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The Crab


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#41 WrathOfDeadguy

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Posted 08 October 2015 - 06:57 PM

Some revised Wubbable Crabcakes. It really, really annoys me that it'll be next month before I have my rig back (or rather, until I'm back in the same area code as my rig) and can actually drive these. And by then I'll have to level a pile of Wolfhounds too! #FirstWorldProblems.

Why so much Wub? Because I like Wub. The specific quirks for various non-pulse lasers are frankly pathetic on the Crabs; I don't feel even a little bit inclined to chase less than 10% bonuses to range and refire rate in exchange for longer burn times and lower damage. Also because I have a bunch of pulse lasers on hand already- my goal is to construct all of my Crabs out of parts on hand, either inventory or borrowed from other 'Mechs, so that I have to spend as little as possible on them (as I'll also have to divert some cbills for Wolfhounds). Right now, I'll be in for 5,425,770 total investment- 2 DHS upgrades, one FF upgrade, and 4 ES upgrades.

Speedcrab (now with moar wub). XL friendly or not, I just have to have one that's Cicada fast with the firepower of a proper medium. I mean, holy crap, it just seems like so much fun.

Zombie Crab A. This one has STD300 and runs cooler than my other ideas for sustainability in brawls.

Zombie Crab B. A bit slower, a bit hotter, a bit punchier.

Revised Jumping Wubcrab. 3xLPL for optimal range/burn time balance. Retained XL because it shouldn't spend much time exposed.

#42 Tesunie

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Posted 08 October 2015 - 07:06 PM

View PostPS WrathOfDeadguy, on 08 October 2015 - 06:57 PM, said:

Why so much Wub? Because I like Wub.


I'd have to say you really must love your wubs! You wub your loves! B)

#43 ExplicitContent

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Posted 08 October 2015 - 07:44 PM

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...eb6366f858fead9

Having most success with this. 3xLPL and 3ML on a small target. Mix in with the big boys so you dont draw too much attention to the 48pt alpha

Edited by ExplicitContent, 08 October 2015 - 07:45 PM.


#44 EmperorMyrf

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Posted 09 October 2015 - 05:17 AM

View PostDazzer, on 08 October 2015 - 10:12 AM, said:

I am liking this one a lot. Fast real nice A-strike and you can chain fire them LL for ever. This makes me :D big time

[smurfy]http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e999f9647ce346e[/smurfy]


you can improve it further by upgrading to FF, rounding off your armor, and upgrading to an XL300. nasty build though, might give it a spin

#45 Flak Kannon

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Posted 09 October 2015 - 02:51 PM

I immediately loved the crab.

Why?

I had been leveling the BK's pre patch and anything is more survivable than the Mech. I haven't tried them post patch, but will soon.

But, the Crab seems pretty survivable. The longer I play MWO, the more I realize that speed, and mobility(jump Jets) are the biggest asset for survivability, not massive armor.

So... I 'max' engine 3 of my crabs with XL's, and the one with medium laser quirks, I put in a STD. 300 and 5 ML. With module, the ML are 100% effective to 330 meters, not shabby, and with the std, tanky as all get out with 3 hard points outside the arms,side torso, so it can zombie as well as anything.

The crab I do the best in is the one with Jump Jets and 5MPL, and maybe a XL300?? Fun stuff.


Anything is more enjoi'able than the dam Black Knight.....

#46 jss78

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Posted 10 October 2015 - 01:29 AM

With an STD engine, the Crab does seem immensely tanky. To me the ideal engine seems to lie somewhere between STD250-275, to leave tonnage for 2-3 heavy (pulse) lasers and a few mediums, although the concept of a super-survivable ML boat with STD-300+ also appeals.

That long torso appears to-- contrary to expectations -- lead to losing ST's all the time, instead of CT's, so for me it's a strict no-no to XL engines.

One challenge which I've run into is getting lots of leg damage. I think people hit those huge legs instead of the flat-lying torso, even if they don't intend to. On my Shadow Hawks I routinely take leg armour down to 32-36, and only rarely come to regret it, but with Crab it looks like pretty much max leg armour is the way to go. I guess that's one contributor to to why the Crab rolls damage so well -- the leg armour comes into play a lot.

I had the strangest experience at Canyon Network the other day -- I was targeted by a couple of clanner missile boats, firing a steady stream of LRM's. A significant part of the missiles were hitting my legs, instead of torso. I lost one leg, leaving me in the open, and then lost the other leg, killing me. I then spectated a team mate's Crab, and the exact same thing happened to him/her -- legged by LRM's.

#47 Tesunie

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Posted 10 October 2015 - 07:39 AM

View Postjss78, on 10 October 2015 - 01:29 AM, said:

I had the strangest experience at Canyon Network the other day -- I was targeted by a couple of clanner missile boats, firing a steady stream of LRM's. A significant part of the missiles were hitting my legs, instead of torso. I lost one leg, leaving me in the open, and then lost the other leg, killing me. I then spectated a team mate's Crab, and the exact same thing happened to him/her -- legged by LRM's.


That "can" happen, but unless you are moving (or your last remaining leg is that badly damaged), the LRMs should hit the torso somewhere.

LRMs tend to hit the legs of fast-ish moving targets, with the only exception being if they are using large LRM launchers, which tend to spread out a lot and hit everything (with admittedly little damage all over the place).

Wasn't in the match, can't see what happened, so I can't exactly say. All I can say is that it is possible, very possible.

#48 Wildstreak

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Posted 10 October 2015 - 03:38 PM

Basic'd them today.

STD is better, makes them tanky, even proven when I faced and XL Crab and he died quick while STD Crabs are slugfests.

90 kph is the needed speed, before Speed Tweak this means STD 275-280, STD 250 after Tweak is unlocked. FF armor is needed for the bigger engines, maybe not after dropping down.

#49 Tapdancing Kerensky

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Posted 11 October 2015 - 08:08 PM

I just have a couple more elite skills to pick up before I start working on the mastery tier module unlock.

The crab is a great little mech. My performance is about the same with STD or XL, but my survivability goes down the toilet with XL because the side torsos like to fall off. Rolls damage really well otherwise though.

I'm not sure what the best use for the SL version is. That's my XL version and I've tried 320s and 300s but I'm thinking I need to gut the weapons or speed and drop back to a STD250. You just can't rely on your side torsos. I could take out the jump jets I suppose but then I'd just be better off sticking to the R or the B variants anyway.

#50 Tesunie

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Posted 11 October 2015 - 08:16 PM

View PostDancingShade, on 11 October 2015 - 08:08 PM, said:

I just have a couple more elite skills to pick up before I start working on the mastery tier module unlock.

The crab is a great little mech. My performance is about the same with STD or XL, but my survivability goes down the toilet with XL because the side torsos like to fall off. Rolls damage really well otherwise though.

I'm not sure what the best use for the SL version is. That's my XL version and I've tried 320s and 300s but I'm thinking I need to gut the weapons or speed and drop back to a STD250. You just can't rely on your side torsos. I could take out the jump jets I suppose but then I'd just be better off sticking to the R or the B variants anyway.


I'm using something like this personally. (Armor placement not exact.)

It's different. Doesn't follow the quirks at all. But, it seems to work well (for me).

Just food for thought.

(If you don't wish to click the link, it's got an XL325 engine, 2 extra DHS, 4 JJs 2 PPCs and 3 Sm lasers. If you wish, the Sm lasers can be removed for an extra heat sink, but I don't like being completely useless if someone got into my face.)

#51 Tapdancing Kerensky

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Posted 11 October 2015 - 09:35 PM

View PostTesunie, on 11 October 2015 - 08:16 PM, said:


I'm using something like this personally. (Armor placement not exact.)

It's different. Doesn't follow the quirks at all. But, it seems to work well (for me).

Just food for thought.

(If you don't wish to click the link, it's got an XL325 engine, 2 extra DHS, 4 JJs 2 PPCs and 3 Sm lasers. If you wish, the Sm lasers can be removed for an extra heat sink, but I don't like being completely useless if someone got into my face.)


Looks good though it doesn't solve the side torso issue.

I like to get danger close so I ended up going with a STD 280, 5 medium pulses and all the associated modules and heatsinks. I'll miss my range but it's probably the only way I can get it viable for my playstyle and keep the jump jets.

Maybe I should just stick to the -B? haha

Edited by DancingShade, 11 October 2015 - 09:40 PM.


#52 Tesunie

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Posted 12 October 2015 - 07:41 AM

View PostDancingShade, on 11 October 2015 - 09:35 PM, said:


Looks good though it doesn't solve the side torso issue.

I like to get danger close so I ended up going with a STD 280, 5 medium pulses and all the associated modules and heatsinks. I'll miss my range but it's probably the only way I can get it viable for my playstyle and keep the jump jets.

Maybe I should just stick to the -B? haha


Nothing is wrong with getting close in a Crab, it can shift damage well from what I've observed (until people figure out it's hit boxes at least). My play style is to stay at a range a bit more.

The purpose of my jumping Crab is to jump over terrain and unload PPCs into my target. Often times, my target doesn't have enough time to pin point a location. I'm not the best at doing this, but it is rather fun to try.

But, by all means, use what you find works for you. (Your build sound similar to my theoretical 20 build. Haven't used it, and I know sides will be a weakness. Hoping the speed will be able to not only let me get close, but be able to fade away when I'm done as well.)

#53 N a p e s

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Posted 12 October 2015 - 08:23 AM

Well it's almost been a week and I'm loving these mechs.

Started off with standard engines but have mostly swapped to XLs (for now) since I like the speed which is extra useful on the 20. Not usually much of a laservomit guy, but these mechs make it fun.

Current builds:

CRB-20

CRB-27

CRB-27B

#54 Tesunie

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Posted 12 October 2015 - 08:50 AM

View PostPowerOfNapes, on 12 October 2015 - 08:23 AM, said:

Well it's almost been a week and I'm loving these mechs.

Started off with standard engines but have mostly swapped to XLs (for now) since I like the speed which is extra useful on the 20. Not usually much of a laservomit guy, but these mechs make it fun.

Current builds:

CRB-20

CRB-27

CRB-27B


If you place those heat sinks inside the engine, you free up enough crit slots to get FF on your 20. Then, you can place an extra sink in it!

(And because I'm already posting...)
27, I tried that build. Wasn't bad, but was too hot for my preference. If it works for you though, have at it.

The 27B, I have a very similar build. I just have a med laser in the head. Comes in rather handy to be honest...

#55 PeeWrinkle

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Posted 12 October 2015 - 10:57 AM

I have found that all of my Crab builds run both Endo and FF very well.

As for XL engine or STD, I was on the fence with them and ran 50/50. However now I run pretty much all of them with STD engines except the 27SL. That one I run a 300XL just because I like using two LPLs. Also the jump jets really help me to mitigate damage. The other three variants started to seem a bit fragile to me. Mostly a few unexpected alphas right to my ST's when I was relatively undamaged made me change my mind. I still don't run lower than a STD 280 in any of my builds, which is still decently fast.

This is where I am at with my builds currently:
27SL
27B
27
20

The 27SL is currently my favorite variant so far.

Also no matter the build you can usually boat just one type of laser, either MPL's, ML's, SPL's, or SL's and put a pretty large STD engine in them. I have also found heat in any cases to be extremely manageable no matter which build I use, especially after unlocking double basics. Then again if you just constantly try and alpha you will shut down a few times. I try to alpha sparingly and make them count.

Quite a fun little mech to play IMO.

#56 Dawnstealer

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Posted 12 October 2015 - 11:06 AM

View PostRattler85, on 08 October 2015 - 09:05 AM, said:

I have so far had a lot of success with my CRB-20, my 27R is the same build.

Here are my builds so far. I even pulled the XL out of the 27SL.

CRB-20:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b20a6a5ee6a7bc9


CRB-27®:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b20a6a5ee6a7bc9


CRB-27B:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...935c3325beb39e9


CRB-27SL:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9d5aada7bb8f583

Yeah, think this is how I'll build mine out, too: just seems (from killing them) that they are beastly with STDs, but not too tough with XLs.

#57 N a p e s

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Posted 12 October 2015 - 02:42 PM

View PostTesunie, on 12 October 2015 - 08:50 AM, said:


If you place those heat sinks inside the engine, you free up enough crit slots to get FF on your 20. Then, you can place an extra sink in it!

(And because I'm already posting...)
27, I tried that build. Wasn't bad, but was too hot for my preference. If it works for you though, have at it.

The 27B, I have a very similar build. I just have a med laser in the head. Comes in rather handy to be honest...


Thanks for the tip Tesunie!

The 27 does get toasty but I try to play mid range as much as possible so that there's not too much of a chance for a mid-brawl overheat. Plus with the range quirks on the Mlas and the additional buff from the module you get 338 meter medium lasers so it works out in favor of that too.

#58 Tesunie

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Posted 12 October 2015 - 05:27 PM

View PostPeeWrinkle, on 12 October 2015 - 10:57 AM, said:



Just a suggestion: A little much on the AMS ammo? Probably only needs 1 ton of AMS ammo I would think. Then again, preference and depends upon the situation. Only thing of note from me. Otherwise, they look very solid. :)

View PostPowerOfNapes, on 12 October 2015 - 02:42 PM, said:


Thanks for the tip Tesunie!

The 27 does get toasty but I try to play mid range as much as possible so that there's not too much of a chance for a mid-brawl overheat. Plus with the range quirks on the Mlas and the additional buff from the module you get 338 meter medium lasers so it works out in favor of that too.


You see, I take that range extension with my ERLLs. I strike out at crazy ranges, and I try to engage people at those ranges. It's nice when you shoot them, and they shoot back with LPLs or med lasers and can't really hurt you. Does get a little more messy when things get close, but you can't really plan for everything, can you?

The 27 is great for a lot of builds. Even small lasers get the help of a range boost, which they certainly probably like. Doesn't run as cool as the 27B though, but that isn't always a bad thing.


I see my Crabs as anti-clan mechs in CW. With the long range punch the 27 can get, I'm competing with clan ranges, and can often take advantage of it on a CW match. B)

#59 PeeWrinkle

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Posted 13 October 2015 - 09:49 AM

View PostTesunie, on 12 October 2015 - 05:27 PM, said:


Just a suggestion: A little much on the AMS ammo? Probably only needs 1 ton of AMS ammo I would think. Then again, preference and depends upon the situation. Only thing of note from me. Otherwise, they look very solid. :)



I agree, I only run it like this in pugs since there always seems to be a lot LRMs in those matches. I haven't run it in CW yet, but if I did I would drop both tons of AMS Ammo and both AMS' Launchers. LRMs are very scarce there.

I was only running it like that to take advantage of the quirks. I even put an AMS overload on it, so I fly through the ammo. Although I will say that I don't really notice it keeping many LRMs off me. I figured that is just my imagination.

If I were playing it competitively I'd problem do this with the build:
Competitive 27

I also really like playing the 5 ML build, and even though range can be a big factor in CW, I'd play it there as well. My experience is Inner Sphere need to push early cause they are always out ranged so having steady damage at 400M that runs even cooler would be pretty good.

#60 jss78

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Posted 18 October 2015 - 07:56 AM

I'm having incredibly good luck with my Crabs. I'm running them as second-line, all-range fire-support platforms.

With STD engines they seem supremely sturdy, beyond any of my other mediums. I'm ascribing this to the ST's protecting the CT, but I think the huge legs also take some shots intended for the hard-to-hit, flat-lying torso. I'm seeing lots of leg damage, but again this is good, as it keeps the CT in the game a while longer.

My builds are all kinda similar: STD engines, and a mixture of ER-LL's and ML's:

CRB-20 is the baseline build. Up-engined to STD-275, ER-LL's in the arms, 3xML in CT and head, AMS.

CRB-27 is a support-oriented variation of the above; down-engined to STD-250, but gets 2xAMS (2½ ton ammo) and BAP. Kind of waiting in the sidelines now for the upcoming ECM nerf. After that I hope it to be, if not the new meta, at least quite useful.

CRB-27B is a long-range oriented version with STD-250, 3xERLL, ML, AMS.

Edited by jss78, 18 October 2015 - 08:01 AM.






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