57 replies to this topic

[Tor Gungnir]

I thought Awesome were snipers rather than speeders?

[Shuyen]

Zynk, on 02 July 2013 - 10:31 AM, said:

The Stalker -3F (greater torso twist) I have 6 ML and 4 SRM6's on mine. A 66 point alpha strike is always a nice way to say hello. I own the 3F, 5M & 5S.

I was running a 5M as my first assault. Since I only have the base 4 slots, once I max'd it out I sold it and got the 3F, which I am really enjoying a ton. After some experiments with various LRM/SRM/LL/ML, SRM/LL/ML, etc, etc, combos, I've settled on a 2xLRM/20, 4xML, 2xSSRM2, 1xAMS, 1xTAG, Artemis build with a few DHS in the mix. I have 6t of LRM ammo on the thing and just toss missiles downrange. If a light comes knocking, I can chain fire the ML's and full fire the SSRM2's with near impunity.

So far, I'd have to say it's one of my favorite mechs.

[MavRCK]

I would buy the Highlander 732 -- you will get to learn how to use jumpjets, learn how to gauss - ppc snipe and when you're ready for the big leagues, you can configure it into a gauss / 2LL / 3SRM4 brawler. The potential of this chassis to learn different play styles is unparalleled.

Plus, if you follow my tier list, it's ranked very highly... in fact, most of the suggestions here agree with my mech tier list...

(maybe i'm on to something )

GL HF! <3 <3 <3

[scJazz]

MavRCK, on 02 July 2013 - 12:56 PM, said:

I would buy the Highlander 732 -- you will get to learn how to use jumpjets, learn how to gauss - ppc snipe and when you're ready for the big leagues, you can configure it into a gauss / 2LL / 3SRM4 brawler. The potential of this chassis to learn different play styles is unparalleled.

Plus, if you follow my tier list, it's ranked very highly... in fact, most of the suggestions here agree with my mech tier list...

(maybe i'm on to something )

GL HF! <3 <3 <
*SHAMELESS PLUG*

ftfy

[Ragnar Darkmane]

Roughneck45, on 02 July 2013 - 08:05 AM, said:

Get a Stalker.

It will be an easier transition gameplay wise if you are going from a K2 to assault, and they are the best assaults in the game right now.

Dito. Was the first Assault I got after playing my C1 Cat. Never looked back. Same height, at least twice (if not three times) as survivable as long as you don't use a XL engine and far superior hardpoints (does both Energy spam and missile boat better than cats). Only thing worse is the speed (the pros outweight that though) and the torso twist (not that bad if you use the 3F).

And a small tip: Try not to use Endo-Steel on Stalkers as slots are far rarer than tons in most cases (you need those extra slots for double heat sinks). That goes for pretty much all assaults.

[Kellsey]

Ragnar Darkmane, on 02 July 2013 - 04:21 PM, said:

Dito. Was the first Assault I got after playing my C1 Cat. Never looked back. Same height, at least twice (if not three times) as survivable as long as you don't use a XL engine and far superior hardpoints (does both Energy spam and missile boat better than cats). Only thing worse is the speed (the pros outweight that though) and the torso twist (not that bad if you use the 3F).

And a small tip: Try not to use Endo-Steel on Stalkers as slots are far rarer than tons in most cases (you need those extra slots for double heat sinks). That goes for pretty much all assaults.

The Stalker looks good but the only problem I have with it is that there are no Balistic hardpoints.

[Genewen]

Indeed, none of the regular Stalkers have ballistic slots. I do not miss them, because great things can be done with energy and missile weapons alone. But if you love ballistic weapons, I'd rather say get the Highlander. Dual-UAC 5 plus large lasers and SSRMs on my 733C are quite fun as well.

Ragnar Darkmane, on 02 July 2013 - 04:21 PM, said:

And a small tip: Try not to use Endo-Steel on Stalkers as slots are far rarer than tons in most cases (you need those extra slots for double heat sinks). That goes for pretty much all assaults.

All my Stalkers use Endo-Steel. This for example is my current 3F:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...bb6b9c45e412438
10 Slots left, the only thing I miss is more tons to spend. Yeah, I could swap out the SSRMs or just one or two of them, but I enjoy greeting light mechs with 8 SSRMs.

[Kellsey]

I don't think I will be going for the stalker.
I saw some other assaults running Gaus rifles and PPC's together.
And that is something I am realy interested in.

[scJazz]

Kels, on 03 July 2013 - 08:27 AM, said:

I don't think I will be going for the stalker.
I saw some other assaults running Gaus rifles and PPC's together.
And that is something I am realy interested in.

lmao... you saw some mechs running Gauss and PPCs? Some?

there is a Gauss, 2 PPC setup you can mess with on your K2. It works pretty good. One of the guys in my ELO bracket flies it almost exclusively. I tend to take notice which team he is on

[Tor Gungnir]

Get an Highlander.

The terrain changes was a huge nerf to any non-JJ Assault.

[Buckminster]

Kels, on 02 July 2013 - 10:26 AM, said:

You're right about elite and master skills. but the other catapults are not realy interesting to me due to all the missle slots. And right now I kinda want alot of different mechs to play with untill I have a couple that I love

Just because Catapults have a lot of missile slots, doesn't mean you have to use them. I've seen triple large laser C1s, or C1s with twin ER/PPCs in them. Take those energy slots and use them to their most, and then maybe add some streaks to help deal with some of the light mech harassment you'll get.

I really can't stress how much of a difference reaching Elite can make with a mech. Aside from all of the Elite skills (like Speed Tweak!), you double your basic skills once you finish Elite. When I first started into Centurions, I was constantly frustrated by the fact that I was more nimble in my Catapults. Despite being 15 tons heavier, having the Cats mastered meant that I could move around much more easily.

[scJazz]

Tor Gungnir, on 03 July 2013 - 08:41 AM, said:

Get an Highlander.

The terrain changes was a huge nerf to any non-JJ Assault.

I'm going to take this moment to insert an obligatory "I told you so" into the conversation... bet you wish you had a Hunchback, Jager, or anything but that Fatlas right now huh

[Tor Gungnir]

I've gotten used to the speed. It is the inability to reach places I can't stand. Canyon Network is next to unplayable now.

Edited by Tor Gungnir, 03 July 2013 - 09:19 AM.

[Koniving]

Tor Gungnir, on 02 July 2013 - 12:19 PM, said:

I thought Awesome were snipers rather than speeders?

They are both. Technically Awesomes are "support" mechs which means sniping, lrming, etc.

Regular Awesomes are not particularly fast, but the Awesome 9M and the Pretty Baby are the two fastest assault mechs in the game, with the Heavy Metal being the third fastest (topping out 20 kph lower than the 9M and PB). This is not counting the Victor line. What other assault mech reaches 89.1 kph?

Of course, the Dragon Slayer (of the Victor line) can also reach 89.1 kph after speed tweak if it forsakes the ballistics entirely.

Something tells me the Battlemaster will never surpass 83.9 kph even when a hero version comes out. To be honest, it'll never reach that speed unless it drops practically every weapon.

Even with the upcoming mechs, the Awesome maintains a mech in the fastest assault section even if the new Dragon Slayer ties for it. But let's be honest, the Dragon Slayer puts squanders that potential weight from the engine into autocannons and jumpjets. The rest of the Victors will be considerably slower (with their second fastest topping out at about the 9m's level if even).

Back in the day when an Awesome and an Atlas faced each other, the best move was to bullrush the Atlas and knocked him down while the Awesome still stands, then pelt it into the ground with lasers or ppcs.

But now we have the Victor. Dragon Slayer versus Pretty Baby in a jousting duel. Will either still be standing when they collide?

Edited by Koniving, 03 July 2013 - 09:47 AM.

[POOTYTANGASAUR]

Well first here is a much better version of your k2: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6503c19f1f0ba5c Now onto the real business. The stalker is probably your best choice as a starter assault. i would suggest the 3f or 5m. 5m comes stock with dhs which is extremely helpful. You can run this on the 5m: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...845ee7638441ad1 and for the 3f: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...ce1aaab19f91bfb These are both solid builds. I personally prefer the 5m because i sold my 3f and upgraded to the 5s for dual ams. I think you should get the 5m because it is easier to drive with current heat capacity nerf.

[Sadistic Savior]

Kels, on 02 July 2013 - 07:51 AM, said:

I am still fairly new to the game and i love my catapult K2 so far.
But I want a mech with more armour and more firepower that can be effective at medium/long range. So I whas thinking about an assault mech!

I had 2 mechs in mind, the highlander because of the decent speed, great armour and good hardpoints + jumpjets.
And the stalker as it seems fairly similair to the catapult K2.

What do you guys think I should go for? And why? (builds for them are welcome!)

It will depend on your playstyle. Most Assault mechs are not optimized for one system...their hardpoints are spread all over and the hardpoint types are as well. They are designed more for damage absorption than damage dealing.

My dual AC/20 Jagermech can out-damage any assault pretty easily. That is a build you cannot do on any assault and probably will never be able to. I have one-shotted Atlases in it before. Bonus: it can mount these weapons in it's arms, which makes it dangerous on steep terrain.

The Stalker is a tank. It can't mount ballistics (which means it cannot do great pinpoint damage) but it is, IMO, the hardest-to-kill mech in the game. It's cockpit hitbox is notoriously hard to nail. It makes a great energy weapon boat. This mech specializes in spam damage...don't expect to do any sharpshooting in it reliably. Arm weapons will have very restricted range of motion.

Atlases are good jack-of-all-trades mechs. They can mount almost anything, just not a LOT of anything. They can mount ECM too, which is a big deal. They cannot mount their most potent weapons in arms. They also look cool.

Highlanders are my current favorite Assault. Jumpjets make them mobile, and they can mount dangerous weapons in their arms. I think they are the only assault that can mount an AC/20 or Gauss in an arm (just not both arms). They have a broad easy-to-hit profile though.

If you are looking for "OMG moar firepower!", Assaults are probably not the best choice.

Edited by Sadistic Savior, 03 July 2013 - 01:38 PM.

[Kellsey]

Thank you for the post Sadistic Savior.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but assault mechs are able to hold out longer in a fight then an heavy due to its armour.
So would it not do more damage overtime ?

[Tor Gungnir]

Kels, on 04 July 2013 - 02:29 AM, said:

Thank you for the post Sadistic Savior.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but assault mechs are able to hold out longer in a fight then an heavy due to its armour.
So would it not do more damage overtime ?

Unless your shooty bits get blown off.

[Kellsey]

Tor Gungnir, on 04 July 2013 - 02:32 AM, said:

Unless your shooty bits get blown off.

Fair enough, but that could happen to any mech

[Tor Gungnir]

Kels, on 04 July 2013 - 03:06 AM, said:

Fair enough, but that could happen to any mech

Yeah but they usually die as a result. As an Atlas I often find myself surviving but with my arms blown off and my torso weapons destroyed.