10
Guide V1.0
Hello everyone, you may be reading this to expand your knowledge on the Spider-5D, or to find out a new build, or maybe you're a new player just trying to learn a little more about the game. In any case, I hope you'll be able to take something new away from this guide I've put together! (Warning: it's a long one - the feint of heart may turn back now)
NOTE: Criticism is welcome, but only if it remains constructive. Remember, this is a thread about the Spider-5D, we are not talking about Jenners, Ravens or Commandos here unless it directly relates to the topic.
A little about myself, I have been around since February and after numerous fails in the bigger battlemechs I decided to give the little guys a go. Since then I have become quite a decent light pilot(Actually I think I'm pretty damn good but I will only toot my own horn in parentheses XD ) and I frequently get asked about my builds. Since the most demand comes from me playing in my Spider, I finally decided to get off my *** and write this thing. This is a thorough guide on how to play my personal webslinger build of the Spider 5-D. There are a few different ERPPC builds out there but in my opinion this is the best one. So let's get started!
What's the build?
SDR-5D Black Widow
Spoiler
This build can switch between sniper, skirmisher, harasser, and scout in the blink of an eye. We'll be getting into all of this in much greater detail below.
Why The Spider 5-D?
This build works extremely well with the Spider-5D due to many factors:
- Speed
- Small silhouette
- Incredible arm movement
- Very fast torso twist
- Jump Jets
- ECM
- Looks awesome
Weapons
Your main armament will come in the form of an ERPPC(webshot!) in your right arm. It allows you to deal a whopping 10 points of damage to a single location up to 810m away. Beyond your effective range, the ERPPC still does damage out to 1620m - albeit with a linear damage falloff that increases with the distance to your target.
Your secondary weaponry will be 2 small lasers - 1 in your center torso and one in your beefy arm(the right arm). These come in handy in up close engagements for a quick 6 damage and fast recycle time(spider bite!). If your ERPPC happens to get critically hit and consequently destroyed, these little guys will see you through to the end of the match with immense reliability that you never knew they had. The effective range of small lasers is 90m. They can deal damage out to 180m with linear damage falloff as distance increases past the effective range, similar to the ERPPC but lasers must be held on target unlike the ERPPC.
Equipment
Ferro-Fibrous Armor will give you an extra .38 tons to work with. Take it - you'll be putting those points toward armor and you'll have the slots to do it.
Endo-Steel Internal Structure will provide an extra 1.5 tons for you to work with. Same as the Ferro upgrade - take it, you'll have the slots free and will require the tonnage for your overall loadout.
Double Heat Sinks are inevitable for this build - They'll cool your mech much more efficiently than SHS, and at less tonnage since you won't have to add extras!
2 of 8 Jump Jets is all you need. Really! It's just enough to clear small obstacles to snipe over them, jump on top of buildings(including the citadel!), and give you the edge in combat with unprecedented mobility.
Guardian ECM makes you and your allies invisible on radar at distance, can jam enemy ECMs in counter mode, and prevents people from getting a targeting lock on you. Enormously beneficial!
The maximum engine size rating you can run in any given spider is 255. A good fit! Strapping this into your webslinger will allow you to move at 137.7 kph before speed tweak and 151.5 kph afterwards. Wow, that's really fast! And it's just as well - you'll need all the agility you can muster to ensure your survivability as well as lethality. This engine provides 10 internal heatsinks which will be invaluable as true doubles!
Modules
With an unmastered Spider-5D you have 2 module slots. It's really a shame! This build almost mandatorily needs Advanced Sensor Range. This will increase your sensor range out to 1000m, and makes you a far better scout and long-range fighter. For your other module, I would recommend taking either a Capture Accelerator, or a Cool Shot(The bigger the better, if you can afford it!). When mastered, you'll have 3 slots! Slap on the Advanced Sensor Range, Capture Accelerator, and Cool Shot(or drop the Cap. Accelerator and take 2 Cool Shots for maximum refrigeration!).
Early game: Scouting, Pressure and Espionage
Now that you know your effective ranges, speeds and jump capability, the question of 'what range should I begin engaging the enemy?' arises. There is no solid answer to this question, since normally you'll have to decide depending on the situation.
Pressuring the Enemy
For smaller maps like Forest Colony, and River City you might just start belting them out from the get-go to put pressure on the enemy. Although, on larger maps that will have you spotting enemies at distance you may want to forgo a few meager points of damage at long range in exchange for a stealthy approach and safer scouting. It's much harder to actually pressure an enemy team on larger maps with immediate fire because they have much more room to hide or flank from. They can take a small step behind cover and take plenty of time to look at their options for advancing whereas on smaller maps, they will have to make a decision quickly to avoid being pinned down and battered to pieces by you.
Stealth
If you decide to run stealthily at the start of a game, you have to keep something in mind: your ECM will provide you cover from battlemech sensors - not keen eyed pilots. Think about where the enemy is heading, and stay out of sight. Try to dart between cover when you think you can get away with it, use terrain like hills to quickly crest - spot - and get back down before the enemy has noticed you. Those few seconds that you light that enemy battlemech up on the map is a tremendous help to your team.
Sometimes, you can get really lucky and sneak all the way to the other side of the map. If that happens, capitalize on your ninja skills! You can start doing one of two things: Begin pelting them in the back with ERPPCs OR let the enemy walk far away from their starting zone(inform your team where they are!) and step on their base to draw a few back providing your team the advantage of numbers. That said, if no one comes back.. You'll win by capture!
Mid Game: Strike Fear Into Them
Now it's time to sink your fangs into the enemy team! You should primarily aim for larger mechs, and engage lights only when the opportunity presents itself or you need to fend them off for your heftier allies. When the battle starts, help out by placing a few pot shots here and there until both main forces are really focused on each other. This happens quicker in some maps than others but it will inevitably heat up.
Striking
The battle is raging. Both sides are duking it out. You are now one of the smallest, deadliest of forces to be reckoned with at this point. You can sweep in and out of other players engagements quickly with enough time to get a few ERPPC shots off. Find an injured, lone, wayward battlemech and send him to hell. If it's a slow battlemech that you can outmaneuver you should make easy work of him. However, if you see that the pilot is indeed competent and fairly fresh in his/her (atlas, cataphract, or any other mech that is of high threat level to you when fairly undamaged). If you can get to a good position that's out of the way but provides a good vantage point as well as cover, you can snipe the enemy into little bits!
Check it out!
Spoiler
Harassing
Sometimes, you will find that your team is being pinned down into an otherwise suboptimal location, slowly taking damage but not sending enough back to the enemy. Times like these call for you to jumble the enemy forces by providing a distraction, biting at their backs, or doing a quick driveby and fleeing. You'd be surprised how quickly this can turn the tide of battle for your large but lovely teammates. Also, running in and out of combat and generally making a nuisance out of yourself is quite helpful. Enemies will sometimes target you leaving themselves open for attack and/or allowing your team to dive behind cover. Sometimes they'll just get enraged by you and stomp off to chase the itsy bitsy spider leaving their team down a mech!
Defending Yourself
If you find yourself outgunned and in the midst of a bad situation that you didn't mean to put yourself in by running along at top speed listening to your old Scandal albums, then you need to know how to survive.
When facing a large opposition that are all shooting at you, try a somersault! Do a barrel roll! Use the boost to get through! But seriously, you need to be a lunatic - roll your torso all over the place to spread damage about if you're being hit. Your gimpy arm(the left arm) is your shield arm - it's a sacrificial limb and you don't need it for any reason other than to soak up a little bit of damage before you get behind cover. That means, keep your left side towards the enemy while you run away.
Jump jetting! Try to avoid large jumps as it is very easy to predict where you will land. Small jumps to the left and right while moving at maximum speed are usually what is called for if what you need is a quick escape!
If you are being pursued by a single mech(most likely an opposing light[A Raven-3L because you won't have much trouble dealing with anything else] mech) that you'd prefer to avoid single combat with, try and kite them back to your team's main force. He'll break off his pursuit before he chases you for too long if he is smart, and if he isn't he will get a good arse-whoopin' from your team! If it happens that you're being chased by a pack of enemies that can just about keep up with you, do everything within your power to make it back to your team as quickly as possible and only take shots as they reveal themselves to you. If they are not jump capable, try to jump to an area that they cannot reach. It may just buy you enough time to get away.
I intended to fight only the cicada on this base. A spider and another cicada appeared!
Spoiler
End Game: The Edge of Glory
If everything has gone well and your team has done a fairly good job of blasting enemy robits then mopping up should be an easy job. However, don't forget the game isn't over till it's over! If you get greedy and run in for the last kill or two you may find yourself fighting a critter with it's back up against a wall if you know what I mean! If the enemy doesn't panic at the sight of you(Which they should, you're the mothereffing grim reaper), then they stand a good chance of landing one last lucky strike before they go out in spectacular fashion by the rest of your team. You know that jager with the XL engine with all 3 torsos glowing red? He's packing AC/20's and one good shot is all it takes. Play it safe, play it smart. That said, if you fancy yourself as something of a gambling man, by all means go for it!
When Things Seem Grim
Okay, now on to the other end of the spectrum: The valiant last stand. It has happened on many occasion that the last mech standing on your team is the deadly black widow, but however lethal she is there are always bigger mechs that threaten to stomp her lights out. And by her, I mean you.
If it so happens that you find yourself alone against the enemy team, remain calm. You can still snatch victory from the jaws of defeat! First, determine how many players are left on the enemy team. If it's just one, find out his loadout and judge whether he is a long range fighter or a brawler. If you can, use your speed and jump jets to dictate the range that the battle is fought if you don't want to knife fight with him.
When you face two opponents, things can get tricky. Try to string them out - If one mech is slower than the other you can attempt to get one alone and hammer on him for a bit before engaging the next. Once again, if at all possible, use your speed and jump jets to dictate the range that the battle is fought.
On the off chance you're fighting against three or more mechs, try to string out the quick mechs and take them out far from their slow heavy hitters. If you manage to survive that and there is just a mass of enemies that you can't escape from, you'll have to initiate lunatic mode: zip, zag, dodge, weave in and out of their group while taking any shots you can get but pay attention to the paperdolls! You're not going on a suicide mission - You're going on a mission to destroy one or more mechs quickly. By getting getting in the middle of all of them and zipping around you make them block each others shots and hopefully get a little friendly fire out of it. If you get a kill, see if you can back off and snipe at them. If it's better to get in and brawl, do it but remember - You're a god**mn lunatic. Reflect it in your piloting.
In this video, I manage to defeat a stalker and a jagermech on my own and win the game for our team!
Spoiler
Extra Tips and Things to Know!
- When you're running really hot, it's best to only use the small lasers!
- Make a little extra detour when running in and out of combat to cool off a little before heading back in.
- Don't overheat in the middle of a fight - Stationary mechs are dead mechs (especially lights!).
- If you DO overheat, make it worthwhile - Take someone to hell with you.
- Remember that you're a lunatic.
- You may miss a lot - That's okay. You're running really fast in a very twitchy mech. Sometimes the game won't recognize that you made a hit either. That's okay too. Don't get discouraged.
- Spiders are advanced mechs and new players may find it hard to survive or play this mech well, but if you practice you can become a black widow too!
- It might help for some people to hold the arm-lock key just before you fire the ERPPC so you don't have to worry about wonky convergence.
- Try not to damage your legs too much by collisions and fall damage.
- It's easier to suck the blood of your prey from behind!
- Remain a lunatic.
- Outsmart your foes - Weave through buildings and cover and don't take predictable routes.
- I make videos! Watch them!
Thanks guys and gals, and enjoy your new black widow!
Edited by Cubivorre, 21 May 2013 - 08:27 AM.
