Description[]
A heavier, late game version of the rocket cluster, bombard array is a devastating late game weapon capable of crippling entire teams with a heavier arsenal of grenade rounds, heavier damage, and a larger area of effect. A well placed bombard array can end the fight with a team wipe allowing you some free time to capture and secure objectives with little resistance.
AOE damage weapon.
Strategy[]
While the rocket cluster and bombard array are very similar in application, their strategic use is vastly different. The bombard array sacrifices the early game farming and advantage of rocket cluster for a devastating late game weapon with a much shorter cooldown. While farming and leveling up your gunner may be more painful without the farming ability of the rocket cluster, once you obtain this impressive weapon, you can almost single handedly eliminate entire hives, and devastate bosses with one volley of this superweapon. This weapon is great for sneaking in the boss killing objective without drawing too much attention to missing rigs. Bombard array still suffers from opening up your team to attack with a misplaced bombard array. Inferno rounds is an ideal software for bombard array, as it adds DOT damage where bombard array lands, dealing damage to enemies passing through it or standing on top of it even if bombard array misses.
Pros[]
- Wide range, good for sniping
- High damage, both on its active and its provided dps, abit higher than its counterpart, the rocket cluster, helps to compensate abit for its weakness early game.
- Can hit multiple targets, potentially devastating the entire enemy team, especially if they are dominated by squishy units such as supports or gunners.
- Benefits from inferno rounds, which along with gear such as stub gun can capitalize on the DOT grenade round bonus
- Has a shorter cooldown than the rocket cluster and is essentially a spammable superweapon
Cons[]
- Has a casting/firing animation advertising that it is being used
- Is only available at level 4, so the pros only come into effect if you can actually get there
- Easily dodged in 1v1's
- Hits a larger area than the rocket cluster, so less effective for concentrated fire.
- lacks in farming capability early game, requires rig to be carried to level 4 by fellow rigs.
Countering[]
- Bait out the enemy rocket cluster by poking, faking an engage, or waiting for them to use it for farming, it has a long enough cooldown for it to be on cooldown for an entire teamfight
- Watch for the animation/channeling of rocket cluster to indicate when to retreat or dodge the targeted area. this can also signal when you need to activate mobility gear or shielding gear to mitigate the damage
- Alternatively choose the moment when the enemy rig does fire Bombard array to move forward and engage using mobility and initiation gear such as boosters or bull rush
- High mobility tanks do well against rigs with Bombard Array if the enemy team composition lacks cc, allowing tanks to force repositioning of Bombard Array equipped with rocket clusters without firing them at optimal times or risk losing the entire rig
- As with many aoe gear, spreading out or flanking from multiple sides limits the amount of damage they can do to your team
- Take early game map control of hives to capitalize on enemy rig's weak early game