» Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:13 am
I'm using a laser rifle for my current sniper and I've found it's not THAT much different of an experience from my other build using a .50 caliber hunting rifle, with a few exceptions:
1.) Recoil and Accuracy. The recoil is slightly better on the laser rifle, but the accuracy is worse. I always headshot enemies from ridiculous distances with my .50 caliber, but I find myself missing my shots a lot more often with the laser rifle. Alternatively, my .50 cal takes significantly longer to readjust than the laser rifle. So it's a matter of preference and opportunity on that front.
2.) Range. I talked about this in the point above, but the range on my .50 cal is insane. I can barely see the enemies sometimes, they're that far away, and I'll still successfully headshot (or at least torso shot) them 9 times out of 10. The laser rifle, on the other hand, becomes even less accurate the farther away I am. The stats on my laser rifle say that it has better range and about the same accuracy, but in my experience, the .50 caliber was better in this regard.
3.) Damage. My laser rifle is WAY overpowered compared to the .50 caliber. Even without sneak modifiers I will tear through enemies on normal mode. My .50 caliber takes at least 2 shots on harder enemies, and by then I've lost the element of surprise.
4.) Fire Rate. The laser rifle can fire much more quickly than the .50 caliber, and I can easily hipfire at a charging enemy in a pinch. The .50 cal, because of the staggering recoil and less damage points, has me switching weapons much more often. And while that helps me to experience more weapons and makes battles that much more exciting, sometimes the buttons are tricky or there's no time, and I'll have to sprint away.
These are all I could think of at the moment. There's good and bad for both. It all depends on playstyle. I myself have had a more successful sniper build with a ballistic rifle, but that's just me. Especially since you can muzzle it, even though it reduces the range a bit.