60 replies to this topic

[627]

What's your playstyle?

I don't know why, but i have no luck with mine. Leveling these three is harder than all other mechs i have... i die very fast with very low damage dealt (sometimes only 50)

At the moment i take the 4G out, 360XL, 4xML 2x SSRM2... Speed is good and JJs help but i don't think it's a problem with the loadout.

Normally i play Cats, Phracts and Jagers within the heavy bracket and i do well but with the quickdraw...

i don't know, more often than not i end up alone in front of 3-5 mechs gettin stomped to death, alone. even when i wait for the rest of the team my end comes really fast.
Hell i even changed my camo to something more unsuspicious but it won't help.

So, anyone got some quickdraw specific advice?

What i have learned btw is, an XL is viable. Normally i loose a leg or both or die to CT.

These damn legs, should have named it quicklegged...

[Xeno Phalcon]

XL is fairly viable but I personally tend to prefer a standard engine. I do fairly well with a 5K but regardless of the model if you use a close in setup you need to be patient, and sneaky with a bit of luck tossed in thanks to seismic wallhack. Traveling with other fast heavies (Firebrand, quickdraw and dragons) or offering support for a bigger mech can also work.


Your speed can be a problem for you as much as the enemy, especially on frozen city you may be tempted to rush theta but youll just get there first which means when everyone else shows up, your the first guy getting shot. I tend to wait for the battle to escalate, poping up and taking shots at people that got within my med lasers max range before using my mobility to flank and cause the enemy team to either turn and deal with me (and get shot in the back by my team), try to drive me off while keeping a eye on my team (usualy making easy back shots for me) or split up to deal with me, which means less firepower being devoted to pinning down friendlies and more in trying to root me out of hiding.

[Koniving]

You press W.

Joking aside, the Quickdraw is ideally a Dragon. You stay fast, you never brawl. Hit and run. Light chaser. Medium hunter. Stealer of kills.

I said this for the Dragon. I say it here for the Quickdraw.

Koniving, on 06 February 2013 - 09:57 AM, said:

Here's what I'll tell you from my experience on the learning curve for Dragon 'Mechs.

They are not brawlers. If they brawl, they will always lose. Their strengths are speed and concentration of arm-mounted weaponry. The ideal dragon fights in hit and runs, like the classic Jenner from pre-ECM days. You move in, you hit, you move out.

The only exception is when the enemy is exhibiting tunnel vision -- that is when the enemy focuses entirely on one target to the exclusion of anything else with the sole intent of killing that one target. In that case, you get your dragon behind that enemy, hammer everything into their back until you get a reaction and then you stay behind it until that enemy is dead.

You are a Dragon. A glorified, heavyweight, highly armored monstrosity that is confused about his weight class and pretending to be a light 'Mech.

You are the anti-light.

You are anti-medium.

You will not snipe the heavies.

You will not brawl the assaults.

You are not on the front line.

You are not at the rear guard.

You are coming from the side.

You are the clean-up crew.

You are the hero that saves a swarmed assault.

You exist to hear "Thnks 4 the help."

You are neither the sword nor the shield.

You are the hidden dagger concealed in the swordsman's boot.

You are the cheap shot.

You are the killing blow.

And if you bring any other mentality while in the Dragon, then you are the rusted pile of junk left in the snow of Frozen City.

Remember this: Where the Dragon's weakness is the beer belly, the Quickdraw's weakness is the oversized head. Protect your head. Do this by never stopping. Never overheat, never stop moving. Your cockpit hitbox is the second largest in MWO. I kid you not I accidentally headshotted a Quickdraw. It's that bad. Never. Ever. Stop. Moving.

Edited by Koniving, 23 June 2013 - 09:36 AM.

[Redshift2k5]

I seem to have better luck when I pretend it's a Medium and not a Heavy.

[juxstapo]

I started with mine loaded just like yours.
Once I realized I was bringing as much firepower to the table as a JR7-D at nowhere near the speed, (essentially wasting all the tonnage). I reexamined myself and rebuilt.
Now I treat my Quickdraws more like heavies and less like mediums. I took a bit because I really like fast mechs. But I trimmed down to an 300 rated engine (had already started with max armor), and bumped up to a loadout more suited to a 60 ton chassis. My damage ratings have since skyrocketed.

Also, I believe it's already been mentioned, and honestly I realize its entirely subjective; but for me the Quickdraw hasn't shown itself to be much of a brawler. The jets, arms and high potential engine rating all seem to cheerfully shout "Brawl With Me!!!". But fast medium range strikes and strafing runs seem to be where I get comfortable in my QKDs.


EDIT* LOL, I swear I was still typing when RedShift posted his response. Promise this wasn't intended as a direct contradiction; mech design is very subjective.

Edited by juxstapo, 23 June 2013 - 09:44 AM.

[muskrat]

Salute 627

I dont run a Quickdraw, but this emulates my Trashbucket 7M


http://mwo.smurfy-ne...f95cfe7e76ba69c

XL360, Full Armor

1ERppc (arm mounted) 3MedLaser 2SSrm2

BAP

(Edit) shaved a bit of armor and added AMS
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d49cc9f04f0894b

Just Remember Your Not A Brawler, use the ERppc at range, helps to have a ranged weapon to keep you
out of the front line until the battle develops.
You have the speed to RTB to avert a cap if needed, Bap will help with the pesky ecm light med mechs

Bow
Muskrat

Edited by muskrat, 23 June 2013 - 09:55 AM.

[KrazedOmega]

I'm having a pretty good time with the Quickdraws. I finished the basic skills on all three in 20-24 matches each, with Premium Time.

5K - XL360, 5xJJ, 6xML
4H - XL320, 3xJJ, 4xML, 2xSRM6, 1xSRM4
4G - XL320, 3xJJ, 2xLL, 1xPPC. I tried it with one SRM6 and one SRM4 but I wasn't happy with the SRM damage. Sold it right after I unlocked basic.

Like others have said use them more as a hit and run style. My favorite is the 5k, I pilot it as an oversized (literally) Jenner-F. The only time you can really brawl with them is if the enemy isn't focused on you or you outgun them in some way.

[BaconCouch]

I run this build on my 5k

QKD-5K
Hits at range, and can avoid the return fire with its mobility.
Up close jump jets and medium lasers go to work, along with a high speed after tweak.
The ER PPCs won't run too hot unless you try and brawl with them.

Edited by BaconCouch, 24 June 2013 - 09:11 AM.

[wolfmanjake]

Until SRM's are buffed and the heat nerf for boating is in, boat PPC's.

[Violent Tendencies]

As a dragon pilot, my advice to you is to sell it.
I found it really underwhelming.

[Deathlike]

The secret to the quickdraw is playing it similar to a BJ. You simply cannot overexpose yourself and not expect to be hit.

The loadout you provide is effectively what a Jenner is running, except not with its speed and its smaller profile. You would have to play it like a quick skirmisher (hit and run/fade).

The Quickdraw can brawl, but ONLY when it needs to. JJs are there for mobility and is a must, or you're really just piloting a more energy based Dragon... which isn't very good at all.

Max leg armor is also a must, so you can't really skimp on that if you plan on using JJs to spread the damage.

[zztophat]

I use both a 360XL QD and a 255STD QD.

I play them both differently, using the XL as a skirmisher and the STD as a brawler. As a skirmisher I love the QD, i'm constantly fighting lighter mechs for captures and coming out ahead because I can carry so much more armor (I've been able to demolish Cents, HBKs and lights in direct confrontations, heavies I tend to avoid going 1 one 1 with) or flanking behind heavier mech formations, putting down damage and then having enough speed to avoid being focused down in return.

As a standard engine brawler I love it too, I don't seem to have the problem many people have complained of, that of having a massive CT that always gets cored. Indeed many matches I seem to lose an arm or two and a side torso and keep on trucking. The nice spread of hard points means you remain combat effective despite massive trauma.


I do agree that the QD does feel like a medium in payload once you stuff an engine in there that makes it as fast (or in the 360's case; faster than most mediums) however while having only slightly more weapon capacity than those mechs you can still put in a lot more armor and that is what makes the difference for me.

[joedawg39s]

Don't try to play it like a heavy, at the start I tried playing it like a faster version of my cataphrats and got destroyed.
What killed me most of the time was the extra speed, its really easy to get out of position and since you don't have the armor to back it up you get killed fast.

PPCs have worked the best for me so far, stay behind but close to your front line fighters and lay down a constant PPC barrage.
2 arm mounted in my 4G with a 255 std and a SRM 6 for backup
1 in each torso with 4mls in the 5K with an XL340
The 4H I'm currently running almost stock just changed all 3 missiles to SRM 4s. I want to try out SSRMS and a BAP and eventually run with a big XL engine.

The spread out energy hard points also make it hard to use energy weapons effectively when you try to fill all four points with MLAS. I almost want to run it with arm lock enabled sometimes to try and keep them all together.

[Ordate]

The 3 I run and how I play:
4H is my missle boat. 300xl 3ML 2aLRM15 and a tag in the arm. This is hard to play because you pretty much want to be your own spotter but also not get swarmed. Watching wear the pack is is key. The tag in the arm lets you run away from someone at an angle but still maintain missle lock and tag.

4G 340xl 2 srm6 4 ML. Max jump jets.
I do better in my 5K but this one is fun to play just because he can jump all over the place. Was having a blast chasing a flying spider the other day in it. But as most said, for the most part hit and run and don't be the target. As soon as I think someone is targeting me Im over a hill, behind a wall or some such.

5K 350xl 6ML 1 srm6
Hit and fade. Hit and fade. Use those jumps to always seek cover. Also whenever you jump, and you should be often, twist in the air. Same goes for the 4G

[Vallyn]

For the 4G and H, a 300XL w/ 4 LL and 3JJ w/ max DHS and 400 armour works well, just stay at range and core targets while they engage your brawlers.

5K the 330XL with 2 LL and 4 ML works well with the same idea, though you can brawl more effectively in it.

[Spudbuddy]

I've had great success with the quickdraw on mount tryhard and elsewhere, the two funnest builds I've found are both on the 4H, all the quickdraws are incredibly similar
4H builds

xl300 3 ERPPCs

xl300 2 PPC, 2 ML, 2 SRM6 with artemis (note: not as meta-compliant as the first build, it has 1 ppc less and any other weapon dosn't actually matter)

those are my 2 preferred builds atm, both meta compliant and brawl compliant as hell
endo artemis and ferrofibrious on all of them
the other quickdraws, 2 ppc 4 ML 1 srm4 or whatever, you can figure it out.

[Doranut]

My best results have come with a 300 XL engine, 4 MPL, and 3 SSRM2's. Move fast, engage with others, never lead with your chin.

If you are getting out in front of the big hitters you're going to get smoked, you aren't an assault mech. On the other hand you absolutely destroy mechs that are already engaged in a fight, so wait until that ac40 jaeg starts to run in to get their big kill, get behind and core em in 2 alphas. By the time they've realized the blip of their seismic is a real threat and starting to turn, they're already dead. Reasonable speed plus jump jets means getting the drop shouldn't be too hard.

You're also the big boys' insurance against lights and mediums, you can handle those in short order. This will keep your team from chasing that jenner around the map while the other team piecemeals you. And with reasonable speed on most maps you can prevent your base from being capped by a light or two.

Could you take the same role with a lighter mech? Sure. But having a bit more weight gives you more armor and less vulnerability. And that's not a bad thing at all.

[Flagrant]

This mech is tough. I'm playing him like a dragon. A skirmisher that isn't as fast, but has jumpjets and a bit more firepower. I all but gave up on this mech until I owned an atlas who wanted me dead. I used my JJs to get to his backside easily. Not fly over him but around and it was so effective he gave up and let me have my way. Still practicing that move.

[ManDaisy]

Don't waste your time building a HIA meta build. As a 60 ton mech and a FRIGGIN huge one at that you won't end up with the armor, speed, or cooldown to make it work. Your best bet is playing it like a jumping centurion. Going square against anything fresh is pretty much gonna guarantee you coming out in the deep orange. Hit and run is the best.

[Modo44]

I sold mine after suffering through 10 matches. Depending on the role I want to play, I can take a Catapult C1, a Hunchie 4SP, or -- you guessed it -- a Dragon, and do much better than in a Quickie.