33 replies to this topic

[The Mecha Streisand]

So, I already have the 9S2(L), because LOYALTY and FREE STUFF. Say I wanted to put together a trio, just to ELITE the dogone things. What are the two other ZEUs to buy?

[Alienized]

definetly the -9S

all the others are pretty much personal preference. the -6T for example is a nice poking mech. 2 ppc on one side 3 srm4+ artemis on the other :>

the PPC velocity quirk is soo nice

Edited by Alienized, 05 March 2016 - 11:09 AM.

[JadeWolf01]

I love it. I run with twin AC 5 chain fired and two ER Large. Standard 300 engine and an AMS. I get some decent kills and have a ton of fun.

[Chados]

Believe it or not, I spectated a guy wrecking face with this build last night and it caused me to re-think the 5S that has been gathering dust ever since I used it to get my 9S2 into elites:

ZEU-5S
STD engine of some kind
AC10
2xLL
ASRM6

So I got mine back out, maxed armor, applied endo and DHS, put the STD320 back in, added a uAC/5 and two tons, an ASRM6 and two tons, and two LL. Plus uAC cooldown and SRM6 range.

I got 950 damage and three kills on Canyon Network. In the group queue. This is a better ride than I thought. I'm thinking about going XL, 2 ASRM4/3 tons, 3 LL, uAC/5 and 2 tons, but I like to brawl and you really like a STD for that. I got XL-checked hard by two medium mechs about three quarters of the way through the epic brawl on Canyon and lost my lasers and uAC but still had my SRM fist, put one down and the Shadowhawk I was grouped with hammered his buddy

I had a 9S to complete the trio but I sold it, I want dakka. It's nice to have the 5S back, frankly.

Edited by Chados, 19 March 2016 - 06:44 AM.

[Infinite Freedom]

You're all gonna probably call me an idiot, but I actually kept my Zeus's mostly stock in terms of weaponry.

My 6S has had it's large ripped out for another medium, added a second AC5, Endo and DHS. Then filled it up with more ammo and armor.

My 9S has had the ER large stripped out for a medium laser, the pulse downgraded to medium regulars. Endo. Upped the ammo and armor.

6T is pretty much the same as the 9S, though I kept the Large for once.

I know it's not the most meta thing, but the Zeus in my mind is meant to be a support/long range Assault, supporting the rest of the team through raining LRMs and PPC/AC fire on the enemy.

[Shadey99]

I did a T2, 611 Match Score, 963 damage, 3 kill, 7 assist, 6 'most damage done' game earlier today in my 9S earlier which runs a standard engine with 3 LPL + 3 MPL. So they can be effective at times.

I've been playing them during the event because I fully elited them a long while ago, but I hadn't mastered them. I'm reminded regularly that MWO needs the ability to swap builds on mechs when entering a match. Most of my default Zeus builds are short-mid range (200-600m), and so I suffer on Alpine and polar highlands. If we could switch builds on the fly then I could trade LPLs for ERLLs and srms for LRMs.

[Exilyth]

I always thought the Zeus, being a steiner design, was intended as something light for cleaning up after the steiner scout lance


But I've got to admit, the "xl friendly assault" part has me intrigued, I'll have to try that out... eventually.

[Unkempt Oatmeal]

I notice that a lot of people recommend 3 x LPL, LL, or ERLL. Are you guys firing all three together? Doesn't that produce a lot of ghost heat?

[Exilyth]

Joshman, on 24 March 2016 - 10:51 PM, said:

I notice that a lot of people recommend 3 x LPL, LL, or ERLL. Are you guys firing all three together? Doesn't that produce a lot of ghost heat?

Ghost heat for IS starts at four large lasers (or LPL, ERLL or any combination thereof).

I actually ran 4 ERLL on a Thunderbolt, but scrapped that build because of heat. You can melt armor on a single component on most heavies, but after firing you spend too much time for cooling down.

Edited by Exilyth, 25 March 2016 - 06:36 AM.

[Spetulhu]

Aye, the Zeus can be a real surprise when you outfit it with proper guns. The engine is IMO a matter of taste - a large XL for extra speed or a STD for some incredible zombie action.

I have the Loyalty 9S2 fitted with the 320XL it came with, 3 A-LRM10s, a couple MLs and an AC10, for example. Not perhaps overwhelming firepower but it's pretty nimble for an assault and can disregard some plinking shots while moving to a vastly better firing position.

But the two other versions I've been using have STD320s. They're still fast for 80 tons and while they don't carry as threatening an array of guns they sure hold up much longer than the smaller mech that might carry those guns with an XL. The 6S® carries a single ALRM-15, 2 AC5s and 4 MLs plus AMS. And the 9S fitted with 1 ALRM-15, 2 ERLL and 2 MPLs does surprisingly well too. These two are really nasty customers, believe me - reasonably fast, very tanky and not seen as a big threat next to an Atlas, Dire Wolf or King Crab. I'll be dealing damage in them almost untouched until the "real" assaults have been taken out.

[AmazingOnionMan]

I had a Zeus, but I had to let it go as I couldn't get it to work for me. The reason it didn't work is because it is pretty much a left side-poker by design and my right-sided brain and key bindings can't handle that. (Yeah, I'm weird and I know it)
However, it is tough and hard to kill and, for its size, an extremely responsive and comfortable mechs to pilot.
To top it off, it looks good. A shame we didn't manage to hit it off, Zeus - but that's all on me.

[Chados]

I've also found that the Zeus needs to be fully elited before it truly gets where it needs to be. They just aren't easy to pigeonhole. For a long time I was like OnionMan, the left side ballistic was giving me problems til I ran a Summoner for awhile and git used to the idea. A few months of Wolverines got me liking mixed builds, too, and the Zeus is good at that.

I like to run heavy mechs as a rule, because they can fill many roles on the fly and usually are forgiving of stupid mistakes, which I'm notorious for! I like 55t mediums and 80t assaults for the solo queue (when the heavy queue is in the 50s plus) or in group queue for more mobility (55) or more armor (80) while retaining mostly the same characteristics. I'm liking the Zeus for its flexibility.

Edited by Chados, 26 March 2016 - 05:39 AM.

[Karl the Plumber]

Guitar Czar, on 07 February 2016 - 03:11 AM, said:

Glad I found this thread. I've got a special place in my heart for 80 ton mechs but though I liked the Awesome in older games it's just...so squashable (unless you're incredibly good and can compensate for it, which I can not.) And but so then that leaves the Zeus, which is a mech I always really liked, but I never saw anyone playing the damn thing.

Man, I wish I had found this thread before I bought the Awesome. I spent a ton of time unlocking it and it's just so, so painful to play with. I still like loading it up once in a while, but I would have gotten way more play out of the Zeus. Loved it in the old games.

[Chados]

Here's a build I've been enjoying on the Zeus 6T, which has been for me the hardest of the five to set up thus far:

ZEU-6T "Aramis"

Yes, the four "Resistance" variants I own are nicknamed Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan, and they all have "Resistance" colors. I was up late one night and got a little punchy. My 9S2 doesn't fit into the "Resistance" motif....