76 replies to this topic

[Jeb]

Ok where are these godly builds everyone is crying about?
I have tried a few different setups in a Timberwolf tonight and they feel like a good Heavy, but not the I WIN mech people are claiming... I get kills if someone stands in front of me... same as I do in my Ilya or other heavies...

I can only assume I am doing the TW wrong...

[JigglyMoobs]

Yeah, you are doing it wrong....

[doomguy64]

Woah that's insane, 1k damage. Did you tweak any armor values at add any extra heatsinks from the stock timberwolf-c?

[Brenden]

Add seven Med. Pulse lasers.
You'll be good.

[JigglyMoobs]

doomguy64, on 16 August 2014 - 05:15 PM, said:

Woah that's insane, 1k damage. Did you tweak any armor values at add any extra heatsinks from the stock timberwolf-c?

TBR-C Gauss + 7 er ML

Notes:

You can opt between extra heatsinks, ammo or CAP and Targeting computers. If you stack CAP with targeting computers you can get very very fast target info download, which is important with this mech as you wan to target damaged components precisely.

For modules, I recommend first taking Radar Derp. Second module can be sensor range or target info gathering depending on how you configure your CAP and TC.

For a less powerful but safer (see "Shortcomings" below) alternative, you can put the Gauss on your right arm and make do with 5 er MLs. That's still pretty powerful, as you can see:







Shortcomings - to get so much pin point firepower, you have to make some significant compromises:

Big one is the gauss on the RT. As you may have noticed the Timber's ST is huge and a bullet magnet. If your Gauss gets blown, you lose the Gauss and 3 lasers. So you have to be very protective of your tender right side.

On the LT, you have your jump jets, targeting computers and etc. IF you lose that you lose your jump jets for sure. You can put your computers on your arm if you think that left torso is too vulnerable. I recommend putting the computers on your right arm because you will often be shielding with the left to protect the Gauss.

Laser hit reg can be very iffy. So some days you will absolutely murder every mech you come across. Other days and other opponents you could be blasting someone standing still and they would not register the damage. Not much you can do about that one.

See this thread for this and other build ideas from myself and others:

http://mwomercs.com/...eta-timberwolf/

The meta - aka the classic optimized Timberwolf load out for competitive players:

I'll leave this as an exercise for you to figure out on Smurfy's

Gauss + 2 er PPC and 3 or more JJs.
Gauss + 1 er PPC and 3 er ML

And more recently

4 clan er LL + advanced zoom module.

The above builds have recently been nerfed in various ways. IMO the first two are still very good, but I'm not sure about the LL build anymore.

Edited by JigglyMoobs, 16 August 2014 - 06:18 PM.

[Jeb]

I am not saying the builds I am using are bad, but they are 200-500 dmg builds which I can do in any heavy mech I own (for the most part) I think they are good all round builds (good short/med/long range options for example)

I will give that thread a look, and maybe take a poke at some of the gauss builds... I tend to like more mixed builds so with the gauss being so big and heavy, I tend to not use it that often.... (same with the AC20 lol)

Also I only solo drop, so depending on my team, I may do more or less dmg...

Edited by Jeb, 16 August 2014 - 06:53 PM.

[JigglyMoobs]

Jeb, on 16 August 2014 - 06:51 PM, said:

I am not saying the builds I am using are bad, but they are 200-500 dmg builds which I can do in any heavy mech I own (for the most part) I think they are good all round builds (good short/med/long range options for example)

I think one of the keys to doing really well with the Timberwolf (and almost any other mech) is to get away from all around builds into ones that are dominating at a particular thing.

One might think logically that an all around build gives you more options, but in actuality it gives you no good options at all. The reason is that there's no second place in this game. You either prevail or die. With an all around build, you will come in second best to specialized builds in all circumstances. It makes it almost impossible to roll through and stomp multiple mechs.

On the other hand, if you create a mech that's specialized in a particular thing, then all you have to do is to play a chess game where you maneuver against the enemy until you achieve that particular situation, and pounce. As soon as you do that, the fight's over, and you move on to the next victim.

If you look at my videos, most of the situations are the same. I find a guy at medium range ~450 m ish with some damaged component or who doesn't notice me, then I go in and and use my gauss and lasers like a scalpel to crit a specific crucial part immediately.

I'm almost never fighting within 250 m or further than 700 m. In fact I hide out of sight or try to blend in with my team so that the enemy cannot single me out. Further more, if I need to retreat, I know my way out well enough that I can walk backwards to retreat while still fighting the enemy. Unless I'm supremely confident that the enemy is no threat, I'm almost always a few steps away from cover and concealment.

That's what you have to do with that laser build. But you can also have and SRM build where you use cover and concealment to get within 250 m and pounce, or the PPC gauss build where you stay mid to long range and pop in and out of cover to shoot and scoot, etc.

What you can't do, though, is to go 50% SRM and long range, or some combination like that, because I guarantee you will meet that other guy whose 100% SRM or 100% long range, and he's going to take one look at you, and maneuver until you are in his comfort zone, and then you are dead.

For example, check out this TBR brawler video from Seb Nitu, AKA Odwalla as he unleashes hell with SRMs, MLs and machineguns:

Edited by JigglyMoobs, 16 August 2014 - 08:41 PM.

[Jeb]

Just played a few rounds in this build...
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...ac6bb99e7432b55

The gauss does give it some nice punch... (I went LL due to not liking the new PPC ranges but still wanting a long range weapon with no ammo) and the ERMLs give me the punch I need at med. range while the gauss is on cooldown or for faster moving targets that I am not good at hitting with the gauss lol.

Some rounds in the 800s, some sub 300... (some teams just don't work together so that is gonna happen... ya can't do any dmg if your focused down early lol)


I know what your saying about the specialized role... It's always going to be better for what it's good at, but in the PUG queue, I feel I need to be able to deal with more then one type style... too often sitting and sniping will lose in games I am in if the enemy team moves quickly as a group... so for example the 2x gauss, while deadly, to me feels too limiting.. with the Clan ERMLs though, I do find they are a good all around weapon so I think as long as I keep a bunch of those, I can play with some of these other builds

Might try http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1115182d42f14de next...

The brawler vid you posted was interesting, I think people don't take MGs serious enough... I run my Arrow with 2x LL, 1 ML, 6x MGs, 3 tons of ammo, 3 JJs, and 4 extra DHS, and pull off 400 - 600 dmg matches. Those MGs just rip things apart... (the downside of course is you have to get close...)

Edited by Jeb, 16 August 2014 - 09:52 PM.

[POOTYTANGASAUR]

These have all net me 1k plus games:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...aeb001b283d4e3f - (amazing at every range, great heat eff, great dps, great alpha)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8498265fbd05c20 - (personal favorite, best timberwolf build ever IMO)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...86907a310e66231 - (great at brawling, excells at 1v1, never further than 450 meter engagements or you waste too much ammo)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6acc0eb7f6c2a0f - (brawl with srms and lbx, fight mid-range with lbx and mlas)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...59b54f25148a695 - (lrm stalker replacement, amazing)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...76345066f4d7f33 - (use same as 3 cUAC5 build, just a bit more punch)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...dbd8738dade2a4a - (not related to OP, great minds think alike i guess)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...ab341825da783bb - (untested, but similar to the ctf-3d, but much faster and without jjs, NP for me since i don't poptart in my 3d. P.S. - keep this secret, don't want meta-scrubs to know about it. )

For more builds of mine and many others visit mechspecs.
Btw smurfy messes up arm actuators, but in any build i will always mount them if possible (smurfy removes them for some reason)

EDIT: Most of my builds work at all ranges, a few rely on alpha tactics. The rest have the heat efficiency, range, dps, and armor to fight at MOST ranges effectively. cMDLAS boats are basically mid-range snipers and brawlers because of their range. Really any clan mech can be used as a sniper and brawler at the same time. IS is where you have to start getting specialized ranges and roles. Clan is just really good at engaging at all ranges.

Edited by POOTYTANGASAUR, 16 August 2014 - 10:25 PM.

[Jeb]

thanks for more builds to try

I want to try this one soon I think... looks interesting and might be the build that changes my opinion on them lol...
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6acc0eb7f6c2a0f

I guess I am just not as impressed by the Timberwolf as everyone else... they are good for sure... the best heavy in the game I agree... but I find it bla when playing for some reason...

I drop in my arrow or firebrand or stormcrow or even the kitfox, and they are fun (how my Jester used to feel before they nerfed it with the JJ/PPC changes)

I will def. try some more of these posted builds though... maybe I was just picking bla builds lol...

[BaconCouch]

Accept no substitutes.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...87aa7f8e4846b93
I rack up a 1k+ game like every other day in this monster.
Bide your time until things start flying. Find a flank, maul people with missiles that don't miss, and fade during the cooldown. Ghost heat really isn't an issue, so you can keep firing on chain fire in a brawl.

[Modo44]

Does it run cool enough? Does it have enough ammo? Does it have any ranged weapons? Does it have 80%+ front armor? Does it have 1+ JJs? There, you are done. Adjust to preference -- it will shred regardless.

[Arctcwolf]

cant stand steak 6's. take too long to lock on most the time. much easier with regular srm's, plus more tonnage/space to run heat sinks.

[doomguy64]

JigglyMoobs, on 16 August 2014 - 08:39 PM, said:

For example, check out this TBR brawler video from Seb Nitu, AKA Odwalla as he unleashes hell with SRMs, MLs and machineguns:

Loved how he was laughing at the end of that video after seeing how much damage he did. I have an almost similar build for one of my timberwolfs but I've never ended up doing that much damage or kills.

BTW, I'm still using that gauss build and even though it only does one thing, it does it well. I usually get at least 1-3 kills with it. But yeah, it is bad if I lose a torso or run low on ammo, just need to pick targets wisely.

[BaconCouch]

Arctcwolf, on 19 August 2014 - 06:41 PM, said:

cant stand steak 6's. take too long to lock on most the time. much easier with regular srm's, plus more tonnage/space to run heat sinks.

Eh, with a BAP, it takes nearly no time at all.
Sure, you get more tonnage, with with normal SRMs, you can dodge, jump-jet, and torso twist to mitigate damage to a less important hit location.
I prefer the surity of streaks for such a purpose, and with so many, if you have exposed internals, you lose the components when I fire, no questions asked.

But to each their own I suppose. The Timberwolf is a natural SRM brawler.

[DJDeath]

JigglyMoobs, on 16 August 2014 - 08:39 PM, said:

For example, check out this TBR brawler video from Seb Nitu, AKA Odwalla as he unleashes hell with SRMs, MLs and machineguns:

I tried this, and I friggin love it. Ripping off a light's leg with a single SRM-6 volley is just so much fun.
It also taught me never to use SRM 6s without Artemis again.

Edited by DJDeath, 21 August 2014 - 03:32 AM.

[Arctcwolf]

BaconCouch, on 20 August 2014 - 06:37 AM, said:

Eh, with a BAP, it takes nearly no time at all.
Sure, you get more tonnage, with with normal SRMs, you can dodge, jump-jet, and torso twist to mitigate damage to a less important hit location.
I prefer the surity of streaks for such a purpose, and with so many, if you have exposed internals, you lose the components when I fire, no questions asked.

But to each their own I suppose. The Timberwolf is a natural SRM brawler.

i understand about the lock on with BAP, but i prefer to use my TW as more of a medium mech...flanking and surprising enemies. 4x ASRM...then 6X med lasers in the back...and 90% of the mechs out there will be done. in a regular fight, chain fire is always employed to manage heat, so if i miss 1 out of 4 volleys im not gonna worry.

i agree that the TW was designed better for SRM usage than LRM usage.

[levitas]

BaconCouch, bap doesn't affect lock on time, just info gathering time.

[BaconCouch]

Does let you ignore ECM however, so thats nice.
I mean, with lower arm actuators, its really not that hard to lock on and absorb fire on the arms.

[JigglyMoobs]

A lot of people were using 2xlpl 5xerml builds during this past weekend. Unfortunately for me I didn't catch on until after the tourney was over. Been having lots of fun with it since though:

MWO - Space invader Timberwolf on River City: http://youtu.be/ZBqTUTDzMfw

*WARNING: the above video contains graphic depictions of Kitfox abuse, full frontal directed energy dumps on unsuspecting IS mechs, and other scenes of p2w carnage that may disturb the sensitive mechwarrior.