7 replies to this topic

[Navy Sixes]

Hello.

I'm looking into the Nova. I've been tinkering in Smurfy's and I really like the look of it on paper, but I've been burnt before on the things the paper can't quite convey (most importantly scale, arm articulation, and torso twist).

So I was wondering if anyone out there who's run them extensively can give me some feedback. How do they feel? How's the scale and the maneuverability? How are their hit boxes?

I'm used to running IS mediums with some proficiency, and 89kph is about the speed I like to go in them, so the engine is just right, I think. I also like the JJs. Right now I'm solo PUGing exclusively, so I don't need it to be meta-1337-compliant, although it'd be nice to know if anyone thought it was a mech with that potential.

Any info on the above, plus tactics, build tips, and overall impressions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and good hunting.

[Khrage]

Not a lot of experience, but I have finished getting all elites and am now working on Master.

Nova Prime (my face melter)
Matches 28, Wins 19, Losses 9, Ratio: 2.11. Kills 34, Deaths 21, Ratio 1.62

Also have Shadowhawks, and Centurions Mastered, so that colors my experience.

All of the above taken, I would say the Nova is a blast! My overall impression is very positive.

Speed is acceptable for its size, especially with the tweak. Packs a LOT of damage. I have toyed with the 12 ERSMLS and the 12 ERMLS and pretty much every combo of them you can get. I prefer 6 SMLS and 5 MLS and 2 MGs right now. Fill the rest of the tonnage with heat sinks and maintain fire discipline, because one alpha will cook you and shut you down. But you can build it in a lot of ways that are effective.

Tactics: DO find a heavy and stick to him. As soon as he gets any attention, take out the opposition. I run with Target Info Gathering Module and look for anything already weak and take it off, usually with one or two hits. If you can find a back, that mech is done for so long as you don't overheat.
DON'T run off by yourself if you can avoid it, because damn you are a priority target.

As far as Meta goes, yeah, you can stick a couple ERPPCS and go to town with the JJs if you want, but other variants are just as good or better for it. The Nova Prime shines for sheer face melting goodness (even with the recent nerfs to SMLS damage).

As for hitboxes, well, you are gonna lose arms. That is just an automatic. They are a little wide, but fairly maneuverable, so you can spread damage fairly well.

[Hastur Azargo]

Nova is quite large for a 50-tonner, but hitboxes allow you to spread some damage between those large limbs. Then again, running mediums you probably know that getting hit hard will get you killed in any 50-tonner, so avoid initiating fights and try to engage targets that are already shooting someone else.

Concept-wise, Nova suffers from lack of weight-saving upgrades (Kit Foxy has almost as much pod-space as this big guy, 14.5t of 30 vs 15.5t of 50), which prevents it from packing ballistics, and it doesn't have any missile hardpoints, so most of your builds are gonna be energy-centered. She's also quite slow. That doesn't mean however that you can't play it, just that you're not gonna be a hit-and-run engager, but a close fire support for your assaults. JJ's also give her some nice defensive maneuverability, but watch your legs after this last patch.

Build-wise, here's how I run my 3 Novas:

NVA-PRIME (Seismic/UAV) - the Small Laser Cheese that's so effective, you almost feel bad about running it. C-ERSLs were nerfed recently, but this build is still viable, although once again, lack of speed and range mean you're gonna have to roll with the deathball, but very good cooling efficiency and strong punch means you bring some very mean and sustainable DPS.

NVA-B (Seismic/UAV) - I went with Hunchback mentality on this one, and found it surprisingly effective. Sure, 2 tons of ammo isn't much, but the fact that you can doeble-tap your UAC-10 allows you to seize more opportunities to deal extra damage. Also, 4 C-ERMLs is a fair array of firepower if you know how to aim your lasers well.

NVA-S (Seismic/Zoom) - And this replicates what I used to run on Treb-5J, a long range poker, with enough firepower to get in close and personal when the time is right. With this you can actually engage enemy mechs before the brawl phase, assuming you have terrain/ECM to cover you from LURMZ, and this is where JJs will come in handy while you're jabbing enemy Dire Whales from a distance too big for their ballistics to reliably hit you. Also, an actual subdued camo is most useful on this one, since it will make you harder to target from a distance in standoff phase.

All in all, I found the Novas underwhelming initially, but actually running them made me reconsider. Sure, it leaves you wishing for more (which you can get with the Stormcrow), but the whole lot of JJ's, decent hitboxes and a proper playstyle will make your Nova do a lot more than just hold her own.

Bottom line is, this isn't a 100% recommended mech, so there are things to consider, but an experienced Medium pilot can make this little thing work like a charm.

Verdict: Easy 7/10, and a special place in my heart.

[Tremendous Upside]

Straight out of the box, it's not going to overwhelm you. It's too hot, and it honestly feels a little "sluggish" for it's weight. What it does have though (that surprised me at least), is plenty of torso twist and arm range... Clan ERMLs take a little getting used to initially as well. A lot of players don't like the long duration - but after a night or two of concentrating on them, you'll have them down cold. And you'll never ever want to go back to IS ones

The hitboxes are surprisingly good for a 50-ton mech. The Nova soaks up damage like a mech 20 tons heavier - just so long as you don't get stupid and shutdown in a crossfire or completely out of cover. Your arms and legs will take the bulk of your damage -- and in truth, the legs are THE biggest weakness of the mech. I'm pretty certain the majority of times I've died have come to leggings over straight CT/ST blast-outs... Something you'll want to keep in mind when you run up against other Novas (and Stormcrows for that matter .

As for build tips? Don't bother with machine guns. They're super-light and you're going to want to think the tonnage spent is worth it. It's not. They've been nerfed so hard that you'll literally need to stare and shoot for 5+ just to take a stripped component off. You're better off with a couple extra heat sinks. A lot of guys have success with 12 ERSLs. They're brutal when you're in range and very sustainable - but the range is a serious consideration. Others like to run theirs in the Prime stock configuration. Great at mid-long range, but you're not going to be very sustainable up close. It's a total "hit and run" config. I run a mix of those two with 6 ERMLs and 6 ERSLs (and 21 DHS). That seems to give you the best of both worlds. It's still a very strong mid-long range puncher (think 4.5 IS LLs without ghost heat) and the SLs give you the CQ damage you need as you cool down (you'll actually drop your heat even if you're firing them continuously). Using both sets of weapons (fired on separate groups of course), the damage you'll do is staggering. 1-2 volley kills on IS mediums and heavies with ease. Just make sure you keep them staggered. Firing all of them together will shut you down for 10+ seconds even from 0% heat

[Navy Sixes]

Azargo, on 07 July 2014 - 08:58 AM, said:

C-ERSLs were nerfed recently

I've seen this said several times, but I'm having a hard time finding the link. Are the stats currently up at Smurfy's correct? If so, C-ERSLs still look pretty sweet; I can't imagine what they were doing before the nerf!

Banky, on 08 July 2014 - 06:57 AM, said:

What it does have though (that surprised me at least), is plenty of torso twist and arm range

That's what I was hoping to hear. I got really burnt on my Loup De Guerre because I didn't do this sort of research and found the twist and arm range were horrible (my opinion, all you TB devils out there just cool your jump-jets!) for a mech that relies on low-slung arm-mounted hardpoints.

Banky, on 08 July 2014 - 06:57 AM, said:

The hitboxes are surprisingly good for a 50-ton mech. The Nova soaks up damage like a mech 20 tons heavier

Also good to hear.

Banky, on 08 July 2014 - 06:57 AM, said:

Don't bother with machine guns. They're super-light and you're going to want to think the tonnage spent is worth it. It's not. They've been nerfed so hard that you'll literally need to stare and shoot for 5+ just to take a stripped component off.

Yeah, another 'burn n learn' moment for me with the Arrow. MGs are pretty much garbage, even with 6 of 'em. Between them and the AC/2 nerf, I feel like ballistic slots on a mech (IS, anyway, haven't played with the clan guns, yet) under 55 tons is a bad joke; someone at PGI trolllolololing out of their chair.

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback so far, everyone. I'm still correlating data, as they say, and scrounging money in case I do decide to buy in. If you all or anyone else has anything to add, feel free.

[Eboli]

Have mastered all three.

You will lose arms and legs regularly which to me means that the hitboxes are working good.

Being successful in a Nova comes down to the way you play style is. If you are patient, have good heat management and don't try to Rambo it this mech can be quite devastating.

A second line mech in my opinion. Choose your targets wisely and stay close to heavies assaults as they take most of the attention in a firefight.

After trying many loadouts I ended up going with 6SLs either side with MGs for all my Novas. Targeting computer seemed to be advantageous as well and usually you will have a bit of component destruction bonuses at the end of the game

This is a mech where you can pull your hair out in frustration or have a smile at the end of the game.

Hope this helps!
Eboli

[Rando Slim]

So I don't have the experience these other guys do but so far I am really having a hard time in the Nova and I am an experienced medium pilot......it looks awesome though. This mech is ******* up my K/D ratio super hard. Then again I hate most mechs before I get all the elite skills done. The Nova doesn't have enough space considering how slow it is. It doesn't maneuver quickly enough, like most clan mechs the arms hang too low for my taste considering it has no meaningful backup in its torsos. Firing at anything above or below you is a ballache and a half. You will get arms and legs blown off at a terrifying and frustrating rate. I guess the fact I'm an experienced light/medium pilot is the problem case this is not a run and gun mech like I thought/hoped. It doesn't really fit my style of a BJ-1x or a treb-7m. I cant seem to live long enough to do a lot of damage and even when I get a good shot at someones back I swear all my damage isn't registering and yes I held the lasers on target. Like even a timberwolf should go down pretty quick if you put 100-150 points into his torsos but nope not for me, then everyone else blows off my whole torso in one magic shot shot after Ive beat the **** out of them with lasers to the point there shouldn't be anything left of them. I played this mech for about 5 hours tonight and had 12 kills and 28 deaths. Atrocious and my overall ration USED to be around 1.2. The Prime variant is too damn hot no matter what......I've tried 5 ERsml and 5 ERML its ok but not flexible. The other two variants I honestly have no idea what to do with them because machine guns suck now and you don't have enough space for any of the real ballistics plus backups.

So yea as others have said if your patient enough to stick with the blob and can manage heat well then I guess it could be ok maybe even good considering how all the maps facilitate deathblobbing and waiting around a lot. But if you are like me and enjoy fast mediums and lights or just have a hard time with arm-only weapons and heat management you will likely get pissed off at it after a bit. But it sure does look cool.

[The Wakelord]

I've been enjoying the Nova meta build of 6ML+2SL. I've been tweaking my remaining space between DHS, targetting computer & MGs depending on my current mood. Not unusual for a +600dmg game, but beware people like to pick on you, and LRMs really mess you over because you're quite broad.