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It's Okay To Lock Your Arms To Your Torso


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#1 Vlad Ward

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Posted 12 January 2021 - 07:25 PM

It doesn't make you a bad player. If anything, it's the opposite. It's way better to have your Alpha strikes all going to the same place.

You can always use the Free Look button to unlock your arms if you need the extra pitch to shoot down a UAV.

#2 martian

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Posted 12 January 2021 - 09:39 PM

There is one simple rule: Play as you wish, just make sure that you have a good Match Score in the end.

#3 Trucker Wifey

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Posted 12 January 2021 - 09:43 PM

I unlock my arms on mechs were most of my weapons are on the arms. However, I do not if most of my weapons are on my torso. Unlocking them, if needing...

#4 LordNothing

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Posted 12 January 2021 - 09:44 PM

im mostly an arm lock player. if you have most of your firepower on your torso there really is no need to keep the arms free. or if you don't have lower arm actuators, most targets are in the x-z plane and you usually don't need the extra pitch. i have a toggle just in case i need to shoot a uav or if im fighting on a slope.

though i do sometimes run unlocked. for example if most of my firepower is on your arms. there are a few mechs i prefer to run unlocked (phoenix hawks, tdk, boiler, nova cats, etc). in these cases i either dont use torso weapons, or use homing weapons in torso locations. the boiler especially has those uac20s on the arms, fully actuated, and can be aimed very fast and dump 40-80 damage damage into your target with extreme accuracy.

#5 crazytimes

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 01:03 AM

I mostly lock arms on mechs I have no arm weapons on. Otherwise, I generally have an arm weapon group and leave arms unlocked.

#6 Fae Puka

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 02:06 AM

I set up one key bind to alpha after quickly locking my arms for a certain hit chance, otherwise lock is off to allow better tracking of arm mounted weapons to a fast moving target, better firing elevation or depression and it also allows for far better targeting resolution of targets for weapons needing a target lock - arms and torsos allow for faster movement of the reticule than just moving the torso alone.

#7 Gagis

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 02:24 AM

Replacing the default arm lock functionality of the Shift key with the Arm Lock Toggle instead is recommended.

#8 FupDup

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 03:00 AM

Arm lock has gotten its reputation because we've all spectated potatoes who have it stuck on but completely fail to hit anything or even keep moderate-speed mechs within their frontal firing arc.

This is the hilarious irony of the feature: It was meant to help new players adjust to MWO's unique mechanics but in reality it actually makes it harder for new players but easier to experienced players to toggle it on to line up an alpha strike.

#9 PocketYoda

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 03:38 AM

I tend to be an arm lock player myself mostly because i forget the arm lock exists.. That said i've seen some pro players use their arms unlocked really well. Me not so much.

#10 LordNothing

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 05:01 AM

View PostFupDup, on 13 January 2021 - 03:00 AM, said:

Arm lock has gotten its reputation because we've all spectated potatoes who have it stuck on but completely fail to hit anything or even keep moderate-speed mechs within their frontal firing arc.

This is the hilarious irony of the feature: It was meant to help new players adjust to MWO's unique mechanics but in reality it actually makes it harder for new players but easier to experienced players to toggle it on to line up an alpha strike.


this game is loaded with bad default settings. bad mouse speed setting, holds instead of toggles, fullscreen, etc. half the problems new players face would go away if they would change them to be more sensible. theres also the fact that modern gamers are of the lazy foo sort who dont bother to thumb through and tweak the settings.

View PostSamial, on 13 January 2021 - 03:38 AM, said:

I tend to be an arm lock player myself mostly because i forget the arm lock exists.. That said i've seen some pro players use their arms unlocked really well. Me not so much.


i think my biggest problem is getting the two crosshairs mixed up. which weapons groups are assigned to which. so its usually an all or nothing thing. i actually build mechs to do one or the other. i kind of wish i could set that up permanently in the weapons grouping screen. even setting up the reticle for each, or to hide the one im not using. configurable on a mech by mech basis of course.

Edited by LordNothing, 13 January 2021 - 05:02 AM.


#11 Elizander

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 05:08 AM

I only unlock them when the torso weapons can't aim where I want. The arm crosshairs are not very distinct and it's hard to see where arm crosshairs are pointed because it's small, not centered on screen, very jittery on low end PCs and it does not stand out very well.

Make the camera center a priority on arm crosshairs and people will use it more.

Edited by Elizander, 13 January 2021 - 05:09 AM.


#12 My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 06:14 AM

Its better to simply learn to play with arm lock off by default and then turn it on as required than just playing with it constantly on.

#13 Wildstreak

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 04:09 PM

For me, it depends on how I set the Mech up, some get unlocked, others no.

#14 Bede19002

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 04:33 PM

I like turtles.

#15 FupDup

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 04:34 PM

View PostBede19002, on 13 January 2021 - 04:33 PM, said:

I like turtles.

I like trains.

#16 LordNothing

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Posted 13 January 2021 - 09:37 PM

View PostBede19002, on 13 January 2021 - 04:33 PM, said:

I like turtles.


soup ingredients and a free bowl. yum.

#17 ImperialKnight

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 02:12 AM

people need to realise it's up to personal preference, as long as you know how to use both arm lock on and off. the default starting state doesn't matter. i'm a default on person, i just hit shift when i need them off

i've seen plenty of "pro" players with play with arm lock off by default, and spread their laser alphas all over the enemy because they don't know how to hit armlock-on when delivering the shot. they do well of course, but they could have done much better if they knew how to switch between both states as the need arises

#18 LordNothing

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 02:26 AM

View PostImperialKnight, on 14 January 2021 - 02:12 AM, said:

people need to realise it's up to personal preference, as long as you know how to use both arm lock on and off. the default starting state doesn't matter. i'm a default on person, i just hit shift when i need them off

i've seen plenty of "pro" players with play with arm lock off by default, and spread their laser alphas all over the enemy because they don't know how to hit armlock-on when delivering the shot. they do well of course, but they could have done much better if they knew how to switch between both states as the need arises


personal default should be based on what you run most. if you are constantly turning it on or off you might have picked the wrong default setting. of course doing it the hard way is also a personal preference.

Edited by LordNothing, 14 January 2021 - 02:28 AM.


#19 My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 06:59 AM

View PostImperialKnight, on 14 January 2021 - 02:12 AM, said:

people need to realise it's up to personal preference, as long as you know how to use both arm lock on and off. the default starting state doesn't matter. i'm a default on person, i just hit shift when i need them off

i've seen plenty of "pro" players with play with arm lock off by default, and spread their laser alphas all over the enemy because they don't know how to hit armlock-on when delivering the shot. they do well of course, but they could have done much better if they knew how to switch between both states as the need arises


The fact that having arm lock on or off changes how the mech and camera acts means that it isn't a preference and that there are genuine trade offs. And using an ancedote of someone not being able to hold a burn to prove arm lock is useful is terrible because its simply them not being able to hold a burn.

#20 Vlad Ward

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Posted 14 January 2021 - 07:34 AM

View PostBasmati Rice, on 14 January 2021 - 06:59 AM, said:


The fact that having arm lock on or off changes how the mech and camera acts means that it isn't a preference and that there are genuine trade offs. And using an ancedote of someone not being able to hold a burn to prove arm lock is useful is terrible because its simply them not being able to hold a burn.


How does one "hold a burn" on the same component on a moving target with both reticles without arm lock when the reticles have different inertia?

Serious question. If there's a trick to it I'd really like to know.

Edited by Vlad Ward, 14 January 2021 - 07:34 AM.






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