18 replies to this topic

[Buckminster]

With the lovely missile damage reduction, my Catapults have been mostly sitting idle. I decided to make the final push to finish Master on all of them, and now that my C1 and K2 are done, all I have is my A1.

Streakcats died with ECM, and I know there's the 6xSRM6 (or 6xSRM4) splatcat idea, but I also tend to prefer a more balanced build. Any thoughts?

As a side note, I already have Artemis on the mech, and I don't want to pay to take it off.

[Blackadder]

6 streak ssrms or 6 srm 4/6 with artemis, or even a mix if you want to screw around. You can try LRM's but frankly its like beating someone with a wet noodle currently, and a complete waste of tonnage and space.

[Wrenchfarm]

Wait until missiles get readjusted in May.

Hope you don't have premium burning away.

[Hex Pallett]

With ECM in existence? No more balanced builds, either 6xSRM6 faceblaster without Artemis or 6xSRM4 with A.

[Buckminster]

Blackadder, on 12 April 2013 - 04:33 AM, said:

6 streak ssrms

I'll never take a 6 Streak Cat into the game. All it took was finding one while I was piloting my 3L to realize what a very very bad idea it is to have a mech where every weapon is completely nullified by ECM.

I'm thinking I'll try the 6xASRM4s. Based on wanting to stick with my 300XL, jump jets and Artemis, 6xASRM6 just doesn't leave enough room for ammo.

[Smk]

It's an A1. You can't get a balanced build out of it. Boat SRMs.

[ZeProme]

A1s are pretty much splat cats. Until PGI gets missiles fixed, you will pretty much need to run it with an expensive set up.

[One Medic Army]

Should have bought a C4.
At least then you can run Artemis SRM6s and a backup LPL.

[ZeProme]

One Medic Army, on 12 April 2013 - 02:30 PM, said:

Should have bought a C4.
At least then you can run Artemis SRM6s and a backup LPL.

That's what I regretted. I should have went with either the C1 or the C4. The A1 has no flexible builds.

[Muz0079]

As said above, until they fix LRMs and sort out ECM then the only viable option is to boat srms.
I run mine with 6xASRM6, 5 tons of ammo, 2JJ, 11DHS, AMS, endo and an XL300.
I usually have enough ammo to see through all matches but you can swap around the JJ, DHS, AMS etc if you need more. Truth be told, most enemies will try to shoot your ears off long before you run out of ammo so don't skimp on the arm armour!

What isnt helping much at the moment is the map rotation skew giving you tourmaline or alpine 75% of the time so your playstyle tends to be to hug the ecm mech and try to flank or hang back and let the snipers soften each other up before closing in for the kill.

[Buckminster]

I grabbed the A1 back before ECM, so it wasn't as much of an issue then. My other two are the C1 and K2, so the A1 also represented the more different option. Turns out different isn't always good.

I did just run into the 'short range' problem - first match out was on Alpine, and most of the team had short range builds. We ended up getting our butts wiped, but won on a cap.

[Royalewithcheese]

Splatcat's literally the only useful thing you can do with an A1.

[JediPanther]

You can try the dart build. Four lrm fives with two srm sixes and about three tons each for ammo. The lrms fire fast and often while the srms get lights to back off.

[neviu]

grab the cat and splat up the wall

[Jay Z]

6 missiles hardpoints, means balanced builds are difficult to find.
ASRM4 Splatcat CPLT-A1
LockCat CPLT-A1

If you have friendly ECM or get locks outside 180m you'll be fine. I run Streaks on everything bar my JR7-F.

You are correct that the A1 is limited in terms of variation but it can be a good support mech for an Assault.

[AnubiteGroove]

I have to be honest, one of the best builds for sporting factor is 6 LRM5s with Artemis. Run with two other friends with the same build.

[Praehotec8]

The A-1 is my first and still favorite mech. The build I have been running the longest (and still my favorite to use) is:

2 X LRM10
2 X SRM6
2 X SRM 4
Artemis
Endo
DHS
XL 265
4 JJ
2 tons LRM ammo, 3 or 4 tons SRM ammo
LRMs aren't great at the moment, but the still work enough to strip the armor off 1-2 mechs, and encourages me to play cautiously at the outset of the match. The SRMs with artemis still work great at killing things. biggest problem this mech has is endurance. It's usually enough ammo to last an 8v8 match, but I have run out before. I'm waiting to see how it shapes up in 12v12. Usually I do 300-500 damage per match.

[Dauphni]

My A1 build is very similar to that Lockcat build, only I've swapped out one ton of Streak ammo and 16 points of leg armour for a BAP, and those two heatsinks for Artemis. It's probably the most balanced build you could make for an A1, and it's absolutely devastating in that 180-270m range. ECM can be a problem though, and you'll really want the Adv. Sensor Range module. Solo pugging is very hit and miss, but if you're playing with friends who can take care of the ECM, it really shines.

[Buckminster]

Since I'm usually pugging, I can't count on ECM support. I did see that the other day though - a StreakCat and Raven 3L were working in tandem, and doing a very good job of it.

Although honestly, I'm thinking that my A1 may sit idle until they address the missile issue. I played a few games with 6xASRM4s, and I was underwhelmed. I think it was twofold - I'm not a big fan of straight up brawling, and there seemed to be a lot of lights this weekend, and my aim just isn't that good.