How to Use Vulcan (Tips and Tricks)

See also: Tips and Guides, Vulcan

Pros

• Vulcan has a high damage output per second.
• A gyroscope maintains aim on the target independent of the hull's rotation, making it difficult for enemies to knock your aim off.
• You can maintain fire infinitely even when out of energy.
• The maximum effective range of Vulcan is very large.

Cons

• Despite having a short reload time, there is a cooldown when spinning-up and spinning-down your barrel. Vulcan cannot fire shots immediately upon activation.
• During firing, Vulcan's turret rotation speed decreases significantly.
• Overheating will occur after a few seconds of continuous firing resulting in self damage.
• When firing, it is very difficult to simultaneously turn both the turret and hull in the same direction, making close combat against fast enemies difficult.

Hull Combinations for Vulcan

Faring poorly in short ranges, dynamic and close-quarter combat is eliminated from the list of viable playstyles for Vulcan. As a result, lighter hulls lose their relevance, and Vulcan is usually mounted on a heavy hull (sometimes medium). Taking advantage of its decent range, Vulcan users can aim at and destroy distant enemies with ease, while keeping approaching melee tanks at bay with its high damage output, making mobility a less important aspect to consider when selecting the optimal hull.

Gamemodes for Vulcan

• DM: Equip a heavy hull and refrain from playing in small maps. Remember that Vulcan still has range restrictions, so prioritize targets within its maximum effective range.
• TDM: Take a heavy hull, sit in your base and and engage in suppressive fire. As Vulcan is a continuous shooting turret, you will deal the bulk of damage to your enemies. Assist your teammates equipping melee weapons in eliminating enemies while keeping a safe distance - there is no need to take frags. If possible, find a defending Freeze or Isida to cool/heal you during overheating, allowing for indefinite firing.
• CTF: Vulcan can act as both a supporting or defending turret in CTF. Attacking directly is not recommended due to Vulcan's poor close combat abilities, but you can always assist your teammates by damaging enemy defenders from an open place with good visibility to the enemy base. In such case, you may use a medium hull for its better mobility in switching positions quickly. Otherwise, simply sit on the flag with a heavy hull and eliminate enemies approaching the base.
• CP: Use a heavy hull to defend a control point for extended periods of time. You may pick a location overlooking the point and focus on eliminating enemies approaching it. Only move over to recapture the point if neutralized by the enemy.

General Tips for Vulcan

• It is usually not worth the effort trying to fight in close combat, due to the difficulty controlling Vulcan's turret rotation. Attempt to secure your rear from any intruding melee tanks, and when attacked from the rear, try to shoot at other enemies instead.
• Preemptively start shooting before leaving your hiding position. This is comparable to the Peeking strategy used by many Railgun players.
• Sustain firing at certain scenarios even if it means overheating your turret. For example, you can keep shooting at an enemy with low armor to destroy it and disable their offensive capabilities with a slight fraction of your armor as cost, while stopping to reload will give them a breather for dealing further damage on you.
• If an enemy has left your sight without the chance of returning, stop shooting and reload to avoid overheating. You may also target a new enemy in the same direction of your previous target.
• It is a good idea to occupy high-ground (such as a hill) and mow down approaching enemies from above.
• Overheating will nullify the Freeze effect, making it easier to defend against Freeze players.