16 replies to this topic

[Byakugan01]

So, I'm getting back into the game after more than five years out of it. First thing I noticed is, most of my mechs are gone except for my old Jenner. Okay, not a problem, there are trial mechs and I had a fair amount of built up credit. After playing around with the trial mechs with a friend, I found I really liked the medium LRM boat (TBF, I did use to have a catapult). So I'm looking at the options available, and I'm running into a dilemma. I'm having trouble picking an LRM boat of my own. I was planning to pick the stormcrow, but it's enhancements (another new thing to me) just didn't seem very good. At the same time, it didn't feel like there was a good mix of traits and hardpoints on a lot of the mechs I looked at (SC, Artic Wolf, Trebuchet etc).

While I would like to stay medium for the ability to up and run when my position gets too hot (saved me a number of times), I'm also wondering if I should just bite the bullet and buy a heavy instead. There seem to be a fair number of attractive Heavy missile boats, but the decreased speed is a concern for me (I pretty much expect needing to bail multiple times and reposition over the course of a match).

Basically... I just need some pointers on what to buy.

[ScrapIron Prime]

For inner sphere LRM mechs, the best bang for a medium mech is a Hunchback 4J. Slap on 2 Artemis LRM10’s with all those lovely quirks, add a TAG in the head and 4 medium lasers and go to town.

In the Heavy category, the top of the inner sphere LRM heap is the Catapult C4, followed closely by the Archer 2R. The archer has more lasers like the hunchback does, so I prefer it over the Catapult.

[Byakugan01]

Out of curiosity, since you specified IS mechs, what about the Clan ones? I did notice they are less vulnerable with XL engines.

[ScrapIron Prime]

Byakugan01, on 15 August 2021 - 09:05 PM, said:

Out of curiosity, since you specified IS mechs, what about the Clan ones? I did notice they are less vulnerable with XL engines.

And their missile systems are half the weight. The balance to all that is quirks... IS just get more.

On paper, the Stormcrow and Mad Dog are the lead contenders for clan LRM or ATM builds. The Stormcrow has unforgiving hitboxes though, so it is less often played. In practice, you'll see Huntsman mechs rocking two or three artemis LRM 15's, and Night Gyr D's rocking four.

[Spheroid]

Are you sure your mechbay filters are configured correctly? Owned mechs don't just disappear.

[Gagis]

What Spheroid said, plus, Trebuchet with 2LRM15 is pretty much the best possible LRM mech.

[Duke Falcon]

For clan, either Mad dog or Supernova. SNV-A with 4xLRM20s + 4xMPLs I use since a while is a beast albeit slow like slug. Other lurmers I see often are Night gyrs and Nova cats. I even found Rifleman 2c as a solid lurmer (4xLRM10s + 2xERPPCs) but Huntsmans and Hellbringers also able loose hell with LRMs if you have time and patient to equip nd train them.
For IS? Not know, I use LRMs almost all my IS mechs when possible but as supplementary weapons. Reason is the Artemis because IS LRM without Artemis, sorry mods, [redacted]... Of course TAG or BAP may help but the real trouble is the space\tonnage ratio. For IS the best solution is MRM as far as I see. While, I think, there is an Archer with 6-7 missile slots what seems a brutal lurmer at first but have no other weapon options so you MUST TRUST in your teammates they protect you (sorry, but HAHAHAHA! they most probably won't even care - which is the case in QP)...

Edited by Ekson Valdez, 17 August 2021 - 04:45 AM.
language

[w0qj]

Hey, welcome back to MWO, and nice to see you around in this Forum!

I prefer IS LRM boats, since it shoots a "cloud" of LRM missiles. So if foe is caught out, the entire cloud of LRM missiles will hit foe all at once. No time to react/hide. Also this cloud of LRM overwhelms enemy AMS much easier.
Clan LRM shoots a steady stream of missiles. Bad because (1) much harder to overwhelm enemy AMS, and (2) allows foe to take cover before your full LRM volley hits its mark.

~Suggest you equip BAP which counters enemy ECM jamming, allowing you to continue LRM locks & firing while inside enemy ECM bubble. Quite useful!
~Generally LRM is quite heavy for IS mechs, and as such I personally consider IS Light & IS Medium mechs as LRM harasser.
~If you wanna do lots of LRM damage you need IS Heavy, & maybe even IS Assault.
~Noted your valid wish for self-spotting for LRM targets! TAG might be needed then. And UAV.

Trebuchet TBT-7M (50ton) has quite good missile quirks, with a big -20% missile heat reduction quirk, AND 20+% missile cooldown, and +10% missile velocity! Jump Jets.
Noted you've mentioned your dislike of Trebuchet chassis, but please reconsider TBT-7M.

Deverish DV-FR (55ton). Lots of missile hardpoints! No energy hardpoints, and no ballistic hardpoints though. Very agile mech, with Jump Jets. Hero mech.

Archer (70ton) of your choice. My favorite:
ARC-T: artemis-LRM30, 6x MPL (!), ECM, BAP, 5ton LRM ammo, base speed 57.8kph with LE250 engine, Hero mech.
~When I run out of LRM ammo, my ARC-T has a 2nd career of energy boat. OK, not as good as Crab mech, but it can kill weakened foes with your laser afterwards! Up to two (2) lasers in CT for zombie mode!

Stalker STK-5M (85ton) is quite a popular missile assault. You can also stick a laser into its CT during its infamous zombie mode. Note: Some MWO forum folks hate LRM Assaults. Let the flames begin!

Marauder MAD-4HP (100ton). LRM100, or artemis-LRM90 boat, with 9ton LRM ammo.
Few or no laser backup weapons in this configuration though.
Watch huge clouds of LRM speed toward foes. Need we say more?

Edited by w0qj, 16 August 2021 - 09:23 AM.

[VeeOt Dragon]

the Dirvish-6MR also has some nice quirks and you can have some lasers and a Tag if you want (i run one with 2 LRM-15, 4 SLs and a tag)

Archer-2R also makes a good LRM boat.

i tend not to use LRM on Assaults but thats a personal choice. i prefer some maneuverability for my LRM boats.

[Byakugan01]

RE: Missing Mechs, quite sure they're gone. I literally cannot remember the exact year I last played, so I would not be surprised if something happened to my account in the interim. I doubt I would have scrapped my old Pult, so unless I scrapped everything I had but my Jenner and they're hiding somewhere other than my mech bay slots, they're not there. There's been so much change that I'm not bothered by it overmuch; last I remember I had to pay to repair my mech and reload my ammo after every match, so as far as I am concerned it's a good trade!



I'm going to take the suggested mechs for a spin in the simulator. I had a suspicion that the Clan mechs were being balanced by having very few perks, but didn't realize that how their missiles functioned was also different. A bit of monkeying around, but it also feels like IS LRMs just plain do more damage than Clan? Might just be the mechs I've tested so far. Also noticing that Clan LRMs can actually be fired point blank to do some damage, which is kind of neat (doesn't seem to outdamage the inbuilt laser setups though, kind of sad)..

Edit: If I understand correctly, they let you swap hardpoints between mechs of the same base chasis, right? Thinking the Catapult C4 with the body hardpoints of the C1 would be quite good, especially with the perks. Only thing I don't like about the catapult is how easy it is to arm, though. Thing's always been super easy to disarm.


Edit 2: Damn I've been out of the game for too long. Am I Really supposed to be stripping armor for more tonnage? Playing with builds in the mech lab/ testing and it seems really hard to actually fit everything onto a IS mech.

Edit 3: I think I'm going with the Archer 2R and running LRM 15s on it so I can use all three missile hardpoints (LRM 20s just seem too heavy). I have an alternate build for 2 LRM 20s I might monkey around with.

Edited by Byakugan01, 16 August 2021 - 04:31 PM.

[ScrapIron Prime]

Byakugan01, on 16 August 2021 - 12:18 PM, said:

Edit: If I understand correctly, they let you swap hardpoints between mechs of the same base chasis, right?

Only on Clan Omnimechs. So no go for the Catapults, I'm afraid.

Byakugan01, on 16 August 2021 - 12:18 PM, said:

Edit 2: Damn I've been out of the game for too long. Am I Really supposed to be stripping armor for more tonnage? Playing with builds in the mech lab/ testing and it seems really hard to actually fit everything onto a IS mech.

No, don't strip too much armor. Inner Sphere mechs tend to run fewer weapons. There's an art to building. Post in the New Player Help section under mech builds for advice!

Byakugan01, on 16 August 2021 - 12:18 PM, said:

Edit 3: I think I'm going with the Archer 2R and running LRM 15s on it so I can use all three missile hardpoints (LRM 20s just seem too heavy).

Nice choice. I recommend Artemis. It's a two or three ton investment for that mech (one per LRM launcher) but when you fire LRM's direct fire it makes them more precise.

Edited by ScrapIron Prime, 16 August 2021 - 04:26 PM.

[Byakugan01]

I actually was just testing the builds out in the practice ground! It looks like I'll end up going with the LRM 20s since two LRM 20s seemed to do the damage of 3 LRM 15s for some reason, and get part breaks faster... I would have thought the 15s would do the trick better, huh.

ScrapIron Prime, on 16 August 2021 - 04:25 PM, said:

No, don't strip too much armor. Inner Sphere mechs tend to run fewer weapons. There's an art to building. Post in the New Player Help section under mech builds for advice!

Will do, and yeah, I've been running with the trial mech with Artemis- I wouldn't dream of running this boat W/O it.

[Ignatius Audene]

In general for IS u need big cooldown quirks. Heat and velocity are welcome. Enough tubes and tonnage/slots for ammo.

Is medium trieb, heavy archer and assault awesome and Mauler are options. Clan u need enough tubes/slots and ammo. U dont get much quirks so these are most important followed by chassis design (md is good at getting hillpoke lock for example). Both especially in the medium range can profit form jj. There is the real reason why catapult can be an option vs the archer.

Edited by Ignatius Audene, 17 August 2021 - 02:25 AM.

[The Basilisk]

Byakugan01, on 16 August 2021 - 12:18 PM, said:

RE: Missing Mechs, quite sure they're gone. I literally cannot remember the exact year I last played, so I would not be surprised if something happened to my account in the interim. [...]

The only time mechs got "taken away" was after the completion of the BETA.

Should you refer to the cost free trialmechs...they are rotated from time to time.

Next thing would be check you Mechlabs filter settings (top Tab in homescreen Mechlab> left site top button select mech'> topcenter filters and number of mechbays on the right) to be sure your mechs arent hidden behind some of the filters.
Also check the ammount of available mechbays that way you can see what mechs you own.

You can also check your owned mechs here in the forums:
Log in> Profile > see filters and scrol down

Otherwise...if you are realy sure you are missing something you have paid for please contact the support.
https://mwomercs.com/support

Hope this helps

Edited by The Basilisk, 17 August 2021 - 03:12 AM.

[Horseman]

Byakugan01, on 15 August 2021 - 07:50 PM, said:

So, I'm getting back into the game after more than five years out of it. First thing I noticed is, most of my mechs are gone except for my old Jenner. Okay, not a problem, there are trial mechs and I had a fair amount of built up credit. After playing around with the trial mechs with a friend, I found I really liked the medium LRM boat (TBF, I did use to have a catapult). So I'm looking at the options available, and I'm running into a dilemma. I'm having trouble picking an LRM boat of my own. I was planning to pick the stormcrow, but it's enhancements (another new thing to me) just didn't seem very good. At the same time, it didn't feel like there was a good mix of traits and hardpoints on a lot of the mechs I looked at (SC, Artic Wolf, Trebuchet etc).
While I would like to stay medium for the ability to up and run when my position gets too hot (saved me a number of times), I'm also wondering if I should just bite the bullet and buy a heavy instead. There seem to be a fair number of attractive Heavy missile boats, but the decreased speed is a concern for me (I pretty much expect needing to bail multiple times and reposition over the course of a match).
Basically... I just need some pointers on what to buy.

Trebuchet 7M can carry 3xLRM15, with heavy quirks (admittedly the build isn't very mobile and tends to be fragile). If you want good IS LRM boats, it's either that or Awesome 8R (I guess Catapult C4 could qualify, but isn't as well quirked)

Byakugan01, on 16 August 2021 - 04:58 PM, said:

I actually was just testing the builds out in the practice ground! It looks like I'll end up going with the LRM 20s since two LRM 20s seemed to do the damage of 3 LRM 15s for some reason, and get part breaks faster... I would have thought the 15s would do the trick better, huh.

15s have faster cooldown and tighter spread. Youu're either looking at placebo effect, bad RNG or have not accounted for the direction you were firing at the target

Edited by Horseman, 17 August 2021 - 11:59 AM.

[TheCaptainJZ]

The last time accounts were "reset" and repair and rearm was a thing was fall (October?) of 2012 maybe.

LRMs are a feast or famine kind of system. If you like missile mechs and are not afraid of LoS, take a look into MRMs too. They're dumb-fire like SRMs, but that means you can always shoot them without worrying about locking on, or having to deal with ECM.

[Horseman]

TheCaptainJZ, on 18 August 2021 - 07:04 PM, said:

The last time accounts were "reset" and repair and rearm was a thing was fall (October?) of 2012 maybe.

LRMs are a feast or famine kind of system. If you like missile mechs and are not afraid of LoS, take a look into MRMs too. They're dumb-fire like SRMs, but that means you can always shoot them without worrying about locking on, or having to deal with ECM.

And the Treb 7M is a decent (if fragile) MRM platform too.