20 replies to this topic

[Spartan03]

So i just started playing MWO a few days ago and my now second Mech is the AWS-8T.

But i didn't like the Long Range setup so much and tried to refit it for Close Combat.

Thats my current Outfit:

4x MediumPulseLasers

2x SRM 6 + 4 tons of ammo

AMS + 2 tons of ammo

5 additional Heat Sinks

and maxed out Armor

No money for new engine yet.

I'm far from done with that one but i really liked it the first few rounds.
So does anyone have suggestions for what to change, what to do next, what engine etc.?

[Mazzyplz]

yes, 2 srm6 is good for basically nothing. in my experience.

also 4 medium pulse basically has no range...
all your weapons are only good for up to 200 meters, the awesome is kinda fragile for you to facehug like that all the time




http://mwo.smurfy-ne...64aed64276672b7

this is my 8t
the way we're making mechs now; guns for long range, guns for short range, guns that fall in the middle...

also you will see when you get that new map alpine..

Edited by Mazzyplz, 26 February 2013 - 08:18 AM.

[NRP]

Welcome!

That's a decent brawler setup. I ran my 8T with 4 LLs, 2 SRM6s, DHS, and a STD300. For brawling, you'll need as much speed as possible. DHS upgrade is a must, but it's crazy expensive.

For now, just focus on learning to pilot it well. Learn how (and when) to twist your torso to spread incoming damage. Avoid 1v1s, follow another Assault and don't be the first to engage. Team up on fools and you'll be successful.

[Mazzyplz]

by the way that setup you have in your awesome you can put on a hunchback and go faster with a lower profile for example

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...179ea57aba920b1

draw your own conclussions

[Wittyname Terribad]

Step one- upgrade the heat sinks to doubles
Step two- biggest engine you can get. XL300 is expensive, yes, and everyone will call you names for putting an XL in a walking barn, but going with close range weaponry, you need the speed
Step three- get a friend. Builds like this quadruple their effectiveness with friends nearby. A brawler Catapult, Atlas, or another Awesome will make your life much much easier. Ran with a buddy a couple nights back with both of us packing similar builds (he had ERPPCs and SRMs, I had LPLs and SRMs), and in the 8 matches we did we did between 1400 and 1800 damage between us. Awesomes are not the 'run off on your own and wreck face' kind of mech, they work much better in conjunction with your teammates

[Tremendous Upside]

This should solve your long range issues.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9702d148cd25772

Artemis is optional - only threw it on because I had a couple extra tons to work with (same with the 4th ton of ammo).

[Hex Pallett]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...55d1d7be49ad769

^STD300, 14DHS, 2xALRM20, 4xML. Either downgrade to LRM15 or remove Artemis to add more LRM ammo.

My thinking-inside-the-box build. That's all I know how o maximize the firepower of 8T. For brawling you'll be better off with a variant that comes with more cheese and bacon. 8R, for example.

[Wrenchfarm]

Your current build is not so great. But that's OK, we were all new once!

Quick tips -

First off, pulse lasers are often not worth the extra heat or weight. They are usually better suited to speedy mechs that might only have the chance to fire once or twice and need to do as much damage as they can in the shortest period of time. You would probably be better served with regular MLAS and more sinks, or upgrading to Large Lasers for more range.

Second, AMS isn't terrible, but it isn't great either. You can live with or without it. But you certainly do not need TWO tons of ammo with it. Chop that down to one ton pronto.

Upgrade to double heat sinks if you haven't already. Massive boost, worth every penny.

Save for a bigger engine. Yes it takes up weight, but being able to move around is essential.

You can safely shave one ton of armour off the legs if you need it. Assaults are very rarely legged. An Awesome being legged is less frequent than the solar eclipse. While looking at the armour, make sure to rearrange the torso, put more to the front than the back (75 or 80 for front CT)
-

Your current build is super close range, but slow, big, and not carrying a lot more weaponry than a medium might be able to. Your going to waddle up to the enemy and either get wiped out by other Assaults carrying much bigger/more guns, or swarmed by smaller mechs that can safely run behind you all day. You need to find a niche that better suits your mech.

Sadly, the close range game is generally dominated by SRMs, heavy ballistics, and support weapons. While 2xSRM6s might be fine for a Medium, an Assault mech needs more. Since the 8T only has 2 missile points, you're kinda out of luck in that department. You won't be mounting an AC20 any time soon either.

That doesn't mean you're screwed, it just means you will have to mix a long range and close range game. Check this build out.

The 4xLLAS will let you attack enemy mechs and soften them up from a distance as you close in. When in close, the 2xSRM6 packs will help add a little more burst damage. You still don't be rivalling a Atlas or Stalker's close range punch, but the damage you did further out will help. 17 DHS should keep you decently cool. 3 tons of SRM ammo is probably optimistic and could be scaled back to 2 tons and the remaining weight rolled back into the leg armour (cannot fit another DHS). Notice the armour distribution and how more of it has been brought to the front.

An XL engine can save weight, but I wouldn't recommend brawling with one, especially when the max speed on the 8T is 66kph. If you do grab an XL300 though, you can make some potent long range builds

[Spartan03]

Thanks for the quick advise, guys.

I've got DHS now and got rid of the AMS. I also switchet to 4 LargeLasers and am no saving for a STD 300 engine.
It's performing quite well right now and i like it, but after i've seen some loadouts of other mechs i know that it's not at the top. Maybe i will roll back to a Long Range Setup with this one and try an Atlas for brawling.
But hey playing with the different mechs and their capabilities and restrictions is part of the fun.

But either way, i learned a lot about how to make a usefull build from this and other threads in this forum, so thanks again, see you on the battlefield.

[Tremendous Upside]

Spartan03, on 28 February 2013 - 03:05 AM, said:

Thanks for the quick advise, guys.

I've got DHS now and got rid of the AMS. I also switchet to 4 LargeLasers and am no saving for a STD 300 engine.
It's performing quite well right now and i like it, but after i've seen some loadouts of other mechs i know that it's not at the top. Maybe i will roll back to a Long Range Setup with this one and try an Atlas for brawling.
But hey playing with the different mechs and their capabilities and restrictions is part of the fun.

But either way, i learned a lot about how to make a usefull build from this and other threads in this forum, so thanks again, see you on the battlefield.

Bah, you've already invested in the AWS line - you don't "have" to jump to the atlas just to have a decent brawler. The 8R/8V can do that well - and ALL of the AWS's will work a lot better after you get the elite perks unlocked. They're also cheaper - and you can swap your engine and other stuff between the variants to keep costs down.

[Hex Pallett]

Banky, on 28 February 2013 - 05:52 AM, said:

Bah, you've already invested in the AWS line - you don't "have" to jump to the atlas just to have a decent brawler. The 8R/8V can do that well - and ALL of the AWS's will work a lot better after you get the elite perks unlocked. They're also cheaper - and you can swap your engine and other stuff between the variants to keep costs down.

So much this.
I currently have three Atlas and three Awesomes, and to be totally honest, Atlas really don't feel all that great comparing to my Awesomes. I even occasionally think about selling them to make space for me in order to complete my Awesome collection.

[Phaesphoros]

I'm a great fan of using each mech type's individual strengths. I heard people say that speed is the greatest advantage of an Awesome, but that is only true for the 9M. The other AWS (but the PB) have the same max speed as STK and AS7.

As compared to Stalkers, you're far more mobile i.e. flexible: faster torso twist, more torso twist, and arms. Same when you compare to Atlases.

IMHO the AWS is a pretty difficult mech to pilot; you cannot outfit an 8T to be the best brawler or LRM boat, nor can you outfit it to be the best sniper either. Making use of the arms, you can become a "doctor", I mean, you can do precision shots: 4 LL + STD300 leaves room for 12 extra DHS (or 37 SHS, which is worse), though not using 15 t; thats two less DHS than on a STK, but you DO have those arms to aim. Same with LPLs and PPCs (leaving only 7 t or 8 t with one less DHS for PPCs), great to train your accuracy. BTW its one of the few mechs that can efficiently equip 4 PPCs/LPLs in its (movable) arms.

Normally, AWS can use their arms as shields, though you're in danger of losing half of your firepower with these setups. So you could also consider to only equip one arm with big lasers (right arm for PPCs or left arm for LPLs/LLs where you can put in another DHS in the right arm) and join the missile warrior back online movement (e.g. 2*LPL, 1*MPL, 2*LRM15).

Using the shoot-and-turn-away tactic (shield arms) works best with PPCs of course.

[Kappa Was Detated]

Phaesphoros is absolutely right when he says the AWS is one of the more difficult chasis to pilot. I have an 8T and enjoy piloting it. I run mine with two LRM15's with ARTEMIS and either 2ML+2LL or 4ML. I would suggest you stay away from an XL engine unless you are piloting the 9M or PB. You have a huge, broad torso and allowing someone to get an easy kill on you from three different places instead of one can ruin your day.

I think of the AWS platform as a second line mech. In general, when I pilot my 8T I try to position myself out about 300 meters from the main fight and let my LRMS do most of the damage. Because I bring 4 tons of ammo, I cannot boat. Instead I use the LRMS to help focus down enemy mechs and if myself and my team do a competent job, by the time I am down to my energy weapons I am fighting moderately to severly damaged mechs.

I use slight variations of this build.

Edited by Hindsight, 28 February 2013 - 07:54 AM.

[Kappa Was Detated]

Helmstif, on 28 February 2013 - 06:39 AM, said:

So much this.
I currently have three Atlas and three Awesomes, and to be totally honest, Atlas really don't feel all that great comparing to my Awesomes. I even occasionally think about selling them to make space for me in order to complete my Awesome collection.

I must confess that I dont understand that sentiment... The Atlas and Awesome fill very different roles. I personally would never use one for the role that I believe the other fills better.

[NRP]

I think he's just saying he enjoys piloting Awesomes more than Atlases. I feel the same to be honest.

[Kappa Was Detated]

True enough, the AWS is a quirky mech and that means that it has personality. Those ticks lend themselves to strong attachments.

[Flagrant]

Srm 6 have a huge spread. Srm 4 are much tighter or Artemis the 6s. Definitely get double heat sinks asap. Range will be an issue but you can still be useful with your setup as long as you stick close to another mech and either watch his back or attack his target. All fights sooner or later end up within your MPL range anyways.

[BertyBargo]

Problem with a brawling 8t is that it has access to absolutely worthless engines. You cant get any speed out of them so mid-range builds would probably be best. Unelss youre an atlas, slow brawlers are dead brawlers.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7c2209461c09cbf

I tried to keep it as stock as possible for you so you wouldnt have to dump a ton of space bucks into it, even though double heat sinks are obligatory upgrades to every mech you buy. There never isnt a reason to buy them. Medlas for those pesky close range things, llas for midrange and they should harmonize well with the missiles/tag combo. Artemis is good because that and tag will speed up your lock on times and increase missile tracking. I went easy on the ams because I personally dont use them ever but they're handy for missile slug-fests.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c4fc69626024e1c
You could also drop the med lasers (since the larges can also help deal with close range crap) and a few points of leg armor to fit in a 255 engine.

EDIT: Since youre new, it's important to know that LRMs only arm themselves around 200meters. If they're below 180, they're not going to do anything but an LRM/LLas 1-2 punch is pretty reasonable between 200-450m. Also, the TAG only reaches out to 750m.

Edited by BertyBargo, 28 February 2013 - 11:43 AM.

[Tahribator]

8T is a missile boat version of the Awesome(8Q). No matter how you try, you cannot make it to a brawler as Hunchies will be superior to any builds you'll create.

If you want to brawl, go for the 8Q(melting alphas) or 9M(8Q on steroids). If you still want to use the 8T, create a build based on 2x LRM15 + Artemis. I did good damage as a beefy missile supporter in 8T.

[MrDerp]

How to build an awesome:
1. Build a stalker instead.



No but seriously, I cant find an awesome build I actually like.