8 replies to this topic

[3xnihilo]

Alright, I am curious about which IS mechs make the best Dakka boats. I have the Ilya that I run with 3 uac5's and I like it a lot despite the low slung arms throwing 30% of my shots into the dirt in front of me. I have also enjoyed running the (admittedly OP) dakkabear with dual UAC10/UAC5. But, having spent most of my time in game running lights and mediums, I am a lot more familiar with the laservomit and srm bomber builds than I am with ballistics. So I turn to you mighty forum warriors to advise me.

[Steel Raven]

As much as I hate not using PPCs on a Warhammer, the 'Hammer 6R and Black Widow does great. The high ballistic mounts on the torso do a decent job.

The Marauder 3R also does the 3X AC/5 and 2X UAC5 better than the Banshee IMO. The duel LB-10X is my current fav.

Haven't tried the Mauler or Cyclops but I know they can be a pain when you get flanked by one.

I only tried the King Crab once, not enough time to give it a fair shake but it's still popular for a reason.

[Jay Leon Hart]

Lifted straight from Meta Mechs because I'm lazy

@100 tons King Crab - 4x UAC5

@90 tons Mauler - 5x AC5

@75 tons Marauder - 3x AC5

@70 tons Warhammer - 2x UAC5 + 2x AC5

@65 tons Jagermech - 3x UAC5

They should be a good starting point

[BoldricKent]

Mauler by a large margin, just for quirks, weapons hardpoints, convergence. While other chassis can have better singular quirks (like velocity, cooldown), MX-90 is the definitive IS ballistic boat. The hero Cyclops, Warhammer would be next choices. Jaggermech are great ballistic mech, but pure support because of hitboxes.
One mech missing form the list is Rifleman, which even with 5 tons short on Jagger seems to be more durable and can mimic
most of its builds.
And K2 Catapult, while having just 2 ballistic slots, its size, hitbox, good quirks made it potent ac10, uac5,gauss platform. Might be short on hardpoints, but it much more nimble then anything above.

[Ghostrider0067]

I messed around a bit with quad AC5s on my Cyclops Sleipnir last night. Chain fired, it can bring tons of fire downrange; however, it can bleed out of ammo quickly if it's just you in the fight. A couple MLs slapped in for mop up or backup was decent enough.

I also decided to see how dual AC20s work and it's a pain machine. Those mated with 3x ML and an SRM6 provides a near 70 point alpha.

[epikt]

Ghostrider0067, on 24 November 2016 - 12:19 PM, said:

quad AC5s [...] Chain fired

I really suggest you don't chain fire.
Shooting by alphas will make it easier to aim and place your shots, as well as minimize the damage spread.

[Ghostrider0067]

epikt, on 26 November 2016 - 01:16 PM, said:

I really suggest you don't chain fire.
Shooting by alphas will make it easier to aim and place your shots, as well as minimize the damage spread.

I didn't say that was how I ran it. I have a Razer Nostromo rather than using the keyboard and I have a key mapped just to alpha them if I run quads. I only chain fire if the primary mouse is held down. I'm not a neophyte MWO player, but your advice is good for someone who that may fit.

I don't chain fire anything, really. That set up is the only instance where I might. I don't use macros, either.

Edited by Ghostrider0067, 26 November 2016 - 06:24 PM.

[DerDutchman]

With the new changes to the AC2, they (for the first time in MWO history) have become a viable meta weapon.

Specifically the above stated Mauler goes from 5xAC5 to 6xAC2, for a ~1.5DPS increase, larger engine (or more ammo) and an extra engine heat sink (as it will run mildly warm). AC5 fire is too fast to really torso-twist in my opinion, so the one advantage it may have goes away. Topped off by the AC2 having extra crit damage, range, and ballistic speed puts it ahead a bit further as well.

It's an odd IS ballistic long range striker. While ER-PPCs and ERLLAS are going to win a fire and cover range war, the AC2s should out DPS both by huge margins if they cant get to cover fast enough.

Basically if you can get 3 AC2 shots off you're ahead of where an AC5 is in terms of damage, though it will be spread out a bit more (3 shots vs. 2), and rapidly ahead if you're at a range greater than 620.

So I see it as superior, albeit with some restrictions. Basically you can replace the AC5 in most mechs with AC2s, saving 2 tons per swap, which can really add up. The above Marauder can safely gain an ERPPC for instance, giving it some more long range punch and little (if any) heat problems.

[Darkhorse13Golf]

I've been running the Marauder 3R and 5M with twin LB-10X and twin UAC-5s respectively with some success and my Rifleman 3N has been a pleasant surprise with twin AC-5 and 6 ML. Runs kinda hot but can throw out the pain.