16 replies to this topic

[Bellum Dominum]

Hi, I used to go by the handle of DeathDrow but changed my nick when I decided I wasn't going to be playing the game as much and I also dropped out of the unit I was in at that time. I've been playing the game since beta (admittedly since the end of beta so I lay no claim to having the same experience as the founders do).

I've been playing the Spider 5D as my main mech since day one. Look at my original Handle and I hope most of you will understand. That started my interest in the mech but then I grew to love it. I'd played it before the hit reg fixes (yes even I consider them to be fixes) and even years later it is by far my preferred mech to play.

You probably noticed I'm T2. I take 3 to 6 month breaks from the game whenever I get near touching Tier 1. I prefer to stay in the bracket that is people who have a decent clue of what they are doing and are mainly playing for fun. I've been in the T1 bracket and I'm not trying to be down on that bracket at all but it is just not as fun for my own reasons.

So enough on my background.

I thought that I would share my build and some practices in the mech for newer players or any others that might be interested.

Weapons:
Lrg Pulse (right arm)
2x Med Laser (right arm and center torso)

Engine:
XL255 (same weight as a 250 and just a touch faster kph wise)

MISC:
Jump Jets: 1
ECM: 1

I achieve this build by cutting down on my armor some:
Left Arm: 9 (who cares if you lose this other than it starting to smoke)
Head: 8 (very very rarely do I get headshot and the only person that ever consistently did it on me was banned a few months later for cheating ... go figure)
Legs: 26 each.
TORSOS: Maxed but split 1/2 front and back. In this mech and playing a proper scout you are giving your backside to enemies as often as the front. I've had lights that complained about hit reg because I messed up and over heated in a 1v1 on them so they swung to my backside and alpha'd not coming close to killing me. LULZ

Modules:
Lrg. Pulse Cooldown
Med Laser Range
Seismic Sensor
Target Info Gathering
Coolshot 9
Advanced UAV

Why my choice of weapons:
Lrg Pulse: Dam 11, Heat 7, Max Range 730 ~ With the 5Ds quirks this weapons range becomes not much less than that of an ER Large while doing a bit better damage and in no way requiring the amount of lock on time. You can poke fire into someone's back opening it up and step back behind a rock before they turn around and see where it came from. You get really good at it and you can hit a mech slightly ahead of another mech and laugh as they obviously think a team mate fired on them. (I really wish I'd saved videos of people firing on team mates because they thought my hits came from them... but I don't want to 'name shame' so probably a good thing I don't lol)

Med Laser: Dam 5, Heat 4, Max Range 540 ~ Quirks+Module bring these weapons range up to close to the Lrg Pulse so quite often you can actually alpha into the backs of mechs at a nice range and also they have realitively short firing times so they are almost done the same time the Lrg Pulse has finished so the poke shoot hide works nicely with them.

This makes an alpha of 21 pts of damage at optimal range. Nothing to shake a stick at especially if you are firing mostly into the backs of the enemy as you should be as a scout. The Target Info Gathering module helps a lot in figuring out which location to fire upon as well. Why open the back up on a mech with an open and red leg for example (Always take the leg in this case. Your teammates will be able to exploit that and the mech is not going to be able to chase if you need to relocate.)

~~Quickly addressing the 3 med pulse build others enjoy. That as well is a good build however it's range is a great deal less, it's alpha is 3 pts less, and it only enjoys 3 pts less heat. Does allow for more jj's or even heat sinks so like I said it's a good build just not my preference.

Reason I only use 1 jump jet: The first and hardest lesson I learned playing this mech is that the more time you spend in the air the more you get shot. You move much slower, you have no cover, and you are a spider EVERY enemy that is looking in your direction is going to gun for your legs so when you land you are most likely legged, if you land alive, and a legged light is a dead light. So I only use my jump jets to get into high positions for scouting or to bounce around obstacles while ditching a chase. (On this note PROTECT YOUR LEGS! DO NOT bounce off friendly mechs at the start of the match. Every point of leg armor is precious in a light.)

So some game play tips:
You are a scout. So scout. Don't let your team convince you to provide them with ecm. LRMs are the easiest weapon in the game to deal with. If your teammates fear lrms they should be running ams or learn how to use cover. Not nerf their team by making their scout play mommy to them.

Take the first minute or two of the match to swing around to either a side or the back of the enemy team. Get some locks, or use the voice coms to inform your team of what you see. Knowing is half the battle (couldn't resist). If you have a lock and your team is in range to fire lrms be patient and wait till those lrms are about to hit before you fire. Being hit by lrms disquises that you are hitting them from behind with your lasers. (sneaky is the name of the game)

If your team does not have any lrms and it is still early in the match your job should be what I like to call 'cause chaos'. Pick out a couple of the enemy stragglers and open up their backs. If they ignore you then kill them but you are actually trying to get them to stop turn around and look for you more than the kill altho the kill is always preferred if able of course. If you can get a whole lance (especially of heavies and assualts) to stop, turn, and hunt for a squirrel you have just taken 4 mechs out of the fight for the rest of your team making it now 8 vs 11 your favor. Just make sure you are doing this from a position with cover or at least where you are very close to being able to disappear because you should be expecting their true squirrel hunters (other lights, streakcrows, etc) to be coming to the assistance which means you just added more mechs to those you have taken out of the fight for your team. I have many a times pulled off 1/2 or more of the enemy team from the main fight, done only around 100 damage myself, and ended up dying just for the squirrel chasers to learn that the rest of my team is still alive and well and they are now being eaten up by my team that knows everything about them.

Couple of 'pro-tips': If you find a loner heavy or assault you can't fight the urge to eat them. I understand this all too well. There is an atlas statue in my spider for a reason lol. I caution you to pay attention to if they are smart/good at fighting against lights. This is pretty easy to figure out. If the first thing they do is start backing up and turning with you manuevering their back to a wall. Then generally bug out of that fight. If they are open front torso then bug out to a position of cover take a shot, move to another position quickly take another shot, rinse, wash, repeat.

If you are manuevering around and see enemy lights DO NOT lock on them for your team. In case you haven't figured it out yet when an enemy locks target on you there is a 'chirp' that lets you know. Simply use the voice coms to let your team know they are coming or if you see a teammate engage then lock on them and hold that lock with a few possible support shots to their legs. Just have to be really careful you don't end up aiding the enemy in killing your teammate.

So that really is about all I have for this post but I'll watch the post and try to help the best I can. Good luck, have fun, and above all CAUSE CHAOS!

Edited by Bellum Dominum, 16 October 2016 - 08:53 AM.

[Bellum Dominum]

OH AND FOR HEAVENS SAKE TURN OFF ARM LOCK!

It will take a bit of time to get used to but makes a world of difference.

[mailin]

I have several 5Ds in my stable. My go to is the 3 mplas build. The primary reason for this is burn time. I can fire faster than a LPL and they don't burn as long as either the LPL or mlas. I'm willing to give up some range on that one. It works for me. If I want to snipe in a 5D I have one with a single er ppc, the biggest XL and max jump jets. In this build armor is actually secondary.

And like the OP said, unlock those arms. When you jump over the enemy you can fire down on them even if you can't see them.

[Void Angel]

Bellum Dominum, on 16 October 2016 - 03:13 AM, said:

OH AND FOR HEAVENS SAKE TURN OFF ARM LOCK!

It will take a bit of time to get used to but makes a world of difference.

I use arm lock. Being able to place all my firepower on one point immediately is a better default than having slightly faster reactions with your arm weapons.

[Void Angel]

I also use an ER Large Laser in my CT and two Mediums on my arms, with more armor and (if I recall) another jump jet. But that's a preference thing - I get results, but the Large Pulse is a viable alternative.

Othewise, yeah, this is pretty much how you play a Light - particularly one with ECM. About the only thing that inspires more trepidation about team prospects) than a Light that won't go scout is an LRM boat that keeps saying, "Hold locks!"

PS: That chirp is from your Radar Deprivation module, I think. It lets you know when a lock is broken, but not when it's acquired.

[Bellum Dominum]

Void Angel, on 16 October 2016 - 04:09 PM, said:

I use arm lock. Being able to place all my firepower on one point immediately is a better default than having slightly faster reactions with your arm weapons.

The biggest problem with arm lock is that while you get better pinpoint you are also exposing your entire torso to the enemy each time you turn to shoot at them. I can be running away and still torso twist to look behind me and leg a chaser that is directly behind me This only gives them a small side angle to target on my torso and an even smaller target on my right arm. Smaller target profile than my entire front torso.

The chirp is from them locking on you. Notice I do not use the radar derp module. There is no need for it in an ecm light. Radar Derp does nothing if you are narc'd, does nothing if you are under a UAV, and does very little if they are firing streaks at you (basically just makes them relock which the only streak light chasers are clan now and their lock times are redunkulas fast with or without radar derp). What serves you best is getting around corners and not stopping.

That is a point I failed to mention in the OP. The only times you should be at a stand still is when you are behind cover and know you are out of enemy mech view arc. Other wise scout mechs should not be standing still. No motion is death in lights.. hence my comment about being legged. In fact I'll share what made me start using the seismic sensor. Before clan mechs, and I actually think this was before the end of beta: I was standing still waiting for a target to come around a corner with 0 damage to anywhere on my mech when all of a sudden I hear a loud boom and watch my innards fly out my chest in front of me. (Ok the graphics aren't that good but you get my point.) An atlas had snuck up behind me, lined up perfectly, and alpha'd through my back. Yup only took one time to learn that lesson LOL.

(Oh and the ER is 9 DMG vs the 11 of the LRG Pulse. The ER has much better range in this mech so you are probably seeing higher damage at extended range shots. Again my reasoning is the snipe and hide. ERs signal to everyone 'HEY TRYING TO BE SNEAKY OVER HERE!' which of course... isn't being sneaky Just my reasoning is all. Again there are different builds viable in this mech)

Edited by Bellum Dominum, 16 October 2016 - 09:18 PM.

[Bellum Dominum]

mailin, on 16 October 2016 - 03:57 PM, said:

I have several 5Ds in my stable. My go to is the 3 mplas build. The primary reason for this is burn time. I can fire faster than a LPL and they don't burn as long as either the LPL or mlas. I'm willing to give up some range on that one. It works for me. If I want to snipe in a 5D I have one with a single er ppc, the biggest XL and max jump jets. In this build armor is actually secondary.

And like the OP said, unlock those arms. When you jump over the enemy you can fire down on them even if you can't see them.

I also have a 5D with an erpcc and I do other builds that include a flamer even. I posted this for new players to the game or to the Spider 5D so posted my most used current build for them (and mentioned the 3mpl). Builds that use the ERPPC or flamers and such I consider more advanced play than the one I posted or the 3mpl build. Certainly willing to discuss/share others but wanted to help newbies which means keep it as basic as you can for introduction.

Great responses guys. Certainly help anyone coming along who is new to the spider and reads this having other crazy pilots chirping in on the subject. My thanks.

Edited by Bellum Dominum, 16 October 2016 - 09:01 PM.

[Bellum Dominum]

I guess since mailin mentioned an ERPPC build with more armor trimmed from it I should talk about this mech (and all fast moving ecm lights) and armor.

Your armor is not as much the skin on your mech as it is your maneuverability. If you are being chased you should be 'dodging shots' via sharp erratic turns. This is true if you are being chased by actual squirrel hunters or even chased by shots from long range such as guass or er lrg lasers. Not only turning your feet direction but twisting your torso back and forth so that those shots that do land their damage is spread as much as possible across your mech. That might sound counter productive but the more you spread the damage the longer what skin you do have lasts in each location. The torso twisting also allows you to look around around and make sure you aren't being converged on from a side by another squirrel chaser and to see options on where to get yourself in regards to cover.

Your ecm plays a major role in your armor. So long as your ecm is active (disrupt) unless they counter your ecm somehow (Tag, Narc, Cap/Bap, UAV, or happen to be close enough to you) then they do not get target info on you to see where you are most damaged at. They will generally be firing at your legs in this case so any small rocks take advantage of while you are 'running' to the larger obstacles.
.

Edited by Bellum Dominum, 16 October 2016 - 09:47 PM.

[Rogue Jedi]

With regards to the chirp,
About a year and a half ago someone suggested it indicated that he had been locked and posted a video in support of it, I then did some testing and determined it only happened if the Mech had radar Deprivation fitted and usually when taking an action likely to break a lock, in the video several timeswhen he was getting the chirp you could see an enemy Mech turn away.

I suppose it could have changed since but unless some other combination of modules gives the same effect I am pretty sure it only happens when RD breaks a lock

[Bellum Dominum]

Rogue Jedi, on 16 October 2016 - 09:52 PM, said:

With regards to the chirp,
About a year and a half ago someone suggested it indicated that he had been locked and posted a video in support of it, I then did some testing and determined it only happened if the Mech had radar Deprivation fitted and usually when taking an action likely to break a lock, in the video several timeswhen he was getting the chirp you could see an enemy Mech turn away.

I suppose it could have changed since but unless some other combination of modules gives the same effect I am pretty sure it only happens when RD breaks a lock

Test again. Radar derp has never been required for that chirp. It has been in place since beta long before radar derp came along. The only exception might be some goof up in an update while I was taking a break. I still get the chirp today and again do not use radar derp.

In fact if you like I can activate some premium time and we can go test/video it ourselves. I've got nearly a year banked of premium time lol.

I'm actually curious if it chirps in both instances for some reason.

(Oh and you'll hear the same chirp when someone else on your team gets a lock on an enemy if you hadn't noticed. So the chirp isn't reliable as a defense but it does make people look around that pay attention to it.)

Edited by Bellum Dominum, 16 October 2016 - 11:48 PM.

[mailin]

Bellum Dominum, on 16 October 2016 - 10:12 PM, said:

Test again. Radar derp has never been required for that chirp. It has been in place since beta long before radar derp came along. The only exception might be some goof up in an update while I was taking a break. I still get the chirp today and again do not use radar derp.

In fact if you like I can activate some premium time and we can go test/video it ourselves. I've got nearly a year banked of premium time lol.

I'm actually curious if it chirps in both instances for some reason.

(Oh and you'll hear the same chirp when someone else on your team gets a lock on an enemy if you hadn't noticed. So the chirp isn't reliable as a defense but it does make people look around that pay attention to it.)

When an enemy has locked on to you there will be a flash in the cockpit. It only happens for a moment, but if you are getting frequent chirps try to notice the light. It's a general flash like there is a light the turns on for a moment that is behind you. The whole cockpit frame lights up.

And yes, the chirp is a result of an enemy losing lock and is not a function of radar derp.

[Bellum Dominum]

mailin, on 17 October 2016 - 02:02 AM, said:

When an enemy has locked on to you there will be a flash in the cockpit. It only happens for a moment, but if you are getting frequent chirps try to notice the light. It's a general flash like there is a light the turns on for a moment that is behind you. The whole cockpit frame lights up.

And yes, the chirp is a result of an enemy losing lock and is not a function of radar derp.

I guess I never noticed the loss of lock chirp and just the being locked on to chirp. Probably because if I'm locked on to that means I'm going to be dodging and weaving, using jj's to bound over obstacles, etc. so too much else going to be able to hear that chirp.

I also forget about the light indicators as you stated they are small lights inside of the cockpit and not located in the same place on each mech. Plus I'm scanning outside my cockpit not paying much attention to really anything more than my radar as far as cockpit goes. If if you've watched through me before I'm sure you've noticed the glowing nuclear pumpkin flopping around and large warhorns... 2560x1440 resolution on a 27inch widescreen and I just automatically fliter out those things from my view as if they aren't even there but I've heard people commenting such as: 'How in the heck can he even see what is going on with all that in the cockpit.' lol

(Well other than a quick glance at my own mech condition after I've been shot so I have an idea of what to protect from further shots and of course looking at the info of my target.)

Edited by Bellum Dominum, 17 October 2016 - 04:27 AM.

[Void Angel]

Bellum Dominum, on 16 October 2016 - 08:17 PM, said:

The biggest problem with arm lock is that while you get better pinpoint you are also exposing your entire torso to the enemy each time you turn to shoot at them. I can be running away and still torso twist to look behind me and leg a chaser that is directly behind me This only gives them a small side angle to target on my torso and an even smaller target on my right arm. Smaller target profile than my entire front torso.

(Oh and the ER is 9 DMG vs the 11 of the LRG Pulse. The ER has much better range in this mech so you are probably seeing higher damage at extended range shots. Again my reasoning is the snipe and hide. ERs signal to everyone 'HEY TRYING TO BE SNEAKY OVER HERE!' which of course... isn't being sneaky Just my reasoning is all. Again there are different builds viable in this mech)

Yes, that's the reasoning behind using a large pulse - but any laser signals your position. As you surmise, I use the ER because it allows me greater harassment range, but it's really a matter of how much the weight is worth to you. Two tons is a lot in a Light loadout.

As for arm lock, who says I use it all the time? Been there, done that. It's simply a better default to have it on.

PS: I might just be crazy (I mean, I am crazy, but that doesn't... never mind,) but the only chirps I hear are when enemy 'mechs pop up on my sensors, and when I'm carrying Radar Deprivation - which I have done, even with ECM, because Streak Jerks suck. But it depends on what I'm running into on a regular basis.

[Bellum Dominum]

Void Angel, on 17 October 2016 - 05:34 AM, said:

Yes, that's the reasoning behind using a large pulse - but any laser signals your position. As you surmise, I use the ER because it allows me greater harassment range, but it's really a matter of how much the weight is worth to you. Two tons is a lot in a Light loadout.

As for arm lock, who says I use it all the time? Been there, done that. It's simply a better default to have it on.

PS: I might just be crazy (I mean, I am crazy, but that doesn't... never mind,) but the only chirps I hear are when enemy 'mechs pop up on my sensors, and when I'm carrying Radar Deprivation - which I have done, even with ECM, because Streak Jerks suck. But it depends on what I'm running into on a regular basis.

Eh the default of having it on is simply for new players who aren't even used to the torso twist yet. Just like how 3rd person view came about. To each their own. You do well so I'm not faulting you exactly. Just pointing out that a lot more is lost using it than simply 'a little faster reaction time'.

It is a conversation for newer players to read and learn from. Differing opinions help in that.

Edited by Bellum Dominum, 17 October 2016 - 05:49 AM.

[Bellum Dominum]

Oh and Void I should say that for like the first 3 months I didn't even know we could turn off arm lock. Took me quite a bit to get used to it being off after playing so much with it on Just thought you'd appreciate the laugh.

[Nik Reaper]

Heh, that's the build I use... though lately I'm going COMMANDO!

[Bellum Dominum]

Nik Reaper, on 21 October 2016 - 11:25 AM, said:

Heh, that's the build I use... though lately I'm going COMMANDO!

MY EYES!