55 replies to this topic

[Zacharia Edjin]

Hi all

I'm looking to get back into playing after a long while (At least a year) and I'm looking for help with Catapult "support" builds. I know a lot of people hate the missile spam but I've always loved playing those Artillery/sniper style roles. At the moment I have the founders Catapult and I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to help me out with a few builds/what to look for to build a workable artillery catapult.

As a side note, any tips on strategies for playing a missile boat in MWO would also be appriciated.

Thanking you all in advance.

[Nightshade24]

CPLT-C1
CPLT-C1
CPLT-A1
CPLT-A1
CPLT-C4
CPLT-C4
CPLT-K2
CPLT-K2
JESTER

A few builds I've ran in the past.
(CASE with XL engine is to prevent 1 MG ruining your undamaged internals day)

Choose your poison.

(In the above builds you can remove artemis for more ammo if CW or cooldown module 5 is around. Catapult K2 could go remove the medium pulses for 2 mediums and get AMS, etc).

[Nightshade24]

Depending on which one you go with, the play style will be different.
http://imgur.com/a/iGK07
A few images with kinda poor models and stuff I've made to show the differences between ballistics and missiles to LRM's. (mainly to say how it requires skill and how it isn't OP but it does give a decent perspective)

But there is 3 ways you can play a catapult LRM boat.

1) stay near the center of your team. Fire on targets that have solid locks. if there isn't a solid lock use it for area denial then.
Fire at mechs indirectly.

2) keep line of sight with mechs, use your speed to get slightly away from your team to a better position but not to far away. Fire at mechs that you hold a solid lock on, otherwise area deinal, do not hesitate to use your energy weapons.

3) Screw LRM support. Rush in there and fight them at 200-230 meters range, be aggressive. Fire your close range weapons. etc.


these are the 3 basic ways to catapult, the differences is how your team behaves, what map, what exact build., what are the enemies, etc.

It takes practice, after you play it a bit you will start to find "your" style of LRM'ing. Lucky for me I got 40 or so LRM mechs across 20 tons to 100 tons, IS and Clan. So I know how to use LRM's in many way and can reliably dumb fire.

I love the catapults. They are my favorite heavy mechs.

Just go listen to Macks corner early LRM videos... they are reasonably valid today. (minus the loosing locks intentionally part). I wouldn't suggest his later videos as it is no more about talking and playing MW: O but it is ranting at UP LRM's and PGI this and that rant rant rant.

This guy used to be my favorite youtuber. Sadly people change. part of nature.


If you want I can go play with you with my Catapult and help ya out.


(Also note: you can remove a medium laser for a TAG)
(Catapult is a great XL mech. even in my brawler builds I still use XL engines)

Kinda shocked you have a Catapult C1 Founders and have never built it up yet... I would kill for Pointy nose catapult...

[Zacharia Edjin]

I loved Battletech as a board game and used to play Mechwarrior 3 a lot. When i heard that this was comign out I had just got a new job and had a bit of spare cash lying about so I figured I'd support the cause. After a while i got distracted and it was just recently seeing a twitch stream of it that I figured i'd pop back and see what was happening. And find myself with 3 extra mechs so I was like.... hrmm... why not. So I wanna get a mech I enjoy using up and running first, then I can flesh out the collection later

I think I'm gonna try your Artemis C1 first. See how that goes.

Thanks for the advice

[Nightshade24]

You're welcome.

I kind of find it funny how you got the founders while you didn't play the game but could have... my situation was different... (and still present)

it is 1) I can't buy any pack. Gift cards do not apply to pre order packs ie Karma Koin.
2) back then when I heard about MW: O I had a Windows 95.... yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaa....
I was still playing MW2, 3,4 in 2012 and I do not have any hope of getting a super computer to run MW: O. Until I got this computer which seems to be having issues running the game and is burning itself to death to the point the built in microphone is nothing but static due to heat damage I suspect.


ANyway keep in mind it's normal for people to hate a new mech or hate a mech until they max it out in skills. So if you do not like it just keep trying, things often get better soon.

[Bluefalcon13]

My founder-pult is a 'super-stock' styled mech. Near max armor, endo, xl300 engine, lrm 15s upgraded with Artemis. Max JJs, one extra double heatsink (plus the engine slots are filled), BAP, and I think 5 tons of ammo. I use my LRMs mostly on LOS targets, and less for blind fire.

If you drop artemis, you can fit 2 more tons of ammo.

[Nightshade24]

Bluefalcon13, on 04 January 2015 - 02:45 PM, said:

My founder-pult is a 'super-stock' styled mech. Near max armor, endo, xl300 engine, lrm 15s upgraded with Artemis. Max JJs, one extra double heatsink (plus the engine slots are filled), BAP, and I think 5 tons of ammo. I use my LRMs mostly on LOS targets, and less for blind fire.

If you drop artemis, you can fit 2 more tons of ammo.

that's practically the build I posted / he's going to use.

Stock++ catapult is best catapult!

[Darian DelFord]

Another Great build for the C1 is 2 LPL and 2 MPL, great little mech and can really drive home some damage as everyone amis for the ears to kill ya.

[Zacharia Edjin]

It's less the brawler style mechs and more the support Artillery mechs I'm interested in. Though i am finding at the moment that in Pub matches everyone seems to rush off to brawl, the two groups pass each other and those of us at the back lines which don't have the punch to deal with a brawler seem to find ourselves face to face with one. Anyone have any tips?

[Bigbacon]

Darian DelFord, on 06 January 2015 - 07:20 AM, said:

Another Great build for the C1 is 2 LPL and 2 MPL, great little mech and can really drive home some damage as everyone amis for the ears to kill ya.

what engine do you use for this?

[Kadix]

Here's my C1(F) build:


Basic play style is to stay at the back of the group early on, shoot LRM when you have good locks, and then laser things that get close.

Unless your target is NARC'ed or you have a dedicated spotter, don't shoot at things beyond about 800 meters. Your sweet spot is about 300 to 400 meters. Max range on LRMs is 1000m, minimum range 180m.

The ammo is a little on the light side, so don't waste it. If you're careful, by the time you run out of LRM ammo you'll either be dead or anything still alive is going to be beat up (easy for you to take down with lasers).

You can use lasers and LRMs effectively in the 180m to 270m range, but it will get very hot. Most of the time you want to use either lasers OR LRMs, but not both at the same time.

The Artemis requires line of sight, but basically makes your missiles more agile. Drops your raw damage numbers (vs using larger, non-Artemis launchers), but the Artemis missiles get you more CT hits and thus more kills. Artemis benefit goes away if you don't have line-of-sight, but it's worth it.

For modules, priorities are:
Advanced Radar Decay
LRM 15 Cooldown 5
Medium Laser Range 5
Improved UAV

I don't use this in CW (where I rock Mad Dogs), but I suspect you'll find you want more ammo on it for CW matches.

[ThrashInc]

Best Cat was SplatCat.

[Terrien]

Most of the posts I have come across have been pretty old. I just purchased a C1, Have not played it yet, but I am already tinkering with build ideas. In the current game meta would this be relevant? http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1f386af1fdb2358 With info-warfare and the constant changes to targeting mechanics what would I need to have a solid artillery support Cat?

[Chryckan]

Like someone just said in my post looking for catapult builds, a major revamp is coming so nobody can be sure. My advice which I'm currently using with my new K2 is to stick with the stock build and just fool around in the pug que until anyone can say anything more certain.
Then you can spend the c-bills on new builds.
Doing it now you just risk building something that shortly won't work and wasted millions c-bills for no purpose.

[Terrien]

Chryckan, on 28 November 2015 - 09:29 AM, said:

Like someone just said in my post looking for catapult builds, a major revamp is coming so nobody can be sure. My advice which I'm currently using with my new K2 is to stick with the stock build and just fool around in the pug que until anyone can say anything more certain.
Then you can spend the c-bills on new builds.
Doing it now you just risk building something that shortly won't work and wasted millions c-bills for no purpose.

Good Advice. I'll do some minor tweaks, and leave the overhaul until something concrete emerges.

[Paul Inouye]

This has been my K2 build since open beta started...

Paul Inouye, on 01 December 2015 - 03:58 PM, said:

This has been my K2 build since open beta started...

And who the heck put grumpy cat in my sig?? ... goes hunting for Tina ...

[soapyfrog]

That can't be a serious build...

[The Omega]

It's a serious explanation, and a seriously bad build, but-- it can't be a serious build.

Okay, Paul, dude. You've got the three cardinal sins of building there, one, all your weapons systems have incompatible ranges, and more importantly burn times/convergence. Two, you have insufficient ammo for your main punch, *and* it's in your CT. Three, you have an XL and move at snails pace.

Try swapping out the UACs for an extra LL and a bigger engine. You're only griefing yourself with that build there.

Oh, and I don't remember if the K2 has JJs, but I'd scrap the AMS for one and a faster turn/hill climbing.

Edited by Sybl, 01 December 2015 - 04:34 PM.

[heimdelight]

Paul Inouye, on 01 December 2015 - 04:00 PM, said:

PAULS K2 BUILD

That's actually not too bad of a build.

I used 2xUAC5 1xPPC and 3xMediums awhile back, pretty similar but better optimized IMO.

[HBizzle]

Paul Inouye, on 01 December 2015 - 04:00 PM, said:

This has been my K2 build since open beta started...





And who the heck put grumpy cat in my sig?? ... goes hunting for Tina ...

Wait how slow does this go?