3 replies to this topic

[DarkMetalBlade]

In my experiences of playing this game, I've learned that the proper distribution of your armor can very much mean the difference of you going through the fight alive, & having your mech get sliced up like it's made out of butter. So, with that all said, how do you guys distribute your armor for your loadouts?

For myself, I distribute it following these priorities:

#1: Maximize the torso armor, as just about everyone knows that the torso is a damage magnet. Anything less, & you're likely not going to survive for more than a couple alphas at best.

#2: Have at least 3/4 of max allowed for the legs, as being slowed down is not a pretty thing. This applies if you're a heavy or an assault. If you're in a medium or especially a light, I've considered maximizing the leg armor as priority #1 instead, as I've found out that in lights, the legs are the damage magnet, not the torso.

#3: I tend to leave the cockpit armor alone, but if some parts have less armor than the cockpit, I redistribute the cockpit armor over to the parts that'll actually get hit.

#4: For the arms, it's situational. If an arm has no hardpoints or otherwise doesn't have any components, I may at times consider not even putting any armor on that arm if I can help it, as after all, it's a useless extremity to me. Otherwise, I'll put as much of it as I can on the arms, as who likes getting their weapons blown off?

#5: Back armor is also situational. If I'm capable of fighting off the fast mechs, have good torso-twisting capabilities, & have a loadout that requires me to be in the thick of it, I skimp the back armor, as in my experience, most, if not all, of the incoming fire is going to come at the front, not the back, & more often than not, I noticed that the back is completely untouched when & if I end up dying. However, if at least one of those conditions aren't met, I will put back armor on it, but even then, I'm not going to put much on it, as again, most incoming fire will come from the front.

Edited by DarkMetalBlade, 12 February 2014 - 04:53 PM.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

By and large I maximize all armor, then shave a few points off of the legs to get to the nearest half-ton. The only exceptions are high-payload builds that have an empty arm, in which case I max the legs and shave off of the shield-arm. I will sometimes take an additional half ton from that arm if necessar to make the build work, though I prefer not to so that I can use it to screen my side torso. For lights I always try to maximize the legs.

Front to back, I typically will do no more than 12/14/12 for mediums and 14/16/14 for anything larger, with lights going as low as 4/4/4 for the Locust or 6/8/6 for 35-tonners.

Edited by Levi Porphyrogenitus, 12 February 2014 - 05:11 PM.

[Yiazmat]

That's a trade secret, sorry.

[Malrethir]

I highly encourage folks to have as little rear armor as possible, especially when I am piloting a light mech. Why make me shoot twice to get a kill?

I agree that in a light mech leg armor is critical as people aim for that area.