Tarenth

So at first glance the gun that shoots the glowing balls of boom seems useless. At second glance the gun that shoots the glowing balls of boom seems pointless.

Then you find someone who knows how to use the damn thing and you think to yourself "That's awesome!"


My question is: Has anyone made a practice of using this gun effectively?


The Clark-RDX is a combination of many different weapons actually.

Each glowing ball acts like a grenade with a slightly smaller blast radius. They will hiss on impact and explode after a few seconds. The explosion itself follows the rules of RDX more than the frag grenade in that they will do blast damage instead of fragmentation damage. Confused by the difference? If you are hiding behind a crate and someone throws a frag grenade in front of it, the crate will block the damage from the grenade because its fragmentation damage and the crate acts like a barrier. If you are hiding behind a crate and someone planted RDX on the other side, the crate will create a blast shadow that blocks some of the damage, but the blast radius is large enough to pass beyond the shadow and kill you. In short: The Clark-RDX will penetrate through some forms of cover.

When you throw a grenade it will arc along a trajectory and explode either X seconds after leaving your hand or X seconds after it impacts against something. If you throw too far and too high it will blow up in the air, but if you bounce it just before it self destructs it will act like a normal grenade. The Clark-RDX will also arc along a trajectory, but it will not explode unless it impacts against something. It is also quite heavier than a grenade so you can use it to drop at sharp angles behind cover. Unfortunately its quite hard to aim unless you have significant amounts of practice (which I don't) or are a subscriber of trial and error (easier with a deployed ammo box). In short, it can be used as a hand held mortar to drop explosives behind cover with the right trajectory. Most people I see use the Clark-RDX range find a certain point and just saturate the area with explosives to kill anyone that comes close. This is a bit more effective if you consider that you can cause damage behind cover as well if you put the blast radius close enough.

The Clark-RDX is the only weapon the support has that is effective in destroying vehicles. EMP grenades will disable a vehicle, but the Clark-RDX will do damage to vehicles. Granted, its not much damage, but every little bit counts. Using the fragmentation vs blast damage example you can construct an idea of where and how to approach a piece of armor to get the most effect. ANYONE can damage vehicles with their default weapon if they shoot at the weakest point (between the grills of the EU tank, under the APC, the vents of a walker, etc etc etc) with that in mind its not surprising that a frag grenade will do damage if placed close to that weak spot (behind the tank, under the APC, under the Walker, etc). Armor will still deflect the frag damage, but some of it will get past the chinks in the weaker parts of the armor due to how the area is saturated. Since the Clark-RDX follows the rules of RDX and grenades it stands to reason that those glowing balls of boom will ignore some armor and do grenade damage to vehicle. Whats even more significant is since they act like sticky grenades you can do more damage by sticking them actually in the weak spot instead of near it. It is entirely possible to destroy a vehicle if you unload a few clips (like I said, some damage) into the rear of the tank or at the knee joins of a walker.

Of course there's the last and probably most amusing aspect of the Clark-RDX. Those glowing balls of boom will stick to players and auto-kill them just like a regular RDX blast would. By Auto-Kill I mean they are unrevivable. Proximity explosions will make them revivable just like grenade blasts, but sticking a ball to the body (head and crotch being of great amusement) will kill/instagibb someone.


The one thing I can't get past is how HORRIBLE the aim is with the Clark-RDX. Its like giving basketballs to a blind kid and telling them to hit the basket. The balls go in the right direction, but the deviation is very bad going up and down as well as side to side.

Anyone else have any thoughts about the Clark-RDX?

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Pablo

From my past experience, the clark just does too little damage to vehicles. It makes more sense to just emp stun-lock a vehicle and wait for back-up or for the driver to get out and pop him some clark in the face.

I've never seen a clark-rdx projectile stick to a person, interesting if it's possible.

I can be fun to use it in titans. It sticks well to the vents and is decently effective at vent defense when you are on the ground floor.

Fehmart

The only viable use I have seen for it is for clearing vents or other tight areas on a Titan. And seriously, why would you waste time shooting this at a vehicle when you can EMP it all day long? (Reiterating two of Pablo's points)

While this "weapon" might be capable of many things, I will simply say this: any support who chooses this over the IDS, EMPs or the sentry gun is doing a disservice to his squad.

Relmar

If you want to make your enemy laugh themselves to death, choose the clark-RDX!

Zoraster

i've never used it except when i pick it up by accident (i rarely play support anyway), but i haven't seen it have much effect. There are a few occasions that it seems to theoretically useful though. For example, if you're a far way away and you want to try and unclog an area without much danger to yourself and there's a barrier in the way (so rockets don't work). For example, in Camp Gibraltar if they're just sitting in toll without showing themselves, the clark-rdx thing might create some confusion if not get a few kills.

It's also a lot harder to see where it's coming from. if there are rocketers up in com center in cerbere, then find the range and it'll be hard for them to get you... especially if you put a building between you and it.

all that said, i'm really just trying to find a use for it.

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|TG| Zoraster | Tactical Soccer Managing

Relmar

If you manage to kill someone with it, the game should play the Quake 3 "HUMILIATION!" sound.

Zoraster

i've been killed by it before. but without fail, i'm revived quickly. it's impossible for someone with this to keep a body down.

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|TG| Zoraster | Tactical Soccer Managing

Rustybaldur

hmmmm... the clark RDX is good against the walker you just need to get a well placed clip under the walker's went. but it takes a while to empty the clip. and the walker often moves! so one emp guy and a Clark Clip. kabuuuuum!!!

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VoodooGTS

I have a hard time using this weapone. Rather just use grenades.

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|TG-Irr| VoodooGTS

Guardianx11x

I've been killed by the Clark-RDX before...It was a day just like any other, it was running around, sniping. There on the ground I saw a friendly SL, nobody to revive him. So I quick pick up his kit to see if i can get the poor noob up...but no, he is support, bad luck. It was then that i heard it, a walker. I quick toss down an ammo crate and whip out my emps and let one lose. To my dismay I saw a glowing yellow ball arc at a comical angle and poof harmlessly on the ground. I HAD JUST LET LOOSE A SIGNAL FLARE. I was dead within seconds. I do not like the Clark-RDX, nor supports who trick me in to using it.

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Pablo

For a second there I thought a clark-rdx actually directly killed you. Seeing that the clark-rdx caused you to die is more believable than it somehow killing you .

Ferris Bueller

I unlocked this with a field upgrade tonight and decided to try it. I have found a brilliantly effective place for it: rooftop point defense.
Take berlin, crossroads flag, where the rooftops are without a doubt the most coveted place to be. Well, using this bad boy, you can essentially rain down explosives wherever theyre needed. Squad just ran in on the flag? BOOM. Someone hiding behind the bus wreckage lobbing grenades? BOOM. Pesky snipers down the street? BOOM.

Wasnt on TG, but just defending crossroads I got over 40 kills with this thing. Apparently the groups of 5-6 people exploding on the flag didnt deter them from sending wave after wave of meatsacks into my crosshairs. It's fun to watch the bodies fly over the walls too.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

jonan_

So were you playing single player against bots? I question you because your stats show that you don't have any kills with the RDX shotgun. Then I assumed it must have been on an unranked server. So I decided I wanted to play on this unranked server so that I can destroy people and boost my ego but when I looked to see what servers you have been playing on I saw that you have only played on ranked servers. Also you said you got these kills on a server other than TG but that is the only server you have been on since 5-31, what's the deal dude? No offense but you can get 40 kills with any weapon against bots.

Anospa

His stats probably haven't updated yet...

But, I have to disagree with you Ferris in saying the rooftops of Berlin a good place. You're way too high up there. If you do manange to kill people with the Clark RDX like that, I'd hope they learn their lesson and not cluster together/kill you, but so it is playing of TG.

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"Brittle?! Dude you just took a localized tactical warhead to the face." -Eroak

Relmar

Check this stats again. Ferris doesn't even have the regular Clark shotgun unlocked, which means he can't even get the RDX launcher through a field upgrade. Then means that the only possible way he could ever use it is to pick it up off a kit. Slim chance that'll happen.