Sonic Gunboom, Part 1: Core vs. Hardcore

Whew, it's been a while, huh? Anyway, now that I have all my guns diamond, I thought I would talk a little bit about what I learned doing it in case anyone else is interested. As you all know, I'm pretty mediocre, so if you have tricks or strategies, let us know in the comments!


Anyway, the first thing I wanted to discuss is whether it's easier to get camos in core or hardcore. As you might have guessed, the answer is "which camo on which gun?", but there are some facts to keep in mind:

1. All ARs, SMGs, LMGs, and pistols require 100 headshots.
• Not all weapons have headshot multipliers.
2. ARs, LMGs, and snipers also require Long Shot medals.
3. Shotguns, SMGs, and pistols require Revenge medals.
4. All shotguns and snipers require 100 OHKOs.
5. All guns require some number of kills with no perks and/or no attachments.
6. All weapons except the Assault Shield and launchers require some number of Bloodthirsty medals.
7. Ditto for double kill medals.

So, let's take each of these facts in turn.

1. In core, the only weapons which can OHKO on a headshot are the snipers and the KSG, both of which require one hit kills, not headshots. The runners up are the Five Seven and Tac 45, which do ~77 damage on a headshot within their 55 damage range, and the FAL and SMR, which do ~66. I think it's basically no contest that hardcore is easier to get headshots in because you only need to put one bullet on target with nearly every weapon. This is particularly true for the Five Seven and  the Tac 45, which have x1.4 headshot multipliers, and thus will OHKO on any headshot short of longshot range. The major exceptions to the "hardcore is much easier" rule are the SMGs and machine pistols, which all have a x1.1 headshot multiplier (except the Skorpion and machine pistols, which have no headshot multiplier); as a result, the only SMG which OHKOs on headshots outside of their shortest range bracket, even in Hardcore, is the MSMC. Even so, in hardcore we're talking about two bullets on target vs. 3-6.

2. The main issue for long shots is again, the reduced health in hardcore. This is not as big an issue for many weapons; long-range guns like the SWAT, FAL, SMR, and snipers kill pretty easily at long range regardless of game type, and others like the AN94 and SCAR still do enough damage that burst fire makes them quite effective at long range in core. The weapons which benefit most from going to hardcore are the guns with significant damage dropoff like the Type 25, QBB LSW, MTAR, and M8A1. These are all 5 hit kills at long range in core, but kill in 2 hits in hardcore. As far as countersniping is concerned, hardcore is the only place where your time to kill even approaches that of someone armed with a sniper rifle, so for these guns, I think hardcore is much easier.

3. This isn't all that different in core and hardcore; it mainly depends on spawns and your ability to read the people killing you. Perhaps it's easier to get pistol Revenge medals in hardcore because they are much deadlier there.

4. In general, the shotguns and snipers OHKO in core, so, being able to tank a few bullets and regenerate health is worth more than slightly extending the shotguns' OHKO range. The major exceptions are the SVU-AS, which only OHKOs on a headshot in core, but is instant death anywhere in hardcore, and the M1216, which has to get 4 pellets on target at its closest range in core to kill, vs. only 2 pellets in hardcore (besides having a much longer OHKO range in hardcore).

5. This isn't too big a deal, core or hardcore. The lack of suppressors hurts more in core, if you depend on them, but that's the only thing I can think of.

6/7. Also depends on the weapon. Health regen in core makes shotguns and snipers easier to get Bloodthirsty medals, but there are a lot of strategies which depends on hardcore's low health, like getting safe kills with LMG wallbangs. It's also much easier to double kill in hardcore, especially with weak weapons like the Type 25 and and pistols.

Anyway, that's what's been on my mind recently. Any thoughts?