8 replies to this topic

[Mole]

Hey guys. So I'm a Kurita guy. Obviously. I've been on a quest lately to master all the battlemechs that are listed as used in the lore by the DCMS. The last one on my list is the Mauler. Now, it should be noted that I tend to measure the effectiveness of my 'mechs by looking at their kill/death ratio in my stats. The only 'mech that I own right now that had a negative KDR is this friggin' Mauler. It's so awful. I can't do anything with it, and I've tried everything. People tell me it's good. But I've tried all the builds. I've tried laser vomit. I've tried quad and quint AC/5s. I've tried SRM spam. I've tried LRM boating. Nothing gets me results. I'm having a rougher time in this 'mech than I did in my Vindicator. But seeing as people keep telling me it's good and the current meta build for the 'mech has failed me utterly, I can only conclude that the problem is not my builds, but something I am just not getting about piloting this thing. My problem right now is how much of a glass cannon it is. I can come around a corner and get effectively one-shot through the CT despite 106 points of frontal armor. Somebody looks at this 'mech crossways and it disintegrates. But even with maximum engines the thing is too bloody sluggish to avoid damage either. Any good Mauler pilots out there that can help a guy out? The build I've had the most success with thus far is a bit strange. It's a 2P with 6 medium lasers, 2 AC/10s, and 2 SRM6.

[TheLuc]

Hi Mole, I really like my Mauler ( the 1R ) Cant say that i had any major issues with it.

First thing to keep in consideration is that the Mauler is a support Mech, so brawling is a bad idea. it can hold its own but not for very long.

No XL, no matter how fast you want the Mauler, it will always be slow. To increase durability better to avoid the XL engines.

DPS is also firepower, a high firepower means nothing and what the Mauler is good at is DPS. Firing none stop and blinding an opponent will build up damage.

here is a suggestion that you may not have tried yet
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...4664971f1b291e9

don't forget the Mauler is all about keeping the opponent far.

[Zarock]

I built the 1P with 4 Uac5, the MX90 with 5 AC5 and the 1R with srm24+artemis and 2 LBXAC10, works pretty well for me. As long as you dont engage all alone, you should be able to do some damage with them, also you can use the arms as shield.

[Bespoke Cheese Cake]

Zarock, on 22 May 2016 - 04:58 AM, said:

I built the 1P with 4 Uac5, the MX90 with 5 AC5 and the 1R with srm24+artemis and 2 LBXAC10, works pretty well for me. As long as you dont engage all alone, you should be able to do some damage with them, also you can use the arms as shield.

This^^


Dakka dakka dakka. You can't go wrong with dakka on the Mauler.

[Aggravated Assault Mech]

Mole, on 20 May 2016 - 12:38 PM, said:

My problem right now is how much of a glass cannon it is. I can come around a corner and get effectively one-shot through the CT despite 106 points of frontal armor. Somebody looks at this 'mech crossways and it disintegrates. But even with maximum engines the thing is too bloody sluggish to avoid damage either. Any good Mauler pilots out there that can help a guy out?

No mech in the game can round a corner into 100+ combined damage and walk out having won the trade. The game simply doesn't work like that.

The Mauler is a really traditional assault. It can project large amounts of firepower, but its sluggishness makes it more effective as a fire support tool than pusher or brawler.

In most games, you'll have brawlers forming a sort of skirmish line with the enemy, usually on either side of a terrain feature, and a mech like the Mauler should be 200m away or so, punishing the enemy for pushing into your own brawlers. It's sort of the opposite of your own experience, you should be the one stopping pushes, giving your allies safe space to move around in.

I'll agree that the quad UAC-5 build works great for this.

[Flushot]

Quad UAC5s with 4 ML as backup has worked great in the 1P. Likewise in the MX90 2UAC, 4 AC2 puts out excellent DPS. Mid range fighting is your friend, 400m give or take. Try to find places where you can punish someone for coming around a corner, even better if it is somewhere that they won't be able to back up quickly so you can pound them for a bit.

Personally I find the missile hardpoints a waste in general. 2 SRM 6s (or god forbid 4s) just isn't enough to matter IMO. I'd rather bring some extra cooling.

[oldradagast]

I've done pretty well with Maulers, but they aren't easy mode unless the opponent lets them be that way. They are big, with large torsos, and not particularly fast or mobile (though they aren't slugs either); their dependence on boating heavy ballistics generally precludes using a huge engine, so they tend to be more like traditional assaults - big, slow, and deadly.

They are a fire-support mech in that they don't brawl well. Sure, they have lots of firepower, but they are easy to tear apart under focused fire. The Mauler is best used as a tool to hammer down something in front of you, or to keep clobbering opponents that step out from behind cover. It can suppress an area quite well, though the ballistics ones operate best at mid-ranges - don't try to trade sniper shots with piles of lasers or Gauss since they have an easier time putting damage on a point than you do. While you can't brawl too well in a Mauler, they are great tools for ending brawls an ally may be in. Just walk on up and rip apart the poor sod who's trying to brawl; since he'll be out in the open, it will be much harder for him to avoid the endless stream of bullets. Finally, torso twisting, as always, helps, especially in a mech that is a high-priority kill target, like a Mauler.

I hope this helps.

Edited by oldradagast, 26 May 2016 - 03:46 PM.

[Raso]

Daka is all well and good. I like to be different (it's probably why I suck, though, so maybe ignore what advice I have to offer).

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...33b6607c839d5d7

We're looking at 2 SRM4s, 2SRM6s, 4 tons of SRM ammo and 2 LPLs. Hey in close and make things run for the hills. The lack of Daka means you're able to torso twist but your poor torso movement range can limit that. Luckily your arms are kinda bulky.

[TheLuc]

well Mole, you never told us how you actually play, are you primary a heavy or med pilot, brawler or even long range ? that would help a great deal to suggest you a build that reflect what you tend to do on the battlefield.

I run a do it all setup that may be more suitable for you

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...99e9d4bc769d39a

I think it is possible to build this on all Maulers, 1P, 1R and possibly on the MX90. Not sure on the last one tho.

Edited by TheLuc, 27 May 2016 - 11:01 AM.