5 replies to this topic

[NecessaryWeevil]

Hi, so I recently had a hankering to try Flamers, so I found the Flea variant with the Flamer range perk.

Can someone comment on how to play this mech (3 Light MGs, 3 Flamers, MASC, max armour) well - what is the playstyle?
And given that the damage output will be low, how should I evaluate my performance in a given match? Keep in mind I'm a Tier 4 player, but usually finish in the top 30% on my team when driving a Light or Medium.

Thanks!

[Ignatius Audene]

Short answer: u don't. Just tier 4 potato build (but bad builds don't stop).
If u want flame with mg better take Piranha.

There are no such things as "I am an support mech". Kill red ->good support

Edited by Ignatius Audene, 08 May 2020 - 11:06 PM.

[VonBruinwald]

Ignatius Audene, on 08 May 2020 - 11:05 PM, said:

There are no such things as "I am an support mech". Kill red ->good support

Disagree. There are good support mechs but their effectiveness is dependent on team/enemy composition.

Quad AMS Piranah - good when then enemy brings lurms, not so when they don't.
Narcing Raven - good when your team bring lurms, not so when they don't.

Support mechs are force multipliers and can be devastating when the team is setup right. It's when they have nothing to support that they struggle. That's the dice you roll in QP.


Now back to OP's flamer flea:

Flamers are very difficult to use effectively. so let's go step by step:

• They generate heat in the target, that means you want to look out for targets firing lasers/ppcs and prioritise them over low calibre AC's.
  
• They are a support weapon. Don't try taking anything solo unless you have a clear advantage.
  
• You have to be prepared to push in, this is very important for flamers, hit and fade is pointless with them.

As a flea using flamers is surprisingly straight forward. What you want to do is find mechs that are being pushed by your team mates, and when they push you rush in, keep the flamers on the enemy as long as you can. The more heat you generate in the target the less they can fire at your buddy, which makes it easier for your buddy to kill them. If you can, get behind the enemy and stay there and body block their retreat, if the enemy is stationary they're even easier to hit. It's amazing to watch the panic when someone can't shoot, can't move and is getting the beat down served upon them.

Alternatively, look for rogue enemy mechs (the bigger the better; assault snipers work best), get behind them, wait till they fire (in order to capitalise on the heat they generated firing), then start your flamers , they won't cool down, and whilst they're out the fight you're giving your team a reprieve from the hurt. Bonus points if you can call in some LRM support on them, IME they'll think the flamer damage is a result of the lurms and blame the lack of cooldown on the infamous heatbug (if you're using MG/lasers at the same time it's less common as the sound will clue them in to your presence).

As for evaluating your performance: if the enemy shutdowns, good, if the enemy suicide-explodes better, If you your team wins, great. If the mech turns tail and runs, lol.

[RickySpanish]

Flamers could definitely work against people who don't watch their heat, this becomes a little rarer the more you play. But the Flea doesn't have enough hardpoints to back those flamers up. As Ignatius said, the Piranha would be a better idea.

[Marquis De Lafayette]

The damage output of that loadout is just far too low to contribute positively in a match. So, there is no play style to make that work...sorry, you wasted your c-bills on that one.

As said above: If you want to troll people with a flamer light mech (one that can actually kill things and help win a match for your team) go with the PIR-1. 12x MG’s and 3x flamers is fun for some laughs.....still not an amazing loadout, but it’s hilarious to run every now and again.

Edited by Marquis De Lafayette, 09 May 2020 - 05:46 AM.

[Gladiolix]

Here's a lot better loadout for that flea:
https://mech.nav-alp...566b59b4_FLE-FA

You can also take out the MASC and add more ammo if you wish. Not the best mech but a decent one when ignored by the enemies.