Jump to content

Best Anti-Light Weapons


30 replies to this topic

#1 Clogsman

    Member

  • PipPip
  • Overlord
  • 40 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 04:11 PM

Thinking about making a dedicated light hunter. So I was wondering what the general oppinion is on anti-light weapons.

Obviously streak's are a given.

The main question here is, what would you put in ballistic and energy slots if it was for the single purpose of murdering the little guys?

#2 Impyrium

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The God
  • The God
  • 2,104 posts
  • LocationSouth Australia

Posted 16 April 2014 - 04:15 PM

Due to my high ping I tend to have to favour hard hitting weapons that do full damage on impact, like an AC10/20, or PPC. I find base lasers futile on moving targets because everything becomes spread out. That said, if they're intelligent enough to sit there and be shot at, then a few large lasers do the trick.

But yeah, streaks are my main defence.

#3 ImperialKnight

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 1,733 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 04:30 PM

Lasers are far better at dealing damage to lights than ACs, especially if your ping isn't fantastic as you can lead and adjust your shot on the fly and at least get a little damage done. Learn to lead and drag the laser according to the movement of the light. Some people prefer pulse lasers, but they aren't worth it IMO.

LBX is the king of light hunting ballistics. Followed by maybe MGs. But you'd need at least 4 MGs to do any significant damage to lights.

SSRMs are still the way to go. If they ever get to fixing SRMs, they do very well against lights too.

All said and done, there's no better satisfaction than nailing a moving light with an AC40

#4 Osric Lancaster

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 447 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 05:04 PM

What weapon is most effective against light pilots almost depends most on what 'Mech you're in. If you're fast enough to chase, distance yourself or just move into the path of their orbit it changes how different weapons play out immensely.

LRMs are decent bug spray against light pilots (when covering your team mates, not yourself). A LRM5 isn't a terribly damaging backup weapon, but it's intimidation factor is useful. A streak does the same damage, is lighter, has more effective ammo per ton, etc. . . but can't be used at longer range.

I find the Gauss to be the best of the ballistics vs lights due to it's high projectile speed and pinpoint damage. It's still frustrating to use unless you can time your charge up with their orbit. (Gauss cap. discharge is a dumb mechanic.)

SRMs are too slow, LBX does too little damage per section. Both spread damage too much to be effective against undamaged light 'Mechs. A laser or two is almost always preferable. Pulse lasers aren't enough of an advantage for controlling fire for their weight and heat to consider.

#5 ShinVector

    Liao Mercenary

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Hammer
  • The Hammer
  • 3,711 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 05:20 PM

All weapons as effective against minus a few with issues:
PPC - 90M Min range can be a huge problem if you can't get them before they close in.
LRM - Same issue as above. Min range. Else the new buff LRM either out right kill lights or leg them now a days.
Lasers - If you are high ping, poor hit detection will usually means you only do a faction of the damage you want, not matter how good your aim is. Low ping player should have less problems.
SRM - Might be ok after the Apr 29th patch. Hit reg problem would be a huge issue.

The rest of the weapons all depends on your marksmanship. If you suck at it.. You suck at it... Go for EZ mode Streaks instead.
Against good light pilots.. They really hate it if you keep trying to leg them.. Once legged goes, no matter how good the pilot is, he is deadmeat.

Edited by ShinVector, 16 April 2014 - 05:22 PM.


#6 Wolfways

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Mercenary
  • 6,499 posts
  • LocationIn a shutdown overheated mech near you.

Posted 16 April 2014 - 05:30 PM

Well practically every game that i'm in my Raven i'm killed by an AC20 :lol:

#7 Edustaja

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 730 posts
  • LocationFinland

Posted 16 April 2014 - 05:35 PM

Double gauss either cripples or kills light mechs in one shot.

#8 Gigastrike

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • FP Veteran - Beta 1
  • FP Veteran - Beta 1
  • 704 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 05:40 PM

How good of a shot are you? My go to weapon is always the AC/10 or AC/20, but leading it can be tough. Lasers, on the other hand, are great when armor is stripped and you just need to hit a specific location a little.

#9 Wildstreak

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Civil Servant
  • Civil Servant
  • 5,154 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 06:02 PM

Only if and I do mean ONLY IF you have exceptional aim, use ACs & PPCs. They need good aim to hit fast moving Lights.

Else, Lasers because they will always splash some damage on the target, if you have decent aim and can get them in your build, Pulse.
LBX due to shotgun spread allows those without exceptional aim to hit Lights with Ballistics, if not enough tons then skip these slots or try MGs.

It does depend on the Mech you are using, you never said.

#10 Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Devoted
  • The Devoted
  • 350 posts
  • Location花果山: Water Curtain Cave on the Moutain of Flowers and Fruit

Posted 16 April 2014 - 06:08 PM

Oxide 4 SSRMs with BAP is one of the most dangerous things you could met on Conquest.
He doesn't overheat, runs up to 150 km\ph and has very low profile.
№1 light hunter without any doubts.
In Assault\Skirmish he is not so effective due to fat-ass enemies.
Kintaro, Griffin, Shadow Hawk with SSRMs are a great threat to lights too.
It's too obvious, but while piloting light, if you see more than 2 SSRM launchers on enemy mech, RUN LIKE HELL!

Next dangerous thing is LRM.
With it's buff, they can reach you in seconds and it is much harder to avoid them as before.
Not so nasty as SSRMs, but if more than one LRM-carrier would focus you, prepare to meet mech-heavens.

Next dangerous thing is ballistics especially double-gauss.
In heat of battle you can't control all the battlefield, especially snipers who wouldn't attract much attention on themselves.
I often get killed by dual-gauss whet stop moving for some reason.
And while piloting my FireBrand, I love dumb overheated or freezing lights: one shot = one kill.
Sometimes, I killed light with double gauss even when they were flying, but that was just a good luck.
So, if you piloting light, beware to run strictly in the face of DAKKA-mechs and try to never stop your movement, zig-zag walk is you best friend when you are on the line of sight.

Energy weapons are not really a big trouble because of mechanic they are working and you always can stretch lazor by jumping or active maneuvering.
PPC could be dangerous, but their hit detection still suffers.

So, best light hunter?
OXIDE 4 SSRM + BAP + 5 tons of ammo on 300XL.

#11 Rear Admiral Tier 6

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Bad Company
  • Bad Company
  • 1,633 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 09:44 PM

Oxide sure is tempting,but saving mc for other projects :P

#12 LiGhtningFF13

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Devoted
  • The Devoted
  • 1,375 posts
  • LocationBetween the Flannagan's Nebulea and the Pleiades Cluster

Posted 16 April 2014 - 09:55 PM

Anti light weapons. My suggestion here is the LBX Ac. Trust me I got an LBX phract. Very effective against lights!

Edited by LiGhtningFF13, 16 April 2014 - 09:55 PM.


#13 Ghostchips Condensate I and II

    Member

  • PipPipPip
  • Bridesmaid
  • 97 posts
  • LocationSouthern Islands

Posted 16 April 2014 - 09:56 PM

LBX, Shotgun. Shotguns were designed for shooting moving flying targets like ducks so scale one up by 700% and 11 tons & you have one a mech can use.

#14 meteorol

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 2,848 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 10:20 PM

View PostEdustaja, on 16 April 2014 - 05:35 PM, said:

Double gauss either cripples or kills light mechs in one shot.


This.
Very high bullet speed, 1shots lights if you hit them in the back, probably the easiest weapon to hit lights with (aside LBX, which spread their damage all over the light) due to the huge speed. Work on your aim, use double gauss, get used to charge up and travel time, murder lights left and right.

#15 aniviron

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 3,752 posts

Posted 16 April 2014 - 10:24 PM

The answer to your question depends on if you can aim or not.

If you can aim, the AC20 is your best friend against lights. Every single time I bring out my HBK-4H, I get at least two lights who see a slow medium and think they're getting a free kill. What they're really getting is three or four AC20 shells to the legs and CT, and I do appreciate the kills. I can shoot 75% against lights easy when the netcode is playing nice; you just have to have a little patience.

The other option is the LB10. If your aim isn't so great, you're still probably going to hit at least four damage every shot. That means you're going to be fighting that light for a long time, and the damage is going to be spread out like crazy. You will, however, be dealing damage with every shot, and given how little armor the light has, you'll win that battle of attrition almost every time. If you're hurt going into the fight and only have one LB10 with no streaks, you're better off running though.

If you can train yourself to hit lights with an AC20, it is hands-down the winner every time. The LB10 hits more often, which is nice, but spreading out the damage makes it a lot less effective. The AC20, if you hit, opens up side torsi from the front, and kills in one hit from the back. It legs locusts in one shot. Any light who runs into you fresh will be running away with exposed legs or torsi, and any light who runs into you with damage will almost certainly not be running away from you at all.

The AC10 is a compromise that you have to make sometimes. While the projectile is a little faster than the 20, the fact that you have to land two shots in the same place to open up a section makes it significantly worse. It's still not as bad about spreading damage as the LB10, but it's not nearly as good as the AC20. Still, I can't count the number of cocky Jenners who thought that it was only an AC10, only to end up with four rounds on that big, juicy CT, with a new respect for a niche weapon. The AC10 is much worse against non-Jenners though, the Firestarter and Spider in particular. It just spreads the damage too much.

edit: I do see people recommending gauss. I dislike it for the charge, which takes long enough that the short period when the light is out of cover can be wasted, and the fact that smart lights will always target the location where your explosive weapon is makes it a big risk. That said, it is true that when gauss works, it's absolutely lethal. Double gauss is devastating to every light, and the ridiculously fast projectile makes the weapon easy to learn against lights.

Edited by aniviron, 16 April 2014 - 10:27 PM.


#16 ThatBum42

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Philanthropist
  • 220 posts

Posted 17 April 2014 - 03:29 AM

Streaks, yeah. But you should bring BAP or the equivalent modules, or more importantly 360 degree target retention if they decide to do circle of death. Also seconded about LB10, good for shattering legs. If you have a steady hand, arm-mounted energy weapons are good if your torso is slow.

#17 Clogsman

    Member

  • PipPip
  • Overlord
  • 40 posts

Posted 17 April 2014 - 08:57 AM

Mech would be a dragon 1N.

Really annoyed I can't fit everything I want so weighing my options. :lol:

#18 Rear Admiral Tier 6

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Bad Company
  • Bad Company
  • 1,633 posts

Posted 17 April 2014 - 11:35 AM

View PostSoladrin, on 17 April 2014 - 08:57 AM, said:

Mech would be a dragon 1N.

Really annoyed I can't fit everything I want so weighing my options. ^_^


quick dragon

Heres something that might work,and is not completely helpless against heavies.
I used similar setup in my Quickdraw 4G when i was eliting it,fun times.

#19 kesuga7

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,022 posts
  • LocationSegmentum solar - Sector solar - Subsector sol - Hive world - "Holy terra"

Posted 17 April 2014 - 02:41 PM

multiple pulse lasers are more effective for legging lights quickly over streak missiles
Streaks being most obvious choice
any ballistic besides the AC 2

so lasers and AC 2's can still work against lights just not as well/quickly as others


this 6 mid pulse quickdraw offers higher armour over other medium mech hunter builds
while still being able to work against mechs of all class size
104.0 kph - 20 doubles - 1 jumpjet - 6 mid pulse
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d76a151630957e0

Edited by kesuga7, 17 April 2014 - 02:50 PM.


#20 Clogsman

    Member

  • PipPip
  • Overlord
  • 40 posts

Posted 17 April 2014 - 03:23 PM

Well, I'm working on mastering dragons right now so kind of stuck with them for give or take a week. (got fang flame and 1N)

Quickdraw is next in line and I will be testing that build. ^_^

I exclusively pilot heavies. :huh:





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users