20 replies to this topic

[Joey Tankblaster]

Hello guys


played a lot with assault and heavy mechs and wanna try out now a good medium mech for ...

1. Hunting down lights
2. capping
3. and flanking support for larger mechs.

Do you have any recommendations for a good chassis+loadout?

Thx in advance

[Konril]

One of the two medium mechs that I have fills those purposes rather nicely. It's the CDA-3M Cicada.

Most everyone else seems to want to pull the Ultra AC/5 to make room for the ECM, more armor, and more lasers, and the result is like an oversized laser-Jenner with an ECM. A Raven 3L would be better going that route.

However, with the net-code improvements all but removing the "lag shield" phenomenon, going the opposite direction has given me some spectacular results. Mind you, buying a mech with a 325 XL engine and then replacing that engine with a 280 XL is by no means cheap, so I don't expect the build to be catching on anytime soon. But between that and the upgrades to endo-steel structure and ferro-fibrous armor, that gets me the ECM, two more tons of ammo for the Ultra AC/5, and near maxed out armor (short 3 points each on the arms). My personal ride rearranges the medium lasers and pulls the small pulse laser in favor of a TAG.

It takes some getting used to, as you can get yourself into a lot of trouble if you aren't careful with the trigger. But the Ultra AC/5 is capable of a lot of DPS for very little heat. Add in the two medium lasers with the default double heat sinks, and the whole thing has a better DPS than any light mech without overheating.

But in all other respects it still practically performs as a light mech. 113 kph or 125 kph after speed tweak is still considerably faster than most other mediums. So running around capping or backstabbing like a light mech is no problem.

If you would prefer something heavier, I have a couple of ideas for a Centurion or Trebuchet I could throw your way. A 300 XL on a 50 ton mech would still give you speeds of 97 kph or 107 kph tweaked, which would likely be slow enough for a proper light to out-run you, but allow for even more weaponry and still have the ability to out-run most heavies.

[Sh4dow78]

Blackjack 1x with 8xML 100+km/h with 40 alpha strike its work for me

[Gigastrike]

Threw together a couple builds for you:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...df2e62712b686b5

The X-5 is a heavier Jenner with no jump jets, and became an effective light hunter with the buff to BAP. It carries all the firepower of a Jenner while retaining the speed, but with extra armor.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...4bc7c75f151bcf8

I've been seeing some people running around with Trebuchets hunting lights, and I think they're using something similar to this. More armor and firepower than any light that you'll be facing, and a decent amount of speed and jump jets allow you to follow them wherever they go.

What's nice about it is it's a very well-rounded build. Homing missiles, medium lasers, and even a large to give you a ranged option. You may not have the speed to keep up with a light forever, but it still has great mobility.

[Joey Tankblaster]

Thx for your comments & loadouts. I will have a look on those mechs.

Greetz

[PhoenixFire55]

Trebuchet 3C with XL-390, 2 SSRM2s and 4 MLs. With spead tweak it does 139 kph.

[Typatty]

The Cicada Hero (X5) with 2 streak-SRM2s, 4 medium lasers, and an xl 300.

[Hex Pallett]

I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet: Centurion 9-AL, XL275, Endo, 1xLBX10, 2xML, 3xSSRM2 plus a fine piece of Beagle. I'm still figuring which one ton of ammo to take off in order to free up more tonnage for leg armor. Since Lights tend to run back to the pack when overwhelmed, I'd take decisive Light-killing firepower over speed. Also it's a good Centurion variant.

Typatty, on 23 June 2013 - 11:21 PM, said:

The Cicada Hero (X5) with 2 streak-SRM2s, 4 medium lasers, and an xl 300.

I'm pretty sure you can do that with the stock XL330.

[Joey Tankblaster]

I like the Cents. In an assault mech they feel terribly hard to kill. However, they are a bit slow for a light hunt (apart from the D-type).


P.S.: You could reduce right arm armour a bit and add armour to your legs.

[Rawyn]

Helmstif, on 24 June 2013 - 05:35 AM, said:

I'm pretty sure you can do that with the stock XL330.

You could. But with streaks you might want to add BAP and some heatsinks for the lasers.

[Ragnar Darkmane]

Dragon. It's description says it's a Heavy but that thing has to be played like a 60t-Medium. Make sure it runs over 89 KmH and give it some solid guns and go hunting. Should work better than running a Hunchie.

[Davoke]

Quickdraw with BAP, 3xSSRM2, 4xMLas, 360ish points of armor and DHS works. Probably want a better engine than the SD300, but if you has teh moolah, you should be good.

[80Bit]

Typatty, on 23 June 2013 - 11:21 PM, said:

The Cicada Hero (X5) with 2 streak-SRM2s, 4 medium lasers, and an xl 300.

Yup!

[MajorChunks]

Someone already mentioned the vanilla 8ML BJ-1X, but I'm actually finding it a much more effective hunter with 6 of the new small pulse lasers, backed up with 2 medium pulses for a bit of range. The amount of precision damage you can get with the new SPL is surprising, and the 1X has the speed to close with them. 2-3 half-decent hits will leg a jenner, and the heat is far more manageable than the 8ML version. Plus the extra short recycle times make it very forgiving to play.

It also does a fine job tearing the arms and legs off assaults. Most matches net me at least 3 legs. Stalkers are the funniest. Seriously, you haven't had fun in this game until you've legged a stalker, took off a side torso and left him to hobble sadly across the map. Call it karma.

[Business]

This is what I currently use with excellent results: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...2733a9b528bb52a

I've never legged more mechs than with this setup, at which point I change targets and strike at the next set of legs I can find. Runs hot as hell but I love it!

And the CN9-D with even an XL335 will run at 120kph with tweak with an AC2, 2 ML, 2 SSRM2. A little less firepower than I'd like but the speed is addicting as hell

[Voivode]

Cicadas are as fast as lights, carry more armor, and with the extra tonnage can carry better weapons. They aren't that much heavier than the lights so they are a little more even in a fight, but cap well and can hit heavier mechs hard from the flanks and rear.

The Blackjack 1X is an excellent choice. An XL295 takes you up to 116.8 after speed tweak and 8 energy slots lets you tear up some light mech legs. It's fast enough to cap but you won't outcap the lights in a cap race and the firepower that tears up light legs is also good for taking out back armor from assaults or disarming PPC stalkers with a couple well placed alphas into their side torsos. You will find 8ML too hot for this mech, so I run 4ML, 2SPL, and 2SL on mine, very effective and efficient.

After that you can try some Centurions with max engine sizes but they really won't be swift or powerful enough to do more than drive harassing lights off. But when it comes to flanking in mediums, Centurion is king!

Edited by Voivode, 24 June 2013 - 06:58 AM.

[Joey Tankblaster]

I am very grateful for your help and advice.

Tried a bit in Smurfys and came along with some interesting builds. In advance: I am a bit sceptical with the BJ-1X. With heat penalties that might be introduced in MW:O in the future, pure lasers builds (with identical weapon groups) will become difficult to play. Quickdraw and Dragon are out since I already own 4 heavies and want to try out the medium mechs. The X5 looks also extremely interesting but I am done with spending money on this game. I mean its still a beta and I already bought 3 highlanders, a jenner, two cats, mech bays etc .... (ok, to be honest some chassis were payed with C-Bills)

Here are the builds.

I focused first on centurion and trebuchet builds.

TBT-7k
TBT-7K
CN9-D
CN9-D

By chance I designed two mechs which are identical in speed damage, max dps etc. lol. However, I feel that the TBT is much more suited for an XL engine, so that I will probably go with this design. Second, the chassis is cheaper and I can swap the XL engine from other builds.

Is the combo of LB10-X and streaks worthwhile to hunt lights? Basic idea is that they run away, when they see a fast and well armed medium mech. 2 or 3 laser hits might remove the rear armour while streaks and the LB10-X cause some nice crits?

Greetz

Edited by Joey Tankblaster, 25 June 2013 - 04:27 AM.

[SchwarzerPeter]

The X5 seems very promising as light hunter, however i take this baby on a ride:

HBK-4SP STD 255, 5ML, 2 SSRMs, 17 DHS, BAP, Artemis

90 km/h with speed tweak is fast enough for most cases. The arm-mounted lasers let you track your target a lot easier than torso mounted ones. Artemis is for faster lock-on time.


Generally i would suggest arm mounted weapons, SSRMs and a BAP for light hunting.

Edited by SchwarzerPeter, 25 June 2013 - 06:21 AM.

[Voivode]

The heat penalties will be much greater for more powerful weapons, and the devs have posted information indicating that ML alpha penalties won't come into effect until after the 6th or 7th medium laser is fired. The 1X with 4 or 6 medium lasers wouldn't be subject to this penalty, as the penalty is for specific lasers (medium, probably a different number for larges) and won't apply to a mix of different lasers.

[WANTED]

If you run alone those builds will be fine since I've tried similar. If you can get near 120kph or more in a Cent or Treb you can REALLY scare the crap out of them cause they run off thinking they are leaving you in the dust and look back and you can see the OH CRAP! in their panicked torso twists..lol.

My personal experience in the X-5 was atrocious but others seem to like it on here. I sold it since I stopped using it.