23 replies to this topic

[Seraphic Law]

Which would be the better overall choice here?
Running a K2 Cat.

[Mercules]

Depends...

Need some details as to what your goal here is.

[Seraphic Law]

Most sustained damage without overheating is the overall plan I guess.
Right now I have dual AC/2 cannons, with room for dual large or medium pulse lasers.

[Mechteric]

10 tons versus 4 tons?

You can't really compare them directly, rather pick whichever matches your config better. If you just want them as backup, go for the mediums, if you want to stay at range to do your main damage then go for the larges. Dual AC/2's are long range, therefore larges would probably be best.

Also, I would heavily recommend AC/5 over the AC/2's, they still have good range (much closer to that of the large laser) and just do much more consistent damage compared with the 2's.

Edited by CapperDeluxe, 08 May 2013 - 06:31 AM.

[FerretGR]

Well, in almost every way you can think about it 2 LL are better than 2 MPL: while the LL is bigger and heavier, with a slightly larger HPS, for that you get more damage, more range, and higher DPS. They're not interchangeable... they play different roles and it's a different mech with one set or the other. I'd take LL in the design you're talking about... a K2 with 2xAC2 and 2xMPL is pretty gimpy.

Why not 2xLL and 2xUAC5?

Edited by FerretGR, 08 May 2013 - 06:30 AM.

[Sadistic Savior]

Large would probably be more flexible in every way. Medium pulse are actually not that great...they are a lot more heat for only 1 point additional damage over normal mediums. Really the only time I'd consider pulse lasers is when I am tight on hardpoints and do not have the heat/tonnage to spare on a better weapon. Medium Pulse lasers are one of the coolest sounding weapons in the game though.

Large would have much longer range and more damage per shot and almost the same heat.

[Seraphic Law]

Quote

Why not 2xLL and 2xUAC5?

Well, my build is based on having the largest engine for the Catapult, the XL 315.
This is to insure the best possible maneuverability (for dealing with light mechs).
Not sure if I could work dual AC/5 or dual U-AC/5 into this build.

CPLT-K2

Edited by Seraphic Law, 08 May 2013 - 06:49 AM.

[Kyynele]

If MPLs are really an option to you, fitting in 2 UACs isn't a problem. I'd personally rather go for 4 MLs, but you could replace those with the 2 MPLs for lower DPS and a bit better heat efficiency:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...49d58d1421cd477

[Kommisar]

Well, AC/2s are not great anti-light mech weapons themselves.

But if you are looking for weapons to compliment those AC/2s against light mechs; both can work depending on your play style and skill. The main advantages of the Medium Pulse Lasers are shorter beam time and less weight. You can use that extra weight to pack on some additional Double Heat Sinks. Those AC/2s can get hot and lasers don't help. Check your heat on the build. To do what I think you want to do with that big engine, you'll want something around 1.4 in heat efficiency. Less than that, and you'll find yourself building up heat in those time when you need to sustain your fire.

The large lasers are, IMHO, a great go-to weapon. The Standard Battle Rifle, so to speak, of the game. Not the best in any category... but not the worst in any category either. Solid. Plus, with the AC/2s, I would want the extra damage with the large lasers myself.

[Escef]

I run K2 with 2 LLs, 2 AC5 (3 tons ammo), stock engine, 12 DHS, endo, ferro, the rest is armor. It isn't flashy, but it works.

[Seraphic Law]

Kyynele, on 08 May 2013 - 06:55 AM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...49d58d1421cd477

Tried this build out, and... I really like it.

The UAC5 ammo goes quick and they tend to jam a lot, but they have a lot of stopping power + the four lasers.

Edited by Seraphic Law, 08 May 2013 - 08:19 AM.

[Seraphic Law]

On second thought... are there any tips on jamming?
These U-AC/5s seem to have an extramely high jam rate.

[FerretGR]

Seraphic Law, on 08 May 2013 - 06:44 AM, said:

Well, my build is based on having the largest engine for the Catapult, the XL 315.

Well, TBH, if I was going for speed, I'd avoid ballistics altogether... heavy engine, heavy ballistics, bad match. Would a 4LL build work?

ETA: that UAC5, 4ML build certainly isn't bad.

Edited by FerretGR, 08 May 2013 - 09:09 AM.

[Kyynele]

Seraphic Law, on 08 May 2013 - 08:48 AM, said:

On second thought... are there any tips on jamming?
These U-AC/5s seem to have an extramely high jam rate.

Well, they should not jam at all if you don't blast away at maximum recycle speed.

The most common trick I know is using 3 UACs on chain fire, this way they never jam, and when you really need to deal damage you can try your luck and blast away until everything's jammed. You can only get 2 UACs to K2, so this doesn't help you much.

One of my friends clicks in a rhythm just so that there's a small pause after each shot to avoid jamming, You could try if that works for you, or set up a macro for something like that.

I'll admit my personal experience on using ballistics is mostly on Gauss and AC20, so maybe someone else has better tips.

[Skunk Wolf]

Pulse lasers are more for a hit and run tactic, so you can cool off. The big advantage is the short burst of them. Unless your K2 is pretty quick, LL would be best.

Edited by Skunk Wolf, 08 May 2013 - 09:19 AM.

[Seraphic Law]

For the jamming issue on the U-AC/5s, using chain fire mode seems to help a lot.
However, it removes the raid fire element, turing them into normal AC/5s.

[Seraphic Law]

EDIT:

I also noticed something:

With four medium lasers, if you put them in chain mode, you can keep one laser active at all times.
Does anyone know if this would be better (DPS wise) vs if you were to fire two at once or all four at once?

Edited by Seraphic Law, 08 May 2013 - 09:37 AM.

[Escef]

I use 2 UAC5 on my HGN-733C. I chain fire them. I've found that a single UAC5 is usually a bad idea. Just like AC5s, avoid mounting them singly. For that matter, only mount a single AC2 if you are using it as a tracer for PPCs. Lighter ACs need to be mounted in pairs or more to be useful for damage dealing.

[Shadowsword8]

Large lasers are more polyvalent, and have a better damage to heat ratio. Said ratio is just about the most important factor to consider when comparing weapons.

[Gigastrike]

Seraphic Law, on 08 May 2013 - 09:36 AM, said:

EDIT:

I also noticed something:

With four medium lasers, if you put them in chain mode, you can keep one laser active at all times.
Does anyone know if this would be better (DPS wise) vs if you were to fire two at once or all four at once?

Chain fire can only decrease your DPS. It won't always, but there will never be a time when chain firing will give you a higher DPS than just firing everything.

As far as U-AC/5s jamming, I find the best way to handle that is to learn trigger discipline. Don't hold the button down, and only click when the gun is ready. That way you wont jam, and you can still burst fire if you want to.