Yoseful Mallad, on 30 October 2014 - 05:16 AM, said:
Ok... Let me explain the K2 to some.
The K2, while being labeled as a Skirmisher is actually a Support/Skirmisher.
What do I mean by that? It's meant to support from a distance with the PPCs "until" it can get in close where its meant to be. Even with its base machine guns and lasers, its always meant to be a Skirmisher. Hit you with PPCs until it or you get within its PPC minimum range, where it's real teeth then come out. And that's exactly how PGI quirked it.
You want to run PPCS anything or Ballistic anything? Fine do that, you got some buffs for those (support) weapons.
But if you keep the MLs as intended, that's were you will do the most effective damage from med to close range. And the ML and energy quirks represent its ability to skirmish.
Also, to skirmish mean to get in, do your damage and back off, hit and back off, hit and back off. Quick deadly engagements. Not prolonged fights like the brawlers.
Yes the K2 in lore is all about the PPCs but they were not ever its main weapon. Its always been about its med to close range fire power.
That would be fine, except the K2 can't really do that in MWO, due to the lack of hardpoints. The only real way it can have the role of a striker (i.e. striking weak spots and backing off) would be if it had the teeth you speak of to finish a kill at close range. But PGI reduced its hardpoints to the point where you're forced to carry big weapons, while giving a lot of other mechs a bunch of extra hardpoints. So while other mechs can boat medium lasers and finish off kills at close range, the K2 cannot do that.
EDIT: If we were playing Stock Mech Mondays, it would be better for the K2.
I'm not quite sure how to interpret your comment, but seems as if you're saying that the AC10+4xMlas build is the only way to let the K2 be a striker, as it's supposed to be. Or a Support-Skirmisher, if you will. But to me, that's kind of like saying that the CPLT-C1 should have an ER LL bonus, because that will facilitate its role as a support mech, albeit with ER LLs instead of LRMs. Thus reducing a famous LRM carrier to a laserboat, the same way the K2 has been reduced to a gauss or AC10 carrier.
It doesn't compute.
If, on the other hand, you're arguing that the CPLT-K2 should be a PPC carrier with the ability to switch between "Skirmish" and "Support" roles, then I would agree with you. And I'd say the only solution would be to either increase hardpoints or give some cooldown bonus that increases its DPS.
Edited by Alistair Winter, 30 October 2014 - 05:29 AM.