4 replies to this topic

[1Exitar1]

With my standard BJ-1X build being so hot, I thought I would try something different.

BJ-1X
Endosteel
Light Engine 235
5 Double Heatsinks
6 ER Med Lasers
1 Binary Laser


I usually run an XL engine for the extra speed and have 7 er medium lasers and a binary with 4 double heat sinks.

I have found that having the extra HS I can fire more often, making up for the lack of the 7th er medium laser. I also don't have to use a cool shot as soon in the match.

Thoughts on the build?

[Void Angel]

It'll still be hot, but that's pretty standard for laser vomit. You can pack in a TC I if you shave a bit of armor and install Light Ferro - Something Like This. I'm assuming that shaving a little armor off of the Blackjack's little stick arms isn't going to impact you very much.

Looks like a decent Medium laser vomit build. Forgo Cooldown skill nodes in favor of Seismic, mobility, or consumables, and you should be able to sustain combat fairly well if you engage while people don't feel able to pay attention to you.

[1Exitar1]

Void Angel, on 26 March 2025 - 10:58 PM, said:

It'll still be hot, but that's pretty standard for laser vomit. You can pack in a TC I if you shave a bit of armor and install Light Ferro - Something Like This. I'm assuming that shaving a little armor off of the Blackjack's little stick arms isn't going to impact you very much.

Looks like a decent Medium laser vomit build. Forgo Cooldown skill nodes in favor of Seismic, mobility, or consumables, and you should be able to sustain combat fairly well if you engage while people don't feel able to pay attention to you.

I actually don't use Cooldown nodes very often. Like you said, laser vomit builds are hot enough. I don't need to build that heat up even faster. I carry seismic on almost all my mechs now because it is just too helpful!
Thanks for the suggestion of using Light Ferro armor and putting a TC in! I'm going to try it out now!

[Void Angel]

Cooldown nodes are for ballistics, generally. Weapons are balanced against their heat and tonnage costs as well as DPS, and you actually want to run hot - within reason. If your build is too hot, you end up being helpless when pressured, but if you can't reach overheat even in heavy combat, you're leaving firepower on the table that you could probably have bought with heat. So, depending on how much sustained combat you want, you can use the Cooldown nodes to balance between the extremes of "Alpha and go read a book or something," and "I can tape my triggers down still never redline."

[Tesunie]

Void Angel, on 13 April 2025 - 11:31 AM, said:

Cooldown nodes are for ballistics, generally. Weapons are balanced against their heat and tonnage costs as well as DPS, and you actually want to run hot - within reason. If your build is too hot, you end up being helpless when pressured, but if you can't reach overheat even in heavy combat, you're leaving firepower on the table that you could probably have bought with heat. So, depending on how much sustained combat you want, you can use the Cooldown nodes to balance between the extremes of "Alpha and go read a book or something," and "I can tape my triggers down still never redline."

I have a few high DPS builds that can shoot for crazy amounts of time before overheating, but these are the exception to the rule rather than the norm. You want to balance heat generation with cooling to a point where you aren't wasting the cooling and can never threaten overheat. As you put it, run too cool and you are leaving firepower on the table. Run too hot, and you are sleeping more than fighting (which normally means you shoot little and die with little to show for it).

It is a rare build that runs cold and is still effective, thus the exception to the rule. (Ex: I have a Centurion AH with an AC2 and AC5 that can hose an area down for long periods of time with little risk of overheating. If things get close and you are also using SRMs, you might actually manage to overheat... I don't even know how well this build works anymore. Been a long time since I played it...)