31 replies to this topic

[Tereva]

So far I have the Orion + the Jenner : very different but I like both.

I usually like to get close and personal, so more looking at a brawler. I am thinking of :

- Firestarter : same play style as the Jenner if I get it right. More agile but less punch right ?

- Stalker : Not a brawler I know, but I have the Misery and it is fun to pilot

- Raven (mostly because I really like the look) : again not really a brawler if I understand correctly. More like a pesty / vulture play style + assault support (EMC and fire). Correct ?

Any other idea for a brawler ?

Something else any mech with the reputation to be fast + packing some punch ?


Thx for any idea

Shoot straight

Tereva

[Alaskan Nobody]

One question - do you have the masteries (or at least Elite skills) for the chassis/variants you already have?

[Tereva]

Aye aye Sir !
My Jenner has become a beast with basic x2 !!

[SethAbercromby]

The Misery is actually a pretty good brawler. Have you tried LBX + ASRM6? It won't get you many kills, but you can brawl pretty hard and your teammates can finish off whatever you've prepared for the kill. Also, the CT is pretty hard to hit from the front which means that your STs will absorb a lot of the incoming damage. Pack a BAP and not even a D-DC can hide from you.

The 3F and 5S are more designed towards being a walking weapons platform. I recommend building an all-range weapons loadout to be able to chose your engagements on the fly as the fight progresses. I'm personally very successful with that configuration on my 5S as it can quickly shift from being a second line fire supporter to a first line spearhead.

The 3H and 5M both boat missiles, but with different ideals. The 3H has extremely large tube counts for massive single salvos, while the 3M has the highest total number of Missile hardpoints of the Stalker chassis. Both have their merits and what you choose to use is very dependent on what you prefer a missile boat to be.

[Scifimyth]

Shar Wolf makes a really good point. Have you fully mastered the chasis you have? If not, then stick with your existing chasis till you do. If you have mastered them and are looking for a new one, then your choices open up.

Firestarter - depending on the version you get and the setup you put on it, it can be more heavily armed than the Jenner. The ballistic variants are real crit hunters, the energy variants are decent at carving armour and good for that first shot at the back of bigger mechs and those unaware of your prescence. There is even one with dual AMS for helping protect your team or shutting down LRM boats.

Stalker - Depends on the variant but they make for strong missile builds and decent laser / PPC boats. Just watch out for the ghost heat penalties.

Raven - Depending on the version they can fulfill different roles. Commonly seen variants include the -3L with ECM and 2 ERLL, the Hugin with 4xMG and 2xSSRM2, and the -4x with some variety of Long range AC or PPCs. Only the -4X and the Hugin have jumpjets, so if you rely on those you are somewhat limited.

[HimseIf]

i am trying firestarters now, trying to keep them affordable and not use massive XL engines. Not as fast or agile as a jenner, it is like a small medium if that info' helps you in choosing.

[Tereva]

SethAbercromby, on 02 May 2014 - 08:29 PM, said:

The Misery is actually a pretty good brawler. Also, the CT is pretty hard to hit from the front

So you don't twist torso with it ?

Quote

The 3H and 5M both boat missiles, but with different ideals.

Never try to brawl with the 5m with 6x SRM6 ammo dependent, but must hit hard when someone is in front, no ?

HimseIf, on 02 May 2014 - 08:43 PM, said:

i am trying firestarters ... Not as fast or agile as a jenner, it is like a small medium if that info' helps you in choosing.

hum... good to know , thx ! I really enjoy zapping around with my Jenner while hitting hard

[SethAbercromby]

Tereva, on 02 May 2014 - 08:47 PM, said:

So you don't twist torso with it ?

No, but it makes keeping damage away from your CT easier. In a direct brawl, where you don't have the luxury to aim precisely, this can be a huge benefit, since the time you're twisting away is time you're not shooting at your enemy.

Tereva, on 02 May 2014 - 08:47 PM, said:

Never try to brawl with the 5m with 6x SRM6 ammo dependent, but must hit hard when someone is in front, no ?

You have the tonnage to do that including Atremis upgrade and carry a solid number of backup weapons (for example 7 tons of ammo, 4MLs and one LPL). It will definitely hit pretty hard but you should chainfire them, as I've been told that the CryEngine doesn't support explosions over a certain number and will cause Missiles to not register at all.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Tereva, on 02 May 2014 - 08:47 PM, said:

So you don't twist torso with it ?

You do - as people will be targeting that ballistic side - but from the front your CT is very narrow, so you want to face-tank when possible
(of course, from the top or bottom the CT is very WIDE so be careful about that - and LRM)

[Koniving]

You can make the Firestarter different. For example cut back on speed and carry bigger ACs on it. It tanks really well. Its what I originally did with the Firestarter. At first it had twin AC/5s. But ammo was scarce. Then an AC/5 + AC/2 combination. Worked great but a little hot. So I tried a single AC/5 + some MGs and 4 ML. Wasn't so great, so traded it for 4 SPL, was okay but not enough range, so went with 2 MPL and felt great!

Getting used to the slow speed I eventually tossed the slow XL engine and went straight to a standard engine with smaller firepower. Which lead to these.

Here's two scores from last night.




That's 1 MPL, 2 SL, 2 tons of MG ammo and 4 MGs and a standard engine.

*Checks.* Standard 250 engine

Edited by Koniving, 02 May 2014 - 10:00 PM.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Another Firestarter alternative is stripping from one arm like this build. I've had success with that.



And if you'd like to goof around some, you can try Commandos (and later even Locusts one day!?!).

But certainly, try a Commando first (before a Locust) as they can be fast with a good enough punch.

[Tereva]

What about medium (I have no medium chassis so far), are they still relevant ? (too slow compared to a light and not enough armor compared to an heavy).

[Alaskan Nobody]

Tereva, on 02 May 2014 - 10:13 PM, said:

What about medium (I have no medium chassis so far), are they still relevant ? (too slow compared to a light and not enough armor compared to an heavy).

I dunno how relavent they are, but I LOVE my meds

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Tereva, on 02 May 2014 - 10:13 PM, said:

What about medium (I have no medium chassis so far), are they still relevant ? (too slow compared to a light and not enough armor compared to an heavy).

Yes, still very relevant.

I'd say that based on chassis consider:

• Shadowhawk
  
• Hunchback
  
• Centurion

These three have solid versatility, with the Shadowhawks doing the best overall currently, due to very nice hardpoint locations, hitboxes and jumpjets.



Edit:

Once missile weapons are more consistent, I figure that the balance will shift some, but for now these seem to provide at least the most consistent performance; and some of these available variants should be worth keeping regardless of any experimenting with medium mechs into the future.

Edited by Praetor Shepard, 02 May 2014 - 10:37 PM.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Praetor Shepard, on 02 May 2014 - 10:31 PM, said:

Shadowhawk

• Hunchback
  
• Centurion

These three have solid versatility, with the Shadowhawks doing the best overall currently, due to very nice hardpoint locations, hitboxes and jumpjets.

Adding to this:

Shadowhawk
+Variety of hardpoints
+JJ
+Heavier
-2nd worst torso-twist in a medium
-Worst visibility of any chassis so far

Hunchback
+Hunch trick
+Tougher than people expect
+Good at focusing on one weaponset (IE an AC/20 or lrm/srm or lasers)
-No JJ
-focuses on one weaponset

Centurion
+Zombie king
+variety of hardpoints
+shield arm (can protect anything but legs)
-easily disarmed ballistics
-no JJ

(rough list - I am getting tired )
Edit: forgot the tunnel vision

Edited by Shar Wolf, 02 May 2014 - 10:48 PM.

[Appogee]

Given your present Mechs are Lights, Heavies and Assaults, I'd recommend you try to Master a Medium, so that you have something for each of the 3+3+3+3 to be reintroduced when PGI works out how to code.

In Mediums, the most versatile brawlers are Shadowhawks. Kintaros are also surprisingly good, and will get better when SRMs start to hit more reliably. Cicada 3-M, with ECM, is a great Mech, though the other Cicadas play more like Lights than Mediums.

Edited by Appogee, 02 May 2014 - 11:05 PM.

[Takashi Uchida]

I had long boring post about Firestarters and Ravens because I've owned 3 of each but I'll tldr it: It looks like Firestarters and Ravens won't be "brawly" enough and Stalkers won't be quick enough.

Previous posts have already highlighted the Hunchback, Centurion, and Shadowhawk. I would say the Shadowhawk is the most versatile of the three though it does have some quirks you may find frustrating (tall, poor peripheral vision, muzzle flash, limited twist). The flexibility of the chassis is enough to compensate for those, IMO. The SHD-2D2 is personally my best mech according to W/L and K/D.

I would also recommend the Cataphract as a brawler. The 3D, 1X and Ilya Muromets can be made into very capable brawlers. The 4x is very slow, it's more suited to long ranged, hard hitting builds. The 2x is the red-headed stepchild. 3D is by general consensus one of the best mechs in the game and can use jump jets. The big thing to get used to with the Cataphracts is that the arms are low. You will probably shoot a lot of dirt and first. You won't get blazing speeds if you want a lot of firepower but unless you pick the 4x (limited to a 255 engine), you will prob be able to keep up with your crew.

You may want to look into the Victors if you don't mind picking up another assault mech. They all have jump jets and can mount the "meta" AC/PPC builds. But, they aren't just limited to jump sniping. They have a large engine range and can go quite quick for assault mechs. The 9B and 9S are capable of an arm-mounted AC20, a nice brawler weapon. Left torso features at least 2 missile hardpoints good for streaks and SRMs (make sure you check the tube numbers). Watch out though, if you lose an arm you've likely lost a lot of your firepower.

[luxebo]

Takashi Uchida, on 02 May 2014 - 11:36 PM, said:

I had long boring post about Firestarters and Ravens because I've owned 3 of each but I'll tldr it: It looks like Firestarters and Ravens won't be "brawly" enough and Stalkers won't be quick enough.

Previous posts have already highlighted the Hunchback, Centurion, and Shadowhawk. I would say the Shadowhawk is the most versatile of the three though it does have some quirks you may find frustrating (tall, poor peripheral vision, muzzle flash, limited twist). The flexibility of the chassis is enough to compensate for those, IMO. The SHD-2D2 is personally my best mech according to W/L and K/D.

I would also recommend the Cataphract as a brawler. The 3D, 1X and Ilya Muromets can be made into very capable brawlers. The 4x is very slow, it's more suited to long ranged, hard hitting builds. The 2x is the red-headed stepchild. 3D is by general consensus one of the best mechs in the game and can use jump jets. The big thing to get used to with the Cataphracts is that the arms are low. You will probably shoot a lot of dirt and first. You won't get blazing speeds if you want a lot of firepower but unless you pick the 4x (limited to a 255 engine), you will prob be able to keep up with your crew.

You may want to look into the Victors if you don't mind picking up another assault mech. They all have jump jets and can mount the "meta" AC/PPC builds. But, they aren't just limited to jump sniping. They have a large engine range and can go quite quick for assault mechs. The 9B and 9S are capable of an arm-mounted AC20, a nice brawler weapon. Left torso features at least 2 missile hardpoints good for streaks and SRMs (make sure you check the tube numbers). Watch out though, if you lose an arm you've likely lost a lot of your firepower.

Ravens and Firestarters ain't brawly enough you say? Well say hello to these: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b1a1cf3eefa5a71 http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d2fb8f32ae77fda

But well written post, though I think the OP should go finish up the Stalkers, as he already has the Misery, which is a beast on the field. Something that could be considered later I guess.

[Redshift2k5]

Tereva, on 02 May 2014 - 10:13 PM, said:

What about medium (I have no medium chassis so far), are they still relevant ? (too slow compared to a light and not enough armor compared to an heavy).

Mediums will become MORE relevant when 3/3/3/3 comes online, and many Mediums are capable of punching well above their weight as long as you are nobody's primary target. Mediums make great escorts and flankers, and their mobility lets them betetr relocate to be in the right place at the right time.

[Koniving]

Tereva, on 02 May 2014 - 10:13 PM, said:

What about medium (I have no medium chassis so far), are they still relevant ? (too slow compared to a light and not enough armor compared to an heavy).

I thought you got a Griffin at one point. o.O;