24 replies to this topic

[Mao of DC]

Short answer YES! A more in depth answer is multi-parted.

The first and best benefit is Information.
A well placed UAV will reveal a large group of enemies at once. There are VERY few people who can ignore nine new blips. Any LRM users will thank you because this way you give a lock and you don't have to "hold" it.

Next benefit C-bills and Experience.
For every mech you detect with a UAV gives you cash and experience. For every person that uses your UAV for indirect fire and do a certain amount of damage, you get an assist C-Bill and Exp bonus. It also breaks ECM and gives you a C-ECM bonus. If you are grinding a mech for exp using the UAV is a great way to speed up the process. Even though the C-Bill pay out is modest it is one of the few consumables that offset their cost reliably.

The last one is Scouting
Use the UAV to look over hills, around buildings, or use it as a kind of sentry. While this is the least beneficial use especially if you detect no enemies. It can save your life. For example you're one of the last mechs left in a conquest match, and you need to avoid dying to win. You can use the UAV to detect pursuit.

So... the downside.
The cost 40,000 C-Bills can be alot to part with each match when you are starting out.
The UAV can be shot out of the sky. It isn't an easy thing to do, it is hard to see and you can't lock onto it, but it can be done.
It requires 30,000 GXP to get the UAV maximized in both range and duration.
It uses up a module slot you may want to be using for something else.

So in the balance of pros verses cons it is totally worth it.

I forgot about the counter ECM bonus Thanks Arnold J Rimmer

Arnold J Rimmer, on 19 December 2013 - 02:19 AM, said:

You also get counter-ECM XP and c-bill bonuses now, too. So, if you know the enemy is bunched up behind a building and your team are merrily wandering off, let the UAV up to show them where to push.

Edited to add missing facts

Edited by Mao of DC, 25 December 2013 - 05:55 PM.

[Johnny Reb]

UAV is worth it if you are in a 12 man. Pug then you are wasting money for hopeful results. Same with artillery/air strike.

[Kanatta Jing]

UAVs in pugs are great for grinding XP on a new chassis.

I wouldn't have been able to unlock the 4 elites on 2 locusts without them.

Well could have, it just would have been much more painful and exhausting.

[zudukai]

yes and no because it depends on the chassis, assaults, they find them not so useful, lights, it is worth it.

[Johnny Reb]

In a pug, I would imagine an arty strike might do more. Still, I find it hard enough to use coolant in a pug match. Yet arty or UAV

[Arnold J Rimmer]

You also get counter-ECM XP and c-bill bonuses now, too. So, if you know the enemy is bunched up behind a building and your team are merrily wandering off, let the UAV up to show them where to push.

I use them a lot in PUGs, they seem to do the trick.

[Alistair Winter]

It's interesting to look at how different modules impact your win/loss statistic. My W/L ratio is higher for the UAV module than any other module. It's definitely worth it, if you have the money.

But if you're trying to make a profit, you should never bring it. The C-bill rewards are hardly worth mentioning.

[Mao of DC]

zudukai, on 18 December 2013 - 11:53 PM, said:

yes and no because it depends on the chassis, assaults, they find them not so useful, lights, it is worth it.

If I am grinding a mech, no mater the class, I find uses for them. Yeah with the heavier ones I use them less often but sometime they have saved my ***. You can use them to look over a hill back up and deal out LRM death. That pesky raven bothering you pop it and you break his ECM and see his buddies who are coming to help him out.

[Stomp]

As for organized play, if you bring an LRM mech and you have a lancemate with UAV, at the end of the match you just want to kiss him.


no ****

[Autobot9000]

If a game develops into a stand off fight it's totally worth dropping one. It's likely that your team is winning because of it.

[Victor Morson]

UAVs can more than double your XP progress and is a huge deal for ranking up 'mechs. Hundreds of extra XP per round is well worth the 40k trade off!

[Mao of DC]

I was able to earn 21500 expience points three times in nine hours with UAVs.

[Arnold J Rimmer]

CYBRN4CR, on 24 December 2013 - 10:06 PM, said:

AFAIK UAVs do not grant these bonuses as they are not countering ECM mechs.

Ah, but they do! I threw up a UAV on HPG in my Centurion (no BAP equipped) and as well as the stream of UAV Detection bonuses, there were two C-ECM bonuses (bothers me that it's not ECCM... anyway) from the pair of D-DC's the enemy team fielded.

I guess because UAV's burn through ECM regardless, you get the bonus if it belongs to you.

[Turist0AT]

How long does UAV last? Im thinking about getting it, but been holdning of because i think the effect only lasts like 30seconds

[Konril]

The basic UAV lasts 45 seconds. Both the GXP upgraded 'Improved UAV' and C-bill bought 'Advanced UAV' last 60 seconds. It's more than enough time for the LRM rain to kill a couple of enemies if the LRM boats are present.

[Mao of DC]

Konril, on 25 December 2013 - 05:13 AM, said:

The basic UAV lasts 45 seconds. Both the GXP upgraded 'Improved UAV' and C-bill bought 'Advanced UAV' last 60 seconds. It's more than enough time for the LRM rain to kill a couple of enemies if the LRM boats are present.

The Improved UAV is the GXP upgrade version and costs Cbills. The Advanced UAV costs 15 MC.

[Arnold J Rimmer]

They still have the same duration, though. And if you purchase the range upgrade as well (for another 15,000 GXP), it matches the A-UAV in every respect.

[Turist0AT]

wait how mutch is it total for the best one? 15+15+15k GXP?

[Deathlike]

The range upgrade is far more useful to get first since you can spot more stuff, taking the most advantage from the UAV "detection" bonus. The UAV upgrade to make it last as long as the MC version is not as useful unless you need the length of time for LRM boat spotting. It should be acquired secondarily (XP gains will contribute to GXP growth, thus allowing to you acquire both once you master Light mechs).

Edited by Deathlike, 25 December 2013 - 10:15 AM.

[Arnold J Rimmer]

Turist0AT, on 25 December 2013 - 10:02 AM, said:

wait how mutch is it total for the best one? 15+15+15k GXP?

You can buy a basic UAV for 40,000 c-bills, no GXP cost. To upgrade it to the same as the version, it costs 30,000 GXP total for both the range and duration upgrades.