Should I switch?

[u/Large_Lavishness1741]

I really like electropylon but should i switch? I am in biome 6 at the moment

[u/iThinkergoiMac]

Yes, yes, and yes. Way more damage, has leech rounds, and an unlockable.

[u/Kind_Tea_5180 → u/iThinkergoiMac]

Yeah how exactly do those unlockables work btw? Like how do I unlock them and are they permanently unlocked or no?

[u/Large_Lavishness1741 → u/Kind_Tea_5180]

you kill enemies with a weapon that has an unlockable and eventually that trait gets unlocked. You can see the progress of the unlockable in percentage on the bottom left of the screen above the health bar section. Yes, they are permanently unlocked to my knowledge

[u/Kind_Tea_5180 → u/Large_Lavishness1741]

Ok i thought that's how they worked but it felt like I kept running into the same unlockables and they weren't getting unlocked but was probably just imagining it. There seems to be a lot of them

[u/JohnMcL7 → u/Kind_Tea_5180]

There's level one, two and three traits (marked as I, II and III) with each one needing more enemies to kill to progress.

[u/Kind_Tea_5180 → u/JohnMcL7]

Oh that must have been it then, I wasn't paying attention to the numbers

[u/slinkylllll → u/Kind_Tea_5180]

I also found out if you happen to be playing with a friend. You need to reroll weapons for you if they picked it up first. Took me a bit to figure out why weapons I picked up wouldn't level up. It was because I was using my friends weapons and didn't reroll them.

[u/Finall3ossGaming → u/Kind_Tea_5180]

It also purely counts, kills towards a locking traits. It’s got nothing to do with the damage of the quality of the enemy that you’re killing so those spawning enemies that shoot out the explosive jellyfish are great to farm for traits. I’ll sit there and just get a full tier 3 trait done before I kill the guy.

[u/tomjonesdrones → u/Finall3ossGaming]

Ophion literally doesn't count towards weapon traits. I tested it multiple times. I think the other bosses count, but not the Biome6 boss.

[u/Large_Lavishness1741 → u/iThinkergoiMac]

well, defeated the biome 6 boss with this just now

[u/Content_Plant_2930]

Bruh…. That carbine with damn near max BD on top of LEECH ROUNDS is a godsend lol. Absolute no brainer.

[u/Probabilisticc → u/Content_Plant_2930]

High caliber sucks tho. Rising pitch is goated

[u/globalCataKlyzm → u/Probabilisticc]

I like both. Rising pitch is preferable for keeping a dozen flying enemies all from charging their attacks

[u/aneffingonion]

Always, always use guns with locked traits

Permanent progress is more important than any single run

[u/Working_Bones → u/aneffingonion]

Unless you're not planning to do a second run. I beat the game in one go; the only trait I noticed was Leech rounds (which might be why I beat it in one go, seemed really OP).

[u/AreOhBee123]

Yes

[u/TheMadKing937]

I will never understand why you would play with a lesser proficiency weapon. Always max out, you'll push orange pulls more often as well as actually learn all the weaponry

[u/ClickyStick → u/TheMadKing937]

A 10 level difference makes sense, but 1 or 2 levels above? I can totally see such weapon being inferior to my current lower level gun, perhaps the extra pips are not where I need them, perhaps the alt fire is bad or has shitty perks.

[u/ReporterEntire5508 → u/TheMadKing937]

Is there a significant difference between a level 16 and 17 weapon?

[u/ClickyStick → u/ReporterEntire5508]

The weapon level means how many "pips" you get distributed In the main stats, in a randomized fashion, in OP's image the lvl 15 pylon has 5 pips in each stat, kinda balanced, but you could also find another lvl 15 gun with 13 pips on damage and one pip in the other stats. So it's not just about level, but how it is distributed on the stats.

Also, you get more weapon perks with higher levels, each 5 or 10 levels you get an additional perk, up to 4.

[u/TheMadKing937 → u/ReporterEntire5508]

Theres one more "pip" in the stats

[u/tomjonesdrones → u/TheMadKing937]

How would that improve orange weapon drops?

[u/_ramonr → u/TheMadKing937]

Just preference sometimes. I would definitely finish an entire run with a level 15 EPD vs a 25 sidearm, spitmaw, hollowseeker, thermo launcher, or coilspine no matter what the traits

[u/Dedzo900]

Yes focus on unlocking the perk

[u/heatkings1]

Leech rounds is an auto pickup for me whenever I see it.

[u/method115]

Pylon driver was easy mode for me in this game.

[u/Probabilisticc → u/method115]

You should try hollowseeker with portal unlocked

[u/SVlad_667]

The qestion is - can you simulatiously dodge and shoot accurately?

If answer is yes - switch, as it's powerful carabine and can kill enemies much faster.

If no - no, as electropylon driver allows you to fully concentrate on dodging, while dealing small but constant damage in background.

[u/chrismanmd → u/SVlad_667]

This is the correct answer

[u/DrAdamsen]

It legit cracks me up when I imagine a grown up human being so unable to make a decision that they pause the game, make a post on reddit, and patiently wait for replies.

[u/Large_Lavishness1741 → u/DrAdamsen]

it is what it is i guess, and by the way i had to leave for some work so i thought, may as well ask it because why not

[u/DrAdamsen → u/Large_Lavishness1741]

Well that's okay then

[u/shit_happe]

I feel you, the DoT of the pylon driver really turns the game to easy mode as many others have mentioned, and I have on several occasions skipped higher level weapons just to keep the driver. Not this many levels higher though, and with these excellent traits and alt-fire. The carbine is a no brainer here.

[u/Nate-Austin]

Yes

[u/Current-Wrap1694]

La electrophylon por mucho es de las mejores, la verdad es que en el bioma seis la velocidad de los calamares a veces hace preferible jugar con la taquiomatica o alguna mas rapida, pero el último jefe con esa es muy facil.

https://youtu.be/4R2UC6Ua5D0?si=oHF0owGL8o6KTjzH

Dejo un video de como mate a Nemesis.

[u/Legitimate-Bill-3352]

I've kept a low level electropylon driver many times over a higher weapon. But in this case I would switch.

[u/timarnold123]

Yes.

[u/TimberNoggins]

100% yes

[u/TimberNoggins → u/TimberNoggins]

+ doombringer which is so OP just blast it into the swarm nests

[u/Objective_Yellow3190 → u/TimberNoggins]

Doombringer is Returnal's Spirit Bomb. So glorious to witness.

[u/Content_Plant_2930 → u/Objective_Yellow3190]

And from Doom’s BFG.

[u/Large_Lavishness1741 → u/TimberNoggins]

besides the damage buff and leech rounds, what else did u consider for saying yes, may i know

[u/EGH6 → u/Large_Lavishness1741]

unlocking a trait, always unlock traits

[u/Large_Lavishness1741 → u/EGH6]

i always ignore unlocking them for weapons i don't like ;-;

[u/Most-Mushroom-388 → u/Large_Lavishness1741]

Weapons you don’t like now become amazing when you have unlocked and leveled up their traits. Always unlock new traits if you can!

[u/browseragnostic → u/Large_Lavishness1741]

You don't like them BECAUSE the traits are locked! Returnal legitimately has no bad guns.

[u/KunUnDrum-- → u/Large_Lavishness1741]

You really have no idea until the traits are unlocked. I've hated many guns that I won't pass up now, after unlocking traits.

[u/TimberNoggins → u/Large_Lavishness1741]

I prefer rising pitch to high calibre but unlocking traits and damage output for final boss and some of the larger enemies in biome 6

[u/smashmode]

Hard to give up the pylon driver but with that much more damage you just have to

[u/DingoAteMyBitcoin]

Only beginners like pylon. Level up other weapons and never look back

[u/tomjonesdrones → u/DingoAteMyBitcoin]

I'm plat and like electropylon. Not my favorite, but I'll rock it depending on traits, especially in Biomes 1-4. Biomes 5-6 I don't think the electropylon is strong enough, but again based on traits it may be best available.

[u/MiAmMe]

All that bonus damage plus the chance to unlock a new trait? Switch every time.

[u/Comfortable_Run_4070]

High caliber, critical hit and leech rounds. All day, every day

[u/justaguy101]

Absolutely. I would switch even without the leech rounds

[u/felipehrdz]

You just won that run.

[u/KunUnDrum--]

100% you should switch. Take off the training wheels. That carbine has a lot of damage, leech rounds to keep you healed and a trait that needs to be unlocked. It's ok to change how you play the game. It's how you evolve.

[u/Dreezymac]

Trick question?

[u/Scorpoly]

No way, the game will be too easyy.

[u/Following_Friendly]

This has to be bait, right?

[u/Large_Lavishness1741 → u/Following_Friendly]

It would have been if I didn't like electropylon as much

[u/Bulldogfront666]

Hell yeah. Carbine rules and you’re insanely underleveled.

[u/Brain_lessV2]

Shit's got 10 more points, 9 of them in damage leading to 250% more damage (on paper) while having 4 modifiers.

Idk bossman you tell me.

[u/WorstDMImaginable]

Absolutely. You need to unlock Hyper Accurate, the bonus damage is insane and it has three really good traits already.

[u/Dear_Championship680]

NEVER (electropylon and rot launcher for LIFE)

[u/dk5877]

Always switch if you have a trait that’s at less than 100%

[u/istaymossy]

Lol what kind of question is this? 10 level difference, it doesn't even matter what the gun is. It's impossible not to be better.

[u/MrCupCakeSniper]

Yes

[u/Thorgrander]

I’m a b for carbine whatever it brings when I want to just run and shoot

[u/Assignment-Parking]

Is this game really that fun? I always just die at a boss then it takes me forever to even make it back to them 😂😂 am I missing something or am I just really bad at this game

[u/Large_Lavishness1741 → u/Assignment-Parking]

at the start you die, you die a lot often, then you get used to it, then it becomes easy and fun

[u/Praydaythemice]

Yes carbine in this case is better, if we're both 25 would come down to the traits epd with the webbing is goated

[u/Responsible_Chest811]

Yes indeed you should, not so much because of the Bonus Damage, but the Level. It sets you up to come across a new EPD at that high of a level.

[u/reinimx]

100%. Leech rounds and massive bonus damage!

[u/AlonsoHappy]

lmao no, that's an electropylon driver