You might think it doesn’t have any kind of sense, but let me explain, as I always have.
Sandbags do not provide effective cover. Two major points:
They’re easily-destroyed
They’re exclusive to a single overworked class
It would not be an issue if explosions weren’t so ubiquitous in this game- But they are. Artillery, bombs, cannon fire. They’re all persistent throughout a match. Moreso if the intent was to protect something in the first place, such as the capture point, where they’re commonly built.
The fact that they’re easy to destroy isn’t the prime problem.
It’s the fact that they’re exclusive to a class.
Just as easily as they’re torn down by just about anything, it should at least be as easy to have them remade. Nearly every soldier in game has an e-tool/shovel, so it would make sense if they had the ability to make a limited number of sandbag walls per head.
They only give partial protection. Assuming a soldier is standing on the same floor level as a sandbag wall, at best, it only covers them from the waist-down, while going prone still exposes a part of the helmet. Building them on windows severely limit downwards traverse, and using them to block the window is only temporarily effective.
The walls can easily be taken out by by anything bigger than a regular bullet. For an attacker, they just need a stray explosion or cannon shell to destroy them. And the limited protection a sandbag wall provides shouldn’t prove too much of a problem to dispatch defenders using them with conventional small arms.
What I’m getting at is, there’s no harm if everyone has the ability to set them up. Their only conceivably broken trait is ruining AI tracking. Something easily fixed by the next bombing run or arty strike.
The fun thing is that sandbag-walls can be oneshoted with an AT rifle. No logic behind this.
The second fun part is that they can be destroyed by explosion splash while there is a wall between sandbags and explosion.
And one more thing. If you have enough time to waste building an MG nest, there is a chance that your own bots will shoot down that MG for a reason. Not about the sandbags but still…
the sandbags are not indestructible with the tank as you wrote the fact is that they do not provide an ounce of coverage not with that tank bullet they are not destroyed
Sandbags can “destroy” AI’s pathfinding. If with tons of sandbags, and Devs still not fixing AI pathfinding, especially for Berlin, AI can get very confused.
Also, engineer role is too overused. This is another topic.
Explosions are common. Sandbags are not worth building most of the time. That’s why everyone should be able to make them.
I personally just make czech hedgehogs. Holes to shoot out from. Excellent cover when prone- Indestructible unless deconstructed. Why bother with sandbags that both block your view and don’t even protect you?
Sandbags can be destroyed by smoke grenades. If you don’t believe me, try it yourself in practice mode!
I understand them being destroyed by tank or cannon shells when shot directly, but at least make it a three-shot thing! And they shouldn’t be destroyed by artillery nor plane bombs, since they’re supposedly able to stop shrapnel and debris from the explosions.
Personally, I’d love to be able to stack sandbags, at least twice, one above the other. It’d allow for more tactic, like when trying to cover a window from which your team is getting sniped. You can build tall sandbags now, yes, but it’s more of a bug than anything else.