113 replies to this topic

[MadPanda]

Introduction

I love the Atlas mech in MWO and I've got all 4 chassis which I've played a lot and fine tuned my builds for different purposes. Now I feel I got my atlas builds at a point I can share them with others. These builds all provide different gameplay and suit most situations. They are all strong builds within their own areas of expertise. Hope you guys enjoy these builds as I have!


The Guardian - Atlas K build

This is the overall build of an atlas that can handle every situation but is not the best in any of them, a jack of all trades you might say. The specialty of the K-model is the two AMS slots which this build uses. This is the easiest build to play and thus is the best one for new players to get into an atlas.




Upgrades

Double Heatsink
Artemis

Weapons

4x Medium Lasers
1x LRM20
1x AC20
2x AMS

Load-out

Left Arm - Medium Laser, AMS, 2x Double Heatsinks
Right Arm - Medium Laser, AMS, 2x Double Heatsinks

Head - AMS ammo
Center Torso - 2x Medium Lasers, Standard Engine 300 with 2x Double Heatsinks
Left Torso - LRM20, Double Heatsink, 3x LRM ammo
Right Torso - AC20, 2x AC20 ammo

Left Leg - AC20 ammo, AMS ammo
Right Leg - 2x AC20 ammo

Armor

18 - Head
102 - Center Torso
22 - Center Torso Rear
68 - Right Torso
16 - Right Torso Rear
60 - Left Torso
24 - Left Torso Rear
68 - Right Arm
68 - Left Arm
65 - Right Leg
65 - Left Leg

Notes and observations

-The engine has been switched from XL to Standard.
-Center torso armor has been reinforced to withstand head to head combat vs brawlers.
-Right torso armor has been increased to protect the ballistic slot which is often a big target on an atlas.
-Leg armor has been reduced because legs are never targeted on an atlas.

Playstyle

Early game when both teams are feeling each other out, use the LRM's to attack targets you see. Stick with your group so you can cover them from enemy LRM's with your double AMS system. When closing the distance to your target, shell him with as many LRM's as you can. When you get close enough (about 200-300m), start using the MPL's to focus down the center torso area of the enemy. Use the AC20 any time you have a clear shot, try not to waste them from unsure long range shots. You are not a brawler, so try to keep a 200-300m distance from your main target and don't get into situations alone where you may get focused down. Let the team brawlers engage the enemy mechs and keep supporting them. You can take down many mechs one on one but it's not recommended to get into these situations if you can avoid them.

Updated: 10.1.2013


The Supporter - Atlas D build

This is the long range build with emphasis on LRM's. You will support your team from really long range and make sure every fight your team takes is favorable for them.




Upgrades

Endo Steel Structure
Double Heatsinks
Artemis

Weapons

2x Large lasers
2x LRM20
1x Gauss rifle
1x TAG

Load-out

Left Arm - Large Laser
Right Arm - Large Laser

Head - -
Center Torso - LRM ammo, Standard 275 Engine, TAG
Left Torso - 2x LRM20
Right Torso - Gauss rifle, CASE, 3x LRM ammo

Left Leg - 2x LRM ammo
Right Leg - 2x Gauss ammo

Armor

18 - Head
94 - Center Torso
28 - Center Torso Rear
64 - Right Torso
20 - Right Torso Rear
64 - Left Torso
20 - Left Torso Rear
68 - Right Arm
68 - Left Arm
48 - Right Leg
50 - Left Leg

Notes and observations

-The engine has been switched from Standard 300 to Standard 275.
-Leg armor has been reduced by 2 tons

Playstyle

Your main objective will be to shell out LRM's from behind the lines. Get into a good position where you can fire at the locations where your team will engage the enemy mechs. If you have good vision on the targets you are showering with the LRM's then also use your Gauss to greatly bring up your damage output. If someone notices you and decides to come and get you, shower him with the LRM's and Gauss and this time also use the Large lasers. You normally don't want to use Large lasers on far away targets because they will draw a lot of attention to you. Use the large lasers on targets that have spotted you, or on lonely targets who can't do anything even if they know where you are shooting them from.

Updated 8.1.2013

Edited by MadPanda, 11 January 2013 - 05:00 AM.

[MadPanda]

The Commander - Atlas DC build

This is the brawler build that will rip everyone apart at close range. The ultimate 1v1 brawler. If you want to kill other atlases then this is the guy for the job. Useless at long range. Cover is your best friend before you get to close range with the enemy.




Upgrades

Endo Steel Structure
Double Heatsinks
Artemis

Weapons

2x Medium Laser
1x AC20
3x SRM6
1x ECM

Load-out

Left Arm - Medium Laser
Right Arm - Medium Laser

Head - AC20 ammo
Center Torso - Standard 350 Engine with 4x Double Heatsinks, SRM ammo
Left Torso - 3x SRM6, 3x SRM ammo
Right Torso - AC20, AC20 ammo

Left Leg - Guardian ECM
Right Leg - 2x AC20 ammo

Armor

18 - Head
99 - Center Torso
25 - Center Torso Rear
64 - Right Torso
20 - Right Torso Rear
64 - Left Torso
20 - Left Torso Rear
68 - Right Arm
68 - Left Arm
48 - Right Leg
50 - Left Leg

Notes and observations

-The engine has been switched to Standard 350 because you have the tonnage but lack in crit spaces so upgrading engine is the best option.
-You are very fast! (~63kph with speed tweak)
-The Guardian ECM is in the leg because it is an item so it can be destroyed if its in the torso area which always get focused. When in the leg, you will have it always until you die.
-Leg armor has been reduced by 2 tons

Playstyle

You are useless at long range so you will need to take advantage of cover. Let your team scout out the enemy locations while you wait in cover. Take full advantage of cover at all situations before you get into close combat (100m or less). Always focus the center torso area for quickest kills. Once you rip the armor away, favor the AC20 and SRM's because the ML's will overheat you too quickly. When engaging in combat, try to shoot the head area of the enemy mech with the AC20, you will most of the time hit the chest with those shots, but sometimes you can get a quicker kill with headshots. You will beat everyone in one on one combat if you focus their chest so don't be afraid to take on anyone you meet. Try to save the SMR shots for sure hits at close range. Stop using the ML's when your heat goes over 70% because they will heat you up too quickly and don't deal as much damage as the SRM and AC20.

Updated 8.1.2013


The Archon - Atlas RS build

This build is suitable for mid to long range and is mostly a supporter build. Understanding heat management is important with this build. This build rips away body parts from other mechs and is very effective in supportive role. Recommended for experienced players.




Upgrades

Endo Steel Structure
Double Heatsinks

Weapons

4x Large Laser
2x LRM15

Load-out

Left Arm - 2x Large Laser
Right Arm - 2x Large Laser

Head - -
Center Torso - Standard 330 Engine with 3x Double Heatsinks
Left Torso - 2x LRM15, Double Heatsink
Right Torso - 4x Double Heatsinks

Left Leg - 2x LRM ammo
Right Leg - 2x LRM ammo

Armor

18 - Head
94 - Center Torso
30 - Center Torso Rear
64 - Right Torso
20 - Right Torso Rear
64 - Left Torso
20 - Left Torso Rear
68 - Right Arm
68 - Left Arm
56 - Right Leg
58 - Left Leg

Notes and observations

-Leg armor has been greatly reduced
-Engine is 330 Standard giving you good speed

Playstyle

Even though you are packing 4 LL's and can be very devastating in close combat, you are not a brawler. Stay behind the front lines and use the LRM's to support your team and shoot them at every one you can get a lock on. Use the LL's when ever you can and switch to using just two of them at a time when your heat goes above 70%. I recommend putting the firing groups as "1" for the two LL at left hand and "2" for the two LL at the right hand, "3" or "4" for the LRM's, which ever you prefer. Your optimal engaging range is about 300-450m. You don't want to be too close but close enough that your LL's do full damage. When facing other Assault mechs, I recommend focusing their side torsos with your LL's unless their CT is already damaged from somewhere else. 4 LL's destroy side torsos quickly and they lose their weapons which puts you at an advantage. You are not strong enough to CT core another Assault that is build for brawling, he will destroy you first so that's why try to get his weaker side torsos first.

Updated 8.1.2013

Edited by MadPanda, 08 January 2013 - 10:03 AM.

[p00k]

MadPanda, on 19 November 2012 - 09:20 PM, said:

-The LBX10 is the strongest ballistic weapon that can be double mounted on the same torso area.

not quite

the uac5, even when singleshot, has 4.5dps vs 4, has longer range, and keeps its shots as a single slug letting you concentrate your damage, and shouldn't jam as long as you single fire it (i've never had it jam on me, though the only time i use it is pugging with a trial cicada, but i've fired some ~300+ rounds of it without a single jam)

alternatively, the regular ac5 if you don't have the trigger discipline has 2.94dps vs the lbx's 4; 36% higher dps technically, but this dps is only believable at close range, and even at close range you're getting comparable dps to the targeted component.

normally the biggest advantage to a large ballistic is its ability to concentrate fire. the ac2 for example has great dps for its tonnage, but pays not only in heat but in spreading the damage all over the enemy. the lbx, though in theory a 10-damage ballistic, by spreading its shots like buckshot essentially functions as something much weaker

[Squarefox]

Maybe you should put more AMS ammo in the K variant. 1 ton for 2 AMS seems to be far too little for a guardian build. I suggest 4 tons of AMS ammo here, at least 2 tons. You could downgrade the medium pulse lasers to medium lasers to achieve that.

Edit: and you will have to drop a double heat sink, if I'm counting the free slots correctly.

Edited by Squarefox, 19 November 2012 - 11:23 PM.

[One Medic Army]

It might be worth trying out 1 AC/20 instead of 2 LB 10-Xs.
Less weight, higher heat, but 20 damage all in one place every 4 seconds compared to 20 damage spread out across 20 pellets every 2.5 seconds. It also frees up 2 crit slots and 7 tons.

I used to do the shotgun dual LB 10-X plus SRMs myself, and eventually I realized that the SRM6s were just so much better at being shotguns than the LB 10-Xs, and then I switched my ballistics over.

[MadPanda]

@pook: I considered the UAC5 but decided against it for these reasons:
-They have too high chance of jamming. It is chance based so experiences may vary from user to user, but I had bad experience with it. The current jamming feature makes it impossible for you to unjam in a heat of a battle and this guy is often in the middle of it.
-They generate too much heat. To be able to sustain double UAC5 fire, you pretty much have to stop shooting with your other weapons.

I also personally find the play style of single high power shot more appealing than multiple weaker shots. But you can swap out for the UAC5 if you prefer this and make it work. You will however be facing the above problems, and your ability to deal with light mechs will be diminished so I personally don't recommend it.

@SquareFox: I originally ran with 3 ton of AMS ammo with the K. Unfortunately after the LRM nerf people aren't using them much anymore. I had to reduce to 2 tons and still wasn't using even half of the ammo so I dropped to 1 ton. If the LRM warriors come back, you can quite easily swap out some other ammo or a heatsink for more AMS ammo.

@OneMedicArmy: I found the AC20 to be too boring option. The D model has two ballistic hardpoints and I wanted to take advantage of that to further differentiate the play style of this model. You will also do more damage with the double LBX10's in 1v1 brawls against other atlases. The spread won't be a problem because you will be up close and personal and the chest torso area is huge.

[MadPanda]

Updated the guide a bit. New tip for the RS Archon build.

-For a more "sane" build you can swap out two PPC's for two Large Lasers and AMS with 1 ton of ammo.

The heat is very manageable with this build and allows you to be constantly firing your lasers. Save the PPC shots for sure hits only when your heat starts to climb. I group the two lasers together and the two PPC's together so you are firing double shots all the time. You can dish out constant damage with this without shutting down.

[MadPanda]

Updated the "Guardian" Atlas-K build due to the increased LRM threat. The build now comes with 3 ton of AMS ammo and increased AC20 and LRM20 ammo. The pulse lasers have in turn been reduced to just medium lasers. This was done because to add in more ammo, heatsinks needed to be removed which in my tests resulted in poor heat managed in combat situations. The pulse lasers were generating a bit too much heat. The medium lasers will only drop your damage by 1 per laser but the heat is much more manageable.

This build is great btw. I've been seeing increase in both LRM's and in AMS so with the two AMS you will be bringing in, you can create an umbrella with your teammates that no LRM will penetrate. It's pretty cool .

[MadPanda]

Updated the guide a lot. Biggest chance is the switcharoo between D and DC models because of the introduction of ECM. The DC model is now the badass brawler and has the ECM. The brawler build has also been modified to take advantage of the DC model (3 srm6's now and med PL's and Ac20). Had to dump the LBX10's because even if they are 'cool' to use with that shotgun feeling, the AC20 just packs a better punch in brawls. So check out the DC build again! It's better than ever.

Edited by MadPanda, 04 December 2012 - 11:00 PM.

[LethalRose]

I too had to change my loved DDC build for something more brawler-isk

This is what I'm using so far but it is very much a work in progress as its only day 1.

My build is the same as your's except for a few changes

-I used a std 300 - I don't think 52.25kph vs 57.47kph is worth 6.5 tons to me.
-Normal Medium's instead of pulse's - This is personal preference

Since I used a smaller engine I have extra slots for double heat sinks so I don't use Endo steel. This creates room for 4 additional DHS and I can use Artemis. This build can fire all weapons for 20 secs doing 20.22 DPS(400 dmg) or if you don't use mediums it will do 17.57 DPS for 58 seconds (1018 dmg).

[MadPanda]

I use artemis too, missed writing it there. Thanks for pointing it out. Your build is good too. You have traded maneuverability for heat efficiency which is a fair trade. I personally prefer the bigger engine for the maneuverability because it doesn't just increase movement speed but it also increases your turning speed and torso turning speed. Turning faster really comes handy when dealing with medium mechs that try to circle you (hunchies etc.).

[LethalRose]

Yeah after I get some games in this version I'll def throw a 330 in there and see if I like it better.

[LanceUy]

LethalRose, on 05 December 2012 - 12:34 AM, said:

Yeah after I get some games in this version I'll def throw a 330 in there and see if I like it better.

Please share your feedback here. I would like to know if 2 good pilots like you and mad panda both concurr if the 330 engine is a better choice.

[Flapdrol]

If you're gonna run endo in that "commander" I'd try to get a 350 engine in, that's another heatsink slot.

I've got that weapon loadout with a standard 300, no endo and a lot more heatsinks.

[Majukey]

I enjoy the RS build. While being a little niche, nothing beats showing up to a firefight a little late (because my Atlas legs are so damn slow) spotting the weakened enemy mechs and dispatching 2 or 3 of them in as many well placed Alpha Strikes.

Currently I'm using a bajillion single heat sinks with 2 PPCs and 2 ER PPCs. The ER ones have saved my bacon a few times when I get detached from the group and a light/medium attempts to circle-stab me, or when something gets close and tries going toe-to-toe. Heat is obviously a problem but it just makes me pick my shots more.

As much as I love it, I've been contemplating the move to quad Large Lasers, or maybe 2 LLs plus 2 ER LLs. Did you give either build a go or just try 2 PPCs & 2 LLs?

[KerenskyClone]

As an RS driver I have to tell you I tried the 4 LL build, and even the 2LL 2PLS build (with as many HS or DHS as possible) and it just didnt work for me. The firepower to tonnage ratio is just too small, staying back with an Assault mech seems like an oxymoron to me and ultimately it is bad for your team. Sure you can snipe and you will quickly slay any light mechs that try to surprise you but you will only be effective against careless players...

I had much better success with 4XMPLS, 10LBX and 2 SRM6 (w Artemis), the DHS fit very snuggly (there are no free crits left unused), heat isnt much of a problem unless you alpha all the time and with the STD engine you will last a long time in a fight. I use the 75% free rearm and never run into ammo problems so its an economically feasible Atlas, I dont lose money with it even when I play badly or have a terrible PUG team.

[Staplebeater]

I am a really big fan of the D-DC build. I don't really have ammo issues so I swapped 3 tons of ammo for another DHS

[MadPanda]

Majukey, on 14 December 2012 - 04:23 AM, said:

As much as I love it, I've been contemplating the move to quad Large Lasers, or maybe 2 LLs plus 2 ER LLs. Did you give either build a go or just try 2 PPCs & 2 LLs?

I've run my RS with quad laser for quite some time. It works great and I can definitely recommend it.

I find the ER LL's too situational to warrant using them. You only gain some range from it but the drawback of generating 10 heat instead of 7 is huge. Most times the combat happens at relatively close ranges even if you are trying to hang back a bit. Most people always just run up to your face or try to go around a corner making you come after them, either case you are fighting pretty close range and the ER works only as a disadvantage to you. PG has announced (command chair forum) that they are looking into the heat generation of the ER LL's and PPC's so maybe one day they will be usable but I don't think they are today.

[Majukey]

Yeah, them lowering the heat would be nice. I'm happy with their damage as well as the PPC projectile speed, just dropping the heat a touch would be welcome.

Changing to Large Lasers saves a few tons and criticals too. Did you just up the engine size a few notches or get tempted to pop in a few other weapons?

[AllOuttaBubbleGum]

I've had a number of brawler builds with my DC atlas. I think the best build may have been my AC20/srm4 with large lasers. I've found when I'm out of ammo the medium lasers or MPL's are just not enough. At that point heat is not an issue at all since I'm only firing the LL's.

For my RS build I have 2xER LL's and two ML's. When the heat rises in brawling range I switch to the ML's. For short range I have 2xsrm6 with artemis and LBX10. I group their shots together. It's been a very versatile build. I really love the lasers in the arms for tracking and shooting light mechs.