52 replies to this topic

[Kuaron]

Puppy Monkey Baby, on 21 November 2016 - 09:11 PM, said:

The lasers are in fact Medium, not Large.

Yes, typo, I, too, had medium in mind.

In general, LB20X pairs well with SRMs for front-loaded close range splatter, and UACs are well with lasers because you have a facetime anyway.
For this reason, to avoid GH, you can pair your UAC20 with a UAC10, both can doubletap and the latter one has more range.
It works better with more mouse keys, ofc, where you can decide to either shoot only the 10 over range or both in close.
Also, LBX has a much higher projectile velocity than the UAC20, doesn’t it?

But in general, what cleghorn said. Focus on one range and choose your positioning according to the focus. A 100 t easy target shooting one single PPC won’t scare any long range harasser away, anyway.
The only exception might be a tube of backup LRMs with little ammo, where you don’t have to aim to scare the enemy with missile warning a little, while marching or during shootout on medium ranges.

[Puppy Monkey Baby]

Well to master the build I need Daishi #3, and for the hell of it I was consideringg the PRIME varient and sticking 8 Flamers on it with some other kinda weapon. Gauss Rifle?

It would be hysterical to flambe' another mech with this.

[Wintersdark]

Kuaron, on 22 November 2016 - 03:09 AM, said:

Also, LBX has a much higher projectile velocity than the UAC20, doesn’t it?

Higher projectile velocity, and no facetime requirement. Important at close range. Also, lower heat, and no ghost heat (can fire 2xLBX20 with no ghost heat issues).

[Saint Atlas and the Commando Elf]

Puppy Monkey Baby, on 22 November 2016 - 06:36 PM, said:

Well to master the build I need Daishi #3, and for the hell of it I was consideringg the PRIME varient and sticking 8 Flamers on it with some other kinda weapon. Gauss Rifle?

It would be hysterical to flambe' another mech with this.

Are you even aware which mech you own? The Direwhale is probably the slowest turning mech in the whole game. How do you plan to keep the flamers on target if every other mech is quicker than you? And even if ... flamers are still more of a joke weapon. If you must bring them, one or two are sufficient.

My advice would be to pair 2 UAC10 with 6 MPLs and AMS. Fill up with heatsinks. That build should be easy enough to handle. Plus, it is medium ranged, which is enough for most of the QP maps. Add the RadarDerp module if you have another 6 Million spare.

Once your mech is ready to go, you can start to focus on the real challenge: Basic tactics and movement.

[Wintersdark]

Sthtopokeon, on 22 November 2016 - 07:44 PM, said:

Are you even aware which mech you own? The Direwhale is probably the slowest turning mech in the whole game. How do you plan to keep the flamers on target if every other mech is quicker than you? And even if ... flamers are still more of a joke weapon. If you must bring them, one or two are sufficient.

My advice would be to pair 2 UAC10 with 6 MPLs and AMS. Fill up with heatsinks. That build should be easy enough to handle. Plus, it is medium ranged, which is enough for most of the QP maps. Add the RadarDerp module if you have another 6 Million spare.

Once your mech is ready to go, you can start to focus on the real challenge: Basic tactics and movement.

Flamers are most certainly not a joke weapon, but they are a highly specialized weapon. Certainly though running lots doesn't really benefit much; you can keep someone hot with fewer flamers, while you'll overheat yourself too quickly (and thus not be able to keep your target hot as long) with that many.

A brawl with Flamer equipped mechs can be surprisingly brutal, as heat endurance is a primary aspect for winning.

[Kuaron]

I heard the opposite:
You have to boat flamers, to be effective, as you have to boat everything else.
With only 1–2 to cannot use them tactically, on purpose, to overheat someone, they only help eventually.
This requires lots of hardpoints, though, because you also need some real weapons in addition.
A problem is, that brawl lasers are the smaller ones and also require lots of hardpoints, Maybe flamers + UAC20 could be a thing, idk.

[Saint Atlas and the Commando Elf]

Wintersdark, on 22 November 2016 - 08:05 PM, said:

A brawl with Flamer equipped mechs can be surprisingly brutal,

on a Direwolf? Without lower arm actuators?

[Wintersdark]

Sthtopokeon, on 23 November 2016 - 04:56 PM, said:

on a Direwolf? Without lower arm actuators?

I didn't say they were good on a Direwolf, just they they were not joke weapons. Sorry for not being more clear.

[Puppy Monkey Baby]

Sthtopokeon, on 22 November 2016 - 07:44 PM, said:

Are you even aware which mech you own?

I'm not entirely certain, but I hear it referred to as a Daishi and also sometimes a Dire Wolf. Either way it seems to be a 100 ton Clan OmniMech.


You however seem to think it's called a DireWhale, and that's just silly. But thanks for passive-aggressively insulting me and suggesting I'm stupid sinply because I had the tenacity - no, the audacity - to suggest a build that isn't what everyone else uses.

Hooray for status quo. My Daishi amd I are going to discuss ER Large Lasers now.

[Jiffy]

It's not that the build isn't what everyone uses, it's that it doesn't play to the Dire Wolf's strengths very well. Specifically, the ability to mount massive amounts of heavy direct fire weapons. While I'll admit MG's are fun, they're particularly ineffective on the Dire Wolf, because most of your ballistic hardpoints will be in the side torsos, and the mech has poor torso twist range and turn speed. Combine this with the fact that machine guns require a good ability to track a target in order to do any sort of meaningful damage, and it becomes pretty clear that MG's aren't a very viable option on this mech.

One thing you could try is dual gauss (one in each side torso), and 8 SMPL in the arms, if you want something that has some close range punch. On my DWF-Prime, I run 2 UAC10 and 2 UAC5, and 8 SMPL. Since it's already a brawler, the lasers really add a ton of damage at close range, and work wonderfully for taking down lights.

[Wintersdark]

Jiffy, on 24 November 2016 - 01:42 PM, said:

It's not that the build isn't what everyone uses, it's that it doesn't play to the Dire Wolf's strengths very well. Specifically, the ability to mount massive amounts of heavy direct fire weapons. While I'll admit MG's are fun, they're particularly ineffective on the Dire Wolf, because most of your ballistic hardpoints will be in the side torsos, and the mech has poor torso twist range and turn speed. Combine this with the fact that machine guns require a good ability to track a target in order to do any sort of meaningful damage, and it becomes pretty clear that MG's aren't a very viable option on this mech.

One thing you could try is dual gauss (one in each side torso), and 8 SMPL in the arms, if you want something that has some close range punch. On my DWF-Prime, I run 2 UAC10 and 2 UAC5, and 8 SMPL. Since it's already a brawler, the lasers really add a ton of damage at close range, and work wonderfully for taking down lights.

Gauss in the side torsos? Whatever for?

Run Gauss in the arms, and your SPL's. With Gauss in the arms you dont lose your ST so quickly due to the inevitable Gauss explosion. Also, arm mounted Gauss can fire up and down further, so you can't be stymied by a minor slope.

[Saint Atlas and the Commando Elf]

Puppy Monkey Baby, on 23 November 2016 - 05:45 PM, said:

But thanks for passive-aggressively insulting me and suggesting I'm stupid sinply

Sorry for that. When you came up with that Flamer-idea I thought for a minute you were a troll and not a newbie.

[Puppy Monkey Baby]

So much for creativity.

[Trenchbird]

I mean, you did ask for people's opinions.

Even if they disagreed with yours, they did offer you options that work well for Dires.

[Puppy Monkey Baby]

Yes, a mistake I won't repeat ever again.

How dare I.

[Jiffy]

Puppy Monkey Baby, on 24 November 2016 - 06:36 PM, said:

So much for creativity.

Nobody's saying not to be original! We're just starting with builds that are known to work. Mixing and matching lots of weapons that behave dramatically differently from one another just doesn't usually work very well. If you can make it work, then power to you. But, at a certain point you will most likely be limited by your build, get frustrated with it, and change it.

[Puppy Monkey Baby]

Jiffy, on 27 November 2016 - 02:03 PM, said:

Nobody's saying not to be original! We're just starting with builds that are known to work. Mixing and matching lots of weapons that behave dramatically differently from one another just doesn't usually work very well. If you can make it work, then power to you. But, at a certain point you will most likely be limited by your build, get frustrated with it, and change it.

You know, I'm fond of the one I first posted. The 4 ER Large Lasers give me 1.6km sniping range. The LRM 20 gives indirect fire support. The UAC 5 with the dual machine guns lets me cool down while melting armor off of am advancing mech.

And the jump jets gives me maneouverability. I like it.

Probably won't keep the other 2 once I master the chassis...

[Roughneck45]

If you want to use ER LL you should pair it with gauss, they work well together. You'd have some tonnage leftover for a medium laser battery too if you wanted.

The most effective sniping build for a Dire Wolf is dual gauss dual ER PPC all loaded on one side of the mech.

The strongest builds are usually UAC10 or UAC5 stacking with mediums lasers to back it up.

Dire Wolf is what the clans named it after they invented it.
Daishi is what the inner sphere named it after they fought it.
Dire Whale is what the player base calls it after piloting it.

Edited by Roughneck45, 11 December 2016 - 12:28 PM.

[InspectorG]

Puppy Monkey Baby, on 19 November 2016 - 09:19 AM, said:

I decided to configure a Dire Wolf S thusly:

- 4 ER Large Lasers
- 1 UAC5
- 1 LRM 20 + Artimus IV
- 2 Machine Guns


It seems to do okayyyyyy as a sniper mech but overall I just don't seem to be hitting as hard as I should.

Any thoughts?

Ok, you are Tier 5 and i assume dont understand the delicacies of positioning.

So you want to be able to hit very hard between 0-600m because brawling in a Dire is bad and Sniping long range vs non-potatoes is steep skill(also requires positioning.)

You want the 2UAC10+3UAC5 build.

Gauss Vomit is good but you lose durability on Gauss crits.

Giga-Drill and DireStar are troll builds. Ultraviolence is behind a paywall($25 and worth it for the lols alone).

So with the Dakka Wolf you basically bully the hell out of other slow-ish mechs.

Dont lag behind your team. Anticipate enemy position. When they peek, double tap them at 500m for 70 damage. you will hit very hard but are too slow to defend well. So use terrain and positioning to try to 'dead-side your left if possible.

When closer than 500m, mash the buttons and kill the mechs. You can out-trade a KDK3 if he is exposed and you can aim a single component.

Get half-way decent and 1000 damage matches happen. But in Solo, DIre Whale is very 'feast or famine', you will have 1000+ damage maches and 57 damage matches. just accept it.

[InspectorG]

Puppy Monkey Baby, on 27 November 2016 - 07:52 PM, said:

You know, I'm fond of the one I first posted. The 4 ER Large Lasers give me 1.6km sniping range. The LRM 20 gives indirect fire support. The UAC 5 with the dual machine guns lets me cool down while melting armor off of am advancing mech.

C-ERLL are a bad weapon because of the duration. They are called 'Light Sabers' for a reason. For sniping, C-ERLL give away your position and tell the enemy, 'hey shoot right here' and 'hey enemy lights, ez kill here'.

If you really wanna snipe(Dires are bad for sniping, cant reposition quickly) you want either 2ERPPC+2Gauss or 6UAC2 or 8UAC2(ultraviolent)

8UAC2 is brutal out to 900m. Only thing that beats you at sniping is jumpsnipers if they are skilled. 6UAC2 is doable with backup lasers. 6LB2 is more 400m-ish.

'LRM20 as Fire Support' is good in theory but bad in practice. The only fire support in MWO is direct damage. LRMs need Artemis and TAG to be half-effective, and they will only be effective as potato harvesters.