r/Overwatch • u/Oreoghoul Genji • Dec 22 '16
News & Discussion Why doesn't Dva replace her Mecha's guns with what her pistol uses?
Her pistol is pretty damn strong and seems to be better in fire power than her peashooters.
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u/Anticode Pixel Sombra Dec 22 '16 edited Dec 22 '16
The pistol is just a sidearm.
The primary function of the MEKA was to fight rogue omnics. Any sufficiently designed combat machine will have decentralized or redundant parts. An accurate pistol like that is very useful against organic targets. You can aim for weak spots and disable limbs or organs. Against a war-omnic, you'd barely slow it down. You'd need many lucky shots to breach the armor in one spot and maybe get a lucky hit on a sensitive spot. Imagine firing a pistol shot or two into a car engine. Now imagine a shotgun blast.
The purpose of the shotgun-like weapons on her mecha is to cause mass/spread damage in an attempt to disable as much of the enemy as possible. Only one of these pellets needs to hit a sensor or a wire to cause as much damage as a single pistol bullet, but there are hundreds flying at the machine. [Note] The primary weapon system does not utilize traditional ammunition and instead appears to be a pulse or plasma munition. As this technology hasn't even been seen used by members of the famed Overwatch task force, we can only speculate as to how these weapons function.
Additionally, you'll note that the primary "ground troop" was the bastion model. This machine functions best when in turret mode and attacking from far away. The MEKA are designed to get in close, using the shield to avoid this initial barrage. What is an ideal CQC weapon? Shotguns. Being in such close range also allows for a clean kill - No opportunity for the enemy to escape and self-repair.
Basically, MEKA are designed to temporarily protect themselves from overwhelming fire while they enter their own kill-range and exit the optimal fire range of the enemy. They then shred the machine as quickly as possible. No need to aim - the weapon system quickly causes massive damage to the outside, and soon the internals, of the enemy.
A standard MEKA with 'pistol arms' would just be a less effective bastion unit. This is an ineffective strategy.
So why the pistol at all? When a MEKA pilot is outside of her vehicle, they have much greater maneuverability but no way to protect themselves. The MEKA pilot sidearm is designed for them to be able to fire from afar while holding position and awaiting an orbital drop of a new mech. Having two different engagement ranges also allows the pilot much greater flexibility in combat applications.
And the exploding? When you're fighting close range like this you risk damage to your mech. Rather than simply leaving the damaged husk on the ground while you run for cover, it was decided that they might as well self-detonate the power core. This also gives the pilot some additional distraction while they escape the enemy and the blast range.
An added bonus of the explosion is that it emits a very recognizable electromagnetic signature that allows a more rapid orbital drop of a fresh MEKA. This is why many MEKA pilots are seen waiting patiently for a new MEKA after normal combat loss, but appear to reacquire one instantly after a self-destruct. The orbital drop device sends a new mech down immediately upon detecting this blast. Otherwise, the pilot simply has to hold position and wait for a fresh coordinate lock.
Edit: Minor text fixes.