19 replies to this topic

[Ecrof]

Im looking to run a fast assault mech. What are the best assaults to run an xl engine? Is it worth the extra risk, or is it just a death trap?

[TercieI]

Victor.

Highlander OK too.

[kesuga7]

i miss the awesome days

[Op4blushift]

Victor for sure if you want high speed. Highlander can also run XL's pretty well, although they don't exactly go very fast. From what I can tell Battlemasters aren't terrible with them either.

Edited by Op4blushift, 22 November 2013 - 08:12 PM.

[Roughneck45]

Victors.

It's not worth the extra risk, it is a death trap. Depending on your ELO results may vary.

Edited by Roughneck45, 24 November 2013 - 09:26 AM.

[Wrenchfarm]

Some Victor builds use an XL, but I eventually got frustrated with mine and switched to a smaller loadout and a STD engine. Assaults are just too big and slow to run an XL in.

You might as well use one in an Awesome and depend on a long range build, you're gonna get destroyed within seconds in a brawl with or without one. Also, don't use Awesomes (as much as it pains me to say that)

[Fuggles]

Victor for sure. It's everything your looking for.

Highlanders can use xls but I found them to be noticeably more survivable with a standard.

Awsome 9m is certainly viable with an xl, but I woudnt call it worth it for many reasons.

I dont have battlemasters yet. They seem ok though.

Atlas and stalker, right the F out.

[August55]

High energy builds benefit the most out of heavy XL engines since you can cram proper DHS in them (2.0 vs 1.4). I'm loving this guy currently.
BLR-1G

It's more or less that. The high shoulder ER PPCs are a huge plus too. It's even more dangerous once you master it.

Edited by August55, 25 November 2013 - 06:41 AM.

[FireSlade]

August55, on 25 November 2013 - 06:40 AM, said:

High energy builds benefit the most out of heavy XL engines since you can cram proper DHS in them (2.0 vs 1.4). I'm loving this guy currently.
BLR-1G

It's more or less that. The high shoulder ER PPCs are a huge plus too. It's even more dangerous once you master it.

Only the 10 engine double heat sinks will give you 0.2 heat dissipation and +2 to heat capacity. After the 10 any extra only gives you 0.14heat/second and +1.4 to heat capacity. Single heat sinks dissipate 0.1 heat/second and give you +1 to your heat capacity. http://mwo.gamepedia.com/Heat_sinks


The Victor is very XL friendly but you will want a rating of 340+. I run a 360 in my VTR-9K and it is nice having a 80kph assault that maneuvers like a heavy and tank/deals damage like an assault. Keep twisting (very easy to do with the AC20) and you will be fine. If you want more weapons and armor the Highlander also works with it since it is basically an Atlas mated with a Victor just do not expect to go more than 64/65kph.

[DyDrimer]

Victor.

[Josef Nader]

XL assaults are 100% death traps. They're the first things to die in almost every match I play. They're too slow to out-run anything but other assaults, and they're such big targets that everyone and their blind grandmother can hit you. Much better to go slower and soak more hits, or play a fast XL heavy.

[John MatriX82]

Victors aren't bad with a XL engine, the LA can tank quite a big chunk of damage and the extra speed can be worth the risk.

Highlanders can do as well, in the terms that once you lose a side torso (generally the RT) you're probably going to be completely weaponsless, thus making you as useful as a placeholder so.. you'll nevermind to die.

Anything else is rather suicidal, starting from Atlases (once upon a time when the GR didn't exploded it was fun to an extent but now.. nope), without talking about the Stalkers and non-9M/PB Awesomes (though any AWS is somewhat suicidal nevertheless, until PGI won't realize that the shoulder pauldron must be made part of the arm hitbox rather than the side torso).

I'd say that also BLRs shouldn't use XLs, many times you go for that side torso and the thing dies horribly with the rest of the mech completely untouched.

[kevin roshak]

i found the XL in the battlemaster to work pretty well. also havent had any problems with my victor either.

[Dawnstealer]

What my Steiner friend above said: I don't think I've ever been killed by having my XL blown away in my Battlemaster.

For the currently available, non-Phoenix mechs, though, Highlander and Victor are both good. Maybe Awesomes, once they get the hitboxes fixed, but they're still walking barn doors...

[Shade4x]

Ecrof, on 21 November 2013 - 06:50 PM, said:

Im looking to run a fast assault mech. What are the best assaults to run an xl engine? Is it worth the extra risk, or is it just a death trap?

There are a lot of guy's who are die hard standard engine fans. If you go XL you should have a significant bump in DPS and/or speed, other wise it's not worth getting. For instance, an atlas or a stalker do not go any faster, and though you may put an extra pair of large lasers on them, you won't be able to fire them. Remember, XL does not mean a quicker death, its a chance of a quicker death. That being said, other then LRM boats, there are only 2 mech's in the assult class that are really worth XLing. Battlemaster and Victor.

Victor is almost stupid to play standard, because all of its heavy weapons are in the arms. This means on most victor builds, getting shouldered or losing an arm can effectivly take you out of a fight. The extra load out alone is worth the chance of quicker deaths. Dropping in a 360+ your at medium/fast heavy speed (80+ kph), If you know how to use the speed, this alone can negate the survivability lost of an XL. Just remember, your dps, or a flanker or a sniper, your not a brawler. You shouldn't lead the charge, you should support it.

Battlemaster is a weird bird. It's got crappy arms but a huge amount of energy weapons in the CT. This allows you to keep on fighting if shouldered when you run a standard. However the hard points are so good, and the speed can get so high, that certain builds work well with a standard. I've been running 6 med/1Llas 2ac/5 at 80 kph with enough heat sinks to make use of the energy weapons. It kills most everything in 2 hits, and can fill multiple roles. I play with my friend who uses a standard and basicly we pull similar games.

The awesome 9M can XL as well, but its virtually pointless to do it, due to hitbox's, and the fact that your not really equiping anything that much better anyways. And lets face it, the 9M needs some serious love still.

One thing to note: In the upper elo's, people know by load out, speed of mech, and mech itself, if the build is XL'ed. Don't think your going to suprise anyone. That means adjust your armor based on how you die, and move around a lot when not engaged in combat. They will aim for the Torso's, the trick to running XL's in high elo is to anticipate it and use their good aim to your advantage. Just replace the torso with an arm or leg.

[Shade4x]

Dawnstealer, on 25 November 2013 - 08:45 AM, said:

What my Steiner friend above said: I don't think I've ever been killed by having my XL blown away in my Battlemaster.

For the currently available, non-Phoenix mechs, though, Highlander and Victor are both good. Maybe Awesomes, once they get the hitboxes fixed, but they're still walking barn doors...

I've been XL'ed in my battlemaster. But by the time they manage to XL me, im generally armorless and i've killed atleast 2 of them. The firepower a battle master can realisticly use is just mind boggling.

[August55]

FireSlade, on 25 November 2013 - 07:07 AM, said:

Only the 10 engine double heat sinks will give you 0.2 heat dissipation and +2 to heat capacity. After the 10 any extra only gives you 0.14heat/second and +1.4 to heat capacity. Single heat sinks dissipate 0.1 heat/second and give you +1 to your heat capacity. http://mwo.gamepedia.com/Heat_sinks

I stand corrected then. I still like the build though.

[NRP]

From what I've seen solo PUGing, XLs work ok in Victors, Highlanders, Battlemasters, and the AWS 9M and PB. Not sure what my ELO is, but I'd guess mid to low.

[FireSlade]

August55, on 25 November 2013 - 10:11 AM, said:

[/size]

I stand corrected then. I still like the build though.

You my friend are much braver than I . I tend to shy away from the ERs when I use more than one due to the 15 heat and the lack of dissipation, plus I tend to forget the whole ghost heat rules and would end up killing myself by firing all 3 ERPPCs.

[Fuggles]

Dawnstealer, on 25 November 2013 - 08:45 AM, said:

What my Steiner friend above said: I don't think I've ever been killed by having my XL blown away in my Battlemaster.

ive killed BMs and victors plenty of times because i know they run XLs and always aim for the torso. i pretty much aim for the torso on any mech that is prone to run an XL especially when i see alot of weapons. what ive found though in the victor is that you loose a massive amount of firepower or speed by not running one so it is worth it (i run a xl350 in mine). the hitboxes in these mechs are to the point where you dont just take random damage in the torsos making it a liability like in the stalker/atlas.

like i said earlier, highlanders are noticably more survivable with a STD, and the speed difference between a 300 to 325 isnt worth it to me.