36 replies to this topic

[Brody319]

Lets be honest here, A lot of people are planning on bringing the Atlas to CW.
But why would you want to bring 2, 100 ton mechs with 2 Locusts. when you could be bringing the Stalker.

The Stalker excels in energy and missile builds (only one of its variants even has a ballistic slot). This means the Stalker is less ammo dependent than the Atlas. It also it has much better weapon hard points.

The Energy hardpoints on the Stalker has the highest weapon hardpoints out of any other Assault class meaning it has to expose less of its self to shoot over a ridge, and enables it to fire over smaller mechs much easier meaning less friendly fire.

at 85 tons you can bring 2 of them, and still have 70 tons to play with that is:
2 Raven 3L for some sweet ECM sniping
2 Firestarters for mech melting power
A locust and any medium mech 50 tons and under.

With the missile hard points you get a better brawler, and/or long range LRM support.
Lots of variants have a CT energy slot meaning It can zombie.
Its hit boxes allow it to much easier to spread damage.

Seriously, this thing is amazing, and if you own a Misery you have even less reason not to bring it. it comes with a Ballistic hardpoint. Gauss and PPCs, Gauss and Large lasers, AC20 brawler with Large lasers for sniping. Why would you not want to pilot the Stalker?

[The Boz]

2nd best IS Assault right now.
Stalker + Thunderbolt + Shadowhawk + Firestarter is, IMO, best IS drop deck right now.

Edited by The Boz, 06 December 2014 - 11:39 AM.

[Malcolm Vordermark]

I think 2 Atlas + 2 Locust is a pretty poor combination for CW.

Stalker and Banshee get my vote for best IS assault mechs.

[Lancer Deistler]

Well as far as i understand you must bring one mech from each weight class. You can't take 2 assaults and 2 lights as far as i understand. I haven't played the stalker so i can't speak from a pilot perspective. The Stalker is a good weapon platform indeed and is comparable with the Direwolf in it's combat role. He has the same strenghts as the Direwolf in boating weapons and is verry strong 1on1. But due to weaker armor and exposed sidetorsos he can be neutered faster than the DW if the enemy team is working together. Both chassis are brawler types. They go in wreak havoc and win if they stay alive. It's a all in playstyle i would say. The Atlas on the other hand is more like a skirmisher. You go out of cover, unload your alpha or two and then retreat for the cooldown. It's a matter of wich playstyle you prefer and what works best with your team.

Edited by Lancer Deistler, 06 December 2014 - 11:48 AM.

[Malcolm Vordermark]

Lancer Deistler, on 06 December 2014 - 11:47 AM, said:

Well as far as i understand you must bring one mech from each weight class.

This got dropped a while back.

Now the requirements are 4 mechs between 140-240 tons total.

Edited by Rouken, 06 December 2014 - 11:48 AM.

[Brody319]

Lancer Deistler, on 06 December 2014 - 11:47 AM, said:

Well as far as i understand you must bring one mech from each weight class. You can't take 2 assaults and 2 lights as far as i understand. I haven't played the stalker so i can't speak from a pilot perspective. The Stalker is a good weapon platform indeed and is comparable with the Direwolf in it's combat role. He has the same strenghts as the Direwolf in boating weapons and is verry strong 1on1. But due to weaker armor and exposed sidetorsos he can be neutered faster than the DW if the enemy team is working together. Both chassis are brawler types. They go in wreak havok and win if they stay alive. It's a all in playstyle i would say. The Atlas on the other hand is more like a skirmisher. You go out of cover, unload your alpha or two and then retreat for the cooldown. It's a matter of wich playstyle do you prefer and what works best with your team.

No you can bring any mech as long as the total tonnage is between 140-240, but you have to bring 4 of them.

[Hillslam]

Agreed - 2Atlas 2Locust (or Commando) is bad combo.

Many better decks out there. However, I'd take my BLR over a STK anyday. STKs are walking grocery stores.

[KraftySOT]

Wubshee > Stalker

Even the Battlewub is better. Im currently doing Stalkers now. 6 LL is nice. LRMspam is ok. Splat is...ok. But youre only real options for popping mechs is some sort of laser array.

Any Atlas other than the DDC is a waste, and even then...just ask someone to spawn their Raven first to cover all the Wubshees and Jagerbombs while they move in, as the gauss and lrms fly. If CW is dominated by competitive groups, I dont expect to see alot of Stalkers.

Great puggers tho.

[Monkey Lover]

I only need 1 mech I dont plan on dieing. :-D

[Brody319]

KraftySOT, on 06 December 2014 - 11:52 AM, said:

Wubshee > Stalker

Even the Battlewub is better. Im currently doing Stalkers now. 6 LL is nice. LRMspam is ok. Splat is...ok. But youre only real options for popping mechs is some sort of laser array.

Any Atlas other than the DDC is a waste, and even then...just ask someone to spawn their Raven first to cover all the Wubshees and Jagerbombs while they move in, as the gauss and lrms fly. If CW is dominated by competitive groups, I dont expect to see alot of Stalkers.

Great puggers tho.

I said it was "One of the best" of course the Wubshee, and battlewub can do good too. but You can't go wrong with the Stalker.

[Felicitatem Parco]

KraftySOT, on 06 December 2014 - 11:52 AM, said:

Wubshee > Stalker

Even the Battlewub is better. Im currently doing Stalkers now. 6 LL is nice. LRMspam is ok. Splat is...ok. But youre only real options for popping mechs is some sort of laser array.

Any Atlas other than the DDC is a waste, and even then...just ask someone to spawn their Raven first to cover all the Wubshees and Jagerbombs while they move in, as the gauss and lrms fly. If CW is dominated by competitive groups, I dont expect to see alot of Stalkers.

Great puggers tho.

What? 5xSRM6 on a fully-armored assault platform works great! Especially with a couple lasers to poke weak spots. I use that load out to kill Direwolves and Atlas Mechs. Twin PPC and an AC/20 is also a very nice loadout for most ranges. The only reason I'm not going to use Stalkers right off the bat is because I'm having fun with quirked Awesome :-)

[KraftySOT]

Brody319, on 06 December 2014 - 11:53 AM, said:

I said it was "One of the best" of course the Wubshee, and battlewub can do good too. but You can't go wrong with the Stalker.

Well, you can, if it turns out that the maps are huge channels to the objectives and the stalkers range never comes into play. Then its just a giant CT, wishing it had splat, ACs or Wub.

Prosperity Park, on 06 December 2014 - 12:02 PM, said:

What? 5xSRM6 on a fully-armored assault platform works great! Especially with a couple lasers to poke weak spots. I use that load out to kill Direwolves and Atlas Mechs. Twin PPC and an AC/20 is also a very nice loadout for most ranges. The only reason I'm not going to use Stalkers right off the bat is because I'm having fun with quirked Awesome :-)

You gotta have artemis, and youre looking at low ammo because of the crit space. You could have had two splathawks. Twin PPC and an AC20 is uh...bad.

You need a 45+ alpha, that hits the same location, and you need to be able to fire it twice. Splat can do that with artemis. But really compared to the Wubshees 63, or the Battles 60, or the Awesomes 60...it falls pretty short. And those builds arent prone to blammo or running out of ammo.

[MauttyKoray]

Rouken, on 06 December 2014 - 11:45 AM, said:

I think 2 Atlas + 2 Locust is a pretty poor combination for CW.

-looks at post, looks at personal IS drop deck, hangs head in shame-

That is the exact drop deck I would have for CW if I played IS lol.

[KraftySOT]

If you cant kill every other mech in the game in two shots, thats a bad assault build. You need to be able to core all other assaults before they core you, and you need to be able to splash enough damage across the faster moving and twisting mediums heavies and lights, to core them quickly enough they dont put you into a position to be one shotted by another assault.

I have no idea why people run around in builds that take 4-5 alphas to core mechs and are prone to more splashing, like PPCs and AC builds. I get that its front loaded, but it takes 10 seconds or so to core anything...a Wubshee done cored you 7 seconds ago.

[Brody319]

KraftySOT, on 06 December 2014 - 12:04 PM, said:

Well, you can, if it turns out that the maps are huge channels to the objectives and the stalkers range never comes into play. Then its just a giant CT, wishing it had splat, ACs or Wub.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...991cb3f950a6ec9
this bad boy can brawl with the best of them.

[KraftySOT]

Brody319, on 06 December 2014 - 12:10 PM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...991cb3f950a6ec9
this bad boy can brawl with the best of them.

Yeah thats not terrible, id do this:

STK-5M

Switch out the LPL for a MPL and go with artemis for the spread reduction. Also makes it so you can module all your weapons. Rather than leaving one out with 3 types.

Edited by KraftySOT, 06 December 2014 - 12:14 PM.

[Brody319]

KraftySOT, on 06 December 2014 - 12:13 PM, said:

Yeah thats not terrible, id do this:

STK-5M

Switch out the LPL for a MPL and go with artemis for the spread reduction. Also mechs it so you can module all your weapons. Rather than leaving one out with 3 types.

I don't use artemis but I suppose that is up to preference.

[Felicitatem Parco]

I use 5 SRM6 with Artemis and 8-9 tons of ammo...

[KraftySOT]

STK-4N

This is what im currently working with. Takes 3 to down an Atlas or Dire who front loads their armor, but at least I can do it at 600m. Not that those opportunities present themselves that often. You can only alpha about once every 6 seconds. Though 4 can go pretty contiously. Legs careless lights real fast, thats the nice advantage it has over other chassis ive done. And no one seems to know how to handle 6 LL that are very clearly 6 of them, that dont cause you to shut down, the 54 to the CT is enough to kill or take out of the fight, most of your opponents.

The stalker tanks well...but the torso twist is just so bad.

[Abivard]

Brody319, on 06 December 2014 - 12:15 PM, said:

I don't use artemis but I suppose that is up to preference.

Do not use artemis on that build, do however ditch that large pulse laser.
Artemis would add 5 crits and 5 tons, which makes that build DOA.