21 replies to this topic

[Felio]

And is the fact that this is a question a sign that maybe they raised the heat by too much?

I really missed the boat on the PPC meta, being somewhat new to the game and not piloting anything heavy enough to use them. Though I did just spectate a dual ER PPC + SRM4 Sarah's Jenner.

But dabbling with them, shooting lightning is pretty fun, and I'd like to use the ER variety on principle, but I am having a hard time finding a way to justify it.

I mean, 90m is pretty darn close. Taking advantage of that 0-89m range is almost more of a challenge than a convenience, and the price is so heavy...

[Mazzyplz]

if you can't justify it then don't use it.
you also have regular ppc.


i only use ER ppc tbh.
it's a sniper weapon- so what if the heat goes up half the bar in the first shot, in theory you're far and can back away into cover, if you're using them up close you're doing it wrong

also on my erppc rigs i have weapons to deal with facehumpers other than the erppc.
but i drive an assault so i have space for heatsinks and support weapons

if you're driving a cicada or something then you don't have the space. sry!
try regular ppc and small laser or 1 of each.

[FupDup]

If your mech has only a single PPC, it should almost always be an ER. The exception is if your mech already has plenty of weapons to defend itself up close/at extreme range, and/or can't afford a bit more heat.

[Mazzyplz]

btw, i think i could run this without any problems. far better than a jenner

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...096ce202fdfbfb3

just alpha when you need to and keep it chain fire every other time, climb the high walls and try and snipe em from far or get to the side up in the mountain and shoot the big mechs

okay maybe 1 problem: the speed.

a few kph faster with endo and ferro:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8b11df9f751d0e2


edit:

actually i think there would be no problem running an XL engine on the cicada so

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...02751bb2132df7c

way better!!
and if you have real life moneyz you can buy the cicada 5x and run the same build with some streaks if you downgrade the engine, that would give you solid defense vs lights and up close


EDIT 2 :

actually i think this is better
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...3a5b67f316dc6a3

it has 3 small laser for when running hot, at the cost of a little bit of speed. enjoy

Edited by Mazzyplz, 27 March 2014 - 06:03 PM.

[operator0]

FupDup, on 27 March 2014 - 05:37 PM, said:

If your mech has only a single PPC, it should almost always be an ER. The exception is if your mech already has plenty of weapons to defend itself up close/at extreme range, and/or can't afford a bit more heat.

Yes. A single ERPPC is the only time I can see it justifiable. Remember, not only do you get no minimum range, but it's the longest ranged energy weapon in the game and has great range vs any ballistic weapon. It's too toasty to use in pairs though, especially in a brawl.

It's a bit difficult to find heavier mechs that can justify using a weapon's group for just a single ERPPC, but a lot of mediums can justify that. Slap a single ERPPC on a Shadow Hawk and 4 SSRMs for example. http://mwo.smurfy-ne...fa134fc6fc644c4

[A Man In A Can]

So long as you stagger fire them and don't alpha fire them, even mechs with more than one (even three!) can get good use out of them if you can keep the enemy at range and have plenty of time to get in cover and cool off. You just have to deal with the fact that if someone gets close they will be able to out damage you in a knife fight due to the weapon's heat output, even with no minimum range.

I'd say wait until the Launch module when map voting is said to be included, then you'll probably see more ERPPC use on maps like Alpine and both of the Frozen Cities.

[IceCase88]

Rarely do I ever use regular PPCs. ERPPCs, though extremely hot, have a far superior range and justifies their use for me. No minimum range and about 600 meters longer range. Worth it.

Edited by IceCase88, 28 March 2014 - 04:30 AM.

[DarkDevilDancer]

A single one sure, but in pairs your more likely to kill yourself than anything else it's very rare I see anyone with an ERPPC though.

In general though they are too hot to use effectively on hotter maps.

[Sephlock]

Felio, on 27 March 2014 - 05:27 PM, said:

I really missed the boat on the PPC meta

Anyway, an ER PPC might be a decent addition on a lighter mech which can duck in and out of cover between shots.

I actually use two on the shoulder of one of my thunderbolts (the one with high mounted energy hardpoints). I use them for long range snapshots and emergencies, with mlas for when enemies get closer.

[Dracol]

ECM Spider with a single ERPPC is one of my favorite mechs.

For heavies, I ran a 2 PPC / 1 ERPPC build for a while. Used the arm mounted ERPPC for those long range shots, to hit lights, or with the other 2 PPCs if I knew I would be ducking back into cover for awhile.

[Charons Little Helper]

I use an ERPPC on one of my shadowhawks. Of course - the rest of the mech is nothing but machine guns & streaks - so heat isn't much of an issue.

Plus it's nice to be able to snipe early in the match before swooping down on a light mech or two.

[oldradagast]

There's that one Cicada variant that has 1 energy slot and a bunch of ballistics. A single ERPPC make sense there since the rest of the hardpoints are usually full of machine guns, which generate no heat anyway.

[DaZur]

I use ERPPC on any of my ranged support mechs that are too fragile and or vulnerable to use inside standard PPC range (My Awesome and my ERPPC Quickdraw as examplea)

[Dauphni]

I think it's hardly ever worth it. Not even necessarily because of the heat, but because of the "low" projectile velocity coupled with the long reload time. The speed makes it very hard to use effectively on moving targets more than 600-700m out. With an AC/5 missing a shot due to your target evading isn't such a big deal, because the cost of a single shot is comparatively low. On PPCs, the investment you make per shot is MUCH higher, which really limits the range at which they can be used effectively. And since that range is only a little bit over a regular PPC, the extra heat for ERPPCs isn't worth it considering the fact that you're not really doing much more damage overall.

[Turist0AT]

Yeah. In my opinion Battlemaster and Stalker should have a long range arsenal of 2ERPPC. +all other weaponery. But for pure ERPPCs. Jumping medium fits good. Trenchie, Shawk and so on.

[Phromethius]

Someone mentioned the Thunderbolt 5ss variant. I run dual regulars in that one, the three torso mediums and usually 2 large lasers in the right arm are more than enough under 90. It runs HOT though so heat management is a MUST.

Conversly on the other variant I run either an ER large or and ERPPC in the one arm slot. depending on mood of the day.

[Kubernetes]

Yeah, one at most. I've done builds with two, but it runs so hot that you may as well just carry one (you'll rarely be able to fire the second). I've done a Stalker 3F build with 2ERPPC, 2MLs, and 24 DHS. Still too hot.

I've seen people on the battlefield (usually Catapults) running 2 ERPPCs. If I see that I just charge them like LRM boats. Once you're in knife-fighting range they'll either fire and overheat or not fire at all. They're easy marks for the headshot achievement.

[The Silent Protagonist]

COM-2D with ERPPC and SRM2. Sounds weak, but keep that ECM on disrupt and use the PPC to disable enemy ECM. EZ mod engaged! Also, the ER-ness means it's effective at all ranges and being able to lay down 7 points of pinpoint damage on top of the splash from the SRM any time, any where, means it's a great guerilla fighter against anything heavier than a Cicada.

[Josef Nader]

ERPPCs have a place on short range builds with no long range punch other than the ERPPC. The lack of minimum range is not why you want to use the ER over the standard PPC. The extra few hundred meters of range is what justifies the price.

You can't brawl with ERPPCs. They're just too damn hot. You also shouldn't mount more than one, as again, they're too damn hot.

However, if you have 7 tons left on a short range build, you should take the ERPPC over everything else. Unlimirlted ammo, great range, and solid accuracy make up for its stiff heat penalty at range.

[TercieI]

FupDup, on 27 March 2014 - 05:37 PM, said:

If your mech has only a single PPC, it should almost always be an ER. The exception is if your mech already has plenty of weapons to defend itself up close/at extreme range, and/or can't afford a bit more heat.

This. One good, two+ unsustainable. I also don't like mixing them, because I usually want to hit paired PPCs together or at least feel like I have that option.