34 replies to this topic

[Noobzorz]

I've done some googling, and the general consensus appears to be that the mech is basically unuseable, and so no one has bought it and tinkered with it. The fact that it's a dragon (i.e. absolutely requires endo, ferro, and XL) is already not great, but with 2 missile slots in the CT and only 2 critical slots even with a standard engine, I'm not really sure what good they're for. SRMs? Seems kind of absurd to put a brawler weapon on a mech that is basically as easy to core as a commando with giant hitboxes.

Nevertheless, I foolishly started with the dragon 5N, and after getting a relatively decent triple AC/2 build going, I'm determined to master the ******* thing, come hell or high water. To that end, I'd like to know: what do you guys use on the dragon 1N?

Edited by Noobzorz, 10 March 2013 - 09:44 PM.

[Lootee]

Gauss rifle, 2 medium lasers and 2×SRM4 might be a good starting point.

[Tal Kharn]

I was originally of the same opinion as OP until the other day. Thought what the hell lets give it another go.............so i tinkered and came up with this:

2x Large Pulse Lasers
2x SRM4s
AMS
XL250 = 90kph with speed tweak
16x DHS
Endo

Give it a go. Was suprisingly alot of fun.

Oh and it has a heat rating of 1.52!

[SirLANsalot]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7871a815788933f


Works like a charm. even tho its the 1N and sucks becasue of where its split beams are....that build still makes it "work"

Edited by SirLANsalot, 10 March 2013 - 10:13 PM.

[Headlessnewt]

I had a lot of fun with 2AC/2s, 2 LLs and an SRM6.

[Inconspicuous]

Noobzorz, on 10 March 2013 - 09:43 PM, said:

The fact that it's a dragon (i.e. absolutely requires endo, ferro, and XL)

I don't think all dragon builds would benefit from ferro, very few of my mechs have the crit slots to give up for ferro.

[kragmoor]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...97e85b320229321

here you go my friend, this was my first mech and now I give it to you.

Edited by kragmoor, 10 March 2013 - 10:25 PM.

[OneEyed Jack]

Tal Kharn, on 10 March 2013 - 10:07 PM, said:

I was originally of the same opinion as OP until the other day. Thought what the hell lets give it another go.............so i tinkered and came up with this:

2x Large Pulse Lasers
2x SRM4s
AMS
XL250 = 90kph with speed tweak
16x DHS
Endo

Give it a go. Was suprisingly alot of fun.

Oh and it has a heat rating of 1.52!

I had written something about this (250 Engine) being too slow, but then I realized it can't be correct because a 250 doesn't push a Dragon that fast. That's more like a 300-ish.

I bought the 1N when leveling up my Flame and enjoyed it enough I kept it. In a lot of ways I like it more than my Flame. I run:
AC10(+2)
2xSSRM(+1)
2xML
AMS(+1)
Std 300
Endo/Ferro

It's a fast, nifty little brawler that surprises people when it loses a torso and keeps going. The Streaks are mainly for dealing with non-ECM lights,while the AC10 and MLs do most of the work. The AC10 is a much better weapon than most people give it credit for. It's got good enough range for anything but dedicated sniping, a solid pinpoint punch, better DPS than a Gauss and is lighter. I really have no desire to put any other weapon in it's place.

I could drop Ferro and up speed and/or firepower with the use of XL, but I like it where it's at.

Edited by OneEyed Jack, 10 March 2013 - 10:30 PM.

[Flying Judgement]

the best build 4 this i believe the sell button

[Texas Merc]

ac10 LL srm6 xl300 endo


It also works across every single Dragon variant that isnt a hero mech.

[Noobzorz]

OneEyed Jack, on 10 March 2013 - 10:28 PM, said:

I had written something about this (250 Engine) being too slow, but then I realized it can't be correct because a 250 doesn't push a Dragon that fast. That's more like a 300-ish.

I bought the 1N when leveling up my Flame and enjoyed it enough I kept it. In a lot of ways I like it more than my Flame. I run:
AC10(+2)
2xSSRM(+1)
2xML
AMS(+1)
Std 300
Endo/Ferro

It's a fast, nifty little brawler that surprises people when it loses a torso and keeps going. The Streaks are mainly for dealing with non-ECM lights,while the AC10 and MLs do most of the work. The AC10 is a much better weapon than most people give it credit for. It's got good enough range for anything but dedicated sniping, a solid pinpoint punch, better DPS than a Gauss and is lighter. I really have no desire to put any other weapon in it's place.

I could drop Ferro and up speed and/or firepower with the use of XL, but I like it where it's at.

I saw "Std" and I thought "Yes, I could do without grinding for eight hours to buy the XL."

I'll give it a shot.

Inconspicuous, on 10 March 2013 - 10:16 PM, said:

I don't think all dragon builds would benefit from ferro, very few of my mechs have the crit slots to give up for ferro.

I'd normally agree, but with the dragon weight is such an issue (given your ****** hardpoints) that it's often difficult to field decent weapons otherwise.

[Mahws]

Yeah, the 5N is definitely the weakest Dragon.

I run it with a 255XL, Gauss/PPC in the arms is a decent combo, low heat, high damage. Don't underestimate taking an SRM6 in the center torso though, you may not intend to brawl, but you'll be thankfull when that raven or commando takes a face full of SRMs instead of wasting time/ammo trying to nail it with your long range guns. Don't waste weight on the SSRM 2, a single SRM6 will serve you better both for hitting lights trying to circle you and for getting that last hit on a critical Atlas.

As a general rule you want high damage weapons on a dragon as its primary armament. Being effective with AC2/AC5 requires time on target, something you don't want to be doing in a Dragon with your massive CT. You're much better off with a low fire rate, high damage gun that allows you to keep moving in and out of cover than 3xAC2 that require you to stand out in the open laying down fire.

Edited by Mahws, 10 March 2013 - 10:43 PM.

[Inconspicuous]

Noobzorz, on 10 March 2013 - 10:39 PM, said:

I'd normally agree, but with the dragon weight is such an issue (given your ****** hardpoints) that it's often difficult to field decent weapons otherwise.

Oh.... Gotcha

[CheeseThief]

With Endo, Ferro and a little bit of jiggling with the armour you can stuff a pair of medium lasers, duel SRM4's with 1t ammo and a gauss rifle with 2t ammo into the 1N while still keeping the std300.

20 shots with the gauss riifle and 13~ volleys with the SRMs is usually enough ammo so see me through a match, but armour certainly isn't this designs strong point.

[Malora Sidewinder]

Noobzorz, on 10 March 2013 - 09:43 PM, said:

I've done some googling, and the general consensus appears to be that the mech is basically unuseable, and so no one has bought it and tinkered with it. The fact that it's a dragon (i.e. absolutely requires endo, ferro, and XL) is already not great, but with 2 missile slots in the CT and only 2 critical slots even with a standard engine, I'm not really sure what good they're for. SRMs? Seems kind of absurd to put a brawler weapon on a mech that is basically as easy to core as a commando with giant hitboxes.

Nevertheless, I foolishly started with the dragon 5N, and after getting a relatively decent triple AC/2 build going, I'm determined to master the ******* thing, come hell or high water. To that end, I'd like to know: what do you guys use on the dragon 1N?

actually i was in the camp that the dragon is useless until this afternoon.
i said screw it and gave it a whirl.

my build is gauss, 4 medium lases and 1 srm 6, XL 300 engine.

it 's not particularly hot, so you can shoot often. which is definitely good, as your going to be making due with a relatively underwhelming aresenal for a heavy.

that said, you make up for it in speed and versatility.
the dragon CANNOT boat, making it a mutli-purpose design. i'd imagine most builds would fall towards the brawler category, but i wanted punch at range so i was never totally helpless... my conclusion? gauss rifle.

the dragon may have light armor, but it *can* survive a few decent shots before taking crippling damage, so it's really not that bad. because of how fast you are, you can bring weapons to bear on someone who is preoccupied and then slip away before they can retaliate, and this is very important to remember.

in a dragon you are NOT a main line brawler. you are fast fire support!
try not to get separated from your teammates. if you get engaged by multiple opponents on you at once you're most likely in trouble.

you've got enough firepower to take down mediums, and enough speed to use your superior firepower against lights, but if you're at a disadvantage if you're trying to 1v1 another heavy or even worse, an assault mech.

keep moving, weave in an out of cover. USE COVER. cover is important, as dragons cannot run ECMl, and teammates running it for you isn't a reliable plan.

all in all i feel like the dragon isn't a BAD mech... it's just very difficult to pilot well. it's just a hard mech to play.
it's very demanding in the following categories:

use of cover
situational awareness
precision
patience
ability to use basic battlefield tactics.

most people aren't good enough to do good with a dragon, and even if you CAN do well with it, you''d probably do better in another mech, realistically. but the dragon is FUN. that's the bottom line. i may normally pilot an atlas, but right now i'm happy with my dragon for awhile before i switch back.

[OneEyed Jack]

CheeseThief, on 10 March 2013 - 11:42 PM, said:

With Endo, Ferro and a little bit of jiggling with the armour you can stuff a pair of medium lasers, duel SRM4's with 1t ammo and a gauss rifle with 2t ammo into the 1N while still keeping the std300.

20 shots with the gauss riifle and 13~ volleys with the SRMs is usually enough ammo so see me through a match, but armour certainly isn't this designs strong point.

You're talking about being over 120pts below max armor. That's not "a little bit of jiggling." It's practically suicide. And it's still running too short on ammo for my taste. It's enough for most quick battles, but in anything moderately drawn out you'll be reduced to 2 ML, if your piddly armor can hold together that long.

[One Medic Army]

I've been using:
2x SRM4
2x ML
LB10X (because arm convergence issues annoy the crap outta me, and LBX is forgiving to your aim being off)
XL350 (because if you're not going fast in a dragon, just play a Cataphract, seriously)

Zoom Zoom shotgun build.

[Sol Fin]

Well, dragon is my first heavy and I've played A LOT with it. So I'll share some of my thoughts.

First of - you're not a brawler (if you're not a flame). You're a fire support, finisher or sometimes scout. Remember that. So often the hardest thing to do is to play this mech right. Pilot it correctly - and you'll have some fun. Otherwise - you'll just hate it.

Approx last loadout I was using looks like - http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6ca84a08e747a86
AC/10
2 x LPLs
SRM 4

Main thing with this loadout - don't come close to anything. Just... don't. Your main targets are above your weight, though LPLs can leg a light in no time if you have some initial range. Always stick behind your heavies or cover - support them with your medium range fire.

Just as a note - LRM 10 on a support mech to my surprise is... awesome. Your engagement range is 250-400m, so mostly out of SRM range, but within LRM one. So just pack 2 tons of ammo - and you'll do a lot of good things supporting your team.

Another note - AC/5s vs AC/10. Single AC/5 doesn't give enough punch to make it good. 2 AC/5s or AC/5+UAC/5 is better and you can use it, though since this build relies on LPLs to do high pinpoint damage - AC/10 is the best choice to add to them, especially since they have similar engagement range.

Loadout that I provided - just an example. You can easily change it to your likings. Like drop LPLs to LLs to make it more heat friendly or upgrade engine, fit 1 more SRM 4 or just push a LRM 10 with additional HSs. Up to you.

Edited by Sol Fin, 11 March 2013 - 12:53 AM.

[Sir Burpalot21]

I've got my 1N as such:
1x ER LL
2x LRM5
1x AC/5
1x UAC/5
Endo-Steel
DBL Heat Sinks
XL 270 Engine

It's at a disadvantage in close range fights, but provides excellent long-to-mid range support. You have to be really smart about your targets and cover.

My 5N uses:
1x LB10X
1x SSRM2
2x ML
2x Machine Gun
Endo Steel
DBL Heat Sinks
STD 300 Engine

Its great for fast and hard flanking and does well against lights so long as you aren't getting surrounded.

[Kageru Ikazuchi]

Ultra AC/5 (3 tons ammo) & Large Laser in the arms (for long range)
Medium Laser & 2x SRM-4 (1 ton ammo) in the torso (to back up brawling power)
400/402 Standard Armor, DHS, Endo-steel Structure, and XL 345

It's not my best mech, but it is currently my favorite Master mech ... decent long range, a screaming harasser when the brawl starts, and with 102 kph speed (w/ tweak), it can keep up with stock lights.

If heat management is a problem for you (I do very occasionally overheat), downgrade the engine and add heat sinks.

Edited by Kageru Ikazuchi, 11 March 2013 - 01:10 AM.