Not really. Maybe for goosing but that laser doesn't compare in damage. Its only pro is the speed. You can hold the rail gun charged while in cover and dash in and out of cover where as the laser has a charge time before it auto fires. Both have their pros and cons. If it was titanfall 1 style where you could mix all the options for titans than the laser wouldn't matter because Northstars main draw back is its lack of a defensive ability and the weakest chasis.
The railgun was beast with a particle wall and atlas chasis. Combined with that damage core and you could damn near one shot titans at full charge.
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Just so ya know, the charge for Ions shoulder is optional. The animation is instantaneous (unless you need to hold it in - which uses more energy for no gain) and the laser hits immediately, so it does beat railgun in that respect, but if they miss one, they only have one more.
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FYI, it does have a 1 second charge time no matter what, you can hold it for longer if you like.