48 replies to this topic

[Aramas Thornes]

Okay I don't see how the Zeus can be any good at all. I can get an average 200-300 and 30 to 50 score but have not had any success with anything higher.


My Wolverine at 55 tons is faster, has more damage, has better heat management, more armor unless you severely under engine the zeus (which makes it worse because its max armor is still no where as high as other assaults), has jump jets, and the layout of the hard points actually makes sense.

You cant use an xl because the torso armor points are not nearly high enough.

If you try to do an energy build there simply isn't enough heat management even with skills and double sinks.

If you try to do a LRM or SRM build there isn't enough hardpoints.

If you try to do a projectile build there isn't enough tonnage for ammo or slots for the hard points

if you try to do a mobile build there isn't enough armor or damage capabilities

if you try to do a dps build there is no where near enough speed and your armor dips into medium class equivalency.

if you try to do a combo energy/projectile build not enough tonnage to do heat management and have any ammo or vice versa

I had people tell me that they have gotten 800 plus damage and I simply just do not see how that is possible unless the other team was just really stupid

I do not see any Zeus variant worth anything unless they up the speed, the tonnage, or the slots/hard points and quirks will not solve the issue either.

Have any of you had any success with any builds? at all?

[DLFReporter]

I must say that I like the Zeus. It's monster of a Tank and can perform as a Zombie.
64km/h for a 80t mech is totally ok. With its tanking abilities, I would run it as a brawler for effect.

Here my first builds (not optimized, but viable due to CB shortage)
ZEU-6S: The Brawler
1xUAC5 (90)
1xLL
3xML
1xSRM6 (100)
DHS
You can use the UAC5 and LL together with no heat generation. Use the ML and SRM only in toe to toe situations.

ZEU-6T: The Flyswatter
2xLL
2xML
3xSRM (200)
Only use the SRMs for a sure shotgun shot. To cool down, use the LL

ZEU-9S: A bit of range
1xERPPC
1xLL
3xML
1xTAG
1xLRM10 (360)
Stay at range and try to get your own targets with the LRM10 and the ERPPC. Use the 3ML to cool down. The LL is for backup and alphas.

Edited by DLFReporter, 18 March 2015 - 05:17 AM.

[Aramas Thornes]

Thank you for your detailed response the only question i have is,

What engines are you using? xl or standard I assume standard for zombie correct?

[STEF_]

Aramas Thornes, on 18 March 2015 - 08:23 AM, said:

Thank you for your detailed response the only question i have is,

What engines are you using? xl or standard I assume standard for zombie correct?

Both are fine.
St for zombie, but Zeus is quite xl frieldy and this means a lot of speed and firepower.

[Sjorpha]

Here are some builds for various ranges, they are all standard engine builds as I don't think XL is an option.

9S
Short range
Mid range
Long range

6T
Short range
LRMs

6S
Long range
Mid-long range
Short range

Hope that helps.

Edited by Sjorpha, 18 March 2015 - 10:12 AM.

[sycocys]

From the few times I played the Zues today I would highly recommend an XL engine because the CT seems to cover your head and most of both side torso's anyhow - far more likely to get the ct blown out than your arms even. May as well save the weight and be bold with your loadout.

[Barkem Squirrel]

I was running the 6T with this load out, but still maintained a 2 KDR this morning before the hot fix that addressed the targeting issues with LRMs. A few of the kills were by dead firing the LRMs. One Mist Linx, one Direwolf and one Highlander.

Max armor
Endo steel
DHS 10 + 1 in an engine area so 11
325 XL
Command console (I am testing it again, so maybe two more heat sinks in the engine and one more ton of LRM ammo)
BAP
9.5 tons of LRM ammo
3 x LRM 15's
3 x ML's
TAG
AMS
1 ton AMS ammo


Note: You have a max range of 1225 m with the range extension and a range of 844 m with TAG. So firing at targets below 400 or 500 m might be like having Artemis.

[Dawnstealer]

I posted on the other "Zeusieses are horrible!" thread:

Quote

The Zeus is like an 80 ton Tbolt and has been waaaaaay more effective than I was thinking it would be. I ground through Basics in my first one in about two hours (including the 30 minutes or so I took for lunch) getting a rather obscene 1.67 KDR with a virgin mech.

So when breaking in a new mech, since quirks rolled out, I'll usually build around the quirks first, then go from there.

That said, this thing feels like a brawler, so I've been building it around a STD engine. Here's the two builds I've been running and both have been pretty effective. Of course, you'll have to change it up for your style:

ZEU-6S
This one takes advantage of the AC5 quirks by having two of them. Backing it up are a rather nasty 4 MPLs. Like Victors and other similar builds, you can just hold down the AC5 key and call it good - I've only lost that left-hook arm once. Still, those MPLs deliver a really strong 24 pinpoint strike. You need to be a little careful as doing this too often will overheat you fast, but just switch to your AC5s to cool down, or go to chain fire for a minute or two. Your right side is basically just a big shield.

ZEU-6T
The 100yd killer. PPC in the left arm to poke at range and take advantage of this mech's quirks. The right hook is nasty with 3 SRM4s, and this is backed up by 3MLs should the fight go long. I tossed an XL in this one just to see how the Zeus runs one. So far, so good, but I might go to a STD once I get Speed Tweak.

ZEU-9S
This one's just theory-crafted and, again, that left arm is designed to take advantage of both the current meta and this mech's quirks. I haven't run this yet, but this seems like it would be a pretty good build. I might flip the MLs and ERLLs (moving the ERLLs to the torso), but the overall idea will be the same.

Edited by Dawnstealer, 18 March 2015 - 10:40 AM.

[Enigmos]

I've had good matches so far with this build.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8b97a1fe6865572
If you go with the twin AC-5 you can go with the XL engine. All deaths so far have been CT.

[Macksheen]

OriginalTibs, on 18 March 2015 - 10:45 AM, said:

I've had good matches so far with this build.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8b97a1fe6865572
If you go with the twin AC-5 you can go with the XL engine. All deaths so far have been CT.

With Endo and FF you could put in a STD 325 w/ same heat and weaponset, FYI

[HlynkaCG]

Only just started, but I have been having some really good games in the 6T with stock engine, 3 SRM6s, and 4 tons of ammo. Even with near-max armor it has plenty of tonnage for back-up weapons and heatsinks.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c5a47cae4c403ac

[Kaldrenborn]

HlynkaCG, on 18 March 2015 - 11:05 AM, said:

Only just started, but I have been having some really good games in the 6T with stock engine, 3 SRM6s, and 4 tons of ammo. Even with near-max armor it has plenty of tonnage for back-up weapons and heatsinks.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c5a47cae4c403ac

Mine is very similar to yours, only I went with Pulse Lasers, Artemis, and AMS. I did drop the engine down to a 300, but I haven't had any problems with being a little slower. First match I got over 700 damage and 3 kills.

edit: forgot link

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9967454fd8250f9

Edited by DustyHardtail, 20 March 2015 - 09:18 AM.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Even my worst Zeus gets 600-700 damage games regularly.

ZEU-6S

ZEU-6T

ZEU-9S

The above might not be perfectly matching what I run, but they're close, and they certainly reflect the build principles I was operating from in each case. The first one is a decent sniper with nasty close-in weapons, the second is a strong brawler with a reasonable mid-long range engagement capability. The last is a very good all-ranges mech with serious extreme-range capability and even better damage output close-in.

[Barkem Squirrel]

Tried the 6S this morning with

4 ML's
2 AC 5's
1 SRM 6.

Stock engine, endo steel, DHS

Damage, well each time me and one or two other players fended off an assault lance. I just tore into a DDC and a Splat Stalker under the loading dock on Crimson straights. But the chain firing of the AC 5's was enough to back them off. and using the SRM's for heat management when the 4 ML's raised the heat too high. Even a Laser direwolf ran from me. Normally I do not play brawlers, but this was fun even at very low frame rates.

Edited by Barkem Squirrel, 20 March 2015 - 10:25 AM.

[R D Stunna]

Levi Porphyrogenitus, on 20 March 2015 - 09:43 AM, said:

Even my worst Zeus gets 600-700 damage games regularly.

ZEU-6S

...

I run pretty much the same build for the 6S, only difference is I put a lot more of my armor in the front instead of the rear. So far I average around 500-650 damage a game. I'm 9-5 in wins and losses with it and 19-8 in kills/deaths. I'm really liking the Zeus-6S so far.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

R D Stunna, on 21 March 2015 - 07:08 AM, said:

I run pretty much the same build for the 6S, only difference is I put a lot more of my armor in the front instead of the rear. So far I average around 500-650 damage a game. I'm 9-5 in wins and losses with it and 19-8 in kills/deaths. I'm really liking the Zeus-6S so far.

When offering a Smurfy's link, I always leave the default front/rear distributions in place, as revealing what I actually use might allow forumwarriors to take advantage of meta knowledge to my detriment.

It's amazing how good quad MPLs can be, and having an entire half of the mech available as expendible bonus armor is really handy.

[Hemholtz]

Not sure about Zeus being XL friendly...almost always got a ST blown off for me and most of the firepower is on the left side.

[PremithiumX]

Hemholtz, on 21 March 2015 - 07:44 AM, said:

Not sure about Zeus being XL friendly...almost always got a ST blown off for me and most of the firepower is on the left side.

I have to agree here, being left side heavy will eventually lead to the left side being the most targeted area of the mech. That said, I utilize the "lrm arms" a little bit more for indirect fire support and to try to balance things out. I hate having most of my weapons on one side.

[SethAbercromby]

Super Stock 6S
My personal build that improves mid-range fire power, armor and heat efficiency over the stock version. Ammo effectiveness remains unchanged. The speed and flexibility give it a lot of options for engagements and makes it perform well in a flexible fire support and command role. The LLas allows for poking at long range, the LRM15 gives you a nice indirect punch and the two AC5s and MLas will help you ruin someones day when you are forced into close range. Its only real weakness is Ammo storage but using some trigger discipline and primarily reling on the LLas during the early game will allow you to have enough ammo to last until the end of the match in most cases.

Edited by SethAbercromby, 21 March 2015 - 06:25 PM.

[LordKnightFandragon]

I took the stock 6S build, swapped it to DHS, increased ammo in the AC5 to 5t, LRM to 2t and like 1 extra DHS, maxed armor.

HEat is ok, output seems sadish. Unloaded into a King Crab and several mechs in a CW match, ended with 0 kills and like 500 dmg or so.

Zeus really does have me wondering what to do with it.