34 replies to this topic

[Gaussfather]

Hi All, (Minor Update Version)

This ain't the Gospel Truth, but if you read this before you drop against the clans you'll have a better chance of being on the same page as the rest and beating the clan's favorite (only?) invasion tactic.

I put this originally in the FRR forum but since I keep dropping with PUGs and other IS groups its seems like we need better cooperation, so in that spirit here goes:

Been fighting all weekend against mostly Clans and mostly in Leoben as part of the 1RDR. We were successful in repelling most "zerg rushes".

Anyway, here are my tips that seem to work consistently at blunting the Zerg Rush:

NUMBER 1 (thanks to XenoBlitz for pointing this out during our matches today):

Be prepared to die. Think Kamikaze. Your enemy is already thinking Kamikaze when they rush. The normal "pull back from fire to cover" does not stop the zerg rush. You need to be smart but be prepared to sacrifice and get the next mech quickly. Bonus is that the dropship has good aim and you drop near Omega. Do not be meek or you will lose.

• Always have at least 1 scout near every gate before and near the end of the rush. Obvious but it happens all the time that 1 gate is without a spotter.
  
• Set up the line of fire along the most likely route (e.g. to the right of beta gate for cold map) and have some heavies blockading their rush route while meds and lights hit them from behind as they move in. Flow back to Omega/Cannon as they push inward.
  
• Make them eat arti strikes as they come through the gate! Great for reducing armor on the legs.
  
• Don't worry about killing them. Just leg the mech and then leg the next one, etc. If you have the cannons just shoot legs and let someone else get the kills.
  
• Forget LRMs. Bring Ballistics! Really. They have too much ecm and missiles have limited stopping power.
  
• Regarding the above, I like multiple UAC5s for their rapid fire rate and range. I note that legs are the one place most people reduce armor so it doesn't take alot of hits to leg a Stormcrow.
  
• Pack as much ammo as you can fit in there without sacrificing armor. General rule of thumb is 3 tons of ammo for each UAC5.

Some dropship loadouts I like:




Dropship loadout "Dakka in your face" (240 ton limit):

• King Crab 4UAC5s, 3MLs and something like 13 tons of ammo (11 heatsinks, runs hot) 300std engine
  
• Ilya Maurits 3 UAC5s 3MLs and 10 tons ammo 260xl engine
  
• Yen Lo Wang 2 UAC5s 2MLs and 5 or 6 tons of ammo 255xl
  
• Locust Hero "at least I have ECM and arti-strikes" good for nibbling on their legs or zerg rushing if you have to counter-attack

Usually I have to eject from the King Crab due to running out of ammo before I'm killed since I've got good armor and if I'm defending I drop that first. Note that first rule of zerg rushing is to not shoot the mechs but rather the turrets so in most cases I've ejected after couple of zerg rushes. But 4UACs puts a real hurt on Clan Mechs.





Dropship loadout "Dakka Force" (A little more mobile mix):

• Ilya Maurits 3 UAC5s 3MLs and 10 tons ammo 260xl
  
• Yen Lo Wang 2 UAC5s 2MLs and 5 or 6 tons of ammo 255xl
  
• Shadowhawk 3M 1AC5 (2tons ammo) 1UAC5 (3 tons ammo) 2MPLs 280xl
  
• Jagermech Hellboy 2UACs (9 tons ammo) 2MPLs 4MLs 255xl (lots of good jager builds but you get the idea)

Obviously we need to be able to shoot moving targets so if you are a bad shot stick with lasers or try LBX10s (good for legging).

Hope this helps you kill more Clanners and take back our FRR planets!

Edited by Jman88, 16 December 2014 - 04:30 PM.

[Sandpit]

I would also suggest that each of those scouts have a UAV. As soon as the gate is breached or opened, pop that UAV and get the heck out of dodge

[AlmightyAeng]

2-3 LRM mechs with their own TAG. Rain missiles in as the enemy filters in. Everyone else aim for legs.

[Gaussfather]

Yes, if you have a couple of LRM boats it comes in handy. But if most of the team is using LRMs then you get in trouble it seems. They manage to get by the team to the generator on the vault the few games I had where we had fairly organized team but it seemed like half the team were lrm boats.

Edited by Jman88, 16 December 2014 - 04:35 PM.

[Sandpit]

Jman88, on 16 December 2014 - 10:30 AM, said:

Yes, if you have a couple of LRM boats it comes in handy. But most of the team is using LRMs then you get in trouble it seems. They manage to get by the team to the generator on the vault the few games I had where we had fairly organized team but it seemed like half the team were lrm boats.

That's where you gotta communicate in the lobby before dropping. Being in the lobby longer would help a lot. You MUST coordinate and use teamwork to win in CW, there's no way around it. That's where I see some of the pugs and solos running into problems. "Carry harder" isn't going to cut it in CW.

[Kraven Kor]

Ghost Badger, on 16 December 2014 - 08:21 AM, said:

2-3 LRM mechs with their own TAG. Rain missiles in as the enemy filters in. Everyone else aim for legs.

Easier said than done. The TAG gives away your location and intent; and requires you be in LOS of them. Relying on friendly spotters is... spotty, at best.

I don't think LRM's are terribly viable for repelling the Generator Rush. YRMV.

[Apnu]

I've yet to play a defensive CW game. I've only responded to "such and such planet needs defenders" and I'm always "counter-attacking"

Sucks.

[Angel of Annihilation]

Can you please change the title to "How to beat the ZERG rush" instead of making it sound like it is only effective for Clan mechs. Honestly I am so sick of all the "Clans OP" crap either intentionally or unintentionally slung around on the forums and the ZERG is just as effective for the IS as it is the Clans. I mean every organized FRR unit that has used ZERG tactics against a Clan team I was on has knocked us out in under 10 mins.

[Sandpit]

Kraven Kor, on 16 December 2014 - 10:34 AM, said:

Easier said than done. The TAG gives away your location and intent; and requires you be in LOS of them. Relying on friendly spotters is... spotty, at best.

I don't think LRM's are terribly viable for repelling the Generator Rush. YRMV.

Depends on your team's coordination honestly. most of the guys I drop with when I'm pugging have dropped with each other so many times we know one another's play styles and we know how to merge with the other PUGs and coordinate with them.

[Kanatta Jing]

There will be enough folks with LRMs on your pug team that investing in Beagles, TAGs, NARCs and UAVs will be rewarded.

[pwnface]

Zerg rush implies fast. Clan mechs are definitely not fast compared to IS lights.

[Kanatta Jing]

pwnface, on 16 December 2014 - 10:54 AM, said:

Zerg rush implies fast. Clan mechs are definitely not fast compared to IS lights.

The deadly clan Zerg Stroll presents different challenges then the IS version.

[Kraven Kor]

Kanatta Jing, on 16 December 2014 - 10:53 AM, said:

There will be enough folks with LRMs on your pug team that investing in Beagles, TAGs, NARCs and UAVs will be rewarded.

You say that, until you run 10+ matches in an Artemis LRM-20/5 Thunderbolt and can't keep a target locked for more than 3 seconds without eating multiple CERPPC bolts due to being in the open.

[Brody319]

Leg me and move on, I'll take your back metal as payment for my leg.

[AlmightyAeng]

Kraven Kor, on 16 December 2014 - 10:34 AM, said:

Easier said than done. The TAG gives away your location and intent; and requires you be in LOS of them. Relying on friendly spotters is... spotty, at best.

I don't think LRM's are terribly viable for repelling the Generator Rush. YRMV.

"Everyone else aim for the legs." Meaning direct fire. Leg and move on. The 2-3 LRM mechs are for cleaning up legged mechs and ruining the day for anything larger. It's a thing we've made work a few times. *shrug*

Kraven Kor, on 16 December 2014 - 11:40 AM, said:

You say that, until you run 10+ matches in an Artemis LRM-20/5 Thunderbolt and can't keep a target locked for more than 3 seconds without eating multiple CERPPC bolts due to being in the open.

I opened nearly every match with an LRM30+A Thunderbolt all weekend...it'd nab between 450-600 damage over the gate and as we ran in/defended against the first rush before running out of ammo, and then suicide charged into the enemy to do an much damage as possible and allow me to drop a mech. It was very effective, actually, especially with the 850m TAG.

[Kraven Kor]

Ghost Badger, on 16 December 2014 - 11:43 AM, said:

"Everyone else aim for the legs." Meaning direct fire. Leg and move on. The 2-3 LRM mechs are for cleaning up legged mechs and ruining the day for anything larger. It's a thing we've made work a few times. *shrug*

I know it can work.

I'm just saying that LRM's are, it seems, "less than ideal" for defending against the zerg rush. For various reasons (LOS, target lock, ECM, damage spread, missiles blocked by terrain, etc.)

[pwnface]

In my opinion LRMs are most useful as sniper suppression when enemies are still on opposite sides of the gate. Once enemies are inside, direct fire is much more potent.

Brody319, on 16 December 2014 - 11:42 AM, said:

Leg me and move on, I'll take your back metal as payment for my leg.

If you leg mechs and leave them, it still stops them from "strolling" to the base even if they do get a few free back shots on you. If you waste time finishing a legged mech when there are other mechs pushing, there is a much bigger chance of them getting to your orbital cannon and winning the match.

[Brody319]

pwnface, on 16 December 2014 - 11:47 AM, said:

In my opinion LRMs are most useful as sniper suppression when enemies are still on opposite sides of the gate. Once enemies are inside, direct fire is much more potent.



If you leg mechs and leave them, it still stops them from "strolling" to the base even if they do get a few free back shots on you. If you waste time finishing a legged mech when there are other mechs pushing, there is a much bigger chance of them getting to your orbital cannon and winning the match.

Oh I know why they do it. But I don't care. If they leg me I'll core them when you look away from me as payment. Also people tend to have a hard time aiming when they are getting blinded and having their entire mech shake under a storm of SRMs and UAC5s.

[Gaussfather]

Brody319, on 16 December 2014 - 11:42 AM, said:

Leg me and move on, I'll take your back metal as payment for my leg.

You have no other choice. What can you do but rage quit and die?

Viktor Drake, on 16 December 2014 - 10:39 AM, said:

Can you please change the title to "How to beat the ZERG rush" instead of making it sound like it is only effective for Clan mechs. Honestly I am so sick of all the "Clans OP" crap either intentionally or unintentionally slung around on the forums and the ZERG is just as effective for the IS as it is the Clans. I mean every organized FRR unit that has used ZERG tactics against a Clan team I was on has knocked us out in under 10 mins.

No. Because we need to keep you from invading. Sorry. But not really sorry for upsetting you. Go home.

[Brody319]

Jman88, on 16 December 2014 - 04:31 PM, said:

You have no other choice. What can you do but rage quit and die?

Shred your team while they are trying to leg another mech?
I don't care if I have to stumble forward at 40kph, I'll keep shredding the enemy as long as I have weapons.