27 replies to this topic

[Mavairo]

RangerGee412, on 16 April 2016 - 07:29 AM, said:

I'm not sure whether to go for the banshee, mauler, king crabs (Have that special one that PGI gave out) or something else. Inner sphere or clan, could do either side.

I have atlas's, Battlemasters, warhawks, gargoyles, Dire whales, Stalkers, Victors, and Zeus's.

I love missiles (SRMS not LRMS), Ballistics and PPCS, but I don't mind all laser builds either. I Also favor Brawling more than long range combat.

The Banshee can be a tank and has a mix of ballistics and energy, but sadly no missiles really. The mauler looks like its got a bit of everything, but not sure if putting missiles on it makes it easier to lose torsos because of the missile racks.

I've been having a lot of fun in Atlas mechs since I got back. Stupidly durable, respectable firepower, and be outfitted to be decent at midrange shooting, and brawling.

[Ultimax]

RangerGee412, on 16 April 2016 - 08:21 AM, said:

Been keeping an eye on this mech. Don't know if I want to drop the cash for it though. I have a bunch of MC already and Plenty of premium time stacked up so i'm just going with the F2P route for now.

RangerGee412, on 16 April 2016 - 07:29 AM, said:

I'm not sure whether to go for the banshee, mauler, king crabs (Have that special one that PGI gave out) or something else. Inner sphere or clan, could do either side.

I have atlas's, Battlemasters, warhawks, gargoyles, Dire whales, Stalkers, Victors, and Zeus's.

I love missiles (SRMS not LRMS), Ballistics and PPCS, but I don't mind all laser builds either. I Also favor Brawling more than long range combat.

The Banshee can be a tank and has a mix of ballistics and energy, but sadly no missiles really. The mauler looks like its got a bit of everything, but not sure if putting missiles on it makes it easier to lose torsos because of the missile racks.

Then going by these two posts, I would recommend Maulers.


They run the strongest ballistic builds in the game and every variant can mount missiles.


You already own the Atlas, which is hands down the best brawling assault in the game - but the Mauler can play close range in a different way.


After that I would recommend the Banshee, they are more energy heavy but overall the 3M is one of the best Assaults the IS has.


Clan side, I already made my recommendation - the Kodiak is highly likely to be the go-to clan assault for some time.

[EAP10]

I'd recommend the Executioner if you want a brawly mech. It's pretty squishy but if you twist and use MASC a lot you'll do pretty well at spreading damage. It's also a speedy mech, so you don't have to worry about being left behind.

Now, loadouts. I like to use usually either a collection of laser and ballistics, or just lasers.

Brawly builds

1. I really like the 3 med. laser and 1 UAC20 build. Put the lasers in the torsos and the autocannon in the right arm. Don't be afraid to strip some left arm amour as well.

http://goo.gl/u6NkRv

2. This build can output a lot of damage quite quickly, and has 2 SRM6s for FLD damage. With a UAC10 as a primary weapon and 6 small lasers for backup, this build is quite well rounded.

http://goo.gl/Z5vQ98

3. More of a mixed range build, but the two large pulse lasers are really good at any range. The six other small pulse lasers are nasty up close and aren't terribly hot.

http://goo.gl/bPh0c8

4. Not really a pure brawl oriented build, but still useful for flanking and long range trading. Two ppcs backed up with 10 small lasers makes a nasty alpha strike.

http://goo.gl/O9qiIs

Hope this helps your decision. I know mostly everyone in this game regards the Executioner as pretty terrible, but I've had pretty good games with it consistently. But, each man to his own.


Edit: And to top it all off, you don't have to pre-order the Executioner, unlike the Kodiak which I am going to almost use exclusively.

Edit 2: I quickly made up two more builds in smurfy using more ballistic and missile builds
http://goo.gl/ifsSNw
http://goo.gl/eIHFEf

Edited by EAP10, 16 April 2016 - 03:40 PM.

[Davegt27]

I think I am going to give up on Assaults I just can’t get the hang of them

They are so so slow
I usually fight from the front so I don’t have the knack of being in the back waiting for the perfect moment

I have had Victor, Battlemaster, Mauler (bought one then sold it then bought another one), Banshees, and Gargoyle

This last match I said ok I am staying back well I get creamed and do 75 damage in a Banshee

I will keep the Executioners and ask for a refund on the Kodiak

Edited by Davegt27, 16 April 2016 - 03:40 PM.

[Elkfire]

Davegt27, on 16 April 2016 - 03:39 PM, said:

I think I am going to give up on Assaults I just can’t get the hang of them

They are so so slow
I usually fight from the front so I don’t have the knack of being in the back waiting for the perfect moment

I have had Victor, Battlemaster, Mauler (bought one then sold it then bought another one), Banshees, and Gargoyle

This last match I said ok I am staying back well I get creamed and do 75 damage in a Banshee

I will keep the Executioners and ask for a refund on the Kodiak

Except the Kodiak is a faster assault, so...it should be more along the lines of the Executioner.

[zagibu]

Davegt27, on 16 April 2016 - 03:39 PM, said:

I think I am going to give up on Assaults I just can’t get the hang of them

They are so so slow
I usually fight from the front so I don’t have the knack of being in the back waiting for the perfect moment

Assaults don't stay in the back and wait for the perfect moment. They move into key positions and serve as anchors around which the other mechs can do their flanking. If you are in a team that doesn't heed this, and a static battle unfolds, a flanking assault that forces an enemy out into the open can make fire lines crumble.

But yes, they are slow, and it takes a lot of patience to flank in an assault, and good map and battle situation awareness.

That said, the Atlas is still my mech with the highest W/L and K/D ratings.

[Sunstruck]

The King Crab aside from its quirks boils down to: either 6 ballistic, 2 energy, 2 missle / 4 ballistic, 3 energy, 3 missle / or 2 ballistic, 4 energy, 4 missle.

The energy hardpoints are among the best in the game, like the hunchback on the top of the right torso.

The King Crabs low profile makes LRMs a little more difficult to use, but its probably the most versatile ballistic IS mech aside from the Mauler due to its high tonnage and many slots.

Honestly having the ballistics on the arms is great, you get great aim, and can easily poke around corners. In my experience the arms are usually the last thing to get shot off on the King Crab. Its much more common to get shot in the CT, RT, LT and legs first.

The quirks might not be as great as some of the other assult mechs listed but it is a great mech to try out different builds with. Though the only varient that you would want to run dual AC20s on is the 000, you need the extra AC20 cooldown in order to make it viable.

[Davegt27]

I will be an advocate for Assaults weather I own them or not
They are just not for me

Most assaults are junk especially IS we had to go on a campaign to get the Atlas in a better position

Before the Atlas got buffed I would say to the Atlas pilot don’t run to the front and get shot down

In CW I can actually take more armor more mobility and more fire power into the fight if I go 3 heavies and a medium

Go on your stats page and calculate the avg. damage per match for your assaults

I did 1400 dmg in my BJ the first week I owned the Mech and this was before it got quirked

Sorry for getting off topic