Asuras in N4

Spitfire version may be pretty good for the price, depending on link options. It's disappointing that the LT HD+ lost LT2.

The points drop alone may be sufficient to make them playable, especially if a few other units see points drops, because a 15-order list with an Asura Spitfire leading the way could be pretty viable.

 

Bostria said that she'd also be getting a program added onto her HD+, so Trinity or a Redrum upgrade again are still possible to make her an attack Hacker. I'm hoping that the * next to HD+ on the LTHacker means that the (+1 order) just didn't fit in the standard view, as it matches the price difference between the LT % non-LT options.

And the weird LT lvl 1 profiles are gone, this is a much needed condensing.

Either way, she got the overall price discount I wanted. I'll definitely be rolling out my lady, and I'm giggling even more over the possibility of a viable 3 Asura Haris for under 200.

 

Oh boy, here we go.

First of all, we got a direct buff of 6-2 MOV. It'll be useful for all loadouts, not only Spitfire

Secondly, N4 changes buff Asura indirectly. ARM 5/BTS 6 will mean much more now, especially on a trooper with 2W and NWI. Multi Rifles on high BS, elite units will be a good source of AP.

Regarding hacking - it's not a nerf, it's a sidegrade. In N4 Hacking Device is no more; instead we get AHD and AHD+. Days of using a single swiss army knife device are over, now EVO takes over the support role, while HD and HD+ will be used to harass opponent and slow him down, and if someone thinks that won't be useful, they weren't paying attention. With Tactical Window, and buffs and/or drastic point costs cuts for HIs and TAGs we're about to face battlefields saturated with hackable targets.

Same goes for MSV3. There'll be a lot more Mimetism -3/-6 and Camo units out there, and it doesn't matter that MSV2 is just as good at the job, because there's no MSV2 unit that competes with Asura directly - save Marut. And the only thing wrong with N3 MSV3 was its steep cost - which apparently just got fixed.

All in all - oh yes, she will be fielded more often now.

I think it's there, it just doesn't show because of lack of space. Look at the point cost, 4 pts over standard HD+ loadout, exactly the cost of LT2.

 

Could also be the vanilla profiles and the OSS still has the Lt L2 hacker.

And yes, Bostria did say that they have an upgrade it's just not listed there, i suppose they might have Trinity too, so they'd essentially be Hacker+ and Killer Hacker rolled into one.

 

@Stiopa I saw that, but simply don’t want to get my hopes up.

Agreed on all your points about her changes. I don’t get the angst about MSV3 now that her points have come down. Losing Sucker Punch hurts but if she’s getting some form of special attack program that’s solved too. The hacking device is pretty much an upgrade as far as the offensive and defensive programs are concerned; hacking looks a lot better these days. When I’ve used her, the buff programs were incidental at best, never what I wanted to use a 70+ point model for. Besides, who isn’t taking an Apsara for the Dakinis anyway?

 

Me, for example :P I find Apsara underwhelming, while EVO makes it into most of my lists already ;)

 

I find that genuinely surprising, but it sure puts you in a good spot with the changes.

I’ve found the Apsara absolutely essential to making a linked Dakini MSR difficult time handle if I don’t get first turn; without the MML2 or Apsara buff, he’s pretty much cannon fodder.

 

I just want to say I had the complete opposite reaction of the OP.

Significant price decrease, loose the combi, got faster? I was and still am pretty stoked.

Loosing a damage hacking program might be a little lame. Bostria hinted she'd have an upgrade program sooo.....

 

I prefer Assisted Fire here, though it does require spending an order. I might try using Apsara more often in N4, maybe I'll get a similar mileage out of such setup.

 

Fwiw were assuming assisted fire is the same, that's not a given.

Right now my understanding is that levelled skills no longer grant lower skills. So assisted fire now must give MML 1 & 2 which is certainly possible, but this is certainly an opportunity to change the effect of the program which as is, pretty much is better than enhanced reaction most of the time.

Also with the change to evo we may see some effects from the former evo programs merged with existing programs?

I mean who knows?

 

From what Bostria said in the video Assisted Fire gives "Marksmanship" which I'm assuming is equivalent to Marksmanship level 2 in N3.

MM1 is now BS Attack (Shock), no info of that is still included with AF or not.

 

That was my guess as well. Would you say that this would make both Supportware Programs equally valuable?

 

I like the changes to her overall. The profiles are cleaned up, she is faster in the first move order and a bit cheaper.

Loosing KHD Upgrades or Supportware is not a nerv to her, because it happens to all hackers, same for MSV3 it is still the superior visor, it is not bad, because MSV1 is getting better. It has to cost less now.

I will definitivly use her more. I only wish the hacker loadout will have Lt2 also.

But one question stays in my head since I see the new Domaru profiles: Will she stop 3 Chain-Domarus?

 

I agree that Assisted Fire is generally better than the Apsara buff (in the typical shootout it’s a functional increase to 5% better hit chance, and gives the MSR shock ammo, but I found I shot at warbands *a lot* so the jump to base BS13 often did matter). That said, any buff is better than no buff, so I’d rather have a BS13 MSR with fireteam upgrades on turn 1 than no Assisted Fire when I’m going second. In my meta, at least, no one (except me) ever chooses deployment, they always choose first turn.

 

It'll depend on how N4 RemDriver interacts with fireteams, but I think the C1 version (https://infinitythewiki.com/index.php?title=Remdriver) makes me more likely to run an Apsara in support of a Rudras. N3, only getting +1 bs made AF the runaway choice, but a flat bonus would make it a much better starting position.

 

I have 3 thoughts:
I need to see other heavies and heavy like models to know how good or not good the point brake is.
No + damage or ap swc weapon so if you are trying to chew your way through armor it may be very tough (Gamma has armor 6 and in cover that is a 9 so it fails 1/4 of the time vs a spitfire.)
Finally how it fits in with the new Aleph, how does she stack up to Yadu and Post Humans.

In some ways I think the hacker is the best profile but I do not want to go ramboing with a multi rifle because of range bands.

 

I think the thing to look at then is the two special Haris's that you can form with an Asura, assuming they stay the same.

The cheap option is Devas. While spitfire is the only SWC, you can easily add a sensor or FO profile, or bring the shogun hacker for another hacker. As the second deva, Trisha is a great option, brings a breaker combi and is an engineer in case the Asura gets immobilized. Devas are probably best as the trailers to a Spitfire Asura, to be the button-pushers you've given up for the SWC gun.

More expensive is the Yadu option, but it adds a great synchronicity in the NCO HMG, to take advantage of the Lt2. For the rest of the Haris, the drop bear one gives you some defenses, or the boarding shotgun hacker for more templates. You've also got Shakti for a KHD & Mk12 option, or substituting in the Rudras for more mines and a K1 or Red Fury.

 

Already mentioned it on the CA fourms.
Upgrade Programs weren't in the leaks but confirmed in official communication. Hacking would be awfully stale without them, they're not exactly complicated. Hacking as a whole ist still up in the air until we've seen the actual Programs, Repeater rules, Firewall, etc.
There's an asterisk on the Lt HD+, just sayin.

With the 15 Order cap, MSV3 is a way to increase Order efficiency, no more dicing it with the Warcor on that Camo Marker till he dies. Also looks like it got a good chunk cheaper.
Multirifles are 2 points cheaper across everything. HD+ should be 6 points instead of 8 and the base Profile got 5 points cheaper on top of that.
MR Hacker Profile went down a whooping 11 points.

LT L2 costs 4 points now rather than being free, that's in line with Tactical Awareness. Not complaining about 4 points for an Order expanding the list cap.

From stuff I've heard, Trinity has less teeth, something like DAM14 B3. KHDs don't ignore Firewalls and the Asura has a +3 ARO against it. WIP15, BTS6, 3.0 W + Firewall isn't gonna be threatened much.
Stacked up HI with Firewall look like they mostly care about other HDs with Carbonite (with high WIP allowing to get out on your own).
Making your Asura a Hacker doesn't seem to be a double edged sword any more. There won't be some cheap ass KHD blasting handily through your defenses with Redrum. The most dangerous Programs are the ones that can affect non Hacker HI already, so you get a defensive Upgrade by being a Hacker instead of the vulnerability that invited in N3.
No info on Maestro and Lightning whatsoever, if those are there or of Redrum is widely available as Upgrade this is invalid.

If Upgrades don't fuck up Hacking, she is distinctly better, cheaper and more durable. Making Spotlight available as an army wide ARO through Repeaters as well as Carbonite and Oblivion against more common TAGs and HI.

With Spitfires losing some of their teeth, Multi Rifle becoming cheaper and better in comparison and Hacking benefitting from a competent, durable platform I like what she appears to do, even gets a slight defensive CC Upgrade for the heck of it. Friday will give a better picture on the whole thing.

/edit:
Damn it... just when I had hope for Hacking. From Infoflux podcast, Hacking Upgrades are in the works and will include stuff like - worst case example, yay - Trinity with AP.
That's shite and I hate it. RIP Asura.
Then again, Asura with Upgrade: Trinity (AP)? Nothing wrong with that, right? (Well yes a lot wrong with that, lol)