24 replies to this topic

[Bless_O_Blee]

Does anyone have any fun gauss builds for the shadow hawk? It just seems like a badass weapons to put on them. If any suggestions on it will be appreciated.

[Felicitatem Parco]

I forgot the exact one, but you can slap a Gauss and 3 SRM6 packs one one if them with a LFE and enough ammo to last a while.

[Davegt27]

after the new camo pack award I have a pretty snazzy paint job

and I added a snub nose PPC to one, the other one I put an AC20 on
which I saw back in 2014 when AC20s where good

almost all new weapons you need an heavy or assault to use (unless your crazy enough to use a weapon with a min range)

even the LFE will slow your medium down enough to make it sub par in scouting

just a potato's point of view (JAPPOV)

[Metus regem]

LFE+UAC/10 with a couple of ERML back ups and you are good to go.



Edit:

Now that I've had a chance to get on my lap-top, this is the build I run on my SHD-2D2.

Edited by Metus regem, 01 August 2017 - 06:48 AM.

[jss78]

I'd look into the Gray Death. You're kind of short on tonnage for backup weapons, and in the GD you can bring 4xERML which is really weight-efficient.

Looks like you can squeeze in LFE280, 2JJ, gauss + 3 tons, 4xERML, 11 DHS: Quick nonoptimized build

Or live dangerously and put in a bigger XL I used to do that and those dramatic Gauss explosion deaths were surprisingly rare. Maybe it's worse now with everyone spraying with their LMG's.

[DivineTomatoes]

Grey Death - ultra 10 + 4 er mediums.

2H - Either dual lb10x / single lb20x + er medium (6 tons of ac ammo) , triple ultra 2s (as much ammo that fits), double rac5 + er med.

2k - Triple lpl/er large, whatever you prefer. Could do triple snub nose or even triple mrm 20s or mrm 40 and triple er mediums.

Now for the fun police to chime in and remind us that the Shadowhawk isn't meta enough any more.

[Hit the Deck]

1HGauss+4ERSL 1JJ STD250 GRAY DEATH?

Probably a bad build.

[Davegt27]

Hit the Deck, on 31 July 2017 - 05:17 PM, said:

1HGauss+4ERSL 1JJ STD250 GRAY DEATH?

Probably a bad build.

I tried it and the Mech is to slow for a medium

plus the Heavy gauss has a bug where you only get like very very narrow release window

[El Bandito]

Why Gauss on the Shawk when you can put 2xHPPCs instead?

IS Gauss sucks so much ***.

Edited by El Bandito, 31 July 2017 - 07:44 PM.

[Clanner Scum]

Light gauss and some ermedium lasers probably.

I personally run RAC2 on my shadowhawk.

[Ryllen Kriel]

I love Shadow Hawks, I have run them ever since I knew about them. When they launched in this game, I leveled all of them up. You do not want to run an Inner Sphere Gauss in a Shadow Hawk. I tried, I was foolish, run anything else.

Don't put it in the Gray Death...please...just don't. The Gray Death Legion will find you and disembowel you if you do that.

Edited by Ryllen Kriel, 31 July 2017 - 11:46 PM.

[xengk]

Attempted LGR on SHD-2D, but performance is meh and I swapped for RAC5.

[El Bandito]

xengk, on 01 August 2017 - 12:10 AM, said:

Attempted LGR on SHD-2D, but performance is meh and I swapped for RAC5.

5M with 2xUAC5s is a great ballistic alternative.

[LowSubmarino]

2k with 3 er LLs is still a pretty potent sniper though you wont be good at all at closer ranges and theres a lot of maps where you wont be sniping a lot. On sniping maps its very good.

Running slower than 95 kph isnt a good idea. For me thats the minimum. With new tech shadowhawk gained a few pretty decent mixed builds.

2D2 has become a good support mech now. Put in LFE and either an erppc or three lppcs + three ssrm 4s and an active probe. Go deep into survival. Lights will see your ppc shots and think youre an easy target. Apart from something very accurate to poke with, the ppc will lure in lights. Youll win easily with your streaks though. Youll be a pretty good defense vs lights and later in game even your one erppc can take out bigger mechs from safe distances.

Uac10 works too but you dont really want to fight bigger mechs at medium distances. For that the shadowat with ecm is much better suited. Youll be a solid allrounder though.

Its funny though that initially i took the one ppc to have something for range. But its more like a trap for lights. Trail a little to the sides or to the back and play unassuming sniper. You wont have to wait long and a light will show up. They run when they see a shadowcat that isnt using ranged weapons. By now they know hell prolly have streaks + survival tree which is the bane of lights.

Use ppcs though and they cant resist coming for you. You could even just go for one single light ppc and more heavily invest in streaks and ammo and dhs or speed. Ill try that too.

Or go for a very speedy ac 10 build with just 2 additional ermeds. Doesnt sound like much but if you start to run at 104+ speed and max jjs you are a pretty awesome flanker and skirmisher and that single ac 10 will pile up dmg and kills.

I see a trend with most streamers like molten metal and critical rocket and majestic etc to neglect speed in especially mediums. If a summomer as agile as it is runs st 87 or a linebacket even a lot faster or even the now sturdy orion IIC...its a bad call to have a lightlx armored medium run at their speed or slower.

Doesnt matter much in your average qp game mediums and lights by far biggest advantage is to be able to actually relocate and disengage or.engage at will.

Being able to provide more opportunities for solid and safe engagment situations is infinitely stronger than having even 20 or even 40 more dmg/alpha potential. You dont play mediums slow. You just dont.

Even 95 is almost too slow and youll have to be way more careful where and how you engage.

As a rule of thump: snipers can be slower as long ad you stay close to team and basically dont venture out too far. If you are a mixed build or a skirmisher you want to be able to outrun everything that you will have trouble killing by urself at closer ranges and outgun everything that is faster than you or at least have a good chance to win.

I see tons of ppl completly ignore that rule and consequently die somewhere alone on the flanks.

They are too slow or cant defend vs faster mechs. So decide what you want to play. What role and think about the greatest dangers to you. Which mechs and builds are dangerous. Then ask 'can i outrun them or can i kill them'.

Youll get much better results and your kill/death stats will go on overdrive.

Dont neglect mobility. And the new is streaks are a fantastic addition for skirmishers. And i wouldnt go for gauss in mediums. Take either 3 lppcs or a heavy (hotter) or a now very accurate erppc.

If you run at the minimum of 95 kph then guard the immediate flanks or immediate rear of team in skirmisher/mixed builds. Dont go out alone. If one or.two lights are with you you can go amd let then scout slightly ahead. Cause youre too slow to trally disengage. If you are around 100 kph or preferably faster and have a potent build vs anything faster than you you can scout farther to the sides or ahead.

Shadowcat.is still better though in terms of what it can do. No other medium that is as mobile as fast, as invisible and now thx to survival even sturdy.

You can also go for a combo of ppc(s) and mrms in the shafowhawk. Take 3 or 4 jjs, can also take an xl. Stay with team if possible. Use mrms if target is not.looking your way and also jj snipe or ridge snipe.with ppcs and mrms. Shadowhawk is pretty versatile.now. can do sniper.builds (always relocate and stay close to team).or.skirmisher or light hunter or a ppc/streak mix.

[xengk]

El Bandito, on 01 August 2017 - 12:49 AM, said:

5M with 2xUAC5s is a great ballistic alternative.

The built with only 2xRAC5 and no other weapon?
Tried that loadout, runs hot and very situational.
Great as direct fire and suppressor in a push or messy brawl, spend the rest of time hang back with SRMbombers waiting for brawl.
I prefer "frankenmech" loadout that can contribute in more situation.

[jss78]

Overall I'm really liking the UAC/10 in Shadow Hawks. It's really feeling like that heavy ballistic option you always needed but never had.

Leaving aside the multi-ballistic 2H/5M, before new-tech a lone AC/10 or LB10X was just weaksauce and with Gauss or AC/20 you had to do a lot of compromises elsewhere on your 'mech and it still wasn't good enough.

Now you can slap in UAC/10, a few ERML, maybe some missiles, and suddenly those mixed builds are feeling more comfortable than in a long time.

[El Bandito]

xengk, on 01 August 2017 - 01:28 AM, said:

The built with only 2xRAC5 and no other weapon?
Tried that loadout, runs hot and very situational.
Great as direct fire and suppressor in a push or messy brawl, spend the rest of time hang back with SRMbombers waiting for brawl.
I prefer "frankenmech" loadout that can contribute in more situation.

Not RAC5s. UAC5s. More accuracy, FLD, range, and cooler running.

Edited by El Bandito, 01 August 2017 - 03:06 AM.

[Tordin]

Ah. The Hunchbacks taller, left/ west handed cousin. Have em all, great generalist that can just aswell specialize.

With new tech, it all becomes even more potent. Still havent saved up enough for a LFE for some of them, so I run variying STD eninges on all but the champion and hero (GD) wich both uses xl 275.

Have tried the famous 2K with 3 x erll. As others have said, very situational, deadly sniper on the right maps. You could however ditch the lowest mounted erll for some close range backup weapons. Try be a bit asymmetrical by having a laser in your right hand of some kind or just pack a few missile weapons in the torsos. Survival nodes can help these kind of Shawks, since close up, they are weaker.

The same goes for the 5M. Very situational, just instead of long range maps, this one are kinda medium-long ranges. Cant have more than a fe if any backup weapons. Compliment with bigger engine. Try racs 2, runs hot but nice for supressing busy opponents with a hailstorm of bullets. Or maybe just mount 2 x of any MG type and load it up with surms? Pick your style!

The 2d2. Have set this one up with classic 4 x srm 4 and alot of jump jets. Have put alot of points into the JJ tree, with the vectoring, forward thrust ones. They are better for brawling mechs, avoid those right side nodes if you are pop tarting though (in general) I imagine streak 4 and 6 are good on it too. Just remember that BAP.

The 2H. Max ballistics 3x!! 3 x AC2? 3X of any MG + missiles? The definite go to Shawk if you like ballistics. A 3 x missile + 3 x ballistic combo can be deadly.

The 2D. If you want more left handed goodness. This one is similar to the 2H. It ditches one RT missile hardpoint for 2 x energy hardpoints in the left arm. Its kinda the mix, match, main hawk of them all. A bit of everything spread all around, no, no bad convergence. Its just nice with some arm mounted weapons for when your torso mounted ones cant quite reach those targets sharply placed above or below you. Also... those lights. They love main- weapons- in- torso prey!

The Gray Death. Love it. Jam in the biggest ballistics in there with support lasers in arms for those pesky lights.
Right now I try out 4 x mpl with uac 10. But any AC/ UAC/ RAC might work wonders too. Might switch back to regular, dependant AC 10. The UACS run hot in the midst of a fight.
I see it most as a brawler (like the 2d2), so part speed tweak and exploiting those structure quirks by adding skeletal density nodes makes it all that more solid, especially if you use an XL like me.

[xengk]

El Bandito, on 01 August 2017 - 02:55 AM, said:

Not RAC5. UAC5. More accuracy, FLD, range, and cooler running.

My mistake.
The build from metamech.

[El Bandito]

xengk, on 01 August 2017 - 03:04 AM, said:

My mistake.
The build from metamech.

Metamech one is with Std engine. Mine is with LFE.