40 replies to this topic

[Dashia]

Mech bros. i need light advice. I currently run srm based Meds. but thought about trying my hand at lights since that is the last class I haven't tried. Was going to get a LCT to really die fast, teach me how to sneak and poke good. SO which LCT should i get and advice on light piloting is greatly appropriated.

[Disapirro]

First rule of light mech fight club is you don't talk about ligtht mech fight club.

[3xnihilo]

Locust 1e is hands down the best locust. Either 6spl for short range knife fighting or 5-6 ml (depending on how you like to manage your heat) for poking. 1v with the insane cool down quirks and 1 lpl is also pretty good (way better than it sounds). If you have the cash, consider the mastery bundle with the PB (with ecm), 1e champion, and the 3m which is a little redundant with the 1e but is a good variant none the less. The basic starting point for a locust is xl190, full leg/torso armor and the. 5/1/5 armor on the arms/head. Adjust to taste from there.

[TheCharlatan]

My tips for a light pilot:

• Never stop. NEVER STOP. Also NEVER run straight.
  
• Do not run off on your own until you know EXACTLY what you are doing.
  
• Never accept a fair fight. If you don't have a huge advantage, go look for another target.
  
• Do not over-commit. You don't have to kill everything you hit outright. You got on the rear of an assault? Alpha. Is he turning? Run. Force him to choose between wasting time searching for you or letting you hit his rear again. Once you get better you will be able to commit more, but remember: you are less dangerous if you're attacking an enemy that is aware of your presence.
  
• Always try to keep in mind where your team is. If you can kite an enemy or two away from the fight, or even better into an ambush, do so.
  
• Learn the maps, and the most common squad movements. Also learn the positions from where to attack various positions with minimal risk.

I do not suggest a Locust as your first light. It's REALLY hard to play it right, and you will die for every mistake you make, slowing down your learning.


There are many easier to use lights. I personally suggest the Raven, it's a solid mech (not too strong, not too shabby) that will teach you how to pilot lights.
If you really want to try a Locust, the 1E is the strongest.
I personally prefer the 1V, but i like being a PITA more than getting high damage numbers.

Edited by TheCharlatan, 05 April 2016 - 09:44 AM.

[Metus regem]

First off, welcome to the real try-hards!

secondly, and just as important, please read this thread, not all of it, but the first page is required reading at the very minimum

http://mwomercs.com/...errated-locust/

[LordMelvin]

Locusts are fun in that you basically get one forgiven hit before you die. Maybe two if you roll damage and your enemy is a crappy shot. Anything bigger than an AC/5 or medium laser will rip through you like tissue paper.

On the other hand, your presence can be like a mouse in the elephant cage. Just about every locust pilot has a story about running through the middle of an enemy formation and causing panic and mayhem. You definitely can't stop moving unless you have perfect cover and allies nearby, and you always need to be thinking three steps ahead of where you are in case you need to bail hard.

I would agree that Ravens are a better choice. The 2x and 4L are popular ERLL snipers, and the 4x works well for LPLs.

[Dashia]

Thank you mech Bros. I will try my best to bring glory to the Class of Lights. And also not to break my computer from the many impending deaths of "Hard Mode".

[El Bandito]

If you are not tight on C-Bills, then keep UAV consumable at hand, in every match. A well placed UAV above the enemy can be game deciding. Naturally, placing it in a position where it wont be shot down immediately, takes some time to learn.

[xTrident]

TheCharlatan, on 05 April 2016 - 09:42 AM, said:

My tips for a light pilot:

• Never stop. NEVER STOP. Also NEVER run straight.
  
• Do not run off on your own until you know EXACTLY what you are doing.
  
• Never accept a fair fight. If you don't have a huge advantage, go look for another target.
  
• Do not over-commit. You don't have to kill everything you hit outright. You got on the rear of an assault? Alpha. Is he turning? Run. Force him to choose between wasting time searching for you or letting you hit his rear again. Once you get better you will be able to commit more, but remember: you are less dangerous if you're attacking an enemy that is aware of your presence.
  
• Always try to keep in mind where your team is. If you can kite an enemy or two away from the fight, or even better into an ambush, do so.
  
• Learn the maps, and the most common squad movements. Also learn the positions from where to attack various positions with minimal risk.

I do not suggest a Locust as your first light. It's REALLY hard to play it right, and you will die for every mistake you make, slowing down your learning.





There are many easier to use lights. I personally suggest the Raven, it's a solid mech (not too strong, not too shabby) that will teach you how to pilot lights.
If you really want to try a Locust, the 1E is the strongest.
I personally prefer the 1V, but i like being a PITA more than getting high damage numbers.

Great advice that I'm going to use as I'm a new light user since last week.

To the OP getting my feet wet with lights I was recommended the Jenners and while the Oxide is a nice ride with it's SRM4's... The others aren't great for me. I have a REAL hard time trying to get behind the enemy, poke them, and take back off. It's not that I'm over zealous, not really. I mean... When I shoot the first time if they don't see me I watch what they do. If they don't turn around real quick I'll go for another and that usually gets their attention. And even doing that, I typically don't have a hard time getting away. But it's just getting there in the first place that's a struggle and if I had to pin point one thing in particular I'd say it was a lack of ECM on the Jenners. I say that because I also have an Arctic Cheetah with ECM and I don't have NEAR the trouble not being spotted with the Arctic Cheetah. Not only that but I feel like I can take a ton more damage in the Cheetah which in return allows me to do a ton more damage. I struggle to get 300 damage with my Jenners - even a little bit with the SRM build. With the ACH it's the other way around. I don't think I got even 225 - 250 and I actually did 300 - 350 damage - and I've had much, MUCH better matches than that with the ACH. And that's all with the stock loadout of six small lasers.

Last night before I even engaged in a fight someone hit me with dual guass and knocked a shoulder off me which striped half my weapons and dropped my speed down to 103 kph. I figured I'd get my *** kicked after that. Instead I wound up with 3 kills and 301 damage. Granted the team did a fine job in that one, but I still managed to pull my weight even with nearly half my mech gone. I understand you like SRM's - and I do too after what I've been able to do with the Oxide... But I say do not overlook the ACH. If I had to do it over again I would have just gotten Arctic Cheetah's.

Edited by xTrident, 05 April 2016 - 11:02 AM.

[man du]

"Ravens are better" Ravens are like seeing a sparrow with Tyrannosaurus Rex legs.

That said, if you want actual hard mode, forget the Raven and get yourself some Locusts. There is nothing in this game like going 165kph, knowing that you are already dead, ridiculously under tonned and gunned and finishing off your first Assault 'Mech. While sure, good Assault pilots will never "give" you their backs and when you get up to Tier 2/1 pilots have crack shot aim, if you look hard enough you will find stragglers. You will find open components. You WILL find that Dire Whale they left behind, looking sad and all alone, with a kick me sign on his back. That is yours.

[Mawai]

El Bandito, on 05 April 2016 - 10:47 AM, said:

If you are not tight on C-Bills, then keep UAV consumable at hand, in every match. A well placed UAV above the enemy can be game deciding. Naturally, placing it in a position where it wont be shot down immediately, takes some time to learn.

UAVs can also be a great source of XP when you are leveling up a mech. This is especially true for lights that may not earn as much XP from damage/kill/assist/KMDD/solo kills/saviour kills ... if you can pop a UAV at the right time it will earn a lot of XP, it will show the enemy team and it will often cause your team to respond as a TEAM to the targets available which might just win the match.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

I'd say if you like SRM mediums get an oxide or jenner IIC...

[topgun505]

If you are insisting on a Locust then I'd go with the Pirates Bane. It doesn't do as much damage as the 1E but the ECM generally makes it considerably easier to flank and get behind the lines unseen. I've done some pretty amazing damage with just 4 SPL with that thing.

[Y E O N N E]

Actual hard-mode is not Locust, it's Mist Lynx.

That said, in order of goodness:

• LCT-1E
  
• LCT-1V (only if you run it with LL/LPL cheese, otherwise this one drops to sixth place)
  
• LCT-PB
  
• LCT-3M
  
• LCT-1M
  
• LCT-3S
  
• LCT-3V

Personally, though, I adore playing the LCT-1M. Two SRM2 and two MedLas and you'll either quickly learn what it means to make your shots count or you'll be dead and frustrated. Learn it well, and you can pull off some miracles.

[LordNothing]

start with 35 tonners and work your way down.

[ZippySpeedMonkey]

Basically speed, patience and opportunity are the words you live and die by.

Your job is to play on the fringes. Spotting the other team, and rushing in only to take shots at Mechs that are already beaten up.

1 on 1 action against other lights is OK, so long as you have faith in your build / skill. 2 of them, and run away for help. Anything from a heavier class, should not be engaged with 9 times out of 10, unless (as previously stated) he's beaten up.

[Y E O N N E]

LordNothing, on 05 April 2016 - 03:30 PM, said:

start with 35 tonners and work your way down.

That's how you learn to be lazy with Lights.

Start at Locust, and any heavier Light with high-mounted arms and no lower actuators will be easy mode.

[Clownwarlord]

Two options when it comes to lights, boom and zoom or snipe. So I like boom and zoom when I can put a decent amount of lasers or missiles onto the mech because you run up behind poke and run away or move to stay behind and continue to core them out. If that is not your thing then grab a ERLL or ERPPC on something like a spider and poke the enemy at long ranges so they can't really shoot back because you will be a spec on the screen.

As for Locust I like the PB.

[WrathOfDeadguy]

An alternative to the Locust, which will also force you to git gud in a big hurry, is the Commando. Hardpoint starvation? Check. Less than 10 engine heat sinks? Check. Tissue paper armor and stupid high top speed? Check and check. Unlike the Locust, it doesn't have high mounts, which means that even though you have slightly more armor, you frequently die even faster because you have to expose yourself more to be useful. Other lights can lay claim to being energy boats, or missile boats, but the Commando is a speed boat.

Also, agreed, Mist Lynx is ultimate light 'Mech hard mode. Slow for its tonnage, oversized for its tonnage, bad hardpoints, low mounts, too few full DHS, and locked equipment eating all your crits and tons. I'm pretty sure the best MLX pilots (which I am not one of) could drive a cardboard box armed with a super soaker and get results.

If you're really determined to get into lights and develop good habits with them, then your instincts are right- you should definitely start with the toughest, which means the 20-25 tonners. They absolutely will not forgive the stupidity people get away with in Cheetahs and Firestarters. You'll need a high pain tolerance, because you're going to die a lot at first, but once you climb the learning curve you'll feel like a million bucks. As a side bonus, you'll also be able to drop in almost any other light and pull your weight in it.

I say almost because the slow lights (Kitfox, Urbie, and Adder) require their own unique brand of crazy, and you should totally give at least one of them a whirl (preferably Urbie) as soon as possible after mastering those Lolcusts.

[3xnihilo]

Yeonne Greene, on 05 April 2016 - 02:57 PM, said:

Actual hard-mode is not Locust, it's Mist Lynx.

That said, in order of goodness:

• LCT-1E
  
• LCT-1V (only if you run it with LL/LPL cheese, otherwise this one drops to sixth place)
  
• LCT-PB
  
• LCT-3M
  
• LCT-1M
  
• LCT-3S
  
• LCT-3V

Personally, though, I adore playing the LCT-1M. Two SRM2 and two MedLas and you'll either quickly learn what it means to make your shots count or you'll be dead and frustrated. Learn it well, and you can pull off some miracles.

Yeah you pretty much nailed it. 3s can also be fun with 4 srm2 and an xl180 w/ 3.5t of ammo, but it is very situational. At least it is a nice change from straight energy builds though.