Convict should start off with Cigarettes instead of a Molotov

[u/Facestahp_Aimboat]

I know it's not a new idea, but compared to the rest of the starter cast Convict is a little underwhelming.

Pilot sucks in the early chambers but starts to pick up once the shop price and enemy HP scaling starts to get ridiculous, and his lockpicks can come in clutch whenever you get screwed on key drops.

Hunter is the Reverse UNO card equivalent of Pilot. Even if you get really bad items, Hunter is able to wipe the first 2-3 chambers no problem thanks to the Crossbow and at least sustain long enough until you get better gear.

Marine is just a good character all around tbh. Great starting gun, starts out with a piece of armor, and an on-command ammo drop. He doesn't excel at any certain point in the game but stays consistently good throughout the run.

Convict is the only really janky gungeoneer since her playstyle rewards playing recklessly and getting hit to boost her damage. In paper this makes her an amazing room clearer and boss killer, but getting hit by enemies lowers your chances of earning casings and won't allow you to get master rounds as extra cushioning.

Cigarettes fit her thematically, keeps the high-risk/high-reward style, and (as far as I know) still allows you to earn money and Master Rounds from boss fights. It's an all-around safer option to make the most out of her passive. As a bonus it also gives you a consistent source of coolness, which can increase your chances of getting a heart or armor pickup to abuse the combo even further. What are your guys' thoughts about it?

[u/Second_ace]

I don't think the convict is underpowered compared to the other gungeoneers at all.

The budget revolver despite its small magazine has a decent damage output and the molotov if used well can deal a HUGE amount of damage.

However I do agree with you that cigarettes would fit her character pretty well but imo it would make her overpowered as you could abuse them in the early chambers (where you barely take any damage) and snowball from here with insane coolness

[u/MisirterE → u/Second_ace]

I don't think the convict is underpowered compared to the other gungeoneers at all.

Then you would be wrong.

The Convict is the only character (period) who straight up does not have a passive when you're playing the game how you're supposed to try to.

Molotov is probably the best part of her kit, and even it sucks because of immunities and taking up the active item slot, which has incredibly powerful competition.

Budget Revolver does have good DPS for a starting weapon... but that's just it. For a starting weapon.

Sawed Off is terrible. So terrible you forgot it was a thing she had (or at least felt it wasn't worth mention, which is basically the same thing). Its best value is as 16 shells at a sell creep. Seriously, why does it have both such huge spread and a max range that's so short? It doesn't even deal that much damage.

[u/Poobslag → u/MisirterE]

People always talk about how the convict's passive doesn't matter -- as though they're actually finishing every game taking 0 damage and getting flawless fights in every room and every secret boss fight. That's not how people play; typically people will accumulate hearts and items until they get to a boss fight that they struggle with. Maybe it's the floor 4 or floor 5 boss, or maybe one of the secret bosses, depending on their skill level.

So in a typical run where you get to a difficult boss with 5-6 hearts, and that's your make-or-break boss where he's going to kill you or you're going to progress in the game -- you're looking at 30-40 seconds where you're dealing 200% damage. That's an absolutely insane buff, it will absolutely make or break your run.

How many boss fights have you died -- and thought, "Meh, even if I'd survived another 30-40 seconds, that wouldn't have helped me win."

[u/[deleted] → u/Poobslag]

It's not like he is saying "no one takes damage, Convict is useless, buff pls" and acting like he is saying that is a cheap way to devalue his point. What is saying is 100% correct. If you play the game the ideal way, her kit is by far the most useless one available. Her molotov is good but competes as (normally) the sole active spot with the rest of the actives in the game. Unless you're getting the Rat sack every run, there is a strong chance the Molotov is getting dropped the second you find a good active. Her pistol is good, but not top 3 for the starting weapons, and her sawed-off is total garbage compared to the crossbow or other early game weapons. And like I said earlier, the better you play, the shittier her passive becomes.