125 replies to this topic

[Cubivorre]

Trufast, on 13 June 2013 - 05:27 AM, said:

What's your loadout then? I tried XL 300 in a couple of builds, but I never really got it to work.

Edit: nvm, 2 ml, 2 LL and ac10 right? I'll try it out

Yep - I keep a LL and ML in each arm so I can reach around cover a lot easier and shoot.

Weapons group 1 fires the Left arm LL ML
Group 2 fires the Right Arm LL ML
Group 3(Thumb) Fires the AC/10
Group 4(Another thumb just above group 3) Fires both LL for long range attacks and keep heat lower without firing the ML

Hope it works out for you.

[Enthropy]

I am trying to lurn my DRG-1N into a walking shotgun and it seems to work for me. This means, I have much less terrible results then with trial mechs or normal dragon or Blackjack builds. It looks like this:

300 engine, 10 double heatsinks (built in included), endo steel, ferro-fibrous armor, LBX-10X AC (2 tons ammo), 2 med pulse lasers, SRM 6 (2 tons ammo), Beagle active probe.

I wait until messy fighting begins and then I charge into the brawl and start ****** anything with damaged armor. All my weapon are great crit seekers, so there are usually tons of exploding ammo. And it is fast enough to eat lone assaults, who wander too far from their friends.

But when both teams decide to enjoy prolonged sniping fights, this Dragon starts to be totally useless.

[BindMind]

*ahem*

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1bf66cd8d814c80

Edited by BindMind, 15 June 2013 - 12:07 AM.

[BigMekkUrDakka]

dragon, awesome and probably some other "odd" mechs takes a lot of practice and love to truly shine as unparalleled skirmishers and vanguard units, that capable of brawling if they forced to.

but god! i HATE that dragon hood

PS: slightly wrong branch of forum?

Edited by BigMekkUrDakka, 15 June 2013 - 12:13 AM.

[Skadi]

Tremor, on 01 June 2012 - 06:07 AM, said:

The Dragon is not lacking firepower.Take a look for yourself.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Dragon
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Cataphract
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Catapult
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Centurion

The Dragon and Cataphract have a ten ton difference. The Dragon is smaller, faster, and more manuverable.

Edit: I think what you are all missing, is the fact that the Dragon beats all of those 'mechs speeds by an average of 20kph.
For it's size and arament, it's speed is discusting.
And as far as comparing it to the Centurion, it is also slightly better armored, if I remember correctly.

Just this, my only problem with the Dragon is the fact I don't even haft to try and aim when fighting one, I point my reticule in its general direction and bam! CT hit.

[Mahws]

Enthropy, on 14 June 2013 - 10:25 AM, said:

I am trying to lurn my DRG-1N into a walking shotgun and it seems to work for me. This means, I have much less terrible results then with trial mechs or normal dragon or Blackjack builds. It looks like this:

300 engine, 10 double heatsinks (built in included), endo steel, ferro-fibrous armor, LBX-10X AC (2 tons ammo), 2 med pulse lasers, SRM 6 (2 tons ammo), Beagle active probe.

I wait until messy fighting begins and then I charge into the brawl and start ****** anything with damaged armor. All my weapon are great crit seekers, so there are usually tons of exploding ammo. And it is fast enough to eat lone assaults, who wander too far from their friends.

But when both teams decide to enjoy prolonged sniping fights, this Dragon starts to be totally useless.

Only your LBX10 is a crit seeking weapon and as each one damage shell is calculated separately it's arguably less effective at crit seeking ammo (though more effective at crit seeking large items) than a regular AC/10. Your SRM6 and MPL are both terrible crit seekers, even if they get a crit, then get that crit on the slot that contains ammo they still won't destroy the ammo as all ammo has ten points of health.

Ammo has a 10% chance to explode when destroyed by crits OR when the component it is in is destroyed. And considering that most players hide their ammo in their legs/head ammo explosions are even more rare. If it's in the torso it's packed in with other things that soak up crit hits and reduce the chances of critting ammo before component destruction to practically nothing (and that's before the 10% chance to actually explode). If it's in the legs your chances of getting a crit are much improved, but you could achieve the exact same chances of ammo explosion by just destroying the leg. And either way the chances of explosion are still tiny.

Ammo explosions are wonderful when they do happen, but they're very rare and not at all worth the massively reduced effectiveness of the LBX10.

If you'd like to test it yourself go into the training grounds and cross reference the default ammo locations of each of the target mechs by looking at their stock load outs on smurfy. Try shooting out the sections with the ammo in it, you'll see just how common ammo explosions really are.

That being said if you're enjoying it, have fun and pay me no mind. Crunching numbers and min-maxing should always come second to having fun.

[BigMekkUrDakka]

Skadi, on 15 June 2013 - 12:22 AM, said:

Just this, my only problem with the Dragon is the fact I don't even haft to try and aim when fighting one, I point my reticule in its general direction and bam! CT hit.

probably that dragon did something wrong to let you hit him and he always can carry away from you that damaged CT unless you ride other dragon or light mech

[Commander Kobold]

BigMekkUrDakka, on 15 June 2013 - 12:25 AM, said:

probably that dragon did something wrong to let you hit him and he always can carry away from you that damaged CT unless you ride other dragon or light mech

it doesn't matter how fast you are if you're a lightly armored big target

[Enthropy]

Mahws, on 15 June 2013 - 12:23 AM, said:

That being said if you're enjoying it, have fun and pay me no mind. Crunching numbers and min-maxing should always come second to having fun.

You are really not stupid, kind sir Fun is my top priority. I will never be a competitive player, because I don't feel the urge to do so.
Maybe it is simply a dumb luck. But I get more ammo explosions (already cripled 3 Atlases this way) then when I was messing around with PPC od UAC 5. And I am having fun with it When I make (not grind - with funny Dragon, this word doesn't fit) some credits, my next mechs will be a Dragon and maybe another Dragon.

[Ragnar Darkmane]

Come on guys, even Theodore Kurita complained when all he got after military academy graduation was a lousy Dragon . I guess it really is supposed to be at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to heavies.

Edited by Ragnar Darkmane, 16 June 2013 - 04:28 PM.

[Heldar1]

Run the 5n with 1 erppc, 1 lb 10-x ac, 1 er large laser with 300xl. you won't be disappointed.

[Evil Ash]

The dragons speed and armor outweight its lack of firepower, after all, it carries a guass rifle, so theres some firepower there for pilots who have good aim, the dragon is more of a hit and run mech, and is very effective at taking out light and medium mechs, and can spin around assaults decently.

[Aslena]

I tried the Dragon.. I didn't care to much for it. I felt like I was a bus driver getting ready to pick up kids for school.... However, I have seen people do quite well in them it just wasn't for me.

Edited by Aslena, 16 June 2013 - 06:36 PM.

[Natrall]

For those that don't know the evolution of the dragon and why it came to be.
The Dragon is a heavy BattleMech originally designed in a bid to replace the Shadow Hawk. A close assault 'Mech, its versatile design allows it to be used in both offensive and defensive operations. It boasts above-average firepower and plenty of ammunition for extended combat, while a Vlar 300 fusion engine gives it a faster-than-normal top speed. Armor coverage for the Dragon's ten tons is thick around the torso, and especially the rear, for when it is surrounded by opponents, while the squat design gives it a smaller profile and makes it harder to knock over. The lack of any especially heat-intensive devices makes the use of only ten heat sinks a non-issue. The Dragon's only major problem is it requires frequent maintenance and/or overhaul of its hip actuator.^[1][2][3]
Debuting in the twilight years of the Star League, the Dragon was turned down by the SLDF in favor of an upgraded Shadow Hawk, though it would be quietly picked up by Draconis Combine. With the dissolution of the Star League and the onset of the Succession Wars, the Dragon became the Combine's standard 'Mech.^[1] Multiple production lines on many well-defended worlds, including Luthien, meant the design was so prevalent every battalion and almost every company featured the Dragon, with some battalions composed of nothing but these 'Mechs. So many were produced that the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth employed salvaged Dragons in their own arsenals, while many mercenary commands used captured or purchased models. The Free Rasalhague Republic would also adopt the 'Mech following their formation.^[2][3]
The beginning of the end came around 3025 when the Grand Dragon, an improved version of the Dragon, entered the prototype phase. By 3040 initial production had begun on this upgraded model with several Dragon factories switching over entirely to producing Grand Dragons. Even as the Combine was phasing it out of service the original Dragon was not wholly abandoned and it saw combat during the Clan Invasion. By 3065 Luthien Armor Works had ceased production altogether on the Dragon, though it would remain within the DCMS' inventory for some time.^[4][5]
The Dragons primary weapons are an Imperator-A Autocannon/5 and Telos DecaCluster LRM-10 launcher, giving it respectable long-range damage capabilities as it charges forward. Additionally, the use of Long Range Missiles grants the Dragon indirect fire capabilities, while two tons of ammo for each weapon allows it to operate for extended periods away from supply lines. For close combat the Dragon carries two Victory 23R Medium Lasers, one rear-mounted in its torso and another in its left arm. The Dragon is also a proficient brawler, often finishing off an opponent with physical attacks, and its normally-delicate autocannon is wrapped in a thick protective sleeve for just such occasions.^[

[Narcissistic Martyr]

The dragon/quickdraw carries the most payload of all chassis at 81 kph and a STD engine and 96 kph with an XL. Unfortunately, taking a dragon gives the enemy a harder hitting mech making it a bad (if fun) choice in the current meta.

[Violent Tendencies]

I primarily drive Dragons (Flame, 5N). It takes a long time to change your mindset/gameplay to fit the uniqueness of the Dragon. I dont run XLs because you would not believe the number of times you get one-shotted before the righting really starts. Seriously...dont put an XL in a Dragon...you will go down quicker than Kim Kardashian on the black phallus. I agree with the popular consensus that the Dragon is just a large medium...and the tradeoff in speed vs weaps clearly relegates it to niche players.

For the sake of simplicity, I only ever run 2 weapons groups! I've found the best weap combo seems to be either:
Flame = 4 mlas + Gauss
5N = 1 LL, 1 LPL + Gauss

Do this, and you'll be Dragon pro in no time:
1. Dont ever be first to the fight..scout if you must
2. Follow atlai + stalkers and engage what they engage. If one of their targets runs off and disengages...do your thing.
3. This could go for any mech, but cycle thru targets and pursue/alpha the most damaged, then fall back to your fat buddies.

Edited by Violent Tendencies, 17 June 2013 - 03:25 PM.

[White Bear 84]

Love the dragon, these builds work great for me.

DRG-FL|The Honey Badger
DRG-5N|Dredd
DRG-1N|Peor Pesadilla

[Mahws]

Just in case you're not aware White Bear, CASE does nothing for XL engines.

CASE doesn't prevent ammo explosions, it just means that the ammo explosion only damages the section it's in. Without CASE if the ammo explosion does enough damage to destroy the section the extra damage is dealt to the neighboring sections, which with an XL engine isn't a concern as you're already dead.

Violent Tendencies, on 17 June 2013 - 03:19 PM, said:

I dont run XLs because you would not believe the number of times you get one-shotted before the righting really starts. Seriously...dont put an XL in a Dragon.

I could probably count the amount of times I've died from losing a side torso with more than a few scratches of health left on my CT on a single hand. Dying a few seconds faster in the occasional match seems like a fair trade for your enemies dying a few seconds faster in every match. 9.5 tonnes of extra weapons goes a long, long way.

[TheFlyingScotsman]

Oh, the Dragon. I love this mech, and if it has JJ'd variants, I'd be using one. The problem with the dragon mostly has to do with its slot layouts, and how you cant really put that much weight in them without limiting speed.

Speed is integral to what Dragons do, and they sadly do not work well as a fire platform. The problem with dragons is that non AC20/Gauss ballistics and beam lasers are sub-par to their larger compatriots, but are the only thing you can reasonably put on a fast dragon.

I've had good results with PPCs, SSRMs and pulse-lasers. The key is picking fights and using teammates as distractions/cover.

[Victor Morson]

Dragon is trash, news at a 11.*

* It's only been good in MW4. Never before, never again. It is literally among the very worst TT designs and is the very worst heavy, trumped only by it's own variants. Grand Dragon & Flame excluded.

EDIT: I almost don't even want to count the flame. It's MW4's Argus in a Dragon skin.

Edited by Victor Morson, 17 June 2013 - 07:16 PM.