24 replies to this topic

[Catalina Steiner]

I want to do a small guide for lights. All the time I play, I'm surprised why so many lights give up their advantage to settle the game, especially in conquest matches. You are the fast ones, you are the ones who can win the whole match for your team.

In this guide scouting is not taken into consideration. Sure a team needs scouts, but this is true for the whole game. I just want to consider tactics to win a conquest match by capping so many points as possible.

I will present all maps for you. There are four kinds of maps:
a) Triangle maps (Alpine Peaks)
b) Wedge maps (Frozen City, Frozen City Night)
c) Standard maps (all others)
d) Line or cross maps (Crimson Strait) NEW!

- Watch the end of this post to find the links to all maps -

For all this four kinds of maps we need a different strategy. Most important move is the first one. But first things first.

1) Time equal points
If you are going to win the game by capping as many points as possible, try to avoid fights if possible, Fights are obsolete, it cost precious time you need for capping. Just fight if you have no other choice or if many points are controlled by your team. Or if you have support by capping a point and one little enemy mech wants to put a spoke in your wheel.

2) Module: Capture accelerator
This module increases the rate of capture by 15%.
Capping needs a lot of time. If you can afford this item, you will have a huge advantage to the enemy cappers.

3) Circle around and cap
Apart from the different tactics on different maps, there is one rule for capping: circle around the map and cap in this direction. Most teams move right first and so the enemy team get the left point first. You should cap anti-clockwise to avoid fights. But be sure, you do not just cap the points, your team reaches with you. You are a lone wolf if you want to win this match for your team by capping. You cap the points, no other friendly mech can reach within a short time. You have to exploit the fact that you are fast.

4) Be a commander
If you are in the capping zone, you have much time to watch the battlegrid and organize the next steps for your team. Guide them, warn them, regroup them... as I have read in this forum: a bad strategy is better than none. Any advice will help your team because they don't have the time to watch the battlegrid as much as you can.

5) Complete cap or partly cap
If you are asking yourself if you should cap the points completely or partly, you should think about this:
At the beginning of a match you have time. Especially on small maps, all points can be reached in a short time. Cap the points completely if possible. If the time is short at the end of the match, the enemies have much work to cap the points. On big maps, a partly capping can be useful because the ways are long and time take a lot of time.
Especially if you lose and the time is short and you can be defeated by scores, you should be fast and cap as much as you can. Cap the points partly and rush the next one.

6) Three out of five
No other friendly mech is interested in capping as you are. Don't count on the fact that others are capping points. Most of the players are opportunistic collectors of C-Bills and XP. They want to do damage and kills. But nothing is more confusing and annoying than losing a match by scores while dominating it by killing the enemy team. Be the star of the team! Be a teamplayer! Win the match for your team.
If you consider the "three out of five" rule, you should win: if you own three cap-points all the time, you cannot lose by scores.

7) Survive
I have won more than one match just by surviving. If you have done a good job by capping the points, don't panic if you are the last mech standing. Run, hide, shut down your mech, if possible. You can win by scores, if you have the patience and steady nerves to wait for the win.


Terra Therma
Tourmaline Desert
River City / River City Night
Canyon Network
Caustic Valley
Forest Colony / Forest Colony Snow
Frozen City / FrozenCityNight
Alpine Peaks
Crimson Strait

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 09 November 2013 - 04:58 AM.

[Strayed]

Catalina Steiner, on 25 September 2013 - 03:07 PM, said:

I want to do a small guide for lights. All the time I play, I'm surprised why so many lights give up their advantage to settle the game, especially in conquest matches. You are the fast ones, you are the ones who can win the whole match for your team.

In this guide scouting is not taken into consideration. Sure a team needs scouts, but this is true for the whole game. I just want to consider tactics to win a conquest match by capping so many points as possible.

I've noticed a lot of people giving up capping on conquest maps lately, and while people rage and get angry about it there's a simple reason that people neglect to cap. Pilots want paid!

Nice guide, but really it's far more profitable at times to throw a match in a light and go around killing. Must be the mercenary inside me! XD

[Catalina Steiner]

TERRA THERMA



This is Terra Therma, a classic standard map. Theta is located in the middle of the battlegrid.

1) Green arrow
First of all you should rush Theta. Rush it as fast as you can, alone if necessary. If the enemy team watch Theta being capped they are careful to rush it too. If they attack you, you can flee. But the capping of Theta is a match-winning move. If you can cap Theta at first, more than three-fourths of the matches are already won.
After you have left Theta, it isn't interesting for you anymore. Just if you own all other points around, you should come back. Theta is always fiercely disputed. You have no time for things like that.

2) Orange arrow
If you have left Theta, you should break out and cap Kappa. This point is also your start point for your anti-clockwise around capping tour. If your team mates have capped Kappa already, you have two options. You can also break out and cap Epsilon but this involves the risk that you encounter trouble by meeting the enemy team. Or you can take a shortcut and cap Sigma.

3) Light blue arrow
No matter if you run to Kappa, Epsilon or Sigma, now it's time to continue your anti-clockwise around capping tour. You cap all enemy points anti-clockwise. Ignore own points and rush as fast as possible to points you want to cap. If the enemy team has no good cappers like you, they are doomed.

4) Specific features for Terra Therma
Terra Therma is a big map, the ways between the points are long. In this case, it's not sooo important to cap the points completely. The enemy team thinks rational as you and they try to avoid long ways if possible. If they go the way, they will cap the point, regardless if the points are capped completely or not.

Terra Therma is hot, one more reason to avoid fights. Terra Therma has many rocks to hide behind, if you are found by enemies.

Theta at Terra Terma maybe is the most dangerous place at MWO. If you go there first, be careful and be ready to flee as fast as you can.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 25 September 2013 - 03:45 PM.

[wintersborn]

The Only mechs I would even bother capping with now is a ECM light and never in a PUG. I learned my lessons, in PUG's playing CAP is boring and not rewarding but for team play your post is helpful.

[Catalina Steiner]

TOURMALINE DESERT



This is Tourmaline Desert, also a classic standard map. Theta is located in the middle of the battlegrid.

1) Green arrow
First of all you should rush Theta. It's a long and straight way, rush it as fast as you can, alone if necessary. Theta lies in the middle of some ridges which can be defended very well. Stay under the point, so that shots and missiles cannot hit you until your team returns the enemy fire. Try to cap it completely, even if you get some damage. Theta should count for your team all the time, there is always a fight for Theta. It's hard for the enemy team to get Theta back if it's capped completely.

2) Orange arrow
If you have left Theta, you should break out and cap Kappa. This point is also your start point for your anti-clockwise around capping tour. Often this point is capped already from your team. Try not to break out to Epsilon, but rush Gamma then.

3) Light blue arrow
No matter if you are capping Kappa or Gamma, now it's time to continue your anti-clockwise around capping tour. You cap all enemy points anti-clockwise. Ignore own points and rush as fast as possible to points you want to cap. If the enemy team has no good cappers like you, they are doomed.

4) Specific features for Tourmaline Desert
Tourmaline Desert is a big map, the ways between the points are long. In this case, it's not so important to cap the points completely. The enemy team thinks rational as you and they try to avoid long ways if possible. If they go the way, they will cap the point, regardless if the points are capped completely or not.

Tourmaline Desert is hot, one more reason to avoid fights. The map includes many ridges, try to get cover most of the time if you are chased. It's easy if you have practiced it.

If you have reached Gamma or Sigma, cap the point AND try to spot into the back of the enemies to lock targets for your team. Sometimes it works.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 30 September 2013 - 03:16 PM.

[Kjudoon]

Interesting strategery. I'd considered it in the past, but after seeing 98% of PuG groups engage in the Theta Deathmarch, particularly popular to die at the volcano in a worthless push, Theta is usuallly the last place I go preferring the counter clockwise Merry Go Round of Dooooooom! Usually I get to the opponant's base, then turn after theta if the fighting has scattered because by then, the survivors of the enemy are scattering to shut down the corners and you can sneak in sometimes and get it without a fight. The real problem begins when you get a lance of fast mechs who decide to run CLOCKWISE and you get obliterated at that first cap since they have an edge on you in numbers and sometimes size (thank you very much Cicada driver).

Occasionally, I've seen the very balsy move of rusing directly to Sigma and really shaking the fast lance sweep up because they missed you.

I will say this though, either of the frozen city maps, capping is a mess. There is no safe way that I can find, particuarly if you are at Gamma. (that side loses about 95% of the matches in PuGs)

Kappa Theta dead.
Kappa Theta Dead. The usual pattern. But then I get creative and:

Kappa SIGMA.... then dead.
Theta dead on the way to Sigma.
Epsilon? ROFLMAO. Insta dead.
Sigma? if you're lucky enough to not meet an ambush in the tunnel, you die going anywhere else you go

I hate that map.

[Strayed]

Your Tourmaline map Green arrow should be flipped. 9/10 Team that spawns at Gamma can reach Theta a good 10 seconds faster than the opposing team usually due to flatter ground.

Quick edit: Forgot to mention some maps are asymmetrical in nature

Could add on Tourmaline if you start at Gamma the typical cap approach is to do a ? route via Epsilon, Sigma and then Kappa. Due to usually Sigma starters getting cover and high ground.

Edited by Strayed, 30 September 2013 - 04:52 PM.

[mailin]

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. As a light pilot with over 10k drops in a Spider, Raven, Jenner and even Cicada, stay out of Theta. Period. (Except Alpine or Frozen City.) If Theta is in the middle of the map stay away from it. In those cases Theta is a death trap. Instead, pick a direction around the perimeter of the map and cap. Continue capping around the perimeter of the battlefield until either you are far enough ahead in caps that you can engage the enemy, or there are enough enemy mechs down that you can successfully engage and win by taking out the remainder. Only go to Theta towards the end of the match if it is necessary. On Frozen City, lights should head directly to Theta, bypassing either Kappa or Epsilon. Let the brawlers take those cap points. If the enemy shows up at Theta, either run or engage depending on numbers, speed and loadout.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Theta - on ANY map is a gamble

Sometime I have won by rushing it (you learn to tell when your first moves are what won the match )
Usually I meet the entire enemy team there (hello Terra-Theta-Death)

I do find it interesting that Frozen City appears to be the only map where Theta is not dead center though

[mailin]

Theta isn't center on Alpine either. Which reminds me, on Alpine lights should stay off Epsilon until later, if at all.

[TheArcher]

One other part of the strategy: numbers. If your PUG drops with 6 lights, they shouldn't all go capping. 2 seems to be a good number. The other four should stick with the main group and help with the main battle. Otherwise, you'll probably find it's 6 light mechs vs 10 enemies.

[Nick Makiaveli]

TheArcher, on 06 October 2013 - 07:21 AM, said:

One other part of the strategy: numbers. If your PUG drops with 6 lights, they shouldn't all go capping. 2 seems to be a good number. The other four should stick with the main group and help with the main battle. Otherwise, you'll probably find it's 6 light mechs vs 10 enemies.

If you can coordinate, I agree. Otherwise, just do what they aren't IE if they all rush to cap, then help fight.

[mailin]

Once I was part of a four man that had all lights. (I think we had 2 Jenner Ds, 1 Spider and one 3L.) Because we use comms we were able to concentrate all of our fire on a single mech at a time. It was actually rather frightening how quickly Stalkers and Atlases were dropping.

[Catalina Steiner]

RIVER CITY / RIVER CITY NIGHT



This is River City, also a classic standard map. Theta is located in the middle of the battlegrid.

1) Green arrow
First of all you should rush Theta. If you hurry, you can reach it within a few seconds. You can't cover yourself well, if enemies are approaching before your allies are there, you should flee very quickly. Stay under the point, so that shots and missiles cannot hit you until your team returns the enemy fire. If you can cap Theta completely, it's nearly impossible for the enemies to cap it back because Theta can watched from a lot of places around because this map is so small.

2) Orange arrow
If you have left Theta, you should break out and cap Epsilon. This point is also your start point for your anti-clockwise around capping tour. Often this point is capped already from your team. Try not to break out to Epsilon, but rush Sigma then.

3) Light blue arrow
Now you are starting to continue your anti-clockwise around capping tour. You cap all enemy points anti-clockwise. Ignore own points and rush as fast as possible to points you want to cap. Starting points of the enemies (Sigma or Gamma) should capped carefully because you meet enemies there very often.

4) Specific features for River City / River City Night
River City is a small map, the ways between the points are very short, sometimes just a few seconds with a fast light. You should cap the points completely, so it's hard for the enemies to cap it back. Every mech can be at any point in a short time, so the points itself should be hard to cap. Maybe this rule can help you: if it's early in the game, if you have enough time, if there is no fire on you, you should cap completely. If it's late in the game, if it seems as you lose by points or if the enemies are firing on you, you should only try to get the point and rush to the next point.

River City is a moderate place concering heat problems, but you should avoid fights. Get some heatsinks in your legs and jump into the water if you need to fight. River City has a lot of rocks, buildings and other covers but there is still a lot of free space between them. So it's not the perfect place for you to fight. Try to lure them and flee between the buildings. There you will have an easy job of it.

[Catalina Steiner]

CANYON NETWORK



This is Canyon Network, also a classic standard map. Theta is located in the middle of the battlegrid.

1) Green arrow
First of all you should rush Theta. If you got jump-jets and you hurry, you can reach it within a few seconds. Stay under the point, so that shots and missiles cannot hit you until your team arrives to protect you. Theta is a fiercely contested place on this map, so it's a big advantage for your team if you can cap it completely.

2) Orange arrow
If you have left Theta, you should break out and cap Kappa. This point is also your start point for your anti-clockwise around capping tour. Often this point is capped already from your team. You should never try to get EPSILON from this direction, you will fail. Try to rush Sigma when Kappa is yours.

3) Light blue arrow
Now you are starting to continue your anti-clockwise around capping tour. You cap all enemy points anti-clockwise. Ignore own points and rush as fast as possible to points you want to cap.

4) Specific features for Canyon Network
Canyon Network is a small map, the ways between the points are very short, sometimes just a few seconds with a fast light. You should cap the points completely, so it's hard for the enemies to cap it back. Every mech can be at any point in a short time, so the points itself should be hard to cap. Maybe this rule can help you: if it's early in the game, if you have enough time, if there is no fire on you, you should cap completely. If it's late in the game, if it seems as you lose by points or if the enemies are firing on you, you should only try to get the point and rush to the next point.

Canyon Network is also a moderate place concering heat problems, fighting here is really fun. If you got some jump-jets you can own every enemy mech here. The area has a lot of rocks and ridges you can use as cover.

Canyon Network has two ramps in the near of Theta. They are very important for the ones who want to own the mid of the map. Try to spot enemies without getting spotted. Good LRM support can help a lot to fight enemies far away.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 28 October 2013 - 10:16 AM.

[Catalina Steiner]

CAUSTIC VALLEY



This is Caustic Valley, also a classic standard map. Theta is located in the middle of the battlegrid.

1) Green arrow
First of all you should rush Theta. You have to rush a small mountain to cap the point. Be careful, the top of the mountain is even hotter than the rest of the map. Stay under the point, so that shots and missiles cannot hit you until your team arrives to protect you. Theta is a fiercely contested place on this map, so it's a big advantage for your team if you can cap it completely. Nearly all fights on this map will happen here at this mountain.

2) Orange arrow
If you have left Theta, you should break out and cap Kappa. This point is also your start point for your anti-clockwise around capping tour. Often this point is capped already from your team. You should never try to get Epsilon from this direction, you will fail. Try to rush Sigma when Kappa is yours.

3) Light blue arrow
Now you are starting to continue your anti-clockwise around capping tour. You cap all enemy points anti-clockwise. Ignore own points and rush as fast as possible to points you want to cap.

4) Specific features for Caustic Valley

Canyon Network is a hot place concering heat problems, so you should try to avoid fights. The top of the mountain around Theta is very hot, so you should only cap or flee here. The other part of the map is also dangerous. You are in great danger because you have just a few possibilities to cover yourself.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 28 October 2013 - 11:06 AM.

[Catalina Steiner]

FOREST COLONY / FOREST COLONY SNOW




This is Forest Colony, also a classic standard map. Theta is located in the middle of the battlegrid.

1) Green arrow
First of all you should rush Theta. It's not a big map but the way to Theta is long and dangerous. You cannot find any cover but the point itself. Stay under the point, so that shots and missiles cannot hit you until your team returns the enemy fire. But that does not happen so often because most mechs ignore Theta at first.
If you can cap Theta completely, it's nearly impossible for the enemies to cap it back because Theta can watched from a lot of places around.

2) Orange arrow
If you have left Theta, you should break out and cap Epsilon. This point is also your start point for your anti-clockwise around capping tour. Often this point is capped already from your team. Try not to break out to Epsilon, but rush Sigma then. Epsilon is a death trap because you have to get there over a small lake. You are dead before you can reach any cover.

3) Light blue arrow
Now you are starting to continue your anti-clockwise around capping tour. You cap all enemy points anti-clockwise. Ignore own points and rush as fast as possible to points you want to cap.
If you got Epsilon and want to rush Sigma, try to use the tunnel at the edge of the map. It's the best cover you can get on your way.

4) Black arrows
Usually the anti-clockwise tour is the best strategy on classic standard maps. But here you can also try to get Theta in the meantime. Fights can appear at every point of the map and maybe Theta is not guarded.

5) Specific features for Forest Colony / Forest Colony Snow
Forest Colony is a small map, but the ways can be very long. A good cover is also a problem here. Be fast and use every stone you spot.

Forest Colony is a moderate place concering heat problems, but you should avoid fights. Get some heatsinks in your legs and jump into the water if you need to fight.

This map is parted in two very different kinds of environment. First there is the wood-part (including small mountains, hills with trees and the tunnel) and there is the lake-part (a lake, a ship wreck and a little port). It's very important on which side you are starting the match. You have good cover options in the wood but the lake side is often a death trap for lights.
If you start at Sigma and you got Kappa, you need to watch very closely where to go next. The way to Theta or Gamma is long and dangerous.

Edited by Catalina Steiner, 28 October 2013 - 11:06 AM.

[mailin]

I feel the need to say it again, I strongly disagree with rushing to cap any point in the middle of the map, or epsilon on Alpine. These spots are too open with too many areas of attack. Instead, let the brawlers fight over these scraps while the intelligent light pilot skirts the edges capping points.

[Nick Makiaveli]

mailin, on 28 October 2013 - 11:40 AM, said:

I feel the need to say it again, I strongly disagree with rushing to cap any point in the middle of the map, or epsilon on Alpine. These spots are too open with too many areas of attack. Instead, let the brawlers fight over these scraps while the intelligent light pilot skirts the edges capping points.

I agree, with the caveat of if you are really quick, sometimes you can beat the brawlers and get a head start. Several lights can turn it to your side and then bug out. This may or may not be as effective as getting the "side" points capped, but if you are heavy on lights it might be worth a try.

[mailin]

What I find typically happens is that one light will go to Theta, begin capping and then, either get annihilated or have to flee before it is fully capped. This serves two purposes. 1) It eliminates a light which may very well be needed in order to win and 2) Theta gets recapped very quickly by the enemy while the light tries to get to a different cap point, possibly after taking some damage. I find it's much better to leave Theta alone, no matter how fast you are, and cap the points around the perimeter instead.