10 replies to this topic

[Grugore]

Dy you think LRMs are still a viable weapon with ECM active, and how would you use them effectively? No flaming, please. Just want some useful feedback. Thanks.

[Apoc1138]

yes they are, need to use TAG to counter ECM
people could always use cover to break LRM locks, they still can

[FunkyFritter]

Poor choice in the current metagame of everyone trying out ECM builds. Eventually people will play more beefy brawlers to eat all the ECM mechs trying to be sneaky. At that point LRMs and other weapons that abuse slow moving targets will come back in style and the cycle will continue.

[197mmCannon]

Its hit or miss.

I've been bouncing back and forth between LRMs, D-DC ECM brawler, and balanced build cent.

LRMs are heavily dependent on what map you end up on (now more than ever) and how ECM heavy the enemy team is.

I did a game tonight in my founders cat (I bring my own tag) where I got 3 kills and 700 damage using mostly LRMs on frozen city night.

I've also had spectacular failures.

So far the most reliable mech for me is the one that has his own ECM. The D-DC is really strong right now. I'm even killing Jenners in this thing, without streaks.

I predict that LRMs will become mostly a tool for organized premades where everyone has defined roles and there is a clear strategy.

I'd give it a week or two at least and then maybe revisit the idea of increasing the arc on missile fire or something.

Edited by Daemian, 05 December 2012 - 03:18 AM.

[Pr8Dator]

I always find plenty of mechs on the field not covered by ECM, those are targets for my LRM boat.

[197mmCannon]

Apoc1138, on 05 December 2012 - 03:14 AM, said:

yes they are, need to use TAG to counter ECM
people could always use cover to break LRM locks, they still can

difference being now you need someone exposing himself to hold tag on the target.

[Grugore]

I must admit. I really like ECM. It adds a whole new dimension to the game.

[Tangelis]

Like anything new ECM will likely be on near everything that can carry it. Overall though My LRM runs last night were not futile. They really changed the game a lot.

[PurpleNinja]

Maybe.

[kilgor]

I've seen plenty of people not stay under ECM coverage too. With TAG, you can paint targets with it yourself and fire from 450m, or rely on someone else to TAG for you. But, playing around in an ECM 'Mech, I've already seen TAG teams and Lights move to take me out first and in a pug, that means no one is backing you up, despite fighting in front of Heavies and Assaults. Otherwise, there are enough out there countering ECMs as well once groups start clashing. So, LRMs are still viable, you just can't sit there and run them all out of ammo at the beginning of the match. It also might make ER weapons more viable so you can still fire at range until the ECM is broken.

[wanderer]

It really depends on how much ECM and how tight the group in question is.

Multiple ECM + a group that stays under the ECM umbrella = you're probably hosed. It's a brawler's best friend, since it knocks out Streak racks and LRMs alike.

And on fast ECM, good frickin' luck holding TAG on your target to negate it long enough to get and keep missile lock.

Magic missile invisibility cloak FTW. I had a game last night where our ECM pilot had to drop due to an emergency.

15 seconds later, we were getting hit by three LRM boats who hadn't been able to fire a single accurate shot for the past 5 minutes. ECM both serves as an effective hard counter to LRM/Streaks and a method of keeping PUGs tightly packed and focus firing, since that big ol ECM symbol and it's protection is very, very popular thanks to people being Streak-Catted to death.

Groups without ECM tend to get obliterated if the other one has ECM- it's often a case where the ECM-less group blunders into the tightly packed ECM'd group. Typical PUG mechanics happen and the snowball rapidly rolls the group without ECM to death.