26 replies to this topic

[Dirt Bag Don]

Been reading the forums a lot and have a couple heavies a med and a light mech but I cannot find an assault just by looking that seems to say "pick me".

I have been playing either recon or second line support fire mostly and in Pugs. the DDS seems decent but the loadout options make me yawn.

I do like jump jets so that lends to those assault mechs but they also seem to have boring weapon options. Please pitch me a couple or more assault mechs with info as to what you like to load on them and how you like to play them. I would really apreciate it.

DBD

[ArchApollyon]

Well I'm no expert but I run a DDC as my main mech, though i also have a plain D i really enjoy.

[smurfy]http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6c894ef7645c23d[/smurfy]

For the DDC i run it as a sniper/light missile boat. Most people say to never run an XL on an atlas, which i agree with for the most part, but i made an exception with the way i play this mech. I like to keep as much distance as possible and use my ECM to keep me hidden. It does ok at close range but it is not what it was built for. I also left the command console as I intend to use it as a command mech and want to get better use to not having the space for something else.

The D doesn't seem to be working on smurfy so ill try to get it up later

With the D I run is as a full on brawler and I do very well in it 400+, most people would probably do 600-700 but i'm not that great. I do have a 3:1 win ratio in it. So i like to think i do really well, that's in PUG games by the way. In this one i move with a group or sneak behind (hopefully with a small group) and flank at close range.

One of the mechs considered the best is the Highlander 733C but its a bit slower, like the atlas. The Victor is a fast assault that is very popular. Other variants of mechs can also be very effective depending on what you want to do. Some of the Stalkers make great Missile boats.

[Dirt Bag Don]

I guess i should clarify something. i can't seem to bring myself to run a stalker. to much torso and no arm swing so it looks like a ddc, highlander or victor. victor sounds nice but im still unsure about how to run one and also i love the atlas for sheer tankability... hmmm

[Metafox]

I don't use assault mechs very often, but I play with alot of people who do use assault mechs. The highlander is generally the most favored for a fire support role, but the victor is a good option as well.

The atlas is not a good option for fire support because it's especially big and slow, and the hardpoints are fairly low on the chassis. If you're behind a hill, you'll have to fully crest the hill in order to fire your weapons. In the process, you'll be a big slow target and you'll take a beating from anyone who's paying attention.

[Koniving]

Dirt Bag Don, on 07 January 2014 - 08:59 PM, said:

I guess i should clarify something. i can't seem to bring myself to run a stalker. to much torso and no arm swing so it looks like a ddc, highlander or victor. victor sounds nice but im still unsure about how to run one and also i love the atlas for sheer tankability... hmmm

Stalker's the go-to for tanking, given the design of the torso if a side torso is destroyed it grants a 50% damage reduction to anything hitting what's left of that torso section.

Far as how to run them...

I'll edit this later with new footage with the various assaults.

[luxebo]

Pretty much any of them but the Awesome is pretty friendly (though I've seen Awesome do well, I don't think it's the best start for a beginner.) Atlas for tanking and brawling, Highlander for sniping, brawling, all-purpose, etc, Victor for being a mini-Highlander, Stalker for being a missile and energy boat, and Battlemaster for once again being a missile and energy boat with some ballistic.

[Appogee]

Atlas D-DC for score.
Victor for fun.
Stalker for tanking.
Awesome for frustration.

Highlander for a bit of all of the above.

[Gralzeim]

*sees thread on the forum overview* "Help Me Decide On First ***.." *clicks* Oh.

[Victor Morson]

Assaults?

Victor if you want something closer to a heavy, Highlander if you want a proper assault-assault. 733C, 9S, 9B, Heavy Metal and Dragon Slayer are variants to look at.

Popular Configs:
2x AC/5 2x PPC
2x UAC/5 2x PPC
1x AC/20 2x PPC

[Turist0AT]

Stalkers are fun and they can pack allot of firepower.

[Dirt Bag Don]

Okay it looks like I will eventually get a highlander but I have decided that I CANNOT stand seeing atlas pilots sitting in the rear of apush any longer. I'm gonna dive on a DDS tomorrow it looks like. Prolly start with the recommended brawler build then tweek to my preference as usual. Some tacticle advice is also apreciated.

Also I have been loving an ac 20 on one of my shadow hawks lol one game I had my torso and one leg left and still was taking people out with it. I will still run my 2x AC5 build as well.

[AlmightyAeng]

To be fair, smart teams I've seen throw the stalkers in front to be the battering ram/tank and have the DDC follow them...makes for a great linebuster and retains ecm for your team, since the atlas isn't instantly focused.

[AaronWolf]

Victor, Stalker or Atlas. Take your pick of @$$kickery. Since all three are rather good. Highlander is like a middle ground for me. And I would say Awesomes are on the bottom rung/lowest level of playability for an Assault. Because their prime advantage is really rendered null and void.

Still love the Awesome. :S *Cries in a corner*

[wanderer]

Dirt Bag Don, on 09 January 2014 - 10:52 PM, said:

Okay it looks like I will eventually get a highlander but I have decided that I CANNOT stand seeing atlas pilots sitting in the rear of apush any longer. I'm gonna dive on a DDS tomorrow it looks like. Prolly start with the recommended brawler build then tweek to my preference as usual. Some tacticle advice is also apreciated.

Also I have been loving an ac 20 on one of my shadow hawks lol one game I had my torso and one leg left and still was taking people out with it. I will still run my 2x AC5 build as well.

We big un's sometimes have a reason to stand back there. When I'm sniping things with PPC's or LRM barrages, I tend to attract plenty of counter-fire in the process.

An Atlas doesn't have to be in the front to soak up hits. Quite the opposite, I don't mind people trying to kill me at range, it just means my thick armor lasts that much longer. You just need to put on a big light show and grab aggro. Being a slow piece of work, if you can build to reach a target, you'll be doing your job. PPC's, LL's, big LRM racks, Gauss/other ballistics with reach. Let your guns do the walking, because an Atlas isn't getting anywhere quick to begin with- and smart pilots that see a brawler Atlas can often outrun the thing anyway, especially in rough terrain. Victors and Highlanders both are a little more engine rating to movement efficient and jump capable, making them (IMHO) better brawlers- and the Stalker has the aformentioned tanky torso that makes it a brick to kill if running a standard engine.

Awesomes are pocket assaults- they play more like an oversized heavy- in a sense, like the Victor does. It used to be said that they were better Catapults than a Cat is- and it's true, they can belch out missiles at a rate only the Stalker matches. Treat them like a heavy and you'll do fine, expect them to do an assault's job and be disappointed.

Battlemasters can work just fine in the right hands. I do suggest keeping the long range guns in the torso and mount the secondaries in the arms- unlike an Atlas, who happily slings those PPC bolts from the arm mounts while keeping the Streaks and secondaries in the torso. (I am quite fond of Streaks on an Atlas for ticking off lights.)

[chevy42083]

I just wish the Awesome had better reviews. As I like its looks the best.

Atlas... too popular. Everyone has one. Everyone aims for them.
Stalker... eh. Kinda like a Catapult (which I love), but somehow ugly. And I assume suffers from the torso problems of the catapult.
Others... eh.

Keep in mind I haven't driven anything but trials... haven't committed to buying them yet. Hoping something "new" will catch my fancy. Then I'll have enough Cbills to buy more than one variant. Should break up the monotany of gaining XP one variant at a time.

[DrSlamastika]

I personaly love Misery, all Victors are good and Highladers arent bad too. . .
Victors and Highladers are also XL engine friendly, others assaults are not!

Also if you need jump jets you can choose only Victors or Highladers, my advice is Victor.
If you want pay, take Dragon Slayer if not go for Victor-9S

Edited by DrSlamastika, 13 January 2014 - 02:58 PM.

[Vanguard319]

I would say BattleMaster. the 1G has a pretty good stock loadout (and even better with DHS), and can do well as both a brawler and a long range sniper. The Awesome is a good long range fighter. (emphasis on long range) If you want an assault with JJs, your two choices are the Victor and Highlander.

[Xiphias]

chevy42083, on 13 January 2014 - 02:48 PM, said:

I just wish the Awesome had better reviews. As I like its looks the best.

Atlas... too popular. Everyone has one. Everyone aims for them.
Stalker... eh. Kinda like a Catapult (which I love), but somehow ugly. And I assume suffers from the torso problems of the catapult.
Others... eh.

Keep in mind I haven't driven anything but trials... haven't committed to buying them yet. Hoping something "new" will catch my fancy. Then I'll have enough Cbills to buy more than one variant. Should break up the monotany of gaining XP one variant at a time.

Atlases are slow, lack jumpjets, and have low arm mounted weapons. This causes numerous problems for it, one of which being the inability to effectively pop in and out of cover. You will get focused in this because your are the biggest and easiest target to hit.

Stalker is actually the opposite of the catapult (easy to hit CT, hard to hit ST), in that the side torsos actually extend up a significant amount of the center torso, making it hard to shoot out the CT without taking out a side torso first. For this reason it's a death sentence with an XL. It has very high weapon mounts, making it the king of sitting behind a ridge and just popping your head up to take a shot.

Highlanders and Victors are currently the best assault mechs due to having jumpjets. Highlanders with standard engines take a lot of fire to kill. The Victory is like a mini Highlander. It dies more easily but can move a bit faster. The Highlander is generally better, but the Victory can be usefull.

The Awesome is, unfortunately, the worst of the assault mechs. It doesn't have enough armor to make up for its large hit boxes. You can do things with it, but the general consensus is that it's bad. See an Awesome on your team is the Assault equivalent of seeing a Locust on your team.

Battlemaster I haven't done much with. However, from my experience killing them it's kind of like an Awesome+. Still not that great, but with a bit more armor (or better hit boxes) to make it better. Probably the second worst assault.

[wanderer]

Xiphias, on 13 January 2014 - 03:31 PM, said:

Atlases are slow, lack jumpjets, and have low arm mounted weapons. This causes numerous problems for it, one of which being the inability to effectively pop in and out of cover. You will get focused in this because your are the biggest and easiest target to hit.

The balancer is of course the ECM variant, which means SUDDENLY ATLAS for many players. There's a reason I like my Atlai with LRMs- you don't care about shooting over things so much as you just back up a bit to let the LRMs fly over things instead. This has the advantage of letting you easily line up the arm mounts on the guy who crests your cover to give him an nice bath in laser fire. I'll sit there watching my 2xLRM 15's stream down the way, poking away with a large laser and letting my torso TAG mount lead the real pain right in- for some reason, the big ol' assault tends to attract people to stay out fighting and plow into a double fistful of missiles while doing it. Then they explode and I do it again with the next target. Or mount a pair of ER PPCs and have fun one-two-LIGHTNING FISTS OF DEATH on opponents and tick off the lights with Streak fire. Or strap a big ol' AC/20 for a backup instead and see if I can one shot any lights.

Just FFS, have some good reach if you're gonna Atlai it up. An all-brawler one is fun, but you're really in trouble with smarter opponents and it's nice to be able to reach out and touch instead.

[Xiphias]

The D-DC is definitely the best of the Atlases. ECM is very useful and can be very helpful for keeping the team out of sight. If you're lucky you can surprise the other team. It's not a bad mech, but again it suffers from having low arm weapons and no jump jets. A good highlander pilot will beat out an equally skilled Atlas pilot.

If you like Atlases, by all means pilot one. It isn't terrible it just isn't the current best option. Balance changes though, so it's always possible that it will improve in the future. In my eyes the biggest failing is the so called "gorilla" arms. They are really low weapon mounts and that means you will have to expose yourself and will end up accidentally hitting terrain a lot.