37 replies to this topic

[Greenjulius]

I decided to buy the Pirate's Bane Locust just because I wanted to take these little buggers out for a spin. Which variants are probably the best? I know the LCt-1V seems to be getting some decent reviews, but I haven't heard much about the others. They all seem to be a mix of Medium/Small Laser and SPL buffs, with some worthless missile buffs thrown in. Did I miss anything?

What should I get for my 3rd variant?

Thank you!

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Maybe a choice between the LCT-1E or LCT-3M?

I haven't decided yet either.

[Brody319]

I love my 3M like a baby Firestarter A.

[Risko Vinsheen]

The 1V is fun, though I haven't run it with a Large Laser (as the quirks might suggest to use). I actually haven't used it since quirks, but before quirks I enjoyed the Medium Pulse Laser and quad machine gun build I used on it. It's not so great early in a match, only being able to really use the pulse laser on armor, but later in the match it rips enemies apart.

On the 3S I used to run a medium pulse laser/dual Streak SRM-2 build, but it got replaced by my 1M I just finished Eliting today. The 3S has trouble utilizing its missile hardpoints properly just because of the Locust's limited weight, but the 1M can use a two Medium Laser/two Streak SRM-2 build pretty well. It can run a little hot if you're not careful but when that happens just careful use of one laser at a time until you're cooler works well enough. I'd suggest the 1M over the 3S. (I have a video of my 1M in action on YouTube. I died at the end but I still managed to take a few enemies down with me.)

My 3M runs a 1 Medium Laser/4 Small Pulse Laser build (haven't run it since quirks were a thing, I'm sure it's even better now with the SPL quirks) and it worked well enough. It was the only Locust before the Pirate's Bane I put double sinks on (since the PB comes with doubles stock).

I'm glad to see someone else showing some appreciation for the little guys. They're fun to pilot and when you get in the zone they can do pretty well in a pinch. Most people will ignore you, some people you can annoy enough to screw them over, and with its speed you can swoop in for a kill and swoop out quite easily.

[InspectorG]

E or 3M.

S if you like SRM

[The Wakelord]

Pirate's bane is great, I've found 3 solid builds for it.

The -3M (if memory serves) is great with its potential for 5 laser, 2AMS.

The -3S with its missiles is very hard in comparison, mostly due to heat.

-1V I haven't played for ages, but was okay (4MG aren't that great)

[Sorbic]

I only have the 3M but it can be very effective. Rounds with over 1000 damage and 7 kills with the little guy before quirks. I haven't run it a lot since the quirkening as I really prefer medium lasers... Of course there are rounds where some guy who can aim takes you out before you know what happened.

[Deathlike]

1E is the beast Lolcust. High firing points allow it to do magic better than the rest of the energy mechs (the 3M's CT firing point is actually rather low).

[Y E O N N E]

The best variants are, in no uncertain terms, the Pirate's Bane, the -3M, and the -1E. The energy-boaters win because a skilled pilot can zero in on a component more consistently and under a broader set of conditions than with missiles. However, the missile variants do a lot of damage to single components per shot outside of pilot skill, making them fantastic to combat other lights or remove limbs with for a pilot that has trouble holding a burn (even a pulse laser can sweep) on one location.

The -PB is great because it gets ECM and four lasers; quite potent. In actual combat, though, it will get face-punched 1v1 by the -3M and the -1E. Both of those energy-centric variants get a 30% boost to energy range; which combine with the weapon modules to give them ER Large Lasers that reach out to 945 meters, Large Lasers that go to 630, mediums to 378 meters, and medium pulse that go to 308. They also get some generic energy cool-down quirks and the -1E gets heat reduction.

All of this combines to give you a very fast light that can fire rapidly and at great range. The LCT-3M with five small pulse in a close quarters brawl is not to be overlooked. Kill with extreme prejudice. The LCT-1E is actually a fairly rare sight among Locusts, but those 230 meter small lasers can be nasty, though not quite as nasty as the small pulse.

I run my LCT-3M with two Medium Pulse and two Small Pulse. It presents the same alpha as 5x SPL, trading some of that DPS for range. I run my LCT-1E with four Medium Lasers and just harass targets from the edge of an engagement zone, taking shots of opportunity.

It seems a lot of people have trouble piloting the LCT-3S. I'm not sure why. I used to run it with four SRM2 and a small laser with 2.5 tons of ammo. It out-DPSes all of the other variants with the quirks and modules, and its missiles can hit a target at 378 meters, meaning you don't have to get right up on them. Now I run it with three SRM2 and a medium laser so I'm not as gimped once out of ammo. Play it like you would play a 5x SPL LCT-3M, but be more mindful of where you place your shots because ammo is precious.

The LCT-1M is a better rounded Locust than the -3S, with two energy. The ideal build is two SRM2 and two Medium Laser; it doesn't have the generous missile range bonuses of the -3S, but it's got the cool-down quirks and a huge set of bonuses to Medium Laser range (365 m with modules). It's probably the most capable of the entire lot; it's better at brawling than the LCT-1E and it's better at harassing than the 5x SPL LCT-3M (and the 5x SPL is the only reason to take the -3M over the -1E). It's the Timberwolf of Locusts, being great at multiple roles with a single build but not necessarily top-dog at any one.

The LCT-1V is probably the hardest to play outside of just spamming ERLL fire, which is how most people played Locusts back when they first came out because they couldn't figure out how else to do decently in them. I think running that build is a cop-out and super boring . Instead, the MPL + 4x MG is pretty good, just make friends with your team heavies and assaults.

[Greenjulius]

I've come to the conclusion that the locust is an ineffective Mini-Raven. I've never been insta-killed so many times (3/5 times!) as I have with the Locust. It truly is worse than the Mist Lynx.

Perhaps this has to do with the prevalence of Dual Gauss in high ELO; high rated ELO removes 1/2 of mechs from even being relavent.

I simply can't play the Locust in these circumstances. It's not a good mech. I should have known that, being that I've never had a problem killing them easily. What a waste of MC.

[InspectorG]

Greenjulius, on 27 December 2014 - 06:09 PM, said:

I simply can't play the Locust in these circumstances. It's not a good mech. I should have known that, being that I've never had a problem killing them easily. What a waste of MC.

Good Lord, man!
You thought it was supposed to be a good mech?????

Locust is about the thrills. Thats all.
You are SUPPOSED to be one-shotted. THATS the fun.

BT - wise, Locust were a cheap and fast solution. 5 Locust should chew up an Atlas. No problem.

MWO- vs high skilled opponents, you are flat crazy. Thats why Locusts are voluntary.

[Greenjulius]

I think it's gonna be my, "I get drunk and run at 170kph in circles" mech. Thanks for confirming that InspectorG. I thought I was maybe doing something wrong when I felt like the Mist Lynx was useful... At least compared to this 20 tons of crap. Anytime I play this, I accept that my KDR will mostly flatline, and my ELO will at least drop a little, which is a victory in and of itself, I guess?

Maybe I should amend this topic to ask; How do you make this mech, not bad?

Edited by Greenjulius, 27 December 2014 - 06:41 PM.

[Durant Carlyle]

I have a total of eight Locusts...

LCT-PB x2
LCT-1E
LCT-1M
LCT-1V(P)
LCT-3M x2
LCT-3S

They all have different setups. Some take full advantage of their quirks, some only take half advantage. I have fun in all of them.

Best W/L: 2.25 (LCT-1V(P))
Worst W/L: 0.50 (LCT-1E)
Best K/D: 1.88 (LCT-3M)
Worst K/D: 0.64 (LCT-1M)

Note: only one of my Locusts (one of the PBs) runs at top speed. The rest run at stock speed plus Speed Tweak.

[Dino Might]

Love the Locusts. They are indeed about the thrills. I like that they can be one-shotted, can only bring enough firepower to kill a mech when they are being crafty, and are extremely fast. I just wish they were a bit faster than the Commandos.

Edited by Dino Might, 27 December 2014 - 09:22 PM.

[Sorbic]

Just bought the PB. They really need to tune down the MG flash...

[TercieI]

3M, 5SPL (like 180 range) is easily my favorite LCT (and my absolute favorite for-fun mech). I agree with Yvonne above: the energy boats are best (PB, 3M, 1E).

[InspectorG]

Greenjulius, on 27 December 2014 - 06:29 PM, said:

I think it's gonna be my, "I get drunk and run at 170kph in circles" mech. Thanks for confirming that InspectorG. I thought I was maybe doing something wrong when I felt like the Mist Lynx was useful... At least compared to this 20 tons of crap. Anytime I play this, I accept that my KDR will mostly flatline, and my ELO will at least drop a little, which is a victory in and of itself, I guess?

Maybe I should amend this topic to ask; How do you make this mech, not bad?

You CAN get a positive KDR...just takes a while.

Just use the quirks, though 3mpl works on the E.

If you can pull 150+ damage and 1 kill in a pug, you are doing well.

Best is solo'ing a Direwhale.

Locust-Fu is a secret technique.

You have to play like a chicken-*hit coward.
Be felt but never seen.
Stay invisible in the group.
Never let them see you face, never look them in the face.
Get used to dying.
LRM boats in the back of the map are GOLD, wait till mid match to get them.
You really shine late match when you can vulture.

[InspectorG]

LOCUST LCT-1E 43 23 20 1.15 30 21 1.43 6,598 45,272 05:10:28
Its possible, but it will hurt getting there.
BONUS EFFECT, me and many others have stated once you get decent in a Locust, you get better with ALL other mechs.
I think its cuz of 'THE FEAR'.

Tome of Wisdom:

http://mwomercs.com/.../page__st__1540

[MauttyKoray]

I dislike the buff for the Locust 1V actually. I've NEVER run a large in it before, always 4MG, 1 Med and 3 tons of ammo and it was amazing. The large buff is a waste imo.

[Y E O N N E]

Greenjulius, on 27 December 2014 - 06:29 PM, said:

I think it's gonna be my, "I get drunk and run at 170kph in circles" mech. Thanks for confirming that InspectorG. I thought I was maybe doing something wrong when I felt like the Mist Lynx was useful... At least compared to this 20 tons of crap. Anytime I play this, I accept that my KDR will mostly flatline, and my ELO will at least drop a little, which is a victory in and of itself, I guess?

Maybe I should amend this topic to ask; How do you make this mech, not bad?

To make the Locust not-bad, you have to learn a new approach to playing the game. InspectorG has some good advice, though I'm going to elaborate a little more. You can't whiz by the enemy, placing a burn on one 'Mech as you go like you can do with a Firestarter or a Jenner. You don't have the armor for that. Everything you do should minimize your exposure. Period. Want to ridge-hump? Only pop up once, then relocate. Want to brawl? Stick around the outskirts and get involved only when the enemy's back is turned. Want to scout? Get good at spotting enemies with no Dorito, because if you are close enough to target them then you've just lit up like a flare on their own radar. Get fast at typing enemy locations in chat; it's not optional.

You also need to really hone your judgement on when to engage and when to disengage. When in doubt, disengage. Always. Know when to shoot and when to just let the enemy pass.

That covers tactics, but what about skills? Spend a lot of time in the Testing Grounds, getting to know the 'Mech's movement and heat characteristics. Spend time running perpendicular to the target and placing shots so you can get good at holding your burn in. Use medium lasers to practice with. If you can hold 70% of the medium laser on the target location consistently while running at top speed of 169.3 kph, you will be god-tier in the Locust when you strap on more suitable guns like Small and Medium Pulse. It also helps to become a great shot with SRMs, because the missile Locusts can do things the others can't, like pop-and-run. They don't even have to stare for the half second it takes for a small pulse to burn, they just shoot and twist. It's nice!

My credentials/achievement showcase:

1058 total drops in Locusts, or about 1/3 of all my total drops.

Worst K/D: 1.85 (LCT-3S, 181 drops)
Average K/D: 2.31
Best K/D: 2.95 (LCT-1E, 105 drops)

Worst W/L: 0.92 (LCT-1V, 116 drops)
Average W/L: 1.1 (funny, that's what my overall average is, too! ELO working as intended?)
Best W/L: 1.29 (LCT-3M, 430 drops)

Cavale is also pretty good in Locusts, maybe he will drop in and also reveal some Locust-fu secrets. YokiLin as well, he's way better than I am at it.