24 replies to this topic

[Odd Thomas]

Have always preferred assault brawling. In early years the pug game was more 'brawling friendly'. However, with the new maps and other changes the success of a brawler depends more on the map, movement/strategy of your team, new mechs etc. and a significant number of matches will turn out to be 'brawler-unfriendly'.

Was looking for suggestion for a hard hitting assault (IS or clan) with a hybrid build mainly for CQ and mid range. Or should I include LR? Would like primarily to brawl but would also like to be able to assist team when I can't (or the team chooses not to) close in.

Marauder...MC...Atlas...Fafnir...Stalker...any off these excel for you?

Thanks

Edited by Odd Thomas, 01 May 2018 - 04:21 PM.

[BTGbullseye]

Annihilator is currently top of the brawler meta, usually with 10-class ballistics. Fafnir with dual HGauss is quite good too. Mad Cat Mk II with dual UAC20 seems to wreck face against anyone not prepared for it in QP, so long as you can stay on target and use your backup lasers effectively.

[ShiverMeRivets]

BTGbullseye, on 03 May 2018 - 12:19 AM, said:

Annihilator is currently top of the brawler meta, usually with 10-class ballistics. Fafnir with dual HGauss is quite good too. Mad Cat Mk II with dual UAC20 seems to wreck face against anyone not prepared for it in QP, so long as you can stay on target and use your backup lasers effectively.

Dual UAC20? I tried that on my Victor9A1 and came to a conclusion that they are terrible. In order to not eat ghost heat you have to alternate your shots, spaced by 0.5 seconds. So this means 4 slow bursts that take about 2 seconds to complete, out of the 4 sec cycle time (less with bonuses) - almost full face-time. The DPS is the same as 2RAC5s for a lot more tons and much less ammo.

Take 2RAC5s for full facetime or 2AC20 for arm shielding between shots. UAC20 is only good as a single.
At least that is my conclusion. YMMW.

[Spare Parts Bin]

Clan UAC-20 is better but I prefer twin LB-10X or dual UAC-10s.

[BTGbullseye]

Spare Parts Bin, on 07 May 2018 - 04:48 PM, said:

Clan UAC-20 is better but I prefer twin LB-10X or dual UAC-10s.

I agree, but in the MCII-B with dual 20's, (it has a cooldown buff for them) I can easily out DPS quad LBX10/UAC10. (it takes skill to fire them correctly though)

[Horseman]

I would not advise dual UAC-20. Too easy to hit ghost heat.

For exclusively short range, Cyclops Q with 6xSRM-6+Artemis is devastating.

[BTGbullseye]

Horseman, on 07 May 2018 - 09:32 PM, said:

I would not advise dual UAC-20. Too easy to hit ghost heat.

As I said, it does take some significant trigger discipline and skill to use effectively. Unless I play with it for a few rounds first, I'll regularly have a few mistakes, but I have yet to have it be the cause of my failure in combat.

[Audacious Aubergine]

My current decent performer in that kind of combat range is my Deathstrike with 2x UAC10 and 6x c-MPL. You obviously have to be careful with the MPL but they're fantastic at drilling through damage components. I also have decent results in my Nanuq (Warhawk hero) with 2x UAC10 (hmm might be a trend there), 3x HML and a single LRM15 for early game potato flinging.
Otherwise I've found the Fafnirs to be satisfying if you're willing to drop the cash for those (and if you're willing to pilot a walking building). I'm running the -5 more or less stock with 2x heavy gauss and 3x MPL, and the -5B with 2x LB20-X and 5x MPL.

[Eisenhorne]

The best close range brawler assault IMO is the Victor VTR-9S or VTR-9A1.

The Annihilator may have more armor and more firepower, but the Victor is more practical for most situations (brawling, anyway) IMO. I run all of these with speed tweak to get maximum speed.

AC20 + 3 ASRM6 VTR-9S (https://mwo.smurfy-n...6b332168b2f082e)

XL version of above, if you wanna go REAL FAST - https://mwo.smurfy-n...78ce47af4dabe7b


3LBX10 VTR-9A1 - https://mwo.smurfy-n...7f5c919b600b2c0

The VTR-9A1 can also be run with 3 AC10's instead of 3 LBX10's... it's a great mid-range build in this configuration. 2 UAC10's + UAC5 is also possible, another great mid-range build.

Edited by Eisenhorne, 09 May 2018 - 06:26 AM.

[Spare Parts Bin]

Audacious Aubergine, on 07 May 2018 - 11:03 PM, said:

My current decent performer in that kind of combat range is my Deathstrike with 2x UAC10 and 6x c-MPL. You obviously have to be careful with the MPL but they're fantastic at drilling through damage components. I also have decent results in my Nanuq (Warhawk hero) with 2x UAC10 (hmm might be a trend there), 3x HML and a single LRM15 for early game potato flinging.
Otherwise I've found the Fafnirs to be satisfying if you're willing to drop the cash for those (and if you're willing to pilot a walking building). I'm running the -5 more or less stock with 2x heavy gauss and 3x MPL, and the -5B with 2x LB20-X and 5x MPL.

That Nanuq sounds like a good build. I have a single UAC-10, twin ERLL,trio of SRM-6s on the C variant.

[AllOuttaBubbleGum]

I’ve had my most recent success with the blood asp prime with dual lbx 20’s and 4mpls.

[Elizander]

I do like my Atlases. AS7-D runs cool with LFE using the usual AC/20, 2x SRM6+A, and 4 ML. AS7-S with 350 LFE is fun with AC/20, 4x SRM6 (no artemis). I do prefer my brawlers to move a bit faster than 48 kph. You can probably do similar things with Highlanders and there is that SRM Cyclops with good torso movement range.

[Brethren]

For more mobility I can recommend a MAD-IIC (XL400; 9 medium pulse).
It might have a harder stand against tougher assaults, but it is a sheer joy against unsuspecting heavies and mediums.
If your aim holds true and you don't mind using coolshots you can melt a smaller mech before they realize how screwed they are.

[Luminis]

6MPL 2HGR Annihilator. No contest. At least if you're able to focus components (not that that's very hard with the MPL duration).

LBX Annis come close but they're too ammo starved to be practical outside of S7 and the LBX / SRM brawlers (Scorch, MCII-2) suffered too much from the SRM spread nerf. No armour quirks, either, so they're squishy by comparison.

MakerofWidows, on 10 June 2018 - 04:25 AM, said:

I’ve had my most recent success with the blood asp prime with dual lbx 20’s and 4mpls.

2x LB20 + lasers isn't bad - I went through multiple iterations of these builds on my BAS, using MPLs, ERMLs, ERSLs and SPLs. I love them to bits but at this point, I feel like you're better off keeping your BAS out of a brawl. It's a great skirmisher, but you just can't tango with the premier IS brawlers.

[Spare Parts Bin]

Luminis, on 14 June 2018 - 11:07 PM, said:

6MPL 2HGR Annihilator. No contest. At least if you're able to focus components (not that that's very hard with the MPL duration).

LBX Annis come close but they're too ammo starved to be practical outside of S7 and the LBX / SRM brawlers (Scorch, MCII-2) suffered too much from the SRM spread nerf. No armour quirks, either, so they're squishy by comparison.


2x LB20 + lasers isn't bad - I went through multiple iterations of these builds on my BAS, using MPLs, ERMLs, ERSLs and SPLs. I love them to bits but at this point, I feel like you're better off keeping your BAS out of a brawl. It's a great skirmisher, but you just can't tango with the premier IS brawlers.

Sometimes the situation calls for a Dakka/Laser Vomit Direwolf.

[Brethren]

Sometimes the situation calls for a 124 damage alpha Warhawk (no ghost heat!)
WHK-B

It may run hot fast, but the WHKs amazing cooling capacity even works here.
Beware: This is definately not pinpoint! Still wrecks armor like nothing else, though. But get yourself some backup to finish off a wrecked red when you're running hot.

Edited by Brethren, 18 June 2018 - 03:06 AM.

[Xeno Phalcon]

MRM cyclops is pretty savage and has more range flexibility than most other builds, you have to treat the missiles like RACs though and lead targets.

[Ryan256]

I tried a 2x UAC20 MCII-1 for a while. Hated it! Would get plowed before able to really get into the fight.
So I switched it to a UAC10 build. This one seems to work much better.

[panzer1b]

For me the flat out best brawly/mid range assault is the cyclops hero with dual HGRs. It hits as hard as anything short of a deathstrike, 50 PPFLD (which is heat free), and it has very good agility (slow but turns faster then some heavys). The only solid other options are things like the anni with alot of 10 class (4 LBX, maybee 2 UAC102UAC5), MRMs+UAC20, or maybee a scorch type build (2 LBX20 and some SRMs. Almost everything else is either outclasses as a brawler, or doesnt have the firepower/sustaineability to kill more then a single target which is a bad idea if you wanna brawl.

Still, i stand behind my pick of the cyclops-S as one of the best if not the best brawly assault in the game. It retains a presense at mid range (ERMLs and HGRs will hurt even at 400-500m), it has very good agility stats which let it shield well between shots (not to mention line up shots quicker), and the HGRs may as well be hitscan PPFLD at the ranges you want to engage with the mech. It isnt even THAT slow with speed tweak, since you can easily get it to go 55-60kph with enough ammo to last you most games (if you dont spam the gauss at over 500m). Biggest thing though, is the PPFLD, any open component will die 100% guaranteed if you hit it, whereas things like LBX+SRM rarely achieve a kill in a single hit unless you are touching the target.

[IronEleven]

I don't run assault brawlers in QP due to my inability to trust pugs to be aggressive but here's some of my favorites for faction play:
Annihilator 2A: 4xLB10, SNPPC
Highlander 733C: AC/20, MRM60
Victor 9S: AC/20, ASRM18
Cyclops 10-Q: ASRM36
Cyclops Sleipnir: 4xLB10

Edited by IronEleven, 01 August 2018 - 03:06 AM.