From my understanding, the PPCs are there to provide a 1:1 heat/damage weapon whilst not triggering ghost heat, and to fill space and tonnage that would otherwise not be particularly well used up.
I managed to make a build that prioritised heat sinks, and crammed 8 on top of the existing 10 in the engine with a 325 Light. I shaved a few points off the legs but not a great deal, about 6 I think.
Initially I put all my skill points into weapons, survival and operations, prioritizing heat dispersal. This failed so miserably that the only person I beat in an evening was a guy with 0 games under his belt, and even then only barely.
After that, and with only half an hour left to play, I put the points from survival into mobility. I also took points out of cooldown reduction to further fill out mobility, as I simply could not bring my weapons to bare quickly enough. I begun to consider not twisting at all vs certain opponents, as this build can alpha for about 56 pts of damage, followed up by firing all its pulse lasers again without over heating. This led to a spectacular win against a splat Bushwacker who I legged and set off an ammo explosion on. I had a couple more wins and some good QP games where I begun to understand how this 'Mech might be capable of obliterating everything in D4.
Still, I'm ranked 11 thousandth, so yeah.
Here's my guess then, at why this fella is actually quite meaty despite my ineptitude:
* 56 point pin point alpha, probably the highest attainable pin point alpha of any 'Mech in D4.
* The heaviest 'Mech in its class which means decent armour and a good top speed.
* Slim profile leads to good convergence of weapons, even against players that get up into your face. The low down weapon placement isn't a problem as you can vote off maps that would screw you over (Boreal)
* Complimentary quirks for heat management mean that you really are piloting potentially the most heat efficient 'Mech in the division.
* No possibility of suffering an ammo explosion.
Now, here's the shortcomings which may or may not be mitigated by a better build, but certainly by a better player:
* SN-PPCs are very situational, and if you miss more than twice you may as well give up, as the amount of heat you have dumped into yourself with no damage means you are too far behind to catch up.
* Light engine only buys you a few extra seconds to live, as losing a torso obliterates your heat efficiency.
* Mobility skills seem almost mandatory, especially against Jagermechs that catch you in the open, but also against people up close. This means the 'Mechs extra armour isn't quite so extra.
* I'm a really, really awful pilot in this 'Mech, but I've dumped all my c-bills into it...
...So please, God, someone give me some advice on how to play it better.
Edited by RickySpanish, 29 June 2018 - 09:08 AM.