What role do secondaries play in player arsenals?

[(NSW)Greybones]

I’m looking for some different personal perspectives on how individual players use secondaries in their play-style.

Personally I find that some of them may have interesting effects or pleasant sound design, but for the most part I tend to rely on my primary and melee, and secondaries sort of fall to the wayside unless I specifically want to use them as a main weapon.

I’m eventually going to make a feedback post about a suggestion for secondaries, but if there are some perspectives that make me rethink my view of the role of a secondary in my playing, I may not feel the need to post the suggestion.

I’m also quite curious just to see how people play. I think it’s fun to learn about others.

A small bit of ground-rules though; I’m not looking for suggestions on how to improve secondaries or complaints about specific secondaries. I trust everyone can wait until I post my suggestion and tell me then, and I look forward to it.

If we could keep it concise and to the point that’d be great!

Edited March 3, 2020 by (NSW)Greybones
A little bit of clarification

[SneakyErvin]

For me secondaries fill the role that my primary doesnt, or vice versa.

Different elemental setup, different trigger type, different role (single target/AoE) etc. In most cases they are better versions of primaries thanks to the far superior mod options, the only thing they lack is hunter munitions.

[Baterial]

there are only a few which i use. Kuva Brakk, Kuva Nukor, Pox

They are only utility toot for me IE armor remover

[General-Pacman]

Pretty much what Ervin  said. I tend to use a secondary that is able to fill the weaknesses of my primary gun. For example, if i equip a single shot  primary weapon, like a sniper or  an opticor, i like using a secondary with high fire rate. When facing enemies with mixed resistances, i try using different elemental damages on my weapons.

[(NSW)Greybones]

This is good stuff, keep ‘em coming!

Edited March 2, 2020 by (NSW)Greybones
Replaced period with exclamation point. I like being excited!

[FireSegment]

usually i would pick primary and secondary that have different utility, game play, firing mode, and elemental damage from each other, in a way that would complement them. so that i would have other option if one got bored, or not enough to deal with the situation in the game.

Some situation that you would make you wish you had prepared your secondary mostly involve Nullifier, a big crowd of enemies, or that one bullet sponge enemy that your normal gun can't chew through. 

Edited March 2, 2020 by FireSegment

[NinjaZeku]

Complementary, my dear Watson.

If my Primary is, say, something like Ogris, i.e. an AoE projectile semi-auto weapon,
my Secondary might then end up being a (nicely accurate) full-auto hitscan weapon.

If one of my weapons uses Gas proc pwnage, the other will likely
be modded for Corrosive to cover enemy resistance issues.

Or, if I feel like using a gimmick weapon (lol Ricochet Tetra on Mirage),
you better believe I'm using whatever most OP weapon I have in the other slot 😛

[White_Matter]

I usually run complimentary stuff, to prevent them from being redundant.

Like for instance if I'm running a bow or a sniper, I'll rather have a rapid fire or beam secondary, so each piece in my arsenal excels at areas where the rest comes short.

I also try to run different elemental setups too. 

I wish the holster speed was by default faster tho.

[(XBOX)CaligulaTwily]

Pretty much, what they said. If I have a shotty/aoe/auto in primary, I'll take a single shot for secondary for precision/crits. If got something slow/single target in primary, put auto/shotty/aoe in secondary. Single shot secondaries that explode like Tombfinger and Kuva Seer are great for both the precision+small aoe, could fill either place

Or if primary is a status weapon, I'll use a crit secondary. If using crit primary, go with status secondary. If using hybrid, just whatever. 

Or I'll use secondary as primer for some melee weapons. I've been playing with pathocyst+single handed secondary, which is fun. 

[Anthraxicus]

Secondaries can fill various roles. Some are extremely powerful and rivals with primaries. Others can be used as utility, to pop nullifier bubbles, spread status, prime enemies for Condition Overload etc.

Hopefully, with the upcoming changes to status, shields and armor, secondaries can be modded for different purposes other than put corrosive on everything. You can potentially mod your primary with corrosive and secondary with magnetic if it becomes more useful.

[(NSW)Greybones]

10 minutes ago, Anthraxicus said:

Secondaries can fill various roles. Some are extremely powerful and rivals with primaries. Others can be used as utility, to pop nullifier bubbles, spread status, prime enemies for Condition Overload etc.

Hopefully, with the upcoming changes to status, shields and armor, secondaries can be modded for different purposes other than put corrosive on everything. You can potentially mod your primary with corrosive and secondary with magnetic if it becomes more useful.

That’s correct. How do you use them? It’s been good hearing a little bit about people’s play-styles.

Edited March 2, 2020 by (NSW)Greybones

[Aldain]

My Lex Prime is modded like a wonky hybrid of a Big Lato and a Sniper Rifle.

Extra fire rate/lower recoil to dump a whole mag into something big, but enough damage to pop heads at a distance.

It is sub-optimal as hell and I love it.

[AzureTerra]

Generally the counter to whatever the primary is ~ Slow hard hitting primary has fast secondary and viceversa. Typically i also try to make sure it has other elements of damage that what the primary has as its main.

[Anthraxicus]

Just now, (NSW)Greybones said:

Sure, but how do you use them?

I use them in these ways I've mentioned.

Basically, I like unconventional weapons. I stay away from anything that resembles real life weapons, and several secondaries are exactly like that. I use Pox on choke points to infect enemies, Zekti against nullifiers, Mara Detron for synergy with Mag, Cyanex to spread status quickly to a lot of enemies spread around etc.

Any weapon that has a synergy with Mag is a keeper for me. I particularly like Cyanex because its primary fire can ignore Magnetize while still contributing to its damage and the secondary fire works like Supra Vandal for example.

[(NSW)Greybones]

1 minute ago, Anthraxicus said:

I use them in these ways I've mentioned.

Basically, I like unconventional weapons. I stay away from anything that resembles real life weapons, and several secondaries are exactly like that. I use Pox on choke points to infect enemies, Zekti against nullifiers, Mara Detron for synergy with Mag, Cyanex to spread status quickly to a lot of enemies spread around etc.

Any weapon that has a synergy with Mag is a keeper for me. I particularly like Cyanex because its primary fire can ignore Magnetize while still contributing to its damage and the secondary fire works like Supra Vandal for example.

I see you quoted me while I was editing the post.

Just wanted to apologise for changing the source of your quote on you while you were writing.

[StinkyPygmy]

MOAR DAKKA

[(XBOX)YoungGunn82]

What roles do primaries fill? In reality you don't need a Primary or Secondary ever. You can take one gun (modded right , any gun) whether primary or Secondary and clear 100% of the star chart. 

I've only ever used a secondary and redeemer. Never needed and primary, primary weapons are 100% unnecessary and vise versa. 

What needs to happen is Primary Secondary Melee slots need to be switched to Weapons slots 1,2,3 and allow us to choose any 3 weapons you want. 

Edited March 2, 2020 by (XB1)YoungGunn82

[(NSW)Greybones]

22 minutes ago, (XB1)YoungGunn82 said:

What roles do primaries fill? In reality you don't need a Primary or Secondary ever. You can take one gun (modded right , any gun) whether primary or Secondary and clear 100% of the star chart. 

I've only ever used a secondary and redeemer, never needed a primary, primary weapons are 100% unnecessary. And vise versa. 

What needs to happen is Primary Secondary Melee slots need to be switched to Weapons slots 1,2,3 and allow us to choose any 3 weapons you want. 

Alright. Can you wait for my feedback post to post suggestions in that, though (though maybe your suggestion would warrant its own topic)? It’d be nice to keep this topic focused on how people use secondaries, and it’s been going great so far. How you use your secondary is included in that sentiment!

Edited March 2, 2020 by (NSW)Greybones
Adding that it’s been going great

[(XBOX)YoungGunn82]

6 minutes ago, (NSW)Greybones said:

Alright. Can you wait for my feedback post to post suggestions in that, though? It’d be nice to keep this topic focused on how people use secondaries.

[Fallen77]

What are secondary weapons to me ? Better primary weapons that you can use while holding datamass and stuff.

Other questions ?

[(NSW)Greybones]

10 minutes ago, Fallen77 said:

What are secondary weapons to me ? Better primary weapons that you can use while holding datamass and stuff.

Other questions ?

Nope, all good. That conveyed to me the way you use secondaries, I reckon. Another perspective for the consideration collection!

Edited March 2, 2020 by (NSW)Greybones

[(XBOX)GearsMatrix301]

Your Secondary weapon should provide either a different function than your primary. Like if you have a shotgun for single targets as your primary, your secondary would be an automatic pistol to deal with groups.
or they can both do the same thing and you just have your secondary for in case your primary runs out of ammo.

[(NSW)Greybones]

1 minute ago, (XB1)GearsMatrix301 said:

Your Secondary weapon should provide either a different function than your primary. Like if you have a shotgun for single targets as your primary, your secondary would be an automatic pistol to deal with groups.
or they can both do the same thing and you just have your secondary for in case your primary runs out of ammo.

I take it that the sentiment of this post reflects how you use secondaries?

[Anthraxicus]

I was thinking about it and how I also liked secondaries for dual wielding with a glaive (before DE killed glaives) and an idea popped up in my mind. Why don't DE implement dual wielding with a shield and a secondary? Would be nice to carry my Arca Scisco with Aegis on the other hand.

[Formous]

I usually only carry 1 handed secondaries or akimbos.  If 1 handed, I bring Orvius.  If 2 handed? well..no primary.