31 replies to this topic

[Sagamore]

I've accumulated a small fleet of Clan mechs (3x each of ACH, SCR, TBR and DWF) with the various c-bill sales we've had over the last few months and am playing them for the first time this weekend with X2 XP. I have never played Clan mechs before now.

I've gotta say, the DWF is obscene. I got all basics done in 3 matches with X2 XP in solo queue:



My first match was 3 kills and almost 1000 damage. I've been using this build off of GMan's DWF guide on metamechs.

What makes me pause is how many nerfs and balance passes have been done since this thing came out and, playing it for the first time, it feels like easy mode. Although I am looking forward to breaking 50 kph with speed tweak.

I'm pretty competent with assaults (worth mentioning I having 6 Atlases and 5 Battlemasters in my garage) but I've NEVER been able to be so effective right out of the gate.

I'm excited to level my TBR's too. I wonder if I'll have the same "HOLY #$*@ THIS THING IS STRONK" reaction?

[Havyek]

Not sure what tier you're in currently, but you'll be in for a rude awakening once you run into some competent players.

Those are good numbers and the DWF can do VERY well, but carrying all of those weapons makes you a target, and not being fast enough to get out of the way of anything other than a stock Urbie makes the DWF an easy target much of the time. Being caught out in the open doesn't go well if you're being focused, and being on a team that's entire philosophy is turn left until you can shoot something often leave you alone to get picked off by lights.

It's a strong mech, but not really OP.

[pbiggz]

Far from OP, if you ever face any kind coordinated fire, even just two mechs, or 1 really good shoot, you'll quickly realize the thing is a walking center torso, and no matter where you try to twist, you're almost always going to take CT hits.

Its so bad PGI has actually stated they're intentions to downscale it slightly.

Edited by pbiggz, 06 February 2016 - 03:32 PM.

[Sagamore]

Havyek, on 06 February 2016 - 03:29 PM, said:

Not sure what tier you're in currently, but you'll be in for a rude awakening once you run into some competent players.

Those are good numbers and the DWF can do VERY well, but carrying all of those weapons makes you a target, and not being fast enough to get out of the way of anything other than a stock Urbie makes the DWF an easy target much of the time. Being caught out in the open doesn't go well if you're being focused, and being on a team that's entire philosophy is turn left until you can shoot something often leave you alone to get picked off by lights.

It's a strong mech, but not really OP.

I'm Tier 1. There are enough drawbacks now to counter its firepower (especially the global agility nerfs and IS structure buffs) but on release? Man, I feel like I missed out.

[Monkey Lover]

Dire on release was insane. The light Q went to zero at times because of all the ppc+gauss one hitting light. You could alpha vomit lasers t 600m on a fresh running light and would just pop. It was the first mech I made 8 kills with ha-ha

Even back then people tried to say they were balanced hehe

Edited by Monkey Lover, 06 February 2016 - 04:21 PM.

[wanderer]

Even now, it's still a frightening gun turret that you prioritize burning down, because it removes a massive chunk of firepower from an enemy force doing so. Failing to is going to get your team mauled.

Seriously. You got NARC? Hit it and run, I'll dump tons of missile ammo into one just to make sure it doesn't get the chance to dakka/laser people off the field in giant-sized bites once it can lumber into range. A decently built Dire Whale is a threat until it's focused down, and woe to the team that doesn't.

If you play one, you have one of the biggest targets on you in the game. Hits hard, gets hit hard if your opponent has any common sense.

[Alistair Winter]

It depends on your team, I think. That's the clue with the DWF, that's why so many people think it's a terrible mech or even mediocre. Because playing on bad teams will give people that impression. If you can actually rely on your team to be somewhat predictable and rely on them to protect their assaults, the Dire Wolf can be amazing.

Running the DWF in the solo queue, particularly at lower tiers, means you'll probably have as many terrible matches as excellent ones.

[deathTouch]

3 whole matches?? :OOOO

[Malachy Karrde]

I still 1 hit lights with them... If you can aim and pick your terrain, the Dire will rip pretty much anything it faces to shreds. last night took 3 lights and 2 heavies out to win a match with 1166 damage.

[Aresye]

"I played 3 games guys. Clearly this thing is OP."

[Deathlike]

Very often, the solo queue makes the Dire Wolf look bad because virtually someone is itching to NASCAR... for no ****ing good reason.

You have more control in the group queue, except there is the occasional "let's go NASCAR" anyways that goes on.

The mech really punishes players for not being battlefield aware, but also mech driving/positioning intelligence.

[Accused]

Sagamore, on 06 February 2016 - 03:10 PM, said:

What makes me pause is how many nerfs and balance passes have been done since this thing came out and, playing it for the first time, it feels like easy mode. Although I am looking forward to breaking 50 kph with speed tweak.

And that is why I've all but given up playing direwolves. The inability of teams to move with assaults, back up assaults, or not nascaring away from assaults is an issue I have.

[Aresye]

Deathlike, on 06 February 2016 - 05:13 PM, said:

Very often, the solo queue makes the Dire Wolf look bad because virtually someone is itching to NASCAR... for no ****ing good reason.

You have more control in the group queue, except there is the occasional "let's go NASCAR" anyways that goes on.

The mech really punishes players for not being battlefield aware, but also mech driving/positioning intelligence.

I think with the skill tree nerfs and many mechs getting decent agility buffs, the 100t "battleship" role has too many downsides. I see more Banshees, Maulers, and Atlases nowadays than I do Dire Wolves or King Crabs.

[Zeoraimer]

I had similar experiences to OP, though it wasn't double XP weekend when I recently mastered DWFs.

First 3 games in Quad UAC10 DWF-B was 8:0 k/d... allowing me to completed 6/8 basic skills. (2x daily XP & PT used)

I subsequently got my first 1100 damage game in that thing.

Mastering other chassis only gets me about 10% along on the T3 PSR bar... Mastering DWFs filled up and additional 50% of the bar... (started at about 30%, ended at 80%, and now almost completed mastering KCGs its at 95%+)

I can only to imagine how OP this was upon release and even before skill nerfs...

[Deathlike]

Aresye, on 06 February 2016 - 05:19 PM, said:

I think with the skill tree nerfs and many mechs getting decent agility buffs, the 100t "battleship" role has too many downsides. I see more Banshees, Maulers, and Atlases nowadays than I do Dire Wolves or King Crabs.

Sure, I get that. It's kind of one of the things that quirks can actually fix (instead of removing the negaquirks, because it doesn't fix it that much relatively speaking - for this mech).

However, reinstating all of that agility loss is NOT acceptable though.

[Kuritaclan]

Sagamore, on 06 February 2016 - 03:10 PM, said:

I've gotta say, the DWF is obscene. I got all basics done in 3 matches with X2 XP in solo queue:



My first match was 3 kills and almost 1000 damage. I've been using this build off of GMan's DWF guide on metamechs.

Come back when you have reached at least 1k matches in it.

[FupDup]

The Daishi is a mech that depends on two factors:

1. Good positioning
2. Good teammates (aka don't split up and look for clues)

If both conditions are fulfilled, the Dire Whale is one of the most absolutely devastating mechs in the game that can eat half of the enemy team. If those conditions aren't fulfilled, then you see forum posts calling the mech weak.

Right before the most recent waves of Clan nerfs (e.g. skill tree, Clan XL, etc.) it was the best assault mech for players/teams that were good. Even after all of those nerfs, it's still a pretty big threat although no longer the king that it once was.

Edited by FupDup, 07 February 2016 - 08:05 AM.

[Ultimax]

Deathlike, on 06 February 2016 - 05:21 PM, said:

However, reinstating all of that agility loss is NOT acceptable though.

The agility nerfs, CXL ST loss nerf & Speed Tweak nerfs are exactly why this mech is rarely fielded.


There is a tipping point where a thing is simply too slow and lumbering to really make the firepower trade off worth it - and we have past it.

[Sagamore]

Kuritaclan, on 06 February 2016 - 05:27 PM, said:

Come back when you have reached at least 1k matches in it.

LOL. I don't think I'll play 1k matches in a DWF (though you never know) when my BLR-1G is my most played with 450.

The fact remains, small sample size or not, I am leveling/performing better out of the gate with a DWF than any other mech I have played (except maybe one of my Crab variants, I still have a 7.25 KDR with it after fully mastering it in 12 games on a double XP weekend).

Even if I do get cornered by a few enemy mechs, I will most likely kill or seriously cripple one of them and probably do enough damage to break even on PSR in the process. Its literally:

• point at target
  
• click on target
  
• target go boom.

I regret not getting into clan mechs when they were clearly OP (edit: clarification- not saying they are currently OP, but lamenting back to their heyday.)



To contrast, I am also leveling Stalkers (late to the party, I know). I feel like a liability to the team, constantly running at high heat and unable to carry a team when needed. Maybe that changes with doubled basic skills but the DWF was instantly a superstar in my books.

Edited by Sagamore, 07 February 2016 - 12:22 AM.

[Sagamore]

Zeoraimer, on 06 February 2016 - 05:19 PM, said:

I had similar experiences to OP, though it wasn't double XP weekend when I recently mastered DWFs.

First 3 games in Quad UAC10 DWF-B was 8:0 k/d... allowing me to completed 6/8 basic skills. (2x daily XP & PT used)

I subsequently got my first 1100 damage game in that thing.

Mastering other chassis only gets me about 10% along on the T3 PSR bar... Mastering DWFs filled up and additional 50% of the bar... (started at about 30%, ended at 80%, and now almost completed mastering KCGs its at 95%+)

I can only to imagine how OP this was upon release and even before skill nerfs...

I'm glad you can relate. I feel like a fool for piloting a DWF now after great steps have been taken to nerf it. I could have been in at the ground floor, man! I'll never truly know what it feels like to be a mech god.