89 replies to this topic

[Void Angel]

Hm. I don't have a vapor eagle, so I'm just theorycrafting here... BRB.

[Horseman]

Keep in minds that good builds usually specialize . That's why on meta builds you only see 1-2 weapon types, and if it's more than one there's typically some kind of synergy between them.

[Void Angel]

Ah, heck, I'll just link you the GrimMechs builds. They're great starters. If you want to build around autocannons, Start Here. Its' a long-ranged harassing build; you skirt the flanks (not too far) and hammer anyone who's not looking at you, exposed without weapons that can reach you, or - better yet - being shot by someone else. Use the Vapor Eagle's mobility to your advantage: all the builds I see for it capitalize on the chassis' maneuverability. Side note: remember the torso twisting we talked about? This build exemplifies building around that tactic. Basically you hammer at people with fast-firing cUAC/2s, then turn the empty side of your 'mech toward the enemy and get into cover if you start taking fire. Ideally, you want to use all the armor on every part of your 'mech prior to any section containing things you care about being destroyed.

For the long-range energy-based build, it's time to meet Our Friend the Gauss Rifle. Gauss Rifles charge up before firing, so you have to plan a few seconds ahead to use them well - additionally there is a hidden power loading mechanic in the game which means you can't charge Gauss Rifle and/or fire (ER)PPCs more than two (I think? Guys, correct me if I'm mistaken) at a time. This means that you'll need to charge the Gauss Rifle, and immediately fire the ERPPCs when you release the button to fire the Gauss. It's a more skill-intensive weapon system than you may have used before, but with practice you can place a massive 35-point hole in the enemy's 'Mech. If juggling the Gauss Rifle and ERPPCs are too fiddly for your liking, you can drop the Gauss Rifle and kick up the engine for a Dual-ERPPC Poptart (that means jumping up to fire over obstacles, then dropping back to cool) - or knock your engine rating down 20 points and mount Four ERPPCs for a very hot build that will allow you to fire the ERPPCs in staggered waves, with a longer cooldown.

A word of caution: These weapons are long-range, high-damage, and low DPS (around 3 DPS; an AC/20, for comparison does 5 DPS without double-firing.) In order to get your money's worth out of them, you must land your shots. But once you get the hang of them, they are excellent weapons.

As always, remember that some meta builds require high levels of skill to be top-tier performers. If something doesn't work for you, give it a chance first, then make changes and see how you do.

[Roland09]

Dylan, did you notice the two links below Void Angel's posts? Those are links to MWO guides Void Angel wrote and others may have contributed to a long time ago.

There is still relevance to them, even after so many years. Read them.

The same goes for this series of illustrations: https://mwomercs.com...50#entry4788850

[Void Angel]

I love Tactics 101. It's great.
(thanks for the plug, Roland!)

[Roland09]

Well you can't shamelessly promote your own guides now, can you? :-D

[Void Angel]

Well, I did put them in my signature...

[Yiryi-Sa]

DylanCheetah, on 04 July 2020 - 06:11 AM, said:

Wolverine (WVR-7K)


What are your thoughts on the other 3 in my list?

The 7K is a really great Streak boat. I'd recommend buying it and using it as a dedicated Streak 6 boat, like this build (I run my mechs differently than most people would recommend, so tweak it to your liking):

WVR-7K

[DylanCheetah]

I think I just realized many of the mistakes I have been making. lmao
Reading those guides helped a lot. Definitely bookmarking them.

I never would've thought that someone would put the ammo in the legs though... a friend of mine did that once and... heheheh... yeah. He fell off a cliff and blew both legs off. lmao

Seems like it would be better to avoid putting it there.

I tried using PPCs in the testing grounds and noticed that they produce a lot of heat. I'm guessing that they would require more practice with hiding and heat management.

[purplewasabi]

DylanCheetah, on 03 July 2020 - 04:40 AM, said:

Hello everyone. I have been playing for about a few weeks and I have been learning many things here. However, I have some questions to ask now:
1. My best strategy is attacking from a distance with a light mech, which medium mechs would also be suitable for this? I was considering Shadow Cat and Vapor Eagle. I tried an assault mech, and did pretty poorly with it.
2. I tend to stick to the back or middle of my team, but there are times when the enemy sneaks up on me. Any advice about spotting them sooner?
3. What should my plan be when my allies are all going off on their own or not working as a team with a plan?

Hy DylanCheetah, welcome and I hope you are having a good time in MWO. To answer your questions:

• I'm sure there are a lot more mechs with high mounted weapons nowadays, I'm recently coming out of retirement (according to the Jarl's List) and have been having fun with the Hunchbacks IIC.
  
• If you have mobility, then maybe you can consider orbiting around your team. E.g when your weapons are cooling down, do some scouting to the rear or flanks to avoid surprises. An then return to the front lines when your weapons are ready to fire.
  
• This will be highly situational, but if you are a long range light mech, you should have a higher chance to manipulate the movements of the enemy team, hopefully into a position where your team/lance can take advantage of it. E.g tempting the enemy into a tight corridor to be ambushed by your lance, or cut across to your nascaring team and tempt the enemy to collide into your own team/teammates.

GLHF

[Roland09]

Yiryi-Sa, on 15 July 2020 - 03:29 PM, said:

The 7K is a really great Streak boat. I'd recommend buying it and using it as a dedicated Streak 6 boat, like this build (I run my mechs differently than most people would recommend, so tweak it to your liking):

WVR-7K

I am critical of the Laser AMS. When this thing is active, it produces more heat than your heat sinks (just the 12 of them) will be able to vent, meaning your heat will go up constantly whenever there are enemy missiles within range, even without you firing any of your own weapons even once. You would have to constantly be switching it on and off again.

You'd probably do better with a regular AMS and one ton of ammo instead.

[Horseman]

DylanCheetah, on 15 July 2020 - 05:04 PM, said:

I never would've thought that someone would put the ammo in the legs though... a friend of mine did that once and... heheheh... yeah. He fell off a cliff and blew both legs off. lmao

In MWO ammo explosions aren't frequent, but still not something you want to risk on your mech if you can help it.

Quote

Seems like it would be better to avoid putting it there.

In most modes other than Solaris, legs are the safer location than your torsos. In Solaris, though, it's not uncommon for opponents to go after your legs.

Quote

I tried using PPCs in the testing grounds and noticed that they produce a lot of heat. I'm guessing that they would require more practice with hiding and heat management.

Yes.

[Yiryi-Sa]

Roland09, on 15 July 2020 - 10:18 PM, said:

I am critical of the Laser AMS... You would have to constantly be switching it on and off again.

You'd probably do better with a regular AMS and one ton of ammo instead.

I am not critical of Laser AMS. I use it often & frequently, and switch it off when I'm in brawl-mode with this build. And I do not do better with a normal AMS; I'm often out of ammo before the match is over. I prefer Laser AMS

[Aidan Crenshaw]

To each his own, I guess. I'm with Roland09 here, that I personally find LAMS to be too hot to be useful for my builds and I don't want this kind of micro-management.

[Yiryi-Sa]

Aidan Crenshaw, on 16 July 2020 - 05:29 AM, said:

To each his own, I guess. I'm with Roland09 here, that I personally find LAMS to be too hot to be useful for my builds and I don't want this kind of micro-management.

Yeah. Some pilots just don't prefer it, and that is fine. Since I prefer laser builds (with the occassional snub nose PPC combo, or LB10s, AC10s, AC20s), Laser AMS just fits better for me since I often build mechs to absorb a lot of heat.

[AnAnachronismAlive]

Yiryi-Sa, on 15 July 2020 - 03:29 PM, said:

The 7K is a really great Streak boat. I'd recommend buying it and using it as a dedicated Streak 6 boat, like this build (I run my mechs differently than most people would recommend, so tweak it to your liking):

WVR-7K

Do you really need that much ammo on triple SSRM6s? Little less ammo, little moar/bigger lazorz, not? And while a WVR is somewhat XL-friendly, is there really the need to go XL300 instead of LF300?

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 16 July 2020 - 06:32 AM.

[Yiryi-Sa]

AnAnachronismAlive, on 16 July 2020 - 06:19 AM, said:

Do you really need that much ammo on triple SSRM6s? Little less ammo, little moar/bigger lazers, not?

Yep. The goal of the build is to utilize the 15% cool down bonus, and constantly apply pressure & damage and support your team; ammo can disappear quickly. I've gotten close to running out of ammo plenty of times.

Edited by Yiryi-Sa, 16 July 2020 - 06:27 AM.

[AnAnachronismAlive]

I got told, that folks support their team / pressure the enemy team most by NOT equipping SSRM but SRMs! Just fooling around, play whatever suits you best! It is just that I tried IS-Streaks on several chassis and could never contribute as good compared to standard / artemis SRMs.

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 16 July 2020 - 06:37 AM.

[Yiryi-Sa]

IS-Streaks are tricky, but they work really well on the Wolverine 7K.

[Roland09]

I do not doubt you can manage switching the LAMS on and off as needed, Yiryi-Sa, but this might be less than beginner friendly.