3 replies to this topic

[Tarogato]

I've listed the builds I recommend for this Firestarter in the Grimmechs' Build Database and added the Champion-specific versions with commentary to our homepage as well so you can easily find the build codes to import directly into your game. Here is a copy of that post:

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The Firestarter family is currently the best light mech chassis in the game - it has plenty of energy hardpoints to stack weight-efficient weapons so that you can invest tonnage into mobility and cooling. Unlike the competing Wolfhound family, all Firestarters have jumpjets.

The FS9-S(C) is a Champion version of the standard FS9-S, which means it is identical in all regards except it earns bonus XP so you can level it up faster. The FS9-S is not the best Firestarter variant, the FS9-A is superior for having an extra hardpoint. However the FS9-S does have a heat quirk which brings it very close to the top.

About AMS - this variant of the Firestarter is one of the few light mechs which can run dual AMS. Normally I do not recommend ever running AMS unless a mech has at least two hardpoints, which this does. However, as a light mech, the tonnage cost of AMS significantly eats into your budget for speed, jumpjets, and heatsinks - it's a big sacrifice and you will notice the negative impact it has on your performance. In exchange, you will shoot down some missiles throughout the match. The AMS won't really protect you personally that much, but when combined with AMS from your allies it can really help reduce team-wide missile damage. It's up to you whether you are willing to make that sacrifice.

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7ERML - pokey skirmish
The S is the only Firestarter with a heat quirk and more than six hardpoints, so it's the optimal variant for this build. We do have ghost heat when firing all seven lasers, but it's rather minimal so you can alpha straight through it. When you are pressed into a brawl or sustained DPS situation, you can fire just 5ERML or 6ERML to avoid the heat penalty and deal slightly higher sustained DPS.

7ERML w/AMS - pokey AMS
We lose an engine, a heatsink, and a jumpjet, but now we get AMS.

7ML w/AMS - cooler less pokey AMS
This version downgrades to shorter range lasers to get more efficiency, this way we can sacrifice heatsinks and still maintain more sustained output to the ERML build. This version has 12DHS, but you can drop one more heatsink to upgrade your engine and/or jumpjets and the sustained output will still match the ERML build.

5MPL+2ERSL - MPL skirmish alpha
This is the MPL build with larger alpha. MPLs are a hybrid weapon between poking and brawling - you really need to get quite close to your enemies to make the best of them, but you don't quite have the sustained DPS to go brawling. Focus on poking, harassing, and poptarting from moderately close ranges. The reason we have ER Small lasers is because they are very similar to MPL in terms of range and burn duration, yet cost less tonnage. You can even upgrade to a bigger 6MPL+1ERSL by dropping tonnage from a combination of your choice from engine, heatsinks, and jumpjets.

4MPL+3ERSL - MPL skirmish DPS
This is the smaller build which sacrifices alpha to have more speed and cooling. This is suited to a highly aggressive playing style.

4MPL+3ERSL w/AMS - MPL skirmish AMS
Same as the previous build, but gives up the speed and cooling advantage to have AMS instead.

Light Engine Build (4MPL+3ERSL) - MPL skirmish
Light Engine Build (7ML) - ML poke
I do not recommend running Light Engine on light mechs - there are extremely few niche applications where they are optimal. However, if you are a newer player and struggling with XL deaths and think XL engines are scary, you can play these LE builds to get used to playing the mech before upgrading to a proper XL engine that gives you all the mobility and cooling you need to perform the best.

[Aidan Crenshaw]

Good suggestions! Me likey.

I've got one suggestion to add: FS9-S(C) 3x MPL + 4x ER SL, XL285, 2 JJs
It takes the 4x MPL+3x ER SL one step further with slightly better speed, cooling and DPS.
You can go even faster and higher if you're comfy with sacrificing one DHS FS9-S(C) 3x MPL + 4x ER SL, XL295, 3 JJs

Edit: Ok, I've got another one, the CS2021 popular LPPC+SL combo on the FS9-S(C) but with a twist. 2x LPPC +5x SL, 2x AMS, XL285, 3 JJs
Less mid-range punch, more defensive capabilities.

Edited by Aidan Crenshaw, 10 February 2022 - 11:17 PM.

[Tarogato]

Aidan Crenshaw, on 10 February 2022 - 11:06 PM, said:

Good suggestions! Me likey.

I've got one suggestion to add: FS9-S(C) 3x MPL + 4x ER SL, XL285, 2 JJs
It takes the 4x MPL+3x ER SL one step further with slightly better speed, cooling and DPS.
You can go even faster and higher if you're comfy with sacrificing one DHS FS9-S(C) 3x MPL + 4x ER SL, XL295, 3 JJs

Edit: Ok, I've got another one, the CS2021 popular LPPC+SL combo on the FS9-S(C) but with a twist. 2x LPPC +5x SL, 2x AMS, XL285, 3 JJs
Less mid-range punch, more defensive capabilities.

Thank you for the suggestions!

I did try the 3MPL version of the build earlier and I found it to be a little undergunned. That is to say... you really need to consistently get into lengthy fights to make full use of the extra cooling, which mandates some very aggressive and at times risky playing, almost brawling, otherwise you aren't regularly using your full heat bar and the extra cooling is going to waste. I think most people will have more luck playing a hotter build which can output its maximum DPS more easily.

I haven't considered doing LPPC with AMS. I might have to try that. Though my gut reaction is that 2LPPC will be too weak, and you would be better to go with 3LPPC+4SL since the heat quirk helps make up for the cooling lost in the tonnage that went into AMS instead.

[Aidan Crenshaw]

You might be right, of course. Here's a 3x LPPC setup that sacrifices speed to fit the 3rd LPPC together with 2x AMS: fs9-sc