34 replies to this topic

[Weeny Machine]

Hello community,

I am seeking advice from some of you veterans. I am contemplating to buy some modules (that is if the price went down significantly through the event).

So far I got:
- 1 x Radar Deprevation
- 1 x Zoom

My questions are:
Are there some other "must-haves" like Radar Dep.?
Are modules for reduced CDs on weapons (I love AC/5s) even worth it? The same goes for increased range. The % is often about 2%.

[Knight Magus]

I'd like to know this as well - way too pricey to just buy and see.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Seismic Sensor

Target Decay if you run LRMs or Streaks

Also consider some Weapon mods, but it depends on you most commonly used weapons.

[Brody319]

weapon modules have several levels, each costing more GXP. the total full bonus of a fully unlocked weapon module is like 10% for range and 12% for cooldown

I would say what is important is based soley on your builds. though sesmic is good

[Torgun]

You can invest up to 5 levels on weapon modules using GXP and get up to either a 12% cooldown rate (cooldown to refire, not on heat) or 10% extra range (for more details, look here: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...eptmodule_range). Personally I find weapons with shorter cooldown time and range aren't worth buying modules for, as the 10% or 12% gain makes little difference. But for an AC20 the difference with 12% less cooldown time is easily noticeable.

As for other mech modules I have to say Seismic, being able to follow the opponents movement within 250m from you the moment you stop is a great weapon. Another great module is info gathering, so you can get info faster on the mech you've targetted where it's damaged the most so you can aim for that faster.

Edited by Torgun, 07 February 2015 - 02:03 PM.

[Flaming oblivion]

Depends what your after.

Radar derp is pretty good if you find LRMs a problem
Advanced target decay is a must if your using lrms.
Target info gathering can be useful shows you where their damaged faster.

Improved artillery strike has its uses but definitely not needed (and costly since you have to keep buying a consumable)

Also worth noting none of the above modules will be affected by the sale.

Weapon modules worth having...................

Depends what your using

IMHO any short range weapon the range boosts are worse then useless.........

Longer range weps there not completely worthless but wouldn't miss having them.....

Cooldown modules

I really like these but again your really not losing a great deal without them.

[Rhent]

Seismic: You use it for any Ambush or Brawler build. It gives you a very good idea where the enemy are and if you can successfully ambush them w/o facing multiple mechs.

Radar Deprivation: Only useful for slow mechs. If you can go over 81 kph, you should learn how to use cover and dodge LRM fire or use ECM. Even slow mechs paired with ECM can do well.

The weapon modules work best for boat builds. The UAC/5 module is a very good one to get to help cut down on jams and works well with Jaggers, K2's, Phracts, Banshees and Crabs.

[CantHandletheTruth]

Bush Hopper, on 07 February 2015 - 01:48 PM, said:

Hello community,

I am seeking advice from some of you veterans. I am contemplating to buy some modules (that is if the price went down significantly through the event).

So far I got:
- 1 x Radar Deprevation
- 1 x Zoom

My questions are:
Are there some other "must-haves" like Radar Dep.?
Are modules for reduced CDs on weapons (I love AC/5s) even worth it? The same goes for increased range. The % is often about 2%.

Radar derp isn't a must have. Seriously unless you are in a 100 tonner LRM shouldn't be that big of a deal for you. I don't even run it unless I'm pulling real weight. Which is rare.

Seismic, is ALWAYS worth it, sensor range is good if you are streaking or scouting, 360 target retention (again for streak boats) advanced zoom of anything with super long range. Hill climb can be huge if you are in jumping lights/fast mediums a lot.

......most of the rest of them are pretty bad, IMP airstrike and Arty are not worth giving a mech slot up for gyro is useless because it still caps at 40kph.....so meh

[MikeBend]

Doesnt it say on the event page, that only the weapon modules will get a discount? We arent getting half price radar derp, seismic or any of that expensive stuff. Its a pity.

[Spheroid]

Seismic and radar dep. are the two must haves.

AC-5 cooldown is nice.

Most energy cooldowns are not worth it, since it just jacks heat up.

AMS overload and LLAS range are nice as is mlas range if boating or combining with LPlas.

[Athalus]

Beware: the sale after the current event will only discount weapon modules, not 'mech modules. As for weapon modules: at lvl 5 they give a decent boost. It wont make a massive difference, but they'll allow you to deal just a little more damage. If you have some spare C-bills, it wont hurt!

[PurpleNinja]

IMHO, seismic sensor and radar deprivation are the ones.
On LRM boats I switch the radar deprivation for target decay.
On snipers I switch radar deprivation for advanced zoom.
And since most of my builds have a primary weapon, cooldown and range for that weapon.

[Weeny Machine]

Do I get it right that you would need to buy the e.g. AC/5 cooldown module times which would cost then (without reduction) 5*3M = 15M

.../heartattack

Athalus, on 07 February 2015 - 02:24 PM, said:

Beware: the sale after the current event will only discount weapon modules, not 'mech modules. As for weapon modules: at lvl 5 they give a decent boost. It wont make a massive difference, but they'll allow you to deal just a little more damage. If you have some spare C-bills, it wont hurt!

Oh thanks for the clarification. I must have misread the article and thought it were for all.

[Spheroid]

^no you buy the module once and upgrade by using GXP.

[Weeny Machine]

Spheroid, on 07 February 2015 - 02:55 PM, said:

^no you buy the module once and upgrade by using GXP.

Thanks a lot. That sounds much better

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

There are generally two kinds of modules that are major buys. I'll address those in a moment.

First are consumables, though. At 40k per, they're not very expensive, though using two can often leave you with only minimal profits (or a net loss in some cases). The benefits for the team, however, can often be worth the 40k price tag. I personally put an Artillery Strike and a UAV on all of my mechs, but I try to use them only if it seems immediately beneficial to the point of earning the price tag.

Consumables aside, then, you have Mech modules and Weapon modules.

Regarding Mech modules, here are the ones I recommend, in general order of usefulness:

1 - Radar Deprivation. Put this on everything. Even ECM mechs benefit, though they can forego it in favor of other modules, situationally (I wouldn't leave it off of an AS7-D-DC, as they're too slow and need all the help they can get).

2 - Seismic. This is most important for builds that will regularly be on the other side of a hill or ridge, or around a corner, from where the enemy team is posted. Brawlers, mid-range alpha face-smashers, mid-range poptarts, and generally anything that wants to avoid accidentally turning a corner and finding the entire enemy team, or that wants to know if a UAV would offer some very nice intel if popped in a certain place. I like this on lights, too, as I tend to dash from cover to cover and Seismic lets me know if it's safe to go around obstacles.

3 - Target Info. This can be the difference between shaving some armor off of an enemy before he kills you and securing the kill with minimal damage to yourself. If you have target info and your enemy doesn't, then in those opening seconds of the engagement when the first two volleys are being exchanged you will be able to place your shots where they count, while he's reduced to guessing and aiming center mass. I cannot tell you the number of fights I've won because I got my target info faster than usual and managed to pop a vulnerable XL or take out a stripped Gauss arm.

4 - Target Decay. Invaluable on any build with meaningful tonnage dedicated to LRMs. Less useful for other builds.

5 - Sensor Range. Very useful on SSRM builds and LRM builds both. Less useful on other builds.

6 - Zoom. Very useful for builds that like to engage at ranges beyond 800 meters or so. Not as useful for mid-range sniper builds, but still an okay choice. Terrible up close - do not stay zoomed in while brawling. I see far too many people do this, and they invariably die horribly after missing all their shots.

That's pretty much it for the must-have Mech modules. One of each is probably enough to get by with, though if you want to do serious CW you might want 4 Radar Deprivation modules and enough of the others tailored to your specific builds to fill out your drop deck.

Weapon modules are small but meaningful boosts to your damage output. They come in two flavors - Range and Cooldown. Also, a note: when you unlock a weapon module, there are 5 tiers. Each does 2%, for a total of 10% extra range or reduced cooldown. Each module automatically upgrades as you unlock the higher tiers, so no re-purchasing of newer versions fo the modules is necessary.

Range is my prefered module type, as it allows you to engage beyond your standard envelope, making you a threat when you otherwise wouldn't be. I especially like it on SRM builds and Pulse Laser builds, as they get a lot of benefit from even small range increases

Cooldown can be very handy as well, though I find it to be slightly less so given MWO's heat mechanics and the importance of range in a Clan-heavy environment. A 10% reduction in cooldown can be a very large damage output increase, especially over the course of an engagement, though it also means your heat load will go up faster.

I tend to kit weapon modules based on my build and its preferences and weaknesses. For instance, I run an AWS-8Q with 2 PPCs and 5 MPLs. I put Range on both weapon sets, and Cooldown on the MPLs. I'm more concerned about precision brawling and the ability to fill the hole left by the 90m minimum range on the PPCs, so I prioritize getting more MPL shots out. That said, the range module for the PPCs pushes an already-quirked PPC range even higher, allowing it to threaten mechs that would otherwise require an ERPPC to damage. Similarly, if I'm running an SRM boat I tend to prioritize SRM range, as the gap between 270 meters and 300ish meters can be decisive. It helps to mitigate a weakness of the build, by letting it threaten targets well beyond the standard engagement envelope.

All that said, your own personal play style will determine the true effectiveness of any module, weapon modules included. If you aren't firing your weapons on the cooldown very often, then a cooldown modules is wasted c-bills. If you don't take max-range shots very often, then a range module won't help you much. If you never stop moving, Seismic is a complete waste (it only works when you're stationary). If you don't use the Target Info screen, then don't bother with the Target Info module.

[Weeny Machine]

Thanks to you all for the detailed advice. It helps me a lot to find my way around modules. Especially since they are a pretty hefty investment in some cases.

[AssaultPig]

Don't bother with 360 degree retention, just use target decay.

zoom imo is meh; it doesn't increase aiming fidelity much vs. just using the default zoom, and on a lot of maps fog means that targets get lost in the terrain even with adv. zoom on.

target info is pretty nice and a solid default #2 module (behind radar deprivation) if you don't have anything else to use.

w/r/t weapon modules, you might as well use them since all mechs get 1-2 weapon mod slots. Cooldown is a better choice than range in most cases, although range isn't an awful choice on shorter-range weapons like Mlas.

[Greenjulius]

My advice?

Don't waste your money on zoom. Fuzzy and pixelated.

Must haves?

Radar Deprivation
Seismic Sensor

Situational, but very useful

Target Info Gathering
Target Decay

Weapons?

For ballistics, all cooldown and range modules are great, with cooldown being the more useful
For Lasers, all range increases are great

If it's a laserboat and runs hot, cooldown modules are obviously not as useful as range, especially if it's made for range and sniping. Both modules are useful for ballistics because they usually run cool enough to want a faster firing rate at all times.

Just get weapon mods for weapons you actually use and you'll do fine.

Edited by Greenjulius, 07 February 2015 - 03:54 PM.

[CocoaJin]

Im giving up a secret, Radar Dep isn't just for Fatties. I've used it as a peek-a-boo shooter from cover in my smaller mechs. Odd as it sounds, but if your opponent quickly looses your lock behind cover, you'll find many will sort of forget about you and quickly lock onto the next red dorito...out of sight out of mind.

Now you are free to poke out and continue engaging the target for a few shots before he realizes what's going on.

Weapon modules are good too. I have them for certain weapon typed I use a lot, PPCs and soon ER-PPCs(I'm a Kuritan, what do you expect). I also use them to amplify really good quirks, AC20, AC5s and LPLs(I have Dragons, Wolverines-6Ks and Hunchback 4Gs...I said I was a Kuritan right?)

Edited by CocoaJin, 07 February 2015 - 06:55 PM.