16 replies to this topic

[Mighty Virtus]

I Typically have always went with the better upgraded armor rather than the structure....I have heard the opposite has greater benefits. Can you guys explain what is best to go with? And why?

[TercieI]

Endo saves you 5% of chassis weight, FerroFibrous a scaling amount of armor weight which is invariably lower than the ES savings. (And they cost the exact same amount: 14 slots)

Don't be misled by ferro fibrous's explanation, it provides no additional armor value, just lighter armor. Maxes stay the same.

EDIT: sorry for slop, on phone.

Edited by Terciel1976, 17 January 2014 - 02:12 PM.

[Dan Baxter]

You save more tonnage when upgrading structure to endosteel. Ferro Fibrous only makes your armor lighter, so you aren't getting any more protection when you use it. As such, in a majority of cases endosteel should be picked as a weight saving measure over ferro fibrous armor. You can use Smurfy to see the difference in tonnage saved.

[Charons Little Helper]

The only time to put on ferro fibrous at all is on lights (who have more crit space than they know what to do with) and a few standard engine medium builds. Otherwise you simply don't have the space, and endo is superior.

However - I've yet to run a mech where the endo upgrade wasn't useful.

[fluffypinkbunny]

You are thinking of FF as upgraded armor, it's not "upgraded" it's just "lighter" but you get more / less? weight if you use Endo.

[TercieI]

Charons Little Helper, on 17 January 2014 - 02:17 PM, said:

However - I've yet to run a mech where the endo upgrade wasn't useful.

Multiple (4-5) LL Stalkers need the space more than the weight to pack on as many DHS as possible.

That's the only one I've come across.

There are a few where ES makes things really tight (VTRs stand out) but almost always still helpful.

[Charons Little Helper]

Terciel1976, on 17 January 2014 - 02:25 PM, said:

There are a few where ES makes things really tight (VTRs stand out) but almost always still helpful.

Atlases get tight - I've had to drop AMS on a few builds due to crit space issues even when I have the tonnage.

[Kjudoon]

Base rule of thumb I follow: Ferro Fibrous is for lights and certain Mediums only. There the tonnage is acceptable to gain as you will never fill all your slots in most cases. Note the most. So choose FF very carefully, and Endo Steel just about every time.

[wanderer]

It's pretty simple, actually. Endosteel gives you enough weight to put the extra armor points you wanted by adding Ferro AND extra tonnage besides.

Endo first, Ferro last. In fact, it's generally the last upgrade you should slap on a 'Mech, as it's the least benefit for the price.

[Victor Morson]

Charons Little Helper, on 17 January 2014 - 02:17 PM, said:

The only time to put on ferro fibrous at all is on lights (who have more crit space than they know what to do with) and a few standard engine medium builds. Otherwise you simply don't have the space, and endo is superior.

However - I've yet to run a mech where the endo upgrade wasn't useful.

There's a number of heavies that can make good use of Ferro, too. I've run more than a few Endo+Ferro Cataphracts.

It's definitely not for every 'mech, though. When you can fit both, it's nice.

[elde]

When choosing upgrades, you can always get Double Heatsinks, and usually Endosteel. Always, always take Endo before Ferro-fibrous armor.

[sneeking]

generally I start with endo and if im running out of tonnage before crits I try for fero but if im running out of crits before tonnage I go standard.

[ImperialKnight]

there is absolutely no reason to take Ferro first, even if it is cheaper. you are trading 14 critical slots for weight savings ONLY. And endo saves more weight.

[Mighty Virtus]

sneeking, on 18 January 2014 - 12:50 AM, said:

generally I start with endo and if im running out of tonnage before crits I try for fero but if im running out of crits before tonnage I go standard.

Ive played this game for a long time, but what is "crits"? Is it short for "critical slots"?

Edited by Mighty Virtus, 18 January 2014 - 08:40 AM.

[Spawnsalot]

A "crit" in this sense is a "critical slot" which is basically just the empty slots in your mech where things like weapons and ammo go.

[Mighty Virtus]

Thats what I thought

[Buckminster]

it's one of my big beefs with the description of Ferro. Functionally, all it does is save weight. It doesn't allow you to carry more armor. Your armor doesn't provide any more protection. It gives you more points per ton, but the actual quantity of armor you can carry does not change.

And Ferro is ALWAYS inferior to Endo. There is literally no time where Ferro is the better decision. Go to smurfy's and play around, and you'll find that Endo always saves you more weight.