I Just Can't Get The Hang Of A Heavy...
#1
Posted 12 April 2016 - 08:15 AM
Then I got the brilliant idea to try to move up and run a heavy. I bought the Warhammer collectors bundle...and I suck.
I have yet to break 100 damage in a match with the Warhammer. Admittedly I haven't done a whole lot of matches with it but, damn, I can't really be THAT bad...can I?
I know that they are two contrasting play styles in terms roles on the battlefield but geez!
#2
Posted 12 April 2016 - 08:23 AM
#3
Posted 12 April 2016 - 08:48 AM
s1rGr1nG0, on 12 April 2016 - 08:15 AM, said:
Then I got the brilliant idea to try to move up and run a heavy. I bought the Warhammer collectors bundle...and I suck.
I have yet to break 100 damage in a match with the Warhammer. Admittedly I haven't done a whole lot of matches with it but, damn, I can't really be THAT bad...can I?
I know that they are two contrasting play styles in terms roles on the battlefield but geez!
The warhammer is a 'master of none' kind of mech, it isnt specialized an as such suffers from being able to do some things well, but not specific things great. It has low hanging arms, doesnt really have the tonnage to support missile boating, and it doesn't really have great energy quirks unless your running PPC's, which really only go in the arms.
Out of the 4 warhammers I have, the only one I can do decent damage in is the Black Widow, running 2 ERPPC's, and 4 machine guns, and as many heat sinks as possible. I can get 200 to 300 damage roughly. The other build Is just 4 ERLL's, I want to say its on the (S) variant, 2 erll in the chest, and 1 in each arm. Its not pretty, but at least its functional, I can usually get about 300 or so damage on that one.
If you want a good heavy mech but having trouble with the warhammer, I recommend either getting the marauder (I really love that mech). Its very tanky, each variant can do something great (2 lrm15'S, gauss, or ac10, or ppc, dual ac5's, etc) and doesnt have as large as a profile.
#4
Posted 12 April 2016 - 08:54 AM
Fobhopper, on 12 April 2016 - 08:48 AM, said:
The warhammer is a 'master of none' kind of mech, it isnt specialized an as such suffers from being able to do some things well, but not specific things great. It has low hanging arms, doesnt really have the tonnage to support missile boating, and it doesn't really have great energy quirks unless your running PPC's, which really only go in the arms.
Out of the 4 warhammers I have, the only one I can do decent damage in is the Black Widow, running 2 ERPPC's, and 4 machine guns, and as many heat sinks as possible. I can get 200 to 300 damage roughly. The other build Is just 4 ERLL's, I want to say its on the (S) variant, 2 erll in the chest, and 1 in each arm. Its not pretty, but at least its functional, I can usually get about 300 or so damage on that one.
If you want a good heavy mech but having trouble with the warhammer, I recommend either getting the marauder (I really love that mech). Its very tanky, each variant can do something great (2 lrm15'S, gauss, or ac10, or ppc, dual ac5's, etc) and doesnt have as large as a profile.
I'm sorry but you're just wrong. The WHM-6D runs amazing LV. XL330-340, 3LPL, 3-4ML. The Black Widow is a dakka monster. 4AC5s with or without a couple MLs or 2AC5&2UAC5. Those are both things done incredibly well. It's the MAD that always has to compromise since its hitboxes essentially require a STD engine and its hardpoints don't allow particularly effective boating, especially with STD-allowed tonnage. What the MAD does do is survive. It is insanely tanky, but at the cost of being a bit undergunned.
#5
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:09 AM
Similar to what Terciel said, light mechs can control the engagement with their speed. Heavies (and far more so assaults) tend to have to stand and fight, making positioning critical.
#6
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:09 AM
If your weapons have long firing delays spread it out by chaining weapons or using the time to twist and spread damage. Your pirate's bane has taught you bad habits via ecm.
Warhammer has no such luxury. What weapons are you using?
Edited by Koniving, 12 April 2016 - 09:14 AM.
#7
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:10 AM
TercieI, on 12 April 2016 - 08:54 AM, said:
Undergunned? With a gauss and 6 medium lasers, I consistently put out 500+ damage a game with that mech. Pretty much every marauder variant I can do 500+ damage a game without even trying. warhammers on the other hand have such a massive profile, and damn near require an XL engine in order to be usuable, which makes the mech so much more fragile. Not to mention the weapon mounts in the arms are so you you have to completely crest a damn hill in order to fire your weapons. The warhammer isnt a bad mech, its just got terrible hardpoint locations and the near requirement to have XL engines adds a serious weakness.
#8
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:16 AM
TercieI, on 12 April 2016 - 08:23 AM, said:
If I recall correctly, they don't come stock with full armor allocated, you'll definitely need to tinker with the loadouts and make sure your torso armor, especially, is full.
#9
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:27 AM
#10
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:33 AM
Like other have said, it all comes down to positioning, strategically placing yourself where either the enemy walks into a trap or where you can have ample cover. Once bad things happen, you are already out of time and cannot get away. There is plenty of good advice already mentioned, but you can always try what I did and run the slowest trial mech you can find until you stop dying right after the enemy spots you. Sometimes the best way to learn is to handicap yourself.
#11
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:44 AM
Fobhopper, on 12 April 2016 - 09:10 AM, said:
The BH2 may be the exception, but, yeah, undergunned. Because of the STD/XL disparity, the WHM can usually have more guns even at five tons less than the MAD in similar builds (4 AC5s vs 3, more MLs in the LV build, etc...). Don't get me wrong, I like the MAD and do well in it, but what it achieves it achieves by sticking around, not punching super hard. And the STD is a gain in terms of survival, but not even really in terms of amount of damage generated because (especially in builds that require facetime), it's pretty easy to tear off a RT and leave a MAD largely neutered. In the current alpha/hide meta, it is inferior to the WHM. At the end of the day, neither is actually top tier, because the GHR and BL-KNT are both very, very strong and one should be able to do well PUGging in either, so I would recommend the OP focus on learning to play heavies and know that it's not probably the fault of his mech, especially if he's using a strong build, such as the ones from Metamechs.
Edited by TercieI, 12 April 2016 - 09:45 AM.
#12
Posted 12 April 2016 - 10:02 AM
Might be a good way for you to ease into bigger mechs since you started as a light pilot. FYI I suck at lights after 2+ years, but I'm fantastic with heavies and assaults.
Do note that double heat sinks are a prerequisite for just about any inner sphere mech. Sucks that the standard loadouts don't have them oftentimes.
Also, the bigger and slower the mech, the more hard point positioning matters.
Check out the master guides at metamechs.com
#13
Posted 12 April 2016 - 10:08 AM
Fobhopper, on 12 April 2016 - 09:10 AM, said:
sorry but requrement to run XL engine?
when I first started with Warhammers I was running Standard 340 engines, when I realised I had played more than 20 games withoug loosing a side torso I decided to upgrade to XL engines, and had trouble figuring out a "good" loadout which used all the tonage, below is the most effective loadout I have came up with for a WHM.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6576967b8757bb2
I recorgnise the "Heavy Ember" will not be for everyone, but for me it devistates enemy Mechs, it has yet to loose a 1v1 dual, and has only lost a side torso twice in 83 games, so there is no real downside to taking the XL.
The Warhammer is not great for fighting at range, if that is what you want then take a Marauder but there is little better at close range brawling in my experiance.
#14
Posted 12 April 2016 - 10:11 AM
Rogue Jedi, on 12 April 2016 - 10:08 AM, said:
sorry but requrement to run XL engine?
when I first started with Warhammers I was running Standard 340 engines, when I realised I had played more than 20 games withoug loosing a side torso I decided to upgrade to XL engines, and had trouble figuring out a "good" loadout which used all the tonage, below is the most effective loadout I have came up with for a WHM.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6576967b8757bb2
I recorgnise the "Heavy Ember" will not be for everyone, but for me it devistates enemy Mechs, it has yet to loose a 1v1 dual, and has only lost a side torso twice in 83 games, so there is no real downside to taking the XL.
The Warhammer is not great for fighting at range, if that is what you want then take a Marauder but there is little better at close range brawling in my experiance.
I absolutely love Warhammers because I can run them like a beefier QKD without JJs. Just drop a big XL in it and start destroying everyone. I've already have multiple 1000+ dmg matches in less than a week with these things. I also managed to pull of the "Ace of Spades" achievement (finally).
#15
Posted 12 April 2016 - 10:24 AM
John1352, on 12 April 2016 - 09:09 AM, said:
Similar to what Terciel said, light mechs can control the engagement with their speed. Heavies (and far more so assaults) tend to have to stand and fight, making positioning critical.
This
Koniving, on 12 April 2016 - 09:09 AM, said:
If your weapons have long firing delays spread it out by chaining weapons or using the time to twist and spread damage. Your pirate's bane has taught you bad habits via ecm.
Warhammer has no such luxury. What weapons are you using?
And this
I've been / I am in a similar situation to you. I arrived to the game a month ago and my first mech is a Raven. I mastered them and I love the hell out of them. Then I received the warhammer as a gift and.... yeah, the same as you. Though I piloted a hunchie before and that somewhat prepared me a little.
On a light almost no one is focusing on you, except for other lights. You're a buzz in their ears and the ecm hides you somewhat. You're accustomed to run from one point to another, even crossing in front of the enemy almost untouched, hiding and harassing the big boys.
Then you're on a warhammer, you're slow, an big, and everyone is shooting at you, a lot.
You can't run in front of the enemy in a whammy, if you are trading shoots with one or two enemies more often than not, you're dead.
You have to learn to be on a second plane, behind the really big boys, shooting at what they're shooting, focusing fire, and always taking note of where the cover is because you'll have to take cover, and you can't run for it as fast as in a locust. If you're caught in the open... bad things happen. And learn to torso twist, you have to spread damage all over your torsos.
A light teaches you to think fast and move even faster. On the warhammer you have to be just the opposite, have patience and wait for the oportunity.
#16
Posted 12 April 2016 - 10:24 AM
s1rGr1nG0, on 12 April 2016 - 09:27 AM, said:
Never run stock. Most stock mech imitates the table top set ups for nostalgia and fan service.
You will consistently see mechs with too little armour or underpowered engines and weapons combinations that doesn't make sense if you go through the stock build.
Only a few lights can perform well using stock builds and even then they are out performed by custom builds.
So if you suck in the warhammer I'm willing to bet that 90% of that comes from the suboptimal builds you are running.
Try to find some guides on how to build mechs. (As a starter tip. ALWAYS switch to double heatsinks!)
Then look at metamechs for good builds and guides on different mechs.
Then rip out the stuff in your warhammers and build some good fits instead and I'm certain you'll do a lot better.
#17
Posted 12 April 2016 - 06:14 PM
You really only need to have 2 engines for these builds, the 280 standard they come with and a 300 standard. Engines cost the most so I always try to give new players something that works with what they have already, this leaves you with more money for guns and upgrading to double heat sinks. If you don't have a 300 laying around its worth buying one as standard engines don't cost much and you will likely use it again.
6D - double heat sinks, 280 standard engine . 2 ER Large lasers, 5 medium lasers AMS 1 ton ammo. 11 heat sinks. Use the ER large lasers till some enemy gets in range of the medium lasers, then lay into them with those. Set up at least 3 weapon groups.
6R I have two builds I run on this.
First one I call quirks build. Standard 280 engine , double heat sinks, endosteel 2 ultra AC 5 with 4 tons ammo, 6 med lasers . Hot build , so need 3 weapon groups as well . But if caught in a brawl can easily stay off lasers and stick with cannons. Alternatively you can go 2 regular ACs and 2 extra heat sinks to run cooler. Though not by much. NOTE ALSO IF you are constantly dieing to overheating in a poor spot before you run out of ammo, cut back on ammo and add a heatsink or 2 once you find you aren't dieing like that anymore and you are running out of ammo...cut back on heat sinks and add some ammo. Its advice i rarely see given to new players, but its effective to keep you in game. With 6 med lasers you are still a threat when you are OOA, but you can't do jack to learn heat management and other skills if you are dead.
The second one I call F-quirks. Lol. Anyways, it's double heat sinks, endosteel, 300 standard engine with 3 erlarge lasers, 3 medium lasers, and 10 double heat sinks. Long range poker, but some of my best games have been in this build. Stay back, poke, use the speed the 300 engine gives you to move and find another place to poke when you get caught. This build can work on every WH variant except the black widow and probably would be best on the 7r but I like the Cbill bonus in my S variant.
7r- a lot of people give this chassis the most crap. But the laser duration quirk is really nice.
I ran like the above 6d, only with one less medium laser and one more heat sink when I lvled it, and it worked well because of the laser duration quirks.
But I ran a 6 med laser 3 SRM 4 with 3 tons of ammo and a 320 standard engine some last weekend and found its a great little brawler if you watch the heat by keeping 3 groups of weapons on chain fire. Brutal 55.8 damage alpha strike if you need it. Very short range mech, but excels on those close maps. Requires that 320 engine though to give it the speed and twist to Excell at that mid-brawling game.
BLack widow is my favorite hero mech. Wish PPC were better because running it closer to stock loadout would be great but...
300 standard endosteel, DHS, 2 Med lasers, 2 large pulse lasers,4 MG with 2 1/2 tons of ammo, AMS with one ton. 4 DHS. Great little shredder mech. Not at all what 99% of pilots are running I think but fun and effective on anything about your size. Absolutely devestateing on anything that is down to internals already. Just a shorter range mech.
Hope something here helped you out man.
#18
Posted 12 April 2016 - 06:21 PM
s1rGr1nG0, on 12 April 2016 - 08:15 AM, said:
Then I got the brilliant idea to try to move up and run a heavy. I bought the Warhammer collectors bundle...and I suck.
I have yet to break 100 damage in a match with the Warhammer. Admittedly I haven't done a whole lot of matches with it but, damn, I can't really be THAT bad...can I?
I know that they are two contrasting play styles in terms roles on the battlefield but geez!
Post your builds. Play style is only part of the equation
#19
Posted 12 April 2016 - 08:13 PM
This case would be best exemplified by me. I literally suck at assaults, particularly the Atlas. Large, cumbersome which requires actual depth in planning and deployment in the right area. In fact, I somewhat regret buying the Atlas and the Atlas AS7-S. If you guys remember, there was one time a bundle was featured in that if you buy something during that time, you would get the the AS7-S with hero C-bill bonuses and an unique paint. During that time, after buying the D-DC, I wanted to own an actual assault mech in preparation for any arranged group drops and future wars. After getting my taste in an actual 12 vs 12 group fights, I wanted my arsenal to be more diverse so that I can bring something should it ever be needed. Apart from the Highlanders and Victors in which I bought (Both of these classes I didn't even do that well nor do I fully feel satisfied), Atlases would be high in demand as its D-DC with ECM is very powerful with the right set-up.
Big mistake. Atlases, IMO, are very fine. But, if the pilot is not compatible with the mech and/or the mech play style which demands it, it spells disaster for the pilot. On occasions I would pull my weight, but being hampered by mobility, size and heat issues (this was due to my build fault), I would end up frustrated and put off the Atlases on the backburner. In fact, I feel as if playing Atlases requires a higher degree of team work compared to mediums and heavies and that you have a much bigger responsibility to keep the team alive. While there are factors such as lack team cooperation, I fight enemies better with my mediums and heavies. Still has been since I am a medium/heavy veteran brawler. Big play style change.
Speaking of play style, I thought I could play Victors as large Centurions. Wrong. It may look like the hard point load out is similar, but the fact that having higher tonnage, with a bigger chassis and less reflexive mobility is a hamper to my play style. Since I frequently play Centurions, the Victors cannot meet he demand of how I would play a centurion. For example, in brawls, the Centurion would fare better and arguably survive longer with proper torso twisting. Combined with mobility, they are really good at flanking and keep enemies guns from aiming at them. Now, Victors (while advertised as "fast heavies", seriously it was the meta back then.) couldn't do the same thing. It had better hull armor and JJs, maybe some extra hard points like for dakkas or energy boats, but it's not able to do what a Centurion can do in which a Centurion pilot can do well with a Centurion. IIRC, Victors back then were part of the pop-tart metas. Having ballistics and energy on your arms with JJs makes it an excellent candidate for that role. Plus, the extra 10 tonnes compared tot he infamous pop-tart CTF-3D, makes it even more better to equip more heavier stuff (i.e. engine, weaponry, etc.)
If you don't know what pop-tart is, this video explains it. It's pretty hilarious.
Bottom line is, it's alright to change mech classes to get a taste of what's available. But, if it doesn't click, you should jump back to a class you feel most comfortable. It's better to enjoy playing something you like than to force yourself to grind for something that potentially might not be beneficial in the future for you. I think I would prefer someone well versed in a mech they enjoy playing and can demonstrate a lot of potential with that mech than to be a jack of all trades type of player.
#20
Posted 12 April 2016 - 09:39 PM
TercieI, on 12 April 2016 - 08:23 AM, said:
So, SO much THIS!
It HURTS how true this is.
So, WAY back in open beta, I fancied myself a light mech pilot. Things were simpler then, with like 3-4 light mechs in the whole game, no Clammers out to ruin our good times, ECM GOD BOX making the RVN-3L viable in knife fights, the SSRM-2 being actually USED, and so on. Along came the Locust, and I pretty much crapped my pants in sheer joy at the realization of one of my all-time favorite mechs in MWO.
And I sucked, by the way. I was AWFUL. SO, SO freakin' awful at it. Seriously, I took the time to regularly mock my SELF in chat and on TeamSpeak. I was so bad.
So, after a bit of a hiatus from MWO, I came back to it last Summer. Picked up the Cauldron-Born pack of the Clam Wave 3. Went ahead and bought a trio of each Storm Crows and Timber Wolves, too. And then Hellbringers. And then Quirkdraws. Resupplied myself on Thunderbolts. Brought the CPLT-K2 and -JESTER out of mothballs. And so on. And I've been having some fun in heavies. Even had some good times (especially in CW/FW) in the Fattlemasters! (Naysayers be damned, the XL400 MetaMaster is SO fun!). And I started significantly improving my KDR and W/L in PUG. Climbed right up out of Tier 5, through T4 in a jiffy, and am working my way up T3 right now (made about 1/4 of it in the last month or so).
And do you know what I've found out? Well, the other day I bought a JR7-O "Oxide" hero mech. Hey, they're supposed to be THE OP brawling mech and backstab assassin. First day playing it, NO SKILLS IN IT AT ALL, it became my #1 damage/match mech, eclipsing the Black Widow, slipping right past that HBR-A and even my pride-and-joy CRB-27B (still highest KDR of any mech I've ever owned EVER). The thing is STUPID good. Took my JR7-IIC(O) and built it more-or-less identically (as much as a Clammer can be, with all that technological superiority and such), and while the results are less spectacular, it's just so FUN!
See, I tried to change. I left the game in 2014 feeling like I was just not getting it. I came back, thinking that I could maybe try a few different play styles (SHC ERLL snipers, HBR and EBJ dakka builds, etc.) and see what fit. And I started having some real FUN in those. Went back to kamikaze lights, though, and I'm just SO in love at the moment with them (though medium mid-range laser vomit is still king, at least among my IS stable).
So what I'm saying, for the TL;DR crowd, is that I think OP needs to play the field a bit, but follow his (or her?) heart. Whatever speaks to you, speak BACK to it. If you're loving the Trollcust, then keep those built and ready to go. Now, go do something completely different for a bit. Build some 3x or 4x PPC marksmen out of those Whammies, or maybe the dakka Black Widow or DoomNipples (dual-AC/10) -6R. Hell, get crazy with the CheezWhiz and spam SPLs/ASRM6s on the WHM-7S. GO NUTS! Try a variety of builds and styles, and see if anything grabs you. And even play with some of the Clam champion trial mechs and see how they grab ya. And, whether you fall in love elsewhere or not, pull those LOLcusts out of mothballs now and then and get all insane-berserker-kamikaze with them. Why?
Why the Hell not?
Follow your heart, home-chili.
Shalom.
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