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Levi Porphyrogenitus, on 07 February 2015 - 03:02 PM, said:
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.
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.
Well said. This covers it pretty well.
