PvP Gunslinger Builds 2.1.1

Yo peeps! Continuing this series of posts, here are recommended perksets and builds for the Gunslinger. I'll be labelling advantages and disadvantages of the build as well as suggested weapons and armors. To preface, I'd like to say that there are many ways to play Gunslinger. It is versatile, but not in the same way Sunsinger would be. This subclass is very aggressive, you can make it work for you with MANY different kinds of builds.

Kappa's 6s build!: Knife Juggler+Gambler's Dagger + Tripmines+Young Ahamkara's Spine

• Strategy: This build was inspired by Patrick Casey's Gunslinger and adapted for the chaos of 6s. I really like it because it is flashy and is a great neutral game. Learn how to place tripmines effectively: out of sight, around corners, on walls, behind capture points, or on the enemy. You'll be getting many grenade and post-mortem kills. The build will greatly reward those that can really get used to throwing that knife into faces. As for the super, there's actually a lot of flexibility here. For Control, I'm usually running Keyhole+Combustion, hoping to get a ton of kills off of capture zones and choke points. Most other game modes, I'll probably run Gunfighter to get the Golden Gun faster (1-2, maybe even 3, more usages depending on the number kills and orbs you get), and Scavenger to further supplement the neutral game since picking up ammo gives you your grenade and melee faster.

• Pros: It's fun as hell. You feel good running it. All the while being viable in most game modes due to a great neutral game and great super.

• Cons: You gotta be aggressive to make the most of it. Plus, ever since Hand Cannons got nerfed the knives have been less useful. It used to be with a 22/81 Hand Cannon, you could hit a dude with a body shot and a knife headshot and kill them as they are coming in. With the range and accuracy nerf, the opponents have to be much closer for you to feel comfortable with getting the kill. It also pigeon holes you into Tripmines when the other grenades are just as viable, maybe even more so for other gametypes.

• Specs: Agility and Recovery for me. The max amount of armor a Hunter can run, isn't enough for me to consider it useful. The most I think spec'ing for armor on a Gunslinger will help you is surviving 2-5 more auto rifle bullets. Definitely go for T5 Int/Dis. I know knives are Str, but you already have two of them, and getting a headshot with them resets it's cooldown due to Gambler's Dagger.

Burn Slinger Incendiary Grenades + Incendiary Blade (+Gambler's Dagger)

• Strategy: Burn. Incendiary grenades got a really good buff a while ago. Learning how to use them effectively is key. Placing them is very tricky, but if you can land one underneath an opponents feet, it will oneshot. But if you don't, their blast radius is fairly generous, and since peeps get hit by a burn, the tracking will give you more time hunt them down and finish the job, since the burn needs to wear off before the recovery timer kicks in. Knives are the same. If you hit with the knife, they will take 25 damage from burn (5 ticks for 5 damage each tick), on top of whatever damage you dealt connecting the blade (122 body/158 crit. This enough to kill on a low armor enemy off of the crit).

• Pros: Like my personal build for 6s, it gives you a lot of options for the super. You can pick up a lot of assists and support the team by calling out where burned opponents are running to. This build is much better for 3s than the other one, especially if you run Gunfighter+Scavenger

• Cons: Incendiaries are haaard. You miss out on having two throwing knives.

• Specs: Really whatever you feel like. An argument can be made for any mix of specs. If you really want to get the most out of the neutral game run T5 Dis/Str.

• Optional: Thorn. If two sources of burn weren't enough, you scrub

Melee perks

• Circle of Life is shit. It's really only good for the +1 Armor. I've gotten the throwing knife kill during my super ONCE. The extension of the super is nothing to write home about.

Super perks

• Combustion is awesome for grouped up opponents, so running the perk in 6s is better than 3s.
• Gunfighter is probably what you want to be running since having the super more often is better for the score overall. Like I said earlier, depending on how many kills and orbs you can rack up you can activate GG 2-3 more times. There was one match where I super'd 6 times.
• I don't like Deadeye. Try it, but I don't see/feel it working.

Jump Perks What ever you are most comfortable with. Triple Jump and Better Control are the two popular ones.

Armor

• Young Ahamkara's Spine sets the Tripmine for 30 seconds over 10 seconds. And you have two of them. It's awesome.
• Knucklehead Radar is cool because it gives you 3rd Eye for your primary.
• Achlyophage Symbiote USED to be what I ran with, but in Year 2, it reduces the amount of time your super is active so you have less time to fire 4 shots. Basically you have 33% percent less time to fire 33% more shots. Resulting in a 66% decrease in effectiveness. That last percentage is made up.
• Crest of Alpha Lupi is the quick-rez armor useful for Trials.
• Bones of Eao give you an extra jump. This lets you have the maneuverability of Better Control AND the 3rd jump.

Weapons Really it's all about what you're comfortable with and learning how to use your weapons strengths.

• Literally any Exotic Hand Cannon. Hawkmoon, Ace of Spades, and First Curse are all pretty good when using Throwing Knives. Thorn is Thorn. The Last Word is the Last Word.
• MIDA supports the high mobility of the Hunter. It is just a great gun.

I really enjoy Gunslinger, and I run it more than with any other class. I feel like it is one of the most balanced subclasses in the game. It does promote more aggressive behavior than any most other subclasses, but really that is up to you.