216 replies to this topic

[Joseph Mallan]

I played a match in both yesterday. Boy was I surprised when a King Crab double tapped me in teh CT. My Panther just dropped! I was like "Wow, that just happened!" Mostly cause I forgot which Mech I was in. I am a dedicated Atlas pilot after all.

[Scurry]

The Panther in its current incarnation (for me) owes a lot of its survivability to the fact that most people just don't shoot at you if there is anything else nearby.

That, and using jumpjets to poke at range means you're real tough to hit.

The Panther does well in those matches where everyone pokes at range, not wanting to commit, giving you the time to poke away without getting smacked - but if everyone charges into the furball, not so much.

I just use the 2xERPPC build and float around on the edge of the deathball for now. Even though it's hot, I have plenty of time to cool off since no one bothers to shoot at me.

[Escef]

So far I am practically overjoyed with how these mechs perform. I was expecting the Panther to be unexemplary, and the Enforcer to be fairly interesting but ok. And you know what? ... These things are F***IN' SWEET!

[MeiSooHaityu]

Sadly I only had time to patch the game and check them out in the Mechbay. They look cool.

I'm also broke as heck so I'm going to have to scrounge parts to make a good load out (plus earn money for DHS). It feels like I may be waiting a while to play them :/.

On the brighter side, the Panther seems like it plays like a mini Vindicator, and I like the Vindi a lot.

The Enforcer seems like it could be a fun mech, I'm eager to find a cool build I like on it.

[STEF_]

MeiSooHaityu, on 18 February 2015 - 05:29 AM, said:

I'm also broke as heck so I'm going to have to scrounge parts to make a good load out (plus earn money for DHS). It feels like I may be waiting a while to play them :/.

Meisoo, I can undestand you.... at least 10 days playing to farm those 10-12 millions c-biils to upgrade and arm theses 6 new mechs....

[Paigan]

The ENF-4R actually has some pretty high generic energy quirks (12,5% / 12,5% / 10%) and even torso hardpoints
(yes, I love laser vomit . Laser sniping. Laser brawling. Laser lazing).

The Panther however ... I can't take a mech seriously that has ALL its primary weapon type hardpoints in ONE arm.
It could only be a solo PPC sniper or something like that with its quirks, but not with THAT speed.

To quote an ingame chat yesterday:
<Panther Pilot>: "I'm 35t and 64 kph, what am I?"
<Another Pilot>: "Dead"

[N a p e s]

Honestly, I want to like the LBX but this is not the platform that will change my mind about it especially when considering its current quirk levels.

For one the CN9-D has quirks that are twice as potent for the LBX (barring the use of the cooldown module) and it also benefits from cooldown quirks to SRM4 launchers which have a nice synergy with the LBX. With that in mind the CN9-D is the better choice if using the LBX is a primary concern.

Now, the ENF does benefit from jump jets which is notable advantage compared to the Centurions but in my mind it doesn't warrant the reduced LBX quirks on the ENF which has much less potential punch than the CN9-D.

I'm still gonna play the ENF-5D a bunch but it probably won't take the place of my Hunchbacks or Centurions.

The 4R, which I've yet to take out seems much more like my cup of tea.

Edited by PowerOfNapes, 18 February 2015 - 08:12 AM.

[Murphy7]

Well, it is nice if you got both the Enforcers and Panthers, as I have stripped the two 250XL engines from the enforcers to aid in leveling the Panthers.

The 10R I have been running has been 1 ER PPC, 2 SRM4's and I find that works pretty well for me. Wander the edges and take pot shots until things get rolling, the SRM's are good for extra punch when you need to push through an open section of a mech.

It feels very vulnerable to IS lights, but I wonder if that will be alleviated at all by the time I have it elited.

On the other hand, the added ER PPC velocity is really noticeable on the larger maps (Alpine, Crimson, Caustic).

The 9R i am running siilarly but with 2 Large Lasers and 1 SRM 4, Fun so far, not sure about how effective. Haven't even broken into the third panther.

The Enforcers feel lacking on paper, but I have seen that they are performing well for other people in game, so maybe not a total loss.

[Axeface]

I dont know what game you guys are playing. I have almost got all 3 panthers to elite and they are awful. I can find zero reason to use them over another light. I can hit with ppc's fine without the velocity change, and in fact the velocity change throws me off because i'm used to leading at normal speeds.

Oh and the arm is WAY too big, why is a medium laser on the panther about a 3rd larger than a firestarters mlas? Is the firestarter so bad that it deserves this advantage?
One thing I like about it is the cockpit interior, it looks like they have made new assets for it - which is nice. BUT another thing that was very disappointing is the way the mech sounds - I was expecting something cool (purr), but it just sounds completely boring.

The enforcer looks (Not physically) like a solid mech, I tried it breifly yesterday.
But to have a whole mech, and a cbill bonus one no less (which I want to become my 'go-to' enforcer obviously) based around the LB10X, is just folly - the LB10X is so bad it's not even funny. Why anyone would take one over an ac10 I just cant understand.


All in all - the enforcers model looking like trash and the panther being incredibly 'meh', plus the fact that they need 2 more weeks to complete some bullbars for the special geom has made this 40 dollars the worst 40 dollars I have ever spent.


OH, ps. That panthers list of quirks is rather long. I 100% gaurantee that this was done to lessen the suck as us purchasers level it, once a month or 2 has passed it will lose a lot of the movement quirks.

Edited by Axeface, 18 February 2015 - 08:30 AM.

[Metus regem]

Joseph Mallan, on 18 February 2015 - 02:36 AM, said:

I played a match in both yesterday. Boy was I surprised when a King Crab double tapped me in teh CT. My Panther just dropped! I was like "Wow, that just happened!" Mostly cause I forgot which Mech I was in. I am a dedicated Atlas pilot after all.

Joe, it's not just you, I've seen Raven pilots try to face tank me in a Dire Wolf, then call me a cheater for obliterating when I returned fire...

Edited by Metus regem, 18 February 2015 - 08:30 AM.

[Myke Pantera]

ER-PPC/Double SRM4 Panther is fun. Something different to what I already had. The dual ER LL is less fun though. All in all I like it!

The Enforcer I can't really judge, but the one match I had was quite OK.

Not regretting either of them.

[Greenjulius]

Brody319, on 17 February 2015 - 12:36 PM, said:

Since I won't be buying the Enforcer till C-bill release. I am curious to see if anyone would be willing to try this 5P build for me.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...4b10ff0569a34e0

I thought I'd chime in and let you know how the 3xAC2 build does. I did a slightly modified one, even from what I originally stated:

Build

It has 525 rounds but no backup laser, but it runs a XL255 for more heat efficiency. I find that even with a longer round, I'm not able to use the ammo as fast as I thought. However for the 3 rounds that I ran it in, I harassed every enemy I could see with lots of dakka. I set all 3 AC2s on group 1 if I wanted slower sniping, and set a macro with 180 milliseconds between each to fire them quickly in succession as my alternate, "cover fire" mode.

Its bark is worse than it's bite obviously, but if someone didn't torso twist or get out of the hail of rounds, their armor starts to get eaten up quickly. It makes it hard for people to return fire as well; lots of little rounds hitting you in succession like that can be disorienting.

The three rounds resulted in 1-3 kills in each, with damage running between 450-600. I still had 100-275 rounds available by the end of all three, so damage potential should be decent. It's not as useful as a dual gauss K2/Jager/Ilya, but it weighs 15-20 tons less, and fills the cover fire roll better. Plus, it's jumpy!

Not bad for a silly 50 ton build. AC2s are back!

Edited by Greenjulius, 18 February 2015 - 08:44 AM.

[Greenjulius]

Axeface, on 18 February 2015 - 08:19 AM, said:

I dont know what game you guys are playing. I have almost got all 3 panthers to elite and they are awful. I can find zero reason to use them over another light. I can hit with ppc's fine without the velocity change, and in fact the velocity change throws me off because i'm used to leading at normal speeds.

I agree on the Panther. The only way it will do well is if the enemy consists of a bunch of bad players. It's easy to take that arm off quickly and disable 75% of builds. Hardpoint distribution is too limited and atrocious, and 1 (ER)PPC, even with faster cooldown, has far too limited DPS to be useful for the weight. You're better off with an LPL, ERLL or LL. Some people are running ridiculous, slow 3xLL builds and overheating after a couple shots, making for so many easy kills.

I haven't killed swarms of mechs this easily since the Mist Lynx was first released. And at least the Mist Lynx is tiny and has a Clan XL. I never thought I'd see a mech I like less than the Mist Lynx.

My conclusion? Make ERPPC heat gen reduction 50% Instead of 25%. At least give this slow thing a reason to exist. At present, it's only capable of firing 3x dual ERPPCs before overheating, and heat dissipation is terrible with no extra DHS. (No tonnage left with XL250 and 2xERPPC)

Now, as for my take on the Enforcer? I'm enjoying it. I have generally better rounds with it than my Centurions, solely because of the jump jets. If you're not running jump jets on an enforcer, you might as well be running a Centurion, because they have better quirks.

My take on each variant:

ENF-5D - Good mix of weapons, but the LB10x leaves a lot to be desired. Up the cooldown by another 10% to take it to 30% (CN9-D is 40%) and it will be more usable. As it is, the best pairing I can come up with is a XL280, 3xMPL, 2xJJ around 3.5 tons of ammo and the rest as DHS. It brawls reasonably well, but seems to suffer from "Jack of all trades, but master of none."

ENF-4R - Lots of potential with this mech. I HATE that just like the 5D, the first energy hardpoint is on the lower torso, not the upper. Other than that, I need to run this mech more to figure out what it will be good for. It really could use a raised engine cap to at least 275, ideally 300.

ENF-5P - I called this one DOA, but found that 3xAC2 is actually a fun build. Bring 7 tons of ammo, 2xJJ, and XL255, and it's a party. Just make sure you understand macros for maximum dakka.

Overall, I like the Enforcer and find it an above average mech with good hitboxes. Solidly tier 2-3. I like the look of the Panther, but find it to be severely lacking with performance. I'd rate it tier 5. Others I'm sure will tell me I'm crazy, but if you can't carry your team with a mech, it's tier 3 or below. I find I'm at a point where I'm expected to carry 30% of my games, so I hate feeling like I'm dragging my team down with a bad mech, and either performing mediocre, (rarely above 500 damage) or horribly. (200-300 average) Again, I'm only happy when I can consistently run 500-1000+ damage a round, so I'm more demanding of my mechs than most people.

Edited by Greenjulius, 18 February 2015 - 09:11 AM.

[FupDup]

Greenjulius, on 18 February 2015 - 09:11 AM, said:

I agree on the Panther. The only way it will do well is if the enemy consists of a bunch of bad players. It's easy to take that arm off quickly and disable 75% of builds. Hardpoint distribution is too limited and atrocious, and 1 (ER)PPC, even with faster cooldown, has far too limited DPS to be useful for the weight. You're better off with an LPL, ERLL or LL. Some people are running ridiculous, slow 3xLL builds and overheating after a couple shots, making for so many easy kills.

I haven't killed swarms of mechs this easily since the Mist Lynx was first released. And at least the Mist Lynx is tiny and has a Clan XL. I never thought I'd see a mech I like less than the Mist Lynx.

My conclusion? Make ERPPC heat gen reduction 50% Instead of 25%. At least give this slow thing a reason to exist. At present, it's only capable of firing 3x dual ERPPCs before overheating, and heat dissipation is terrible with no extra DHS. (No tonnage left with XL250 and 2xERPPC)
---

I like the look of the Panther, but find it to be severely lacking with performance. I'd rate it tier 5. Others I'm sure will tell me I'm crazy, but if you can't carry your team with a mech, it's tier 3 or below. I find I'm at a point where I'm expected to carry 30% of my games, so I hate feeling like I'm dragging my team down with a bad mech, and either performing mediocre, (rarely above 500 damage) or horribly. (200-300 average) Again, I'm only happy when I can consistently run 500-1000+ damage a round, so I'm more demanding of my mechs than most people.

I'd start with quite a bit more [ER]PPC velocity really, because Mooninite Quad Laser.



Also more RA armor on every variant, and get rid of those useless +15% missile range and put that "quirk juice" into something useful...

[Dawnstealer]

It's kind of a more mobile, less tanky Centurion.

[Greenjulius]

FupDup, on 18 February 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

I'd start with quite a bit more [ER]PPC velocity really, because Mooninite Quad Laser.



Also more RA armor on every variant, and get rid of those useless +15% missile range and put that "quirk juice" into something useful...

Yeah, it's just so damn appropriate. This SHOULD be that crazy PPC slinging light the game has never had. But sadly, it's just the mech that everyone will see stuck in the open overheating, about to die a horrible death.

[blood4blood]

Played about 8-10 games with each chassis last night, after doing the usual upgrades (everything got endo and double sinks, all the Panthers got engine upgrades, some of the Enforcers did too). My first impressions:

Panther: Like everyone else, I like the looks, but I don't really see any specific role for this mech that another mech can't do better. Firestarter or Jenner for faster skirmishers or snipers, Ravens or Kit Foxes for ECM support, Locust for a really fast scout, etc. I did like the ER PPC variant better than the other two.

Enforcer: I really like the 4R, I tried an AC10 + 5 med laser build and had good results as a short-to-mid-range brawler. I didn't like the one with dual UAC5's - I tried it, but between jams and arms getting blown off, it didn't work for me at all. The LBX one was OK, I guess, but I'll be trying different builds there too. This one will likely see more use than the Panther long-term.

[Machinae Mortis]

DarthRevis, on 17 February 2015 - 12:02 PM, said:

ERPPC MLX finds your lack of faith disturbing...He has no quirks to speak of.

That's cute, but the C-ER PPC has a 1:1 ratio of damage to heat, so you're already looking at the equivalent of -33.3% heat gen. You're also outputting 50% more damage than the IS ER PPC, which ups the DPS of the weapon from 2.5 to 3.75. An analogous quirk here would be -33.3% IS ER PPC cooldown. Yea, that damage is spread, but it's fantastic for pretty screenshots.

Apples and oranges. Congratulations on your match, though.

[Brody319]

Machinae Mortis, on 18 February 2015 - 10:11 AM, said:

That's cute, but the C-ER PPC has a 1:1 ratio of damage to heat, so you're already looking at the equivalent of -33.3% heat gen. You're also outputting 50% more damage than the IS ER PPC, which ups the DPS of the weapon from 2.5 to 3.75. An analogous quirk here would be -33.3% IS ER PPC cooldown. Yea, that damage is spread, but it's fantastic for pretty screenshots.

Apples and oranges. Congratulations on your match, though.

not really. it only does 10 direct damage the rest is splashed.

[Almond Brown]

Gas Guzzler, on 17 February 2015 - 12:05 PM, said:

I would also like to know how hot the 2x ER PPC build is.

Smurfy's list it as 26% HE. That would be <1.0 in game and that is HOT!