DICE, what is the point of Vault Weapons in AOW?

TL;DR; Rant about M60E4 and Vault Weapons for 2042

So I'm close to T1ing the M60E4 Vault Weapon in 2042 modes, I've also tried the M16A3 a bit and I have to ask, what is the point of Vault Weapons in AOW outside of just adding more filler content drip-fed into the game?

I mean we already have the assets ready to just dump the entirety of the BF3 and BFBC2 armoury into 2042 if DICE wanted to! But it seems to me, they're just drip-feeding 'vault weapons' into the game without making any balance passes to them against what's already available in the 2042 modes, or bug-testing them thoroughly, so not only are they out of place, they're going to be more miss than hit when available to use.

But let's cut to the chase as to why I'm making this topic, the Vault Weapons that we currently have available. I'll start with the M60E4.

So, the M60E4 from what I've experienced, correct me if I'm wrong;

• It has AR levels of base damage, with I'm guessing a x2 headshot multiplier.
• It has recoil which kicks like a mule, thus making bipod and being locked into a static position pretty much mandatory which is a bad idea in 2042 since the game is pretty much AR and SMG focused in most infantry battles. For example you aim centre-mass at 15m out without a bipod, the second shot usually kicks up much higher than a standing opponent's head thus requiring a lot more recoil control than most automatic weapons in 2042.
• The laser-sight attachment is pretty much pointless, it has way too much spread if you aren't using a bipod + ADSing. Not sure why this is even a thing in it's current state.
• It's attachment selection is very very linear compared to what you'd get with BF2042 weapons, it's either ext mag + flash suppressor + foregrip or ext mag + flash suppressor + bipod with whatever sight you fancy. This would not be an issue, if there was more base 'oomph' to the weapon.
• It has one of the lowest rate of fire, if not the lowest of any automatic in the game so far without the damage model to compensate for it. Thus it has a high TTK in an already fast game, it does not excel at anything, it doesn't even come close to being mediocre when compared to other automatics.
• It's projectile velocity is so low coupled with it's horrible damage range fall-off that, despite being more of a medium to long range support weapon, you'll be pooped upon by the now buffed up ARs, the versatile DMRs, long-ranged Sniper Rifles or even spray and pray SMGs in some instances.
• The weapon you use to unlock the M60E4 in 2042, the PKP-BP is straight-up superior in pretty much every aspect, especially if you decide to use standard issue rounds. Which makes it mind-boggling the M60E4 is even available in 2042 right now.
• Open bolt delay; realistic but given this Vault Weapon has next to no features that makes it stand out against the other weapons available in 2042 modes, this just cripples an already poor option for a machinegun. Yes, I'm aware the M60E4 fires from an open bolt IRL, I'm not pointing out that this is a problem in itself, but this should have the weapon compensated for this disadvantage to make it competitive against other weapons in the game.

Quite frankly, I'm baffled this weapon is even a thing for 2042.

Despite having a rate of fire of 550, it hits as hard as an M5A3, with a slower time to kill in most instances against other weapons. The projectile velocity and the damage-range limits the M60E4 despite it only being useful at medium to long range fights given it's disadvantages in close-quarters, creating perhaps the most awkward weapon available in 2042 right now. The recoil kicks harder than the other three machineguns available to use if one was to compare the M60E4 against the optimal loadouts of the PKP-BP, Avancys or LCMG. The only weapon that comes close to having such asinine handling would be the PKP-BP with it's high-power rounds, yet at least that weapon has an option to ditch such a disadvantage through usage of the standard-issue magazine attachment.

It's a slow-firing, hard to control machinegun, if anything it should hit harder and the bullets should travel faster so it can be used more effectively at longer ranges, especially since the suppression mechanic is absent in 2042, the M60E4 needs something about it worth using in 2042, as of right now? It doesn't really.

I've ran around with it, you can't really do that half the time with this weapon, if you get into a gun-fight head on, you will lose the majority of them with this weapon which would be fine, if it would excel in other situations but, it doesn't really excel at anything in it's current state. It's only good for holding a point and sending bullets down range, yet even then, you could pick the PKP-BP or any other weapon and do the same but have more versatility overall without locking yourself to a form of play that doesn't really work too well in 2042 due to either a mix of 2042's map design, or due to Sundance and Mackay existing.

To me it feels like DICE had just copy and pasted what they already had in Portal and did not make adjustments to at the very least fit the weapon into 2042's available armoury, thus leading to said weapon feeling out of place in 2042 from a gameplay standpoint.

Now with the M16A3, at least this weapon compared to the M60E4, isn't as screwed when it comes to duking it out with the other weapons available in 2042, it at least can hold it's own and it has an unique attachment in the form of the LVG underslung nade launcher, but even that gun seems out of place in 2042 and that's mostly due to the fact it has the BF3 style of weapon handling and recoil, which is fair enough that DICE wants to stay true to how the M16A3 was in BF3.

But. This isn't BF3. Every other gun that is available in 2042 does not handle nor act like a BF3 weapon. I'm pretty sure, as long as it sounds and looks like the M16A3 from BF3 and references it enough, then I'm positive most players would be fine if it was adjusted statistically to fit into 2042 better, the same goes for the M60E4.

Since most guns in 2042 do not have such stiff recoil nor do they kick like a mule (and if they do, they have options to reduce said recoil) so, if DICE is going to continue putting in Vault Weapons, they need to do more than just 'put them in', they need to make them FIT into 2042 gameplay-wise. Otherwise all DICE is doing is just hitting a dripfeed content drop quota that doesn't add any substance to an already content-lacking game. Make Vault Weapons worth using!