Ok I think I found out how to solve your Damage upgrade issues. | Forums

[SERPENT 1333]

I haven't upgraded any of mine and I'm on Tier 7. I take out the helos with 2 shots. Have no problem with convoys, helicopters, or killing anyone. All that upgrading weapons is just to keep you busy taking out convoys and farming supplies.While you Tier up. Doesn't have any effect on playing the game or using any of my weapons.

Uh... what?

I use assault rifles and submachine guns, and without upgrading the damage in Tier One mode they do so little damage it is laughable.

[KingSpawn1979]

I think the Weapon Upgrades Worth depends on the Way you play. If you sneak or play stealthy then you probably won't need the Upgrade as you will not kill anybody, or everything is a Oneshot when undetected.
If you play loud and proud or, like me, sometimes get caught while Sneaking then more Firepower can be essential.

[Kean_1]

Uh... what?

I use assault rifles and submachine guns, and without upgrading the damage in Tier One mode they do so little damage it is laughable.

....same here. Even with a level 30 M4 (which in my case shows it does more damage than my lvl 30 Mark14), it still takes several shots on alerted enemies to take them down. .....and I definitely can't take out enemy helos/vehicles in just a couple of shots with it. It requires nearly an entire magazine (50 rnds). Heck, even with my lvl 25(?) MSR it takes several rnds.

I'm at Tier 23 right now btw. The only weapon that works to quickly take down moving enemy vehicles right now (in my case) is the HTI we get early on in the Tier mode. I can't imagine getting into firefights without at least a lvl 30 weapon though.

Having said that, engagements (those situations where they have been alerted) have become such an uninteresting affair for me (given the bullet sponge AI, laser-like aim, instant/close spawning, etc.) that I rely mostly (from a distance) on rebel support, AI synch shots, drone explosives and other methods I otherwise would avoid using in the game since I prefer more of a personal combat experience. I still prefer to not use markers and other aids though. At least that still helps with the immersion a bit.

[SERPENT 1333]

I think the Weapon Upgrades Worth depends on the Way you play. If you sneak or play stealthy then you probably won't need the Upgrade as you will not kill anybody, or everything is a Oneshot when undetected.
If you play loud and proud or, like me, sometimes get caught while Sneaking then more Firepower can be essential.

Of course if you are hidden then everything is fine. Our default is stealth, but the fact is that several missions/bases cannot be cleared 100% stealthily. I'm sure you know this, but once you become engaged you can expect extremely rapid waves of reinforcements, essentially coming out of nowhere. That's when the nerf ARs and subs become a total joke, and an example of extremely stupid game mechanics (and don't even get me started on the superhuman enemy spotting abilities). I simply have no interest in collecting millions of points of resources just to make my favorite guns do the normal damage that they should already do. So how in the world can people say that building up the weapons is just to keep us busy, and that it doesn't have any effect on gameplay?

[Kean_1]

I don't want to feel busy but unfortunately, that seems to be the way I feel when in Tier mode. It's become more of a grind more times than not the further I progress. I can no longer play the way I want to during many of the engagements since I now have to rely more on rebel support, my drone, synch shots and other means to fight and survive. I guess one way to explain it is a sense of disconnect. The only thing driving me through those times is curiosity of what Tier 1 will be like.

Many of my co-op contacts feel the same. Interesting, fun engagements are becoming fewer and far between. Unfortunately, most seem interested in short sessions of farming or leveling up their way to Tier 1. ......not fun IMO and it kills the flavor the base game had for me.

[da stealth]

I actually agree with KingSpawn1979. The only reason I started to upgrade my weapons was because I accidently pressed upgrade on them once instead of customise. I was around tier 30 at the time of doing so. Unlike Kean, I have found that Tier 1 has increased the way that I have engagements as I have changed the way I look at the system. I am not playing the tier system to level up to tier 1 but rather am playing at a difficultly for a time doing odd tasks here and there and when the level up procs I choose whether to stay at the current difficulty that I am enjoying or increase it.

It is likely that if you are not enjoying Tier 1 that you have progressed beyond your suggested tier 1 level

[Kean_1]

It is likely that if you are not enjoying Tier 1 that you have progressed beyond your suggested tier 1 level

....or perhaps I just don't care for the characteristics they chose to focus on to make the game more difficult (when engaged) in this progressive system. That was apparent to me early on (from the weapon leveling, AI bullet absorption, spawning, AI accuracy, etc.). At this point I have no doubt that I won't have a problem getting to Tier 1. ....it's just whether I really want to.

Tier mode uses a different formula than the main game. .....the original formula worked IMO and resulted in what I would consider fun gameplay. As I progress in Tier mode, the instant spawning issues become worse, my weapons become even more ineffective (requiring more bullets to put enemies down), AI aiming becomes more ridiculous, etc., etc.

I have never played GRW on any other difficulty setting except for extreme. I also don't use markers or some of the other visual aids (e.g. crosshair, objective markers, etc.). That never changed when I started playing the Tier mode. At level 23, I can't tell much difference to be honest from some of the earlier levels but we'll see as I progress. My progression is actually taking a fast path since it has become more of a quest to get to Tier 1 than it has been to enjoy the game as I go. ....don't ask me why.

I will say one thing positive about the Tier system. I do like the fact that they make the player more vulnerable. It's 1-2 shots before I usually go down which is the way I beleive extreme difficulty should have always been (and what they said it would be during development). I had hoped they were going to go a different route to introduce a new, harder difficulty when they announced it. At this point I will likely level to Tier 1 and then shut it off or on as needed (depending on who I play with and what they prefer).

[EasyS.]

I am nearing Tier 10 and I am using random weapons that are not leveled up at all. Having no problems, you just have to be stealthy or shoot a bit more bullets.
HTI is an anti-material .50 cal sniper rifle, so that is why it is good against vehicles. There are some other rifles like that, but the other ones are anti-personnel, which is why it wouldbe strange to be able to 1-shot vehicles with them, even when maxed out. Also, having the option to take out vehicles as effectively with them as with the HTI, for instance, would render leveling the HTI and the like pointless.

[Edgemoor]

I haven't upgraded any of mine and I'm on Tier 7. I take out the helos with 2 shots. Have no problem with convoys, helicopters, or killing anyone. All that upgrading weapons is just to keep you busy taking out convoys and farming supplies.While you Tier up. Doesn't have any effect on playing the game or using any of my weapons.

He's right though you don't have to upgrade your weapons to still be effective. On one toon I didn't upgrade for a long time. Uprading all the stats on a weapon just makes all weapon pretty much the same.

What would be good is if the component that makes the Desert Tech HTI, and Jungle SR25, blow things up detachable. This would give us more choice. That being said I am playing a new toon and giving less weight to weapon stats and more to what I fancy using. Enjoying the game far more.

I really wish we could reset all missions in a region rather than just one at a time

[Paladinrja]

Just wanna say, the HTI Desert is meant to be a tank buster. The other two HTI's are stock (Muddy Bones is special). -- The BFG's & HTI's are high penetrative anti-material rifles. All the rest of the sniper rifles are not. So the amount of damage the HTI desert does reflects the rounds it uses.