5 replies to this topic

[Stelio Kontos]

Disclaimer: post is inspired by some vitriolic hatred that got spewed in a PUG game towards someone with an LRM boat. I was not in an LRM boat at the time. However my results using a medium LRM mech are typically great and if the match goes on for any reasonable length of time I typically get 1st or 2nd out of the entire match by damage.

Don't ask questions. I will NOT be revisiting this thread. However here a few tips for the newer players.


Missiles are not a fire and forget weapon. You need to maintain the lock.

With that in mind:

1: Set your mech up properly. Bringing a TAG or NARC is recommended. Either will save your *** if someone successfully flanks your team, and will make you much more effective. For weapon groups I recommending setting up two. Have one to fire all your missiles at once for getting past multiple AMS systems or targets who aren't exposed long enough for a volley to hit, and a second missile system to keep sustained fire on a target at less heat or fire off a single volley.

2: Learn how to blind fire. Firing without a lock can be effective at hitting campers or people sitting behind a corner. It also will trigger the "incoming missile" warning and will make most players scurry behind cover. Using this strategically can be invaluable when you need to control the field a bit. Finally if you get into melee range a last ditch option is to dumb-fire your missiles at slow moving mechs that are close to you (Clan LRMs only due to minimum range).

3: Learn to pick targets. We all know to hit people out in the open, Let's look into a bit more.

Your first priority should be any targets brawling a teammate. You have a teammate under immediate fire who could probably use the help, the target can't duck for cover, you have a steady target lock, and chain-fired missiles will make it difficult for the target to brawl effectively.

Afterwards your priority needs to be based on reliability of the target lock. Glance down at the map. Is your teammate somewhere that they won't lose sight? That enemy should probably be your main target. After that it's situational. Assault mechs are usually easiest to hit because they have less ability to move to safety. On the other hand, if you catch a light mech that is somewhere you can actually hit them your missiles will be more effective than most weapons your teammate will have. I've seen any number of times where the only reason a Locust(or similar) doesn't get away is because an LRM volley takes out his legs.


4: Pace yourself. Do not fire tons of ammo at the beginning of a match. Even in a PUG most enemies will move in a manner that gives them handy access to cover. Most locks you get won't last long enough for your missiles to reach them, and even if the lock does last they will probably get behind cover. At this stage your only shots should be any easy targets of opportunity (people stupid enough to get caught in the open, light mechs flanking, and the like). The other use of missiles at this point in the game is dumb firing a single volley to force snipers back under cover. One notable exception is if you're on a more open map and somebody gets tagged with a NARC.


General rule of thumb is that you want to preserve enough ammo during the opening portion of a game that you can keep up sustained fire on 2-3 heavy/assault mechs during the middle portion of a match.

[Robinhood78]

And to keep the hate off you in the first place DO NOT ask for locks. Get your own locks. If you don't have the ability to see the target, then how do you think you are going to hit anything? LRM are more effective under 500m and even better under 300m if you can get that close without being taken down.

An important note too is that Artemis only works if line of sight is maintained. Bring TAG to make sure you are making that extra tonnage and slots worth it. Use of TAG will mean you have to A. have your own lock, B. maintain visual contact, and C. be at a better range for LRM in the first place.

Last is keep moving just like everyone else. If you are an effective lurmboat you've gotten the attention you are trying to avoid. Keep moving to make it harder for them to find you. Anyone who sees a stationary stalker in the background is going to know those are coming from you even if they don't see you fire. No one of any class should be sitting still for long. Even snipers should move around. Chances are they know where you are sniping from, but can't get a shot on you, that doesn't mean someone isn't on their way to deal with you. Everyone moves all the time!

Good hunting.

[TooDumbToQuit]

I will NOT be reading this thread. And NO questions why.

[Leone]

But... But.. there's some good stuff in there! I might not agree with all of it (Pshaw, conserving ammo...) but it's worth a read.

~Leone.

[donjr777]

Good thread...
....and never underestimate the effectiveness of dumb-fired salvos...if you can find a spot of real estate to aim at in the distance, a lot of times your missiles will land right there...try it and get good at hitting where you aim..."fire for effect" as they say...for instance you can fire a single LRM5 salvo, one after the other, at wherever you see a Mech pop up over terrain....you'll have them ducking for cover wondering how you targeted them so fast when you're really just faking them out...

Be able to defend yourself at close range.....don't be a missile boat that has no short range weapons,

And, yes, KEEP MOVING and get your own locks....Advanced Target Decay can be a worthwhile module to equip...an extra 3 seconds of lock time is enough to land a few more missiles

[Horseman]

Know when to fire
LRMs are more effective if you're firing them at opponents already engaged by your teammates at mid to short range (target locks again)

The number of missile hardpoints does not make a LURMboat
Why? Number of launch tubes. Every launcher hardpoint has a different number of tubes from which it can fire missiles. If it can't fire the set amount of missiles, the salvo will be split up into several (which is, generally, a bad thing).

This, just FYI, means AS7-D-DC is not a LURMboat - that chassis has three missile hardpoints, but twenty LRM tubes maximum (one ten-tube launcher and two five-tube launchers).

You won't have a good LURMBoat without quirks
That should be mostly obvious. A piddly 5% quirk does not make a mech a good choice.

Edited by Horseman, 04 February 2017 - 09:03 AM.