Should bloom be removed? Before you answer, please completely watch Triple Wreck's video linked above. Should RNG be restricted to how many hundreds more crucible packages I have to open before I get a longbow, or should it also have an even greater influence in winning or losing a gunfight than skill?
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I agree it's annoying and could be removed, but only partially. I can definitely understand the frustration with inconsistency since Hand Cannons are seemingly the only primary archetype which use "bloom" vs. a weapon's physical stability to determine whether bullets land where aimed or not. It's what causes these "phantom bullets" we've all seen. I would support the removal of bloom, but only if that were replaced with a shorter damage fall-off for hand cannons. The results would ultimately be the same and would keep hand-cannons where they belong in the short-to-mid range. Hand Cannons should knock you out of your boots and be able to 3-tap at short range, but should require an extra shot to kill at extended ranges. Currently this is being handled via "bloom", which is frustrating, but if replaced with a shorter damage fall-off at least shots would land if your aim was true, but would not turn Hand Cannons back into a one-size-fits-all solution for any map. For reference, and for those who may not be familiar with how real-world guns perform. Short barrel weapons are not meant for accuracy at long ranges. Bloom is effectively a cone which expands as you get further from your target. The longer your barrel and slower your fire rate, the smaller this cone will be, and the more consistently you can land shots at longer ranges. Since Y2 balances were implemented Autos have the shortest effective range, as they should due to their natural instability caused by their high RoF. They are immediately followed by Hand Cannons, whose lack of long range accuracy is due to their short barrel and high single-shot recoil. Pulse rifles fall somewhere in the middle with better than average accuracy at extended ranges due to their longer barrels which is offset by some degree of recoil spreading each burst. I actually feel this is the one class which could still use some balance with high RoF (Grasp of Malok type) rifles getting a slight stability/damage adjustment to slightly reduce TTK at longer ranges, and slower RoF (Spare Change type) rifles getting a slight stability/damage adjustment to slightly increase TTK at longer ranges. Scouts have the lowest RoF of the long barreled rifles and therefore enjoy the best accuracy at longer ranges