94 replies to this topic

[AC]

I have tried hard to get the Locust to work for me. (and I run Cicadas with low armor), but they seem to have rediculously large hit boxes and thier physical size is quite large for a 20 tonner. I get grazed by a few medium lasers and the armor is gone. I don't think I survived very long in any of them, even using hit and run tactics and only supporting the heavier mechs. After I died and would spectate, I would watch spiders routinely take on multiple mechs and get hit by weapons to only have the armor flash but never change color. I understand the spider has more armor, but it is only 10 tons more and seems to be near invincible. A locust is incapable of taking on any mech 1 on 1, but spider pilots seem to take on multiple mechs at once and often times come out on top.

One thing I could suggest is that locust needs to be more manouverable. It should be the most manouverable mech in the game to make up for its lack of armor.

[Qwaar]

I personally love my locusts, and don't regret a dollar. I don't really play them 'like' anything, at least consciously. The entire time I've played my locust I've just been very cautious (though that still puts me in front sometimes, had another match where my entire team was hanging back, I didn't notice till a dead teammate mentioned the LCT had more balls than any of them.)

Edit: Also, nobody pays attention to the locust with 5 SPL.

Edited by Qwaar, 17 October 2013 - 06:31 AM.

[BookWyrm]

If a Locust lives long enough to do damage, people either can't aim or are just ignoring it in favor of other targets.

[Dawnstealer]

Are you all serious? It weighs TWENTY TONS. What do you expect it to be? For comparison, that's at least 40 tons LIGHTER than this:



It's a scout. It's not a skirmisher like the Jenner, it's not a harasser like the Spider, it's not a specialist like the Commando: it's a pure scout. Use it like one and it's just fine. Use it like an undersized Atlas, and it's going to die horribly.

[BookWyrm]

We have scouts in this game? I mean, that argument might work if we were not allowed to completely change the speed, armor, and load out of every mech altering the role of every single one.

Edited by BookWyrm, 17 October 2013 - 06:42 AM.

[WarHippy]

I have played exactly one game with LCT-1V(P)

I did 200 damage got 1 kill and 11 assists. I made 270k c-bills and a little over 2800 xp. I decided it was fluke game and was better off not tempting fate so I switched to a different mech to leave the LCT-1V(P) as my one and done for the time being.

Edited by WarHippy, 17 October 2013 - 07:15 AM.

[MustrumRidcully]

Odwalla, on 16 October 2013 - 02:31 AM, said:

The LCT-3M is by far the best one. Nothing beats the ton/dmg ratio of Medium Lasers. I managed to get some pretty decent damage with it (around 300-500, depending on how long you can stay alive).

Small Lasers do.

[Mothykins]

How to run a Locust 1V:
Four M-guns, one Mlas, BAP, blahblahblah

Wait for the ***** in the missile support Atty to hang back by himself, Harass until He dies. Take up a fight with the Hunchback next.

It's a Locust people. you either do a swarm, or you Single out idiots who hang back.

Or you take the 3M, shove an ERPPC and tag on it, and use it as a Sniper/spotter. It can get in and out of position quickly, and the ERPPC is a serious threat to most 'mechs. Flank and just let loose with the big gun, aim at anything with an ECM.



That said, It really should have ECM across the board; I was mystified when I saw it didn't. At that size, it would be the one thing keeping it alive for long enough to engage with all the short range weapons they tend to pack. As it is, You have to rely on wits and luck to get close more then skill and tactics.

[Trauglodyte]

My best games with the 1V(P) have been 250ish, give or take, with a kill and 6+ assists. Running with SHSs, ES, and 2MGs with a Lrg Laser doesn't exactly make you feel like you're brimming with fire power. Over the course of 16 games as pure PUG (yeah, doing that with a Locust = lol), I'm 10-6 with a 0.42 KDR /flex and am averaging about 100 damage per game. I'm looking forward to the 3M and the LRMocust.

Btw, just a warning to you all: When you're in Crimson Straight, do NOT go into the little depressed loading bays in the parking deck. The Locust is so short and squat that you can't get out of it. On the plus side, your laser mount is high enough that you can still fire out - I ended up killing a Tblot and Battlemaster with my Lrg Laser last night. But, if you get over run, you're easy pickings as you have nothing to hide behind.

[Shadey99]

Trauglodyte, on 17 October 2013 - 09:11 AM, said:

Btw, just a warning to you all: When you're in Crimson Straight, do NOT go into the little depressed loading bays in the parking deck. The Locust is so short and squat that you can't get out of it.

Not quite true, I tripped into this once (Trying to avoid being stepped on) and it took some effort but I got back out again. Just don't ask me how....

[Corbon Zackery]

Generally if your getting these numbers your having a good day in your locust.

50 dmg bad round

150 dmg Low end round

250 dmg 1 kill Avg. day

450 dmg 2 kills 10 assists Your a master of the swarm. Time to train a new Pokémon.

Right now basic setups that work and produce kills
1 medium laser 4 machine guns 128 armor
1 medium laser 3 streak missiles 125 armor
5 Small lasers 128 armor
1 ER Large laser

Issues: the smaller the engine the more heat sinks need to be added.
You cant go below 125 armor anything less and your just going to pop quickly.
Once you get above 153KPH the mech gets out of control meaning hard to aim running into terrain.
Not really for beginners
35 ton mech will damage your legs in a collision.

Advantages:
Its so small that in a pinch you can get under a mechs guns.
Level 1 water is your friend 90% of the mech is submerged.
Its speed lets it be anywhere on the battlefield at any time.
Super small hit boxes.

Edited by Corbon Zackery, 17 October 2013 - 10:02 AM.

[ShotgunWillie]

PEEFsmash, on 15 October 2013 - 10:37 PM, said:

Worst mech in the game, unfortunately, and everyone knows it.

85% of people disagree.

[DEMAX51]

I worked through the Basics on the 3M last night - 10 total matches - and I averaged 320 damage per match (my highest was around 540) with a KDR of 3.17 (19:6), so I'm actually fairly pleased with that variant. I've got it loaded with 4 medium lasers, and I'll bet once I get speed tweak and 2X basic efficiencies it'll actually play pretty well. Once tonnage limits go in the game too, if I can continue to do this level of damage with it, it's probably worth using to save my team 15 tons by taking the 3M over my Jenner-F.

The 1V is pretty terrible though. The only way I've found to have any kind of success with it is to put on an ERLL and two MGs and just stick with your heavies/assaults and add your DPS to whatever they're shooting at - doing this I had what "felt" like pretty decent matches, and then at the EOR screen I would still only have like 250 damage.

I haven't played the missile variant yet, but I'll bet it's gonna suck too (at least until SRM hit detection gets better - then it might make for a decent little SRM carrier).

Edited by DEMAX51, 17 October 2013 - 11:41 AM.

[PEEFsmash]

DEMAX51, on 17 October 2013 - 11:37 AM, said:

I worked through the Basics on the 3M last night - 10 total matches - and I averaged 320 damage per match (my highest was around 540) with a KDR of 3.17 (19:6), so I'm actually fairly pleased with that variant. I've got it loaded with 4 medium lasers, and I'll bet once I get speed tweak and 2X basic efficiencies it'll actually play pretty well. Once tonnage limits go in the game too, if I can continue to do this level of damage with it, it's probably worth using to save my team 15 tons by taking the 3M over my Jenner-F.

The 1V is pretty terrible though, and though I haven't played the missile variant yet, I'll bet it's gonna suck too (at least until SRM hit detection gets better - then it might make for a decent little SRM carrier).

Either you are a lord beyond the rest of us, or you got lucky playing against the right opponents. When I try to play the ML Locust like it was a Jenner, I get legged immediately and die. Even light laser swipes take off huge % of armor. I'd like to see your videos of how you played with it and see if you played against anyone who can aim...

[DEMAX51]

PEEFsmash, on 17 October 2013 - 11:40 AM, said:

Either you are a lord beyond the rest of us, or you got lucky playing against the right opponents. When I try to play the ML Locust like it was a Jenner, I get legged immediately and die. Even light laser swipes take off huge % of armor. I'd like to see your videos of how you played with it and see if you played against anyone who can aim...

Didn't take any video, but I'll try to and I'll post 'em up. I will say that I didn't play it like I would my Jenner - I was MUCH more cautious and deliberate with my movement (played it more like a ridge-humper, and as soon as I was in any kind of danger I bugged out - I also tried to avoid enemy Lights like the plague and didn't really scout with it at all). One of the matches where I did over 500 was in a 12-man against a decent (not great) team.

Also had a game where I was two-on-one against a Spider and a Jenner and I effed 'em both, but they were pretty crappy pilots.

Edited by DEMAX51, 17 October 2013 - 12:14 PM.

[Shadey99]

PEEFsmash, on 17 October 2013 - 11:40 AM, said:

Either you are a lord beyond the rest of us, or you got lucky playing against the right opponents. When I try to play the ML Locust like it was a Jenner, I get legged immediately and die. Even light laser swipes take off huge % of armor. I'd like to see your videos of how you played with it and see if you played against anyone who can aim...

I do well in a 5xML Locust (Though I run it as 4 and 1) as well (see my earlier post in this thread). It really is all about being ignored... And only going in for the kill when you hold the advantage (enemy mech overheated, cannot aim, thinks that ridge at his back means I cannot gut him, etc).

Good rounds you can do Jenner level damage, bad rounds someone blows your leg off with paired AC10s in the first minute and your luck to get 80 damage. This happened to me on Alpine, Jager decided to play cap guard and legged me. Though even legged I kept at him for a minute and a half circling a cylander near his base. Having watched the rest of the match he was the best shot on the whole enemy team and took out half of my side...

The 3M is easily the best Locust even without pilot skills.

Though really my worst enemy in my Locusts (all variants) are other lights. Screw streak Kintaros I can run from those or keep them at arms length... But a 151 kph Jenner? Or 169 kph Spider...? Nope...

[Linkin]

mekabuser, on 16 October 2013 - 05:15 AM, said:

thats what they said about spider.As a spider pilot from day one, i can assure you thats false, even if every single shot on target at a spider hit.
Im sure there will be guys who will rock the locust,, Invaluable once tonnage limits are imposed.

Agreed!

Being underestimated is a plus

Once you learn to pilot the locust in an even more paranoid fashion that other lights, you find it works. At least that's my experience. Individual results may vary.

[Fuggles]

the 3m is my favorite as well. ive used 5mlas, 5splas, combos of mlas/slas with with and w/o ams and TBH they are all usefull depending on what you want to do with the mech. if your up for trolling, flamers dont generate heat while chain fired. yeah i melted an atlas on tera with 5 flamers.

the 1v is good at cleanup duty, if you see anything with stripped armor, MGs make short work of them. i have way more kills in my 1v than my 3m but less damage. its perfectly viable, just have to know when to go in for the kill.

i dislike the 3s, the mech is too light to take advantage of missiles. but that being said, i have killed 2 ppl with it while legged in the thing with just one medium laser. never stop fighting!

Of course it is still a locust and in pretty much all variants i have walked around the corner and been one shot and finished the match with single digit damage numbers.

[Coralld]

Locust 1V is your mop up mech and is for the most part meh compaired to the other two.

Locust 3M is a good all round mech, Jenner is still a bit better but don't underestimate it.

Locust 3S with 4x Streaks can annihilate other Lights, but ECM is the bane of its existence, however, your more of a Anti-Light escort so you will always be traveling in either a swarm or with the main body of your team where other mechs will most likely have ECM and or BAP.

[Syllogy]

PEEFsmash, on 15 October 2013 - 10:37 PM, said:

Worst mech in the game, unfortunately, and everyone knows it.

85% of light pilots can effectively pilot a Locust.