34 replies to this topic

[Exoth3rmic]

PanchoTortilla, on 10 March 2013 - 09:51 PM, said:

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

This is what I used to elite it with an XL 310 engine. When you're doing 3 dragon variants, I found this was a nice change up from the others. + Its miles better than the HBK 4H which can do a similar load out but has terrible speed, hit boxes etc etc. so you get a lot more bang for your buck.

Across the DRG-1C, Flame and the DRG-1N the 1N was the lowest average damage per match for me - with 413 and a 2:1 K/D.

Edited by Exoth3rmic, 11 March 2013 - 01:52 AM.

[Keeseni]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...f27170bf925ea2e

highest ever damage with this setup is 980 damage
averages 300-500 depending on how long you last.

I never considered playing a ppc before but when i tried one in the torso of this dragon i was wow.

as others have said 2x srm4 are pretty devastating on this mech and a must have.

you can switch out the uac5 and try an ac2's instead or just play around with 1 or 2 weapons to get yourself another 2-7 tonnes of weight for something you'd prefer.

But the torso mounted PPC is just too good and effective compared any and every other option other than leaving it empty.

edit:
imho Ferro fibrous is only an option on a dragon if you plan on using a standard engine.

Edited by Keeseni, 11 March 2013 - 02:16 AM.

[John MatriX82]

PanchoTortilla, on 10 March 2013 - 09:51 PM, said:

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

This. Keep picking targets from afar with the gauss to soften them up, if anything get close you can use everything at your advantage since in cqb you have a nice punch.

It's also possible to slap in a large engine (xl 325, but I employ a 320 from the CDA-3M) and have enough ammo for the GR and the SRMs, so you have a nice speed to harass or be a striker.

[Tarman]

Malora Sidewinder, on 10 March 2013 - 11:54 PM, said:

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.

That's great tactical advice, but your loadout isn't for a 1N, it's for the 1C. 99.9% of the post is totally accurate though.

[Cpt Beefheart]

Malora Sidewinder, on 10 March 2013 - 11:54 PM, said:

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

It's for these reasons I'd recommend it as a good starting mech for anyone who likes playing a support role. While the huge CT and only 60 tonnes to work with is an obvious setback, it is an awesome mech for laying down heavy support fire from a distance, with the ability to run for cover quickly.

If you can cut your teeth in one of these, you'll find yourself dominating when you jump into a "better" mech with more space for heavier weaponry.

My advice when piloting a Dragon is to load up with Gauss and LLs for the start of a battle, skirt around the edges laying down support fire, dealing damage, until everyone starts running out of ammo and overheating, then stride in and clean up with some SRMs. Because you have that large CT, it's not worth leaping into battle for an early brawl. If you time things right, it shouldn't matter if you take a few hits, as the enemy is already weakened.

[xRatas]

Gauss + 2 ERPPC should be good, IIRC 280XL fits with those. Another possibility is AC10, 2ML, 2SSRM2 or 2SRM4 with 350-360XL. I use 1N as I prefer the looks over 1C...

Edited by xRatas, 11 March 2013 - 03:39 AM.

[Percimes]

Bought one yesterday but being rather low in C-bills at the moment I had to use what parts I had in inventory from previous mechs. I was able to upgrade to endosteel and DHS at least.

Haven't had the time to field it yet, but here is what's on it at the moment.

340 XL with 2 DHS in it
2 AC2 with 2 tons of ammo
1 ERLL
2 SSRM2 with 2 tons of ammo.
1 energy HP still unused

Not sure how it will perform. I'm tempted to try to put 2 machine guns, 2 strong energy weapons and either 2 SRM4 or the original LRM 10. Not sure how long I'll keep the mech anyway, got it mostly to unlock elite skills for FLAME.

Edited by Percimes, 11 March 2013 - 06:56 AM.

[Miekael]

PanchoTortilla, on 10 March 2013 - 09:51 PM, said:

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

This is probably one of the best set ups for this chassis. You can run extremely cool (I love this mech on caustic), have a 45 damage alpha, ability to engage the enemy at both long and short ranges, and decent DPS. You just got to understand the flaws of the chassis and adapt a play style to fit. I find it makes a good scirmisher, but you need at least a 300 engine rating or better. It can brawl other mechs 1 v 1 but you will come out a bit hurt.

[Elizander]

Gauss Rifle and two Large Lasers on all of them!

[Egomane]

Moving to Guides -> Battlemechs

[Valrin]

I run UAC5/2ml/2srm4. Works well.

[Noobzorz]

Malora Sidewinder, on 10 March 2013 - 11:54 PM, said:

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

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.

I think the 5N and the 1C are all right. What you're giving me is a 1C build. I'm trying to use a 1N (the one with only 2 energy hardpoints). So far, it's been painful.

[Noobzorz]

One Medic Army, on 11 March 2013 - 12:24 AM, said:

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.

This looks fun. I'm going to try OneEyeJacks method while I save up for an XL350 and LBX and then take a spin at some of the fire support people are talking about.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

[Malora Sidewinder]

Tarman, on 11 March 2013 - 02:26 AM, said:

your loadout isn't for a 1N, it's for the 1C.

i'm good at this, i swear.

[malibu43]

More in here:


http://mwomercs.com/...69#entry1829369

I really wish they'd organize this forum with Mech and Variant sub forums.