Leila, Anyat, Hasht, Aelis, and both upcoming Nexus and Grunt Spec Ops break this pattern, as their main weapons are different from what's usually available to their units. I see no reason why Bipandra couldn't follow in their footsteps. Especially because it enchances one of her main advantages, ability to include a shotgun in Fusilier fireteam. More useful? Yes. Competetive? Not really. Linkable WIP 13 Doc with a shotgun has its uses, but is hardly eye catching. Xi Zhuang, Anyat, or Thrasymedes are competetive. Bipandra is passable. What I'd really like to see is for designers to finally embrace one of supposed PanO advantages when creating or reworking units. Other faction overcome difficulties by training their soldiers better, which is reflected by their skills and stats. PanO solves the same problems using technology, which should be reflected by our units equipment and weaponry. What to do to help a dedicated combat medic? Medical Auxbot! S3, Doctor, Medikit, Baggage, maybe ADHL and Flash Pulse. And that's just one possible idea. If only design team had some more imagination when it comes to PanO.
Look at Bipandra, then at Ghulam doctor and back at her, then cry. She's quite far from competitive choice even without SWC cost. PanO can't get something as good as Haqq for obvious reasons but the point difference should be at least covered by some other usefulness.
Exactly. Right now she has her uses, but they're very niche - not unlike Bolts or Teutons. Not bad in their own right, but we have better alternatives.
Huh. I think I must approach list building very differently to you. For something to even approach auto include status for me, it needs to be a pretty sharp discount or set of internal synergies - or both.
So who, Ghulam or Muyibs have a Marksmanship Rifle so that Leila also has it ? Or all those limitations are for PanO only and other factions do not give a damn about it ? Highly doubt it but we will probably see in a near future (as personally I don't think that Bipandra will get anything interesting except for obligatory 0.5 SWC drop).
Know your place PanO pleb, back tot the line! Stop dreaming and wondering! Stop questioning our merciful overlords!
Give Bipandra a new skill that forces opponents to run a second HVT of fusilier Angus. Additional placement rule, Can't be deployed within 8 of another HVT.
I just hope that CB will really decide to rework Bipandra and other underwhelming units. If they really use Army to gather data they should have a pretty clear picture what works and what doesn't. I also hope we'll see more Dire Foes. Regulars, Devas, Metros, Moderators - all could use one. My personal dream, which definitely won't happen: Dhan Singh Gurung, Ghorka Regular Engineer CC 19 | BS 12 | PH 11 | WIP 13 | ARM 1 | BTS 3 Engineer, Martial Arts L1 Sensor, Holoprojector L1 Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser, D-Charges, Assault Pistol, Knife, CCW Number 2, Linkable 27 Mechanized Deployment 29
This I agree with. I can't make any kind of case for fielding Bipandra over a Trauma Doc in Vanilla... There simply isn't any incentive to do so. The arguments gets slightly better when she's linkable, with the best case scenario probably being a Spec Ops event where MO can field a 5-man Fusilier team. But the case there is so niche, it doesn't really bare considering. From the standpoint of a competitive NCA player, she has no appeal with or without the SWC cost. As with all things Infinity, it isn't that she's useless... It's just that I can get so many amazing things for comparable cost. Hexa KHD, Black Friar, two Auxilia, two CSU and a Warcor, three Fugazi... These are all competitive, high-efficiency units that are within 4 points of Bipandra's point value, and cost 0 SWC.
It's another medic, in the end. Without the SWC cost and a little better optimization she should be useful as something more than "the second civilian from the Dire Foes box where Anyat comes". Heck, make her a hacker even, removing the SO entry and reducing her cost by 1-2 pts keeping the SWC to make her a mirror of Zoe (Nomads)...
Oh dear lord no, We dont need more mediocre hackers. Honestly as a faction we are almost better off playing the Ariadna game of ignoring hacking entirely and just eliminating it early. The way that set of skills is set up you either go in hard or not at all. For my money Id give her a bit of interesting kit like EM nades or eclipse nades and make her Bolt linkable as well as Fusilier linkable
That sounds pretty cool. I would seriously consider fielding Bipandra if she picked up eclipse grenades.
Tbh would say that Yu-Jing are not biggest offender. Their link is "semi" CC - vulnurable, where MO links are hack vulnurable (which counter is easier to use is different thing). Biggest offender are Rriot Girls with their reliable dodge/tinbot B and access to great supporting hackers (HD+...).
Ugh Riot Grrrls. TO and ODD doesn't even bother them... Life was better when they were BS12. Eclipse on Bipandra would definitely be interesting, though I wonder if it would make her too obvious a choice. Even at very low PH, she'd be a great smoke dispenser when linked in her Sectorials. Nimbus Plus would be interesting. It would work well in tandem with Auxbots, high-BS knight link teams, or our TO/DD threats. Having a Swiss hit an enemy target on 9s, while that enemy target is maxed at -12 for return shots, would be great. Also nice for when high-BS TO units want to engage MSV2 opponents but still want to lessen the severity of a lucky attack by an opponent. Linked Hospitaller HMG slings 4 shots that hit on 11s, while basically gaining ODD for himself.
Riot Grrls are so good these days, it's true. But expensive! It's difficult to fit in my WIP 15 Engineer/Hacker, WIP 14 HD+ and WIP 15 Doctor+ with MOV 6-2 in the same list as them!
