The Helicon is the first relic I get, after much grinding and crafting.
I like it a lot. I’m a missile person. I don’t have complaints about it.
However, I would like to have a small QoL fix in terms of the GUI of the weapon: please implement a way to see how well and effectively we are using the perk.
The RL-9 Helicon has a perk where:
Within 1 sec after the shot, the projectiles gradually improve their characteristics: damage increases up to 150%, impulse increases up to 200%, blast radius increases up to 130%.
Currently, there is no way to easily tell if the perk is having effect. The missiles travel fast, and in the heat of battle it is difficult to watch a projectile and count if 1 second hase passed.
My specific suggestion for a possible way to make this easier to see is: implement a blue circle, similar to how the Cheetah engine works for example, but instead of the circle bar progressing based on distance traveled, it simply retrogresses based on the flight time of the first projectile. Once the first projectile hits something or otherwise expired or is removed, the circle stops growing, and the complete or incomplete circle there until the weapon is fired again.
I have edited a simple example to illustrate what I mean:
This would be very helpful to know if we are using the Helicon perk effectively, or if we need to relocate and shoot from a different location, or pick a different target, etc…
Thank you!
3 Likes
…I don’t know why I put 2 seconds when the perk maxes out at 1 second. My mistake, but I hope my idea still gets across! (I edited the post lol, made a mistake in the original)
Excellent point. Hopefully someone in charge reads your post.
Then again, I’ll probably never own a relic, so… 
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The perk needs work.
What I dont understand is why this can only be fused for 15% projectile speed buff. Locusts and crickets can get 25%. Stock scorps have a much faster projectile and it can get 25%. Same for typhoons. Why must this have slow projectiles?
The OP made a good suggestion. I think it also needs to be better worded/translated. I cant tell ypu exactly what must happen to get the boasted perk. And with it being time based, it makes the slow projectile speed that much more frustrating.
Thanks for the information.
It’s kinda funny that having extra projectile speed almost nerfs the weapon a little bit since you get less perk power. Maybe it’s best to not go for the projectile speed upgrade, with the current perk?
I considered using Heliconss with Steppespider for good speed and accuracy, and it feels kinda good, but I’m not convinced that just going with Kami or Hadron isn’t better. Harpy feels a little clunky due to not being a very powerful cabin.
But I digress. Basically, the faster the projectile the weaker the perk. I don’t know if a faster projectile speed outvalues getting less power from the perk. It probably does, but more testing might be necessary.
The Helicon missiles already feel faster than the other course rocket launchers. Hitting things far away does not feel too difficult. Of course, it’s not a piece of cake like it would be with scorpions.
2 Likes
The perk is really stupid. In my opinion, it needs to be changed or ignored. The slow projectile speed allows builds to avoid long range, which is what the current perk requires. When you add in the ballistic drop, it os a fools errand trying to play them at range.
I like the idea of the weapon but not the actual output. It seems to be in need of a buff of some sort and have its perk adjusted.
Hopefully the devs see the results and make some needed changes next update.
This perk is more of a subsidy that ensures the weapon’s ability at long range, rather than simply encouraging players to shoot only at long range
That is a fair stance. The Helicon feels really good in all honesty. It’s nowhere near as busted as Scorpions (currently) are, for example. But it feels quite fair and strong for a relic.
On playstation, it isnt really used in top 30 play. You do see scorps, typhoons, mastodons, breakers, firebugs, porcs, punishers…
Is it different on xbox or pc?
On PC the top tier relics are Firebug and Scorp. Every other relic is okay but nowhere near as powerful as those 2.
1 Like