User blog comment:Lykrast/Glunde, the evil gunner/@comment-11623843-20131120005727/@comment-5686533-20131120112003

This allows him to have some damage at a range while rewarding him for getting in the face of a target, it's the core of its concept, get in your face and demolish you. And allowing him to do some ranged damage is good, especially when you see his defensive stats (other than his shield).