20 replies to this topic

[FuzzyNova]

Ever since I started playing MWO, I have strayed from one thing. The Assualts. I don't know why but I just do porrly in them. The fact that I have not trained in them much is the problem. I have purchased a few assualts awhile back to try. The first was King Crab. I could not grasp the beast. Then came The Stalker. I started to warm up to that baby but then came upon The Ebon Jaguars and fell in love. Sold my Stalker. After months of using Ebon Jags, Hunchbacks, Grid Iron and some of my Cataphracts I decided I needed to become a good assault pilot.

Now which mech was I going to choose. Slow movement is what kills me. And light. Medium heavy and assault pilots all think a little bit differently. I need to start thinking like an assault pilot. I came across and purchased The Mauler. MAL-MX90.

6 Ballistics
2 Energy
2 Missile
1 AMS

With a standard speed of 48.6 Kph I knew I had some work to do. I am used to the Ebon Jags speed and even I can work with the Catapracht. But this is a whole different story. I am sticking with the MAL-MX90 till I am just as good as with my Ebon jag-a.

Any tips from other assualt pilots to a fresh assault pilot? Need all I can get.

[Afuldan McKronik]

Dont get left behind, even if it takes you saying please dont leave us fatties behind. Torso twisting can make you last longer. You really have to learn positioning, because a bad position will kill you, as you dont have the speed to recover. At all.

Dont stare at a target trying to line up your next shots while you are on cooldown. Learn to snap shot even if you miss then twist back or keep twisting the direction you snapped too. You have lots of armor spread out across your mech, try to use it all.

If you see someone on your team hugging you(25-50 meters behind you, always firing at your targets) add them as a friend and start playing group queue. Its not bad in quick play.

Spectate other assaults if you die early. They may be doing something that you arent that is keeping them alive.

Positioning. Did i mention this?

[Scout Derek]

Afuldan McKronik, on 01 March 2016 - 10:00 AM, said:

Dont get left behind, even if it takes you saying please dont leave us fatties behind. Torso twisting can make you last longer. You really have to learn positioning, because a bad position will kill you, as you dont have the speed to recover. At all.

Dont stare at a target trying to line up your next shots while you are on cooldown. Learn to snap shot even if you miss then twist back or keep twisting the direction you snapped too. You have lots of armor spread out across your mech, try to use it all.

If you see someone on your team hugging you(25-50 meters behind you, always firing at your targets) add them as a friend and start playing group queue. Its not bad in quick play.

Spectate other assaults if you die early. They may be doing something that you arent that is keeping them alive.

Positioning. Did i mention this?

For the short version of this:

• Stay in the front.
  
• Torso Twist for better Survivability
  
• Position yourself well
  
• Don't look at enemies too long
  
• Add people who seem to know how to play the game effectively well.
  
• Watch other assaults after dying to learn new tricks.

[Afuldan McKronik]

Dont be that guy who thinks he can flank alone. You dont have the speed for flanking. Leave that for the mediums who can shoot and scoot, turning around half the team.

Dont push without letting people know you are going to push.

I havent tried the mauler but with those yummy ballistic + missile slots you could make a snap shot monster. Big ac+srm with a few medium lasors for when you run out of ammo makes for a mean brawler. The atlas i run is really fun once you get up to 100 meters cuz its all snap shotting the ac20+srm18 back and forth. Imo, big lasers for poking is fine, but once someone gets close having the ability to roll damage across your mech is important.

It gives the enemy something big and mean and TOUGH to shoot at while your team is free to target the enemy ad they want to.

[VirtualSmitty]

Tunnel vision, especially on a ballistic heavy mech like MX90, is a no no. As others have said, don't fall behind the pack, torso twist to spread damage (especially on a wide mech like the Mauler), and re position.

[Afuldan McKronik]

Hehe, yeah. I get long winded about mechs sometimes.

[MeiSooHaityu]

Afuldan McKronik, on 01 March 2016 - 10:16 AM, said:

Hehe, yeah. I get long winded about mechs sometimes.

Me too. I know that feeling, I also tend to type way too much :/.

I'm not a good assault pilot either. I would like to be able to consistently do well in an assault, but it doesn't seem to work out that way.

If I go full firepower, I never seem to be anything but a target. Sometimes I do well, but mostly I'm out of position and focused down. I feel more hopeless than powerful.

If I configure an assault for more speed and maneuverability (my main tactic), it feels mostly like I'm piloting a sluggish heavy with a bit more armor. I tend to like my heavies, so the desire to play assaults like that is pretty minimal.

Anyway, I don't think I'll ever really pilot an assault like I want to, so I'll probably continue to avoid them :/.

[Dashia]

I use to run an atlas rs it worked great. I was not a great assault pilot but the best lesson i learned was to not fight alone. For a long time i though " I have 100 tons of armor and death" then i would go off to try to chuck norris someone and then feel realy stupid when a light picked my slow butt off.

so yeah position is key stick with team be the shield the wall that soaks up and dishes out damage so the rest of your team is unfocused on and can back you up.

[BigBaka]

I think the first point you need to get used to is the change from lasers to ballistics. IS Acs are good without question(ok beside from the 2s and LBXs). There are many builds outthere from 5x Ac5s, 4xUAc5s, 2xAc5s and 2xAc10s or exotics like 4LBxs or 2 Gauss+X. You have to try and find out which is the most comfortable to you. Just look on smurfy to find some builds if needed
Ppl above already said that positioning and situational awareness are the keys to be a succesful assault pilot and they r damn right ! Its the most challenging class in the game and also the most rewarding one IMHO. You can turn the tide of a battle by yourself

[Afuldan McKronik]

Snap shots and positioning were the biggest things for me to get used to. But now, using gauss is impossible for me. I stare way too much with a gauss. Its so tempting to go dual gauss because you have the weight, but I find its just impossible to use closer than 500m. Too much face tanking for the damage output.

[Scout Derek]

MeiSooHaityu, on 01 March 2016 - 10:53 AM, said:

Me too. I know that feeling, I also tend to type way too much :/.

I'm not a good assault pilot either. I would like to be able to consistently do well in an assault, but it doesn't seem to work out that way.

If I go full firepower, I never seem to be anything but a target. Sometimes I do well, but mostly I'm out of position and focused down. I feel more hopeless than powerful.

If I configure an assault for more speed and maneuverability (my main tactic), it feels mostly like I'm piloting a sluggish heavy with a bit more armor. I tend to like my heavies, so the desire to play assaults like that is pretty minimal.

Anyway, I don't think I'll ever really pilot an assault like I want to, so I'll probably continue to avoid them :/.

The problem is that their agility is not high enough so that they can spread damage as heavies and mediums, and, even lighter assaults.

The best thing that you need to be doing in a assault is moving. Most of the time your lance will stick with you, and even sometimes your team.

Once on Polar Highlands, I was leading the team with 4 LB 10s and 8 smalls. Disadvantage, right?

Nope, I pushed forward, and with the help of someone saying "Support the Dire", I managed to spear head the enemy team's side, crippling their assaults for a end result of 12-9.

The main thing to do, is to say when you're going to push, and if you die, you die, much better than siting around and getting focused down as opposed to doing something to attempt to motivate the team into winning.

[Wintersdark]

Good advice thus far. I'd add:

If your strategy involves reverse, and you don't have MASC, change your strategy. While this isn't always the case (some very large engined lighter assaults) it's a good rule of thumb. Be moving from somewhere to somewhere. Walking out of cover, if you're doing more than peeking an arm out, then reversing leaves you virtually motionless and completely exposed for WAY too long.

Don't be afraid to move out of cover, though. If you're playing a heavy assault, it's your job to push. Sometimes, people won't push with you, and you'll just die. That happens, move on. However, consider:

Did you tell them you where pushing? If not, try that too.
Was it a good situation to push in? You may have thought so, but would it have looked that way to them?

You can't be a coward, afraid to take risks. You need to be cautiously aggressive - not stupid and reckless, but aggressive. You have armor, use it.


Friendly assaults? Stick with them. When they push, you push. Multiple assaults charging a position scare people, and they tend to spread damage about between you.


Absolutely do not go off on your own. Be moving the moment the match starts, towards where your team is likely to go. Do NOT be left behind - and definitely don't stop/turn to fire back at someone sniping at you early in the match.

You're better off staying with the team and doing nothing initially than being left behind, isolated, and torn apart.

Scout Derek, on 01 March 2016 - 11:15 AM, said:

The main thing to do, is to say when you're going to push, and if you die, you die, much better than siting around and getting focused down as opposed to doing something to attempt to motivate the team into winning.

Die in a blazy of glory, not a pathetic whimper.

You'll win more being aggressive, even if it gets you killed.

[Sandpit]

Assaults are deceptively difficult for a few reasons, one of the main being you're in an assault which means mroe times than not you're going to be a primary target for the enemy team. You move slow and you won't survive long without some team support more than any other class because you normally don't have the ability to get outta dodge when you start getting focused down.

Full Disclosure:
I've logged more hours in assaults than I have any other weight class by far and I've been playing since CB. I'm what I would consider "average" in skill level, maybe slightly above, but I'm not "great" by any means. I can normally and consistently break 300 damage easily, but my 1k damage games are a bit far and fewer between lol


With that said, a few tips I can offer you.

Pay very close attention to the minimap. More than any other weight class you need to be aware of your team's position as well as the enemy force position if possible.

Be willing and able to tank some damage. You've got a LOT of armor. If you're in an assault mech you shouldn't be "timid" or "scared" to go toe to toe with any other mech unless it's a heavier assault. That doesn't mean charge aimlessly ahead, but remember, you've got all that armor for a reason

Stick with the other assaults on your team over everything else. Many times a team will pay little attention to their assault lance and leave them behind. 3-4 assault mechs can hold off a lot more than a lone assault will.

Regardless of build or role, in an assault (even a lurm assault), you need to be positioned close enough to your main force so that if the enemy team starts rolling in you can step up and help take some of the focus pressure off of your teammates.

If you plan to push around a corner, over a ridge, etc. make sure the rest of your team knows that before you push and make sure they know where you're pushing. "Push" or "I'm pushing" now lets me know you're pushing, but it doesn't tell me where you're at on the map. Always give a grid coord if at all possible.

Remember, even though you've got all that armor you still need to pay attention to things like torso twisting. Even the most heavily armored mech isn't going to last more than a few seconds being focused down by 2-3 and taking all that damage in the CT.


Other than that, it just depends largely on the build, the chassis, and your personal play style.

[Leone]

I'll just leave this here...

~Leone.

[Scout Derek]

Wintersdark, on 01 March 2016 - 12:16 PM, said:

Die in a blazy of glory, not a pathetic whimper.

You'll win more being aggressive, even if it gets you killed.

That's the name of the game. This game is all about positioning, and most of the time, aggressively.

No wonder why people complain about those top units in CW or public que; they just play too aggressive that people can't understand or want to understand at all.

[Stelar 7]

I love assault mechs, especially my Maulers. They are my money makers. I drive the 4x UAC5 model with a standard engine.

First I have to chime in, know the map, watch the mini map, and move with your team. If you learn to read the battle, you can be devastating.

It's ok to die, as long as you make the people who kill you pay in blood and tears for your death. Sometimes that's in big holes and sometimes it's because while they were pounding on you your team out positioned them.

You cannot run away, don't even try. If you have cover right there, sure get into cover but if you don't, then let your armor do it's work and make the people killing you earn it.

UAV - Get them, it's the fastest way to tell the team where the mechs are when they are all around you. (I use mine when my siesmics are lighting up and were working with a lot of cover, like D6 on Tormaline.

Sometimes you have to make your own cover. This is why I love the UAC's. I can regularly push multiple opponents back into cover by opening up on them in a big way. Air/Arty can sometimes have the same effect.

When the armor is gone, you can still fight, just let someone else go first, unless no one else can. I've finished a lot of games missing a torso, with armor on my head only. The Maulers are particularly good at it since they can balance their weapons on both sides.

[TheArisen]

The advice that's been given is solid.

The only thing I'd add is faster assaults are easier to get into. Banshee 3M, Battlemasters, etc are nicer than slow gunboat assaults, like the Mauler & Dwolf.

[Wintersdark]

TheArisen, on 01 March 2016 - 03:06 PM, said:

The advice that's been given is solid.

The only thing I'd add is faster assaults are easier to get into. Banshee 3M, Battlemasters, etc are nicer than slow gunboat assaults, like the Mauler & Dwolf.

Agreed. They're more forgiving, and you can "ease into" slower assaults by shrinking the engine over time.

[Dale Grible]

Get atlas or stalker. Atlas can take a beating.

Simple builds

As7d or rs....4mpl 1ac20 2srm6

Ddc 3srm6 1ac20 2ml or mpl and always use std engines

Stalker use combo of 2lpl 3ml 4srm4 or 3ll and 3mpl and 4srm 4s or 6.

Dont scout. Lead a charge but dont lead the team to scout
Find enemy 1st then lead charge.

Dont poke too much. Let heavies and meds soften em up cuz they can poke and get back to cover much better

Good luck

[Johnny Z]

Simplest advice I can give for assault pilots is go down fighting. An assault isn't going to be able to avoid combat for long and once its on, its on. May as well get as many points as possible.

For the exact same reasons always have short range weapons unless in faction play as a support role. Anywhere but faction play and the other team can dictate range with an assault mech easily. If they want to get close they will. Best be able to deal with it when they do and in a serious way.

Basically assault mechs are excellent close up. Stay in cover and then decide when to open up.

Use reverse if a light is on you etc. That's all practice to get really good at. Cant beat practice.

Edited by Johnny Z, 01 March 2016 - 05:02 PM.