41 replies to this topic

[Chados]

I run a similar build on my 3N, 2 AC10/2ML, 3 1/2 tons ammo, STD240. I can't carry max armor but I feel it to be a bit more survivable. Been considering the XL because I've been getting my arms shot off and I don't want simply to duplicate my 3C, which has been my go-to for the last week or so. I like the RFL very much. A little more structure across the board, or the Top Dog's old all-over armor quirk to address the fragility issue, and I'd be a very happy camper indeed.

[Y E O N N E]

The I think the RFL certainly caught a lot of flak for deficiencies that are just barely enough to put it out of the running for T1. It's actually a really solid 'Mech. Plays exactly like something that would slot in between a Blackjack and a Jagermech, which is fine because that's exactly what it is.

And its cockpit is second do none.

I've got a couple builds for the 3N that I run:


RFL-3N "Big Battery"

Spoiler

- XL 280
- 12xDHS
- 2x UAC/5 + 150 rounds
- 6x Medium Laser
- Endo

Sits around 400 meters and just wails on targets. The MedLas are there for surge damage as and when required. At the line, you can fire off two of them in conjunction with the UAC/5 with minimal extra spacing necessary to cool. This build also works pretty well with AC/5 but...I like the surge capability of the UACs.

If only we had a RFL-5M in the game...

RFL-3N "Plinky"

Spoiler

- XL 265
- 14x DHS
- 2x AC/2 + 450 rounds
- 2x ER Large Laser
- Endo

Hang out at 1000 meters and just pick off the Whales. I've had some hilarious matches with this guy. The extra velocity on the AC/2 really helps them sync with the ERLL at extreme ranges.

Legend Killer is an odd duck. I ran it with the twin LB-10X and four MedLas for while, and it actually acquitted itself well, but I much prefer this build. It's inspired by one of Solahma's duelist Jager builds, subbing in an AC/10 for the Gauss:

RFL-LK "Duelist"

Spoiler

- XL 280
- 1x AC/10 + 60 rounds
- 2x AC/2 + 300 rounds
- Endo

Flexible engagement ranges, pretty high DPS, the ability to pop off significant, if not powerful, single shots. It consistently scores well in the regular queues.

AC/2 to give them the shakes, AC/10 to give them the sh*ts. Aim for cockpit area.

[MechaBattler]

I had a build that was an AC20, plus medium lasers, using a standard engine to give it durability. But honestly I have the most fun with dual AC20s. The velocity bonus is twice as much as the Yen Lo gets. Greatly increasing the weapon's reliability. Still need to get AC20 modules and haven't elited it yet. It might be that it's fragility makes it more exciting. I still find myself wishing it had even 5 structure bonus where it mattered.

[Bishop Steiner]

Chados, on 21 March 2016 - 03:16 PM, said:

I run a similar build on my 3N, 2 AC10/2ML, 3 1/2 tons ammo, STD240. I can't carry max armor but I feel it to be a bit more survivable. Been considering the XL because I've been getting my arms shot off and I don't want simply to duplicate my 3C, which has been my go-to for the last week or so. I like the RFL very much. A little more structure across the board, or the Top Dog's old all-over armor quirk to address the fragility issue, and I'd be a very happy camper indeed.

Yeah.

I'm in a different perspective. In TT the only mechanic they had to measure fragility vs toughness was stock armor. The Jager and RFL were "fragile" mechs, not meant to brawl, especially with heavier units. So I'm OK with them not having buffs, because I feel their overall hitboxes and mobility quirks are sufficient. Conversely a Unit like the Archer, was one of the most heavily armored mechs in the game at the time. So it SHOULD be tough.

I prefer to keep the overall lore flavor of the chassis, and in some cases, that means they are a glass cannon. The trick is whether they are mobile enough, and hit hard enough to be worth it. A couple of the RFL could probably use a little more Offensive Quirk oomph to balance it, but overall I think they are pretty close.

Mind you, the 3C was slightly uparmored from the 3N, so it makes sense that it would get mild structure buffs to represent that. It also makes sense, since it wasn't a factory modification, that the extra armor came at the expense of some mobility, hence why the 3N has better mobility quirks.

When PGI does something like that, to me it's an example of quirks being used like they were meant, to fix glaring problems and to enhance and or maintain the Lore Flavor.

[Lupis Volk]

Using that build for my 3N (S) doing over 500+ damage per match. Bishop your a mad man and i love you so.

[Bishop Steiner]

Lupis Volk, on 21 March 2016 - 07:09 PM, said:

Using that build for my 3N (S) doing over 500+ damage per match. Bishop your a mad man and i love you so.

I know, right?

"It's too fragile"

I think we know who wanna run DPS builds and have staring problems, eh? Just because it's a heavy doesn't mean it's a bloody Marauder!

Twist and Shout and Run about, and it's a sweet little chassis, IMO!

[Lupis Volk]

Bishop Steiner, on 21 March 2016 - 07:16 PM, said:

I know, right?

"It's too fragile"

I think we know who wanna run DPS builds and have staring problems, eh? Just because it's a heavy doesn't mean it's a bloody Marauder!

Twist and Shout and Run about, and it's a sweet little chassis, IMO!

yeah think i'll copy it to my 3N and put these in my CW drop deck.

[Bishop Steiner]

Lupis Volk, on 21 March 2016 - 07:48 PM, said:

yeah think i'll copy it to my 3N and put these in my CW drop deck.

[Bishop Steiner]

Few more days in, and I gotta say..the people crying about the RFL being fragile?

LEARN TO TWIST.

Unlike our friend the Archer, the RFL Twists well, and it's arms intercept a fair bit of damage. Add in some really solid accel/decel quirks on all but the LK?

Seems like people expect a 60 ton Face Tank. Even ignoring it's lore fluff, that's pretty dang silly on any 60 tonner. I run XLs in most of my RFLs and find it plenty solid. Yeah. If I flatfoot, if I stare, or otherwise do something stupid, it can pop.

It's a 60 tonner. They die to focus fire. Get over it.

I don't claim any of my builds are meta. Not commenting on their CW efficacy. Speaking purely as a PUG. And the thing with all these builds? Effective. But more important? FUN.

RFL-3N "BallBuster"
RFL-3C "No Clue, Just Seems to Work"
RFL-5D "LiteBrite" (thank goodness for 3 LL GH change)

Haven't settled in on my LK yet, truth to tell, the lack of mobility quirks leaves it less interesting to me, as I find those matter way more than structure buffs.

(Speaking of which, I find the recent buffs to the Archer to be exactly what was needed, since unlike the RFL, twisting to spread damage doesn't really work well on it)

As with all things, YMMV.

Anyone got a good LK build that's fun and interesting? (ATM, I'm running a variation of my 3C build, with the LPLs in the arms. Have to decide it I'm keeping it on the LK, or the 3C...and what to do with the "loser")

LEGEND-KILLER

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 24 March 2016 - 10:05 PM.

[dervishx5]

Yeah I agree about using what works for you. However, it's always good to get input from players better than you. I find one improves much quicker that way.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Bishop Steiner, on 21 March 2016 - 12:24 PM, said:

Hobo with a Shotgun. Nice!

It's certainly an effective way to get spare change...

[Bishop Steiner]

dervishx5, on 24 March 2016 - 10:06 PM, said:

Yeah I agree about using what works for you. However, it's always good to get input from players better than you. I find one improves much quicker that way.

It's even better to fight players "better" than you. Iron sharpens iron.

It amazes me though how many of my "betters" are not as impressive without 11 teammates holding their meta. Fortunately there are enough who are legit good no matter the scenario to continue my education (aka, folks who keep schooling my butt, lol!).

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 24 March 2016 - 10:34 PM.

[NeoCodex]

I was thinking about AC10, but wasn't sure how tonnage would fare. Was running AC5/6ML till now. I consider trying this out, tough.

[Yosharian]

40 percent velocity? Holy ****.

[Karmen Baric]

Best of all the Rifleman looks great.

[Bishop Steiner]

Yosharian, on 25 March 2016 - 02:24 AM, said:

40 percent velocity? Holy ****.

Yeah. Add in the cooldown and it's a dual ac10 beast, with enough velocity to be a threat at range. (1330m/s)

[NeoCodex]

Rampage, on 21 March 2016 - 12:37 PM, said:

It is such a pleasure reading a thread where a player takes a Mech and finds a way to make it work for him instead of the normal threads where players are whining about how bad a Mech is.

Not every Mech has to be "Tier 1" to become a formidable weapon in the hands of the right pilot.

Thanks for the informative thread

It's mostly about the pilot it seems. I still can't do well enough with this mech to ever get a wish of piloting it again after eliting. Compared to, I don't know.. Firebrand? Feels better in every possible way. Overall it was a huge disappointment for me - I don't know what I was expecting. Looking trough the nostalgia glasses, I actually mixed this one up for RFL IIC, now that is the one I really wanted.

[Bishop Steiner]

NeoCodex, on 25 March 2016 - 05:45 AM, said:

It's mostly about the pilot it seems. I still can't do well enough with this mech to ever get a wish of piloting it again after eliting. Compared to, I don't know.. Firebrand? Feels better in every possible way. Overall it was a huge disappointment for me - I don't know what I was expecting. Looking trough the nostalgia glasses, I actually mixed this one up for RFL IIC, now that is the one I really wanted.

It almost always boils down to pilot/Playstyle, unless one is talking massive built in advantages (like perfect hitbox/high hardpoints, clan XLs, etc).

If one plays the RFL expecting to go toe to toe with Black Knights, or the oddly semi-overquirked, but kinda needs to be to compensate Quickdraws, or such, then yeah, not going to shine.

One of the keys is this. Just like Cicadas are really just overweight Lights, the Rifleman, (like Dragons, to a degree) are really just overweight Mediums.

Realistically, it has most of the flaws of a Medium (durability, speed usually closely matched by heavier mechs) but it also has the a Medium's big advantage: Mobility. It's mobility quirks are real nice. In a lot of ways, it's durability is not dissimilar to a Hunchbacks (and speed range). I think Hit the Deck nailed it, with his pointing out the similarities, surprisingly enough to my use of the HBK-4G. Except the RFL can pull off an XL (with the attendant pros and cons) with a similar playstyle, whereas most HBKs simply cannot.

Is it on the whole, an equal to Marauders, Black Knights or Timberwolves? No. But just as you find the Firebrand clicks with you better, I find I do far better in this than in a similarly equipped Firebrand.

I'm curious, on your Firebrands, are you a DPSer, a face tanker (which the Brand does better, being less agile, but with much better structure buffs)? What's your usual builds/playstyles?

[Roughneck Cobra]

You know when someones thinking they are important to a forum, when they post their mech and build, for no reason, at all.

[Bishop Steiner]

Stryker Ezekiel, on 25 March 2016 - 08:50 AM, said:

You know when someones thinking they are important to a forum, when they post their mech and build, for no reason, at all.

and yet they still inspire tryhard stalkers who seem to think if they can only "take down that other guy, then they'll be someone"......

Huh. Wonder what that says about you?