8 replies to this topic

[Lyoncet]

You guys! Why have you been hiding this pristine 'Mech build from me? Shame on you all!

I'm a pretty dedicated Medium pilot, so when I got back into the game after taking a break since February or so, I bought myself a pretty little Blackjack, Wihsakecahkw. I saw the various loadouts that people had been running, mostly variants along the lines of ERPPC+UAC/5+MLAS with full jets and 235 XL engine, and tried most of them out. But they all felt really lacking to me. Didn't matter what I did; swap the PPC for LLAS and extra MLAS and heat sinks, or swap in a different autocannon, or drop the engine, or lose a few heatsinks. Granted I haven't elited the chassis yet but I have the full suite of basics other than arm reflex.

Feeling a little lost, and wondering if I'd made the right decision, I finally thought to myself, "Screw min/maxing. I'm going to make a build just for ***** and giggles." I'm calling it the Double-Negative (bad chassis plus bad weapons). I kept the 235 XL and all 4 jump jets, and loaded it down with 2 AC/2, 2 MLAS, and 11 DHS (plus Endo-Steel). It comes out looking like so:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...5cd0764371167e3

And holy crap, guys. I went from 100-200 damage per game with 1 kill per five, to almost never under 350, often pushing 500+, and with generally 2-3 kills per. I don't know if it's the small size, or the jets, or the innocuous chassis, or what, but this mech that has no business ruining people's day has been doing just that every time. Out of maybe 15 games I've had two where I got peeled off and isolated and gunned down really quickly, but other than that I've been punching holes in Catapults and Stalkers and pushing LRM boats under cover and outflanking their snipers and mixing it up with their brawlers, and generally just an absolute terror. My wins/losses jumped from 334/320 to 346/326, and it was enough to bump my KDR up by about 2% in just one night. Maybe it's luck, or maybe it's Elo related; I don't know. But I doubt it.

Has anyone had a similar experience with this, or could shed some light on it? I haven't really seen anyone advocating the dual AC/2 build for anything, let alone such an unpopular chassis. But it's performed so well I feel like there must be something going on. Either people are missing something, or it's something about me. Maybe I'm just terrible at PPC builds and should stick with faster slugs? The AC/2s are a lot easier to track with so that could be part of it.

Edited by Lyoncet, 28 June 2013 - 10:10 AM.

[Minder420]

I run my BJ-1 with ac2s as well. I love it and consistantly pull 3-4 kills and 500 dmg with it.

My last game with it was in canyon network where I went 2v1 with an Atlis and Jager. It was down to 3vs2. 2 Quickdraws were off fighting eachother and I got stuck facing against the other two as they thought I was the easier target. They greatly underestimated the BJ. The Atlis was damged but the Jager was untouched. I was able to dance around those rocks in the middle of the map and score the best double kill ever. I had already opened up the Atlis and right as I went to finish it off the jager ran infront of him. So I lit him up instead and as he fell, the next shot cored the Atlis. Felt great. Even my team was suprised a BJ could pull that off.

[megoblocks]

Lyoncet, on 28 June 2013 - 09:49 AM, said:

Has anyone had a similar experience with this, or could shed some light on it? I haven't really seen anyone advocating the dual AC/2 build for anything

Slap 5 on a Jager for some real dakka fun

[Reverendk]

Bj-1DC

XL210
2 AC5
2 Medium Lasers
2 Small Lasers

Blaat Blaat Zap Zap Choose the Thug Life.

[Fate 6]

The best BJ-1 and BJ-3 builds are just simply upgrading to DHS and Endosteel and popping in a slightly larger engine, while removing 2 or 3 JJs. The stock weapons are the best options.

[Ruccus]

I've never understood the outright hatred some people seem to have for the versions of the Blackjack that aren't the BJ-1X; I run a BJ-1 and have enjoyed it quite a lot. Because the BJ-1 has both ballistic and energy hardpoints it's quite a versatile mech so long as you don't want to make a laser boat (that's what the BJ-1X is for). I play with weapon loadouts in my BJ-1 all the time; most recently I've even been using an LB10-X as my main weapon to good effect (I've heard the LB10-X was bad so I wanted to see for myself).

I have used dual AC2s before and while yes they are pretty potent if you don't care about the alpha strike capabilities of your mech, you almost have to think of them as DoTs. I personally prefer the 'aim, fire, evade' style of combat so I prefer the slower, higher damage weapons but there is validity to those wanting to get a target into his sights and just keep dishing out the damage until it falls, and that's exactly where the AC2 excels.

[Lyoncet]

Ruccus, on 29 June 2013 - 01:26 PM, said:

I have used dual AC2s before and while yes they are pretty potent if you don't care about the alpha strike capabilities of your mech, you almost have to think of them as DoTs. I personally prefer the 'aim, fire, evade' style of combat so I prefer the slower, higher damage weapons but there is validity to those wanting to get a target into his sights and just keep dishing out the damage until it falls, and that's exactly where the AC2 excels.

I was wondering if maybe part of the reason for what I was seeing was the low alpha output of AC/2. The more I think about it, the more it seems like that setup just meshes really well with the chassis and my own preferences. I don't get much kick out of the huge alpha builds and tend to like sticking to people longer. But the BJ isn't sturdy and can't mount many heatsinks with the double cannons and double lasers, both of which mean you want to duck under cover or over a cliff after pumping some rounds into your target.

It could also be that between my relative novice at this game, my lack of shooter experience, and my not-that-great computer (hence lower definition, hence enemy 'Mechs look less crisp), alpha builds are just going to be weaker for me than something with sustained fire and easier placement.

Edited by Lyoncet, 29 June 2013 - 04:21 PM.

[Nixak]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...2c4a3b1b3ae3fd9

That has been my favorite load out for the BJ-1. I tried out the ac 2, 5, even 10s and didn't enjoy them as much as I do the Gauss.

I am glad that you found a load out the works for you. Power to the medium mechs!

[Flagrant]

All I have on my bj1 are 2xac5 and 5 tons of ammo. Full jj with an XL engine to compliment. I die faster than I can finish my ammo. and it's a lot of fun once fully elited.

Edited by Flagrant, 01 July 2013 - 06:17 PM.