Zed-F Wrote:Aggro -- Common MMORPG term (picked up from Guild Wars)
Actually, this term predates Guild Wars by about a decade (or two), but it is most commonly used in MMOs. I think it originates more in MUD games, but I may be a little off here.
Grenades I haven't touched thus far (I only got them in the Beta because I wanted to try everything on that side of the tree), and Precision Strikes I've only put 1 point into Napalm Strike (haven't decided on delving further or not). They are more of an opening salvo weapon, although grenades can take down softer targets (like zombies) in one hit, even up through Temple Station. Precision Strikes are more useful for softening up a larger cluster, due to the greater AoE, but Grenades can be chucked almost one after another, so they make good general purpose use (low cooldown, extreme range). Unfortunately, their insane range and physics make them a little unwieldy in close-quarters combat. I have no problems with that, but some people prefer the up-close approach, especially with Rapid Fire, so YMMV.
I'm surprised you don't like Sniper Rifles. I regularly one-shot boss mobs with my plain jane Sniper Rifle (with Beacon; without I usually take them to less than half health, including removing Shields). I assure you, despite their long cooldown (~4s), you can easily clear a small mob (3-4) before they ever reach you if you start from far enough away, and moreover sometimes they won't even notice you shooting them (40-50+ meters away, in Beta, I could snipe with impunity). I never used my assault rifle in Sniper Stance until release, and I do enjoy the added damage, but I prefer to snipe from long range. For that, I need my Sniper Rifle (now a Triton, since I'm in Monument Station).
More things to note: difficulty ramps up in Act 4, as do the corresponding items. Granted, I'm sure if I spent some skill points this would ease things somewhat, but surely not as much as finding solid equipment (and Mods, which I have yet to outfit).