34 replies to this topic

[Redshirt4Life]

I'm still new, but i've had a lot of success though with fast mechs of various kinds. I was exclusively mediums until I learned that heavy mechs like the linebacker and the mad dog are perfectly capable of playing the speed game as well.

Well, looking at assaults from this perspective I gotta ask. Are they bad?
Well, in solo queue at least...

I get that they have more armor, and bigger weapons. But they also seem incredibly vulnerable to lights and incapable of rotating if a position is unfavorable. They also lack the acceleration to back away if they poke. All that armor, and it means nothing when several mechs are free to blast away at you. I feel as if playing an assault would take more skill then any other class. If your positioning isn't perfect, you'd just get overwhelmed.

Is it worth it? Are they capable in solo queue, or do they just bow to the whim of the randoms they are teamed with?

[GeminiWolf]

LURM Magnets

[The6thMessenger]

Go progressively slower. Piloting Assaults -- well depending on the assault really, they are clunky, magnet for damage, especially lurms, they are more dependent in positioning than the other classes.

It's not a great mech for noobs, learned that the hard way, go medium or heavy.

[GeminiWolf]

If you play one, max armor, then max the armor tree. Best way to live longer...a little bit longer if you are new at piloting them. I have seen Bows3r rock the Annihilator with no issues even while being LURMed like crazy however, so it can be done.

[Maddermax]

They take some getting used to because of the speed and slow turning, but they make up for it with firepower. Technically armour too, but between the slower speed and larger hit boxes, most assaults are not significantly tougher than most heavies to kill.

That all said, looking at your stats and the fact you hit T2 in two months, you’ll likely get used to them pretty quickly without major issues, just give it a go. Get one with a bit of speed, like a mad cat II, or one that can turn well, like a cyclops, and you’ll do fine. Annihilators and fafnirs are pretty cool too, but you have to learn how to not get caught in the wrong places, or you’ll die far too quickly.

Edited by Maddermax, 05 March 2019 - 09:37 PM.

[dante245]

Redshirt4Life, on 05 March 2019 - 08:35 PM, said:

I'm still new, but i've had a lot of success though with fast mechs of various kinds. I was exclusively mediums until I learned that heavy mechs like the linebacker and the mad dog are perfectly capable of playing the speed game as well.

Well, looking at assaults from this perspective I gotta ask. Are they bad?
Well, in solo queue at least...

I get that they have more armor, and bigger weapons. But they also seem incredibly vulnerable to lights and incapable of rotating if a position is unfavorable. They also lack the acceleration to back away if they poke. All that armor, and it means nothing when several mechs are free to blast away at you. I feel as if playing an assault would take more skill then any other class. If your positioning isn't perfect, you'd just get overwhelmed.

Is it worth it? Are they capable in solo queue, or do they just bow to the whim of the randoms they are teamed with?

love them personally...

[Bohxim]

I play a large number of my games in an assault (30+ - 70% of my games based on jarl's). I like the amount of firepower it brings, ESP if you can get into a good position. It also gives u an option to be the one to spearhead a push if others aren't willing to pick up the role. Of course if it boils down to a nascar, it might be a painful match of catch up, but keep moving and you'll be fine most matches.

That said. If you're overall new to mwo, I'd suggest getting used to heavies, starting with clan heavies for the speed, then move down to slower heavies from IS. Get a taste of them in training grounds

[Khobai]

heavies are better than assaults in general.

way faster speed, smaller hitboxes, and better torso twist all contribute to making heavies more survivable. also the lower weight puts them in the sweet spot for tonnage in faction play.

and sadly the firepower advantage of assaults only exists on certain assaults (namely ballistic spam or ballistic/energy assaults). for most assaults, theyre subject to the same heat limitations and ghost heat limits that heavies are, so heavies end up having comparable firepower a lot of the time. itd be nice if more assaults got HSL quirks so they could leverage more of a firepower advantage compared to heavies.

unfortunately PGI never got around to the role warfare part of their game... they just left heavies better than everything else and never even attempted to balance the weight classes properly.

Edited by Khobai, 05 March 2019 - 10:23 PM.

[Phoenix 72]

Well, as an Assault, you are much more dependent on the quality of your teammates. Because you often cannot relocate if they go without you / while you are busy. And you cannot push in alone, if nobody follows up. I have had very hit and miss experiences playing Assaults. But if you are worried, try starting with some of the lighter Assaults, they play more like slow heavies, anyway, so that may be a starting point.

[Wil McCullough]

If you do well in lights, you'll find yourself doing just as well or better in assaults because you know what to do.

Those times as a light when you wished your assaults would hold the line at the front instead of cowering at the back? Ya, be that bro assault.

You know those sneaky routes you use as a light to get behind assaults? Ya watch out for those.

Those assault pilots you couldn't prey on because they always had a teammate nearby? Ya do that. Stick to areas with teammates around that can help you if things get hairy.

What most bad assault pilots don't realize is that they don't have to run after their lights. They just have to keep pace with their heavies. Also, most bad assaults keep hanging out way behind their teammates which is why they get their butts carved open by lights. If you push to your frontline instead of hanging back, you'll never ever die to backstabbing lights because your teammates are all behind you watching your rear. Just stay near cover, peek, shoot, twist off incoming damage and repeat.

One of the last few seasons i played when i was still active, i bought a madiic for **** and giggles and proceeded to nearly triple my wlr without doing anything special.

[Phoenix 72]

I second the Marauder IIC. It is one of those Mechs that play more like a Heavy, so skills transfer well and I feel like it can take a reasonable amout of damage. Much higher damage numbers can be got by the MadCat IIC B, but the Mech feels more squishy.

I really love IS Mediums and Heavies, but the only Assaults working for me (remotely) are the Clan ones.

[LordNothing]

start with mobile assaults first. dires and annis are master class assaults.

[El Bandito]

Wil McCullough, on 05 March 2019 - 11:12 PM, said:

If you do well in lights, you'll find yourself doing just as well or better in assaults because you know what to do.

Not true. I have seen decent Light pilots doing mediocre at piloting Assaults. I think they forget that Assault mechs can't turn on a dime, or maybe they are not used to being prioritized.

Edited by El Bandito, 05 March 2019 - 11:59 PM.

[FRAGTAST1C]

Some suggestions:-

* Go for assaults with the kind of hardpoints that can give you a nice burst damage. The Kraken, for e.g., that I have, I ran with MRM 60 and AC20, which gave me a nice 80 damage alpha strike. Very good for most things, despite being splash damage from the missiles.

* Torso-twisting is important so that you can use every bit of armour. If you don't, then say goodbye to your weapon systems almost as soon as you show yourself to the enemies.

* Be aware of Nascar. Keep one eye on the minimap always so that you know where your feet is facing and also where your team mates. A lone assault is a dead assault. Always stay within the team and lead the frontline by calling out targets. Don't run into the enemies the moment you see them. If your weapons are out of range, wait in cover and be patient. Use an AMS so that you can still remain useful for the team.

* Make sure that once you commit to a push, you push right through. DO NOT STOP. Keep moving and keep firing. It creates an intimidation factor. That, however, also depends on how well your team is co-ordinated but nonetheless, never stop moving.

[ShiverMeRivets]

I find that assults are the most difficult class to play well. They are extremely unforgiving to positioning mistakes, and require some cooperation from your team mates. If you started with mediums, as have I, you’ll do better if you start with the 80-85 ton assults before moving on to the 90–100 ton ones. The former tend to play like heavy heavies but are still agile enough to go back into cover and catch up to the team when needed. You’ll learn the importance of good situational awareness and intell before making a move, how to take the incoming damage and spread it rather than dodging the hits. The final lesson is when and how to lead a push - I am still in this stage.

On the IS side, the Victor (9S, 9A1) and Battlemaster (stay away from the models with 60 deg yaw limits, for now) are good starting points. Victor is especially good teacher since it has a lot of armor quirks that allow it to lead a push like heavier assults - it’s not an Annihilator, but it can take a beating.

[El Bandito]

ShiverMeRivets, on 06 March 2019 - 12:11 AM, said:

The final lesson is when and how to lead a push - I am still in this stage.

Not only one needs to be experienced enough to know the correct time to lead a push, he also needs to be astute enough to figure out whether his teammates will actually push along, or hang him out to dry. All the good timing wont do one any good if the team doesn't follow the push.

Once an Assault commits there is no turning back.

[Wil McCullough]

El Bandito, on 05 March 2019 - 11:54 PM, said:

Not true. I have seen decent Light pilots doing mediocre at piloting Assaults. I think they forget that Assault mechs can't turn on a dime, or maybe they are not used to being prioritized.

If you always wait for a teammate to peek out first and stick your head out second you'll never be prioritized in qp. Wahaha.

[JediPanther]

El Bandito, on 05 March 2019 - 11:54 PM, said:

Not true. I have seen decent Light pilots doing mediocre at piloting Assaults. I think they forget that Assault mechs can't turn on a dime, or maybe they are not used to being prioritized.

Or the vast difference the lack of speed makes. 55-65kph for most assaults is simply too slow for people use to going 130kph or faster being able to disengage and engage at will. Speed freaks just can't handle the 'sluggishness' of the thing. Often when I try an assault I have to turn on the fps counter just to make sure the game is running. Different play style I guess.

[InspectorG]

Redshirt4Life, on 05 March 2019 - 08:35 PM, said:

Is it worth it? Are they capable in solo queue, or do they just bow to the whim of the randoms they are teamed with?

Most assaults in Solo is hard mode.

Slow speed+low agility ensures you cant peek quickly.

You may get left behind in a nascar, you will need to 'cut the ring' like a boxer to keep up.

Dont 'lead a push' unless you are 80% sure others will follow. Solo is full of cowards who underestimate the true power of the Dark Side of Aggression. Let alone focusing down prime targets and forcing reds to make choices when presented with several angry blues at one time.

OODA loop for you: look at MinMap every 3 seconds, guesstimate whats happening and get yourself in a good position(generally MIDDLE-FRONT of your team's murderball).

Think in terms of predicting enemy pokes, and punish them. Firing Lane(not line, Solo is too random/underskilled to understand such concepts) which gets you some area denial.

KEEP UP WITH THE TEAM, you die alone if you dont.

Develop a feel for when to RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!! Because once you go, you cant go back. This can mean spending half the match waiting for something to happen then BOOM you are rampaging. But of nothing happens, reds will likely roll Blues in a stomp. I prefer to go out in yolo so i get a seat in Valhalla.

If you face of 1v1 vs another assault: Hit Override, DONT FLINCH and let the CritGods determine who wins. If you turn away, That invites other Reds to jump in AND you stop inflicting damage. Though, you can have more leeway with a quicker assault.

If a Light gets you, back up to a wall, unlock arms and aim for Legs. Be sure to lead projectiles. Learn to counter-turn. Many Lights in Solo are lower skill and just circle strafe. This is predictable and can be punished.

Fast medium harassing you? Aim legs. Specially for Assassins or Huntsmen. Dont leg Cicadas...it wont work, specially if i pilot it

If you want to start Assault-Fu, maybe use a faster, quicker one?

Warhawk Prime with 4ERPPC. Sniping is good and you can get quick-ish pokes. Brawls you WILL have to watch your heat. Unlock your arms vs Lights.

Executioner, LB20+lots of SPL/UPL. boat MPL, ATMs? Not the greatest mech but underestimated in Solo. MASC can surprise Lights and is Lols. You have the agility of a medium. Be sure to twist damage, because you can.

Zeus and Victor on the IS side. But i dont know builds for them.

[Redshirt4Life]

So the consensus is largely that the big mechs are indeed more difficult to use well. I bet I'd make a right fool of myself playing one. Speed is my crutch, I think. I make tons of crazy mistakes that I survive just because I'm fast enough to bail and try things somewhere else. My thinking is always about opening new angles against the enemy, forcing them to peel away, and attacking somewhere else while they are busy.

Buut I do have these two solaris assaults, and I'll have to take them out someday.

So, waiting for the right moment and "Releasing the Kraken." Well, suppose I should actually play the Kraken then. So you think a good idea would be to keep a low profile early on? Stay in the middle front and avoid peeking into multiple enemies until the time is ripe, then just go all-in to the death?