24 replies to this topic

[xXBagheeraXx]

I'll be the first one to tell you that i suck absolute arse at driving a victor...I nabbed a Dragon slayer a while back while it was on sale and have run every build under the sun, then finally settled on ye-olde poptart ac5 build for the time being. But my only real reason for grinding these mechs were the Ac20 equippable models...but I dont want to make them the same old boring ppc Ac-20 poptarts EVERYONE else uses...But i kinda suck at brawling with my current setup. I hate the fact that i cant really do the "assault mech" thing and go dancing with the enemy teams atlases/battlemasters etc, and it just kinda feels like a big heavy mech...Any tips for anyone who can drive these beasts?

Current build, havent quite the dosh for the other ac20 victor just yet, was going to run that with this setup, just with 2 large pulse lasers and no missiles. Srm has been replaced with 2 streaks

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7fd8f198d3e9e46

[lsp]

Max armor, xl350, 2JJ, dual ppc,ac20 or you can switch out the ac20 for a ac10 or two ultras. I have a 2.0 kdr using this build. Nice thing about the DS is the weapon convergence will be better. Because all the weapons are on the same side, and close together.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...18d4ebdac451c2a

Edited by lsp, 19 February 2014 - 10:55 AM.

[Ngamok]

VTR-9S

My AC/20 brawler.

[Monky]

XL engine on a brawler is a bad idea. If you want to XL, use poptart builds because they help you mitigate the risks of it by limiting your exposure. If you're going to brawl, use a standard. The Victor is still very agile at low engine speeds. Keep in mind brawling is generally less effective right now and poptarting is recommended for effectiveness. What's fun for you is also important, but that is how the game works out currently.

[xXBagheeraXx]

well to say i brawl with it is an overstatement, I play it opportunistically. "OH THEY THAT BATTLEMASTER ISNT PAYING ATTENTION! *ac 20s up the azz* My problems start when i round a corner and bump into a ddc....and explode in short order.

Edited by xXBagheeraXx, 19 February 2014 - 11:17 AM.

[SgtMagor]

I haven't use my DS in a while, I didn't really have a good kill/ death ratio with it but its a fun mech part of the problem it took me a while to get used to the new gauss operation. when I hop into my DS again ill load it something like this.

1-LBX10
Lrm10
2-med laser
1-large laser
Srm6
AMS
BAP
DHS

Edited by SgtMagor, 19 February 2014 - 11:25 AM.

[Hobo Dan]

xXBagheeraXx, on 19 February 2014 - 11:17 AM, said:

well to say i brawl with it is an overstatement, I play it opportunistically. "OH THEY THAT BATTLEMASTER ISNT PAYING ATTENTION! *ac 20s up the azz* My problems start when i round a corner and bump into a ddc....and explode in short order.

For that style, may I submit for your meching pleasure my hit and run Victor of choice:

Victor-9S

Almost Full Armor
xl 385
AC/20 - 3 tons ammo
3 SRM 4 - 2 tons ammo
2 MLas
2 JJ

Edited by Hobo Dan, 19 February 2014 - 11:38 AM.

[Shae Starfyre]

Ok, so, I think of the Dragon Slayer (use it for the bonus, others may work just fine) is a premier brawler; but I define the brawler differently. I also solely solo play (I have never been on an organized team; so this is my go to pug machine)

I do really well with this build.
Nearly max Armor, slightly less in the legs .5 tons off; the rest is maxed.
1 LBX 10 with 3 tons of Ammo
1 MG with 1 ton of Ammo
2 Streaks with 2 tons of Ammo
BAP
AMS w/ one ton of Ammo
3 ML
3 or 4 JJ's can't remember off hand (the height difference is amazing at times when in a crowd to be able to leap over several mechs with high agility - this is not a JJ sniper, only needing one JJ mech config).
and an XL 375 w/4 Heatsinks inserted.
I think I squeezed in one more somehwere else.

Heat Efficiency 1.5

Primary fire (chain) are the 3 ML - and the faster you click the faster they fire until they need to recharge (saves a lot of heat). I tried the Medium Pulse but drops the heat efficiency too much for the output.

LBX 10, MG, and 2 streaks on secondary fire control
LBX10 on 3rd.

This is a crit seeker/finisher mech, but, it can also break a formation, soaring over the front line to land behind the enemy's front line causing them all to turn against your front line.

It has plenty of armor to hang in there long enough for your team, if they are ready for it, to take advantage of the confusion you can cause; however, it is a sacrifical move. If you play to survive in this mech instead, hang back and scalp at opportunities to target weak spots.

With a steady hand, holding down the second fire control, MG constainly on the target, aimed right, so that the 2.5 second burst of the lbx 10 is always on target, and the SSRMs hitting random places, you can move from target to target, twisting and turning (never forcus one dude down unless you have to), softening as many as 5-7 mechs before they put you down, is an adrenalin rush. Don't forget to JJ; this tactic keeps you alive the longest because no more than one mech is every facing any one side at a time. I have walked away from a brawl at around 22%.

I love the challenge and the thrill of this type of build, and heat containment is sustainable with very little down time even on Mordor!

It's not for everyone, but I invite others to try it out.

Edited by Aphoticus, 19 February 2014 - 11:54 AM.

[C E Dwyer]

Monky, on 19 February 2014 - 11:08 AM, said:

XL engine on a brawler is a bad idea. If you want to XL, use poptart builds because they help you mitigate the risks of it by limiting your exposure. If you're going to brawl, use a standard. The Victor is still very agile at low engine speeds. Keep in mind brawling is generally less effective right now and poptarting is recommended for effectiveness. What's fun for you is also important, but that is how the game works out currently.

I brawl with all of mine only one has a standard engine, using a combination of LB10 ac20, ml ll and srms.

Its not the xl that's the problem its people that stand still and don't twist

[XX Sulla XX]

For up close and personal brawling what works best for Victores are speed and jump jets. And you need to have 3 and have them elited for them to really work well. Also Victors unlike many brawlers work better with XL engines not worse. Also you need to practice using your jump jets and speed to make your opponents miss.

A good setup for this play style is an elited Victor S with an Xl360, 4 jump jets, an AC 20, 3 SRM 6s and a couple of medium lasers. You can go just over 80kph when elited. Have over a 60 alpha and can jump over mechs and buildings without any problem. If you are a good pilot you can do amazing things with this build.

On the other hand if you are going to build a slow Victor and play it like an Altas just get an Atlas.

The other effective builds are jump snipers.

[OznerpaG]

my brawling "AC30" build

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...caf6466200e4090

great speed, lots of DHS, and 30 pinpoint to get the job done ASAP in close. both weapons have 4sec cooldown which gives you time to squirm and maneuver around between shots and not let the enemy get a good bead on you, and spreading their damage around on you

[JigglyMoobs]

xXBagheeraXx, on 19 February 2014 - 10:15 AM, said:

I'll be the first one to tell you that i suck absolute arse at driving a victor...I nabbed a Dragon slayer a while back while it was on sale and have run every build under the sun, then finally settled on ye-olde poptart ac5 build for the time being. But my only real reason for grinding these mechs were the Ac20 equippable models...but I dont want to make them the same old boring ppc Ac-20 poptarts EVERYONE else uses...But i kinda suck at brawling with my current setup. I hate the fact that i cant really do the "assault mech" thing and go dancing with the enemy teams atlases/battlemasters etc, and it just kinda feels like a big heavy mech...Any tips for anyone who can drive these beasts?

Current build, havent quite the dosh for the other ac20 victor just yet, was going to run that with this setup, just with 2 large pulse lasers and no missiles. Srm has been replaced with 2 streaks

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7fd8f198d3e9e46

The victor is designed for the poptart role.....

[Monky]

Cathy, on 19 February 2014 - 02:03 PM, said:

I brawl with all of mine only one has a standard engine, using a combination of LB10 ac20, ml ll and srms.

Its not the xl that's the problem its people that stand still and don't twist

This is just as much a problem if you're using a standard. Ditch the XL watch your KD climb.

[Marmon Rzohr]

xXBagheeraXx, on 19 February 2014 - 10:15 AM, said:

Current build, havent quite the dosh for the other ac20 victor just yet, was going to run that with this setup, just with 2 large pulse lasers and no missiles. Srm has been replaced with 2 streaks

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7fd8f198d3e9e46

Well you have a pretty big weakness in that mech. The right torso. If it gets crit and your ammo explodes you're gonna blow up. CASE only prevents the ammo explosion from spreading to adjecent components. It does not mitigate the risk or damage of the explosion in the location the ammo is in. Since you have an XL, it doesn't matter that the explosion won't go to your CT since you'll already go down from the loss of the ST.

In general I would reccomend against using SRMs as they have hit detection problems and in most cases do less dmg than they should. So I'd rather replace that single SRM with two Steaks. You lose 2 alpha damage, but you do get more flexibility vs lights. But it's really a question of preference.

If I were you and didn't want to poptart with my Victors, I'd make the 9S into the brawling loadout, and the 9B into the DPS loadout. The extra missile hardpoint on the 9S makes SRMs more worth the weight and effort and you only need 1 ballistic slot anyway for the AC20.

The 9B can be built into some interesting things, such as a 3xAC2 loadout or a UAC5, 2xAC2 loadout. Basically you go crazy DPS in one arm, 2 x ML or LL in the other and go nuts. It's more situational than the poptart builds, but I've seen people use 3xballistic Victors to great effect. Haven't tried it myself yet, but when I do, I'll report back

[DarthPeanut]

I have been trying to get my Victor-DS where I want it and been experimenting with the load out for a while. I choose to go slightly bigger XL engine so it is not a brawler.

XL360, Endo, DHS, Gauss, 3x LL (chain fired unless you need to alpha them all in a pinch but it is HOT if you do), full armor other than a little off the legs, JJ, etc...

Not a build that most people would probably like, but it has worked decently for my play style. My best kill/ death ratio is in it currently.

Edited by DarthPeanut, 20 February 2014 - 06:53 AM.

[Koniving]

In order to Victor... You must lurk around the forums suggesting the most expensive meta builds you can as starter mechs for new players, while chastising any affordable starting options that are perfectly viable in the new player ELO-ranges.

...Oh wait you meant the mech not the player.

In that case, streaks, medium lasers, AC/5 + LB-10x combination and an XL 280 engine or larger.
Or pack on the ACs or UACs and slap on a PPC or two plus lasers and streaks.

[C E Dwyer]

JigglyMoobs, on 19 February 2014 - 09:04 PM, said:

The victor is designed for the poptart role.....

No it isn't in the same way its not build to be a lurm boat,

[MeiSooHaityu]

To me, a Victor is a brawler designed to tackle Heavies and even Assaults to some extent.

A Victor has speed, manuverbility, and firepower close to that of a Heavy (a bit slower), but with a bit more armor.

Make a Victor quick (with an XL if necessary) and an A/C20. Add brawling weapons like SRMs as necessary...Profit!

[C E Dwyer]

Koniving, on 20 February 2014 - 06:54 AM, said:

In order to Victor... You must lurk around the forums suggesting the most expensive meta builds you can as starter mechs for new players, while chastising any affordable starting options that are perfectly viable in the new player ELO-ranges.

...Oh wait you meant the mech not the player.

In that case, streaks, medium lasers, AC/5 + LB-10x combination and an XL 280 engine or larger.
Or pack on the ACs or UACs and slap on a PPC or two plus lasers and streaks.

lolz plus one

streaks are an option for three launchers, if you fit a bap, though wrestling with srms and hsr will 'help' understand leading to hit

[Thanatos676]

Victor 9S

This build is fun and effective.. make sure to use the JJ to ballerina alot and to torso twist like a boss.