8 replies to this topic

[Xannatharr]

Howdy all,

Since the Assassin 21 had it's armor quirks converted to structure, I am looking for a replacement 'mech in the 30-40 ton range to fill the "hard to kill ankle-biter" role.

My unit previously ran mostly the meta ASN-21 with 4 SRM 4, 130+ kph, 2-3 JJ etc and prized it for it's ability to shrug off damage, swarm and leg enemy heavies and assaults, jump gates and generally make a nuisance of itself in waves of 8-12.

A few of us built an ASN-23 last night, since it has 3 missile hardpoints and still has armor quirks all over and have been experimenting with it.

Here is the one I have been trying: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...13180210e0893c2

But I would love to get feedback from the community about other mechs that we might be able to put in the role. Here are the requirements:

• 120 kph+
  
• 30 alpha or higher
  
• Missile or mixed energy/missile armament
  
• at least 2, preferably 3 or 4 Jumpjets
  
• 30-40 tons
  
• Short range armament

What do you got for me? And what do you think about the ASN-23 with SRM 6s or maybe with SRM 4s and a ML or two?


Thanks,

Xann

[Koniving]

Well, the best replacement would be an ASN-21.
Seems to die just as quick after as it did before, just with the risk of ammo exploding. You can counter that easily by putting the ammo in the legs, CT or head. The places with ammo? Just stuff your heatsinks in the same body parts to reduce the frequency of destroyed launchers.

[Xannatharr]

Koniving, on 24 January 2018 - 11:46 AM, said:

Well, the best replacement would be an ASN-21.
Seems to die just as quick after as it did before, just with the risk of ammo exploding. You can counter that easily by putting the ammo in the legs, CT or head. The places with ammo? Just stuff your heatsinks in the same body parts to reduce the frequency of destroyed launchers.

Thanks for your answer.

We haven't totally junked the ASN-21 yet, but the extra armor quirks on the other Assassins, compounded by Survival tree raise the leg and torso armor values to really amazing amounts, so I am trying to find a viable option to take advantage of those quirks. We want it to be really fast, so XL engines are pretty much required, increasing the value of any extra armor on the side torsos.

Or maybe we should switch to a totally different chassis that has some armor quirks or favorable hitboxes to work with? Looking for any any all options.

Xann

[SHIN BRODAMA]

I hear the Javelin and Oxide are gonna be meta now that Chris has dragged the ASN-21 down, maybe try them.

Edited by Sho sa ShinYodama, 24 January 2018 - 12:11 PM.

[Steel Raven]

Enough people complained about the Assassin's zombie like qualities, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Nerf Hammer got it. Like the Firestarter post re-scale, it will still be a good mech but you will need to use it differently.

I will recommend the Wolfhound if JJ are not a deal breaking, it's a humble giant killer and one of the few lights I can pilot without cursing the screen.

Many talk up the Javelin, not all builds have the Alpha your looking for but it's got speed and durability.

The Cicada 3F isn't bad, though only a handful can will make it worth mentioning. Molten Metal made a couple of videos worth checking out if you interested.

[Brethren]

ASN-23 still got its armor quirks and can utilize that 10% missile cooldown on 3 SRM6s for example. Add some small or medium lasers (also with 10% cooldown quirk) and go for business as usual.

[NRP]

Actually, the ASN-21 is just fine post-nerf. Surprising, the nerf bat swung and whiffed. Slight graze at best. That damn thing is as hard to kill as ever.

[Audacious Aubergine]

NRP, on 04 February 2018 - 01:53 PM, said:

Actually, the ASN-21 is just fine post-nerf. Surprising, the nerf bat swung and whiffed. Slight graze at best. That damn thing is as hard to kill as ever.

Because you can't kill what you can't hit?

[Xannatharr]

Thanks for all the replies folks, I'm posting to circle back and report results of our internal experimenting and what we landed on.

Short Answer: ASN-23 with 3 x SRM6 and XL 300, 2-3 JJ; runs 130 kph+, high alpha, extremely hard to kill but must be used at point-blank range to avoid scattering damage too much (still very effective tearning legs off heavies/assaults).


Long Answer: We did find that the ASN-21 is still viable, it remains hard to kill and the reload time on the SRM4s is great.. However, the ASN-23 had fewer deaths due to legging in the matches we played (this is anecdotal but we had a good sampling of matches) and objectively, the 23 does have higher armor values for the same skill tree investment.

We also experimented with Javelins running 4 x SRM 4, 4 x Med Pulse, and the ECM model with 3 x SRM 4 and 1 x SRM 2. The Javelins were pretty good, certainly more tonnage-efficient, but very fragile compared to the Assassins. We tested (and still use) WLF-2, and WLF-Grinners with Med Pulse or Med Laser loadouts for decks where we just can't find the full 40 tons for an ASN. (e.g. BLR, WHM, WHM, ASN vs. CP, WHM, WHM, WLF).

So we settled on the ASN-23 as a replacement, but we still bring out the ASN-21 when we do a 2 x Assault, 2 x Fast deck in faction warfare.

Regards,

Xann