Help The Atlas! [How-To, Guide And Tips For The New Players]

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Photograph: Valcrow

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I forgot about this. I cant remember who made it. Was it Heffay? Give me a nudge for credits

Grab some nuts! Credits: King Arthur IV

King Arthur IV, on 24 April 2014 - 06:57 AM, said:

Kings Guide to being an assault pilot go to the super market and pick up a bag of nuts for a buck fidy.

Geetings my fellow pilots! I would like to make new players aware how to help or assist a Assault (In this case i own only Atlas) during battle! Many times as i pilot a Assault myself i feel that some players don't understand or know how to assist a Assault. I see it too many times happening and i can't say it enough. I only play Atlas since Beta and i own about 10 of this Mech. (Updated January 2015.)

Yes yes, its my favorite chassis. Since every mech desire different playstyles the tips here are written for assisting a Atlas. Any new, cool,and other tips from other (experienced or not) different Assault or Atlas pilots are wantend and much appreciated!

I even write my own tips to other Assault pilots. Maybe even veterans like me can learn any tips here and find them useful. My apologies if there is a excisting thread about this. Allright here it goes!

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"Before you go a few words for Atlas pilots" Credits: William Slayer

To put the shoe on the other foot, here what every Atlas driver should be prepared to do:

Give the team an idea of what your plan is: LRM's and ECM

FAST RUSH	SNEAKY FLANK	AMBUSH	PUSH	Extra Notes
Example a spearhead formation.	(ECM coverage)(right or left)	Lights drawing the enemy to the Assaults for a squashing is an example	Let the team know when you are going to PUSH about 5-10 seconds ahead of time so we can prepare (recycle weps and heat)	Stick with the group! An Atlas is a Hero/God on the field... until it wanders away from its support. :-)

"Introduce yourself" Credits: Vulcan888

Introduce yourself to the team. People are much more aware of what you are doing when you take the time to type a few words at the beginning of a match.

Doing so in a relaxed way is more likely to get you support and is more fun for your teammates; because in the end, we all play for fun (although the exact definition of 'fun' varies individually obviously).
Example: 'Fatlas reporting for duty', 'brawler here. call the targets and i will bring the pain!', 'the pain train is coming!', 'escort me to E6 so i can bring some BOOM and SWOOSH and pewpew and *cough* ... ok, i need a tissue now :D'

"Make your moves known beforehand if you need specific assist."

Example: about to push through a pass or tunnel:
'Get ready to push in 15' 'don't stop. go left, right alternating and focus the closest target on your side' 'ready?' 'go' *leads the push* Example: advancing through an open area: 'taking D5, pls cover me from the hill on the right' Example: securing a pass or tunnel Exit: 'securing tunnel, need 2-3 with me'

"I think something else that needs to be added or metioned..." Credits: Cord78

The team needs to think about the terrain/path they are going to be taking. The Atlas do not handle hills very well as they tend to get stuck on little pebbles easily.
Case in point, the Alpine Peaks Map. Team always wants to go up the backside of the mountain to get to the saddle. The Atlas can do it but it is slow going and usually has issues at the narrow path at the top.

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"Assaults are the Cornerstone of your Team, play around them." Credits: Androas

Find me targets	Stay out of my way	Stick close and follow my lead
I need information to position myself to really ruin their day. When I have to rely on my own sensors, I will not see **** hitting the fan to get there in time, and I may stumble into instagib situations.	I am slow, I may well die from "just" stopping to break your tiny legs. I have huge firepower which needs to hurt the enemy, not stare at your tiny ***. Pay attention, and make a bit of room so I can live longer and fire constantly.	Stick close and follow my lead. No, I can not "catch up". If you engage without me, well, goodbye. Conversely, if I go, you go. I have the armor, I make that decision. ******* lose. Credits: Modo44

"Some tips for the light and medium" Credits: Ovion and Joshua McEvedy

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Lights should be running infront, scouting, checking corners and calling targets.

	Lights also aren't very good at killing lights. It'll often be a slugfest, chasing each other around for a while, both parties taking significant damage.The winner isn't generally going to last too much longer.
	Mediums however, are far better Light Killers. Light enough to move and turn fast enough to track the lights, but heavy enough and well armed enough to be able to kill them without taking too much damage.

DO NOT jump in front of assault mechs in tight quarters, since you will just get yourselves killed, and most likely the assault mech whose line of sight you just blocked, leaving you both exposed and subject to heavy return enemy fire.

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"Never leave any Atlas alone! Stay around them."
Watching a Assault getting ripped in pieces is a no-go. Any help is a good help. Credits: Sarlic

-- "The push. Please work with me!"Credits: Sarlic, Evil Ed and Joshua McEvedy
When a Atlas pushes forwards, make sure that you follow a little bit behind and try to focus fire on the same target.

Assaults are deadly in a Lance. Assaults are mostly weak and exposed on their own.

When the atlas push lights can try to run past him and through the enemy blob. This will cause confusion and hopefully some enemies will turn around for the squirrel exposing their backs to the atlas' huge close range alpha. When pushing forward, particularly on maps with lots of chokepoints and bottlenecks like Mordor and the Bog, DO NOT stop and back up when you take fire. Isee this happen time and again, and it always causes big traffic jams, as the following mechs have no where to go themselves except backwards into their own ranks, creating a pile up and sparking frustration and confusion. Once you decide to push, then keep moving FORWARD no matter what happens.

-- "Hey i am a LRM boat or long range damage dealer" Credits: Sarlic
When a Atlas is fitted long-range, (think about LRM etc), any medium nearby should keep an eye on him. Lights can distract or pick the Atlas off. For Atlas pilots: Assaults with this equipment / loadout should not stay too far behind the team. Keep moving.

-- "This is getting dizzy" Credits: Sarlic
Please help the Atlas when he or she is under attack by a Light mech. Although as a Assault, the Atlas can push the back against a wall but can't match up the speed from that Light. Try to -leg- the Light mech. (others words: blow one of his legs off.

-- "Stay within ~~180~~ 90 metres!" Credits: Sarlic
If a Atlas has ECM (D-DC and others.) please stay within ECM range. DO NOT run off as you will reveal his position and make him potentially a target. The Atlas is already slow enough![

Note: DO NOT run off with your ECM!

Spoiler

-- "Crossing thee line of fire" Credits: Sarlic
When a Atlas is brawling on the frontlines, make sure that you DO NOT walk in front of him. Walking in front of a brawler is not a lifesaver and could eventually damage you.

-- "This red laser dot is interesting" Credits: Sarlic
If a light mech (a scouter) is targetting a Atlas with a lock, please try to distract him. Rain of Metal is not wanted! For Atlas pilots: When this is not possible the Atlas should, immediatly find cover to prevent too much incoming damage.

-- "Hmm, something is blocking behind me" Credits: Redshift2k5

Never stand immediately behind an Assault mech (or any other mech, but many players specifically tail Assaults because they are in smaller mechs). If you are following him around a corner or over a ridge, follow behind and to the side, so the Assault has a clear path if he needs to quickly make a strategic retreat - even a small delay caused by an ally up your butt can easily lead to a dead temmate.

-- "My back hurts!" Credits: Sarlic
When the back of a Atlas is under fire (Atlas is targetting Someone else) please try to answer that fire for a limited time. The Atlas is always happy that someone might care for his back by answering direct fire.

"DO and DONT's" Credits: RedEagle86

If an Atlas (or other assault 'mech) is pushing through a choke-point, such as the entrances to the "Pit of Fire" on Terra Therma, follow him (but not too closely), especially if there's significant fire (or they type 'push' in chat). This will allow the Atlas to push forward, draw the fire, while the other mechs follow behind and fire on the enemy 'mechs concentrated on the Atlas. Atlas pilots will generally die as a result, but I've used this tactic before and although I might only put out ~200 damage before dying, the people who were bottled up are then able to roll over the enemy.

-- "When an Atlas (Assault) is in a brawl, and you're not, DO NOT try and:"

Letter	Notes
	DO NOT snipe on an enemy in close proximity to the Atlas, unless you know for certain where the Atlas is going (i.e. Voice comms). I've been in brawls with 3-4 'mechs and then been teamkilled, or otherwise significantly team-damaged because someone thought it'd be a good idea to fire into the cluster without looking to see where I was headed (the legs can give it away). Then criticized for running into said teammate's line of fire.
	DO NOT (Generally as a light 'mech) try and dart in front of the Atlas for the kill on a 'mech. Not only do you run the risk of pinning the atlas (and yourself) due to collisions, but you also run the significant risk of friendly fire.
	DO NOT put an artillery/air strike on his location. Just because there's a significant cluster of enemy 'mechs and you're sure to get plenty of hits, the Atlas pilot may not be able to survive the strike, or may be wanting to place one of his own. (If I'm brawling 4 or more enemies, I'll try to push through the line, having dropped a strike on the group - I'm good with killing myself through consumable strikes, but I get upset if it's a friendly. Double standard, I know.)
	DO NOT join the brawl then decide that you don't want to get further damaged, and then run away. Nothing like a good push that evaporates when damage is taken to upset the now-dead Atlas pilot.

"Do, however:"

Letter	Notes
	JOIN THE BRAWL! (preferably at the outsides) and fire on the enemies.
	USE LRMS at targets near the Atlas. For dumb-firing LRMS (in case brawl is covered by enemy ECM), try to determine direction of Atlas pilot's walking.

-- "As Stalker pilot here are a few things from my perspective" (Very worth to read it!) Credits SethAbercromby

Spoiler

Do not be afraid to switch up your build. If you feel that you aren't successful as a dedicated brawler, reconfigure your weapons to be able to hit at longer range as well until you get close enough to deal the real pain. Being able to secure position with some long range harassment can also be of great help to your team in the early stages of combat until you find an opening to close in one the enemies.

Do not be afraid to get hurt. Some people seem to try and avoid damage but as an assault pilot you need to be able to take a lot of damage for those that couldn't otherwise survive it. If this was an RPG, the Assault class would generally be the Paladin, putting the team first and themselves second. For a push you must be willing to sacrifice a side torso or even you 'Mech during a push, to enable your team to create as much damage as possible. My Stalkers almost never leave the battlefield with both side torsos intact. If they do, I was either stupid lucky or not helpful enough.
Mobility is key. Even in an Assault chassis. If you can only move at 40kph as a brawler, you might never be fast enough to provide your team with support where it is truly needed. Anything below a 300-rated engine will run dangerously slow on any Assault 'Mech and should be be considered with utmost care when deciding which engine to equip in your chassis.

Know your Meta. Especially when your build doesn't cater to the most popular meta builds. If your enemies love sniping, get close and personal for harassment, but avoid areas that only offer low cover against incoming fire or you will be hurt pretty badly before you get close enough to deliver substantial damage of your own. If said open are is the only path that can be taken for various reason, rally your teammates for a push and act as a shield against incoming fire for your lighter allies. Also can a walking wall of steel consisting of two or more Assaults taking fire and being followed by multiple lighter 'Mechs be absolutely terrifying. If your enemies run a lot of ACs, don't let yourself be baited into urban fights. The high pinpoint hit-and-run tactics that can be employed there will often prove too difficult for a sluggish Assault to fight against. Also are you an easy target for light harassers that will abuse you being pinned down to harass you from the various corners. Instead, lure your enemy into open terrain where your team can focus fire or force them into a corner where they have nowhere to run.

Put your team first, yourself second. I know I've already mentioned it, but this deserves further reinforcement. In its essence, an Assault class 'Mech is a powerful supporter, capable of fighting in the first line of combat and taking a lot of hits for their teammates. This doesn't exclude them from choosing to take the role of a heavily armored sniper, but a pilot should always be aware that Assault 'Mechs will perform best in a supportive role to lead their team to victory.

If you have a microphone, take advantage of VIOP to lead your team with high efficiency and deadly results. Being able to call a quick rush and knowing multiple teammates following behind you can give you the nessecarry courage to keep going once combat gets hot. It also allows you to call priority targets for your team to focus on. If you don't have a microphone, I still reccomend to keep VOIP enabled, but give your teammates a heads-up in chat that you won't be able to respond, but can listen to their calls.

"Allright, let's get f*cking serious, basic shizzle. Basic Atlas guide."Credits: Sarlic

The Atlas has a very tradtional loadout. Each variant has mix and match of hardpoints. Each variant have their own loadout.

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"Its important to know your own weakness. Know your Atlas weakspots."
It can be found here: here

"Pang pang pang! First of all: Find your playstyle"

Which playstyle are you comfortable with?
Are you a brawler type?
A jack of all trades
..Or do you just like to specialise in things?

Variant	Playstyle	Notes	Extra info
BOAR'S HEAD	Keywords: Assist hunter, Agressive, peek and shoot, brawler, third, second and front- lines and damage dealer.	Can be outfitted as a generalist or specialiser. See notes about the AS7-RS.	Any cover is good cover. Because you practically have all your firepower in the arms.Do not recommend torso twisting too much causing too much damage to your arms. Only do it when it's neccessary and cannot be avoided.
AS7-D	Keywords: Agressive, mid-to long range, mix and match, allrounder, lay back and team supporter.	Can be outfitted as a generalist or specialiser: preferly on mid to short range combat.	My recommendation is to mix it up. Short- to mid range oe go for full brawl range.
AS7-D-DC	Keywords: Aggressive, allround, ambusher, facewrecker, multipurpose, juggernaut and spooky Atlas.	Mostly specialised builds. ECM capeable.	Counter it when you notice other ECM mechs are nearby. Alot of people make one mistake when 2-3 mechs are together with ECM equipped: nobody counters. They all have it on disrupt. One should be on counter when you are working with ECM mechs around you.
AS7-K	Keywords: Assist hunter, damage dealer, teamwalker and supportive- allround mech.	Generalist.Heavily relies on teamsupport. Dual AMS. Do not recommend brawling with it. Excellent teamwalker for engaging LRM boaters on the go. Relies on support to rule out the boaters.	One missile slot. Great mech for the longer distance. But one of the hardest chassis to pilot and making it effective.
AS7-RS+RS(C)	Keywords: See playstyle BOAR'S HEAD.	Generalist. Less exposure times then other variants.	All energy points are stacked in both arms. Make use of your energy hardpoints in the arms. Build and divide the chassis up as a generalist for shortening your exposure times under cover.
AS7-S	Keywords: Aggressive, allround, ambusher, facewrecker, multipurpose & juggernaut.	Can be outfitted as a generalist or specialiser.	Great allround purpose mech due its 4 missile slots but mostly outfitted for brawling purposes.Recommend: brawling setup.

"But hey, how are you making it work? " My prefered playstyles:

Variant	How-to
BOAR'S HEAD	Still need to buy it! Perhaps donate?
AS7-D
AS7-D-DC
AS7-K
AS7-RS+RS(C)
AS7-S+(L)

What about builds?
First of all i want you to try to build the Atlas on your own.
Go figure, go optimise it and run test drives...alot. See what works for you or what doesn't work for you. I normally never share my builds.

It's a big list i have saved over years. ...And they still work!

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"Brawler, jack of all trades and specialise"

The Atlas is excellent at trading fire on close to medium range. Long range is possible but keep it limited. The Atlas is not very good at exchanging fire on long range. For example the gauss rifle only has 15 HPs, is low slung on your right side of the chassis. The back/rear of the Atlas is extremely vunerable. One few hits on your right rear where the gauss rifle is located and your rifle gets disabled. Another situation is that your gauss rifle easily gets critted. If it gets critted it will pop and you will lose half of your firepower on already limited weapon platform. You will have to expose atleast 50% of your upper/side body to take a shot alone on your target. However that does not mean that the gauss rifle is a bad choice. - Certainly not!

Advice: About gauss rifles: It has it's drawbacks but other weapons are a in my opinion a better choice. AC20 is really decent as the AC10 and the LBX10.

Advice: I would only use the gauss rifle if you either outfit atleast one energypoint to long range to make the gaus rifle worthwile. For example one Gauss + 1-2 ERLL or Gauss + 1-2 LL and NOT Gauss + medium, medium pulse, etc. The gauss rifle is a excellent tradeout for example with STD300 up to STD325. The STD300 has already a limited and slow twist, but since you are outfitted for both longer and medium range you can twist incoming long range fire. A Brawler with short range weapons needs a bigger engine with a faster twist range in order to fullfill his role effective.

"So what are good weapons to use on what chassis?"
Based on my experience. Note: the Atlas can only 10 tubes at the times. 6 for SRMs.

Spoiler

In my opinion bad weapon choices: E: Small pulse lasers, Small lasers, ER/PPC (only use when quirked), TAG & Flamers M: SRM2, LRM5 LRM20 (too much heat, too much timespan between volleys) B: Machinegun, AC/2 & NARC.

"Speed means in certain circumstances life!"

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"DO NOT MOUNT XL ENGINE ON ANY ATLAS!"

Clantech and others are getting faster by the day. The current meta is a drawback as well. The STD300 comes mostly stock. But its terrible in our current condition of gameplay. The torso twist gives not enough speed to brawl on close range. However; it's excellent if you twist incoming fire on mid-long range.The downside of thid choice of the engine is that if you are trying to make it work in the solo-que you probaly will get left alone...alot of times. These situations can occur alot of times:

You get left alone. Lovely snack for lights.
You get behind by a NASCAR and get caught up by the enemy.
No players are supporting you when you exchange fire with the enemy; thus ruling out any support and gets you killed.
No medium for close-mid range support. You get easily wasted because the twist is not fast enough in close range situations.

Advice: Use STD325 and up. You do sacrifice slots and ammo. But it's worth the speed increase as it might be a lifesaver on the long term.

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"Should i frontload armor?"

Definitely!

But you should always follow one rule!
You decide which weapon need a frontload - or not?

Weapon examples:	Frontload	Notes
Double UAC5(+AC5)	A little bit more then usual. Double weapons, long range.	-
AC/10	Little bit. Mid range weapon.	-
AC/20	Yes! As much as possible. It's a giant and gets easily disabled. Close range weapon needs more armor.	Watch your rear though...The front: A few slaps on it and you lose half of your firepower.
Gauss rifle	Yes.	Watch your rear. The gauss rifle only has 5 HP as far i know. High risk - high reward weapon. The downside is when you frontload too much and you get a breach on your rear armor disabling your gauss rifle instant. Gauss rifles have chances to explode. Gauss ammo can be safely stored in the side torso. Gauss ammo DO NOT explode.
LRM 10/15/20	No*	*Depends on what builds you are going to run.
SRM 2/4/6	Always.	-

Keep in mind when frontloading armor your back gets more exposed. You should always keep an eye (or others in you are in the group que) on your rear.

When you spawn as the furtest lance in your team (when your team is too far away to aid when lights are trying to pick you on range) you can always try moving into position with your rear angled.

"Easier said then done!"

First of all: Remove any crap from your cockpit. Twisting is the hardest part of any chassis. You have to predict incoming fire. Good and experienced pilots knows they either twist with you along and or wait while you twist back and fire their alpha in your ST/CT again. It's a puzzle, it's a challenge and it needs time to get decent at twisting.

This is your main view. When spotting enemies make use of your cockpit and view. The reason i said you should remove any crap in your cockpit beause it will block your view when you are trying to spot or are twisting in combat.

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Note the Red Dorito on your left? That's right. The green line should be your main view at all times. The red does not matter in most combat situations. If you are twisting in combat make use of your most left- or right windows to spot if your enemies is twisting as well or is waiting til you are twisted back.

Again: Protecting your CT/ST is critical. Too many people are not twisting enough. Atleast not FAR enough. Folks are still able to hit your CT/ST when don't twist enough.

In the example as shown below is how to twist against LRM fire to spread the damage across multiple components.

Still images how to twist:

Spoiler

Notice the difference in height? Aim your arms down towards the ground!

Depending on your chassis. Twist left or right. Make sure to use your legs as well. Not only your upper torso.
Carefully choose your playstyle and engine! Bigger engine means better twisting, but sacrificing ammo, slots and perhaps even cooling. Smaller engines lack the speed to twist decently!
Twist your torso far enough. Limited twisting means more potential fire in your CT/ST.
Timing is essential. If someone twist with you try to adapt and try not to automatically twist as well. Full stop and aim for the weapons and or alpha the CT. I know, it's easier said then done.
When twisting make sure to look with your cockpit DOWN and NOT UP. Your arms are the shields.
When twisting back make sure to look either left (depending your twist) or right of your cockpit how the enemy is positioned.

Good luck, Mechwarrior!

*More to come, takes time*

Edited by Sarlic, 07 December 2015 - 09:23 PM.

- If an Atlas (or other assault 'mech) is pushing through a choke-point, such as the entrances to the "Pit of Fire" on Terra Therma, follow him (but not too closely), especially if there's significant fire (or they type 'push' in chat). This will allow the Atlas to push forward, draw the fire, while the other mechs follow behind and fire on the enemy 'mechs concentrated on the Atlas. Atlas pilots will generally die as a result, but I've used this tactic before and although I might only put out ~200 damage before dying, the people who were bottled up are then able to roll over the enemy.

- When an Atlas (Assault) is in a brawl, and you're not, do NOT try and:

A: Snipe on an enemy in close proximity to the Atlas, unless you know for certain where the Atlas is going (i.e. Voice comms). I've been in brawls with 3-4 'mechs and then been teamkilled, or otherwise significantly team-damaged because someone thought it'd be a good idea to fire into the cluster without looking to see where I was headed (the legs can give it away). Then criticized for running into said teammate's line of fire.

B: (Generally as a light 'mech) Try and dart in front of the Atlas for the kill on a 'mech. Not only do you run the risk of pinning the atlas (and yourself) due to collisions, but you also run the significant risk of friendly fire.

C: Put an artillery/air strike on his location. Just because there's a significant cluster of enemy 'mechs and you're sure to get plenty of hits, the Atlas pilot may not be able to survive the strike, or may be wanting to place one of his own. (If I'm brawling 4 or more enemies, I'll try to push through the line, having dropped a strike on the group - I'm good with killing myself through consumable strikes, but I get upset if it's a friendly. Double standard, I know.)

D: Join the brawl then decide that you don't want to get further damaged, and then run away. Nothing like a good push that evaporates when damage is taken to upset the now-dead Atlas pilot.

Do, however:

A: Join the brawl (preferably at the outsides) and fire on the enemies.

B: Use LRMS at targets near the Atlas. For dumb-firing LRMS (in case brawl is covered by enemy ECM), try to determine direction of Atlas pilot's walking.

more to come as they come to me. I tend to run Atlai almost exclusively (and will be switching to my Dire Wolf soon).

Edited by RedEagle86, 04 April 2014 - 03:38 AM.

Help The Atlas! [How-To, Guide And Tips For The New Players]

#1 Sarlic

#2 Redshift2k5

#3 William Slayer

#4 Sarlic

#5 RedEagle86

#6 Sarlic

#7 Sarlic

#8 Urdasein

#9 Sarlic

#10 Ovion

#11 Sarlic

#12 Sarlic

#13 luxebo

#14 Sarlic

#15 Koniving

#16 Cord78

#17 Sarlic

#18 Sarlic

#19 William Slayer

#20 Androas

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