53 replies to this topic

[3xnihilo]

How do you do that? I am very curious because I love piloting my spiders (even the 5v), but there are so many tactics to choose from and the builds that compliment those tactics that I find myself trying to be an ECM support scout spotter light hunter harasser sniper at the same time. Which means I have never gotten particularly good at any one role. So I thought I would come here and get the opinions of the people who have successfully mastered their Spider mechs. Currently my best build is the SDR-5D with erppc, Slas x 2, ECM, & 255xl. I run it as a medium range sniper/harasser and try to stay close enough to the group to provide ECM cover if necessary but not close enough to become the main target. I would like to hear what builds and tactics others have used successfully in any of their spider variants. Thanks!

[PawgHunter420]

It all comes back to the basics as a light pilot:
1. Never stop moving (with a few rare exceptions, that will confuse you probably, so just ignore those for now)
2. Never run in a straight line towards or away from an enemy. (Even if you don't know they are there )
3. Never waste heat on a bad shot
4. Always be doing damage to the enemy.

The last one is the trickiest of the four, I find. Doing damage whilse conserving your armor as much as possible can be extremely hard, and requires a bit of trickery and deception on your part. Popping out where they don't expect is essential, and hitting them in the back is also very effective. You also must know when to engage the enemy, and when to run away. That kind of thing can't be taught, you just have to experience it.

For the spider specifically, you also must make good use of the jump jet capabilities the mech has. I like to run as many as I can manage on mine, purely for the maneuvering advantage. If you need a quick escape, those 6 or 7 jump jets will be brilliant at getting you over that building on river city (that the enemy happened to back up onto to get that pesky spider off his back), or to get you over that rock wall on Tourmaline. My favorite use though is to jump over the enemy's head and hit them in the back.

My builds are as follows, but I want to preface them with one thing: never use medium pulse lasers on a mech unless you just dont have enough hard points to do anything else with it. (Like the spider)
SDR-5D: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d6c7c36210816ad
SDR-5K: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8f59296513151bb
SDR-5V: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...3c56ae7f230d607

[Tiamat of the Sea]

2 should probably be altered to 'Never run in a straight line unless you absolutely need all your speed.'

I'd like to add one more.

5. If you're running into an area with enemies, you want to be sure you're already leaving when you arrive. This means starting to turn your legs to run away before the enemy comes into view, or jumping into the area you want to go to but landing already at full acceleration towards an exit. (This is more of a general rule for fast Light 'mechs.)

[Masterbagger]

Lights use tactics instead of armor and brute force.

Move from cover to cover. Double this if you have no ECM.
If you can't get in cover while locked by missiles any big mech will do. Team game, team effort.
Pop in and out of cover unpredictably to shoot.
Shoot enemies who are distracted by your team.
Have a plan to fall back to friendlies when chased.
Dueling with other lights is seldom worthwhile unless you can reliably shoot out legs and cripple them.

[That Dawg]

3xnihilo, on 19 August 2014 - 04:48 PM, said:

How do you do that?

carry an ERLarge, ECM, full armor, big block engine, arty and MG's

and. dont. get. hit.

[fluffypinkbunny]

the ERPPC while fun, is HOT and if you miss, useless. I like the Large Pulse my self, good for sniping (up to 600m) and close combat, where you technically get 3 shots to hit while dodging left and right and what not. Plus it goes where you point, not like a ballistic, you don't have to lead your targets. I also use arty or air strikes, (usually air strikes because they are more accurate) When you're ecm'ed behind an enemy, you can usually find atime they line up, 5 seconds latter and 8 rounds later in a line you can usually get a few components, sometimes a kill or 2.

[PhoenixFire55]

Lord Airstrike ggclose.

[Fang01]

I run 3 mpl, xl255, ecm, 2 jj, info gathering, and mpl range 2 (5 is gonna be beastly. cmon next patch)

jump jets in lights are seriously overrated. As soon as you leave the ground you've given up your most effective defense because a: you're locked into a direction and speed and b: you're going to have a pause when you hit the ground. It should be used to cross rough terrain and in short bursts for faster turns.

open up your pov, the extra visibility through the side windows is incredibly important in avoiding bad situations

PAY ATTENTION to your paperdoll. Shoot the enemy anywhere that he is open. Removing an arm or a leg might not kill him but it can seriously reduce his effectiveness and you never know if he snuck ammo or heat sinks in those locations. ALWAYS XL check.

Dont get in extended fights with other lights. If you have to try to make it a 2 on 1 or more by dragging him to a buddy

you dont have time to chainfire or alternate so your build needs to be centered around fast firing weapons that can be alpha'd multiple times without penalty. Aim for 1.4 heat dispersion at the least

That being said maintain a firing group that is either chain or a single small weapon. This is incredibly useful against enemies that have open ct/st and are being stubborn about torso twist. Scratch him with one laser and feed him the other two when he thinks you're stuck in cooldown





This isint a spider but it's still good light tactics

[Bigbacon]

also be happy that spider hit detection is still pretty wonky at times so that helps.

[beerandasmoke]

these guys got some great tips and pretty much have it covered. The only thing i would add is never exit an enemy group at the front. If your making a quick slashing attack or narcing in the midst of enemies always exit towards the rear or side of the group. The mechs will be facing forward and will be forced to turn to shoot at you. Exit towards the front and everyone gets a freeshot at coring you.

[John80sk]

3xnihilo, on 19 August 2014 - 04:48 PM, said:

How do you do that? I am very curious because I love piloting my spiders (even the 5v), but there are so many tactics to choose from and the builds that compliment those tactics that I find myself trying to be an ECM support scout spotter light hunter harasser sniper at the same time. Which means I have never gotten particularly good at any one role. So I thought I would come here and get the opinions of the people who have successfully mastered their Spider mechs. Currently my best build is the SDR-5D with erppc, Slas x 2, ECM, & 255xl. I run it as a medium range sniper/harasser and try to stay close enough to the group to provide ECM cover if necessary but not close enough to become the main target. I would like to hear what builds and tactics others have used successfully in any of their spider variants. Thanks!

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...2cde418d1a5d1f9 only spider I've had break 1,200... but it sacrifices a lot of actual efficacy to carry a ridiculous amount of ammunition (entire purpose was to see how big of a game I could have with a spider).

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d17b73917b904b3 a more sensible version. Hard to get crazy high damage with, but can snipe in the early game and clean up on kills in the late game.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0d90b6236c990b3 ECM, ERLarge. People won't like you, but it works.

[3xnihilo]

Thank you for all the great advice. I am really interested in some of the Medium Pulse and Large Pulse builds that were posted. I think I have developed some bad habits with long range weapons because it lets me stay too far from the fight and do a little damage here and there. It keeps me alive but my damage doesn't get much higher than about 150-250 (in a good match). And I find I am a little shy now about getting into close combat which is where lights tend to do the most damage. (i.e. the 4 mg on my 5k aren't worth much to me when I am 700m away plinking with the ERLL).

Also, I have to admit I totally overlooked Arty and Airstrike. So first thing I will do is load those on to my builds.

LyskTrevise, on 22 August 2014 - 09:41 AM, said:

For the spider specifically, you also must make good use of the jump jet capabilities the mech has. I like to run as many as I can manage on mine, purely for the maneuvering advantage. If you need a quick escape, those 6 or 7 jump jets will be brilliant at getting you over that building on river city (that the enemy happened to back up onto to get that pesky spider off his back), or to get you over that rock wall on Tourmaline. My favorite use though is to jump over the enemy's head and hit them in the back.

There is nothing quite like running 12 jj on a spider 5v

Now to save enough cbills for an xl280 and TIG.

Thanks again!

[K0M3D14N]

Honestly, the great thing about having the ERLL on the Spider is that you can use your JJs to get into all kinds of really awkward spots and just start stripping away at the enemy during the early phases of the game. Be a nimble little pest. Annoy people. Frustrate them. Frozen City has some great little nooks and crannies you can hide in and just chip away with the ERLL until an actual engagement occurs. You're at your most effective when both teams are engaged with each other because it allows you to slip in during all the carnage, do some damage, and slip back out before the pressure gets too high.

My personal (and very biased) opinion is that Light mechs are absolutely hands down the most difficult chassis to pilot in MWO. You have so much to keep track of and can't rely at all on your armor or firepower to help save you if you slip up. It's a thrill, but it takes a lot of practice.

[xMintaka]

Do your best to be like lightning.

Never strike (from) the same place twice.

[Aleski]

I have just bought the Spider-5V and made that crazy build (This mech is on sale, and it's really low price) :

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...73b5d21fca9c876

And you know what? I can fly FOR EVEEEEEEEER!!!!

But i don't made high score, this mech is a piece of crap...

Sorry this post was a troll, but hey! I'm a Spider pilot now, so i need to troll =)


Edit : this is the real build that i use in combat :
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c06e527ea5a06f7
Amazing speed and that BAP allow you to detect ennemy very far and detect ECM mech on close range. And that's all. I think i'm going to try it with an ER LL just to troll more... This is the purpose of that mech : try to make the mess on ennemy team, seeing big guys chasing me for nothing is the best experience ever!

Edited by Aleski, 25 August 2014 - 10:37 AM.

[3xnihilo]

John80sk, on 24 August 2014 - 12:46 AM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0d90b6236c990b3 ECM, ERLarge. People won't like you, but it works.

Ran this one on the test server the other day. Only got to play it a little but did 296 damage, 2 kills, 3 assists in a match my team lost 6 to 12. I know it's not the incredibly high score some guys post but that is pretty good for me.

[PACoFist]

I have been running this lately:
SDR-5D

I sacrificed armor, speed and jump jets for fire power. It is a glass cannon but it is viable. Due to ECM I have still often been the last survivor.
2 LPL give you the fire power of an AC20, with better range, shorter cooldown and no need for ammunition.

You could also run 2 PPC but I found that I do better with LPL.

[Appogee]

Low Elo Matches + Buggy Hitbox Chassis = High Score

Edited by Appogee, 30 August 2014 - 04:54 AM.

[mailin]

I use a variation on the 3 mplas build that was posted earlier. I have fewer jump jets in exchange for heat sinks. I think I run 2 jj on mine. Also, I have more armor in the left arm. Yes, it's a shield, but when it gets blown off your left torso will take more damage. In this mech I consistently do around 400 damage. Sometimes as little as 200, but I have also frequently done 800 damage. My highest in this mech was 1300 damage and 7 kills. One thing that helps though is that I load an arty strike and a UAV. Look for a cluster of the enemy that is doing the sniping thing and drop an arty in their midst.

Another tactic is when sniping or in my Spider I always go for the legs first. It's a great tactic when sniping because the enemy doesn't know exactly where you are hitting them from. Never snipe while the enemy may be looking in your direction.

Either way, a lot of non-lights shave armor from the legs. If you take out a leg that had ammo, the ammo will do additional damage which you will get credit for.

If you are good at aiming on the run, the 3 mplas is the way to go. 18 points of damage in an already cherry location is devastating. Always, always lock a target before firing on them unless they suddenly appear.

Happy hunting.

[3xnihilo]

I just bought the Anansi yesterday so I have been spending all my time figuring that out. Best score so far is 237 damage but it has been really good practice getting up close taking the shot and getting away. I am running xl255 with 2xmlas 2xmg and srm 6. I am considering dropping mg for mplas. So far it has been a really fun mech to pilot. The srms can do a lot of damage quickly when you get in really close. So best tactic for me on this one is wait for the fray then run in like a crazy man and face hug an enemy alpha and run away turn around and repeat. I think I could have had some better games but alpine peaks seems to be the map du jour so I have drop about 75% of my matches so far there and by the time the figh is close enough for me to be really effective either half of their team or half of my team is dead.