45 replies to this topic

[Mr 144]

Cleverbird, on 13 December 2012 - 02:13 AM, said:

So guys, for a straight up brawler, which variant would you people suggest I take?

I like my hunchies, but they're so fragile and I'd like a bit more armor and firepower.

This......

Roumata, on 13 December 2012 - 02:18 AM, said:

This for brawling:

Cataphract 2x Destroyer, Death at 200 paces

280 STD Engine
13 DHS
Endo-Steel

1x AC20 RT
3x MLaser RT LT RA
2x SRM6 Artemis LA

If you can afford it, dropping to a std 275 is more ammo, armor, and DHS friendly. I run mine with 3 tons AC/20 ammo, and 2 tons SRM ammo. Very Rarely run out. Hard not to call it a bawler at 64kph with a 65 alpha The limited range of motion really really hurts circle fighting though, so avoid it. Play it like a bulldog, and it works great.

Mr 144

[Mr 144]

The Cheese, on 13 December 2012 - 02:56 AM, said:

Small LRM volleys (in this case, 4 missiles per volley) get reduced by AMS very easily. This means less missiles hit your target. Essentially, you need to carry a lot more ammo to do enough damage for it to be worth it.

The reason the A1 cats can get away with small volleys (6 x lrm5) is that they can carry a crapton of ammo without having to worry about leaving space and tonnage for backup weapons. This leaves them ridiculously vulnerable at close range. Also, if they lose an arm, they're still effective. If the phract loses that arm, there goes all of your main firepower.

There's a counter-side to that however...as an LRM 2x build also includes a gauss and ERPPC, it's not just an LRM boat. Smart targeting those without AMS (common these days), the smaller grouping of 4 at a time is actually very nice, and far more acurate than the traditional blobs...

P.S. Nice 'seeing' ya again in-game Cheese...we're running into each other a lot lately...random my *** lol

Edited by Mr 144, 13 December 2012 - 03:09 AM.

[Enemista]

The Cheese, on 13 December 2012 - 02:56 AM, said:

Small LRM volleys (in this case, 4 missiles per volley) get reduced by AMS very easily. This means less missiles hit your target. Essentially, you need to carry a lot more ammo to do enough damage for it to be worth it.

The reason the A1 cats can get away with small volleys (6 x lrm5) is that they can carry a crapton of ammo without having to worry about leaving space and tonnage for backup weapons. This leaves them ridiculously vulnerable at close range. Also, if they lose an arm, they're still effective. If the phract loses that arm, there goes all of your main firepower.

I see what you mean, but I still carry 2 large lasers and 1000+ ammo for LRMs, so unless the match is 10+ minutes, i never run out of ammo. I saved tonnage using an XL engine, but thats fine, becouse with this build you dont fight in first line so you dont take as much damage as brawlers

[Spinning Burr]

A 2X with artemis LRM15x2 taking up the entire left arm feels very right. Add TAG and sensors and your left side is missle boat. Leaving right side for sniping with gauss and either ER LL or PPC/ER PPC. Very wholesome build.

A 3D is a lot of fun. I insist you HAVE to buy jump jets if you run the 3D (esp with the 1 slot/1 ton JJ bug for now). If you don't put jumps on your 3D, then you need to have it taken away from you. That said, it's great with dual gauss (like a jumping K2 gauss cat) or dual UAC5s for continuous fire. Then 2 LL's or 2 PPC. I agree that a gauss and PPC make a great alt fire combo strike.

The hero phract can't go wrong with 3 UAC5's, 2 UAC5's and an LBX10, 3 AC10's or 3 LBX 10's. Any of these combos makes a good brawler mech.

As far as speed, the phract maxes out at 85 kph with 340XL and speed tweak which puts in in respectable speed with hunchies, centurians (except D model), and slower dragons.

All three models are a lot of fun to rig out.

[Elizander]

4X is best Phract. I got the 1X after that and will be getting Ilya soon.

[MadPanda]

Elizander, on 13 December 2012 - 03:53 AM, said:

4X is best Phract. I got the 1X after that and will be getting Ilya soon.

Well if you are collecting the bad prachs then you should probably get the 3D next. Ilya would be a good one, it might mess you up.

[Elizander]

MadPanda, on 13 December 2012 - 03:56 AM, said:

Well if you are collecting the bad prachs then you should probably get the 3D next. Ilya would be a good one, it might mess you up.

God forbid that people have fun in this game.

[MadPanda]

Elizander, on 13 December 2012 - 03:59 AM, said:

God forbid that people have fun in this game.

Hmm??

[Elizander]

MadPanda, on 13 December 2012 - 04:01 AM, said:

Hmm??

I'm just getting them for my Dakka mechs. Primarily the 4X and the Ilya so I can try lots of ballistic weapons. My 1X is just a gap filler to get elite on the other two and the one with jump jets is too expensive and somewhat redundant to what the 4X and Ilya would do for me.

I wish the Jagermech would come out sooner, but the Phracts will do for now when I just wanna shoot big cannons for the sake of making pretty explosions.

[Thunder Lips Express]

Roumata, on 13 December 2012 - 02:18 AM, said:

This for brawling:

Cataphract 2x Destroyer, Death at 200 paces

280 STD Engine
13 DHS
Endo-Steel


1x AC20 RT
3x MLaser RT LT RA
2x SRM6 Artemis LA

I really like this, in going to try out out as soon as I crawl out of bed

[CocoaJin]

I love it too. my favorite are the 4X and the 1X.

The dual AC/5 and dual UAC/5 4X packs a punch, and I found its still pretty good even with the XL engine. Most people make the mistake of trying to use the 4X as a frontline brawler, its not. I use the 4X as a heavy escort, I shadow Assaults...they take the beating, I multiply their firepower.

The 1X is a kick *** laser boat, with enough of an investment, you cram 4 LLasers into that thing, I dont care what you are piloting, my 4x LLasers focused on even your strongest armor is gonna hurt! Once again, I use the 1X as a heavy escort. I burn through pesky lights and mediums. I make any Assault my friendly battlewagon is fighting, much easier to take out.

The 3D seems fun, but I dont have the money to try one out yet, maybe in the next mont or two, nothing coming down th epipe really interests me except the Flea...I may play with the Spider though, it looks like it might be fun and I miss having a Jump Jet equipped mech.

The 2X bores me, its not equipped for my style of play.

[Mr 144]

Here's a fun CTF-2X for the support crowd...with some light defense built in.

Endo Steel Chassis
Double Heat Sinks
Engine: 280XL (so you can yank it out of the 3D if needed...gotta save those C-bills)
Armor: max all but legs (35)
LA:
ALRM15 (fires 4,4,4,3)
SSRM2
LT:
ERPPC
RT:
Gauss
TAG
RA:
Medium Laser
Ammo:
3 tons Gauss
2 tons LRM
1 ton SSRM

Pretty much a 'generalist' build, but not bad. Which is why the 2x is my favorite variant...you can literally configure it for anything

Mr 144

[Gies]

I got the 1X, 3D and 4X and love all of them.

1X conf: Brawler/Sniper

280std Engine
Endo
DHS
1x ER Large
4x ML
1x Gauss


3D: Brawler

280XL
DHS
Endo
3x ML
2x AC10 (the rate of fire with chain fire is great for something so powerful)
2x Jump jets Class 3 you get everywhere


4X: Sniper

250XL ? have to look it up again
Endo
DHS
2X Medpuls
2x Gauss

i cant decide which one is my favorite im on the way maxing them out the 1x and 4x are already maxed out
1x is a good allrounder but chain fire is mandatory if you dont want constant shutdown.
3D is a very good brawler im chain firing the lasers and ac10´s in 2 groups to avaoid shutdowns and the jump jets will get you everywhere.
4x is the sniper: the double gauss is amazing, but unfortunately thats making him slower and has a low rate of fire making him less versatile on the other hand you never have problems with heat.

My battle performance with all of them is pretty similar, im normally in the top 3 of the match.

[Cleverbird]

Pr8Dator, on 13 December 2012 - 02:24 AM, said:

Heavies are never straight up brawlers. That's what assaults are for. Heavies lack the armor and firepower of assaults and the speed of fast mediums. You want alot of speed or armor/firepower in a brawl and no heavy has the best of those.

However, if you are playing slow hunchies with lots of firepower, you could go with any phract with upgraded engine and get the same speed for more firepower and armor.

I dont really like assaults, way too slow for me... but I find mediums to be a little too soft... So a heavy seems like a good in between.

My hunchy isnt really slow, going at 79kph, and has some decent firepower with its 2xSRM6 4xMLAS... But I just find it lacking in the armor department.

The Ilya seems nice, and the 30% extra CBILLS is pretty attractive... dont like the paintjob though xD

[Pr8Dator]

Cleverbird, on 13 December 2012 - 04:46 AM, said:

I dont really like assaults, way too slow for me... but I find mediums to be a little too soft... So a heavy seems like a good in between.

My hunchy isnt really slow, going at 79kph, and has some decent firepower with its 2xSRM6 4xMLAS... But I just find it lacking in the armor department.

The Ilya seems nice, and the 30% extra CBILLS is pretty attractive... dont like the paintjob though xD

If you are used to fighting at 79kph, you might have a slight problem with the slower heavy... you might want to give it the biggest XL engine you can get your hands on and then see how much armor and weapons you can put on.

[Cleverbird]

Ooooh I'm very much against XL engines, simply because of how often my shoulders get blown off... I'm okay with a slower mech, as long as it doesnt go below the 60 mark

[Pr8Dator]

Cleverbird, on 13 December 2012 - 05:39 AM, said:

Ooooh I'm very much against XL engines, simply because of how often my shoulders get blown off... I'm okay with a slower mech, as long as it doesnt go below the 60 mark

Its a heavy mech, not a medium, its got much much MUCH stronger shoulders than the hunchie.

[Slanski]

Roumata, on 13 December 2012 - 02:18 AM, said:

This for brawling:

Cataphract 2x Destroyer, Death at 200 paces

280 STD Engine
13 DHS
Endo-Steel


1x AC20 RT
3x MLaser RT LT RA
2x SRM6 Artemis LA

Und, wer hat's erfunden? (who invented it?) *phony swiss accent and a big laugh*

[deputydog]

Its not a bad mech, but I just dont like it.
I have the 4x, 2x, 3D. Sold the 1X way back on accident.
The only one I remotely like is the 3d because it goes 70 and jumps. I usually run erppc/gauss 4ml or just 4 LL.
Its a solid all around mech but the profile just gets hit too easy in the ct just like an awesome.

Ill keep the chassis mothballed and revist them later after weapons change or netcode changes. For now its back to lights or my Atlases until the Stalker and Highlander arrive.

[Khobai]

My 4X is beast... its got two UAC/5s and two AC2s. Does more DPS than most Atlases. AND it does it out to 660m.