45 replies to this topic

[Rhaythe]

So after all of the hatred and venom-spewing posts about the Locust on this forum, I took the challenge. Elite all 3 variants. Prove that the chassis is worth the time and effort. Put in the investment and get all 3 chassis maxed out.

Yeah. Didn't get that far yet.

I didn't really realize that leveling the Locust would be such slow work. Seriously. It's a time sink. There will be many matches were you only do 150 damage and earn a meager 300 XP. But I did get the basics out of the way for the 1V pretty much by using this build:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...93952fecaa4a65d

But Rhaythe, you say.That build sucks. Single heat-sinks? And you're not even using the biggest engine!

Yes, yes, I know. I didn't want to spend the 1.5 mill on doubles, and honestly, using single heat-sinks made it more of a challenge. As for the engine, I needed a bigger gun, and here's why:

I've been a light pilot since I joined the game. My first mech was a Raven 3L. I like to think I'm pretty good with it. K2D above 2 since stat-tracking was enabled. I still whip that mech out, and usually balance my time in a fastmover between it and the X5.

But the Locust confounded me. At least, at first.

Everything changes with the Locust. Tactics. Speed. Engagement. Everything. You have to pick your matches. You have to choose when to expose yourself and when not to. But most of all, you have to find something bigger than you and stay with it. Always.

Locusts are not scouts. They're not snipers. They're not intelligence-gatherers or even good base cappers. They're meaningless. They're irrelevant.

And as such, when standing next to something bigger (even a commando), they get ignored.

That's how you play the Locust. Slap something heavy on there and become invisible. Fade away in the fight and do that little bit of extra damage that's going to help win a skirmish, and then move onto the next fight. You have the speed to move from engagement to engagement, but you will never win a fight on your own.

My stats seem to be ticking upward ever since I realized this. After 24 games, I have a 1.36 K2D ratio on the 1V (19k to 14d) with an average of 148 damage per game.

148 damage per game?! Holy {Scrap}, dude, you say. That's worthless!

Yeah, probably. But just last night, I had a Victor charging me, PPC's a-blazin, seeing me standing there with one leg and one arm and smoking like crazy. He didn't even bother to torso twist to protect his exposed shoulder.

One ER Laser blast to it, and he went down. Hilarity ensued. Kind of made the whole endeavor worthwhile.

So why would you play the Locust? Well, here's why:

• You like skirting from battle to battle and taking in more combat. I see more fights per match than in any other mech, and it's quite common for me to get 10+ assists every game.
  
• You like the challenge. It's not easy being a Locust pilot. So if the game's too easy for you with your dual-PPCs, this is the mech for you.
  
• You like trolling. Because seriously. An Atlas taken down by a Locust. No assault pilot likes that.
  
• You hate yourself. Because it's work. A lot of work.

Edited by Rhaythe, 13 January 2014 - 05:08 AM.

[LuInRei]

You can go faster http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8b4d755027132f8

P.S. Well maybe you did put those MGs in both hands on purpose, but IMHO it's more versatile this way.

P.P.S. Well, if you decide to use it and tune to the maximum I'd recommend buying even XL180 (cause they both weigh 5,5 tons and 180 is a bit faster) and switch to dual heatsinks to have 100% uptime

Edited by LuInRei, 13 January 2014 - 05:52 AM.

[Rhaythe]

LuInRei, on 13 January 2014 - 05:20 AM, said:

You can go faster http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8b4d755027132f8

Interesting take. Not sure I like all my eggs in one basket like that, but might be worth a try. Thanks.

[zztophat]

I don't burn locusts because I hate them, quite the contrary; their little legs make excellent kindling and it's very cold in the alpine hills.

[Escef]

No wonder you do crappy damage, with that attitude it's a wonder you do any damage.

[ToxinTractor]

One build i really found fun and helped me practice my aim on was a locust 3M with 1 ERPPC in the arm. If you can keep landing those shots and moving around the map as the battle shifts you can actually do like 150-300 a game if you can really do it right.
I know this idea isnt the preferred but it was really funny to kill things just with one PPC blast to the chest or side torso.

Runs hot tho. So you can get only like 3-4 shots off before you need to cool down..

PS run adv zoom

Edited by ToxinTractor, 13 January 2014 - 06:08 AM.

[Rhaythe]

LuInRei, on 13 January 2014 - 05:20 AM, said:

P.S. Well maybe you did put those MGs in both hands on purpose, but IMHO it's more versatile this way.

P.P.S. Well, if you decide to use it and tune to the maximum I'd recommend buying even XL180 (cause they both weigh 5,5 tons and 180 is a bit faster) and switch to dual heatsinks to have 100% uptime

Oh, my build has faults, no doubt. The single heat-sinks being the big one. As for speed, if/when I get them to Elite, the speed tweak should keep the 170 competitive.

I absolutely see the thinking behind your configuration, and it's a good idea. I'll have to try it and see how often I get that limb blown off.

Escef, on 13 January 2014 - 06:06 AM, said:

No wonder you do crappy damage, with that attitude it's a wonder you do any damage.

Keep being awesome, dude. It's working great for ya.

[Sephlock]

And try not to think about your opposite number on the other team, who is piloting an Atlas.

[Escef]

Rhaythe, on 13 January 2014 - 06:08 AM, said:

Keep being awesome, dude. It's working great for ya.

Better than being a cowardly little crybaby is for you, it would seem.

[Rhaythe]

I normally try not to put troll food out on the line, but how the hell did you get 'crybaby' from my post? I actually enjoyed playing the Locust. Yes, it has its faults, but I had fun with the 1V. Or are you just flinging your baby food at your monitor for the fun of it?

[Escef]

Rhaythe, on 13 January 2014 - 06:21 AM, said:

I normally try not to put troll food out on the line, but how the hell did you get 'crybaby' from my post? I actually enjoyed playing the Locust. Yes, it has its faults, but I had fun with the 1V. Or are you just flinging your baby food at your monitor for the fun of it?

Seems to me your entire diatribe about how you hard it is to do 150 damage in a Locust is what brought it on you. I'm positively mediocre at this game and I get better results than you do.

[Artgathan]

I like to run my 1V like this: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...97cadc9555865ca

It makes for a decent hit-and-run style mech, and it's got decent firepower for inside of a brawl where the heavier mechs will ignore you.

[Rhaythe]

Escef, on 13 January 2014 - 06:25 AM, said:

Seems to me your entire diatribe about how you hard it is to do 150 damage in a Locust is what brought it on you. I'm positively mediocre at this game and I get better results than you do.

Good for you. Seriously. If you can pull out 200+, 300+, 1000+ damage in a Locust, more power to you. However, you seem to have missed the whole point of my post, which was that I found the chassis enjoyable even given its fragile state and meager damage offerings.

[Fais]

I'm very close to having all 3 chassis mastered after this slow journey. I defintly think the locusts need a smaller hit box in the legs. These are the 3 builds I found to be optimal playing conquest only. I am always capping and targetting for LRM boats. You have to learn when to run and when your not going to be the main target and can hide in the mayhem. I dont run 1 time use modules these days.

LCT-1V - Use 360 target or Target Decay (for targetting for all the lrm boats lately) and Capture Accelartor. Cap, target, and tag at begining. Keep an eye out for open armor targets and go into finish mechs always targeting and tagging for LRM's. Probably average 150-250 damage a game if not having to cap constantly, but tagging gets you some experience, plus more kills then normal. More of a team play style.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e922553a8d03017

LCT-3M - I tried so many builds with this thing. This uncreative midget for me anyways out performed all the rest no matter how much it pains me to say. Good finisher, can snipe at begining of battles. Equip with capture accelerator,Target Info, and/or zoom. 250-350 damage a game usually if not having to cap constantly, 1 or 2 kills. Have had 500+ games.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...4a47579e3c01ffe

LCT - 3S - This Chassis could defintly go a few different ways. Usually ran Capture accelerator, With 360 target or target decay. Sometimes I upped the armor and the engine and went with 1 ton of ammo. Or drop a launcher and add a BAP or another ton of ammo and a little more armor. If you use it sparingly and wait for good targets 100 ammo can go a long ways. In the end I found the following build to consistantly put up the biggest scores with the most kills. 300-400 damage a game on average if not constantly capping.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...bfaf2f10c7b5800

Edited by Fais, 13 January 2014 - 07:09 AM.

[Escef]

Rhaythe, on 13 January 2014 - 06:28 AM, said:

Good for you. Seriously. If you can pull out 200+, 300+, 1000+ damage in a Locust, more power to you. However, you seem to have missed the whole point of my post, which was that I found the chassis enjoyable even given its fragile state and meager damage offerings.

I think it's great that you enjoyed it. But spare regaling us with your wisdom on how to pilot the thing, because, well, your philosophy is kinda crappy.

[MeiSooHaityu]

Rhaythe, on 13 January 2014 - 05:07 AM, said:

My stats seem to be ticking upward ever since I realized this. After 24 games, I have a 1.36 K2D ratio on the 1V (19k to 14d) with an average of 148 damage per game.

Darn, 1.36 in a 1V, you have figured out that platform. I am at a 0.36 with that mech . I run the same thing too (2MGs and 1 ERLLaser.

The 3M is a way better platform for me. I am basically doing as well with the 3M as you are with the 1V (1.34 or 1.36).

Basically you are right though in your whole post. It isn't terribly useful, but it is a fun little mech.

IMO when piloting a Locust...
Hit-and-Fade tactics, run in hit and run out.
Be a coward, run away A LOT. Don't get into a gun fight, you want to hit and if you draw attention, run away.
Be a kill stealer. Let the big boys do most of the work, run in and try and finish them off.

As you can tell, the Locust pilot needs to be a kill stealing jerk. It sucks, but a Locust isn't durable and it has a hard time sustaining fire or putting down damage. It is fun to play, but you will have to play like a jerk.

Edited by MeiSooHaityu, 13 January 2014 - 06:40 AM.

[Rhaythe]

Escef, on 13 January 2014 - 06:37 AM, said:

I think it's great that you enjoyed it. But spare regaling us with your wisdom on how to pilot the thing, because, well, your philosophy is kinda crappy.

Aaaaaaaand ignore.

MeiSooHaityu, on 13 January 2014 - 06:39 AM, said:

IMO when piloting a Locust...
Hit-and-Fade tactics, run in hit and run out.
Be a coward, run away A LOT. Don't get into a gun fight, you want to hit and if you draw attention, run away.
Be a kill stealer. Let the big boys do most of the work, run in and try and finish them off.

Pretty much. It's a different game in the ultra-fragile mechs. You almost need a brand-new mindset, in my opinion. And you absolutely can never stand your ground. I don't even do one-on-one with other Locusts. I fall back like crazy.

Edited by Rhaythe, 13 January 2014 - 06:43 AM.

[MeiSooHaityu]

Rhaythe, on 13 January 2014 - 06:42 AM, said:

Pretty much. It's a different game in the ultra-fragile mechs. You almost need a brand-new mindset, in my opinion. And you absolutely can never stand your grown. I don't even do one-on-one with other Locusts. I fall back like crazy.

Yea, you normally can't. With the 3M I will occasionally dual a Locust or Commando my chassis is in descent shape, but it is rare. If a light follows me, I try to lead him back to my main force so my team will focus on him.

I hate to sound like a jerk when I describe piloting the Locust, but really it kind of plays out that way if you want to get good damage done and kills.

I play the 1V like a solo sniper to help do damage, and it gets often less than 100 damage and no kills. Even if it is being more of a team player type setup, it is boring. The 3M atl least makes me feel more involved and a bit like a ninja LOL.

Edited by MeiSooHaityu, 13 January 2014 - 06:54 AM.

[Rhaythe]

MeiSooHaityu, on 13 January 2014 - 06:46 AM, said:

I play the 1V like a solo sniper to help do damage, and it gets often less than 100 damage and no kills. Even if it is being more of a team player type setup, it is boring. The 3V atl least makes me feel more involved and a bit like a ninja LOL.

The 3M is definitely more akin to other mechs. I think I saw someone say it's a mini-Jenner, and I think that's pretty accurate. The other two variants, though, take more creativity and careful picking of engagements. I could easily see a PPC-1V being boring, especially doing only 10 damage a pop. Give one of the large laser builds above a shot and see how that goes for you.

And it's not being a jerk in the locust - it's survival!

[rolly]

Interesting post. Aside from the needless trolling and "my damage is more than yours" stuff. Its a great discussion.

I embrace the fact that I'm going to get pasted in the Locust. Its why its fun to pilot. Dying epically, and seeing how many times i can cartwheel at full speed is gravy.

Being un-noticed is wonderful. Especially when you drop an airstrike or arty strike on the enemy line. Behind them. So they don't see that wonderful red smoke plume. One game I pulled 330 damage. Dropped an Orion and Catapult, but we lost anyhow, so I don't see how I could carry any harder.

Anyhow kudos for the Locust primer. It confirms how I should continue to run it. To be honest, we're all a bit spoiled due to the quick access to Star League gear and good high damage mechs. Running a Locust is old skool. Back in the day when Level 1 tech was it.

Grandpa moment: "I remember the day when we use to play Level 1 tech in all our matches."

PS. What modules would you consider running? Cap. Accelerator? Adv. Sensors?

Edited by rolly, 13 January 2014 - 06:56 AM.