26 replies to this topic

[Essence]

Trying to get a wide range of mechs so if I ever feel like playing a certain role I can just switch right over. Which Catapult is the best LRM boat? it seems like the A1, but I really don't think it'll ever be able to fit 6 missile points on it. The C4 seems to be the best choice, just looking for a little input.

[Zerberus]

For Pure LRM Terror, the A1 is IMO THE best mech in game.. can be set up for anything from an LRM 30 (6x5) Trollpult to an LRM 90 Roflpult (6x15,the only mech in game that can actually loose 90 missiles at once, but the heat is almost unbearable and you have 3 tons of armor and only 5or 6 tons of ammo).

If you decide "Nnnnnngh, only LRMs is not quite what I had in mind, you can toss in 2xLRM15, 2xSRM 6and 2x SSRM2 for example, creating the "3 in 1 Terrorpult", which is 1/3 Streakcat, 1/3 Splatcat, and 1/3 Trollpult (but keeping the 15/arm salvos). The name alludes to it being 1/3 each of 3 `Pults that most people do not enjoy finding.

If /When the take the consumer electronics package off of my ears, I might start driving mine again....

Edited by Zerberus, 21 January 2014 - 08:59 PM.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

I prefer my C1 for running LRMs. Basically, stick with the stock loadout, but switch to an XL300 and Endo-Steel and use the free tonnage to add more ammo, more armor, and more heat sinks. 4x MLs makes for a very solid secondary loadout, and 2x LRM15s is plenty of missile payload. With essentially full armor and plenty of JJs the thing can be surprisingly effective in a scrap, and is not rendered useless when it gets its ears blown off or its ammo bins run dry.

The C4 I prefer for using SRMs, since you can take a sufficient number (4 launcher is plenty) and you can take along either some kind of LL or a pair of MLs.

I'm not a fan of the A1 since it has no recourse once the ears/ammo are gone.

[Lord de Seis]

A1 with 6xLRM5 is a lot of fun, especially if you are in a group with 2 or 3 of them with a light mech spotting for you using a TAG.

[Kyynele]

Zerberus, on 21 January 2014 - 08:56 PM, said:

LRM 90 Roflpult (6x15,the only mech in game that can actually loose 90 missiles at once

Sadly, with the consumer electronics package uglification, PGI nerfed the missile tubes. A1 can only launch 80 missiles in a salvo now, and that's with 2x LRM20 + 4x LRM10. I'm happy that they're busy fixing the stuf that is clearly broken and OP. (sarcasm)

C4 is honestly the most useless LRM boat of the three, since having many smaller launchers is preferable to having a few really big because of shorter recycle times. If you're going for small launchers, get A1. And if you plan to use large launchers, you won't be able to reasonably fit more than 2 of those in anyway, and you'll have more backup weapons in the C1.

Also, in the ugly patch, C4 lost it's only saving grace, that it could launch 2x LRM20 in a single salvo. All missile Catapults can do that now.

[Wildstreak]

A1 - 2 big LRMs (15 or 20) + 4 SRMs or Streaks.
C1 - 2 big LRMs (15 or 20) + 4 Medium/Small lasers of some kind, maybe 1 being a TAG.
C4 - tricky, could go
---2 big LRMs (15 or 20) + 2 SRMs/Streaks + 2 Medium/Small lasers of some kind. Probably would not use TAG here.
---1 Large Laser of some kind + 4 SRMs/Streaks.

I do not understand this fascination lately with multiple LRM5. I read it was suggested to avoid Ghost Heat, look just use 2 big launchers, you still avoid Ghost Heat and do not have the higher heat problems caused by lots of LRM5 plus have points free for close range defense weapons especially when you run out of LRM ammo.

[Lord Perversor]

C4 can be tricky i found the most deadly Lrm build with it involves 4x Lrm 10 and some friendly support.

[Kyynele]

Merchant, on 21 January 2014 - 10:40 PM, said:

I do not understand this fascination lately with multiple LRM5. I read it was suggested to avoid Ghost Heat, look just use 2 big launchers, you still avoid Ghost Heat and do not have the higher heat problems caused by lots of LRM5 plus have points free for close range defense weapons especially when you run out of LRM ammo.

3 major reasons:

Recycle time. 1x LRM15 recycles in 4.25s, 3x LRM5 recycles in 3.25s. That is a major boost in DPS.

More concentrated damage. The 5s fly in tighter pattern than 15s, for example.

Making the target's life hard. Getting hit by a constant stream of missiles makes it much harder to shoot back. If the target has AMS, just alpha and it's still more effective than one large launcher for the above mentioned reasons.

[JediPanther]

All of them are good for lrms. I just prefer to have some back up mls. A c4 with dual lrm20s and two 5's will get you a lot of damage in one salvo. A1 with six 10's is also fun for your mini nuking pleasure of seeing a mech get vaped in a salvo. Droping a mech's armor 15 to 20% per salvo can be great when you've got back up to keep off lights but you've also got very limited number of salvos. It's best when you've got a slow mech crossing terain.

[Davers]

Jagermech A is better than any Catapult at missiles. It is a catapult C4 with 2 ballistic slots. Only downside is that it doesn't jump.

[zztophat]

Davers, on 21 January 2014 - 11:30 PM, said:

Jagermech A is better than any Catapult at missiles. It is a catapult C4 with 2 ballistic slots. Only downside is that it doesn't jump.

It is extremely hard to mount large LRMs and ACs on the jager A.

The A is my most used mech, I've tried that and then some.

Sans ballistics the A is a great missile boat. With ballistics it is decent packing smaller LRM packages, like x4 LRM 5s but to get to the point you'll either have to limit ammo count or engine size, take your pick.

[Davers]

zztophat, on 22 January 2014 - 05:28 AM, said:

It is extremely hard to mount large LRMs and ACs on the jager A.

The A is my most used mech, I've tried that and then some.

Sans ballistics the A is a great missile boat. With ballistics it is decent packing smaller LRM packages, like x4 LRM 5s but to get to the point you'll either have to limit ammo count or engine size, take your pick.

I run 2 AC/5's. 4 LRM5s, and 2 medium lasers. I do run a bit slow due to a standard engine, but in could always strip off the ballistics and put on larger LRMs. It's that versatility that makes the Jäger such a good mech.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Merchant, on 21 January 2014 - 10:40 PM, said:

I do not understand this fascination lately with multiple LRM5.

The most obvious and most immediately impactful reason to favor multiple LRM5s over single larger launchers is efficiency.

LRM5 is 1 critical slot and 2 tons.
LRM10 is 2 critical slots and 5 tons (one more ton that a pair of 5s).
LRM15 is 3 critical slots and 7 tons (the same as a 10 and a 5, which again means it's one more ton than three 5s).
LRM20 is 5 slots and 10 tons (one more slot than a pair of 10s, though it matches weight, and is both larger and heavier than a 15 and a 5).

The LRM5 is by far the most space and weight efficient launcher available, in addition to its much tighter spread and its higher rate of fire.

There are two reasons why you wouldn't always simply stack 5s. First, if you don't have the hardpoints then you can't do it at all. That's why an A1 can get away with replacing a pair of 15s with six 5s - it has a bunch of hardpoints. The C1, with only one hardpoint on each arm, is better off using larger launchers to get a more meaningful volley (I prefer 15s for several reasons, including that they are the next-most-efficient launchers after 5s).

Second, if you want to use Artemis IV then you are better off consolidating launchers, since each seperate launcher adds +1 ton and +1 critical slot. Far better to lose initial efficiency and then make up for it in spades with add-on efficiency in that situation (better an LRM20 with Artemis than 4x LRM5s with Artemis). This is aside from the fact that small launchers need Artemis IV far less than larger ones do.

[Kyynele]

Levi Porphyrogenitus, on 22 January 2014 - 02:52 PM, said:

Second, if you want to use Artemis IV then you are better off consolidating launchers, since each seperate launcher adds +1 ton and +1 critical slot. Far better to lose initial efficiency and then make up for it in spades with add-on efficiency in that situation (better an LRM20 with Artemis than 4x LRM5s with Artemis). This is aside from the fact that small launchers need Artemis IV far less than larger ones do.

Personally, I practically always use Artemis with LRMs just for the shorter lock-on time.

The weight and space difference between 4x Artemis LRM5 and 1x Artemis LRM20 is just one ton and 2 crits. I personally often consider that a very reasonable tradeoff for higher DPS and chainfireability. It's uniformly more efficient (purely damage output wise) to use all available missile hardpoints with smaller launchers than use just one large one, unless of course you have other uses for those hardpoints.

Anyway, I think this is bordering personal preference, whether you find it more beneficial to sacrifice some weight and space for that extra LRM DPS or have it somewhere else, like a bigger engine, more armor, more heatsinks, more ammo or additional weapons.

Edited by Kyynele, 23 January 2014 - 12:58 AM.

[MeiSooHaityu]

Like somone mentioned above.

Cat A1, practically no armor, tiny engine, 6 LRM15s . Go big or go home LOL.

I ran the 6 LRM5. It was fun. Nothing like a continous waterfall of LRMs.

[Josef Nader]

It's been the best LRM boat since closed beta, and it's still the best to this day with minimal changes.

Fast, enough close range firepower to discourage fast attack mechs if used well, and enough ammo to do some serious damage over the course of a match.

[tayhimself]

Josef Nader, on 23 January 2014 - 06:58 AM, said:

It's been the best LRM boat since closed beta, and it's still the best to this day with minimal changes.

Fast, enough close range firepower to discourage fast attack mechs if used well, and enough ammo to do some serious damage over the course of a match.

This is what I used for LRMs before they made the C1 ears huge. There are better heavy mechs for LRMs now including as mentioned the JM6-A and the ON1-VA. Excluding assault LRM boats like the AWS-R, BLR, and STK of course.

[Barantor]

tayhimself, on 23 January 2014 - 07:14 AM, said:

This is what I used for LRMs before they made the C1 ears huge. There are better heavy mechs for LRMs now including as mentioned the JM6-A and the ON1-VA. Excluding assault LRM boats like the AWS-R, BLR, and STK of course.

Neither of your choices have jumpjets, which if you know how really makes the difference when firing over hills that you wouldn't be able to without them.

Here is just about the best C1 build going. Mason Grimm came up with it and I have used it for a long time now. With speed tweak it is going 82 so it can get out when you need it too.

CPLT-C1

I tried the AWS for LRMs and found it too slow for what you get out of it, making it a liability. You want an LRM boat to both last till the end of the round and also have ammo so that it can finish off anything that is still a threat.

The only other LRM 'boats' I have had success with are the ON1-M.
ON1-M

... and the Thunderbolt.
TDR-5S

If narc gets the redo like Paul posted about then I might try out the trebuchet again.

[Fuggles]

I used to think the C4 as its the only one that could do a lrm20 in a single volley but I hear they made all cats able to do that, so I'd probably vote C1. I run my C4 with 2 lrm20s 2 ssrm2 and tag, Xl280 no JJ rest is all ammo.

The C1 has the most options for backup weapons (that won't get shot off in your ears) as well as tag. The A1 champion build looks good (2 15s 4 ssrm2) but highly susceptible to getting your ears shot off.

Beware any all lrm build, 6 lrm5 A1, 4 lrm10 C4. They are absolute rubbish, prepare to absolutely let your team down while someone finds you completely unable to shoot back and stands there ****** you. I have killed so many lrm cats with no backup weapons it's not even funny.

If I see a 6 lrm5 cat and I'm in anything quick I go right for them because it's an easy kill, if they replaced it with 2 15s and 4 streaks I wouldn't go near them. Also dont sell the streaks short, Get an enemy in your optimal range (250m) and you will wreck them.

[SerratedBlaze]

I wouldn't suggest putting all of your usefullness into LRMS. My primary build is http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8c5bf3b1b180481

which may seem a bit unusual but it's been so much more worthwhile than an all LRM A1 which I tried a while back since it has backup lasers that work at all ranges. Tag is so vital as well, a must have imo.

A C4 sporting 2LRM15, 2LRM5, Tag and ERLLas might be more efficient on LRMS and heat if you don't mind losing some direct fire damage. Or simply downgrading to 15's instead of 20's and improving the armor, but I like the big vollys.