16 replies to this topic

[STARSHERIFFCOLT]

4 ER large lasers
1 ac 10
1 srm 6

heat management 1.1
(only lowered armor from legs so i can fit some ammo and double heat sinks, leg armor is at 45 each leg)

so far i'm loving it but would like to hear what the veterans think of it.

[Alaskan Nobody]

I would say if you are loving it and doing well in it then it sounds like a good build to me.
Or rather - for you? I haven't had much luck with more than 1 ER weapon on a mech

Somewhat similar (if absolutely nothing like ) what I run on mine.

[xMEPHISTOx]

STARSHERIFFCOLT, on 12 March 2014 - 12:27 PM, said:

4 ER large lasers
1 ac 10
1 srm 6

heat management 1.1
(only lowered armor from legs so i can fit some ammo and double heat sinks, leg armor is at 45 each leg)

so far i'm loving it but would like to hear what the veterans think of it.

If it is working for you and you like it then use it, regardless of what people think.
However I personally think it is to hot for my liking and not sure what engine you use but imagining is 300 or less which would be to slow for an Atlas imo, the bigger the engine the better (use no less than a 350 myself) not just for speed but for maneuvering more importantly. Also arm lasers are mounted so damn low for the ERLLs on Atlass', as opposed to 4ERLL on a stalker that have great gun depression which is a major drawback to such a build on an Atlas.
Anyhow as said before if like it and getting good results then keep at it.

[Koniving]

My only issue with the build is it sounds hot.
Some ways to reduce the heat. Choose one, not all.

SRM-4 (it's more accurate).
LRMs -- pepper enemies before they get too close; you'd stop using it when the enemy gets close so less heat when it matters.
LB-10x (it's less heat).
A pair of Large Lasers (less heat than ER Large Lasers, handier for closer range confrontation).

I personally don't like to stop firing. Ever. So I like things to run cool so I don't have to tick by seconds waiting until I'm cold enough to shoot.

But again if it works for you, then don't change it.
If it ever stops working for you -- example something changes after a patch -- then consider changes.

[luxebo]

STARSHERIFFCOLT, on 12 March 2014 - 12:27 PM, said:

4 ER large lasers
1 ac 10
1 srm 6

heat management 1.1
(only lowered armor from legs so i can fit some ammo and double heat sinks, leg armor is at 45 each leg)

so far i'm loving it but would like to hear what the veterans think of it.

Your weapons could be fit in quite a few other C-bill/hero mechs. It's also a bit hot. I also highly stick against running that little armor on each leg, maybe at least up to Shar's leg armor level. I run 6xmed lasers 1xac20 1xsrm6 as a pure brawler, though there are other configs like this. Also, what engine are you using? If you are using an XL, then I suggest trying to rearrange it to maybe make it cooler and stronger (XL is fast death in an Atlas most of the time). Use smurfy, which is in Shar's link again. Also, you need to pick up another 3 variants to master a chassis, though I think you know both of these things. Hope I helped.

[Alaskan Nobody]

luxebo, on 12 March 2014 - 03:48 PM, said:

If you are using an XL, then I suggest trying to rearrange it to maybe make it cooler and stronger (XL is fast death in an Atlas most of the time).

Thank you for remembering this very important "little" tidbit
You shame us all for our having forgotten

[STARSHERIFFCOLT]

Shar Wolf, on 12 March 2014 - 03:50 PM, said:

Thank you for remembering this very important "little" tidbit
You shame us all for our having forgotten

I have a 400xl engine and i noticed that too, any side of my torso they take out equals death.
When you say rearrange the engine you mean that i am able to transfer the right torso engine part to the left torso or the opposite?

Thanks to everybody for your helpful posts!

[luxebo]

No, I mean maybe replace with a STD engine of some sort (STD 300 is a good choice, as well as STD 350 and 360). This will result in much better survival, though slightly slower.

[Josef Koba]

I prefer running the biggest engine possible on the BH; that's the point of the thing over the other Atlases, in my opinion: Speed. Obviously there's a tradeoff between firepower and mobility, but that depends on play style. As mentioned before, if you're digging it, do it up man. Without looking, I think I run with 2 large lasers, a Gauss, 4 mediums, and an SRM6 with a 400XL. The BH is the only Atlas, heck, only assault save a few exceptions, that I'll run an XL in. It's survivability is only slightly lower, but the gauss/XL combo will cause some deaths, to be sure. I find it worth the price; others may not. I say enjoy your build man. Your heat is a little high for my tastes, but I do run an Atlas-D with 1.07 so it's doable.

[TheCaptainJZ]

The unique part of that mech is the 6 energy hardpoints on the arms. If you ever decide to switch from long range to short range, you should pop in medium lasers and a standard engine and an AC20.

[Void Angel]

STARSHERIFFCOLT, on 12 March 2014 - 12:27 PM, said:

4 ER large lasers
1 ac 10
1 srm 6

heat management 1.1
(only lowered armor from legs so i can fit some ammo and double heat sinks, leg armor is at 45 each leg)

so far i'm loving it but would like to hear what the veterans think of it.

First, use Smurfy's Mechlab - it'll let you theorycraft your builds much more effectively, and you can link to those builds by highlighting the text and clicking the little chain link icon in the forum editor (next to where you can toggle underline, bold, etc.)

Second, what you have there is basically an Atlas RS, but faster, and with fewer guns. This is OK - that's what the Boar's Head is. But if you're focused on long-range laser armaments, you have to ask yourself why you're bothering with the XL engine - sure, it saves you weight, but you could put in a ~340 STD engine for almost the same tonnage. The advantage that the XL brings is that you can actually get an Atlas with some speed, but you don't need that with an ER laser build. You also are carrying a lot more armament than you can use - you'd overheat that thing in about ten seconds alpha striking your guns, and your sustained damage is only 5.25 dps. Finally, those 45-pt legs are a critical weakness which will be exploited as you win games and get into a higher Elo bracket.

Now, as people have pointed out above, you should always evaluate your build based on how it is working. Don't get to hung up in the Holy Meta (oh! May it live forever!) and start cookie-cutting all your loadouts. Always in motion is the meta, hmm, yes. However, you do want to study the game and optimize your builds - which is what you're here asking us to help you do. You make me glad.

This is what I would do, based on my extensive knowledge of the Atlas in general, and very limited experience with the Boar's Head on the last public test cycle: Gauss Piggy, or Shotgun Hog.

The Piggy will sit back during the initial "hide behind a rock and get liquored up for the endgame" phase, harassing with its Gauss Rifle if you have a good shot, and punishing any lights who come calling with its pulse lasers. Don't stand next to the guys hiding behind rocks - you'll eat artillery strikes too much that way. As for the Hog, you're doing much the same thing, except you harass with your LRM launcher. Once either your team or theirs gets tired of hiding behind their favorite drinking rock and starts to push, announce that you're engaging and roll through/past the enemy team. Your job is to create disruption and make an Atlas-shaped hole in the enemy formation, as well as to beat the crap out of things without shutting down for as long as you can. Use enemy 'mechs as cover against their buddies who are shooting you; if a handy bend in the canyon or piece of cover presents itself, keep going and hide behind it, wait to see if any of the enemy isolate themselves by chasing you, cool down, then re-engage to murder people who turned back around to face your team. The Maxim of Inevitability which applies to other Atlas chassis does not apply to the Boar's Head with a 400XL (this is the principle that once an Atlas engages, he's there till he dies or they do - he's too slow to disengage in most instances.) Sow chaos, reap panic, and mete out mayhem as you go.

Both builds are kinda hot, so you'll have to practice good heat discipline. Watch your heat scale, take the time to line up your shots, don't fire the big guns if you're running hot, and don't be shy about cooling down behind cover from time to time if you can manage it.

[Josef Koba]

Void Angel's guidance is outstanding. He's an echelon above me in terms of driving the Atlas, so listen to him.

[Mycrus]

Xl400/6 med Las / AC10 / a lurm 20 / 1 ctr

[Itsalrightwithme]

In an Atlas you can't exactly outrun anything unless you run an XL engine, which itself is high risk. You have to either kill things very quickly or suppress your adversaries until the situation changes. With that build you can do neither.

[STARSHERIFFCOLT]

Thanks to everybody for your very helpful advices!
I switched to a 350 std engine and i already see big difference staying a lot longer alive in battle.
The only thing that troubles me is before when i had an xl engine everybody was shooting me at my right torso, now with the std engine everybody shoots me at my center torso. How do they know what engine i carry? lol.

By they way now i use an ac 20 instead of the ac 10 and think of switching to a gauss rifle as ac 20 might be a killer in close ranges is slow and inaccurate the longer the range.
The 4 er large lasers are pure fun for snipping and scaring the enemy from 1000 meters away.

As for my leg armor being weak, i have no problem in brawling as noone shoots my legs or arms. Everybody shoots the torso. But the LRM missiles are the ones that hit my legs a lot and can be lucky destroying them or weaken them a lot which then will give it away in brawling for my enemy to shoot for the legs.

By the way what are the advantages of pulse lasers over er large lasers?
Would like to try pulse lasers in brawling and see how they work out as some mentioned they do much better with them.

[luxebo]

STD Engine is slower, therefore being able to be seen from afar. Pulse lasers in this game are more brawling, and have less trace/hit time on them (rather than painting areas, it zaps them quicker). You should give yourself a bit more leg armor than that though, just in case. And regular lasers maybe better than the ER LL in some cases, as you'd be more of a sniper with ER LL. AC20/Gauss would be somewhat better than AC10 with the Atlas I believe.

[Satan n stuff]

STARSHERIFFCOLT, on 12 March 2014 - 12:27 PM, said:

4 ER large lasers
1 ac 10
1 srm 6

heat management 1.1
(only lowered armor from legs so i can fit some ammo and double heat sinks, leg armor is at 45 each leg)

so far i'm loving it but would like to hear what the veterans think of it.

My own build for it is a brawler, but I know a player who has a build that's very similar to yours ( I suggested it to him, actually ) and he's doing rather well with it.
I'd say if you're doing well with this build stick with it, the Atlas is a tough mech to play well and if you've got a build that works for you any "improvements" to it might end up ruining it.