15 replies to this topic

[Gold4Souls]

Hi Guys
I am close to finishing this event and was wondering which mech to pick. I don’t have an assault mech and so I was thinking of getting an assault mech, but I could get something else, such as, The Pirate Bane.

In the assault class I like the Cyclops CP-AR because of its information advantages, but the Sleipnir could be good as well. Or should I get different assault mech instead?

Thanks for your advice
Gold4Souls

Edited by Gold4Souls, 23 March 2024 - 09:47 AM.

[Void Angel]

The Argus isn't that good of a chassis, and the Sleipnir is likewise suspect. However, the Dire Wolf Ultraviolet will give you omnipods that you cannot get for the Dire Wolf otherwise, and enables great ECM-equipped dakka and ranged trading builds that will be much more forgiving to learn as a new Assault pilot. The Fafnir and Annihilator are excellent Assault chassis on the IS side, and both Mad Cat Mk II heros (the Deathstrike and Moonwalker) are exceptionally powerful 'mechs - there's a reason they don't have many quirks.

Those are the ones I'd recommend as a starting Assault. Other chassis are good too, but they're more difficult to play. The above 'mechs can be loaded for bear to the point that other people simply will not want to fight with you.

[Gold4Souls]

Good advice Void Angel.
Thanks.

[martian]

Gold4Souls, on 23 March 2024 - 09:46 AM, said:

Hi Guys
I am close to finishing this event and was wondering which mech to pick. I don’t have an assault mech and so I was thinking of getting an assault mech, but I could get something else, such as, The Pirate Bane.

In the assault class I like the Cyclops CP-AR because of its information advantages, but the Sleipnir could be good as well. Or should I get different assault mech instead?

Thanks for your advice
Gold4Souls

Those "information advantages" are not as valuable as they seem.

[ScrapIron Prime]

martian, on 31 March 2024 - 10:17 AM, said:

Those "information advantages" are not as valuable as they seem.

The seismic sensor range boost is. With skill points in it, the AR has 350m radius of seismic sensors instead of 200m. That’s a huge early warning system for light mechs that want to eat your knees.

[martian]

ScrapIron Prime, on 31 March 2024 - 03:17 PM, said:

The seismic sensor range boost is. With skill points in it, the AR has 350m radius of seismic sensors instead of 200m. That’s a huge early warning system for light mechs that want to eat your knees.

Not enough to balance the fact that the 'Mech comes with just one pointless firepower quirk. Would not buy.

[w0qj]

The Cyclops Arges CP-AR Legendary Mech is fun with play, I did 2x LBX20 + 2xSNPPC on it.
Killed a Light with both legs weakened, 1-shot KO!

All this thanks to its great CP-AR sensor suite:

+250m Sensor Range (also can stack with equipment + Skill nodes)
+150m Seismic Sensor (up to +350m with Skill nodes!)
+30% Target Info Gathering (stacks with equipment + Skill nodes)
+5seconds of 360-degree Target Retention (can stack with Skill nodes)

- - - - - - - - - -
==>CP-AR Quirks: I feel that CP-AR further buffing-up would be even nicer (Dear MWO, this is a Feature Request):
+1 HSL Medium Laser Family (currently: +1 HSL STD/ERML only)
+500 (ie: 5seconds) Target Decay (CP-AR does not have missile hardpoints, so no issues with missiles)

Edited by w0qj, 01 April 2024 - 03:30 AM.

[Void Angel]

There's a reason higher-tier players seldom see an Argus, much less pilot it, though. Yes, the information suite is great, but the 'mech itself is just a bit lackluster.

[Gold4Souls]

Thanks for all your replies, which contain some interesting viewpoints.

I didn't get the Arges, because the information suite without firepower isn't that useful unless you want to use the information to direct the team. Most maps are small and so you already know where the enemy is and almost all weapons give away the position of the firer. I am finding that raw firepower is the most important factor in your survival and in the amount of damage you inflict in a match.

I took Void Angel's advice and got the Moonwalker because its a good mech with good hard points. My current build has an alpha strike of 70 and that is allowing me to rack up impressive damage scores, over 1000 in one match Obviously, getting high scores depends on me not getting killed by someone else first.

Edited by Gold4Souls, 06 April 2024 - 06:13 AM.

[martian]

Congrats! "Moonwalker" is a good choice.

[Void Angel]

Raw firepower is a huge factor - though it's more about trading damage at a profit. Just like the tabletop game, MWO is a game of skilled attrition. You want to deal more damage than you take, in an inverse proportion to your weight/armor - which makes firepower a hugely important deal. Still, all weight classes and play styles amount to skilled attrition.

[w0qj]

"...trading damage at a profit... You want to deal more damage than you take, in an inverse proportion to your weight/armor - which makes firepower a hugely important deal. Still, all weight classes and play styles amount to skilled attrition."

Damage dealt vs received ratio...that would be an interesting metric for the leaderboard, and perhaps even for PSR calculations...

Void Angel, on 05 April 2024 - 02:14 PM, said:

Raw firepower is a huge factor - though it's more about trading damage at a profit. Just like the tabletop game, MWO is a game of skilled attrition. You want to deal more damage than you take, in an inverse proportion to your weight/armor - which makes firepower a hugely important deal. Still, all weight classes and play styles amount to skilled attrition.

[Gold4Souls]

Void Angel, on 05 April 2024 - 02:14 PM, said:

Raw firepower is a huge factor - though it's more about trading damage at a profit. Just like the tabletop game, MWO is a game of skilled attrition. You want to deal more damage than you take, in an inverse proportion to your weight/armor - which makes firepower a hugely important deal. Still, all weight classes and play styles amount to skilled attrition.

Yes you are right, trading damage at a profit is the essence of the game. Every time you exchange fire with an enemy mech you have to look at the damage ratio to see if it was worth it. The ratio will depend on firepower, range, pilot skill and etc. Also, as long as your mech is alive and has weapons it's still an asset to the team and so getting your mech killed or weapons destroyed just to get some damage is not a good exchange.

But raw firepower can save you, whether its a high alpha strike or a high dps build. In one match I got into a death brawl with another mech. Both of us were shooting into each other and I only survived because I got through his armour with my high alpha strike build before he got through mine with his high dps build. If I had less firepower he would taken me down.

Edited by Gold4Souls, 06 April 2024 - 06:26 AM.

[Void Angel]

Oh, raw wham is incredibly valuable in brawls, though I'd offer up the Crael as an example of a dps brawler. Frontloaded pinpoint is prized as significantly better than dakka at any given point of dps - whether you're talking about AP Gauss v Machine Guns, or high-alpha trading v. Lots of Dakka.

But there's always limits: range is an obvious factor, of course. But range aside, you can do pretty well with a Light 'mech sporting 3LPPCs if you stay engaged and position well enough - even though your raw firepower isn't that great. Take my Thunderbolt 9S HPPC Build. It has an impressive pinpoint alpha for something that only uses energy, but MechDB rates it at a whopping 10dps. It's a fun, powerful build with great firepower, but it's made for pinpoint damage trading; that Crael I linked earlier will eat it for breakfast close-in, even though about 2/3rds of the Crael's firepower is hitscan HMGs, and all of its damage scatters.

Similarly, my Sun Spider D, a great dakka 'mech, has great, sustainable firepower, while an Edward Missilehands Orion build will smash him in a brawl - but neither of those builds wants to trade with an ERPPC sniper. That firepower stat is great, but heat sustainability and raw dps matter a lot as well.

Edited by Void Angel, 06 April 2024 - 11:46 AM.

[Gold4Souls]

Void Angel, on 06 April 2024 - 11:44 AM, said:

Oh, raw wham is incredibly valuable in brawls, though I'd offer up the Crael as an example of a dps brawler. Frontloaded pinpoint is prized as significantly better than dakka at any given point of dps - whether you're talking about AP Gauss v Machine Guns, or high-alpha trading v. Lots of Dakka.

But there's always limits: range is an obvious factor, of course. But range aside, you can do pretty well with a Light 'mech sporting 3LPPCs if you stay engaged and position well enough - even though your raw firepower isn't that great. Take my Thunderbolt 9S HPPC Build. It has an impressive pinpoint alpha for something that only uses energy, but MechDB rates it at a whopping 10dps. It's a fun, powerful build with great firepower, but it's made for pinpoint damage trading; that Crael I linked earlier will eat it for breakfast close-in, even though about 2/3rds of the Crael's firepower is hitscan HMGs, and all of its damage scatters.

Similarly, my Sun Spider D, a great dakka 'mech, has great, sustainable firepower, while an Edward Missilehands Orion build will smash him in a brawl - but neither of those builds wants to trade with an ERPPC sniper. That firepower stat is great, but heat sustainability and raw dps matter a lot as well.

I have already tried the Thundebolt TDR-9S(T) trial mech and I liked it so much I brought the TDR-9S. Its my favourite heavy mech, because the HPPC build is awesome. The torso mounted weapons play so well that I have actually won a match by killing the last two enemy mechs despite having lost arms. I have had a lot of fun with that build.

I will definitely give your other builds a try.

Edited by Gold4Souls, 09 April 2024 - 12:46 PM.

[Void Angel]

The Thunderbolt is phenomenally tough for its tonnage. Back during the Clan invasion, Clan players would leg thunderbolts to death like a Light 'mech, because they spread damage so well torso twisting. These days, overall time to kill is lower, and they're not as tough relative to the firepower and alphas available, but they're still fun.

Just be aware that their head hitbox is a horizontal slot, and don't let people get a clean shot at close range if you can help it.