21 replies to this topic

[Foxwalker]

What is the best one? I got the FLE-20 and was looking at a second one.
Which in your opinion is the best and why?

[Acersecomic]

FLE-20 has ECM, right? Honestly, you can't go better than that other than Locust Pirate's Bane. ECM is great on them because of Stealth Armor. Slap seismic on and it's a sneaky little ninja

[Vxheous]

Flea 17 has more firepower than the 20, at the expense of ECM.

[tutzdes]

I played all variants, for me these rank as follows:

Best one: FLE-20 - hands down. MASC, ECM, good energy hardpoints.

Close second is FLE-17, which is pretty much the same mech with some extra energy hardpoints, but without ECM.

Just after these two are: FLE-FA, R5K, FLE-15

Fire Ant is a bit harder to play than best two Fleas as it requires facetime for its 6 MGs. It has MASC and 3 energy hardpoints for armor stripping weapons. All components sans head are armor quirked, which is nice. With some skill points put into armor nodes it does feel more durable compared to other 20t mechs.

R5K lacks MASC, but doesn't require any facetime and is armor quirked. With 2xSRM4 (and backup SLs) it plays like a mini-SRM-Commando. When the mech this tiny can bite with very short exposure, it can be super annoying. It also kills stuff.

FLE-15 lacks MASC, but has best durability quirks. At first I thought it would be the worst one, but it just performs :/ Due to inability to mount ECM or MASC you have extra tonnage for bigger weapons. With 3xMPLs + 2xSLs it is a mini-TDK.

Of all Fleas the hardest to level for me was FLE-19. No MASC, one energy slot, one missile slot. 8 ballistic slots may seem nice, but this mech is tonnage starved to put enough ammo. For me it is just a worse FA.

I'd say: get FLE-FA if you want a twitchy MG-squirrel with MASC or R5K hero for missiles. FLE-17 is really good, but feels like a flavour of FLE-20.

[Darian DelFord]

I just went out and bought a Flea 20 after one completely and utterly reamed me the other night. I have not played another mech since then.

The advent of ECM, Stealth Armor and 5 SPL's and the ability to truly be right next to them.

Best strategy, get next to them, lock a loner, call in LRM Noob Tubes, make it rain and then core or leg them. The have no idea you are there, rinse and repeat.

When the brawl starts activate stealth and go to town.

Averaging about 450 damage per game.

Edited by Darian DelFord, 29 December 2018 - 05:47 AM.

[admiralbenbow123]

Foxwalker, on 09 December 2018 - 02:28 PM, said:

What is the best one? I got the FLE-20 and was looking at a second one.
Which in your opinion is the best and why?

I got the -17, -20 and the fire ant. I actually ended up enjoying the -20 the most but the -17 is a good laser vomit harrassing mech and the fire ant is a good machine gun boat with nice armor quirks.
Actually, I think the flea is better than the locust because of a much smaller torso and legs and a much better cockpit.

Edited by admiralbenbow123, 29 December 2018 - 06:03 AM.

[Darian DelFord]

I agree, and I have been an avid Locust player since the Jenners were put to rest

[Zuri Prime]

As a light pilot main, Flea 17 is your mech. Two Mpulses, five smalls and MASC for 171 kph with tweaks, you're looking at a power house.

[Brizna]

ECM is a crutch for light mechs, it helps approaching the enemy but once you actually get close it will give out your position due to low signal warning, it also weights 1.5Ts which for a heavier mech is not much but it is a lot for a 20 toner.

Flea 17 is more conspicuous when approaching and all, but it has significantly more fire-power and once you are close to your prey, necessary with this mech, it is actually stealthier. For pro gaming, take it.

[WrathOfDeadguy]

ECM is a tool. It only becomes a crutch if you're using it as a cover for stupid gameplay choices, like crossing enemy sightlines in the open or squirreling through the middle of enemy teams in a 'Mech like the Flea which is clearly better used for poke-and-scoot tactics.

Plus, if you're getting close enough to enemies that you're giving them low signal alerts, while trying to remain unseen in the fastest 'Mech, which can dictate the range in any engagement with any enemy that's not also a MASC-equipped Flea, you've got only yourself to blame for that... and for not flipping the silly thing into counter mode, which is far less conspicuous. Enemies who notice the counter effect might not immediately know you're around- as there are multiple ECM counters and several of them are ranged- but there's only one thing that causes low signal.

[PhoenixFire55]

Well coming from someone who fully skilled up four different Fleas I can say that between 17, 19, 20 and FA, I liked FLE-20 the least of them.

ECM, stealth armor if you equip it, just eat up too much tonnage and it further lowers the DPS on a mech that lacks DPS in the first place. Sure stealth and masc allows you to freely poke people, dictate engagement range against most mechs, but when the DPS isn't there you just don't have enough damage output to really carry the match. And when you are the last one against 4-5 enemy mechs, no matter how much can you dictate the range, they'll kill you anyway.

19 has the best no-heat DPS, but lacks masc, and having just one energy weapon sometimes doesn't allow to strip enough rear armor on bigger mechs to start critting internals right away on one alpha.

My choice would be between 17, the classic all-energy fighting light and FA, more of a modern MG-light. Personally, if you are engaging heavier mechs during a big brawl when you aren't focused FA is better since it provied low-heat DPS and crits things. If you prefer one-two alpha poke things and fight other lights, 17 is the way to go IMO, since alpha is higher and you don't need to facetank.

Bottom line masc is more important IMO. Stealth isn't gonna fool people who can aim, i.e. people who you should really be worried about, masc on the other hand can throw off aim if you use it smartly, i.e. do bursts of masc between your own shots when the enemy is about to fire at you.

[Darian DelFord]

The key to the 20 is understanding when to use ECM. Most people will actually give themselves away with it yes. However the power of the flea is to survey the field and pick your target. Once just outside of ECM range, click it to DISRUPT and they will have no idea you are there. When you are under ECM you can tell. However when your ECM is being jammed you just have a little icon and if in a fight you don't really notice it.

When it gets to heated in battle or your being targeted, activate stealth and masc out.

For me.... the 20 is the best flea for surviveability. The 17 has the punch, however the 20 has the stamina.. Especially with 4 SL's and 1 MPL build

Edited by Darian DelFord, 25 January 2019 - 08:26 AM.

[tutzdes]

PhoenixFire55, on 25 January 2019 - 12:36 AM, said:

Well coming from someone who fully skilled up four different Fleas I can say that between 17, 19, 20 and FA, I liked FLE-20 the least of them.

I piloted FLE-20 both with 4xML+Stealth and 5xML+ECM w/o Stealth. The second build is sneaky enough and has pretty high firepower, comparable to FLE-17. I mostly play FLE-17 due to it being a special variant but 20 is good, maybe even better. FLE-19 is tonnage starved. If FA has barely enough ammo for its 6xMGs, FLE-19 is on the edge even with both skill nodes and with puny single ER Small Laser for a "can opener". FA feels just like a direct upgrade.

Darian DelFord, on 25 January 2019 - 08:26 AM, said:

...

Yeah, this.

[PhoenixFire55]

tutzdes, on 25 January 2019 - 10:49 AM, said:

I piloted FLE-20 both with 4xML+Stealth and 5xML+ECM w/o Stealth. The second build is sneaky enough and has pretty high firepower, comparable to FLE-17.

How is it "comparable" if it has two less hardpoints AND two tones less for weaponry when you put ECM and stealth armor in. Those two tons are 30% of total weight available for weaponry. This doesn't even begin to compare.

[tutzdes]

PhoenixFire55, on 25 January 2019 - 12:38 PM, said:

How is it "comparable" if it has two less hardpoints AND two tones less for weaponry when you put ECM and stealth armor in. Those two tons are 30% of total weight available for weaponry. This doesn't even begin to compare.

ML is a baseline weapon for any energy light mech. ECM Light Ferro FLE-20 can carry 5xMLs. Light Ferro FLE-17 is able to carry 1.5 tons more stuff, hooray, we can add 1xML and one SL. Or even SL+DHS. It doesn't sound like a huge deal for me (and it isn't during real matches). FLE-20 with Stealth armor can only carry 4xMLs, with same amount of DHS, so it runs a lot cooler and can fire-non stop if the Stealth is not engaged, while keeping the ECM bonus. I still prefer 5xML build.

The thing that makes FLE-17 interesting is a knife-fighting option (SPLs or 2xMPLs+5xSLs I use a lot), which is for different range bracket and can't be directly compared to ML builds.

[PhoenixFire55]

tutzdes, on 25 January 2019 - 02:11 PM, said:

ML is a baseline weapon for any energy light mech.

No. And lets leave it at that.

[Darian DelFord]

Flea 17 and Flea 20 are by fare the front runners of the Flea. They are both great mechs but accomplish their chosen task in different methods. The 17 is the best knife fighter and the 20 is the best poker, but either can do the other well.

In regards to the ML being the base line weapon for light energy build, this is true, but also same for SL and SPL. Most lights can run any of the above weapons without to much hassle. Due to the many nerfs all three are staples of light energy builds.

The flea has several builds it can use with MPL's ML's SL's and SPL's. Over all I would call it one of the stronger IS light mechs.

[Renzor the Red]

Darian DelFord, on 25 January 2019 - 08:26 AM, said:

The key to the 20 is understanding when to use ECM. Most people will actually give themselves away with it yes. However the power of the flea is to survey the field and pick your target. Once just outside of ECM range, click it to DISRUPT and they will have no idea you are there. When you are under ECM you can tell. However when your ECM is being jammed you just have a little icon and if in a fight you don't really notice it.

When it gets to heated in battle or your being targeted, activate stealth and masc out.

For me.... the 20 is the best flea for surviveability. The 17 has the punch, however the 20 has the stamina.. Especially with 4 SL's and 1 MPL build

I've been playing a lot lately with the 17 and 20 myself. They're both very different sort of mechs, and they're great.

I love the stealth and ECM for the 20 and the playstyle it allows, but setting up a good weapons loadout that doesn't heat up active stealth too much while also being over 20 Alpha is a challenge. The weight and slots of the ECM, Stealth armor, MASC, and required 4 double heatsinks makes it impossible for me to fill it to its potential with small pulse, and I prefer something with more range anyway. So far, I've been playing with 2 Medium pulse and an ER small, and that's fairly low heat during stealth, but anemic. Still figuring that one out. I tried the 1MPL and 4SL thing, but with the slots, I can only fit in 1MPL and 3SL. There's no room for the fourth, and I still have a ton left over to work with, but no slots! Note, I keep 10 points off of the cockpit armor.

With the FLE-17, I've experimented with over a dozen combinations of MPL's, SPL's, ERSL's, SL's, ML's, and what I've settled on for my last few games is 2 MPL's in the torsos and 2 ERSL's on each arm, which seems pretty good, has an alpha heat of like 24%, damage of 25, and syncs up pretty well. I realize I could just throw in all small pulse, but since I'm so easily detectable, I feel I should be more medium range.

They're fun. They're hard. I think that getting good with these will make me a better pilot all around.

[John McClintock]

I went with the FLE-20, I can't imagine not having ECM on such a delicate mech. 5xERML for QP, and 5xSPL for Solaris.

light ferro, as stealth won't fit the extra laser, and is near useless anyways.



Won my only solaris match in it vs an assassin who seemed pretty good (it was a long fight). Love that MASC, it won the match.

[Squiggy McPew]

Stick the masc in the cockpit so engine crits don't destroy it. And yes the fle20 is a nice mech but I'm enjoying the 17 more with 6 er meds and being a flanking bastage.