12 replies to this topic

[TehPwnzor]

So I see that there are two AMS hardpoints on the Crab, one on either side of the torso. Is it a good idea to build for a 2 AMS, one Beacon support build? Or should I go full attack?

[Koniving]

Twin AMS on a Crab. You must be talking about the CRB-27.

"Beacon" as in... NARC? Beagle Active Probe?

NARC is a missile-class weapon which only the Florentine Crab hero can carry (out of the Crabs; all others are purely energy mechs).

Now if you mean Beagle, you could though most don't unless using missiles.

If you mean UAV, sure. Doesn't cost you any weight to carry a deploy-able UAV to help allies spot targets.

Twin AMS is always a good idea. Especially after unlocking both AMS Overload nodes which increases their damage against incoming missiles.

This will help you figure out what you can put on it.

[TehPwnzor]

Scrap Beagle, put more ammo in AMS, right?

[Koniving]

You can.

Following up. Filling out twin AMS only costs a minimum of 2 tons of space (and 3 slots) in the form of 2 half ton Anti-Missile Systems + (at least) 1 ton of ammunition. You could up that to 2 tons of ammo if you want, but I wouldn't go past 3. If you need 3 or more tons of anti-missile ammo, you're spending too much time "in the rain."

Alternatively, 3 tons of you use Laser AMS. Unlimited ammo but very hot. Given that the Crab is an energy-only Mech, you will find issues with Laser AMS and heating up to the point that you shut down when you fire your weapons. So stick to traditional AMS.

Beagle may not directly benefit you (beyond getting target info faster.) Targeting computers may do that and improve the lasers a bit, however consider that Beagle may benefit your allies. For example counter-acting an enemy ECM of someone you're fighting up close with will allow an ally to target that mech with missiles.

I was literally just in a match watching a Spider fight a Locust and while I was in a position to help, the spider was not countering the Locust's ECM, so I couldn't get a target to try and anticipate movement, so I could do nothing with my ballistic weapons. My missiles also could not get a lock. So all I could do is sit and watch as the two ran around shooting each other. And to think if I could target the little thing and anticipate its movement, lead my shot and hit it, I could have instantly killed it and my spider teammate wouldn't have died such a horrible death.

So the Beagle could still help someone else...so that they can help you.

Edited by Koniving, 27 October 2017 - 06:40 PM.

[Koniving]

About Beagle:

Beagle helps you get target information [weaknesses, weapon loadouts] faster as well as improves your range. (both at 25% boosts.) Also detects powered down mechs within a range of 120 meters (not as important today as it was in closed beta when a powered down mech might hide near dead mechs and pretend to be dead, then power up and blow you in half, only to power down while you wonder what was going on).

What the stats on the equipment display inside the game doesn't tell you is that it counters enemy ECM and allows you to not only detect them within a given range (varies depending on your sensor skill tree and other sensor details) but it also makes it so that all other places could target them -- something they wouldn't be able to do without your Beagle Active Probe.

I said earlier people usually don't carry them unless using missiles (specifically any locking missiles) because they play selfishly. Though my recent match where I saw the Spider Locust duet reminded me that it can still benefit the team even if the personal benefit might be negligible. Sometimes I forget about that.

If you don't use the Beagle, instead of investing in additional ammo for the AMS if you already have 2 tons worth, consider additional heatsinks and making sure your armor is maxed out. Energy mechs run hot. Gotta keep it cool.

[TehPwnzor]

I have enough Heatsinks to have 2 heat Management, and I have full armor. I have 2 tons worth of ammo and some energy weapons. I have 2 Light PPC's, a Med Laser and a Small Laser. It seems that this Mech isn't exactly reliable when it comes to fighting any mech 1v1. Is that just my weapon choices?

[jss78]

The twin-AMS Crab is one of my all-time favourite random-queue 'mechs. It became even better with light-fusion engines -- essentially as robust, but can run more heat sinks.

My current build is something like this, LFE250, 2xLL, 3xML, 2xAMS, 16 DHS. It's a really nice 'mech for supporting your heavies and assaults. You bring that nice AMS bubble for your buddies, useful firepower, and you tend to last until late game. Basically a dedicated fattie escort build.

If you want more range and don't mind the heat, you can replace the ML's and/or LL's with ER versions.

[Spheroid]

Here is my advice as man who owns numerous Crabs including duplicate 27 and 27Bs. If you are running the stock 250 STD utilize something like 2x LLAS + 3x mlas + 2x AMS.

Or if you have the money or spare parts go 5x mlas/ermlas + 2 AMS + 300 STD. If you have a large XL you can also go 5x mplas + 2x AMS.

LPPCs are joke weapons and suck. They are best utilized on some lights with specific hardpoint limitations. Crabs should always be boating lasers. A heat efficiency of 2.0 means you are woefully undergunned.

The Crab is an excellent medium and can win many fights owing to its inherent durability. Stay with the chassis.

Edited by Spheroid, 27 October 2017 - 07:47 PM.

[Koniving]

TehPwnzor, on 27 October 2017 - 06:58 PM, said:

I have enough Heatsinks to have 2 heat Management, and I have full armor. I have 2 tons worth of ammo and some energy weapons. I have 2 Light PPC's, a Med Laser and a Small Laser. It seems that this Mech isn't exactly reliable when it comes to fighting any mech 1v1. Is that just my weapon choices?

Kinda spread on punches. The two Light PPCs deliver instant 5 damage each. The medium laser and small laser have very different ranges and offer 5 damage (provided you hold the beam on target for up to a second) and 3 damage (provided you hold the beam for up to 3/4ths of a second). So you have an assortment of firing options but they are somewhat weak.

Also: Keep in mind that Light PPCs will do "Zero" damage at targets under 90 meters. (This is PGI's solution to Battletech's accuracy penalty for targets within 90 meters, however it seems PGI doesn't realize that penalty to accuracy is related to a charge up delay in firing any non-ER PPC. and the excessive heat on the ER PPC is from the lack of delaying the firing sequence with a field inhibitor.)

If your enemy gets too close, the Light PPCs will be worthless.

[Koniving]

As an option, consider trading the two Light PPCs for a single Snub PPC located in your location of choice (I'd probably do CT if not for the 2 hardpoints there). A snub PPC has no minimum range and while it is a short range PPC, it packs a whopping 10 damage in a single punch.

5 lasers (unless comfortable fighting up close, I'd go with ER MLs) is always a very powerful combination allowing each blast to deliver 25 damage (provided you hold the lasers on target.)

My crabs: Just to share some crab love.
CRB-27. 2 Light PPCs, 3 ER ML. Twin AMS, 2 tons of ammo. Both AMS overloads unlocked.


My bloodstained CRB-27B. 4 Light PPCs, 2 ER Small Lasers. (experimenting, previously 4 MPL, 1 Snub PPC + TAG.) Previous emphasis was speed, a super big XL engine and skill tree focused on mobility. It was fun but fragile, so the new emphasis is survival and ranged punch.


My "Hero". Twin LB-5X, twin Rocket Launcher 15s, twin ER Medium Lasers.

I had to edit the image because for some reason on this mech it very rudely places the mech stats box overtop of my 'Mech. So I cut and pasted the home image of this mech into the middile. One more note: That list looks incredible, but when you pick up the ballistic magazine or missile rack 'skills', it lists every possible weapon ammo type to give you an idea of what the bonus gives you for each. Cut all the ammo out and it's basically the same as the others.

My owned mech count is 268 mechs within 268 mech bays.

Edited by Koniving, 27 October 2017 - 08:09 PM.

[Rogue Jedi]

TehPwnzor, on 27 October 2017 - 06:58 PM, said:

I have enough Heatsinks to have 2 heat Management, and I have full armor. I have 2 tons worth of ammo and some energy weapons. I have 2 Light PPC's, a Med Laser and a Small Laser. It seems that this Mech isn't exactly reliable when it comes to fighting any mech 1v1. Is that just my weapon choices?

although I have not ran them recently when I was reguraly running the Crab I found its greatest advantage was extreme durability ^{(I have finished matches below 20% using an XL engine in a Crab more than once)} this is due to its body shape making it very easy to spread damage just by wiggleing the nose side to side a few degrees.
your problem with winning a 1v1 match with that build is that it has very little focus, the LPPCs have a minimum range meaning there is little overlap with the small laser, basicly you did not pick weapons which work well together and you are only using 4 guns while a crab can have 5-6.

I would sugest ether dropping the lasers and finding the extra 1.5 tons for a third PPC, or dropping the PPCs and SL for more MLs if 1v1 dualing is your thing 5 MPL and some extra heatsinks would work, or 2 LPL with 3 ML ^{(assuming a standard engine you have the tonage for ether)}.
if you want to dual then bare in mind that trying to fight 1v1 is always a risk, 1 player wins and 1 looses, and in a 50 tonner usualy there at minimum half the Mechs on the enemy team, and sometimes all of them with a tonnage advantage over you, so for you to win you have to be good at leveraging your Mechs advantages, if weapon ranges are all over the place like on your build you are already at a serious disadvantage against the enemy Medium Mechs most of which will have a more focused build than you, and with that build you would be an easy target for Light Mechs

I could not figure out your build, I do not know what engine you are using, what extra heatsinks, if you have DHS or Endo (I am assuming you did not drop the fero it comes with stock) your the build you mention above seemed to be trying to do everything, meaning it dod nothing well, with a build like that I am guessing you wanted to use your AMS to protect the slower Mechs, so you want ranged guns to provide fire support while staying with them and short range weapons to chase off fast Mechs.
for that sort of role I would sugest something like this with 2 Light PPCs and 3 MPL
it uses the stock engine and should be ok at fire support with the PPCs and OK at closer ranges with the MPLs, it is cool enough that you can use both weapons systems together if you need to, you could drop the MPLs for ether SPLs or MLs to add more heatsinks and make it capable of fireing everything as fast as it recharges for 30+ seconds before it would overheat.
that sort of build would make a competant escort for the assualts but it will not win 1v1 duals, what it would do is scare off Lights (is you aim for the legs) and work with the assualts in killing igger threats

[Koniving]

Also since you're new, might I suggest that all throughout this week you frequently check here after several matches with 100+ match scores.
https://mwomercs.com...nts?t=201710tot
Reach into the loot bag as often as you can to collect free MC, GXP, decorative cockpit items, possibly a free mechbay etc.

Keep getting a modest amount of free MC but what I'm really hoping for is a mechbay. But a little more free MC and I can just buy one so there's that.

The in game event tracking is useful too but it isn't giving us the lootbag options for some reason.

[Stf Sgt Marblez]

I dont think they included mech bays in this events loot bags, but the rest of the freebies are nice, especially the free MC.

o7