51 replies to this topic

[RedDevil]

Since I started playing this game, I don't think I've ever been hit in the head. With that being said, is having 0 head armour a viable tactic?

If not 0, then how low do you usually go?

[luigi256]

Zero head armor is ok to do but I would say to keep a some. I don't know how badly you need the points but unless it's a light mech I would rather shave a little leg armor off if need be. Just to play it safe.

Also note that the mech does have an effect on whether to have max head armor or not. You will have a much harder time hitting a Jaggermech or Awesome in the head then compared to a Centurion or Atlas even.

Normally my head armor stays at full armor but when I absolutely need it I don't have it below 10.

Edit: I should say cockpit of a mech because hitting a commando or atlas in the "head" will lead to center torso damage, which is pretty funny to me.

Edited by luigi256, 11 February 2015 - 10:00 PM.

[Dawnstealer]

If you never get by an arty, sure. Also, there are some guys out there that are REAL good at headshots. 18 armor, or at least 12, is not a terrible idea.

[ZenFool]

Artillery and lrms both graze head. Skimping head armor will result in death. Oh wait, the OP is Jade Falcon. By all means try this zero head armor for a month and tell us how it works out. Also get all of your friends to do it, so we have a big enough metric.

[Tarogato]

You'll want head armour, because artillery has a substantial probability of headshotting you.

How much armour depends on the mech. On a mech with a central mounted cockpit, you might want max head armour because most people aim for center of mass anyways. This goes for mechs like the Jagermech, Cataphract, Direwolf, Timberwolf, Stormcrow, and Catapault.

For Locusts, in particular, it's customary to go as low as 5 or so points or even less, but I wouldn't do this with most mechs.

For the record, I got headshot'd by a triple ER PPC Thunderbolt yesterday while I was in one of my Wolverines. Triple ER PPC is 30pts of damage, and with max head armour (18) plus the internal HP (15) for a total of 33 hitpoints, the Thunderbolt must have got lucky and crit'd me, because my head armour was 100% in tact when he shot me. ^^;

[SuomiWarder]

I sometimes strip head armor to keep from stripping other armor locations too much, but usually keep at least 10 pts. Unless you are a light, the weight you can save by dropping 18 points of head armor is not likely to make a huge difference to your build.

[DivineEvil]

It's a rule of thumb to reduce your head armor on Light and Mediums mechs with Ferro-Fibrous armor installed to get those extra 0.5 armor freed up. Nobody really is going to try and head-shot you in those mech anyway. Having 16 to 12 head armor on Heavy or Assault chassis is also acceptable, and any specific situation where you're head-shotted in that chassis is merely a bad luck. But having 0 armor is bad in all cases - it will be displayed in your paperdoll when targeted, and any skilled player will try and shut you down when they know you got nothing on it but structure. Something like 4 points is a critical minimum against LRMs and Artillery.

[Insects]

If you go zero then people will see that it is zero and be encouraged to shoot your face.
So have 1 at least, so it looks like armor is there.

[Brother MEX]

Tarogato, on 11 February 2015 - 09:55 PM, said:

You'll want head armour, because artillery has a substantial probability of headshotting you.

How much armour depends on the mech. On a mech with a central mounted cockpit, you might want max head armour because most people aim for center of mass anyways. This goes for mechs like the Jagermech, Cataphract, Direwolf, Timberwolf, Stormcrow, and Catapault.

For Locusts, in particular, it's customary to go as low as 5 or so points or even less, but I wouldn't do this with most mechs.

For the record, I got headshot'd by a triple ER PPC Thunderbolt yesterday while I was in one of my Wolverines. Triple ER PPC is 30pts of damage, and with max head armour (18) plus the internal HP (15) for a total of 33 hitpoints, the Thunderbolt must have got lucky and crit'd me, because my head armour was 100% in tact when he shot me. ^^;

I had been headshot in a mech with 18 head armor by a single AC2 shot once !
Even if that would have been a 6xAC2 build, 12 damage shouldnt be enough for that !

[The Great Unwashed]

That should not be possible; only a twin gauss shot has a chance to kill you when you have full head armor.

[Fiona Marshe]

"Through Armour Crits" do seem to occasionally happen. I have seen it twice on my mechs since Beta.

First time I lost an LRM15 launcher on my CAT (first hit of the match; dead launcher, yellow armour).

Second time was a cockpit crit. Head armour still intact, no cockpit (although it may have been display lag). Wasn't 'head destroyed', it was specifically 'cockpit destroyed'.

[Ghogiel]

I remember playing with someone forgot to put head armor on a CN9 and was head shotted 4 times in 10 matches. 3 of them were arty spalsh kills. 0 head armor is a really bad idea.

[HelBound]

If Im looking to trim tonnage I usually sit between 8-5 armour for the head. I feel better with it lower in light mechs, little less in the slower mechs. LRM and AC barrages can and will catch your head from time to time.

That being said I've died due to a head shot maybe....twice in the last 2 years.

[Dawnstealer]

ZenFool, on 11 February 2015 - 09:55 PM, said:

Artillery and lrms both graze head. Skimping head armor will result in death. Oh wait, the OP is Jade Falcon. By all means try this zero head armor for a month and tell us how it works out. Also get all of your friends to do it, so we have a big enough metric.

Huh, this is a good point. ACTUALLY, Clan mechs have a quirk that make your mech even more powerful if you run NO armor. Anywhere. Ever. Or weapons.

Really.

[RedDevil]

<3 @ ZenFool and Dawnstealer ^.^

I didn't think about arty, as that seems to graze all armour, but even with LRMs I've never seen the yellow outline on the head. Interestingly enough, I'm actually trying to find a way to armour up the legs on my Kit Fox a bit more, so all the advice on lowering head armour on lights was just what I was hoping to hear! I guess going down to about 6 is common on lights?

The mechs I typically run are Centurions (Champ and Hero only), Kits Fox's, Nova's, and Stormcrow's. So those are the only ones I have experience with. I was then looking at the Hellbringer hitboxs and the cockpit is a square so small I don't think a LRM could even fit in it.

All this made me wonder what others do.

Edited by reddevil, 12 February 2015 - 08:17 AM.

[Bigbacon]

i run alot of mechs with zero head armor.

Only time it is an issue is in an arty strike.

[SethAbercromby]

Fiona actually hit a good point. In TT, there way one dice roll result when rolling for the hit location to get a critical hit through the armor. Out of 36 possible results, this one result had a 2.77778% chance of accurring on every roll. It is possible the developers added a similar chance for through-armor crit rolls, but I for my part have never seen damage on internal components other than the CT while armor was still present...

[990Dreams]

An arty or air strike can kill you, for one.

For another, anyone with good aim (a buddy of mine, for example) can kill you.

[Nori Silverrage]

I really depends on the mech. Lights can afford to go lower though I would never go below about 8 since you could get heatshotted from a arty strike.

Generally I won't go below 15-16 on mechs.

[Malcolm Vordermark]

0 armor is going to get you kill via arty strikes. I recommend at least 14 on heavier mechs. Maybe cheating down to 8-10 on light and agile mechs. That is very risky though.