Advance Plasma Cutter & Mining

[Steelpoint]

I don't know if I'm the only person with this concern, but I feel the advance plasma cutter is utterly broken for mining.

What I mean is that I feel it trivializes the act of mining minerals. With it you can smash your way through the entire planet and grab absurd amounts of minerals with no fear from ever being attacked as you can either shoot a threat from range or ignore it and run past. Its also very easy to resupply the Plasma Cutter, it only needs one piece of RAW plasma to fully refuel, and it takes a long time to run out of fuel.

In one recent round, on my first trip back from mining (the time when round starts to the first ash storm) I got 2,500 points. Yet on my next trip, with a advance plasma cutter, I managed to acquire just shy of 10,000 mining points, and enough minerals to supply RnD forever.

While I've yet to use the normal Plasma Cutter, but I feel the advance version simply removes any threat to mining. Its hard to die when you can just shoot your way out of any problem.

[Lazengann]

So what problems does this cause that need to be fixed

Also an upgraded KA is more useful in combat

[Steelpoint]

As I said it lets the user ram through the rocks and walls and harvest so many minerals it becomes redundant. In one quick run I was able to rack up 10,000 points worth of minerals with the plasma cutter.

[Lazengann]

So what

[XDTM]

Just like in xenobio you get grey slimes by the ton once you upgrade the grinder, if you upgrade miners they do their basic function almost mindlessly and can focus on the high-end stuff.
Although plasma should get less valuable with mass exportation in cargo.

[D&B]

It's in that weird spot where it was meant to be a combat oriented tool but it's utility got buffed to fuck because it was hardly used and they wanted to buff mechs too. A good analogy is Nunu in the current league meta.

There was a nerf against open air shooting with plasma cutters, but honestly they are still too safe. I'd argue upping the fuel consumption (so you get less shots per full charge and it takes more plasma to reload fully) and lowering it's ranges and increasing it's shooting delay would put it in a more balanced spot.

However this will be met with extreme resistance since the current meta for lavaland is dual plasma cutters for safe and easy mining and quick dispatch for megafauna.

[Bombadil]

The mining function got buffed because they nerfed the range for combat regardless once the orm is upgraded it doesnt matter if you have a upgraded ka or a fucking aoe ka. Infinite minerals is guaranteed

[4dplanner]

It takes two ore to recharge fully, so I cannot take this complaint seriously

[Steelpoint]

Two pieces of one of the most common minerals on the planet.

Hmmmm. Real hard to resupply.

[Incomptinence]

Mech plasma cutter should probably remain the same since mechs are boss incompetent and you can blitz the basic mining mobs without them anyway.

[Grazyn]

Rounds barely last 45 minutes, and even then you're not guaranteed to get minerals let alone a steady supply of them in mid/lowpop. Miners also don't want to spend the whole round mining but they want to enjoy the stuff in lavaland too. With the cutter they can explore and mine at the same time within the short time window they get before the round is over.

[Ignies]

I believe the change was needed, you could just steamroll people with them and end up with a pretty collection of arms.