10 replies to this topic

[Charons Little Helper]

Hey - just wanted to get some opinions here.

I'm going to get an Orion - VA and build it with 4xSRM 6 & a pair of large lasers. I wanted to get opinions on whether I'd be better off with an XL360 or a standard engine. (a standard 310 is about the biggest I could get - though that would be with two fewer heat sinks than with the XL360)

The 360 would get me up to 85.5 after tweak - the 310 would only be at 73.7.

[Bishop Steiner]

Boy howdy, that's a toughy. You obviously will be more durable with the Standard.... but will it matter?

So you plan on ignoring the ballistic, entirely, right?

If so, I think, go with the XL. The Orion protects it's XL pretty well IMO. And that 12 kph can add a lot of escapability, which sometimes helps where "durability" alone does not. The other factor is, all your weapons are arm mounted, so once you sacrifice those to protect the core, you are neutered, anyhow, right? So to me, the speed and extra internal DHS capacity would seem to make up any shortcomings to potential ST death.

But I'm the crazy guy who runs XLs in everything except the Stalker, Atlas and Hunchback, anyhow.

[627]

if you have no long range weapon take the big one, you'll need every little kph you can get to get close enough. but i strongly would recommend to use a ballistic, at least as backup. the orion is too heavy and too slow, even with xl360 too ignore that firepower for speed.

Edited by 627, 12 December 2013 - 08:59 AM.

[N a p e s]

I'm with Bishop on this one.

If you're disregarding the ballistic hardpoint totally stick an XL in the mech.

[Bishop Steiner]

627, on 12 December 2013 - 08:58 AM, said:

if you have no long range weapon take the big one, you'll need every little kph you can get to get close enough. but i strongly would recommend to use a ballistic, at least as backup. the orion is too heavy and too slow, even with xl360 too ignore that firepower for speed.

Yeah, though it's a tad catch 22... as a useful ballistic is a LOT of weight. So far I have leaned toward the big gun anyhow though, as I have not been really in the zone without one. My Orions tends to at least have a UAC. But that is admittedly my playstyle. I have always love ballistics in every mechwarrior game!

[Malleus011]

I mastered my VA with the build you are talking about, but eventually reduced the laser size and added a UAC (for heat management). I used a 300XL in both versions. It's quite survivable with an XL; though my standard Orion 1K is extremely durable.

[Bishop Steiner]

my current VA.
ON1-VA
pinpoint fire, better range and cooldown, all make me happier with the ac10 over the 2 larges. Then I cluster 1-2 punch each arm .5 seconds after the other at 250 or less.

[Escef]

My VA uses the stock 300 standard engine. AC20, 2 MLs, 4 LRM5. I tried quad Streaks, but I just couldn't get it to work. I think it's mostly a personality thing, I want to engage as early as possible, but with that relatively small engine I get eaten up real fast just closing to range. The LRMs give me something to do while waiting for close range targets. Besides, they cycle fast and are annoying as all hell when chain fired.

[Charons Little Helper]

Bishop Steiner, on 12 December 2013 - 10:34 AM, said:

my current VA.
ON1-VA
pinpoint fire, better range and cooldown, all make me happier with the ac10 over the 2 larges. Then I cluster 1-2 punch each arm .5 seconds after the other at 250 or less.

The SRMs work decently without artemis?

[Escef]

Charons Little Helper, on 12 December 2013 - 10:57 AM, said:

The SRMs work decently without artemis?

You could probably swap the SRM6s to ASRM4s without too much loss of firepower.

You could also swap the SRMs for Streaks, tack in a Beagle Probe, drop to 2 tons of Streak ammo, cut the AC ammo by a ton, junk a heat sink, and swap the MLs for LLs, and up-armor the arms and side torsos.

Keep in mind that a build that works for one person may not work for you. I like large lasers. I'm ok with PPCs, but I'm not wild about them. I usually do better with LLs than PPCs, but I have a small number of mechs that use them anyway, just to mix things up a bit.

[Bishop Steiner]

Charons Little Helper, on 12 December 2013 - 10:57 AM, said:

The SRMs work decently without artemis?

Eh, not horrible, But I tend to hold my SRMs most times til PBR. Actually a better DPS, lower heat way is 4 SRM4 with arty. Not quite the up front punch, but better ammo endurance too.