120 replies to this topic

[Vodrin Thales]

My current favorite is a DRG-1C with LB10X, SRM-6, and 4 ML's with 14 DHS, and 300XL engine. I prefer fighting at close range and the combo of autocannon and SRM do a great job of creating soft points I exploit with ML's. This weapon setup is also a nightmare for light mechs with my low ping.

[Imagine Dragons]

Woo I share the OP's OCD with the need to use all the Dragon's hardpoints...

[Dendrobium]

Ok, I'm a little confused now. I finally have enough to pick up the XL engine. Problem is, it takes up 12 slots and I only have 8 available. The gyro takes up those extra needed slots. How does it go in?

[Rykiel]

Just put it in your center torso. Some of your XL engine slots will go into your right/left torso.

Dendrobium, on 04 December 2012 - 02:11 PM, said:

Ok, I'm a little confused now. I finally have enough to pick up the XL engine. Problem is, it takes up 12 slots and I only have 8 available. The gyro takes up those extra needed slots. How does it go in?

[Dendrobium]

That did the trick. Had my L and R torso slots too full.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Good guide but you're still too slow. SIL my friends.

Fatty Scout/Heavy Intercepter/Backstabber 1N

360XL
ES+DHS

LBX+2-3 tons of ammo
2x SSRM2 +1 ton of ammo (for anti Jenner duty)
2 ML

Add armor and DHS to suit your tastes

Edited by Narcissistic Martyr, 04 December 2012 - 08:37 PM.

[somnia]

Narcissistic Martyr, on 04 December 2012 - 08:35 PM, said:

Good guide but you're still too slow. SIL my friends.

Fatty Scout/Heavy Intercepter/Backstabber 1N

360XL
ES+DHS

LBX+2-3 tons of ammo
2x SSRM2 +1 ton of ammo (for anti Jenner duty)
2 ML

Add armor and DHS to suit your tastes

i use a build allot like this one but i had never tried putting in a bigger engine until i read this seems to work pretty well although servers seem very laggy tonight so im gonna hold off testing it out till morning i got a 350xl instead of a 360 i also have one medium pulse and one medium laser and an ams. iv heard allot of people say the lbx isnt very good but id swear by it

[Wrenchfarm]

somnia, on 05 December 2012 - 01:06 AM, said:

i use a build allot like this one but i had never tried putting in a bigger engine until i read this seems to work pretty well although servers seem very laggy tonight so im gonna hold off testing it out till morning i got a 350xl instead of a 360 i also have one medium pulse and one medium laser and an ams. iv heard allot of people say the lbx isnt very good but id swear by it

I'm using a very similar build in my 1N, but I doubled down on the ballistics and SRMs. I'm running the XL350 (which cranks out an amazing 101kph with speed tweak) with an LBX, 2x SRM4s, AMS (+1 ton AMS ammo), 4 tons of LBX ammo, and 3tons of SRM ammo.

It was a hard build to commit to given my lust of lasers, but I like it. I originally carried 1 ton less ammo each for the LBX and SRMs and kept a MPLAS on the arm. Then I decided I wouldn't mind a disposable arm to block shots with so I moved it to the torso. But after several rounds of running dry on ammo and not really feeling like the single MPLAS was doing over much damage, I dropped it.

This build lacks any kind of pin-point damage, which I would normally hate. But I already have two other Dragon's that can melt off specific sections of a mech and I wanted to do something really different with the 1N. The idea is to use the insane speed to get behind people and rock their world with a scatter-blast Alpha to the back.

[SonOfSamus]

The Dragon offers some interesting choices. I've been running all three variants to earn the EXP I need and I plan settle on one, probably the DRG-1C. Common to all I'm using an XL 300 engine, Endo Steel Internals, Double Heatsinks, CASE and AMS.

The Dragon's main appeal to me is its speed armor and hardpoint diversity.
The Dragon is limited in its choice of missiles. Even the variant with two hardpoints has them both located in the center torso where you only have two slots to work with. So missiles won't be your primary.

For your primary weapon it comes down to either ballistic or Energy choices. If you prefer ballistic, I suggest the Gauss Rifle, it's got good range, hits hard and doesn't generate significant heat. Going with an energy heavy build will neglect your ballistic hardpoint(s) and is going to make your heat very difficult to manage. Heatsinks only seem to grant a small increase in efficiency per ton.

If you like AC2's the DRG-5N can accommodate three of them, albeit on the same arm.

My preferred build is on the DRG -1C, Gauss Rifle 2x ammo, 4 med laser, SRM 6 (possibly put two heat sinks in the engine slot, cant' recall, Heat is easily manageable. This build will work on all, less two med lasers, which can be exchanged for their pulse variants.

On my DRG-5N I'm not really into the tripple AC 2 setup. I'm running 2x ER PPC, 3x Machine guns and an SRM 6. I'm not really recommending it, machine guns are legit finishers, but bounce off of armor. It's mostly for fun.

If you're running a standard engine (possibly while you earn enough cbills for an XL) I suggest the DRG -1C variant and make your primary weapon the best PPC you can afford so you won't be ammo dependent.Turn it into the Grand Dragon if you will.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but with the DRG-1N you can swap your LRM 10 for two LRM 5's and save a ton of weight.

[Verrue]

Excellent review of what a Dragon is and can do !

I'm currently running a DRG-1C with this setup:


standard engine 300 (building up $ to buy a xl)
Ferro-Fibrous
Endosteel
2 Small laser on left arm
2 Med Pulse on Left Torso
1 UAC/5 on right arm
3 UAC/5 ammo in RTorso + CASE
1 AMS +1 ammo
Ammor 357 (15 in head and 35 in each leg, others places maxed)
Double Heat sink upgrade (2 in engine space + 1 in left torso)
Heat effiency :1.22


Pro:

75 ammo in Ultra AC for longer fire exchange. Med pulse handy for annoying light mech. Smalls lasers give another puch in close combat (handy when circling around someone). Heast management easy to handle.

No XL at this time mean you can run around with right torso exploded. People tend to rip your UAC arm first , so all the laser on left keep you in the fight.

Con:

UAC/5 jam, can overheat in you are too joyful with everything (uac dont jam for 10 shot and you are firing all laser for 3 cycle in a row.)


This setup shine in urban fighting where you can hide behind building and lose a heavy in mech who take you on . You can circle him , hide from missiles and jam a ligther mech in a alley and take him out pretty fast.

It goes nice in a place where you skirmish , drop 3-4 ultra shot, hide, come back with ultra blazing and circle with laser when ultra jam, then move on. You have probably all the attention now so better leave the heavy mech finish the job and take on another wounded or start peeling the armor of another.

Losing the UAC mean you take on as a really big mosquito drawing fire when you circle. the 2 med pulse and 2 small laser dont have much range, so , you have to get in the close and that's where your armor take its role and must held (can take quite a beating is you are unhurt). Going red in a circle combat will draw everyone on you.


But, if it help other mech in your team score killing shot , thats a good way to die like a dragon.



Well , that's my build atm, open to advice.

Edited by Verrue, 03 January 2013 - 11:09 AM.

[NRP]

I love my Flame so much, I bought a Fang. I threw an XL320 and a Gauss into it. Still getting the hang of it, but so far, so good. What would you guys suggest for a 3rd Dragon? I want to work on the elite perks for this chassis, so I'll need to pick one of the regular variants. It's looking like my Flame is going to be an energy weapon platform and my Fang is going to be a ballistic weapons platform.

[Verrue]

Got a Flame as second model.


Very nice beast.

Here the setup:

1XL300 engine
1 ERPPC - RA
1 AC/10- LT
2 MLas - LA

2 AC/10 Ammo left leg (putting ammo here remove the CASE for the Torso, so you gain some space )
Endo Steel
384 armor

Very nice alpha strike, you have to play hide ans seek to not too much overheat (1.13 heat eff.)
AC/10 help do the finish strike
ERPPC hit like a balistic so you can move between buildind/hills and not stop to fire, so you are less a standing target


EDIT:
Installed DHS
I replaced the Mlas X 2 with 1 SR4 :

PRO:
Nice to skirmish, you appear , ERPPC, AC/10, SR4 , then escape. Better Heat effiency, less overheat

CON:
In a longer game , was stuck with only ERPPC, no ammo left ( had AC/10 X 2 and SR 4 X 1)
Very hard to hit circling light Mech.


Replaced SR4 & 1 ammo for 2 SPulse Las + 1 DHS :

Pro:
Easy to hit light Mech with SPulse. Fast recycle of SPulse do; fast hitting, no random hit like SR4

Con:

same heat like 2 med Las, shorter range. Can overheat if too trigger happy with ERPPC.

Edited by Verrue, 05 January 2013 - 08:00 AM.

[Spectre999]

So, I unlocked elite on all the Dragons apart from fang and I'm slowly digging my way towards Master.

I agree with the general consensus, Xl engine is a must have. Similarly, speed tweak is the must have update. there's a world of difference, going 91 kmh and 101 kmh.

Overall, I find DRG 5N to be pretty worthless. The 3 ballistic slots will most often be underutilized. 3x AC2 just doesn't cut it compared to, say AC10. 3x Machine Gun is good for a laugh, but never more than once.
1C has the best slots of the non-hero ones, and the best thing about the 1N is the dual missile slot, it's a sin not to put 2x SSRM2 there.
Flame is a wholly different type of fish. I fell in love with it the moment I saw the hardpoint layout.

Speed is life for the Dragons. I usually play them as fast scout/snipers, relying on speed to stay alive.
How much speed is enough? I tried all the engines, and it seems that 320 XL is the lowest I would ever go, 340 XL is the optimum, 360 XL eats up a bit too much tonnage for the effect.

Anyways, dropping my Flame build:

340 Engine, Endo Steel, Dual Heat Sinks
4x MLAS
1x AC10 + 2 boxes of ammo.
1x SSRM2 + 1 box of ammo.

Fill the rest with Heatsinks, sacrificing some armor allows to squeeze in 15 DHS, which is just enough not to overheat if you're careful. You have enough ammo to last for the whole match, AC10 may take some consideration, as it's only 30 shells.
4x MLAS are devastating when applied to the rear. AC10 is great at slow targets and for some mid-range sniping. SSRM is for lights that get to pesky and for that extra oomph to core that red center torso.
The best thing about flame is that the ballistics go to the torso slot, which works a bit better than the arm mount. For one, it's placed higher, so the line of fire is seldom obstructed.

Overall, I play this like a heavy scout that can flank really well and apply its firepower to the rear side.
When working in pairs, it is well able to draw enemy fire and shrug it off. If you stay mobile, the hard hitters (AC 20, gauss, ppc) will only graze you. For LRMs, just stay mobile and use cover. Streakcats are nasty, but you can outrun them. Don't get close and shoot them from afar with the AC10.

For people wanting to get the "feel" o the dragon, I recommend to try the following base package:
LRM 10 + 2x PPC, ignore the ballistics for now, just add enough HS to fire PPC comfortably.
Use LRM to score assists, use speed to get into sniping positions for the PPC.

Large laser is a possible replacement for the PPC, for one, it gives you more tonnage to play with and with some work, you can fit in an AC5 on your arm.
Fitting AC10 is possible, but you'll have to downgrade further to 2x MLAS, which shortens your effective fighting range to ~300m. Good thing is, LRMs are perfectly viable at this range.

Just keep in mind, you won't be the heavy hitter and you won't be the brawler, think more like a scout/harasser. Observe how the fighting unfolds, watch for when your teammates strip off good chunks of armor and shoot off those torsos and legs.

Edited by Spectre999, 04 January 2013 - 07:45 PM.

[NRP]

I do think the Dragons are a very interesting class of mechs. A great combo of the speed of mediums/lights and the armor and fire power of larger mechs. I like them.

[Akuma]

Got my first Dragon recently and I'm loving it. A great blend of speed, armor, and firepower! I'm running a DRG-1N with XL300, ENDO/DHS, max armor, AC10, PPC, MPLAS, and SRM6. I try to hang back from the initial fighting and pick off the wounded or circle around for back shots - at the very least, I can stand off with the AC10 and PPC and take pot shots until its time to rush in. I see a lot of people advocating SSRM2 over standard SRMs, why is this? As a long time table top player, the SRM6 has a much higher damage potential as long as you're using it up close and personal where the spread is negligible....is it because both streak missiles hit the same location?

At any rate, I love the Dragon chassis. Tough enough to beat up mediums and lights, fast enough to outrun heavies and assaults.

[NRP]

Streaks lock on to the target, so they don't miss.

[Verrue]

Here some setup update for a flame:


Tryed 4 Large Laser, rest is DHS :

Pro:
awesome alpha strike, can fire each 2 seconds with 2 Laser to not overheat

Con:

Overheat if alpha 3 time in a row, have to maintain laser on target.


Tryed 2 ERPPC + 2 med pulse

Pro:
Sniper style, have to hit and run to be great, have to chain to ERPPC,

Con:
no alpha strike (you just overheat), weak vs light but if you hit them = bye bye

[Elandyll]

In my experience (DRG-1C), an overheated Dragon is a dead Dragon, so to me the OP's combo run -way- too hot.

Haven't found something that beats my 1xGauss (3xammo) and 4xMLs, but still trying to swap things around.
Even tried to remove a few DHS to fit a SRM6 and then a SRM 4 in place, but no game, still runs too hot for my taste.

Might try an AC10 (or UAC5 - but the jamming can be crippling)+4MLs+SRM6 soon. Still much less heat efficient than my current setup, but not downright horrible and packs a decent punch up close with the SRMs.

Edited by Elandyll, 07 January 2013 - 11:01 AM.

[StalaggtIKE]

Nice write up! I want to get more into the dragon, just having trouble coming up with decent builds. As for role, I think the Dragon does really well as a skirmisher role. The fact it can move quickly, while absorbing a bit of damage, allows it to snare people in. Before they know it they're surrounded by your team. Dragon is also great for chasing down wounded enemies. For that cored hunchback, that your Assault can't catch, Dragon comes to the rescue!

I must ask; Why no Fang/Flame builds?

[Verrue]

Experiment 4 on flame:

XL300
DHS
1 ERPPC
2 Large Laser
1 SSr2 (1T of ammo)
MAx armor exept -2 on a leg
400armor

Rest of equipement DHS

Pro:
You got 1 sniper weapon (ERPPC) who do wonder on far away target (or even close if you hit them , especially the heavy) you got 2 Large laser vs ligth mech (cut a raven leg last game) and peel off mech armor (18 dmg each time)
1 Streak to hit anytime a fast mech or anything else

Con:
Not yet found

Maybe overheat in long figth....

Edited by Verrue, 07 January 2013 - 05:08 PM.