20 replies to this topic

[RAGE Quarter]

Now that some of the big energy weapons look to be a bit more viable, whats the current favorite platform?

[stemnin]

Stalker. Don't pilot an Awesome please for the love of god think of all the children.

Stalker was better before and it still is.

/forumTRUTH

Disclaimer: I only pilot Awesomes.

[Shatterpoint]

My rides of choice are the Awesome 8Q/9M/Pretty Baby, it's the most mobile assault as far as I can tell. High visibilty from the cockpit, decent rotation degree and speed, not hard to hit 60+kph, monster shield arm/s.

Each loadout is pretty different so the combat styles are aswell.

I see an even mix of Atlas, Awesome and Stalkers..it's always the Stalker and Awesomes that run a lot of energy weapons so if they're what you want then they're your best bets.

The stalker cockpit looks like it has a poor view and the mech seems to turn too slow, check some youtube vids of it in action to see if you mind the perspective.

[One Medic Army]

Awesome is the better energy brawler.
For PPCs though I'd stick with the stalker due to hardpoint placement and profile.

Edited by One Medic Army, 11 February 2013 - 05:25 PM.

[Homeless Bill]

If you want to sit around like a fat kid and put out some hurt, the Stalker is for you. If you like mobility, the Awesome wins hands-down. Do note that learning to pilot an Awesome effectively is more difficult than learning to pilot a Stalker effectively. That said, I'm far more frightened of an Awesome with a good pilot than a Stalker with one.

[Warrax the Chaos Warrior]

I like the Awesome as a PPC platform, but then I also have a bit of a bias towards running mechs with WYSIWYG configurations. I like my PPCs to look like PPCs, not little laser holes.

With the heat changes, It's been my experience that 3 PPCs are manageable, but four is almost one too many. That's with 20 DHS on an 8Q or 22 on a 9M. I don't think you can fit more than that on a Stalker, but I haven't played one so I don't know.

[Redshift2k5]

The concern is how fast/mobile you want to be (the primary difference between the two chassis)

My Stalker runs 4x PPC

Edited by Redshift2k5, 11 February 2013 - 05:42 PM.

[Shatterpoint]

PPC is great and all but the ability to cycle fire large lasers indefinitely for a sustained dps beam on any map but caustic then switch to a massive alpha shot at the touch of a button seems a much more valuable weapon.

Every group you drop with will have a few people firing ppc's to screw up ecm's day, unless you like running as the ecm disruption.

[HurlockHolmes]

Awesome is still to wide, no matter how you twist those torso beg to have srms unloaded on them. Not saying the mech is bad, rather that it isn't "the best". I am sure there are a few people who pilot it with great success. The stalker I do NOT want to be in front of under any circumstances if possible, luckily the poor torso twist makes that possible.

[Termius]

I have been killed by many more Stalkers then Awesomes, just saying.....

[Fate 6]

Atlas makes good use of the bigger energy weapons too. You just have to load it out right. My 2LPL, 2MPL, AC20 build is taking out the trash.

[NRP]

Too much focus on what's the "best" imo. Just play whatever you like and don't worry about it.

[Lorcan Lladd]

The Stalker is quite possibly too slow for its weight as a result of the engine restrictions but that doesn't really matter unless it is caught in the open by a LRM boat or a fast brawler can get behind it.
Its hardpoints are well worth the trade-off and it is the preferred PPC boat of the Assault class.

Hell, I've had great results piloting one and I'm a brawler by nature - a true sniper should feel right at home in the cockpit of a STK-3F.

[Jonathan Paine]

stalker have more critical slots than the awesome and the atlas. At range nothing does energy better than a stalker. Up close the lack of arm and torso movemen of the stalker makes the awesome more competitive . The atlas is not the most effective energy platform, but makes up for it with ballistics and crazy amounts of armor.

[Solis Obscuri]

I like both. They play very differently and each offers something the other doesn't.

[Arturus]

agreed, I play both as well...currently, the Stalker 5M is my preferred 'mech.

Good hunting...!

[CarnifexMaximus]

If you go stalker my 2 cents are:

Put Endo, DHS, a STD 300-310(max) engine and as close to max armor you can manage (stock Stalkers need some extra armor invested in them for sure)

Drop the LRMs for a good SRM suite you are comfortable with and shrewdly use your remaining tonnage and crit space to take a killer energy load out with DHS cooling that you can work with. I like MPLs and regular old LLs in mine.

Play your stalker like the Rook on a chess board. You don't want to get caught in a situation where your side torsos are exposed to your enemy at close range. Even with full value armor your side torsos leave a tiny bit to be desired.

[MischiefSC]

Stalkers are a turret. Park, line up your shots and take them. To play effectively they have to be slow, the weapons they need to boat are heavy.

Awesomes are shockingly maneuverable for their size and pack some decent umph. Especially against other assaults and heavies they are very effective in the right hands. Less umph than a Stalker but more maneuverability.

Atlases fit in between and have the armor to do it. They take abuse like Rhianna and keep coming back for more - like Rhianna. You can cram enough lasers and ACs into them to rain abuse on people and with a standard 325 and DHS you can do so with a 1.2 heat efficiency. All with close to 600 points of armor.

I like my Atlas. I kill a lot of Stalkers and if I can catch them before they can start the circle dance with me a lot of Awesomes too. Awesomes are, IMO, more difficult for me to kill. Stalkers, well, my Atlas is almost universally more maneuverable. While they have a powerful alpha they simply can't keep up the sustained fire to support it. That's the big problem with Stalkers. A lone Stalker is a free kill waiting to happen. Combine that with low maneuverability and you have a problem.

Personally? I say a D-DC. I love mine. Having ECM draws allies to you like flies and helps keep the bulk of the missiles and snipers at bay. 2xLPLs, AC20, 3xSRM4+Artemis, 325 standard, ECM and 13 DHS with Endo and regular armor. Enough ammo to shoot until watching people explode stops being funny. It can deliver a brutal alpha and keep up a steady supply of destruction solo or in a group.

Awesomes and Stalkers get terribly vulnerable when they don't control the encounter. Stalkers have more alpha but less followup. They may pop an arm off me but then while they overheat I can drop 70 points in their face 2 or 3 times before they have finished powering up for a second 60 point alpha on me..... which they rarely get to do. Awesomes have less alpha but are more slippery and less heat trouble but a hitbox you can't miss.

I'd point you towards an Awesome or an Atlas. Stalkers have got to be frustrating about half the time.

[blazarian]

Yup, Awesome is hard to pilot well, but damn I love it after burning a bit more time with it. Bought Stalker 2 days ago and I think it's way too clumsy and I don't quite like the LRMs anymore.

I would absolutely prefer Awesome and some practicing with the torso work to spread enemy dmg all over. The other arm also works as a shield and should be used like that. I can do more interesting builds with Awesome and get personally more out of it. If you want literally to sit and snipe, Stalker is then the way to go. Pack some LRMs and PPC or similar and hit it.

[GalaxyBluestar]

awesome also recieved some torso twist improvements and stuff, so awesome is now just as good as stalker. both mechs have strong rolls and strengths to play to but they're on opposite ends.

both can work and both use energy weapons very well now.

it's up to you.