[JERICHO_942]

I don't think devs were thinking when they were making this weapon - it's impossible to fight against as a Raider.
Let's see:
By itself, it's an automatic shotgun better than Alicia's
The bridges it creates make constant killzones which you cannot breach due to the RIDICULOUS damage the spheres inflict, making it impossible to pass through the zone. The ability to revert their direction and capability of firing another one as soon as the first one disappears gives Valeria every advantage on the battlefield against no matter how many human opponents.
You can't beat it at range because Valeria has armor and those spheres pass and deal damage through walls
You can't approach Valeria because she can create a killzone at her own location, similar to H.I.V.E.'s health drain
What can you do? Lay down and die
Nerf it.

[Alex2199]

The reason I don't personally find Shakura overpowered is the fact that Valeria still has the counters she has. Harec, Shae (on some maps), Hive, Hans, and Ginebra. Probably more I'm just too lazy to list. However that isn't saying it shouldn't be looked over. There are some maps were it is annoying as hell too face off against like In "Medis Res" or "No Reservations". Close quarters maps were its hard to get the drop on her.

Another issue I have with the gun is the way antagonist play happens. Which I know some people see this as a feature but personally I find it flawed and in need to fix. I always pick a raider on how they preform on that mission and how much fun I would have with them. The biggest example of this is the mission "A Fistful of Sand". I always want to bring characters like Kuzmann or Loath however I always feel forced to bring Mikah with Barrier because every time I try to play that mission I get stuck with a Harec that doesn't even spawn until we find the protector then just goes absolute ballistic on him causing us to loose the mission. However, sense some find this a feature and not an annoying cheat it remains in the game because some feel as if you are gonna pick for a character for winning you should always take into account of possibly having an antagonist. Which isn't always the case. If I have an antagonist on "Beast Lair" I always bring Doldren because I can sneak up on a Shae but sense the antagonist picks last he can switch to Hans, an equally good antagonist on that mission and counters Doldren making him basically useless on that mission.

I also feel so many people are focused on nerfing Shakura that they are glossing over other op weapons like Hive's Plague. One strategy that is good against a Hive antagonist is to rush her as a team, not in a straight line but flank her whenever she is focused on someone else. But with plague it doesn't matter because if the whole team is there she just has to push her panic fart cloud and boom all if not half the team is dead. I was gonna say killerball but it seems they are fixing that a little so gonna have to wait and see.   

[SergeyKosinskiy]

Hive with plague? Wardog with 100hp who you know where she gonna go for you? I mean... i guess some raiders have pretty shit range... but thats like only some of them. Idk never saw hive as problem antag.

I do agree that shakura need a nerf, its bad not only as antag. As raider is pretty ridiculous too. At least it need to require ammo to bounce same way as kuzzy rare gun.

[Alex2199]

Hive with plague? Wardog with 100hp who you know where she gonna go for you? I mean... i guess some raiders have pretty shit range... but thats like only some of them. Idk never saw hive as problem antag.

I do agree that shakura need a nerf, its bad not only as antag. As raider is pretty ridiculous too. At least it need to require ammo to bounce same way as kuzzy rare gun.

A good Hive on the right mission can use the chaos to hide among the adds and rush the raiders with the right timing. Plus if no one picks characters with long range (or low tier players pick them) then a hive is almost gonna win every mission. Its all about countering and timing though.

I agree that it needs work done but I fear people saying "nerf it". Players said to nerf Hive's Shy and now its not as useful as say Raceme or Plague. Just be careful what you ask for

[sonofoz]

there is so much OP weapons, i don't see the point of nerfing this one more than any other, or you'll have to rethink mostly all weapons.

and as said before, in a good team, (thought to perform both mission and antag or at least worse antag situation), there is no real problem.
yes, you can always fight an impossible player who destroy you (that's the point of pvp). but IMO most of the time when it happens, that's because of a bad team and not so much because of the antag.

i remember a battle on beast' lair, against a valeria and shakura. none of us could pass through the first bridge. never.
fault is on us.
we had no one who could face that situation.
now i always take a character able to handle it if no one in the team did and that's all...

there is so much situation i can witness where even high grade players, don't even chose their character depending of the mission or the antag... or not knowing what there is to do on the mission...
i witnessed *1 players who didn't even knew they had to shoot the flowers in mission "double agent" (not sure of the name) and we lost because they did not shot it before shneider cut the antenna (it happens 3 fckg times, each time with *1 in the team, who all had weapons able to shoot the flowers what i had not).
now on that mission i always take a character able to handle both antag and flowers.
because i just learned, most of the time, you can't count on your mate in this game.
most are just able to kill grunts, cry about antags and ask for surrender when difficulty appears.

well it will be harsh, but all that to say, if no one in your team was able to handle her, it's mostly the fault of your team not of the weapons.
with time we'll learn what are the biggest danger on each map and think about ways to counter them, that's all.
for example, right now i still don't know how to fight against ayana.
but i'm keeping hope, one day i'll understand ! ^^

and remember it's a pvp game, it's not a "raiders will always win because we're nice people" game.

moreover everyone can buy valeria and obtain shakura pretty easyly.
if you think it's absolutly op, take her, and make those damn antags to spit their blood.

[Alex2199]

A pvp game shouldn't be a gamble of "Got to play this character because we MIGHT have an antagonist." I shouldn't want to play Ayana on fistful of sand but have to play Mikah just because I MIGHT have an antagonist. This is what is making the game less fun for players. Even if there is an antagonist it should be a fair game not struggle just to survive. Yes it should be a challenge but not impossible like a Harec on "Fistful of Sand" or a Valeria on "In Medias Res". A video game is built for fun and being slaughtered by one player just because you wanted to have fun and play a different character then the same character you always play over and over again is NOT fun

[sonofoz]

except for the random part, i do not share this opinion.
i still agree they should think about a non pvp mode.

but in all game you have to adapt your character, adapt to the antag or adapt to the mission makes no difference for me...

most of the time harec is no match for shae, and valeria to doldren, so i have no problem with that, though the old man's health should adapt to the antag lvl.
i encountered konstentins who could kill him in 5sec or so (really around 5sec). it's really not a lot of time to do something.

and for me this game is more fun when there is an antag.
moreover, pvp is always struggle, for both side.
the antag is struggling too, and against 4 humans, not only one.

damn, i'm gonna make video where antags are bashed to death during 15mn, maybe everyone will stop crying about that.
and yes you can blast away *1 antags too.