Suggestion To The Developers: Lato Prime/vandal Nerf Fix ->Replace Lato With A New Starter Weapon.

[Othergrunty]

tl;dr version: "Lato (including Prime and Vandal) deserves better than being so weak, because of it's starter role. Lato should be replaced with new "(MK1-)Brato pistol" as starter secondary to move Lato up the power ladder and buff Vandal and Prime in the process."

 

Reason for long thread title:

Okay, sorry for the long title, but i hoped this might work better to attract the devs' attention via a clear title. Scott said in livestream 25 that it has become difficult to get a view over what the community wants or suggests and i thought making the intention of the thread clear would be the best choice

Personaly i would have prefered post it in this thread: https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/196413-why-de-why-lato-nerf/ Or in a general sticky thread about weapon changes, but we don't have such a sticky, so doing this has to do.

 

Anyway. To the point.

 

The Lato has been heavily nerfed over the time since the start of Open Beta and Damage 2.0. While this is an annoyance at best to any starting player, it's a very bothersome change to those who bought the Founder pack that included the Lato Prime and the closed Beta veterans who got themself a Lato Vandal for their early dedication. Both guns should feel like a reward for their players, instead they are dust collecting trophies at best.

 

Further explanation:

The stark difference between the reliable Latron/Latron Prime and their pistol counterparts is also a bit weird. The Lato's damage focus on slash damage, which is much more fitting to the (MK1-)Braton and Braton Prime, than to the Latron rifles, despite their names suggesting a relation.

 

Personaly i'm very dissapointed by this development because the Lato is one of my favorit pistol designs in the game and i would love nothing more than being able to take an Ak variant into late game missions like i can do with the Latron. 

 

Now i can understand why they nerfed the Lato(s) so much, even if i don't like that POSSIBLE reason. It's the same for the (MK1-)Braton and the Skana. However it's not nice that Lato Prime and Vandal owners have to suffer from that.

 

So here is what i propose:

 

Replace the Lato and Aklato variant with a new starter weapon. A pistol counterpart to the (MK1-)Braton.

 

Latron and Lato have a very nice symmetry in their names and design, this symmetry is broken by the difference in effectivity. So why not remove the Lato as starter pistol and give us a pistol counterpart to the (MK1-)Braton. which works in a similar symmetry?

 

The design could be like a slimmed down Braton, with the same boxiness and same Corpus design elements (lets roll with the explanation that they produce it for third parties). Likewise to tie it to the braton it could be a slow firing automatic pistol, with a speed similar to the Gremlins.

 

Further details:

This would free the Lato of it's beginners pistol stigmata and free it up to be buffed to the same level as the Latron (in secondary status of course) while leaving the old Lato damage to the Brato.

 

The Lato could meanwhile get a damage around 34. With 22 puncture and 6 in slash and impact. Compared to the Latron damage of 54, with 38 puncture and 8 slash and impact. However this could be further reduced by around 2 on each damage type if the Akimbo variant is too powerfull this way.

The Lato Prime could meanwhile get boosted to 64 damage with 48 in puncture and 6 in slash and impact, to bring it closer to the Latron primes 84 total with 68 puncture and 8 damage on slash and puncture. Since no Akimbo variant exist it would not require further nerfing. Also since Founder's pack is no longer aviable it means only veteran players actualy have this gun so it would not make start easier for anyone anymore.

The Lato Vandal in the end could be somewhere inbetween.

 

Would be great if we could get a short "noted" or "won't happen" comment by a DE_ member to this idea.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Othergrunty

[ShiningArmor]

It's supposed to be weak because it's a starter weapon.

[DarknightK]

I personally think the Lato and its derivatives need to be buffed.

 

These are all great weapons, there is no need to nerf any of them, especially with the Mk-1 Braton's (and the regular Braton's, while we're still here) performance.

 

An alternate weapon would be nice however, for MR2 or 3 as a medium between the Higher-tier weapons and the Lower tier. The Lex and Aklex in my opinion fit this role.

 

(actually, any weapon can become reasonable as long as its not the Starters. They have the potential, but many guns just simply outclass them).

[DiBBz]

Starter weapons are supposed to be weak m8 otherwise whats the point in obtaining new weapons if starter weapons are the most OP weapon in game?

 

i agree however prime and vandal lato and braton deserve a buff , not used them in a long time

[Habba]

But AS suggested , we cant buff the prime or vandal part without buffing the lato . Instead oft this misere , it just could be removed AS starting weapon .

[Othergrunty]

It's supposed to be weak because it's a starter weapon.

Starter weapons are supposed to be weak m8 otherwise whats the point in obtaining new weapons if starter weapons are the most OP weapon in game?

 

i agree however prime and vandal lato and braton deserve a buff , not used them in a long time

 

That's kind of the entire point of my suggestion. To remove the Lato as starter pistol to free it of that issue.

 

The idea is to replace the Lato with a new pistol that could take the "beginner pistol" beating instead and would be more visual in line with us starting with a Corpus designed primary.

 

An aesthetic and gameplay adjustment for the primary and secondary starters.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Othergrunty

[Marthrym]

I agree that my Lato Prime really feels like a waste of space right now... *sob*

Definitely in favor of a buff!

[DarknightK]

That's kind of the entire point of my suggestion. To remove the Lato as starter pistol to free it of that issue.

 

The idea is to replace the Lato with a new pistol that could take the "beginner pistol" beating instead and would be more visual in line with us starting with a Corpus designed primary.

 

An aesthetic and gameplay adjustment for the primary and secondary starters.

 

Hm, now that I think of it, this may be a better idea.

 

Welp, you get my +1 anyways. :P

[00zau]

Did any of the other posters actually read the OP?

 

I'd support this, just for those players who had forma'd their lato variants back when they were usable. In all honesty they should have just left the lato alone as it was, the old damage was fine and it was a usable starter weapon.

[Vector88]

Mk1-Lato anyone?

Edited April 8, 2014 by Vector88

[Keltik0ne]

Why do starter weapons have to be weak ? Is it some sort of game developer lore that's carried over from the mists of time ?

 

If so, why are some of the "advanced" weapons so god awful ?

 

 

The Mk-1 Brat and Lato (of any flavour, they all really suck tbh) have no place in a game, if someone wants to turn their starter weapon into an Iconic Weapon of Badassery with multiple forma, I say, have at it.

[cary2010haha]

better put SOM"a" to be a starter rifle and change braton to be a rank 10 weapon with 60 damage pre hit..........

 

 

 

of cuz not, they out and they are really out. your 1911 pistol should be put inside the show case but not on the field.