8 replies to this topic

[NetherlightWolf]

I have heard several different mech drop configs for CW that are supposedly effective but unsure which ones work in practice.

I am of Clan Wolf with no current unit affliation, and like some others, I am about a unified clan front and have set aside my misgivings about Lords or any other big unit. I just want to give my all in shoving the IS scum all the way back to Terra.

Bit of background: I love my dires despite their issues and am decent with heavy mechs. Lights I admit are my weak point and can't play them very well.

[Amarus Cameron]

I will give you a suggestion from how Clan Smoke Jaguar plays, I have found that it is very effective.

I run a Summoner, then a Mist Lynx, then a Stormcrow, and lasty a Timberwolf.

Let me give you the rundown of why.

When I drop with my unit (SA) we like to move quickly to overwhelm defenses, anything slower than 80kph is simply not useful in the first wave and honestly the only time we take the big guns is on the defense where speed matters a little less.

All of my mechs are mastered, so they have speeds boosts, accuracy and heat bonuses etc etc.

Summoner B (C-ERPPC, C-UAC20 (3 tons of ammo))
This mech is my first mech, by design a raider with the ability to potshot (the PPC) and the ability to run and gun but really lay on the damage (UAC20) normally other pilots bring ECM so I stick with them and we rush in and do what we do.

Mist Lynx C (stock build, i really like it)
This mech is fast (124.4kph with the speed boost) it has ECM and AMS so it is not only something I can live for quite a while in, but it is useful to all my starmates around me. I shepard the heavies and mediums to their goal and then kite around taking quick shots at the enemy.

Stormcrow C(x3 med pulse, UAC20(3 tons of ammo))
This is faster than the summoner with almost as much staying power and versatility. No jumpjets so that is sad, but otherwise an all around great mech. This one I throw in because I don't have a maddog yet and I love the punch of the UAC20, i normally do pretty well in it, just don't lose your UAC20 arm, that just sucks.

Timberwolf C(x2 med lasers, x1 UAC10 (2 tons of ammo), x2 LRM15 (3 tons of ammo))
This one is a medium range fighter, I feel that at 400m this mech can put out an ungodly amount of firepower. This is my last mech that I run and if I ever get this far **** has gotten real, so why not end with a timby, something to put the hurt on.


Anyway this is how I normally run, I am looking to grab a warhawk but that is really just to PUG with. I find that assaults are much too slow for the way my clan plays(not just my unit), though if there was a coordinated strike with support surrounding assaults I imagine they would do better, the new DWF-S will probably see play soon, but for now I leave assaults out of my drop deck.

[Repasy Cooper]

Hey Shiverwolf.

You can try deploying 2x Timber Wolf and 2x Ice Ferret. I love this combo because it gives me firepower & speed when I need it.

Also, if you try this loadout, you should purchase the newly available TBR-D. I can't stress enough how effective this guy will be on the battlefield. 2x Clan ERPPC's have brief electrical interference effect on mechs, allowing you to lock onto ECM carriers and fire your 4x Streak-SRM6's for maximum damage. This guy can blow the side torso off pesky lights in one volley, and match the tbolt ERPPC maniacs at range. Must have for CW.

If you don't wanna purchase the new mech but you have a TBR-S, try out the following modification. It's very similar idea.

TBR-SD

[Revis Volek]

For Defense...

1x DWF
1x MDD
1x SCR
1x MLX

For Attack...

1x TBR
1x SCR
1x NVA or ICF
1x MDD

or

1x HBR
2x MDD
1x SCR

All are great combos and can cover all the bases. You can have ECM, Direct fire, Streak or SRM in many of the mech setups and also afford a base runner and Gen busters in the Nova, Ice Ferret and Stormcrows.

Maddog, Stormcrows and Timbys all do SRM and Streak boats well, TBR , SCR, DWF and HBR all do Direct Fire very well and can be setup for brawl or range which again covers multiple situations.

[Repasy Cooper]

DarthRevis, on 20 January 2015 - 12:45 PM, said:

For Defense...

1x DWF
1x MDD
1x SCR
1x MLX

For Attack...

1x TBR
1x SCR
1x NVA or ICF
1x MDD

or

1x HBR
2x MDD
1x SCR

All are great combos and can cover all the bases. You can have ECM, Direct fire, Streak or SRM in many of the mech setups and also afford a base runner and Gen busters in the Nova, Ice Ferret and Stormcrows.

Maddog, Stormcrows and Timbys all do SRM and Streak boats well, TBR , SCR, DWF and HBR all do Direct Fire very well and can be setup for brawl or range which again covers multiple situations.

This is great too. Shiverwolf, if you go with these loadouts try purchasing the MDD-C. Dual Gauss ftw!

Also, try out this Hellbringer:

HBR-BP

It can run a little hot! But 1 or 2 alpha-fires into the back of any mech will kill it, and it has enough heat dissipation to do that on Terra Therma. Sooo... if you can stay hidden giving ecm support to allies, then jump out when the enemy is <200m from you... they are dead. But low armor of a Hellbringer can be a problem, so make sure that when you do jump out of cover you can land the first blow!

Edited by Repasy, 20 January 2015 - 01:02 PM.

[NetherlightWolf]

Thanks for the input everyone. I am definitely getting the new timber variant. Then the dire variant when I get paid this week.

Dire wolf with high mounted energy hard points AND jump jets?! Yes please!

[BSK]

All my prime versions are equipped with modules and ready to drop. This way I can change to any setup that I want.

If you drop solo its always good to have a mech with jump jets in your drop ship, because pugs suck at opening gates. A Mist Lynx with full weapon loadout can kill a generator before the defence turret at the gate can damage it critically. It is sometimes better when one smart player sacrfices just one mech before too many peasants die in the thunderpeps rain. After that you join them in an Assault ..

[DEMAX51]

I would just like to add - it's very important to set up drop decks that will work well given your current situation. I like to use different drop decks for attacking and defending, and I also like to use different drop decks if I'm fighting against Clan or IS opponents. Sometimes I'll even figure out if we're dropping on the Hot map or the Cold map, and plan for that accordingly as well.

If you're defending against IS opponents, for instance, you'll probably want a streakboat or two in case they Light rush. When you're defending against other Clan factions, though, that becomes a bit less important because they have fewer speedy Lights.

[AlphaToaster]

If lights are a weakness for you, I would avoid a Direwolf in your deck since that forces you to have a light until you're more comfortable in them. You could put a Direwolf in a defensive deck, but spreading that weight across your mechs may yield a better experience for you. What I mean is, while you're in your 1 Dire, knowing that, you may play a bit more cautious than if you had more heavy/med mechs in your deck that you could risk. Dires are also very slow and unless your group is running 12 of them, it's likely to get left behind on attack or force a long pause while they wait for you to arrive on station.

Say you ran 1 TBR and 3 SCR's, you would have some freedom to experiment with your SCR since you have 2 more to go after the first. Then when you get in your TBR it'll feel like a super tanked up SCR. From this point you figure out (while playing) if you might have a better mech/build for how you're playing and then tweak the deck based on that.

I suggest starting decks like these, and then making adjustments based on your performace:

1 TBR
3 SCR

1 HBR
1 SCR
2 MOD

2 HBR
2 SCR

Embrace the stormcrow. When you build your mechs, try to make the weapons/weapon groups similar so you are not switching between radically different play styles as you change mechs. My very first drop deck for about the first week (1tbr/3scr), I had LL all on group 1 and med lasers on group 2. All my mechs had either 1 or 2 LL, and all of them had 4 med lasers. Heatsinks on the builds were such that they all ran near the same heat so they felt alike.

When you play in the solo or regular group queues, force yourself to work on Kit Fox or Mist Lynx until you're comfortable. Go for avg 500 damage per game and when you feel you can reasonably hit that in the regular queues in a light, work the light/dire into your CW defensive decks.