sam wesson, on 21 February 2016 - 01:20 PM, said:
The first 3 runs I ran it stock. Then I set it up with 1 ER laser and Narc, tag, ECM & AMS. This has uses in maps with longer shots and low risk of Spiders. With shorter maps it's almost useless without any experience on that map. Somebody will walk up behind you.
So I added 1 med laser and the removed the XL 295 in favor of the XL 265, but without AMS. That was some help. Just not enough.
Right now I am using 2 Mlas, Srm2 with 2 tons of ammo, AMS, Narc, tag & beagle. Ran this yesterday. The loadout shows a little potential IF I can learn the maps. Had my first try at Terra therma. Got shot in the back. Just killed my teammate and shot me in the back. It was very quick.
Anyway, thanks for the input.
See ya.
Okay, a single ERLL is pretty weak. RVN-3L can do it in pairs, and REALLY well too, so may as well roll with that if you're about the LONG range stuff.
BUT, you're looking at supporting LRM mechs with spotting/etc, so let's skip the twin ERLL.
Roll with a single ERPPC. LOTS of range, no minimum, counters enemy ECM for a few seconds on a hit, higher damage.
NOW, the typical RVN-3L loadout runs twin ERLLs and ECM. That's 10 tons of weapon. With the ERPPC, we're at 7, so we have room to work with for helping out our LURMY pals. 3 tons, actually. Do you want to NARC? If so, move to XL 280 (still keeps you going as fast as an Arctic Cheetah), and install a NARC with 1 ton of ammo. Happy hunting.
But NARC is heavy. The RVN-3L IS heavily quirked for NARC (is it working right yet?), but that's okay. You can save three tons by swapping to a TAG in one of the remaining two E hard points (say, the lower RA point). We're back to three tons to work with. Not going to blow anyone's skirt up with that, though. Drop a MPL in the RT, maybe, and an extra DHS in there somewhere to crit-pad your engine in the side torso components.
Now, you're going to want that sensor range buff out of the BAP that I'm recommending you don't carry. Hmm. (Mind you, the BAP won't work to counter an enemy ECM if your mech already HAS its own ECM; you must turn your ECM to COUNTER, instead, so that benefit of BAP is off the table.) Save up a bunch of GXP and a few million CBills, and buy an Advanced Sensor Range module. This gives the same bonus to sensor range as does the BAP (25%). And yes, they DO stack, but it's RARE you're ever going to need that much sensor range, and we may yet see some iteration of 'Information Warfare' implemented. That takes zero tons and zero critical space, by the way, compared to the 1.5 tons and 2 critical slots of the BAP.
Short-range, you've got lots of options for combining different weapons to fill that 10-ton availability (11 if you tone down to XL 280, and like 12 with your current XL 265). At 10 tons, I'd go with TAG in the RT, 2x MPL in the RA, and an SRM-4 in the RT. If you want more punch, pop a second SRM-4 in the LA. You'll still have tonnage for reasonable ammo (which you better put in the legs or head), too. Should be a decent, if nothing special, close-range self-defender. It's not going to win a lot of brawl contests, mind you, but it can help itself out at close range anyhow, and that's what kinda matters. If you wanted a brawling Raven, you'd have dropped IRL cash on the Huginn.
TL;DR- Long range, go with single ERPPC or dual ERLL. Short, go with a combo of MPLs and TAG. Drop the BAP. Keep the ECM. XL 280 is the sweet spot for the -3L, IMO. TAG > NARC despite the quirks, unless you want to be pretty much helpless in a fight.