"Dear Commandos: Use your Heavy Weapons, dangit!"

[Nightarcher]

The plat rifles are the best stat wise, and the pistols do significantly more dps. STS needs to make heavy weapons that are worth taking.

Heavy weapons have lower stats because they aren't single-target. In reality, the ability to hit many anamies makes it a far superior weapon damage-wise, and for the aggro it draws. The only time it isn't the best is at a boss where you don't need AOE.