137 replies to this topic

[Koniks]

It's not the best approach but if you have a 50-70 point alpha you can probably frontal assault a DWF 1v1. You can torso twist enough to spread the damage and survive. e.g. the 3xASRM6+4xERML SCR or the 5xERML+2XERLL SCR (or similar).

You probably won't be much use afterwards but trading 55 tons for their 100 tons is still a net-positive.

[IraqiWalker]

Mizeur, on 05 August 2014 - 07:46 AM, said:

It's not the best approach but if you have a 50-70 point alpha you can probably frontal assault a DWF 1v1. You can torso twist enough to spread the damage and survive. e.g. the 3xASRM6+4xERML SCR or the 5xERML+2XERLL SCR (or similar).

You probably won't be much use afterwards but trading 55 tons for their 100 tons is still a net-positive.

Those SCR builds wouldn't last long. They are DoT, and that boils down to a staredown contest, at short range no less, one where you are out-tonned by 45 tons.

You want IS weapons, lots of PP FLD. Big ACs with SRMs are what you want if you decide to go for a frontal assault.

[Clydewinder]

Play Conquest. There are no Direwolves there.

[SethAbercromby]

Clydewinder, on 05 August 2014 - 08:50 AM, said:

Play Conquest. There are no Direwolves there.

Because conquest is no fun perhaps? Skirmish is a boring version of Assault, so Assault is the only good mode to play on.

[The Schwartz]

Get an Atlas D-DC, strap 2x lbx 10's, 3x srm 6's, and a couple ml's or more ammo. Block with your arms by torso twisting, he'll chew through each arm in about 30 seconds. Only turn to fire when the guns are reloaded, turn, fire an alpha into his face and block some more. Neither one of you will feel very good after the engagement, but.. an Atlas can still 1v1 a Direwolf, as long as you can get into range before his ac's find you.

[Jetfire]

Direwolves are purpose built to win the 1v1 stand still and shoot each other fight. The way you beat them is the play any other game that that. They can't torso twist for crap and lack lower arm actuators so getting out of their arc should be easy for anything but the slowest mechs. This also means brawlers like and atlas with an AC20 and SRM's can twist to soak shots with the arms and pound with quick bursts. I found the Warhawk to be more than a match for a DW with an LRM15, UAC20 and 2xERLLas. You can strike and fade quickly. A jenner or a firestarter is just about the scariest thing in the world to a DW pilot.

[MuFasa]

The thing for me about the DW, and this may be a bit off topic and for that I apologize. But it is the first mech that I have both played and played against in game that "feels" like an assault. No matter what build just about you DON'T want to be in-front of it or have it target you. But if you're fast and able to move you can get around it. Several of the other mechs were that way partially but this is the first one that feels like death is just trudging across the battle field. You stay in-front of it, its bad for you, move to the side and it will pass you by.

[IraqiWalker]

Jetfire, on 05 August 2014 - 09:33 AM, said:

[In a Warhawk] You can strike and fade quickly.

That should tell you everything you need to know about how terrible at maneuvering the Direwhale is.

The thing moves like the titanic AFTER it hit the ice berg. If not worse.

[Calamus]

Arc Viper, on 31 July 2014 - 09:37 PM, said:

I've been having a problem with figuring out how to go up against direwolfs with meta builds (6 UAC combo). If you have ever stepped in front of one while it's shooting 6 UACs at you, you know it shreds your armor almost instantaneously.

The only tactic I've garnered so far is to just shoot them when they are not facing me, too busy shredding somebody else. I've learned to never look one in the eyes. But what do you guys aim for? Do you have any specific strategies to take one down?

They have horrible turn radius, and are incredibly slow. Also, their arms don't move very much, and the majority of the ballistic slots are in the torsos, which don't move at all.

When I have to take on Dire Wolves, I take them from the side, or I get to their side and back as quickly as possible. They have tremendous armor in their arms and torso, so I usually shoot for the legs. At distance I try to aim for the hip/groin to hit the legs. To be honest, unless I'm also in an Assault mech, or in open terrain at distance from a Dire Wolf, I don't have too many qualms about taking them on. Most people aren't very good at piloting them, so I just try and take my time, don't panic, and out maneuver them. It doesn't always work, but the Dire Wolf is a terribly vicious mech, so it probably shouldn't always work.

You're right though. Don't take one on the nose.

[JigglyMoobs]

Six simple rules for taking on FRESH Direwolfs (not the stale limping ones at the end of the match).

1. Do not take Direwolfs on your own. Do it with friends.
2. Fight dirty. Don't stand with them toe to toe. Shoot them when they are not looking. Shoot them when they are reloading. Shoot them in the back. Shoot them from half way across the map. Shoot the when they are busy shooting your other teammates.
3. Apply arty and airstrikes liberally.
4. When you bump into one in around the corner, move away as quickly as you can, torso twisting, zigzagging. Don't ever stand still, turn your back, or run straight towards or straight away from. Your feet are what's going to save you, not your weapons.
5. Always have a plan for "what am I going to do if I run into a Dire wolf around that corner I'm coming up on". Preplan your escape routes, hide spots. Think: where am I going to run to? What can I hide behind? Do it for every corner, every blind hill crest, every narrow alley. If you can't think of a plan B, choose a different route.
6. When you shoot at them from the front or the sides, aim for the side torso. Too much armor on CT. Too hard to hit arms, etc. ST is big, it's soft, it's easy to hit from half way across the map. If you take out one side, half their weapons go away and they are no longer a big threat.

Edited by JigglyMoobs, 05 August 2014 - 01:29 PM.

[YueFei]

IraqiWalker, on 05 August 2014 - 08:12 AM, said:

Those SCR builds wouldn't last long. They are DoT, and that boils down to a staredown contest, at short range no less, one where you are out-tonned by 45 tons.

You want IS weapons, lots of PP FLD. Big ACs with SRMs are what you want if you decide to go for a frontal assault.

Frontal assault works if you pillar-hump well. It's a matter of geometry / speed. He can never move fast enough to catch you fully if you don't make a mistake (as in, bring all of his firepower to bear). Obviously you need line-of-sight to hit him, so he'll have line-of-sight to hit you as well, but if you manage your angles well, you can put all of your weapons into one of his shoulders, and half of his weapons are masked by the building/pillar in front of him.

Problem is, like I said, you need teammates with long range weapons who force the Direwhale to be honest and hug cover. Then you pillar-hump the cover he's using and dump 100% of your firepower into one of his shoulders while he can only shoot back with 50% of his firepower. Once that shoulder's gone, you can keep pillar-humping to attack that same side, don't allow him to bring his other side to bear.

If he's not hugging cover, none of that stuff works. =/ Hopefully you have teammates with long range weapons to snipe him to death.

Edited by YueFei, 05 August 2014 - 04:08 PM.

[IraqiWalker]

YueFei, on 05 August 2014 - 04:07 PM, said:

Frontal assault works if you pillar-hump well. It's a matter of geometry / speed. He can never move fast enough to catch you fully if you don't make a mistake (as in, bring all of his firepower to bear). Obviously you need line-of-sight to hit him, so he'll have line-of-sight to hit you as well, but if you manage your angles well, you can put all of your weapons into one of his shoulders, and half of his weapons are masked by the building/pillar in front of him.

Problem is, like I said, you need teammates with long range weapons who force the Direwhale to be honest and hug cover. Then you pillar-hump the cover he's using and dump 100% of your firepower into one of his shoulders while he can only shoot back with 50% of his firepower. Once that shoulder's gone, you can keep pillar-humping to attack that same side, don't allow him to bring his other side to bear.

If he's not hugging cover, none of that stuff works. =/ Hopefully you have teammates with long range weapons to snipe him to death.

True, but the main problem here comes off to 2 things:

1- If the Direwhale has line of sight to you ,and you hit it, you're burning armor off of it, while it hitting you will shake your mech and swerve your aim.

2- 1V1 was mainly the original purpose of the OP's request. Hence why most answers revolved around individual tactics.

I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying, just trying to explain that while it's true, it's not what the main focus of the topic is about.

[YueFei]

IraqiWalker, on 05 August 2014 - 04:15 PM, said:

True, but the main problem here comes off to 2 things:

1- If the Direwhale has line of sight to you ,and you hit it, you're burning armor off of it, while it hitting you will shake your mech and swerve your aim.

2- 1V1 was mainly the original purpose of the OP's request. Hence why most answers revolved around individual tactics.

I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying, just trying to explain that while it's true, it's not what the main focus of the topic is about.

For 1v1 alot of the advice in this thread is sound.

I think the team vs team environment makes Dire Wolves more dangerous because their teammates can cover their flanks. Not so easy to get behind a Dire Wolf if you have to survive a gauntlet of his teammates just to get to him.

You're right that the OP is asking about 1v1s, but I like the fact that Jigglymoobs addresses the issue in the context of team vs team.

[IraqiWalker]

YueFei, on 05 August 2014 - 04:35 PM, said:

For 1v1 alot of the advice in this thread is sound.

I think the team vs team environment makes Dire Wolves more dangerous because their teammates can cover their flanks. Not so easy to get behind a Dire Wolf if you have to survive a gauntlet of his teammates just to get to him.

You're right that the OP is asking about 1v1s, but I like the fact that Jigglymoobs addresses the issue in the context of team vs team.

Oh yeah, in team fights things can get very tactical, and very desperate rather quickly.

When I first took my DWF-Iraqi (9xERPPC) out for a spin, I told my teammates about it, and they literally threw themselves around me to make sure I didn't die until after I evaporated something with that alpha (It was a Timberwolf. Poor ******* never knew what hit him. Turned a corner, and BAM! no CT)

When covered properly, a DWF is a nightmare.

In tabletop a DWF filled the role of juggernaut. Those were mechs that had high kill potential, but lacked in mobility, and maneuverability. However, they were the crux of your formation, you used your other units to funnel the enemies into their line of fire, where they would proceed to eliminate them with extreme prejudice.

[IraqiWalker]

http://www.sarna.net...attleMech_role)Juggernaut Role

Edited by IraqiWalker, 05 August 2014 - 06:28 PM.

[YueFei]

IraqiWalker, on 05 August 2014 - 06:22 PM, said:

Oh yeah, in team fights things can get very tactical, and very desperate rather quickly.

When I first took my DWF-Iraqi (9xERPPC) out for a spin, I told my teammates about it, and they literally threw themselves around me to make sure I didn't die until after I evaporated something with that alpha (It was a Timberwolf. Poor ******* never knew what hit him. Turned a corner, and BAM! no CT)

When covered properly, a DWF is a nightmare.

In tabletop a DWF filled the role of juggernaut. Those were mechs that had high kill potential, but lacked in mobility, and maneuverability. However, they were the crux of your formation, you used your other units to funnel the enemies into their line of fire, where they would proceed to eliminate them with extreme prejudice.

Yeah, I really enjoy being the wingman for a smart and aggressive Assault mechpilot in my HBK. While I do hope that the Assault mech pilot is willing to take a few hits for the team, I also have no problem stepping out first and taking hits for him. Heck it's in my own best interest to do that. Keeping him alive keeps me alive, too!

[Koniks]

IraqiWalker, on 05 August 2014 - 08:12 AM, said:

Those SCR builds wouldn't last long. They are DoT, and that boils down to a staredown contest, at short range no less, one where you are out-tonned by 45 tons.

You want IS weapons, lots of PP FLD. Big ACs with SRMs are what you want if you decide to go for a frontal assault.

I haven't had a problem. They're DoT but they out-DPS most of the DWF builds. You only need 2-3 volleys. I'm not saying you walk away unscathed. But you do walk away, especially if you nail the cockpit.

Edited by Mizeur, 05 August 2014 - 08:23 PM.

[IraqiWalker]

Mizeur, on 05 August 2014 - 08:23 PM, said:

I haven't had a problem. They're DoT but they out-DPS most of the DWF builds. You only need 2-3 volleys. I'm not saying you walk away unscathed. But you do walk away, especially if you nail the cockpit.

This particular scenario is a 6xuac5 Daishi. Winning the staredown in that config is pretty much impossible in a 1v1 situation. Unless you can hit the cockpit. If you do that, then yes. Although, the shake from all those AC rounds hitting you is going to make that extremely difficult.

[Koniks]

It has a max alpha with double-tap about the same as the SCRs and it spreads damage as bad or worse. It's also subject to jamming and ghost heat.

It's not as bad as it's made out to be. Even if you're in a tunnel.

Since screenshake only moves the screen, not the crosshair, that's less of an issue when you're focused on 1 target that moves as slow as the DWF and doesn't have front-loaded damage.

Edited by Mizeur, 05 August 2014 - 09:35 PM.

[Brenden]

I come in close on my Summoner, then fly ontop of them. I then wait as they try desperately to try and aim high enough to hit me, while my teammates shoot them in the back while they're distracted.