112 replies to this topic

[xMintaka]

Orion's are not good mechs for the current meta.

That said, they are very versatile, and offer numerous options for players that are unsure of their playstyle or like to mix it up.

They're good brawlers, as noted here, but not great brawlers. My VTR's, even with XL engines are better for that, due to the JJ ability to spread damage around. Ideally, a brawler Orion needs an Assault mech (preferably Atlas, so it can't jump and let you take all the fire) to do well. But should you get this chance, damn are they good.

If you're interested in the Onion, it might be worth spending the cash on the Protector. It has a high, torso mounted energy slot that allows relatively safe ridgehumping. Granted, the enemy can hit your head, CT and both ST's, but it's a lot smaller target than trying to get your arms over said ridge.

Above all, I have fun in my Orion's. That's what matters most to me, and, as such, I'll keep running them even if the poptart mechs kills be 7 times out of 10 because no one listens to "Murderball rush the Poptarts, you negate 75% of their firepower by staying within 90m" in pugs.

Edited by Lunatech, 03 January 2014 - 12:09 PM.

[juxstapo]

juxstapo, on 30 December 2013 - 02:02 PM, said:

"This mech is really great as long as they are shooting at everyone else!!"

Lunatech, on 03 January 2014 - 12:08 PM, said:

a brawler Orion needs an Assault mech (preferably Atlas, so it can't jump and let you take all the fire) to do well. But should you get this chance, damn are they good.

Yup

but then so are my CTF's... Jagers... my K2/Jester, ...Jenners

[Modo44]

juxstapo, on 03 January 2014 - 05:22 PM, said:

but then so are my CTF's... Jagers... my K2/Jester, ...Jenners

This goes deeper with the Orion. Compared to other heavies, the combination of firepower and cooling makes it extra scary when ignored.

[RiotHero]

I just mastered two and almost done with the third. I love my orions so far. My top 3 highest damage games are all in them and my highest kill and assist game was in one (7k3A). My terrible K/D has been steadily climbing since I got them and my V has more than double my average K/D. My goal is to average 400 dmg in my V and I'm very close.

I just played two back to back 900+ damage games and each one was in a different Orion.



I originally just got the K because it was fast and I could put 4 large lasers in the arms. I wanted something that could laser brawl for fun. Before I knew it I had more than enough xp to have it fully mastered and I only bought the other two to get the elites on the K. Little did I know I would end up liking them so much and doing so well with them. I honestly don't have a problem with the XL engine in mine. I would say the play style I love with them is like an oversized Dragon. Stick and move dealing damage where you can but, never committing. Then at the end go in and clean house with some brawling when they are all softened up.

[Zordicron]

Meta-shmeta.

If you are like me and dont run premade like ever, and also dont care to try to grow your epeen every match, then the Orion is a solid choice for you.

because, it is likely you have many mechs, or dream of owning many mechs, and also load them out all differently, and mess with said loadouts to try to tweak in something that fits both the chassis, and how you want to play the chassis. This means, you probably have never run dual guass, or dual AC20( I am guilty of this last one as an experiment recently) or put PPC+guass on every variant of every mech. You likely have at least 2 triggers but probably 3 for your loadouts because of range differences. You probably seldom omit a hardpoint from a variant, or at least try to stick to this rule.

At this the Orion fits the bill. It is a mixed loadout mech, which means mixed range and systems. my protector for instance: AC20, 2 ERLL, streaks. I can hit at fairly long range with the LL, the AC20 combines with them for a fierce alpha at closer range, and the streaks keep annoying anklebiters from a free meal(helps I am a solid shot with the AC20, and arm lasers) The dmg output is effective, scores up relatively high on average, and the mech never has to "sit and wait" waiting for some silly meta dynamic like other "specialized" (read, cheese) have to.

It does of course have a bad match here and there, but so does anything, no matter what the uber ski11z players try to tell you. In the end, if you play an Orion like you would a high dmg output medium, it will do extremely well. I.E., mid range fire support, with occasional close comabt support for a team mate to spread dmg(it is a 75 ton mech, it can take a hit or 3)

[oldradagast]

Eldagore, on 05 January 2014 - 06:25 PM, said:

Meta-shmeta.

If you are like me and dont run premade like ever, and also dont care to try to grow your epeen every match, then the Orion is a solid choice for you.

because, it is likely you have many mechs, or dream of owning many mechs, and also load them out all differently, and mess with said loadouts to try to tweak in something that fits both the chassis, and how you want to play the chassis. This means, you probably have never run dual guass, or dual AC20( I am guilty of this last one as an experiment recently) or put PPC+guass on every variant of every mech. You likely have at least 2 triggers but probably 3 for your loadouts because of range differences. You probably seldom omit a hardpoint from a variant, or at least try to stick to this rule.

At this the Orion fits the bill. It is a mixed loadout mech, which means mixed range and systems. my protector for instance: AC20, 2 ERLL, streaks. I can hit at fairly long range with the LL, the AC20 combines with them for a fierce alpha at closer range, and the streaks keep annoying anklebiters from a free meal(helps I am a solid shot with the AC20, and arm lasers) The dmg output is effective, scores up relatively high on average, and the mech never has to "sit and wait" waiting for some silly meta dynamic like other "specialized" (read, cheese) have to.

It does of course have a bad match here and there, but so does anything, no matter what the uber ski11z players try to tell you. In the end, if you play an Orion like you would a high dmg output medium, it will do extremely well. I.E., mid range fire support, with occasional close comabt support for a team mate to spread dmg(it is a 75 ton mech, it can take a hit or 3)

Good points.

While I don't see a lot of Orions played, when they do show up, they are usually each rather unique in load out and played well. On the flip side, mechs that are very common usually have extremely predictable builds.

The Orion also has the ability to effectively use all weapon types in the game, making a good chassis for newer players who want a heavier mech but aren't exactly sure which weapons suit their style. The Orion is durable enough to give them some time as they try out all the various weapons.

[wanderer]

Orions were, in a sense the original Marik "assault" 'Mechs, cause they had shortages on both PPCs and production of assault chassis (though what they did was mostly on the lighter end too, like the Awesome). They really ARE mini-Atlases in terms of loadout, and a lot of the solutions non-ECM Atlai use can be scaled down a bit to fit the the Orion. Treat it like an assault in terms of where and what you're doing in a fight, and yeah- when they restrict by weight class, suddenly this machine does most of what an assault does (especially if you're downrating the engine to beef up firepower, it'll even move like one) but takes up a heavy slot instead. It's got the tonnage for a good main battery of pretty much whatever you want to mount, plus enough spare to squeeze in utility weaponry to complement it. Yeah, the target profile isn't cover friendly save for LRM ridge-humping. It's still plenty thick enough armor to wade in, open some holes, and cause serious suffering if you're brawling. Buy an Orion if you want to try a lot of different options for the fewest number of chassis.

[IraqiWalker]

OP, I don't know if you are familiar with lore or not, but the Orion was called "A poor man's Atlas" for a reason. It basically handles the same way an atlas does, except it's a weight class lower.

Also, not sure if this has been highlighted in some of the posts I skipped, but when weight restrictions are in play, many Orions will hit the field to be used as second and first line assault mechs.

Also, to the Viktor pilots out there. Put some armor on your legs, DAMN. My corp's basic tactic for killing every VTR variant out there is to just let them jump, then blast both legs (usually with little armor there) within seconds. Now that I think about it, I have seen us kill more Viktors mid air than on the ground.

As far as brawling with Orions, one of my friends has what he calls the "Barney" build, the mech is painted purple and green, that's why by the way. it's all close range weapons with SRM6s, LB10X, and I wanna say 2 Large lasers. what he does, is that he waits for the enemy to close in on him. Sure if the whole team is charging he can sneak up on people, but if the enemy comes around a corner and they run into his Orion, it's practically a free kill.

EDIT: added the Barney section.

Edited by IraqiWalker, 15 January 2014 - 08:30 AM.

[990Dreams]

I have mine fit to function from almost 600m to 10m.

2 MPLs
2 SSRMs
1 LRM 10
1 AMS
1 AC/2

Ammo as you see fit.

[RamsoPanzer]

i think the purpose of the Orion is that people waste their money on it. Like the locust and so on.

[Fang01]

IraqiWalker, on 15 January 2014 - 08:26 AM, said:

OP, I don't know if you are familiar with lore or not, but the Orion was called "A poor man's Atlas" for a reason. It basically handles the same way an atlas does, except it's a weight class lower.

Also, not sure if this has been highlighted in some of the posts I skipped, but when weight restrictions are in play, many Orions will hit the field to be used as second and first line assault mechs.

Also, to the Viktor pilots out there. Put some armor on your legs, DAMN. My corp's basic tactic for killing every VTR variant out there is to just let them jump, then blast both legs (usually with little armor there) within seconds. Now that I think about it, I have seen us kill more Viktors mid air than on the ground.

As far as brawling with Orions, one of my friends has what he calls the "Barney" build, the mech is painted purple and green, that's why by the way. it's all close range weapons with SRM6s, LB10X, and I wanna say 2 Large lasers. what he does, is that he waits for the enemy to close in on him. Sure if the whole team is charging he can sneak up on people, but if the enemy comes around a corner and they run into his Orion, it's practically a free kill.

EDIT: added the Barney section.

Quoted for truth. In the current metapocalypse leg first is the most solid plan for dealing with assaults...or popping shoulders. If your shoulder opens up and you start whipping your torso back and forth YOU JUST TOLD ME YOU HAVE AN XL. See you on the field

[DONTOR]

I really disliked the orion at first, but then I made an atlas I liked with 2 PPC and 2 LBX10, so I decded to find another platform I could do it on that would be faster. The Protector really came through for me on this one. Standard 275, 1 PPC, 2 LBX10, 2 medium lasers on the left torso and arm. As you said its best if they arent focussing on you sort of build but is capable of many ranges. I generally pick an atlas to follow and add to his firepower with my own.

[mogs01gt]

RamsoPanzer, on 15 January 2014 - 08:47 AM, said:

i think the purpose of the Orion is that people waste their money on it. Like the locust and so on.

LoL
I regret getting the Orion. With its low slung weapons, poor movement speed and large CT, its one big walking bullseye.

Now if the ballistic was high mounted, then it would be vastly superior! I play mine as a direct fire support. I dont get a lot of kills but tons of assists. I do agree with what someone previous stated, if your opponents ignore you,,,,,you core them.

[pbiggz]

If you are having trouble in an Orion, it's your fault, not the mech.

The orion is a BEASTLY brawler. HOWEVER, it can't under normal circumstances stand toe to toe with assault mech brawlers (namely the atlas and stalker), you need backup for that. In most other circumstances, the orion is more than capable of annihilating anything its own weight or smaller, AND is more than capable of taking down poorly piloted/built assault mechs (highlander brawlers are a waste of time).

I have a protector. I run it with 2 ERPPCs and 1 AC20 and a std 300 engine. That one is a meta humper, but its relatively quick and capable of laying down a punishing barrage of fire to anything stupid enough to get into it's range, but the most common build I see is the ON1-K with an AC20, 4 medium lasers, and a std 330-350 engine. That one is faster.


Other builds I see are mostly fire support, but I believe that LRMs are only good for killing stupid/panicked opponents, and the orion's versatility and brawling potential is better used at closer ranges.


Oh, and dont bother with LBX ACs, they spread damage too much.

[mogs01gt]

pbiggz, on 17 January 2014 - 07:16 AM, said:

If you are having trouble in an Orion, it's your fault, not the mech.

That is utter ********! In order for the Orion to follow the meta, it has to has to reveal most of its torso to use its energy points. With such a large CT, as soon as you start stepping out from behind cover, you get popped!

Yeah its a great brawler but since when is brawling going to work unless you have premades.

[Nehkrosis]

get the K xl 350. 4 mlas 1 AC10 2 ASRM4s AMS.....Kill everything.

mogs01gt, on 17 January 2014 - 07:26 AM, said:

That is utter ********! In order for the Orion to follow the meta, it has to has to reveal most of its torso to use its energy points. With such a large CT, as soon as you start stepping out from behind cover, you get popped!

Yeah its a great brawler but since when is brawling going to work unless you have premades.

no. If your getting popped for leaving cover. get covering fire. then approach the offending mech(s) and slay them with your awesome brawling. Seriously. Finally, I don't premade everyday, and when I pug I tend to kill quite a bit. in this mech. meta shmeta.

Edited by Nehkrosis, 17 January 2014 - 07:30 AM.

[Modo44]

The Orion is not a brawler. It is the mech pumping damage from behind an assault. Imagine a Catapult if it had armor and even more firepower.

[990Dreams]

This is a good start build

This is what I pwn in

[pbiggz]

mogs01gt, on 17 January 2014 - 07:26 AM, said:

That is utter ********! In order for the Orion to follow the meta, it has to has to reveal most of its torso to use its energy points. With such a large CT, as soon as you start stepping out from behind cover, you get popped!

Yeah its a great brawler but since when is brawling going to work unless you have premades.

Modo44, on 17 January 2014 - 07:31 AM, said:

The Orion is not a brawler. It is the mech pumping damage from behind an assault. Imagine a Catapult if it had armor and even more firepower.

DEFENSIVE TORSO TWISTING

ESPECIALLY with the hit box changes, the Orion's CT is pretty much impossible to hit if you dont present it to your opponent. You do literally have to pilot the orion almost exactly like an Atlas.

Treat your arms as expendable, then treat your left and right torso the same.

Quote

get the K xl 350. 4 mlas 1 AC10 2 ASRM4s AMS.....Kill everything.

dont defile the sacred orion with an XL engine.

Edited by pbiggz, 17 January 2014 - 07:42 AM.

[mogs01gt]

Nehkrosis, on 17 January 2014 - 07:28 AM, said:

get the K xl 350. 4 mlas 1 AC10 2 ASRM4s AMS.....Kill everything.
no. If your getting popped for leaving cover. get covering fire. then approach the offending mech(s) and slay them with your awesome brawling. Seriously. Finally, I don't premade everyday, and when I pug I tend to kill quite a bit. in this mech. meta shmeta.

Ok now we have to get the xl350 just to get this mech to brawl.....Yeah that sounds like a great CB investment..