8 replies to this topic

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Just thinking, if we take medium lasers as baseline, aren't the heavy lasers actually the only balanced large class laser weapon?


Like 1 IS ERML is 5 damage. 4 tons of them is 20 damage. 1 CERML is 7 damage, 3 tons of them is 21 damage. 1 HLL is 18 damage for 4 tons.

Aside from slot restrictions and ghost heat limiting how many medium lasers you can take on either side, what keeps something like the IS LL alive? Doesn't really get a big range advantage like ERLL, doesn't have nearly as good damage per ton ratios as medium lasers, even has longer durations than medium lasers.

If the lasers were balanced then an IS LL would be dealing at least 20 damage or mediums would be dealing about 2 each. That or large lasers would get huge damage:heat ratios boosts or duration decreases or something.

Right now two ER mediums is about equal to a single large laser in performance, but the LL weighs 3 tons more.


So why is it that large lasers are basically trash? Did they have any sort of value in table top aside from that 9 damage hitting one location rather than 25 damage split between 5 locations?

[Composite Armour]

lol

[Unit 86]

lol but unironically

[FupDup]

The variable you're missing is range. The reason the IS LL can get away with lower damage per ton is because it shoots further. That's what your tonnage is paying for. It's also more heat efficient. I think it could use a little nudge buffing, but it shouldn't be five times the power of an ML.

Another thing to keep in mind is hardpoint efficiency, which is pretty important especially for IS mechs that are often starved for hardpoints.

[Lyons De Flamand]

If LL need a nudge then LPL need a shove. No use in taking IS LPL now.

[Averen]

Lyons De Flamand, on 21 May 2018 - 09:12 AM, said:

If LL need a nudge then LPL need a shove. No use in taking IS LPL now.

Yeah, for some reason PGI decided to break something that wasn't completely broken...

But sure, just don't nerf those clan lasers that are two times as strong...

[Luminis]

Range and damage per hardpoint?

[Verilligo]

Everything compared to the medium laser is going to look like a pretty bad deal because the medium laser is fundamentally overpowered. It is VASTLY more powerful than it has any right to be... and unfortunately it also kind of needs to be. You'd have to completely rebalance the majority of all weapons, mechs, and systems to pull medium lasers back to where they should be due to it being so heavily leaned on for table top, at least from what I've seen. In essence, though, yes. You're paying for range. No other fundamental benefits that I'm aware of.

[LordBraxton]

Medium lasers have crap range and most IS mechs have crap for energy hardpoints.

The ones that have tons of energy hardpoints usually have crap geometry, like the black knight

Also, keep in mind that crappy IS heatsinks are compounded by crappy IS upgrades and engines, so IS mechs are starved for tons AND slots in a way clans never are.

In short, IS weapons need to be BETTER ton for ton than clans, but right now clans are still better