3
Some people may recall my old LRM guide, so I would like to at least say I do hope I know what I'm doing. On that note, over the last few patches, LRMs have changed dramatically, making my previous guides (though still good) basically obsolete.
This guide is for the new missile system as of
What this guide will never do is blame anyone for not doing this or that. Basically, it is a request of spotters to hold locks if and when they can, but LRM users also need to be understanding that in combat things happen and locks can't always be held for the survival of a teammate.
To start, I'll cover the LRM behavior patterns I've noticed in the game. These are subject to change or could even be incorrect. However, after using LRMs for a long time, I'd like to believe that most of this is reliable and correct.
LRM Behavior and Suggestions
Here is a list of things LRM users should be aware of:
-
- LRMs still arc in an upward motion when fired
- Artemis still only works at improving grouping on targets you can see. If you intend to use LRMs as an indirect fire bombardment, drop the Artemis for more ammo or larger launchers. If you are using LRMs as a long range damage device as you close with your target, you probably should consider Artemis. (Note 1/19/18: Should have mentioned this before, Artemis does also increase your missile lock on speeds. This is something I tend to find only moderately helpful for LRMs, but far more vital for SSRMs. This happens regardless of line of sight.)
- LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! Position can be everything for an LRM mech. You need to place yourself so that you have no obstructions directly in front of your launchers. You also want to make sure that there are not obstructions above, or directly in front of your target. Keeping an eye on the color of your reticule is a great indicator as to if you are causing damage or not. Be ware of the bridges in the citys, and the crystal formations and the way they slant in the Dessert, among other possible obstructions. (Note 1/19/18: Your reticle will turn red if you are dealing damage. Please note that this damage can also be to teammates. It doesn't care who you are hitting when it turns red. A red reticle may not always be a good indicator. So try to be aware of this too if possible.)
- Stay on the move when you can. I can't stress how much LRMs going into the air is like blood in the water for sharks, and those sharks are fast mechs, if not the whole enemy team. Either roll with your team (highly suggested), or shoot some and move on. Every shot is a beacon to the enemy on your location. (This tip also is for those who like to "shoot their weapons into the sky" too. Every time you do that, you tell the enemy team right where you are. I've seen this behavior on a "sneak behind and flank them" maneuver. Needless to say, when we got there, the enemy guns where expecting us thanks to one person.)
- Try and conserve ammo, don't shoot your LRMs as "test fire" at the start of the match. That wasted ammo can mean the difference between killing a target or not towards the end of a game, and you are low or out of ammo. View it as, you come into the match with only so much damage potential, the amount of ammo you carry. The less ammo you have, the less damage potential you have. (Note 1/19/18: There are now testing grounds and the Academy you can test your heat levels in. Use that, not the opening moves of a live match.)
- ECM can, and will, screw you over. TAG can help, if you intend to have direct line of sight. However, that's really about the best you can do on your own. BAP can cut ECM, but at too close a range to help yourself. On this one, you are just going to have to rely on your team more. (Note 1/19/18: This has changed over the years, hard to believe how old this guide is. ECM now has reduced effects and it's strength against getting locks and disrupting them depends mostly upon what skills your opponent has decided to take. If they take no ECM skill nodes, they can be locked out to 800m away with the right gear and sensor skill nodes yourself. Still makes getting a missile lock on an ECM unit really hard, but it's very doable now compared to when this guide was first created.)
- Another point I can't stress enough. your team (unless completely premade for
- Don't be afraid to do a little spotting for yourself. It's okay to try and play it safe, but at the same time you can't expect your whole team to hold your weight. They can help greatly, and some teams you wont need to, but sometimes the best way to make sure a job gets done is to do it yourself. That means, try to make your own locks when you can. Don't expect to have your team carry you to victory, and then complain because you lost and they didn't provide good spotting for you. It's a help they can do, not their job to pull you along. Remember, you are part of a team, that means you win or lose together. If they are busy (or trapped in ECM land), then try and get some spotting done yourself. Or, get in there with your secondary weapons I do hope you placed onto your mechs... Try to give a good showing of yourself.
- I find it best to try and shoot at targets that are around
- LRMs are support weapons. Don't expect them to get a ton of kills. You cause additional damage for your team, and hopefully can open weak spots in armor for your team to take advantage of when the enemy does close in. (Personally, I've been feeling that LRMs are sitting about proper for damage to utility. They cause lots of damage, but it's so spread out that I'm not killing things with too much ease. You might disagree, but that is my opinion.
- LRMs can make great suppression fire weapons. They give bells, warning and general annoyance to those you fire it at. And all those warnings tend to get people worried. Not to mention, it doesn't say how many missiles are coming in. So. people tend to take cover quickly or try to break a lock when they hear the warning. They can be great at forcing the enemy behind cover, or placing them into a false lull, as you shoot only small groupings of LRMs at a target, they start to get unworried because they aren't taking that much damage, and then pound on them with everything you've got once they start to cross a gap of cover.
- LRMs are a risk weapon. The sooner you realize the many counters to it, the better you will be. AMS is a soft counter, which will reduce damage your LRMs will cause. A single one is really little threat to your LRMs from what I've observed. A team huddled together with each having AMS will really not make your day if you are using LRMs. If this is the case, try and wait for any lone stragglers. I've never known a team that stuck shoulder to shoulder for long in a heated engagement. I could be wrong though, but you can always wait and shoot at lone mechs that poke out. (Note 1/19/18: Or you can alternatively just keep shooting small bundles at the AMS units, and hope they either overheat (for LAMS) or run out of ammo (for AMS). It's unlikely, but it could happen.)
- ECM is a hard counter. This means that it will stop you from locking on at all while inside an ECM field or if they are inside one. I wont go into my feelings on this gear, as I like the idea but not how it functions, but that's a different subject all together. Needless to say, unless you can TAG ECM at a range, or hit them with continual PPC fire, on your own there isn't much you can do against this gear. You'll have to count on your own team here. Lets hope that your ECM spotter knows how to switch modes on his ECM to jam, or that a friend with BAP can stay close enough to the ECM mech to shut down his ECM. (Note 1/19/18: ECM has been tuned down considerably since the last update to this post. It can still hard counter your LRMs at times, but now it is more than likely going to be far more of a soft counter than a hard counter.)
- LRMs require knowledge of terrain. Not just what is around you, but around whatever target you might have. Learn and avoid bad shooting spots, such as the tunnel on frozen city, or under a slanted crystal formations. You actually even need to try and predict the flight path of the missiles before letting loose. This can be a key point in River City with all the buildings and bridges, as well as in the dessert with a possible crystal formation sticking so far up and to the side that your missiles at it's apex of it's flight runs into them. Hate to say it, but you also have to try and learn where the "invisible" terrain blockers are too. There are certain sections, such as in River City and even once more the Dessert, where terrain is not showing, but will still block shots that should visually still hit. Hopefully PGI is working on this problem. Last I heard they where, but finding each spot of invisible terrain is no easy task.
- Observe enemy movement patterns. If you notice an enemy is running back and forth between you and cover, stop shooting at them. They are trying to get you to waist your ammo on them. You are also probably one of the least "busy" people on your team, beside searching for lock on targets. Sadly, you are also the person least "in the know" and are not as aware of your surroundings.
- Don't be afraid to call for help! If someone attacks you, you honestly are probably ill equipped to deal with a direct fire fight. Don't be afraid to, while running away, type a quick "Help G4" or something. (Now with comms if you have a mic.) It's saved my armor many times by calling for help with my location. Do realize though that, like you, the rest of your team may be too busy to come to your aid, or you are just too far away for them to help. If no one comes, don't complain. This is war after all.
- I will say it again, but I suggest always having some form of other weapon besides LRMs. The reasoning is, if you had a good match for your LRMs and ran out, instead of being a useless hunk of metal, you can now join in the fray with your secondary weapons and still produce some damage. I can't tell you how many games came down to me and my med lasers, vs the last survivor of the enemy team (and maybe my last teammate or two, who might not be near). Those where times I was very thankful to have a secondary weapon. It also comes in handy when you are in an ECM field or LRMs just can't work for a moment or two. (Note 1/19/18: Solid back up weapons provides flexibility. If you have a solid enough direct fire capability, that means you can also do more actions with your team. They are pushing the under side of the docks on Crimson? Well, if you are a pure LRM boat, you can't join in that effectively. Have reasonable direct fire weapons, and you'll be side by side with your team. Maybe not as effective, but still able to help and serve. I have found it's well worth the loss in ammo or even smaller launcher sizes to have that solid direct fire punch. Secondary weapon to flavor, of course.)
- If, for some reason after all I've said already, you decide to forgo the secondary close range defensive weapons, there is a piece of advise for you as well. No, I'm not going to say you must have a second weapon system, as you don't. However, you will need to get more use to shouting for help when needed, and fight the urge to shoot at your harasser. Recall that LRMs have a minimum range of 180m (hard for IS, soft for Clans). Any target inside this bubble should be ignored, and instead you should try and concentrate your fire on targets that you can actually hurt. Don't waste your firepower doing 0 damage.
- This is going to be part of the spotting guide, but LRM users can as well. If you feel the need, call out targets you are shooting at. If everyone aims at the same target, they will drop much faster. For premade full teams, I might even suggest everyone taking a well balanced build. If everyone can contribute even just a few LRMs or fire into the designated mech, then your whole team remains effective.
- LRMs do not have to be boated to be effective. If you intend to focus only on LRMs, then boating will probably be what you do. However, builds can be just as effective with a few LRMs from some small launchers as much as any other set up. It's all in how you use it. I like LRMs for their utility, and I tend to fire LRMs at foes as I approach. They can be a great support system to complement the rest of your mechs loadout, without overtaking the focus of the mech.
- I find that, when used in small numbers and as a support system within a build, I like the ability to always be able to cause damage to any target, no matter where they are on the field. This lets me deal damage as I close with a target, or keeps me from being a useless brawler mech (or near useless) on maps such as Alpine. The LRMs, even a few, gives you reach that your close range weapons just don't have. It may not have much punch, but it can still get the kill of a fleeing mech.
- Don't forget, LRMs don't just have a minimum range, but also a maximum range. They have a range of 180m to
- LRMs are not "fire and forget" weapons. They require you to keep a missile lock the whole flight through. If you loose your missile lock (and/or target lock) the missiles with stop tracking and move along the last path they where taking. However, if you re-acquire lock ON THE SAME TARGET, then the missiles will continue to track once again.
- LRMs are most effective on slow mechs, and lose effectiveness on smaller and faster mechs.
- Artemis only works on targets that you have Direct Line of Sight to. If you intend to use indirect fire, Artemis will be a heavy and costly upgrade for very little benefit.
LRM Mech Construction Suggestions
- Contrare to popular belief, your ammo is slowly becoming least safe in your legs. I'm finding more and more people are shooting at a mechs legs to get to that "yummy" ammo. Depending upon your mech load-out and preferences, I'm actually finding in some mechs my ammo is safer in my arms, if not even my side torsos. Stalkers are great for having ammo in the arms, as they almost always loose a side before the arm. No damage to arm, no chance of an explosion. Quickdraws seem to have fairly safe side torsos, and I've found storing my ammo in my sides to save me, as I'm walking around on one leg and tatters for the other leg. Once again though, this is a preference thing, but the secret of safe ammo in the legs is no longer a secret.
- I suggest that all LRM builds try to have some form of backup weapons. Something that can work at close range. Either that, or try and be fast enough to out run your enemy. Basically, I don't suggest that LRMs be boated exclusively. Even with my own LRM mechs, I will charge a fellow LRM user that boats only LRMs, even if I only have a Med Laser for my own attack.
- LRMs are limited by the number of tubes a hard point has. It is not limited by the size of the launcher.
- LRMs limited by a hard point tube size will not begin to reload until all the LRM volleys are launched from it's shot. This is a very minor point, but it will make a small tube hard point less effective for larger tubed weapon systems by delaying the refire rate. However, overall, this shouldn't cause too many problems.
- TAG is nice to have, but I find I tend not to need it. I so rarely have direct line of sight on a target that, even with TAG countering ECM, I don't personally find much use for it. Other people might disagree with me here. Personally, I'd suggest you give it a try sometime and see if it helps you out. It never hurts to give something a try. (Note 1/19/18: I continue to find that I am much better served with an energy weapon over a TAG laser for my LRM builds. Being a split build between LRMs and other direct fire weapons may have some part in this. I find very solid success with LRM mixed builds and with the reduction to ECM, I find TAG to be useful but not a necessity.)
- NARC will take up a missile slot, is unguided, and doesn't have much range. It also doesn't last for very long. Personally, I'd skip this weapon system for a dedicated LRM build. However, this could be useful on a dedicated spotter build. NARC a target, duck behind cover and hide till it needs to be reapplied.
- If you have lots of LRM launchers, DON'T FORGET TO BRING AMMO!
- Ammo amounts will vary greatly depending upon what you wish for your LRMs to do. If it's your primary weapon, load up on enough ammo so you can last the most/whole match. If it's just a support long range weapon for your mech (like my mentioned Dragon for example), a couple of tons might be more acceptable, if not even just a single ton. Test field your ammo reserves on the testing ground before live combat. (WARNING: Testing grounds are still letting you cause extra damage somehow, as well as are stationary targets, as well as have stock armor. It will not show the proper amount of LRMs needed to kill similar targets in a live game. However, as a general rule of thumb, enough ammo to kill all targets in the training grounds should still last you a match. If you find you die before you run out of ammo, it might be a good idea to remove a ton and replace with something else and run another live test.) Note 1/19/18: The general rule of thumb is 1 ton of ammo per 5 tubes of LRM launcher. Less for a build with only a few support launchers, more for a dedicated boat. Adjust your ammo as you feel you need to. Too much ammo and you'll see poor performance. Too little ammo, and you may run out before the end of the match or your death. You want just enough ammo to not run out for most matches, or just running out as the match ends/you die.
- This advise goes for any mech you customize, don't be afraid to tweak a mech loadout to better suit yourself. Find yourself dieing with lots of ammo left to spare on a regular basis? Remove some ammo and maybe add in some more weapons. Find yourself getting closed in on and your LRMs are mostly useless? Shrink your launcher sizes or ammo reserves and add in more close range weapons. Find your leg getting blown off and your arms stick around longer? Maybe shift a few points of armor around here or there to better suit where you tend to take damage. Overheat just shooting LRMs? Remove a ton of ammo, a few secondary weapons or upgrade to DHS to help keep your cool. Don't seem to loose your side torsos often with a certain mech? Maybe an XL engine will work in that mech. (Note 1/19/18: Always upgrade to DHS... It rarely is a bad idea. Don't forget about the LFE now in the game as well...)
- Make a mech that works for YOU. What works for me, might not/wont work for you. I have mechs people say can't work, yet I'm a high contender with them. I've got slow lights, LRM Hunchbacks,
Spotting, You, and Your LRM Teammates!
Now that the LRM section is done, I'll go into how you can help the LRM side of your team. Now, I'm just placing guidelines here. Combat is fast, messy, and difficult to predict. Take these to heart, but realize that sometimes there just isn't anything you can do. LRM users do LOVE to have targets to shoot at, however no LRM user should ask for you to die for their gain. Survival should be your main concern. You can't help the team, if you are die. However, if you are going to die (and you will), make sure you cause as much damage as you can on the way out. Spotting for your team is one way you can cause damage. If the LRM boat causes good damage in a game, and you helped spot, that damage is your damage. A team wins together, or looses together.
Here are a list of things a spotter needs to be aware of:
- Read the LRM guide. Even if you HATE LRMs and never intend to use them yourself, at least know what limitations an LRM user has. Don't expect an LRM user to preform miracles to help you out, and then whine that you where spotting but didn't see any LRMs coming in. The rest of this guild should help remove this problem, but it's always good to know anyway.
- If you are going to be a dedicated spotted, I'd suggest you also learn a bit about LRMs. Use some here or there from time to time. Test them out on the training grounds. The more familiar you are with LRMs, the better a spotter you can be.
- LRMs can't shoot through walls, buildings, rocks, or tunnels. If you are actually intentionally trying to spot for targets, know where your LRM users are, and try to plot their missiles as best you can. LRM users can't always see the terrain around their targets, so try to prevent them from wasting missiles on a bridge or other such obstruction. This isn't going to be an exact science here, but trying to be aware of this can be helpful.
- You don't need TAG, NARC or any other special gear to spot. ANYONE CAN SPOT. All you need to do is lock into a target and you LRM user can. REMEMBER! LRMs need a lock from launch to hit. This means, try to hold a lock on the same enemy if you are expecting LRMs to help.
- If you have a lock on a target, and you see a little 3 missile icon being displayed next to your target's name, then try harder to hold that lock. Don't get yourself killed doing so, but don't change your target you are locked on if you can help it. Flickering your locks is usually just annoying and will disrupt any help an LRM user might be trying to give you. Also, if you do this too much in a match, LRM users will start to ignore locks that they know you are giving them, as they know you can't seem to keep them. I've refused to shoot at locks from these people before, as they where wasting my own ammo.
- On the subject of flickering your targets, some of you will say you are just trying to inform the team that the enemy is over here and how many. Okay, great. After you are done with a cycle of this, HOLD YOUR LOCK (if you can). Your team will follow a single lock much easier than a constant flickering of locks.
- If you see the missile incoming icon, and don't see missiles hitting shortly after (about 30 seconds max), or see the icon disappear without any missiles hitting your target, presume that the LRMs are being blocks by something. Either find a new target you think LRMs can hit, or try to lure this target into a more favorable position. If you are engaging this target actively, then by all means keep your lock and fight.
- This guide is by no means being created to tell spotted to risk their lives for LRM users gain. It is not an excuse for people to complain that someone couldn't keep a lock. It is not an excuse for people to say that the LRM users failed to support them. This is war. Things happen. Locks are lost, LRMs are blocked or disrupted, or they are dealing with their own crisis and protecting themselves.
- Spotting is not an excuse to suicide into the enemy lines and complain that you didn't get support. Spotting is not an excuse to sweep a TAG laser on someone and stand still and die. I expect my spotters to run, dodge, duck, hide and fight as much as they can. I do not expect them to die, just so I can get a couple volleys of LRMs off. You are more useful to me causing damage and surviving than what a single volley or two before you die could ever do.
- As a part of spotting, I don't expect spotters to cause much damage. My damage is their damage. Any damage a Spotter causes is purely extra, and can be great.
- A spotter doing their job can cause 0 damage and still be contributing in my books. But only if they did their job. One such example is an ECM spotter with a TAG system hiding behind enemy lines, not attracting attention, while TAGing the enemy for my LRMs. If spotting ins such a fashion, causing damage informs the enemy they have an enemy behind them, and gives away your position. Sometimes, it is best to cause no damage yourself so your team can get more kills. This is purely situational, and is not an excuse to cause 0 damage and die quickly (Though it can happen).
- A good spotter for an LRM user is like gold. We may not give you the thanks you deserve, but you are more helpful than your stats say. Spotting is an art very few pursue. It is an unsung hero of LRMs, and we should give far more thanks than we do for your help. Consider this your thanks and recognition. (I've been known to call out people I know spotted as MVP of the match. You guys really are!)
- Teamwork is key.
- A spotter should be able to recognize targets ripe for LRMs. LRMs are less effective on fast targets, but slow targets are not just easier to spot for, but easier for LRMs to hit. Try spotting the big guys, even if you are shooting at a smaller guy, if you can. Otherwise, target what you are shooting at and try to dispatch that target quickly and then move onto the slower targets.
- BAP works great for spotting, not so good for the LRM users themselves. It's a 1.5 ton gear that any mech can take. BAP now shuts down one ECM within short range. This can be vital to the LRM user, especially if trying to take out a fast ECM mech. LRMs might be less effective on fast mechs, but they can still cause a lot of pain if they can keep that lock on.
- Use gear such as TAG, ECM and BAP to counter ECM enemies. If ECM is countered, LRMs can be useful. If ECM is on, LRM effectiveness drops dramatically.
- If you aren't spotting, but still see an ECM mech, LRM users would really love you forever if you could kill the ECM mech. One ECM is out of the way, our lives and jobs become just that much easier.
- If you have TAG, and no way to counter ECM yourself, then try your best to find the ECM producing unit and TAG that unit. I'd rather throw my LRMs at an ECM unit not expecting to be hit by LRMs, as well as I'd love to kill the ECM unit to help "clear the air" for my LRM locks.
- Yes, if you haven't figured out yet, ECM is something LRM users HATE. So, as a final note on that chapter, we want all ECM to die. The more you can help us with that, the more useful our LRMs become to the team.
- When spotting (or even playing the game), damage should not be a concern. Winning the game is what matters. (Actually, it's having fun with the game win or lose that matters most.) The more your can help your team as a whole, the better your chances of winning are. If LRMs are announced as being on the team, then by all means do what you can to help out. The more LRMs you have on your team, the more your help will be appreciated.
- I can't stress this enough, but I'll say it again. Your survival is still paramount. Don't be stupid (not saying you are) with your spotting. If standing in line of sight with a target is going to get you quickly killed, break the lock and run. If turning your ECM off to jam another ECM is going to get your killed by SSRM fire, then try to keep your ECM up. If your ECM is cutting an enemy LRM boat's LRMs off, then keep them shut down if you feel it's more beneficial to your team.
- This isn't so much spotting as much as just good advise. Try to have every action to do as an action to benefit the team as a whole. That means that if sitting back behind an enemy and just sitting there with a lock helps your team more than rushing in and shooting, then by all means, do so. If your suicide charge against an Atlas and his friends can drop the ECM Atlas at the cost of yourself, it might be worth throwing yourself in. If rushing back to base to stop a capture attempt will kill you but stop or delay the cap, by all means charge into your bases little square, stand there, and stop the cap at your own death. (Don't know how many assault games I've lost to caps with a defender standing off the base and shooting targets onto the base, and us loosing because the base got capped instead of the cap being stopped by the guard just stepping into the little square box.)
Conclusion
That about sums up this guide. Long winded, I know. I'm sure other people have tips and tricks they can mention, and I do encourage you to mention such tips, tricks or suggestions. If I am wrong about something, please POLITELY point out were you felt I went off and add any suggestions or corrections.
I shall stress one more, and final time. This guide is never to be used as an excuse for asking someone to die for your behalf, never an excuse to blame the LRM user for not supporting you, and never a reason to get upset because someone didn't hold a lock for you. Combat is fast, furious, ad unpredictable. The only things predictable in war is it's very unpredictability, and that your first casualty will always be your battle plan.
Have fun.
Good luck.
I hope you found this guide thoughtful, helpful and informative.
Other, older guide I've done:
http://mwomercs.com/...use/page__st__0
http://mwomercs.com/...de-how-to-spot/
Edited by Tesunie, 19 January 2018 - 09:52 AM.
But true. Spiders seem to be a pain to hit with LRMs, and even when they do hit, they take just about no damage unless they are standing still. It just feels like they are out running the initial damage and only getting hit with the little bit of splash damage. On the opposite end of things, and Atlas/Stalker just about can't help but get hit by LRMs, even on the move and I loose my lock half way through a flight. I feel this is more of a, feel it out and use some common sense on what targets are better LRM targets. Consider larger and slower as better targets.
