I've used Infectors and BMGs almost exclusively since I first found a version of either.
The main thing to keep in mind when using Infectors, is that the damage over time isn't equivalent to the "infected" indicators, the DoT runs out quite a bit before the indicators dissapear - so you'll need to refresh it more often than you think.
That being said, what kept me using them in almost every situation, is due to a couple of reasons:
- Infecting multiple enemies means you can spread the damage across multiple enemies faster. Granted, not as fast as a BMG under perfect conditions. Nor do they do as high single target damage as other weapons, but that's where the second reason comes in:
- Spreading out your DoT's will eventually start to result in compounded damage, a chain-reaction so to speak.
Once the first enemy dies, the bugs hatched will severely damage the next target - either by just a single one of the spawned bugs, or all of them. If you've "done your job" and kept the infected rating going on that enemy as well, the resulting bugs from that enemys death, who should be low on health by now as well, will further increase the wave of damage. Ultimately, the more you've been able to spread out your infections, the more damaging a wave of bugs you can create - kind of like "throwing pebbles into a pond will manifest a tsunami".
The downside is, of course, that while you're throwing pebbles, you could be hurling rocks - but I find the resulting damage is well worth the wait, simply because, as meantioned above, you can keep the damage going on multiple enemies, and as a result, multiply the result once you start to actually kill the enemies.
As for the variations:
Personally, I prefer the "Canker" and "Invader" variations because of the high rate of infection.
- In the Cankers case, the increased DoT makes up for the lack of bug damage, and yet the resulting bugs hatched when the target dies still allow you to build up the previously mentioned wave.
- As for the Invader, it relies more heavily on bugs, and will spawn a bug for each infection indicator. It's basically a more "fire and forget" version of the Canker, and you can spread out your damage more without having to focus on several enemies - the trade-off being that it will take a bit more time to get the ball rolling.
I've mainly focused on those two variation, but my experience with the other variations are:
- The Inflictor is more or less the same as the standard "Infector" variation. I believe it is bugged (no pun intended), and that it should actually spawn one extra bug per infection indicator (every 5 shots), or 2 bugs per 5 shots. But since it doesn't, it has the exact same stats and behaviour as the normal variation.
- The Inoculator is the crowd-control version. Instead of spawning bugs, it spawns "globs" that slow down the enemy. Basically, it makes it easier to spread the infection, but at the price of no additional bugs nor increase in damage over time.
- The Immunizer is, well, what it says it is; the long distance version. Usually the increased distance isn't all that useful, but can be a convenience at times. Obstacles or sheer number of enemies, along with the inability to fire accurately due to the lack of "manual" aim, results in the effectiveness falling somewhat short in the situations it was designed for.
- The Outbreaker, if I recall correctly, is more or less the "extreme" version of what the Inflictor should supposedly be. It gives you bugs faster, for the price of slightly more shots (3 shots per bug), but doesn't do much, if anything, in the way of DoT outside of that - again, if memory serves. The major difference between the Outbreaker and the "intended" Inflictor, is that your army'o'bugs should hatch slightly faster, and be slightly easier to maintain.
If I've gotten some of the names and actual mechanics mixed up, I apologize, in some cases I've nearly never used a given variation, so the connection between name and mechanic are a bit fuzzy.
So the way I try to use my Infectors, is by infecting as many targets as possible first, and once that's done, keep the DoT going on a single target. If that target takes a while to kill, I refresh the infections on the other targets, but don't worry too much about the "Infected" DoT on them, only that they will have at least some active infections going on them by the time the rush of bugs from my primary target reaches them.
On a final note, each consecutive 5 shots will trigger a comparatively large burst of damage. I'm unsure as to whether or not it adds another DoT, or if that's capped at 3x.
In any case, any perk that increases your reload speed helps you spread the infections faster, and since that's almost literally "the name of the game" with these weapons, decreasing the time it takes to either infest or hatch bugs, either by reload speed or magazine size, is what I find to be the most useful bonus for these weapons.
Edit: Tried to clean up the post a bit, seeing as it had its fair share of syntax and grammatical errors brought on by a slight case of sleep deprivation. ;o
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Originally Posted by atlantix
