14 replies to this topic

[Rabandarkward]

Ok im new as you can guess and i cant seem to do jack about the metric F ton of missiles that rip my mech to shreds, so is it just me or are these lock on missiles that fire 30,000 at once and turn me in to a burning ball of scrap op or is there away around it other then dive to the nearest cover (dose not always work) or by having the lock on counter measure that hardly any mechs have

[Psikez]

AMS helps but liberal use of cover is your most important tactic. Get caught out in the open and you're gonna have a bad time

[Caviel]

-Don't walk out in the open, ever. You are inviting sniper or LRM fire this way.
-Get out of LOS as quickly as possible from opposing mechs when you see the missiles launched warning
-Use cover if you can, cover must be roughly twice the height of your mech or more, otherwise some missiles will still hit you.
-Once you break LOS, move perpendicular to the incoming missile path, don't just back up as you back up very slowly, and missiles will continue forward after they lose lock.
-AMS helps to a limited degree
-ECM helps to a greater degree than AMS, although you are limited with which mechs can take ECM, and it can be countered several ways.
-Close within 180m of the LRM mech and their missiles look like pocket change hitting your mech

Good luck!

[Royalewithcheese]

To add to the above, it's always a good idea to be at the very least near cover. This will protect you from missiles as well as the more powerful direct-fire sniper weapons.

[El Death Smurf]

my simple answer is rock beats missile. I don't even equip AMS or use any ECM mechs. I just stay close to potential cover at all times if there are LRMs being used by the enemy. i'd say the maps that are hardest to do this on now are Caustic and Terra Therma, but even they can be quite forgiving if you keep your wits about you and cover close by.

Edited by El Death Smurf, 29 August 2013 - 03:25 PM.

[StarGeezer]

First off, welcome! Long Range Missiles can be the bane of existence, but they're not without their flaws. You or your teammates can use Electronic Countermeasure (ECM) to foil detection or an Anti-Missile System (AMS) to shoot down missiles in flight. Of course, cover is the best bet, not only in avoiding detection in the first place but in dodging incoming ordnance.

The best bet if you can is to try to close within 180 meters of the missile platform, as they are incapable of locking in such a short distance. And many missile boats tend to be squishy once you're inside their minimum firing range.

[Koniving]

Here's a video where me and a teammate deal with an LRM user. Our methods may help you in your plight against them.


It begins with our attempt to flank an enemy force. Lordred discovers a missile boat, so we rush out there to take it out.

Oh yes, and welcome! Remember not to stare at the missiles, twist away whenever possible.

[Rascula]

trust me when I say they used to be much much worse than they are now..
you can die horribly if your caught out but as said above cover and AMS <multiples of it if you can stay near your team> are your friends..
A good LRM boat player can be horrible to play against but they can do very little to you if your out of range <100m> or up close <180m>.
Play smart and maybe you'll survive to dish out some revenge!

[Arcturious]

As everyone has said, just be aware of your environment and LRM's cease to be an issue.

You also need to be aware of scouts though. You may think you are out of sight behind cover. Meanwhile, you get in a brawl with a scout. You don't notice in the heat of the moment until its too late that there was an LRM boat raining on you with the scouts eyes.

So if you are in a brawl, make sure you can get around cover for multiple approaches. On some maps the best spots are under bridges, overhangs etc where you are completely safe. Nothing makes me happier than watching an LRM boat waste tons of ammo trying to hit me and not realising they can't even though they might have a lock.

In all honesty, you will quickly realise LRM's are actually greatly under powered at the moment. Once you start using cover, then getting within 180m to finish them off there is really nothing they can do. LRM's are really in need of a buff.

[Johnny Reb]

Lrms are the bane of new players, a joke to the experienced. Guess, Im a bottom feeder sometimes. I still think lrms are viable is used right in 12 man.

[Barrett]

I hate LRMs...don't kill fast enough and make me spill my coffee.
Use cover, AMS, ECM or do it the lazy way...wait until the enemy is locked onto a juicy Atlas and then run for it.

[Johnny Reb]

Lrms have alot of counters and thats good cause they devastate the stupid.

[aniviron]

It's just you. Missiles are actually a fairly good teaching tool, though- you should pretty much always be within a second or two of some good cover, and while this is very important to stop you from getting pelted by missiles, it's really just good piloting, as cover works against every kind of weapon. ;]

[Elizander]

Rabandarkward, on 29 August 2013 - 03:07 PM, said:

Ok im new as you can guess and i cant seem to do jack about the metric F ton of missiles that rip my mech to shreds, so is it just me or are these lock on missiles that fire 30,000 at once and turn me in to a burning ball of scrap op or is there away around it other then dive to the nearest cover (dose not always work) or by having the lock on counter measure that hardly any mechs have

• Have AMS and stick near other mechs with AMS (it's that cylinder sticking out of their shoulders).
  
• LRMs travel slowly, you have time to duck behind cover.
  
• LRMs that have a lock will continue to move to the last lock location and direction even if the lock is broken. This means if you simply move backwards you will still get hit even if you get behind cover. To avoid LRMs after breaking lock, move sideways from where they are coming and they will miss.
  
• If you are caught out in the open with no team mates and no cover, then that would mostly be what people would call a grave tactical error.

Hope that helps.

[Dalziel Hasek Davion]

LRMs are hard to use well and are one of the most nuanced weapons in the game. My advice is to have a go with a 'Mech that uses them as a primary weapon and you will learn a lot about how to defend yourself against them. The advice above is sound. Cover - breaking target acquisition/line-of-sight - ECM - AMS. Identify where the LRM shooter is and if they are vulnerable to flanking. Close inside 180m and their claws are removed.