19 replies to this topic

[KuroNyra]

Hello people, I have a problem and recently take out of my mechbay the Yen-Lo-Wang.

Problem is I find that mech incredlibly "hot" (and I mean very easy to overheat) and can't get a configuration who will allow me to have a nice mech with some firepower.

But so far, all my build have failed.
I use and STD engine 215
2 small laser
and 2 AC/2 with 5 ton of ammo. The armor is maxed out and I have 3 Simple Heat Sink.
The armor is standart, same for the structure.


Should I upgrade the structure and the armor?
Put another bigger engine? (I'm quite slow.)
put Double Heatsink?

Centurion's pilots, I need your advice.

[FireSlade]

I find AC2s to be lacking when it comes to firepower and not worth the lower arm actuator that the YLW is missing. That leaves to options for me being the AC20 or twin UAC5s. The other problem being that single heat sinks are almost useless and it is almost always worth the upgrade to DHS. What I run in my YLW is an XL 300 engine which gives you a full 2.0 heat per-second and a speed of 97.2-106.9 kph. I treat it like a fast skirmisher able to get in and get out fast, rather than brawl with it since they are not as strong as they used to be. 2 ML lasers do not do much alone so try to avoid the zombie advice and make sure to protect that right arm since it is the first thing people aim for. Good luck and good hunting with your YLW

[MonkeyCheese]

AC2s have been nerfed into oblivion lately.

[Wrenchfarm]

Single heat sinks are terrible, upgrade to DHS and you'll see a marked improvement.

That said, the rest of your build looks like trouble too. Small lasers? How often do you find you're actually in range to use those? A small engine? I'm not sure how a slow medium can survive these days. 2xAC2s is a "meh" choice on the YLW. AC2s are a DPS weapon that requires you to pound on a target for an extended period of time, but the YLW doesn't have the armour to stand there trading hits. One of the supposedly redeeming qualities of the Centurion is that it can use it's entire left side to tank hits because it doesn't store anything valuable in there and the left arm has that big old shield and shoulder guard.

This is why the Gold Standard YLW build will always be the STD250, AC20 + 4 tons of ammo, 2xMLAS, and DHS, Endo, and Ferro upgrades. You get speed, survivability, heat management, and a big solid punch you can dump then twist around and absorb return fire.

There are other things you can do with the Wang. I've seen glass cannon builds that use a Guass and ERLAS with an XL engine to stay at range and peck away at the enemy. Personally, I don't like XLs in Cents since they become so squishy (and your just adding expense to a hero mech you already paid money for), but it is an option. Dual UAC5 builds are also powerful, but generally run short on ammo or require an XL engine as well.

[bossclan]

I would run it with the ac20 because that thing blows chunks off of mechs, the wang can use it so very well.

I had a fight with one on terra therma the other day and though i did win, my mech was trashed and the next enemy that found me had an easy kill.

[qki]

Are you rapid-firing your ac2? That can be incredibly hot. Also - double heat sinks are a game-changer here - I run XL300 with an AC20, 2 MPL and 12 DHS and can't recal when is the last time I had heat problems with my YLW.

[Mad Porthos]

Edit: #1 thing... Double Heat Sinks!!!

I know many have sung the praise of the zombie centurion, or zombie yeng lo wang, which is a standard engine centurion who can be more durable than most expect, because it survives the destruction of the arms, survives the destruction of side torsos in a way that an XL engine centurion would not. The fact that it survives losing arms and side torsos, but still has armament in the center torso has long been praised and desired, but when you get down to it, two medium lasers are not all that great. You got a little punch if fired together and close up, but the fact is for the YENG LO, the zombie utility is even less valid because you've only the arm weapon, then zombie mode, no in betweens.

For Centurions, such as the A, D and AL variants, there are other weapons... opposite side torso mounted missiles, lasers in the arm in addition to the CT, so on and so forth. For these mechs, zombie mode is just part of a sliding scale of decreased efficiencies and you can be glad to still have those two center torso medium lasers, you probably made whatever your arm weapons and side torso weapons were, count as you were fighting and losing that arm and side torso. In the YENG LO wang though it's night and day...on moment you've full efficiency, an AC20 which takes up the whole arm and is guaranteed to be critted even if the arm isn't blow away... the next moment it's gone and all you have is the 2 medium lasers in the CT for the rest of the match. That's no fun and almost all the time, you see any skilled opponent doing just that to you.

So why bother with zombieing in the Yeng Lo Wang? The arguement for a brawler zombie works for the other Centurions, but not for the Wang, due to the easy disarm (easy off AC20!). So you may as well use it as that quicker striker mode, with the XL300, weaving through a battlefield, quickly coming around a bend firing the 20 and 2ML, twisting away to protect the arm and rushing behind cover to avoid the return fire. Repeat. Loiter around guarding a missile boat or two, backing up some big boys too, then when your ac20 can really make a difference, when some armor has been peeled and that front loaded damage can actually KILL some clan mechs, roll in and give the coupe de grace.

If you've lost your AC20 earlier in the fight, again, you can't use it when it's most effective, taking down those behemoths who've been wrecking the field, but have finally lost most of their armor in the sandblaster of combat.

One last thing, that I've found effective. Rather than the 2 medium lasers on the Yeng Lo Wang, running an ER Large Laser in the CT, along with the AC20 and 4 tons ammo. I may have had to down grade the engine to an XL280, but it's still pretty fast and with Advanced Zoom, Target Info Gathering, it's actually got some ranged effectiveness when necessary, since that AC20 does not travel very far. ER Large also can be great for swiping at open legs of lights, in a scything manner. Some that I've seen have actually doubled down on close range though, and lowered their XL engine a tad bit more, going with Large Pulse Laser in CT, but still maintaining the AC20. I've a pretty neutral view on this, though I don't really see why not if you really like to engage up close with the AC20.

Edited by Mad Porthos, 04 July 2014 - 07:53 AM.

[KuroNyra]

Thanks for the tips.

I used before an AC/20 with 2 ML in the center torso.
But the mech took forever to be lose heat.

[qki]

Standard engine "zombie"
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d8cd7c71392ce3a

XL engine (faster, but can't lose a side torso)
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...292003207155532

Same thing, with standard armour, non-pulse lasers and AMS
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...adf59e0abcfefeb

You have to be protective of the right arm, and generally think of your mech as "support" - find someone who could use an AC20 shot and apply as necessary.

Edited by qki, 05 July 2014 - 04:51 AM.

[N a p e s]

qki, on 05 July 2014 - 04:46 AM, said:

Standard engine "zombie"
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d8cd7c71392ce3a

XL engine (faster, but can't lose a side torso)
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...292003207155532

Same thing, with standard armour, non-pulse lasers and AMS
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...adf59e0abcfefeb

You have to be protective of the right arm, and generally think of your mech as "support" - find someone who could use an AC20 shot and apply as necessary.

These builds are all the ''standards" and I can vouch for their excellence. I prefer to have 4 tons of AC20 ammo but that's just me.

[Vassago Rain]

KuroNyra, on 04 July 2014 - 08:10 AM, said:

Thanks for the tips.

I used before an AC/20 with 2 ML in the center torso.
But the mech took forever to be lose heat.

Because you're using single heatsinks. Dubs are a mandatory upgrade, even on robots with just a single energy hardpoint, such as the machinegun locust.

[Nightmare1]

Here's mine:



It's incredibly effective! The Mech as pictured was a great machine to pilot. I recently re-built it and removed the AMS to add in additional ammo for the AC/20. I like it even better now.

Edit: Heat has never been a significant issue for me. I run DHS and pack a Cool Shot 9x9 in case I get into a pinch. Overall though, I don't usually need the CS9x9.

Edited by Nightmare1, 08 July 2014 - 06:57 AM.

[Wrenchfarm]

Nightmare1, on 08 July 2014 - 06:56 AM, said:

Here's mine:


It's incredibly effective! The Mech as pictured was a great machine to pilot. I recently re-built it and removed the AMS to add in additional ammo for the AC/20. I like it even better now.

Edit: Heat has never been a significant issue for me. I run DHS and pack a Cool Shot 9x9 in case I get into a pinch. Overall though, I don't usually need the CS9x9.

Why are you running AMS and AC20 ammo in the chest? You have the room to stuff it all in the legs/head where it is safest.

[Nightmare1]

Wrenchfarm, on 08 July 2014 - 07:52 AM, said:

Why are you running AMS and AC20 ammo in the chest? You have the room to stuff it all in the legs/head where it is safest.

3 Reasons:

1) Because with an Excel, it doesn't matter much. The Engine will go first.

2) Since January 1st, I've only experienced 5 ammo explosions across all 25 of my Mechs, collectively (not including Clan Package). They occur so infrequently that I sold all of my C.A.S.E.S.

3) It's an old pic - I've rebuilt it since with a AC/20 ammo in the head and no AMS.

[Felio]

Almost all YLW have an AC/20 in the arm. I used to run an extended range large laser in the center torso for when I wasn't in range for the autocannon, but lately I have been using two medium pulse lasers so I have something to hit light mechs with. Don't even try to hit a light with the cannon unless it is running in a straight line away from or toward you.

This mech more than any other will teach you to torso twist to spread damage. You don't want to lose that right arm. Max the armor everywhere.

Your first priority for C-bills is double heat sinks, then endo steel structure, then fibro ferrous armor. When you can afford it, buy an XL 300 engine. Even if you try it and don't like it in the YLW, you will use it in some other mech. It's a good middle-of-the-road XL engine that finds a good home almost anywhere.

[Bloodweaver]

KuroNyra, on 04 July 2014 - 06:58 AM, said:

I use and STD engine 215
...I have 3 Simple Heat Sink.

These are your two biggest problems. Double heat sinks are, unfortunately because of the way PGI implemented the heat system, absolutely necessary. There are maybe five builds (not 'mechs - specific mech builds) in the game that actually benefit from single over double heat sinks. Double heat sinks are a required upgrade.

The engine deal is a little more complex. It used to be that Centurions had otherworldly survivability. Their arm hitboxes were huge, and a good portion of the arm hitbox would remain even after the arm was destroyed. The side torsos were also large, leaving very little center torso hitbox vulnerable. If you shoot a destroyed body section, damage gets transferred to the next section at a 25% reduction. So if a Centurion had its right arm and RT both destroyed, and the right arm's shoulder joint was hit by an AC20, the 20 points of damage would be transferred to the ST as 15 damage(20 minus 5, 5 being 25% of 20), and since the ST was already gone, those 15 points of damage would then get transferred to the CT as 11.25 (15 minus 3.75, which is 25% of 15). So, you would get hit by an AC20 that did just a little over half of its damage. And because the arm and side-torso hitboxes were so large, it was fairly difficult to hit the CT directly. So, if you still had those sections, they'd protect your CT from pretty much all damage; if you lost them all, you could still lower incoming damage by almost half.

All of this meant that standard engines were a must in Centurions. There were two notable exceptions. CN9-Ds could mount a 390 and thus reach blistering speeds - 126 khp, 139(!) with speed tweak unlocked. However, the standard 390 weighs 53 tons, more than the mech itself. Even the XL weighs 30, well over half the mech's weight. But, although Centurions' side-torsos always took a lot of hits compared to other 'mechs, the speed increase meant you didn't even have to worry about this. The other exception was what you have, Wangs. Your only two real options for the arm are an AC20 or double UAC5s. In both cases, the XL becomes worthwhile because of the firepower it allows you to carry while still being highly mobile.

Now, all of that stuff about Centurions' tankiness no longer applies. They modified the hitboxes. You can still tank damage somewhat better than most 'mechs, but it's no longer a drastically unique feature. So nowadays the choice between standard and XL engines on Centurions is a lot more up to personal playstyle than it used to be.

But, heat-wise. Upgrade to DHS ASAP. After that, mount at least a 250 engine. This gives you ten internal heat sinks, and if you've upgraded to double, those ten internal heat sinks will be doubles as well. Any double heat sinks you mount on your mech yourself are not true doubles - their heat efficiency is only 1.4 times that of the singles. The ones that come with your engine though, are true doubles. Twice as efficient as singles. Every 25 of engine rating counts for one internal heat sink. So a 150 engine has six heat sinks, a 200 has eight, and a 250 has ten. The engine cannot carry any more pre-installed heat sinks than ten, making the 250 the most heat-efficient engine in the game. You CAN mount additional heat sinks into the engine slot for every additional rating of 25 (one additional heat sink for 275, three for 325, six for 400, etc.) BUT these still won't be true doubles. They are just like the other heat sinks you mount yourself into your 'mech. The benefit of putting them into the engine is simply that they won't take up critical spaces.

Have fun!

Edited by Bloodweaver, 08 July 2014 - 10:29 PM.

[Nightmare1]

Here are two vids of my YLW:
http://www.twitch.tv...arejk/c/3923349
http://www.twitch.tv...arejk/c/4090147

Enjoy!

[Alaskan Nobody]

Felio, on 08 July 2014 - 08:31 AM, said:

When you can afford it, buy an XL 300 engine. Even if you try it and don't like it in the YLW, you will use it in some other mech. It's a good middle-of-the-road XL engine that finds a good home almost anywhere.

I would not buy the 300 on it's own - there are enough chassis that come with one (including the CN9-D, which they are probably going to want, to help master the Yenlo) that it is not really cost effective to buy the engine itself (especially if you plan on ever buying one of those chassis)

Add to that the fact that all the chassis that come with upgrades (the more expensive variants in general) are available at a discount to what they "should" cost...
(IE you pay less for that XL300+CN9D together than buying any other CN9 + XL300)

[Ertur]

I used a standard 245 that I had ripped from a Jenner for my YLW. Left the weapons stock, added Endo/FF/DHS, added another ton of ammo, and added max armor. Keep your right arm alive and you can do well. Lose it, and you will do less well. Everyone looks for that right arm. Torso twist to keep them from finding it. Standard 245 or 250 is the best engine for the Wang. Fairly quick, allows for zombie-mode.

[Nightmare1]

Shar Wolf, on 08 July 2014 - 12:58 PM, said:

I would not buy the 300 on it's own - there are enough chassis that come with one (including the CN9-D, which they are probably going to want, to help master the Yenlo) that it is not really cost effective to buy the engine itself (especially if you plan on ever buying one of those chassis)

Add to that the fact that all the chassis that come with upgrades (the more expensive variants in general) are available at a discount to what they "should" cost...
(IE you pay less for that XL300+CN9D together than buying any other CN9 + XL300)

Agreed. When I was mastering my CN9s, I got the D because it had the Excel. I wound up running the Excel 275 instead when it was all said and done, but the D is definitely the best way to go if you have plans to use the 300.