22 replies to this topic

[Bespoke Cheese Cake]

Hello fellow mechwarriors, having played this game for a while I generally know where the best place to shoot another mech is and my aim is good enough to place an alpha where I want.
However after landing the killing blow on something like 4000+ enemy mechs I have found only about 33 of these to be a shot to the head.

This to me indicates a couple of things about how appealing the head is as a target. The first is head hit boxes are small and hard to hit especially on fast moving mechs. The second is given how hard the head is to hit I prefer to aim for either legs or torso of the enemy depending on the circumstances and how big they are.

In my personal opinion the best weapons to pull off a head shot are Small and Medium lasers of all types and the Gauss Rifle. The lasers can be stacked and have relatively short burn times while two Gauss Rifles can score critical hits really well.

It is worth noting a fair percentage of the head shots I have scored have been on opponents who have had the misfortune to shutdown in front of me or in the case of some newer players they just stand almost as still as they can.

Having given my thoughts on the subject I like to hear from others as to how they go about shooting cockpits or if like me you often don't bother.

[Leone]

It depends on the mech. I've spent a good deal of time focusing cockpits, and most of the time it just adds to their mech-life, as I end up spreading my damage over the cockpit, but not doing enough to make it worthwhile. Of course, when they stop moving, then yes, it's time to focus fire.

~Leone.

[Cataclysm315]

I personally go for the legs if they are a clan heavy+ or just go for the torsos. Actually saying that, I usually go for the weakest segment, whatever puts them down the fastest.

[Bud Crue]

Only times I consciously go for head shots is 1) if someone is trying to face tank me and or they shut down while facing me;
2) the opponent is an Atlas. I can't resist the red eye.

[Cataclysm315]

Bud Crue, on 05 February 2016 - 04:02 AM, said:

Only times I consciously go for head shots is 1) if someone is trying to face tank me and or they shut down while facing me;
2) the opponent is an Atlas. I can't resist the red eye.

You leave my fatlas alone, or i swear i'll AC20 your cockpit first

[el piromaniaco]

Well, now it depends on the mech and the the size of the cockpit if i try to hit it.

When i started playing i tried it on every mech i met (crazy noob in a light facehugging every atlas i was) and landed 14 headshots so far.
Haven't been paying attention to it for quite a while (before PSR i think), and haven't shoot in heads lately. maybe i should give it a try again.

Greetings

el piro

P.S.: I think i had my best luck with LPLs btw.

[Boulangerie]

I've had a few lucky headshots, but in general, going for the head on Humanoid mechs is a gamble as it's easier to miss entirely. If you go for a headshot on, for example, a Jagermech, you're likely to just hit CT instead, which is just as good in my book.

I did have an epic kill on a Dire when I was outnumbered an outgunned, which was extremely satisfying.

I think it happens a lot more when they've been sprayed by a laser which has already done a little of the work as well. It's possible to cockpit them with a dual gauss if one of the rifles crits, even if they have full armor, but many people run lower armor values on the Head (myself included).

As far as receiving them, I think i've only died to a headshot once or twice in hundreds of games.

[Takashi Uchida]

I've got an even lesser percentage: 6500 kills, only 25 headshot kills.

I don't think I've ever headshotted (as in killed) a non-disconnected or shutdown mech with lasers/missiles, nor do I think I've ever been killed by headshot with lasers/missiles. All my confirmed headshots came from Gauss or AC20.

Funny enough, I have had my head destroyed by artillery a couple times (yea I shave off some head armor and live dangerously), and I'm sure I've gotten a few lucky artillery headshots myself (pretty hard to confirm though because you usually don't have your artillery victims' loadout reading when you kill them with it).

In some (most?) cases I think if you're going for CT anyway, it won't hurt to aim for the head because if you miss you will hit CT, but I can imagine that this could also lead to more damage spreading to the STs depending on the hitboxes.

[xMintaka]

Honestly, I only go for headshots on players that are facetanking me (usually newbies) or DC's. Otherwise there's no point. You might get lucky, but the 99 other times you are better off shooting for CT or wherever you like to shoot first.

Personally I go for legs more than anything else. But that's because I'm a light pilot and I like to spite all the Assault/Heavies that shoot for my legs. Works REALLY well if you can get your whole drop to focus fire on legs.

[JigglyMoobs]

On colder maps it's easier to get headshots if you turn on thermal vision, then the cockpit shows up contrasted against the torso. See for example this game at around 6:23 :

https://youtu.be/M7kLeV8HWHY?t=6m20s

It's still a crapshoot though.

[Sable Dove]

The only time to ever go for headshots is on shutdown, or unmoving mechs. The latency, hit detection, and wonky hitboxes make it hard enough on a moving target, that if you sink an AC20 or Gauss shot into their cockpit, it's actually good for them, as it just saved their CT 20/15 damage.

To be honest, the thing that kills me by cockpit is almost exclusively airstrikes. Even if you're in a mech that doesn't have a cockpit that's exposed on the top; the artillery shells stop at your cockpit and turn 90 degrees somehow.

[JigglyMoobs]

Sable Dove, on 08 February 2016 - 06:03 PM, said:

The only time to ever go for headshots is on shutdown, or unmoving mechs. The latency, hit detection, and wonky hitboxes make it hard enough on a moving target, that if you sink an AC20 or Gauss shot into their cockpit, it's actually good for them, as it just saved their CT 20/15 damage.

To be honest, the thing that kills me by cockpit is almost exclusively airstrikes. Even if you're in a mech that doesn't have a cockpit that's exposed on the top; the artillery shells stop at your cockpit and turn 90 degrees somehow.

If you manage to crit their cockpit you could always follow with a strike. Almost a guaranteed kill.

[Sunstruck]

The Timber Wolf, Dire Wolf, and the other clan assult similar to the Dire are some of the easiest mechs to headshot. Most times when you run into an Atlas or Marauder up close your only chance in a medium mech is a head shot. Atlases that don't torso turn are actually pretty easy to head shot. Another mech thats pretty easy to headshot is the Cataphract, the Shadowhawk and Centurion are pretty easy too if they shutdown. Mechs that are almost impossible to headshot are the Awesome, King Crab, Commando, Arctic Cheater, Mad Dogs are pretty tough too. Headshots to Hellbringers and Griffens are kind of similar.

If you have the advanced zoom module you can headshot from around 200-300M, but if not then you need to be within 100M or forget about it.

It kind of sucks but the only way to practice headshots on clan mechs is in a pub match.

The more advanced players you run into will be constantly torso twisting so you can't rely on headshots really. Though SRMs can bridge the gap if you can get some damage spread to the head from other fire.

[Sandpit]

If it's a suspected IS XL build, I always start at side torsos.

For everything else I tend to aim at CT with the exception being light mechs. I tend to aim at their "pelvis" area as that's the most reliable "hit box" area for lights many times.

I have nearly 4000 matches in my MWO history. I have 3 headshots
all 3 came from arty strikes
lol

[Soldier91]

Most of my headshots are from inner sphere small pulse lasers on easy to target cockpits like hunchbacks that were sitting still enough for advanced zoom to work in optimal range(about 90m). For some reason even at 2x zoom if I aimed into that area with advanced 4x first then lowered magnification it kind of feels like the shot would of missed.

[Eaerie]

Depending on the head placement on the mech most times i dont worry about the headshot, barring a mech standing still or shutdown. Most times i feel it is a better use of my fire to hit a torso or legs (depending on mech and what is already damaged)

I have been on the receiving end of one very "good" headshot. Someone a while back dual guassed my deathknell in full stride right as a cleared a spot of cover. i was very impressed with the shot. But otherwise death due to head shots are very limited for me.

[J I N]

Headshots are really rare, but lately I managed a 600m 4x LPL Headshot to kill a Marauder without any intend to do so.
I guess it is possible, but most of the time you won't have the time to aim at such a small spot...

To take a sidetorso is a more viable option for me... at least it will reduce the opponents firepower or maybe kill him.

[Raso]

Aim for the cockpit...
Even if you miss you'll land among the CT.
**inspirational picture of clouds or something**

[Fox With A Shotgun]

*looks at flamers*

...What a time to be headhunting. If you can't nail them when they're moving, why not stop them from moving entirely?!

No, really. Go with a Firestarter, pack a couple of flamers and a bunch of SPL. Flame till they stuff up and overheat, nail them in the face with a SPL alpha or two.

Profit.

Edited by Fox With A Shotgun, 23 February 2016 - 06:45 PM.

[Mech42Ace]

The first head shot I ever got was on a timberwolf, I was in the stock K2, one lucky alpha and he was dead. What a day that was!
I find that while getting a headshot is fufilling, it is best just to aim for their CT as it is a much bigger target area.