19 replies to this topic

[DavidStarr]

I'm struggling with Marauders 5D and 3R. Just so you understand that the struggle is real: played 10 games in 5D and 3R yesterday, won 1, never exceeded 270 damage. The lowest was 20, typical - 200. In a 70-tonner.

I'm running this on 3R. Do I need to get dual UAC/5s instead?.. Metamechs says triple AC/5s are not that great so I didn't go for that. I did briefly try this and didn't like it either.

As for 5D, tried this and this. The latter is better, but not good enough, obviously.

It's worth noting that no matter what I do, I end up brawling with the enemy at close range. But it's good to be able to shoot something before that happens (range-wise).

Interestingly, I do quite like the Bounty Hunter 2. I don't do crazy damage with it, but it doesn't feel weak like 3R and 5D do.

Edited by DavidStarr, 18 January 2017 - 12:19 AM.

[Anunknownlurker]

My 3R has AC20 and 2 LPLs - great fun poking away with the pulses and as soon as anyone gets close thump them with the BFG! I have a laser in each arm because I suck at shielding and get a bit OCD about dead-siding

I agree that 3 UACs is a bit of a gimmick, and I did do OK with 2 UAC5, 4 MPL, Std 310 engine and full armour.

I didn't get on with the 5D at all - I don't enjoy any of the heavies with only 2 missile points and, like you, couldn't really find a build that worked for me; so, why not try this silly build:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...24b76150d370101

Remember, if it's silly but it works, it's not silly

[Felix von Buelow]

DavidStarr, on 17 January 2017 - 10:07 PM, said:

I'm struggling with Marauders 5D and 3R. Just so you understand that the struggle is real: played 10 games in 5D and 3R yesterday, won 1, never exceeded 270 damage. The lowest was 20, typical - 200. In a 75-tonner.

I'm running this on 3R. Do I need to get dual UAC/5s instead?.. Metcmechs says that triple AC/5s are not that great so I didn't go for that. I did briefly try this and didn't like it either.

As for 5D, tried this and this. The latter is better, but not good enough, obviously.

It's worth noting that no matter what I do, I end up brawling with the enemy at close range. But it's good to be able to shoot something before that happens (range-wise).

Interestingly, I do quite like the Bounty Hunter 2. I don't do crazy damage with it, but it doesn't feel weak like 3R and 5D do.

It seems like you are doing it right. The 2 LB10X build is pretty devastating at short range, and with the 5D I had the most success in a brawler pretty similar to yours (5D).
The two most important qualities you need as a brawler, which those 2 builds definitely are, are

1. Torso twisting
2. Patience

I know, you want to shoot stuff at longer ranges, but this is just not the time for it. And since your main weapons on the 3R are in the right torso, you need to make sure, that you alphastrike and then turn to the right and present your enemy your almost useless left torso. The MAR is pretty tanky and since its side profile is so large you just need to basically wiggle your nose a bit to spread damage around.

[DavidStarr]

Jimmy DiGriz, on 17 January 2017 - 11:21 PM, said:

Remember, if it's silly but it works, it's not silly

Thanks for the suggestions! Looks like fun I'll have to tear ferro-fibrous off, but whatever.

GhostNemesys, on 17 January 2017 - 11:22 PM, said:

The MAR is pretty tanky and since its side profile is so large you just need to basically wiggle your nose a bit to spread damage around.

I thought I know that. I thought I understand at least the basics of playing brawlers - I play a lot of them! As I said, no matter which mech I take out I end up brawling anyway. But one evening with these two Marauders demonstrated I was wrong. I mean, five poor games out of 10 could be ill luck and unfortunate circumstances, but 10 poor games can only be explained by my poor judgement and making bad moves. The builds may not be great, but I don't believe they're so terrible.

[Reverend Herring]

My 3R has dual AC5:s with STD engine and some mpulses as backup. What a great mech at medium range. My $.02, don't bother with triple (u)AC5:s. Two is enough and you can still run relatively fast with practicaly heat neutral mech that can also tank very well.

[DavidStarr]

Reverend Herring, on 18 January 2017 - 12:50 AM, said:

My 3R has dual AC5:s with STD engine and some mpulses as backup. What a great mech at medium range. My $.02, don't bother with triple (u)AC5:s. Two is enough and you can still run relatively fast with practicaly heat neutral mech that can also tank very well.

Interesting, but how is 2 better than 3? AC/5s have better range and much better heat efficiency than MPLs, so why favor a couple MPLs over an additional AC/5?

[Reverend Herring]

DavidStarr, on 18 January 2017 - 12:52 AM, said:

Interesting, but how is 2 better than 3? AC/5s have better range and much better heat efficiency than MPLs, so why favor a couple MPLs over an additional AC/5?

For my play style, the dual AC5 hits the sweet spot. I did have 3 AC5:s (also tried dual uAC5:s) on it for a while, but it never worked as good as it was supposed to work, not for me atleast. Three AC:s eat up a lot of ammo...

[Karl Streiger]

did run AC5 UAC5 (reason the look) and dual PPCs on the 3R - but thanks to the resize its not half as tanky as it was supposed to be.
So i dropped the Xl and moved to a AC10 with 2 PPCs - 30dmg pinpoint when shooting most targets the difference in velocity is hardly an issue.

Size is the major issue on the MAD - now - so you need a time machine for good MAD builds sry

[DavidStarr]

What about something like this? Range-tanking might work - stay at 500-700 meters instead of brawling up close.

Edited by DavidStarr, 18 January 2017 - 01:27 AM.

[BoldricKent]

3R- dual ac5, just for convergence sake with dual PPC (50 % speed bump
)all in right side/arm, use STD engine.
Have both weapons systems on 2 groups (1 for firing in sequence, other for firing in sync) .
Its 30 pin point damage, twist and use blank left side for shielding.
There are better builds, but this mech is for line holding(200-500m) and prolong fighting and can do
a lot of damage over time, just dont use it on hot maps.

5D is one of best performers, JJ, STD engine, dual ASRM6, LPL on side torso, + 4 ML or MPLs in arms,
think 13-15 dhs. It can roll damage well.

[DavidStarr]

Thanks!

BoldricKent, on 18 January 2017 - 01:29 AM, said:

3R- dual ac5, just for convergence sake with dual PPC (50 % speed bump
)all in right side/arm, use STD engine.

That amounts to the build from my previous post. Now that I know it is supposed to work OK, I'm eager to try it out.

BoldricKent, on 18 January 2017 - 01:29 AM, said:

5D is one of best performers, JJ, STD engine, dual ASRM6, LPL on side torso, + 4 ML or MPLs in arms,
think 13-15 dhs. It can roll damage well.

So the problem with my SRM build compared to yours was the lack of Artemis, and too few lazors. Gonna try it your way now.

Edited by DavidStarr, 18 January 2017 - 01:37 AM.

[Palfatreos]

MAD-5D (5 x MPL, 2 SRM6+A, 2 x JJ, STD300)

srm6 is always artemis the spread withouth is just way to much unles you wanna facehugh your enemy.



MAD-3R (2 x UAC5, 2 x PPC, STD275)
MAD-3R (3 x AC5, 2 x ML, STD300)

i probably go 2 ppc 2 uac 5 because range sync but warhammer 6R can do same build with XL and better ballistic quircks

WHM-6R (2 x UAC5, 2 x PPC, XL300)

Edited by Palfatreos, 18 January 2017 - 03:27 AM.

[DavidStarr]

Speaking of which: what kind of range constitutes face-hugging? 5-15 m?

[BoldricKent]

Close combat, anything from 90-30m, below that you are face hugging enemy, shielding it from
your team mates, getting agro points. Most short range will have optimal around 100-130m, (spread, full damage),
so you dont really need to get much closer, unless you want block/tank damage on purpose.

[Jon McFuzzy]

Note: My opinion comes from my own personal experience and I can understand if some of you might not agree ^^

You've got some really good recommendations there. Worth to try! I've seen many players in QP who have become "ONE" with their mech including Marauders, they could score great damage.

If you compare all Marauders, the 3R is the strongest in terms of structure, and it used to have good movement quirk as well (you might have guessed - PGI nerfed it). Several months back I even bought another 3R. One with 3AC5+4ML and second one with Dual LBX-10+4 MPL.

The MAD 3R Dual LBX-10, 5D with 5MPL+2SRM6+A or BH2 with 7SMPL+AC20 can be devastating - but they serve specific purpose, which is most effective for close range brawl (< 250 m). This means it will tend to suffer in some QP maps.
It also means that you need to get close with as little damage as possible on your mech. Not easy but still possible.

You can of course use mid-range weapons such as LPL, LL, or even PPC. There are videos at Youtube that will give some ideas on how to poke with the weapons.

The second issue with MAD is when you twist either side, you are exposing your side torsos, since the arms could not protect it completely. Therefore it is relatively easier for us to lose either one or both side torsos. To overcome this, you can't expose yourself too much especially in the early stage of the game.

That being said, I have to admit that I no longer have the desire to bring on Marauder, due to reasons above and others, including (in my opinion) there are other (better) options. FP is a different story though. Maps like Emerald Taiga and Grim Portico are great for brawler mechs.

[Helene de Montfort]

DavidStarr, on 17 January 2017 - 10:07 PM, said:

I'm struggling with Marauders 5D and 3R. Just so you understand that the struggle is real: played 10 games in 5D and 3R yesterday, won 1, never exceeded 270 damage. The lowest was 20, typical - 200. In a 70-tonner.

I'm running this on 3R. Do I need to get dual UAC/5s instead?.. Metamechs says triple AC/5s are not that great so I didn't go for that. I did briefly try this and didn't like it either.

As for 5D, tried this and this. The latter is better, but not good enough, obviously.

It's worth noting that no matter what I do, I end up brawling with the enemy at close range. But it's good to be able to shoot something before that happens (range-wise).

Interestingly, I do quite like the Bounty Hunter 2. I don't do crazy damage with it, but it doesn't feel weak like 3R and 5D do.

That's curious, my average damage with MAD-3R is about 400-500, up to 700 on good games, my personal record being 1k+, with this build : MAD-3R

And i had the same results using this MAD-5D : MAD-5D

[Luscious Dan]

I've had some solid results in the 3R, mostly based on its tankiness. My current build is 2xPPC 2xLB10X, all on the right side (with STD engine of course to fit the dual LB10X). Could easily go ER PPC but I don't have any modules for it, so I stuck with the standard version with range module so I can keep up the volume of fire at mid-range.

The main issue is that you're bad a hill humping with the arm-PPCs as your primary ranged weapon. The LB10Xs by themselves won't do much, and extended use of them at range just eats your ammo for little benefit.

For a brief time I was running 4xLPL 3xMG and it wasn't the worst thing ever. I might switch to 2xER PPC 2xLPL 3xMG though to avoid ghost heat. I forced myself to get better with PPCs of late, I don't mind them now

Edited by Luscious Dan, 18 January 2017 - 08:32 AM.

[krevLL]

I have great fun with my MAD-3R but I use it as a suppression build. It works in a brawl if you stick with teammates, and I also use Fire Control for the AC's, to make it super annoying to be on the recieving end. The MPL's are good at finishing opened up enemies, and if you can hold distance and the enemy can't find cover the AC's can be deadly.

My 5D uses this and it actually works but I think only because it lets me reposition faster than most people expect a MAD to be able to.

Alternatively using a STD engine and having 2 SRM6's with Artemis does work but only if you can get close enough, which I find isn't too often unless it's HPG we're playing on.

[DavidStarr]

MPLs seem to be the way to go for the ASRM MAD-5D. You can only do one thing - brawl - but at least you can do it well. Thanks for the recommendation.

Edited by DavidStarr, 19 January 2017 - 10:07 PM.

[DavidStarr]

del

Edited by DavidStarr, 20 January 2017 - 09:11 AM.