87 replies to this topic

[Lostdragon]

Playing a DWF in puglandia is like playing chess. You have to be thinking about the long game and setting yourself up for victory. You need to constantly watch the minimap and try to be moving toward where you think the engagement is most likely to occur so that you don't get left behind and miss all the action. I would say the DWF is the second hardest type of mech to play with lights being the most difficult for different reasons.

[Sigilum Sanctum]

The Dire takes a lot of patience to run. I haven't actively used mine in a long, long time....and it still has the best stats of anything in my stable...

[Xocoyol Zaraoul]

I've found great success with using 3LPL, Gauss and an LRM20+A combo. Then again I drop in small groups so that may effect things. *shrugs*

[Beartech]

I run my Dire almost every night. I love my 5 UAC5 4 ERsm build. Max Armor. Just enough ammo to last a whole match.

One of two things happens when I play.
-- Get 3 to 4 kills, usually 2 solo, and put up good numbers.
-- Get cored earlier on due to convergence and then put up some pitiful numbers

No sure what would help ... maybe some structure? Maybe nothing at all... maybe just fix the 8 lasers focusing on a spot the size of a dime.

[MechWarrior5152251]

The only reason the Direwhale is not Overpowered is because it will always be focus fired whenever possible. Having the most damage output in the game is the one thing that balances it because everyone knows what a threat it is.

[Malachy Karrde]

The dire wolf is probably the best assault mech in game, and likely to remain so (feel free to get panties in a bunch lolbear lovers) it has tons of hard points and dozens of configurations. You can boat any type of weapon you want save missiles. It's slow and doesn't turn the best, but once you get the hang of it, there isn't a mech around that can stay in your aft section. And usually it only takes 1 shot to pop a light like a pimple.

Not a single mech out there can stand up to its firepower. An atlas has the best chance of hurting you and if you take out his Ac20, well, that's it folks.

Like others have said, the dire wolf is designed to rip up enemy assaukts. You can take on heavies 2 to 1 and come out on top too once you know how to handle her.

The key to success in a Dire wolf is to take things easy and don't panic when you get left behind. Watch the battle and angle towards your side. Stay near cover so you can always put your back to something. Once you put your back to a wall, a smart light pilot goes and finds easier prey. The average light pilot will try some more and this is when they die.

It's the only mech where I've been able to turn a losing match into a winning one. My favorite battle ever, my entire team except the assault Lance nascared off and 8 of them got killed to zero enemy losses. The assault Lance found an area with good cover and only one approach and waited. We set up a killing field where all of our weapons converged on the enemy. At the end of the match, 3 of us were still standing and the enemy force was defeated. We all had multiple kills and no less than 1500 damage each. The three mechs standing were all dire wolves and we were bone dry on ammo.

[Khobai]

Quote

The dire wolf is probably the best assault mech in game

except that its not the best assault because its way too slow.

slow big targets are super easy to focus fire down. once they commit to a fight theyre trapped because they dont have the means to disengage.

speed is everything in MWO. speed lets you dictate when and where a fight happens. speed lets you retreat from a fight when its going wrong. speed lets you pop in and out of cover faster. there is no defensive attribute better than speed. that is why fast heavies dominate the game because they blend the perfect mix of speed, firepower, and armor.

The best clan assault IMO is the executioner. A wubwub executioner build with 12 CSPL + 1 CLPL can easily beat a Dire Wolf 1v1. Thats 85 directed damage. And with coolant you can fire multiple times without shutting down. The Executioner also moves fast enough to keep up with the rest of your team so you arnt getting left behind. And the Kodiak will likely replace the Executioner as the new best clan assault...

Edited by Khobai, 27 April 2016 - 11:15 AM.

[Beartech]

Khobai, on 27 April 2016 - 11:03 AM, said:

except that its not because its too slow.

There is more than one way to play this game. One way is jam the biggest engine you can into a mech
The other way is jam as much firepower

Since the dire is an OMNI you don't get to tweak the engine and you have to have good sustainable overwhelming firepower.

Speed is not everything friend. A good team or a pug that has half a brain will keep their direwolves alive.

Edited by Beartech, 27 April 2016 - 11:10 AM.

[Khobai]

Quote

There is more than one way to play this game. One way is jam the biggest engine you can into a mech
The other way is jam as much firepower

And the best mechs do both.

Quote

Speed is not everything friend.

yes it is. you dont see top tier competitive players running slow mechs for a reason.

because slow mechs are bad. being slow gets you killed.

and being slow is unnecessary since you can build a mech that goes fast and still has firepower that rivals a dire wolf. like my executioner...

Edited by Khobai, 27 April 2016 - 11:19 AM.

[Bobzilla]

Just take quad ac 10. You might get caught alone, and die, but you'll put up nice stats in doing so. Lights/med can't take too many double taps of 40dmg, and most players will back off when constantly getting a staggered barrage in the cockpit.

[Beartech]

Khobai, on 27 April 2016 - 11:16 AM, said:

And the best mechs do both.
yes it is. you dont see top tier competitive players running slow mechs for a reason.
because slow mechs are bad. being slow gets you killed.
and being slow is unnecessary since you can build a mech that goes fast and still has firepower that rivals a dire wolf. like my executioner...

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest but I highly doubt an EXE can take a Dire. In my personal experience with Dire's I don't think I have lost to an EXE once.

[pbiggz]

Beartech, on 27 April 2016 - 11:25 AM, said:

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest but I highly doubt an EXE can take a Dire. In my personal experience with Dire's I don't think I have lost to an EXE once.

Low PSR.

An executioner can tank damage and hit the direwolf in the back. The direwolf can... shoot. It can barely move, it can't tank damage because its a walking center torso hitbox, it has the best firepower in the game and its useless because the thing is so squishy and slow. The moment you see a direwolf just get out of its firing arc, its easy even in an atlas to do that, and then take it apart, again, easy, because the whole thing is a center torso hitbox.

The direwolf has been in hell for like a year now, and with the King Crab getting more structure, it doesn't look like the direwolf will have a real place on the field any time soon.

[Malachy Karrde]

Beartech, on 27 April 2016 - 11:25 AM, said:

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest but I highly doubt an EXE can take a Dire. In my personal experience with Dire's I don't think I have lost to an EXE once.

Yeah the EXE isn't even in the same class as a Dire wolf. They don't last long. I've never been beat by an EXE either in over 2200 matches. The only assault that it's even a toss up with is the atlas. I've pretty much done everything there is to do in this game and speed does not mean a win, I've never had speed dictate my performance in a match unless is was the speed my so called team nascared away from the entire assault lance.

Here is what people don't understand: 52kph vs 60 kph isn't a huge difference. It means you will drop behind 8 meters per hundred you travel. At 1km that's only 80 meters. my math may be a little off but the distance is negligable. Most assaults range between 48 and 64 kph. A few can hit 70 but none of them are worth more than a heavy mech anyhow. I have rarely had trouble keeping up with my lance. Something else, the faster you move, the less stable the weapons platform. Lights moving 130 kph barely do any damage unless they slow. Most of the time their lasers only hit for a fraction of the full damage because they are moving so fast. If they slow, you can hit them. And if you hit them with a dire, they die. A Dire wolf has lots of armor. Unless you do something stupid, you can live and fight for a long time.

[Malachy Karrde]

pbiggz, on 27 April 2016 - 12:49 PM, said:

Low PSR.

An executioner can tank damage and hit the direwolf in the back. The direwolf can... shoot. It can barely move, it can't tank damage because its a walking center torso hitbox, it has the best firepower in the game and its useless because the thing is so squishy and slow. The moment you see a direwolf just get out of its firing arc, its easy even in an atlas to do that, and then take it apart, again, easy, because the whole thing is a center torso hitbox.

The direwolf has been in hell for like a year now, and with the King Crab getting more structure, it doesn't look like the direwolf will have a real place on the field any time soon.

people been saying this for ages. It's still the assault mech I see the most on the field. Two or 3 dire wolves who concentrate their fire are unstoppable. And getting out of its arcs with any assault mech is impossible if you are up against a semi competent Dire wolf pilot. The only ones an executioner can do that to are noob dire pilots.

And anyone who uses PSR as an excuse to discount another players experience is a fool. Some of the best pilots in this game don't play quick play matches and never progressed to tier 1. In point of fact, I've seen so many idiot tier 1 and 2 players that fight worse than tier 5 in quick play. Tier means nothing.

Edited by Malachy Karrde, 27 April 2016 - 01:08 PM.

[Imperius]

Malachy Karrde, on 27 April 2016 - 12:52 PM, said:

Yeah the EXE isn't even in the same class as a Dire wolf. They don't last long. I've never been beat by an EXE either in over 2200 matches. The only assault that it's even a toss up with is the atlas. I've pretty much done everything there is to do in this game and speed does not mean a win, I've never had speed dictate my performance in a match unless is was the speed my so called team nascared away from the entire assault lance.

Here is what people don't understand: 52kph vs 60 kph isn't a huge difference. It means you will drop behind 8 meters per hundred you travel. At 1km that's only 80 meters. my math may be a little off but the distance is negligable. Most assaults range between 48 and 64 kph. A few can hit 70 but none of them are worth more than a heavy mech anyhow. I have rarely had trouble keeping up with my lance. Something else, the faster you move, the less stable the weapons platform. Lights moving 130 kph barely do any damage unless they slow. Most of the time their lasers only hit for a fraction of the full damage because they are moving so fast. If they slow, you can hit them. And if you hit them with a dire, they die. A Dire wolf has lots of armor. Unless you do something stupid, you can live and fight for a long time.

While speed isn't it's biggest issue the lack of being able to twist off damage is.

[pbiggz]

Malachy Karrde, on 27 April 2016 - 12:56 PM, said:

people been saying this for ages. It's still the assault mech I see the most on the field. Two or 3 dire wolves who concentrate their fire are unstoppable. And getting out of its arcs with any assault mech is impossible if you are up against a semi competent Dire wolf pilot. The only ones an executioner can do that to are noob dire pilots.

what part of walking slowly creeping center torso hitbox dont you understand? When you are the size of a barn and made of paper it DOES NOT MATTER how much firepower you can take and your anecdotal evidence will do nothing to change that fact. Its a trash mech.

[Malachy Karrde]

961 average damage over 2291 matches. 9,421 kills. 1427 deaths. That's not anecdotal. Seems like a hell of a mech to me.

[Beartech]

pbiggz, on 27 April 2016 - 12:58 PM, said:

what part of walking slowly creeping center torso hitbox dont you understand? When you are the size of a barn and made of paper it DOES NOT MATTER how much firepower you can take and your anecdotal evidence will do nothing to change that fact. Its a trash mech.

Trash mech?

You are reaching.

People's personal experience is not just anecdotal... its our personal experience. Using the mech. Match after match.

Edited by Beartech, 27 April 2016 - 01:18 PM.

[Malachy Karrde]

Imperius, on 27 April 2016 - 12:57 PM, said:

While speed isn't it's biggest issue the lack of being able to twist off damage is.

twisting is not necessary to survival. It's one way to mitigate damage. Another way to to make sure the target shooting at you doesn't have the time to even do damage. Anyone who expects to tank in a Dire wolf is going to be sorely disappointed, almost as disappointed as anyone who tries to face tank one.

[Beartech]

Malachy Karrde, on 27 April 2016 - 01:17 PM, said:

twisting is not necessary to survival. It's one way to mitigate damage. Another way to to make sure the target shooting at you doesn't have the time to even do damage. Anyone who expects to tank in a Dire wolf is going to be sorely disappointed, almost as disappointed as anyone who tries to face tank one.

That is the key - You unload on people - Most people either die or get the heck to cover. I do think the dire could use structure quirks.

Also you can still twist damage AND an art lost on a lot of people - Use one side as a shield while twisting and unload on a another target, since this is alpha strike warrior online, you can usually twist back to your original target and continue to melt his face.