84 replies to this topic

[Kaldrenborn]

The Commando was the 2nd mech I have ever bought about a year and a half ago. Since the release of the Dire Whales I decided to get them back out. I did have to do some tweaking with some of them, but they are still one of my all time favorites. Commandos just kick ass.

My Death Knell, pretty basic.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...2c67e741caa9b4b

It goes 171 kph. And has a 20 alpha. What more can I say?
The AMS is helpful, especially if others have it as well.

The COM-2D. Nasty little guy.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7dd181b16139e57

I love the medium pulse for taking quick pot shots and fighting lights. The short duration really helps focus the damage. I have the two SRM2s in the arm grouped in one weapon group for fast paced light fighting, and in another group I have all 3 set for chainfire. 3 SRM2s on chainfire is almost continuous. Chainfire those and keep that pulse going and you'll tear through a Dire Whale's rear in no time.

And finally, my COM-1B.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...951d8ce3d2334db

I made this one from scratch recently. The ER Large is great for just reaching out and touching people when I am usually out ranged. The 2 meds and the Streak2 are great for beating up on lights. Having 19 pinpoint damage is great for targeting weak parks and the Streak is good just for helping gain a little DPS, without having to worry about aiming that chest as much.

One of the things that makes the commando great is the fact that they are just small, and capable of going REALLY fast. Another is that their arm movement range is huge, you can shoot completely behind you and hit with your lasers/SRMs. The thing I love most though, is that commandos get completely ignored for the most part (vs a firestarter, for example. Firestarters are more of a "threat"). I can't count how many times I've gotten behind someone, or I'll just be off to the side and I'll get completely ignored. I regularly pull anywhere from 400-800 damage with these builds, and since the Dire Whale invasion have been getting quite a bit more..

[Danghen Woolf]

I enjoy running my Commandos as well. One of the biggest advantages is mobility, many of the heavier mechs cannot turn fast enought to track weapons on you. I have not had near 800 damage but I did manage 3 kills including a Masakari in one match.

[B0oN]

Ahhhh, another one found it out ...
EXCELLENT

[WrathOfDeadguy]

I've noticed that same "Commando Effect"- if I'm running with another light, I get ignored. The Commando really seems to be in that sweet spot where it's juuust hard enough to kill that folks will target a nearby Locust instead in the hopes of getting rid of it quick, but not quite powerful enough to be perceived as a greater threat than the heavier lights and therefore ignored until any other lights in the immediate area are dead or have run away. Also, it feels like a race car. I can run faster than some other lights while going in reverse, and that's just hilarious.

TDK is still, so far, one of my top performers. I had a bit more trouble finding a sweet spot with the other Commandos, but they've improved a little bit since I got them elited.

[InspectorG]

There is no freedom like rolling Commando.

[Kaldrenborn]

I did make a minor change to the 1B. I dropped the ER down to a regular large for the sake of heat. I also changed the streak 2 to a regular SRM2 and doubled my ammo from a half ton to a full ton. Twice tonight I have gotten 4 kills, one match at 600+ damage and the other at 700+. Woo!

I can say one thing for the invasion... It has made me a better pilot. I learned how to aim better, the clan weapons require it. I learned how to pilot slow lights - not an easy task. It made me realize that I don't need to max the engine out to be effective. I can lower my engine - to an extent - and add more damage potential.

Go Commandos! <o

[RazorbeastFXK3]

Sneezing on the competition with x2 srm6 is fun in a Commando. Even more so with x3 srm4.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Commando were my first light mech.

They may have lacked the armor and speed of the Jenner - but none of that matters when you are the lowest priority target

[RazorbeastFXK3]

Commando better than the Locust in the sense that when the opponent sees a Locust they are seen as "oh.. one hit kill! MUST SHOOT!" and when they see a Jenner.. it seems that they're more threatened by the Jenner's capability than the Commando 'cause well.. they just don't understand what a Commando is able to do?

Shar Wolf, on 08 October 2014 - 05:22 PM, said:

Commando were my first light mech.

They may have lacked the armor and speed of the Jenner - but none of that matters when you are the lowest priority target

[DONTOR]

DustyHardtail, on 05 October 2014 - 10:13 PM, said:

And finally, my COM-1B.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...951d8ce3d2334db

Good start for your 1B, but try this little devil instead. Basically a TDK but better, because when both arms are gone you still have firepower. Also pay close attention to the armor you had a perfect CT setup but the rear side torsos on Commandos are microscopic.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a280da5c85c927d
COMMANDO COM-1B 56 35 21 1.67 68 24 2.83 17,318 58,122 06:14:15

Shar Wolf, on 08 October 2014 - 05:22 PM, said:

Commando were my first light mech.

They may have lacked the armor and speed of the Jenner - but none of that matters when you are the lowest priority target

Thankfully nowthe Jenner lacks the speed of a Commando!

[Alaskan Nobody]

RazorbeastFXK3, on 08 October 2014 - 05:25 PM, said:

Commando better than the Locust in the sense that when the opponent sees a Locust they are seen as "oh.. one hit kill! MUST SHOOT!"

50-50 for me.

Some matches my Locust is using Commando for cover - other matches it is the other way around.

[RazorbeastFXK3]

So you have a standard SRM4 paired with Standard 1/2 ton SRM ammo and 1 ton of SRM4 ammo + artemis? How is that possible?

DONTOR, on 08 October 2014 - 05:28 PM, said:

Good start for your 1B, but try this little devil instead. Basically a TDK but better, because when both arms are gone you still have firepower. Also pay close attention to the armor you had a perfect CT setup but the rear side torsos on Commandos are microscopic.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a280da5c85c927d
COMMANDO COM-1B 56 35 21 1.67 68 24 2.83 17,318 58,122 06:14:15

[DONTOR]

RazorbeastFXK3, on 08 October 2014 - 05:31 PM, said:

So you have a standard SRM4 paired with Standard 1/2 ton SRM ammo and 1 ton of SRM4 ammo + artemis? How is that possible?

because smurfys, thats why.

Hell, while we are on my favorite subject I will dish a little more Commando tips for everyone.

Use hill climb module! You will have your mind blown by the slopes you can climb (almost all of them on canyon network) minimizing the disadvantage of not having JJs.

The Commando 1D is better than the 3A, because you get a dummy arm that the enemy will sometimes shoot at, saving you precious armor elsewhere. (run ZERO armor on the 1Ds left arm)

Most of you know this, but the Commando has few advantages over other mechs, but what it does have is speed. Always try to max the engine unless you are going for something very specific that disallows this.

And the last one I can think of at this moment is, always play conquest, you can easily win most matches by watching the cap score if it come down to it.

OH YA. Commandos wreck Spiders, if you meet one and you are fresh take it out. FEAR NO SPIDER.

Edited by DONTOR, 08 October 2014 - 05:42 PM.

[Zordicron]

I agree 100% on the spider thing, the only way they can escape is to jump over a wall and disengage. Most don't know how to handle a mech that doesnt die in one laser strike(locust) but they also can't outrun. No matter what jukes they try, you just scalpel a leg off them and they die.

max engine, all day lol. My 1B i just stuck 3 ML on and went to town, great heat efficiency and agility. Less is more on trollmandos IMO. you are better served by non stop full throttle constant dmg output then alpha strikes on these guys.

[3xnihilo]

I never engage a commando in my spiders, maybe a passing swipe with a mpl but then I go onto easier less dangerous targets like direwolves and stalkers.

[Zordicron]

3xnihilo, on 12 October 2014 - 01:41 PM, said:

I never engage a commando in my spiders, maybe a passing swipe with a mpl but then I go onto easier less dangerous targets like direwolves and stalkers.

lol, true, true.

[Shazarad]

Way back when in the dawn of time, I ran a Commando 1B with nothing but 2 medium pulse lasers, and the med pulses weren't even half as good as they are now.

When the dominant light mech was a Jenner with 6 small lasers, nobody ever feared my Commando. Because of this inherent invisibility I was able to backstab folks quite easily. One time I was even able to solo an Atlas (a fresh one too) because he literally could not shoot that far down, much less actually see me. I hugged his ankle fiercely!

The Commando holds a special place in my heart because of my Closed Beta days of running around with it going against the meta of Jenners only. I used to hunt Jenners with 2 Streaks and 2 medium lasers back when streaks did something like 16 damage per missile and always hit the CT. Good good times for a Commando.

Of course I had my fair share of mechs knocking me over, due to the Commando being the lightest mech in the game at the time every single other mech could knock me over no problem. I was downtrodden by Bowling Dragons, Atlases who didn't quite see me, or Jenners with an attitude problem. I would struggle to get up and would eventually be totally dismantled in one or two shots. One game I was so badly damage that I hid behind my team's Atlases who quite literally stomped me to death. The first one knocked me over and walked over me, the next one stepped on top of me after that and ended up killing me through collision damage. Sad, sad times for a Commando.

But today, the Commando is still one of the fastest mechs around and still carries an amazing punch for its size. Now that SRMs are actually decent again, you can do quite a bit of work in one if you're careful.

[Valdemaar]

Back in closed beta I preferred the Commando over the Jenner and still hold it as one of my favorite lights. Currently I pilot The Death's Knell more than the other variants but they're still a blast to run.

And to bring a bit of nostalgia... back during the days of SPL Hunchbacks, Gausskitties, and Dragon ramming there was the original Trollmando.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c4005a710d732b6

[K0M3D14N]

Match from a few minutes ago. Even the mighty Direwolf cannot match the most terrifying anklebiter!

COM-3A, XL210, Endo, 2 DHS, 2xMLAS, 2xSRM4, 2 tons SRM ammo. Still had enough ammo left at the end of the round for eight more alphas!

[3xnihilo]

K0M3D14N, on 16 October 2014 - 02:19 PM, said:

COM-3A, XL210, Endo, 2 DHS, 2xMLAS, 2xSRM4, 2 tons SRM ammo. Still had enough ammo left at the end of the round for eight more alphas!

Hmm. . . just got my 3A. I was thinking about building it like this, I guess it works for you