33 replies to this topic

[ThundrGod]

Hello all, I've managed to grind enough c bills to purchase a second assault mech (I got the Scorch while it was on sale). I'm just not sure what to buy. Most of the info I can find predates the skill tree or the last few balance changes. Apparently it was hands down the Kodiak but they nerfed its maneuverability. The new mad cat is supposed to be great but expect a nerf there (according to forum wisdom). Meta Mechs is supposed to be a good reference site but apparently they haven't updated in some time. So what are everyone's thoughts about the current state of clan assaults? Right now I'm leaning towards getting the Marauder IIC variant with the ECM because I'm loving the ECM on my Hellbringer but I'm not sold on those hardpoints. I'd prefer some laser vomit but the UAC 5 and UAC 10 Kodiak looks pretty damn mean on paper.

Thanks for your time.

[Trenchbird]

KDK-3 with Ultras isn't necessarily 'Meta' anymore (What are we even on now? Laser Vomit, right?), but it's still a tough customer even when it got the nerf bat to the knees. I'd say that's a solid choice.

[Gagis]

Laser Vomit MAD-IIC and both vomit and ERLL Supernova are legitimately good at least.

The ECM Marauder is held back by really awkward hardpoints, but still kicks *** with 2x Gauss + 2x ERLL in Quick Play since for some reason solo players are incapable of shooting at mechs they can't target. I still get baffled whenever I bring ECM into pug games and never get shot at. In more serious games ECM doesn't make as much of a difference and its firepower just isn't good enough.

[AncientRaig]

Gagis, on 11 August 2017 - 10:33 PM, said:

Laser Vomit MAD-IIC and both vomit and ERLL Supernova are legitimately good at least.

The ECM Marauder is held back by really awkward hardpoints, but still kicks *** with 2x Gauss + 2x ERLL in Quick Play since for some reason solo players are incapable of shooting at mechs they can't target. I still get baffled whenever I bring ECM into pug games and never get shot at. In more serious games ECM doesn't make as much of a difference and its firepower just isn't good enough.

You can make a pretty terrifying brawler out of the MAD-IIC-D. 2 LB10s, 2 SRM4, 1 HLL and 1 ERML with ECM can put out the hurt. As a long range mech it is less effective than some other variants since you can't bring an array of large lasers or something like that.

[BTGbullseye]

I have to say, I find the Mad Cat Mk II to be quite the powerhouse... It can facetank anything short of 3x RAC5's and kill the enemy firing. (as long as you don't use a completely bogus loadout of something like LRM5's with small lasers) It's also great as a missile boat if you get either the 2 or 4 variants. Only real downside is that it runs hot with almost any useful build, so it takes a fair bit of trigger management skill to get the best out of it. (oh, and it's the most targeted mech on the battlefield, I've seen entire teams switch from targeting 3x KDK-3's to targeting just me in my MCII all because it's "the scariest mech on the battlefield")

Unfortunately, you'll be waiting until sometime next year to buy one if you only have C-bills to use.

The MAD-IIC is probably the best one available for C-bills... Unless you prefer laser vomit, in which case you'll want to go for the Supernova.

Edited by BTGbullseye, 12 August 2017 - 01:40 AM.

[invernomuto]

IMHO, Marauder IIC or Mad Cat Mk II are 2 very solid chassis.

[Audacious Aubergine]

To offer some unconventional advice, don't chase the meta when picking an assault. Either the playstyle may not suit you, and/or because it's the current meta everyone and their friend's dog will be out for you once they see you.
As for your choices, you no longer need multiples of a chassis for mastery, so unless you love your Scorch a lot then maybe don't get another Marauder IIC. As for laser vomit, and people will throw potatoes at me for suggesting a non-meta mech, the Supernova is pretty satisfying. Yes, most of the weapons are in the arms but the way I see it, that makes it more flexible (literally) in combat since you can swing them around further and faster

[The Basilisk]

ThundrGod, on 11 August 2017 - 08:37 PM, said:

Hello all, I've managed to grind enough c bills to purchase a second assault mech (I got the Scorch while it was on sale). I'm just not sure what to buy. Most of the info I can find predates the skill tree or the last few balance changes. Apparently it was hands down the Kodiak but they nerfed its maneuverability. The new mad cat is supposed to be great but expect a nerf there (according to forum wisdom). Meta Mechs is supposed to be a good reference site but apparently they haven't updated in some time. So what are everyone's thoughts about the current state of clan assaults? Right now I'm leaning towards getting the Marauder IIC variant with the ECM because I'm loving the ECM on my Hellbringer but I'm not sold on those hardpoints. I'd prefer some laser vomit but the UAC 5 and UAC 10 Kodiak looks pretty damn mean on paper.

Thanks for your time.

May advise would be...wait till next patch and maybe some days more when the new C-bill variants of the Clan omnis come out.
Then observe what new builds manifest and THEN make a choice.

Edit: The Gargoyle will recive 2 energy hardpints each torso and the Executioner will get 3 energy hardpoint in its let torso. So if you like fast assaults this could actually be of interest to you.

Edited by The Basilisk, 12 August 2017 - 04:49 AM.

[ThundrGod]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I will wait for the patch and try endless Hellbringer builds in the meanwhile. I might even try some IS mechs also, but I've been reluctant to buy any since my current equipment stockpile is all clan.

[Gagis]

Audacious Aubergine, on 12 August 2017 - 04:10 AM, said:

As for laser vomit, and people will throw potatoes at me for suggesting a non-meta mech, the Supernova is pretty satisfying.

It might not be meta in faction play, but supernova has been replacing a lot of supermarauders in competitive leagues.

[ThundrGod]

Roster:

Light:
Purifier

Medium:
Pakhet
Nova Prime
Medusa

Heavy:
Timberwolf - D
Hellbringer Prime
Hellbringer hero (on the 15th)
EBJ hero (on the 15th)

Assault:
Scorch

I bought the hero mechs when they were on sale. The others i ground c-bills. I ordered the Hellbringer and EBJ hero's for the 15th. That will be my roster as of that date. I'm thinking about picking up an ACH with my current c-bills and going back and picking up the old clan pack that has the jenner, hunchback and orion for like $60. That would give me a decent stable at every weight class except for assault, i'll grind out another for c-bills or pick up the mad cat II pack for $$$.

[Koniving]

Catten Hart, on 11 August 2017 - 08:47 PM, said:

KDK-3 with Ultras isn't necessarily 'Meta' anymore (What are we even on now? Laser Vomit, right?), but it's still a tough customer even when it got the nerf bat to the knees. I'd say that's a solid choice.

The reason I don't even bother with metas, they keep changing.

Meanwhile I have builds that last for years, unaffected by buffs and nerfs.

[Koniving]

I'm not sure what's the best one right now. Executioner sounds like it's getting buffs with the patch. Mad IIC is all the rage. My Dire Wolf's still awesome and some people really enjoy their walking bear-ovens (Kodiaks). I got some Super Novas but people cry about how awful they are. Not sure why, mine are pretty good. Then there's MAD CAT IIs. I dunno about them.

They're easy as heck to kill but supposedly they're so incredible... Meh.

[BTGbullseye]

Koniving, on 12 August 2017 - 05:21 PM, said:

Then there's MAD CAT IIs. I dunno about them.

They're easy as heck to kill but supposedly they're so incredible... Meh.

They're only easy to kill if the person running them has no idea how to build and run them... I ran the A variant the other day to see what it could take for punishment, and effectively facetanked half a team for more than a minute before getting shot in the back with a pair of Heavy Gauss twice. (killed the CT, but it took 2 shots to do)

Won the match without firing a shot, all because I distracted half the other team into firing at the 'big scary MCII standing behind us'. lol

Edited by BTGbullseye, 13 August 2017 - 02:38 AM.

[invernomuto]

Koniving, on 12 August 2017 - 05:21 PM, said:

Then there's MAD CAT IIs. I dunno about them.

They're easy as heck to kill but supposedly they're so incredible... Meh.

Because it's a very good chassis: lots of useful hardpoints even in the basic variants, all the variants come with Ferro Fibrous and Endo Steel and a Clan XL360 engine (e.g. for the Supernova you will have to spend a lot of C-Bills just for the "upgrades"). You have a very good engine cap for an 90tons. In shorts, it is a very good mech that, like the MAD IIC, does not depends on its quirks.
The "2" variant with this build is a "better scorch" and can simply erase any mech that is walking in front of it within 300 meters:
https://www.mechspec...-a-xl350.12347/

The hero, like the MAD IIC Scorch should be very good, but I (still) do not own it, so I cannot say anything about it

Edited by invernomuto, 13 August 2017 - 06:30 AM.

[Koniving]

BTGbullseye, on 13 August 2017 - 02:36 AM, said:

They're only easy to kill if the person running them has no idea how to build and run them... I ran the A variant the other day to see what it could take for punishment, and effectively facetanked half a team for more than a minute before getting shot in the back with a pair of Heavy Gauss twice. (killed the CT, but it took 2 shots to do)

Won the match without firing a shot, all because I distracted half the other team into firing at the 'big scary MCII standing behind us'. lol

My experience has been this... Fairly consistently.
Skip to 3:52. A second is killed as part of a group effort further along.


My first encounter was as an Annihilator at a blatant going uphill disadvantage (so I had only my SPLs and HMGs to use, my Rotary AC/5s took a bit to 'get up' high enough on the hill to even use against it), and I facetanked that thing and three other mechs until it was dead, then was able to get my RAC/5s on the Linebacker before I began losing my side torsos and eventually my CT.

Granted, an Annihilator with full survival tree is like an armored beast...

[BTGbullseye]

So you hit a stationary, half-dead MCII, in the back, with a 46 point alpha, and think that they're easy to kill? Almost everything is easy to kill when it's below 45 structure and no armor. Everything else was just it not paying attention to the battlefield, which is common among the MWO MCII population. (seems like it was mostly newbies that bought them)

Give one a spin before you condemn them.

[Koniving]

BTGbullseye, on 13 August 2017 - 06:38 AM, said:

So you hit a stationary, half-dead MCII, in the back, with a 46 point alpha, and think that they're easy to kill? Almost everything is easy to kill when it's below 45 structure and no armor. Everything else was just it not paying attention to the battlefield, which is common among the MWO MCII population. (seems like it was mostly newbies that bought them)

Give one a spin before you condemn them.

That half-dead mech didn't have any back armor and was very yellow on the rest of his body parts (later on there's a comment that I have "plenty of back armor" and so I completely ignore a threat behind me until I felt like it).

The second one had heat issues. However, that's about all the video evidence I have. I base it mainly on being on the receiving end of a three or more mech firing line and still killing one at full health, from in front, with mostly 3 HMGs and 2 SPLs and taking out one of its side torsos and almost the other before I even get to bring my RAC/5s on him (uphill, wasted into the hill itself and then jammed, waited and then unleashed them at the end) and narrowly getting the Line Backer supporting him (while some Clan missile boat kept hammering me). 3 vs my 1. So I did a big (joking) post about IS superiority shortly after.

And on several other encounters. It's ....fragile. Very fragile. I'm afraid to touch one with a cleaning rag because I'm afraid I might take 20 points of armor off of it.

Like all Clan mechs it delivers shittons of damage per volley and has a lot of offensive potential... but it lacks any defensive qualities.

[Chuckleberry Finn]

Any opinions on the cyclops?

I also see a lot of hate against Highlander llc variants. I was looking at doing a Er-ppc for the alpha.

[BTGbullseye]

Koniving, on 13 August 2017 - 06:50 AM, said:

snip

Again, it sounds like you were going against poor quality pilots, with poorly designed loadouts. Unless I'm facing a quad dakka of at least RAC2's, I can facetank my way through an Annihilator easy, and still have some left for the rest of the team. Matter of fact, just did a run today in my MCII-4 against 2x Atlases from one of the bigger name merc groups, (don't remember which) fighting over the Kappa point on Tourmaline Conquest, and I still had all yellow armor to engage the rest of their team. They weren't holding back at all either. Had someone offer to run over to help, but I had already killed one of them, so I said no. (we won with half our team dead, all dying before I got got there)

Now I know Atlases aren't that much for the offense, but 2x of them against 1x MCII should still kill me with halfway decent Atlas pilots. (and they shouldn't have more than scratched armor either) I guess my MCII mobility and 70-98 damage alphas (70 from LRMs, 28 from ER Mediums) really are "OP". lol

Edited by BTGbullseye, 13 August 2017 - 08:12 AM.