Was gonna say, ain’t no clip in that gun xD

What about increasing ammo can carry for it instead?

[yourcomrade]

I think 30 rounds are kinda enough for a sidearm that is usually used as a panic button. And apologies for the "clip size" confusion, English is not my native language and I'm not sure how to describe the ammo-holding device in a firearm. How should I call it, a "chamber size"?

[Naxos]

Strangely enough, i found that weapon to be relatively balanced all things considered, it makes for a good emergency side arm to either give you breathing room with the stagger, or dispatch a few foes if you aim well enough.

How about increased melee damage with it instead ? It's a bush Whacker after all..

[yourcomrade]

Yeah, I get it. A triple-barreld shotgun is more visually interesting. But 3 rounds are inadequate most of the times (especially when you are chased by 2 stalkers), which feels like a premature ejaculation.

[MrSoul]

Originally posted by yourcomrade:

I think 30 rounds are kinda enough for a sidearm that is usually used as a panic button. And apologies for the "clip size" confusion, English is not my native language and I'm not sure how to describe the ammo-holding device in a firearm. How should I call it, a "chamber size"?

Ya I think chamber size would be appropriate? Usually describes revolvers but makes sense to me. When in doubt just say “the ammo capacity of the gun…”.

Oh ya, 30 rounds is a healthy amount based on my limited experience playing. Well without breaking realism of firearms physical limitations and games attempt at realism in general for regular guns(better than cod for example xD), up the dmg a little instead? But then in round about problem as I see it, cos prob don’t want it trumping any primary shotty right, or why would ever take one as a primary versus the sidearm…even if that is already the argument xD

Idea just popped into my head too, slightly faster reload animation for it? Kinda getting towards same goal as larger capacity.

[Gnome_Bandit]

Originally posted by Naxos:

Strangely enough, i found that weapon to be relatively balanced all things considered, it makes for a good emergency side arm to either give you breathing room with the stagger, or dispatch a few foes if you aim well enough.

How about increased melee damage with it instead ? It's a bush Whacker after all..

Yeah when weapon mods come to town let me put a tiny machete on the end of it like a bayonet.

[yourcomrade]

Originally posted by Naxos:

Strangely enough, i found that weapon to be relatively balanced all things considered, it makes for a good emergency side arm to either give you breathing room with the stagger, or dispatch a few foes if you aim well enough.

How about increased melee damage with it instead ? It's a bush Whacker after all..

Yeah the melee buff sounds fun. And that reminds me, why can't we hold a sidearm in one hand and a melee weapon in another, like a combat knife or bloody chainsword? There is never enough wh40k references in this game.

[yourcomrade]

And it's called SG-22, so why don't give it 2 double barrels or make it reloa 2 rounds really fast?

[Galahad]

I'd give it medium armour penetration and more damage, so it really is a weapon people have trouble choosing the grenade pistol over.

[黒人]

It's literally a pocket Punisher. It even has the same stats.

It's a great secondary against bugs.

[Frost Spectre]

It is a good weapon as a backup, pretty much same thing for all sidearms, they're not ideal weapons, they're switched to when your primary or support mag is empty or need extra firepower on a enemy before you switch back to primary or support to finish them off.
It is best used as stun gun tho.

Another advantage of sidearms being that you can still run and shoot, unlike with primary and support that force you to walk when you shoot.

You just have to create distance between you and enemies, reload it and shoot again.

Stalker attacks seem to miss if you sprint away from them with atleast 100 armor rating armor, exception being the tongue attack, which can hit you while you're sprinting away. So it is still very viable way to unload on one stalker, sprint away while reloading, then shoot more.

[黒人]

Originally posted by Helldivers™ 2:

Originally posted by 黒人:

It's literally a pocket Punisher. It even has the same stats.

It's a great secondary against bugs.

But the punisher is not a good weapon

I'm not talking about the punisher being a good weapon.

The bushwhacker is essentially a secondary punisher, which means you can take any other primary weapon. This is why the bushwhacker is good -- it doesn't waste your primary slot. Furthermore, it can one-shot a couple of tough enemies with its alt fire mode.

[yourcomrade]

Originally posted by Midnight Prince:

I'd give it medium armour penetration and more damage, so it really is a weapon people have trouble choosing the grenade pistol over.

Don't think this gun needs higher armor penetration to be good, and it's kinda weird if a sawn-off version of Punisher has greater damage and pen, which will render both Punisher and Senator useless.

But yes, the grenade pistol appears to be dominating the sidearm slot these days (I'm not saying it's OP), and needs some competition.

[Chaos]

It's cool and powerful (aka.fun).
While nade pistol offer far better utility, saw-off is already one of the better sidearm in the game and one of the nicer option for this slot.

It's reload animation could be faster and/or cooler tho.
I actually would prefer it be double barrels with faster reload and alternate reload for empty reload like how revolver work.