19 replies to this topic

[meteorol]

Hi guys,
i'm hoping you can maybe help me to decide on how i will change my build. I've been thinking about it for days, and i simply can't decide.

The build itself fits me perfectly (3.29 k/d in 209 matches, steadily raising) but it has one shortcoming: no JJ. I want to add one JJ for better maneuvering.

Currently the mech has a STD 300 engine, AMS and a Case. I can't decide which of the following two things i should do:

1) Buy a STD 290 Engine (2kph slower), keep the AMS, remove the case. This would leave me with 2 tons of ammo i would have to spread over arms/torso without a case (mech carries alot of ammo)

2) Buy a STD 295 Engine (1kph slower), keep the case, remove AMS. This would leave me with half a ton which i could use to increase leg armor.

Which one would you choose? I really don't want to blow Cbills on two engines. Please give me some inspiration on which i should decide.

Thank you for your answers.

Edited by meteorol, 25 October 2013 - 06:02 AM.

[NRP]

I would think AMS is more useful than CASE, so I suggest option 1.

[Tastian]

smurfy build would help

[Kekkone]

Tastian, on 25 October 2013 - 06:22 AM, said:

smurfy build would help

Agreed.

Both of your options are things i would try to circumvent by other means. But if my options would somehow come down to those two, i'd pick 2. Death by ammo explosion sucks.

[Autobot9000]

K/D ratio does neither prove a player nor a build right

[meteorol]

Tastian, on 25 October 2013 - 06:22 AM, said:

smurfy build would help

Current build:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...3ba2b42d72abf6e

Option 1:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7722e37fff3a396

Option 2:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...94267b3a9b0bb70

-> didn't change armor values on the torso, was too lazy

Mind: i don't want to change the weapon loadout by any means. 5 tons of AC5 ammo might seem much, but i like to have a little buffer and i don't want to worry about ammo when taking a few little fast dragshots without carefully aiming them.

Autobot9000, on 25 October 2013 - 06:33 AM, said:

K/D ratio does neither prove a player nor a build right

Thank you for contributing... eh nothing?

Edited by meteorol, 25 October 2013 - 06:58 AM.

[aniviron]

Smurfy's mechlab can let us have a look at your build to give thoughts on it.

My off-the-cuff reaction would be to say get rid of the CASE and AMS and keep the 300 engine for money, heatsink and power reasons. Ammo only has a 10% chance to explode anyway, and storing it in the head and legs, locations which rarely ever get shot, means you almost never need to invest in CASE. AMS is nice to have, but not many people run LRMs these days, and you're generally still nimble enough in a highlander to get to cover before a volley comes in, and you have enough armor to withstand a volley or two if you're in a bad spot.

EDIT: Ah, you beat me to the punch by a few seconds. I'd say lose the AMS for sure- your AC5s and large lasers should be more than enough to make an LRM boat keep their head down even if both of you are in the open. If you really really want CASE, dropping another half ton of armor from the arm and head shouldn't be a problem at all.

Edited by aniviron, 25 October 2013 - 06:45 AM.

[Autobot9000]

meteorol, on 25 October 2013 - 06:43 AM, said:

Thank you for contributing... eh nothing?

You had no question asked here in enough detail to be answered by any forum member - should be pretty obvious for you too.

[rdmgraziel]

A Highlander without Jumpjets is also called an Atlas. Jumpjets are just too good for you to not use them.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0a511844f44cab1

Problem Solved?

Editted to put in the right ammo due to DERP on my part.

Edited by rdmgraziel, 25 October 2013 - 06:54 AM.

[rdmgraziel]

I've never died to an AMS ammo explosion btw, I'm not even sure if it can happen.

If you wanted to keep your weapon loadout:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...2912a2b0a0486b8

Edited by rdmgraziel, 25 October 2013 - 07:03 AM.

[Autobot9000]

This is how I would adapt your build (although I would generally use AC20/SRM6s).

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9c6f238ad69a266

Edited by Autobot9000, 25 October 2013 - 07:06 AM.

[meteorol]

rdmgraziel, on 25 October 2013 - 06:56 AM, said:

I've never died to an AMS ammo explosion btw, I'm not even sure if it can happen.

If you wanted to keep your weapon loadout:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...2912a2b0a0486b8

Yeah dropping 1 DHS is another thing i thought about for a while. I'll give it a try. I'm always shy of removing heatsinks tbh, thats why i was looking for a possibilty without removing one.

Autobot9000, on 25 October 2013 - 07:05 AM, said:

This is how I would adapt your build (although I would generally use AC20/SRM6s).

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9c6f238ad69a266

Dropping 1 ton of AC5 ammo also seems like a reasonable choice, i'll give it a test. I just like to run 5 to "waste" a few shells on fast dragshots.

The reason why i run 2 ac5 and 3 srm4?
I did pilot a DDC with a AC20 and 3 srm6 all the way from closed beta up to the point when the highlander was released (with a break of like 2 days to level the D and the RS). Countless hours of shooting ac20 and 3srm6. Can't get myself to continue with basically the same loadout on the 733C

[Roughneck45]

If you can live without the SRMs

HGN-733C

Strongest assault build out there right now.

[Lefty Lucy]

Roughneck45, on 26 October 2013 - 09:07 AM, said:

If you can live without the SRMs

HGN-733C

Strongest assault build out there right now.

It seems like since all of your weapons are lost when you lose your RT, you might as well take an XL. Is there a reason why not to?

[Autobot9000]

Roughneck45, on 26 October 2013 - 09:07 AM, said:

If you can live without the SRMs

HGN-733C

Strongest assault build out there right now.

If you encounter a DDC with AC20+3xSRM6/Artemis you're gonna be toast in this mech. Statement like "strongest assault build" seems a little overeager, especially because I can not see you winning with 2 PPCs any fight, where you can't rely on a huge group of mechs taking the damage for your 90 ton assault. Even a simple Cataphract will shred you to pieces, if you can't rely on hiding in your group.

[Roughneck45]

Lefty Lucy, on 26 October 2013 - 03:40 PM, said:

It seems like since all of your weapons are lost when you lose your RT, you might as well take an XL. Is there a reason why not to?

So that half of your mech is a shield. XL's just invite a quick death and eliminate your potential to tank.

Autobot9000, on 26 October 2013 - 04:21 PM, said:

If you encounter a DDC with AC20+3xSRM6/Artemis you're gonna be toast in this mech. Statement like "strongest assault build" seems a little overeager, especially because I can not see you winning with 2 PPCs any fight, where you can't rely on a huge group of mechs taking the damage for your 90 ton assault. Even a simple Cataphract will shred you to pieces, if you can't rely on hiding in your group.

Sure, if brawlers close on me it could get messy, same goes for any mech.

If you are a good shot and can jump snipe well, no atlas is going to beat you, no cataphract either.

Everyone has an opinion of what the best mech is, I'm just sharing with you what is universally agreed by the high ELO bracket as the strongest assault in the game right now.

Edited by Roughneck45, 28 October 2013 - 08:29 AM.

[rdmgraziel]

Roughneck45, on 26 October 2013 - 09:07 AM, said:

If you can live without the SRMs

HGN-733C

Strongest assault build out there right now.

Why wouldn't you just move the jumpjet to the CT, ammo to the leg and drop CASE for .5 tons more armor? Odds are against you losing that lone jumpjet in the CT unless you're dead anyway. Additionally 1 jumpjet on a Highlander doesn't grant much in the way of lift for poptarting and dual UAC5s aren't as crazy good as they once were (not that they're bad now). 1 Jumpjet should be solid-ish for getting over obstacles and throwing people's aim off a bit, but not for leaping up into the air and sniping (1 Jumpjet on a Highlander = 5.66666667 Meters of lift, a Highlander is about 14-15 meters tall).

meteorol, on 25 October 2013 - 07:27 AM, said:

Yeah dropping 1 DHS is another thing i thought about for a while. I'll give it a try. I'm always shy of removing heatsinks tbh, thats why i was looking for a possibilty without removing one.

Dropping 1 ton of AC5 ammo also seems like a reasonable choice, i'll give it a test. I just like to run 5 to "waste" a few shells on fast dragshots.

The DPS is still solid without the extra heatsink, and the DPS gives you an idea (roughly) of how well a build will be able to handle extended combat (which is where the heatsinks come in), with the ideal probably being between 4 and 6 DPS. Your build is very good since it has high alpha potential and high DPS, and the DPS difference of a single heatsink is 0.36 which isn't much. Additionally the DPS numbers on Smurfy assume you're firing all guns, and you're less likely to be utilizing the SRMs all the time, so the cooling/DPS is changed by that factor as well.

How much ammo you need is something you have to figure out by putting the build through its paces in a few really good matches. 5 tons gives you 75 shots, 4 gives you 60, so you *should* be able to swing 4 and still fire whenever you like, but you'll have to have a couple matches where you've done really well and been in the thick of combat to really find out.

[Roughneck45]

rdmgraziel, on 28 October 2013 - 09:15 AM, said:

Why wouldn't you just move the jumpjet to the CT, ammo to the leg and drop CASE for .5 tons more armor? Odds are against you losing that lone jumpjet in the CT unless you're dead anyway. Additionally 1 jumpjet on a Highlander doesn't grant much in the way of lift for poptarting and dual UAC5s aren't as crazy good as they once were (not that they're bad now). 1 Jumpjet should be solid-ish for getting over obstacles and throwing people's aim off a bit, but not for leaping up into the air and sniping (1 Jumpjet on a Highlander = 5.66666667 Meters of lift, a Highlander is about 14-15 meters tall).

1 JJ is plenty for jump sniping. In have it in the leg because that is always the last thing to die. If it is in the CT it has a much higher chance of being crit and losing it prematurely.

The C.A.S.E is there to minimize damage from an ammo explosion, just a little security blanket. It insulates all my ammo except the 1 ton in the head. More armor on the shield arm isn't a bad idea, but I'd probably move some from the legs to the arm before dropping the C.A.S.E

AC5's and UAC5's sync the best with PPCs. The tonnage of the highlander makes it an easy upgrade from standards to UACs, so you have the same sniping potential with the option to crank out 200% damage when you get the opportunity.

Edited by Roughneck45, 28 October 2013 - 09:31 AM.

[Aluminumfoiled]

Roughneck45, on 26 October 2013 - 09:07 AM, said:

If you can live without the SRMs

HGN-733C

Strongest assault build out there right now.

A devastating build, and why HGN's are next for me. I am starting to meet these in the hands of good pilots - it's a hard to kill 90 tonner. Grinding thsoe wonderful VTR's to get them.

[zagibu]

I would take out an SRM4 and put a JJ in the center torso. I'd also move the heatsinks from the arm to the side torsi. You shouldn't go lower in speed or heatsinks, because you are already at the lower limits of both IMO.