43 replies to this topic

[focuspark]

I've been playing MW:O a while now. I mostly play Heavy mechs like CPLT (mastered them all), and CTF (nearly elite in 3 now), and I've even have some experience with Medium mechs (mastered 3 CDA variants now). Piloting a heavy, like my CTF-4X, I'll pull in an average of about 150K c-bills and 1000 XP per match.

Recently I decided to splurge and purchase my first hero mech. I went cheap and got a COM-TDK (The Death's Knell). I have to be doing something very wrong. With the COM-TDK I pull in about 50K per match and 300-500 XP.

How do light pilots do it? What's the trick? Is the game really this biased towards heavier mechs?

Any help is great, thanks in advance.

[LegoPirate]

1. maximum speed.
2. good heat effiency
3. dont work alone.

[Y2kHippy]

As a dedicated Light Pilot, it is all about speed and manoeuvrability. If you run into a building or legged your are dead. You need to also work with an ECM mech to give you the maximum effect. I have a DeathsKnell myself and like the little ****** though I'm not that successful with it personally. The Commando 2D with its ECM is a lot better choice though its 3xStreak load out gets blocked by ECM from others.
The Raven 3L is always the best choice for the light pilot with its Tag, laz and Streaks. The speed comes from a $4.5 million investment that dwarfs the costs of any of the other lights and equates to the cost of a brand new Atlas. You might want to find away for getting a faster engine in the DeathsKnell as yes they are fast but not quite fast enough as standard.
Welcome to the ranks of Harassment and Scouts. Its a fun role but takes work and support of others to get good and effective. Don't expect to just jump in and do well. A light is not a heavy or assault mech, the feel is so much different and firepower takes skill to use at over 130kph. You need to learn to have an understanding of the maps and everyone on it, by keeping one eye on the mini map at all times to get a better situational awareness. And as a scout don't forget to relay accurate spotting locations to the team. This makes a massive difference to a combat.
Good Luck

Additional
If you can always drop with another light pilot. They with two you can stick together and do a lot of damage or harassment. Two lights running around like crazy through an entre team is the perfect time for your team to advance.
Pick your targets wisely is key. If you spot a Splat Cat run and get out as fast as you can an not in a straight line. Awsome's and Atlas's are great fun to pick on. If they get a single hit on your legs you are done. In public matches there are few great shots like this. Also a Cat C1 LRM boat is useless against you if you stay in side of their range.
Practice your circling. Pretty much you have two options when you attack, drive by attacks coming back and forth against a single target or more. Or circling a single target. With the DeathsKnell set up of 4 Laz you will need to practice this one at speed targeting arms or legs on the training grounds. This is also a great heads up on just how much heat you will be generating. Its important you pick arms and legs off as the arm weapons are usually what's going to kill you.

Edited by Y2kHippy, 21 March 2013 - 05:56 PM.

[ICEFANG13]

Playing a light mech is less about knowing how to fight and more about knowing when and where to fight.

[Koniving]

Could have sworn I saw an identical topic earlier in the month. I suggest looking at it for more detailed answers.

[mailin]

As Y2K Hippy said, run with another scout. The Death's Knell and all other lights that lack ECM are at a serious disadvantage against others. I will usually let the other light pilot know that I am going with him. This does two things. It makes him feel like someone's got his back (rightly so). It also gives both of you greater survivability. If you can get an enemy isolated and start circling him, he will tend to focus on one of you. If he does this and decides to stand still, move behind him and fire at his back. If he back up, you back up too. You just need to make sure that no one sees you standing there, because you make an even juicier target than your enemy.

[ArcDemon]

Piloting a light mech is very different from any other mech, 'Speed is life' is the one truth because your mech absolutely depends on avoiding hits to make up for the almost total lack of armor (one lucky shot from a gaussapult will kill you immediately).

Engine upgrades are mandatory for all of the current light mechs and can often cost more CBills then the mech itself. Commandos typically go with either the more common XL 195 for weight balance or an XL 210 for some builds. Endo steel is a must for extra weight savings and sometimes even ferro-fibrous armor is a viable route for squeezing out another 0.5 tons (though you usually don't have enough criticals left after adding double heat sinks). An online mechlab is suggested for figuring out the exact balance of slots and weight. With the Death's Knell you might consider medium pulse lasers, both for the added damage and the shorter time you need to hold them on target (and thus be out in the open).

Like Y2kHippy said tactics are different in a light, you need to be constantly aware of what is going on and be planning your movement several steps in advance - running into a dead end or going over the wrong hill crest at high speed could kill you. Always know where you are going now and where you will go once you get there (so like Y2kHippy said, memorize the maps).

One thing lights are good at is running away. When you get the hang of things you'll find that your survival rate in a light mech is often better then in a heavy. As a light pilot you are in the polar opposite position of an Atlas - once an Atlas commits itself to a fight it needs to win or die. Don't use this philosophy in a light mech, run away and live to fight another day. On the better maps like desert you can quite easily 'run away' when your opponent tries to engage you, then reappear seconds later from another angle and attack him while he's off guard again. Harassment and confusion are key weapons in a lights arsenal. Some mechs like the Stalker have a particularly hard time seeing or responding to threats on their rear and flanks. Be ready to adjust your speed if there are no other enemies in order to stay in his blind spot.

[qki]

a short guide to light mechs.

Streak SRMs are your friends - they allow you to strike from any angle, and that's very useful. Other than that, medium lasers are the go-to weapon for damage. Gimmicks are fun, but they don't work as well. SRM6 (with artemis if you can fit it in) are also very decent damage dealing weapons.


Best light right now is the raven 3L: 3 energy, 2 missile hardpoints, and ECM-capable.

Next up is the COM-2D Commando - lighter and less durable than the raven, but 3 missile hardpoints, and streaks will be your main damage weapon here. Only one laser though. (I run mine with just 2 streaks and one SRM6)

SDR-5D spider is the opposite. Slightly less durable than the raven, but the only jump-capable ECM carrier. Can have 3 lasers, but no missiles.

Jenners can't carry ECM, but they have good hardpoints. JR-7D has 4 energy, 2 missile, JR-7F has 6 energy (and works really well with 6 small lasers). JR-7K is the ******* child, with 4 energy, 1 missile, and strictly inferior to JR-7D, but you can always run it with an SRM6 instead of streaks.

[ArcDemon]

qki, on 24 March 2013 - 11:21 AM, said:

JR-7K is the ******* child, with 4 energy, 1 missile, and strictly inferior to JR-7D, but you can always run it with an SRM6 instead of streaks.

The K trades the missile hardpoint for an extra module slot. As some of the consumable modules are introduced the K might become more balanced with the D (for example scouts may be well suited to using the artillery consumables given their ability to get behind and spot enemies without giving away their position).

[Buckminster]

Have you made any changes to your Knell?

Speed is everything with lights. My survivability increased dramatically in my Raven 3L when I replaced the XL210 with an XL295. Speed Tweak pushes me over 150 kph, and that helped even more. Sure, I have the cheese of ECM helping protect my back, but it's the speed that lets you get in, hit hard and get out.

I'd add endo steel and swap out that engine for the biggest thing it'll fit. Maybe bump up those medium lasers to medium pulses if you have any weight left over, and you should find that you are able to do more.

[Just wanna play]

just so ya know, unless they changed this, don't bother putting in an engine size that will push you over 150kph, it won't do anything, it will say you are moving 150+, but the game doesn't actually let you move faster then 150

[Buckminster]

Speed Tweak and a 295XL moves a Raven at 150.2 kph. I'm okay if that gets rounded down to 150.

And I think they changed most of the engine caps to limit at about 150. When I was browsing through Smurfy's mechlab, only a few mechs broke 150, and none went over 152.

[T0rmented]

focuspark, on 21 March 2013 - 04:59 PM, said:

How do light pilots do it? What's the trick? Is the game really this biased towards heavier mechs?

Increase throttle with w, decrease with s, turn left with a, right d. The trick is to do all of those in the right order, No

[Butane9000]

Commandos are without argument the "weakest" of the lights currently in game. Until such time as they release the Flea.

[T0rmented]

butane you have your argument, spiders

[Just wanna play]

Buckminster, on 24 March 2013 - 01:03 PM, said:

Speed Tweak and a 295XL moves a Raven at 150.2 kph. I'm okay if that gets rounded down to 150.

And I think they changed most of the engine caps to limit at about 150. When I was browsing through Smurfy's mechlab, only a few mechs broke 150, and none went over 152.

yeah, i got the same result in smurfies, and i think at a certain speed, mechs legs constantly take dmg, idk if this is still true

lol my first mech was a spider.....

[Y2kHippy]

The Spiders do seem the weakest of the lights currently. The Jenners while not having a ECM variant still have more firepower than all the others so they are still useful. The Spiders usefulness only really comes in with the jump jets, but their lack of any real damage makes them a poor choice right now. I would class the Commando 2D above that of the Raven 3L now that the Ravens hit box is now larger than the mech itself. And with the incoming consumable modules scouts are going to be having fun, and module slots are going to important in considering a mech to take into the battle.

[focuspark]

T0rmented, on 24 March 2013 - 03:16 PM, said:

Increase throttle with w, decrease with s, turn left with a, right d. The trick is to do all of those in the right order, No

Thanks?

I figured it out. Hit-n-run. Never stick around for the kill, just keep shooting and moving. It's boring as hell spending more time running away than shooting things, but my COM-TDL stats look like this now: 6 wins, 4 losses, 4 kills, 5,760 XP. PT + HM bonuses mean I make > 200K per match now, so it's worth the time invested.

[T0rmented]

focuspark your welcome

[PhoenixFire55]

Never stand still or move slowly.
Never stay far away from cover for a long period of time.
Never get carried away and lose track of where your teammates are and where your enemies are.
Never engage in a duel unless you are sure you can win easy.

Game is currently biased towards light mechs that can have ECM and SSRMs. Your Death's Knell isn't effective against such lights. Don't be surprised when an average pilot in a x3 SSRM-2 Commando stomps a good pilot in a TDK. Doesn't mean you have to abandon it tho, playing an underdog can only make you better if you stick with it and don't go easy mode.