I recently added SHARP to the Wiki and this was the first time i went into a private server to test how strong SHARP is, i played it a couple times when it was on TM and later when it was merged like a year later.
I realized after the testings on how weak it is, specially when hitting your targets directly with a dart even with the firemode toggled the fastest it can be is 2.5 seconds, essentially a explosive with delay that does less damage than a hedp 1 tile or on their feet would do or an incendiary gas with delay that can hurt but the xeno can get patted or resist it after running, the flechette was the strongest but it does not stun and you need to sprite click atleast 3 times a warrior in a row to kill them, the same for a drone a situation that aināt going to happen because the xenos are not stupid and the gun has a clear cooldown between the shoots.
The mines are a big part of it but they can be destroyed by bullets, bombs, acid spit or acid spray, essentially useless if there is a xeno with one of these two abilities, it also got a timelimit of 5 minutes that becomes useless after it, atleast it got a 1 tile range around it that can make it abit more useful.
I am going to list a few advantages and disadvantages that the weapon brings in comparison to the GL from what i can tell.
Advantages:
1 - Ammo Economy: You start with quite a few darts magazines(8) and you can buy 3 more with your points, req can also buy a crate with 5 dart magazines for 3k and when each dart magazine has 10 darts it is a really good deal.
2 - Max Level Mines: A max level explosion can kill a runner and potentially a lurker if they canāt find weeds, the incendiary is also quite powerful if they are alone but useless even in the max level if there are other xenos nearby. I found that it can be useful on the backline or protecting areas as below but not on a front that is trying to push.
3 - The Ability to protect Areas: Essentially you can protect flanks and areas from xenos if you put enough darts even if they take their time it takes abit to destroy them, it also warns the marines of a xeno since they can hear the explosions but it still far weaker from what a pyro with green fire can do.
Disadvantages:
1 - No IFF : For the explosives and incendiary darts they can stick into the marines but they wonāt explode, it still hurts quite abit, the flechette with hurt a marine like a xeno potentially killing them in a single shoot, no IFF also means that you need to be at the front exposing yourself with a weapon that got a decent cooldown between shoots. This also reduces the chances of killing a xeno even if you stun them since if you are in a 3x3 choke, you are occupying the third position that can shoot, while the GL would have 3 marines with guns shooting the stunned xeno.
2 - Canāt use OT nades: One of the big things the GL has is the option to use the powerful OT nades, that can range from big fires to explosives twice or three times bigger than a HEDP, it donāt explodes faster with the GL but it still pretty strong.
3 - Worse Stun than the GL: While a Hedp can stun greatly a xeno basically instantly with a GL, giving the chance for marines to finish the xeno, the explosive dart explodes in a 3x3 but it gives enough time for a xeno to run into a dark corner or go inside xeno structures, essentially if a boiler is about to spit neuro or acid a GL can stop it but the SHARP wonāt be fast enough.
4 - Low Variety: Argueably HEDP is the best nade you can pick for the GL but still they got a great range of options that req can give them, with also the possibility of combos since the GL can hold 6 different nades, making things like HEDP into a HIDP or m15 into a Fire Gas nade, while if you see a SHARP shooting explosive darts, they can only shoot explosive darts.
5 - Saveability/Preventing Caps : One the big things that the GL can do is prevent caps or save marines from being capped, the ability to chug nades one after one can be very strong in situation where a Queen is screech capping since you can fire multiple nades from behind the marines, killing or saving them in process, while the SHARP requiredsyou to be at the front greatly reducing your chances of acting fast and even if you shoot it got a 2.5 seconds delay for the explosion.
6 - The FF: Someone with a GL can also FF alot, specially if they are new or if they are messing up the bounce but the SHARP FF is out of control for the user, a level three incendiary mine at the front might seem nice but the moment a xeno steps into the mine radius it will greatly damage the marines more than the single xeno that was there, the same for a level 3 explosion, sometimes making your own trap that can destroy even cades.