Has anyone found a reason to use the Link Gun secondary fire?

[Mardok]

After playing against Masterful bots for a while, I noticed something: they only use the Link Gun primary fire, as was I. So when I died and respawned, I grabbed the Link as soon as I could and started shooting that big long beam of death at them, they killed me

I grabbed it again and starting firing my green shaft at them, they killed me again

I grabbed it one last time and started firing my whimpy little shaft one last time at a bot with his back turned to me: I got Flaked in the back

I RARELY get any kills with the Link Gun secondary fire. Is it me or is it utterly useless compared to its primary fire?

I am, of course, talking about using it to kill and not to link to your buddy.

[Techn1que]

Link gun secondary is to finish your enemy off. If you're running around trying to kill someone at 100 health with it, you're using it wrong. Try landing a couple shock primary hits, or a sniper slug. Then switch to link and secondary them down quickly. Btw, don't use secondary up close, use primary.

[stealth50k]

Repair your car or someone elses

[pygmallion]

Repair your car or someone elses

++ Repair vehicles or teammates.

[Sourpuss]

I like the Pulse Rifle Secondary. You have to circle strafe with it so that your opponent misses with other weapons while you're keeping the beam on him.

As the other posters said, it's primarily a finishing weapon. It can also be used in CTF to damage, slow down, distract, or annoy an EFC (enemy flag carrier).

[da ghost]

i rarely use the primary fire, as it feels like it's mostly luck that determines whether or not you hit them. I use the secondary cuz it gives me more control.

[VengeancePuppy]

I think it does more damage than primary fire, so it's better useable at close range, since it has a FINITE range.

[KusaNagiSwe]

i would say what use has the primary of the weapon.. except maybe firing a few shots at a weapon spawn that will hit the player that will be standing in that spot in .2 seconds. secondary is great for close range

[Lert]

When using link I like to combine firemodes. Burst of prim, burst of sec, etc. Prim is a very nice projectile spread which can be used to guide your opponent, and then hold the hitscan beam on them for a quick dozen hp damage, switch to prim again - the link gun is the best single-weapon solution for combining projectile and histscan damage. In this respect I prefer it over the shock rifle.

(yes, I know about the combo. I'm not talking about combo's though, but about alternating prim and sec to confuzzle and finish off an enemy at medium ranges)

[DarkSideofOZ]

Link/Mini are clean-up weapons, they aren't meant to be used exclusively unless its all you have. The best use is sniper then like the last 30 hp You'll find they die much faster that way.

[D2F[Rob]]

It's devestating when you're near other team mates using it.

[Modulus]

*Finishing weapons* is a concept that foreign to me... Coming from UT99 of course.

All weapons should be equally deadly. The pulse beam is weak and need to have it's damage output increased. It should take down an opponent in almost the exact same amount of time as it takes to take down someone with the mini gun.

[Henrik]

Link beam has always done more damage when you move back and forth with it, than keeping the same part of the beam on the enemy.

Picture it this way: Break the beam into small sections. Each section is capable of dealing damage immediately, but by themselves they do damage slowly. Run into an enemy player so each section of the link passes through him, and you will immediately inflict full damage possible in a set amount of time. Run back and forth and you will continue to damage the enemy with the maximum speed/efficiency.

[DireWolf]

I think the link secondary fire is really good, nowt wrong with it, if you want to sort out a gun id say its the minigun.

[quakeworld]

I only use secondy fire on the link gun, very effective for me.

[SleightOfHand]

Secondary helps keep your enemy in place, inhibiting dodges, at least it did in 2K4. I haven't been able to check in UT3 yet though.

[CoffinDancer]

ok, maybe i'm losing it, but...

the secondary link fire can be combined with other player('s)
secondary link fire to heavily (can't remember statistics) increase the damage to the opponent getting hit with the initial person firing it - hence the name "link"..

unless i had switched back to 2K4, i'd SWEAR i saw the symbol showing my secondary link being backed-up by another player in
a recent match on Shangrila - two circles pulsing where my targeting reticle was pointing.

maybe new(er) players to the series aren't aware of this advantage?

thanks,
CD

[*BareVibes*]

At close range the link secondary is better to aim with then the primary.

[Sunshine]

1. coordinated "linked" asaults (your link beam should change color, if its the same as past UTs)

2. Healing teamates/vehicles

3. Med ranged circle strafe attacks, but makt it more of an oval, with the majority of the movement going toward and away from them, for some reason i see a great increase in damage (always been like that)

4. Shoot primary for long range, and close range, and by close, i mean realy close. Primary does more damage then 2ndary, and when your upclose u know all your shots will hit them

5. finishing off almost dead person, attacking 2 enemies at once (your gonna die, but might as well hurt them both if u only have the link gun, and stealing kills... if your that type of person... im not....
<.<
>.>

[Kruppinator]

i would say what use has the primary of the weapon.. except maybe firing a few shots at a weapon spawn that will hit the player that will be standing in that spot in .2 seconds. secondary is great for close range

The primary fire is handy for taking out snipers in the map suspense on the bridge tops. You fire out a long stream of shots that are spread out on their level and it takes them out, because they can't dodge that many shots at once.

[Katsuro]

The beam changes to gold when you're linking to someone(you gotta be real close)

[9ades]

I'm surprised they reduced the damage of the linkshaft from ut2004. There seems to be no lockdown either. Although the primary fire is MUCH more useful then ut2004, there's really no reason to use the link vs the Stinger.

[Hedge-o-Matic]

I love the link secondary. Not everyone is going to be equally effective with every weapon. You've had the demo for what, four days? Try getting more practice in.

[eckz]

I grabbed it again and starting ***** my ***** shaft at them, they ****ed me again

I grabbed it and started ***** my whimpy little shaft one last time at a *** with his back turned to me: I got F***ed in the back

this sounds very suggestive

[martinblank]

I use the link secondary all the time, in fact just the last game I played I got a multi kill with it.

[CaptainZap]

While you're chasing an opponent, using the LG secondary fire gets rid of their roids.