What's the point of knockback?

[Mist of Majora]

This seems to be more of a detriment to me on stealth weapons since it knocks an enemy back a space, possibly into one of his/her allies sight range.

In combat this doesn't even keep an enemy down for the turn even when they get knocked onto their back, so what's the point of it?

[GeneralGonzo]

Use your brain! Surely it´s not worth on silent weapons, but when engaging combat, you can knock enemies out of their cover, making them good targets for your mates!

[Nortar]

It interrupts heal-bot's revival.
Also enemies take falling damage if knocked off high ledges.

[IEatCereal]

@Nortar in my experience enemies don't fall. They just lie prone in the air 1 tile from an upper surface. And knocking an enemy back may mean that while they're out of cover they're actually further away which reduces hit percentage.

[Tamaster]

Knockback is only useful against medical bots because it interrupts the revival of enemies.

Any other application is detrimental.

[PlevisVesel]

Originally posted by IEatCereal:

@Nortar in my experience enemies don't fall. They just lie prone in the air 1 tile from an upper surface. And knocking an enemy back may mean that while they're out of cover they're actually further away which reduces hit percentage.

That's been my experience as well.
The only good use for knockback is to keep medbots from healing. That is if you left them alive to heal anything. I usually kill them first with the circuit breaker ability and silent weapons

[jep]

Originally posted by Tamaster:

Knockback is only useful against medical bots because it interrupts the revival of enemies.

Any other application is detrimental.

Then I think you've missed some crucial strategy. I send Bormin into the front line. He uses a gun with a knockback against an enemy in cover to knock him out of cover. My longer-range guys now have a 100% chance to hit instead of the lower % chance they had because of the cover.

[76561198046838937]

Originally posted by Tamaster:

Knockback is only useful against medical bots because it interrupts the revival of enemies.

Any other application is detrimental.

Knockback is used to reduce the number of active enemies on grid temporarily. So say you're mid way through a fight all your characters are at 50% hp and one of them is very close to dead, what I sometimes do is use knock back to eliminate the closest enemy near my nearly dying character for 2 turns. That way I can concentrate on the other enemies which are further away or use it as a way to safely move my low hp character into better cover.

[LastGameLastGame]

Originally posted by Jon Snow:

Originally posted by Tamaster:

Knockback is only useful against medical bots because it interrupts the revival of enemies.

Any other application is detrimental.

Knockback is used to reduce the number of active enemies on grid temporarily. So say you're mid way through a fight all your characters are at 50% hp and one of them is very close to dead, what I sometimes do is use knock back to eliminate the closest enemy near my nearly dying character for 2 turns. That way I can concentrate on the other enemies which are further away or use it as a way to safely move my low hp character into better cover.

You're thinking of hog rush(knockback+knockdown). Knockback is found on weapon mods and on Gaper as base property. It literally just knockbacks the mob 1 square.

"in my experience enemies don't fall. They just lie prone in the air 1 tile from an upper surface." - there is an achievement to kill enemy with fall damage, no clue where to do it

[76561198046838937]

Originally posted by Dascrub:

Originally posted by Jon Snow:

Knockback is used to reduce the number of active enemies on grid temporarily. So say you're mid way through a fight all your characters are at 50% hp and one of them is very close to dead, what I sometimes do is use knock back to eliminate the closest enemy near my nearly dying character for 2 turns. That way I can concentrate on the other enemies which are further away or use it as a way to safely move my low hp character into better cover.

You're thinking of hog rush(knockback+knockdown). Knockback is found on weapon mods and on Gaper as base property. It literally just knockbacks the mob 1 square.

"in my experience enemies don't fall. They just lie prone in the air 1 tile from an upper surface." - there is an achievement to kill enemy with fall damage, no clue where to do it

oh right! My bad.

[Mist of Majora]

Thanks everyone!

I agree that it's application for medbots is kinda pointless once you have some kind of disable in mid-game or later, but I'm tempted to keep it now just to test the fall damage/cover apect of knockback.

[Bebop]

Appreciate the post!

[Retsus]

I thought we can make enemy fall by knocking him with knockback weapon mod... Will enemy fall if we use hog rush?
Anyway, the only way I know is to use explosive grenade inside a building on 2nd floor (1st floor for you British)... the whole floor will collapse and take everyone along with it.

[Gillsing]

Originally posted by LastGameLastGame:

there is an achievement to kill enemy with fall damage, no clue where to do it

I managed to do it to to a pyro in one of the DLC maps. Think it was Hall of Electric Coffins? Had the other two stalkers shoot with selected weapons to bring the pyro to 3+ HP, since the Hog Rush does 2 HP damage. Tricky, and not something that I would ever use Hog Rush on in a real battle.

But there are plenty of places where ghouls can get knocked off from ledges. It's just that one starts the fight with that, not finishes with that. A bigger challenge seems to be the Butterfingers achievement. Maybe do that in normal mode? Since it requires an almost dead pyro next to another ghoul (or such) with 1 HP. Which seems like it would take quite some maneouvering, while they're attacking.