17 replies to this topic

[LowBob2000]

Maybe i am missing something but for me the binary looks like a replacement for large lasers. Same damage, range, heat, slots like 2 large lasers but less tonnage... so why i should use large laser anymore?

[TELEFORCE]

There's no reason to right now as far as I can tell. In canon the Blazer was an alternative - it generated the same heat as two large lasers but not the same damage. It was actually just enough damage to headcap another 'mech on tabletop, making it the only other Succession Wars-era weapon besides the AC/20 that could do that. I think the BattleTech developers were intentionally going for that.

Edited by TELEFORCE, 23 August 2023 - 04:54 AM.

[martian]

LowBob2000, on 23 August 2023 - 04:31 AM, said:

Maybe i am missing something but for me the binary looks like a replacement for large lasers. Same damage, range, heat, slots like 2 large lasers but less tonnage... so why i should use large laser anymore?

Large laser (or a pair of them) offers a shorter cooldown and a shorter duration.

[Meep Meep]

Four large laser ecm cicada? Yes please.

cda-3m

[Phazz]

martian, on 23 August 2023 - 04:56 AM, said:

Large laser (or a pair of them) offers a shorter cooldown and a shorter duration.

It's totally negligible. The binary has 0.1s longer cooldown and a 0,15s longer duration. And you save a ton with the binary compared to 2x regular larges.

[Meep Meep]

This is looking pretty good too.

hbk-4h

[Ken Harkin]

I am really liking it for the high torso slot on the MAD-5D with 4ERML and an MRM30 :-)

[BumbleBee]

When i suggested BLazers be put into the game i envisioned it as being slightly weaker than 2xLLasers as a niche weapon to help out hardpoint starved mechs and give a different option for some other niche builds, like some "sword and board" builds, to increase their viability.

I havent had a chance to play yet, but from all accounts it is just a straight upgrade for most builds

[An6ryMan69]

I swapped out a 5x PPC Awesome for 3x Blaser and 4x ERSLas and its good, but only because I can fire 3x BLaser at once with no penalties. Seems like that may change, hopefully not. If some mechs have perks that let them fire 5X BLaser at once without ghost heat then deal with those specifically, three should be fine.

If there is room on a build, the BLaser seems like a direct replacement for LLas to me...but isn't that what they were specifically made to be in the first place?

Edited by An6ryMan69, 23 August 2023 - 12:55 PM.

[Ilostmycactus]

They sound cooler too. LL's should probably get a convenience buff

[Heavy Money]

Phazz, on 23 August 2023 - 05:33 AM, said:

It's totally negligible. The binary has 0.1s longer cooldown and a 0,15s longer duration. And you save a ton with the binary compared to 2x regular larges.

That it not a negligible difference in burn time at all.

[KursedVixen]

LowBob2000, on 23 August 2023 - 04:31 AM, said:

Maybe i am missing something but for me the binary looks like a replacement for large lasers. Same damage, range, heat, slots like 2 large lasers but less tonnage... so why i should use large laser anymore?

until the ghost heat limit is fixed binaries are going to likely be better, there was a small mixup in the patch...

[VeeOt Dragon]

yeah the whole 3 HSL on BLCs is just a typo in the code and should be 2. devs have stated it is to be fixed either in the next patch or with a hotfix sooner.

as for for BLC vs LLs i'm not sure i would say its better 100% than 2 LLs. to me the BLC seems most beneficial for mechs with more limited hard points. say something like the Zues-9S2 that only has 2 energy slots but yet has some nice energy quirks (energy range +10%, Laser Duration -10%, general Cooldown -15%, and general Heat -10% the +10% velocity quirk is sort of bonus for whatever you want to pair the BLCs with) its sort of something that has bothered me with certain chassis in that they have nice Quirks for a certain weapon type but very limited slots for it. now if i have a build that i already run 2 LLs on i would likely switch to a BLC especially if i have the space left to use that extra fee ton for another DHS or larger engine.

(i'm experimenting with 2 BLCs and an MRM-30, runs a little toastier than i would like though)

i don't think running anything but 2 BLCs would be something i would do as 3 sounds like it would run WAY to hot.

[foamyesque]

martian, on 23 August 2023 - 04:56 AM, said:

Large laser (or a pair of them) offers a shorter cooldown and a shorter duration.

Yeah, but you can swap out a pair of LLs for a BLC + (ER)ML and get more damage per strike.

Edited by foamyesque, 24 August 2023 - 09:42 AM.

[KursedVixen]

VeeOt Dragon, on 23 August 2023 - 03:54 PM, said:

yeah the whole 3 HSL on BLCs is just a typo in the code and should be 2. devs have stated it is to be fixed either in the next patch or with a hotfix sooner.

as for for BLC vs LLs i'm not sure i would say its better 100% than 2 LLs. to me the BLC seems most beneficial for mechs with more limited hard points. say something like the Zues-9S2 that only has 2 energy slots but yet has some nice energy quirks (energy range +10%, Laser Duration -10%, general Cooldown -15%, and general Heat -10% the +10% velocity quirk is sort of bonus for whatever you want to pair the BLCs with) its sort of something that has bothered me with certain chassis in that they have nice Quirks for a certain weapon type but very limited slots for it. now if i have a build that i already run 2 LLs on i would likely switch to a BLC especially if i have the space left to use that extra fee ton for another DHS or larger engine.

(i'm experimenting with 2 BLCs and an MRM-30, runs a little toastier than i would like though)

i don't think running anything but 2 BLCs would be something i would do as 3 sounds like it would run WAY to hot.

I looked at them and you can use a single binary laser or 2 ER large for more range free up one slot and only one heat more and ton more as for large lasers though yeah i dunno the binary is one ton lighter

so it's one ton lighter for the same heat as 2 large lasers but for one weapon slot less . you could do double ER large for much more range and only 1 more heat than binary but that also requires 2 weapon slots.

Edited by KursedVixen, 24 August 2023 - 10:07 AM.

[MechMaster059]

LowBob2000, on 23 August 2023 - 04:31 AM, said:

Maybe i am missing something but for me the binary looks like a replacement for large lasers. Same damage, range, heat, slots like 2 large lasers but less tonnage... so why i should use large laser anymore?

I think it's laser looks awesome and sounds awesome but in terms of game mechanics it seems kind of bland. It's not really all that differentiated from 2 LL. 1 ton is nice but... that's it?

Some advantages to 2 LL that you're not considering:

- Chain firing 2 LLs. This is a big deal if you're near the heat red line and stuck in a brawl. The time spent waiting for the heat bar to come down to fire the BLC could get you killed. Also, chain fire is very useful when fighting light mechs to shoot out their legs.

- 4 slots makes the BLC a crit magnet. You can spread 2 LLs across 2 components and put heat sinks in each component to help protect them from crits.

- 4 slots constrains where the BLC can be placed in mech designs. (No CT mount)

- 0.25 seconds overall longer cooldown matters more than you might think. The BLC is NOT equal to 2 LLs in damage output.

- 0.15 longer burn duration absolutely is significant as Heavy Money stated.

=====

My initial reaction to the BLC stats was "That's it?". The biggest advantage it seems to bring is for mechs will limited hard points. In that regard it's a big upgrade over 2 LLs.

I think it could use an additional -1 heat. You would think combining 2 lasers into a single housing might provide some kind of heat efficiency.

[Meep Meep]

I'm loving blazers so far. That 1 ton weight savings basically translates into 2x ll and a double sink for no increase in fitting requirements. In practice with skill nodes and quirks the increased burn time isn't a factor. This is basically IS clan heavy larges as to how they perform. Just more slots and a bit more than double the weigh as per IS having bulkier tech. Plus mixing blazers and ll works well too.

Edited by Meep Meep, 24 August 2023 - 02:34 PM.

[Wraith 1]

After playing with them a lot, there are only a few builds with the BLC that I tentatively think might be a little OP:

•STK-4N with 4BLC+2ERML, effectively 8LL on some of the best high mounts in the game is almost impossible to trade with if played right, and made the 2v2 IS assault event very frustrating at times.

•FNR-6R with 3BLC+2GR, Direwolf-level gaussvomit damage with Fafnir mount points and IS burn duration. Not as good cooling, but can alpha twice in a row without overheating.

•MAD-4A with 6BLC, more of a troll build due to the terrible heat efficiency, but can fire both groups without overheating on neutral maps. Definitely not OP in a 'meta' way, but I'm sure the people I've OHKO'd weren't happy.

I only mention this because I find it very funny that none of these will be affected at all by fixing the GH cap. Lmao.

(The more reasonable 4BLC+4ERML MAD-4A gets hit, but the STK-4N is better for that anyways.)