402 replies to this topic

[Magik0012]

I *think* with a 300xl and DHS you could effectively get the equivalent of about 28.4 heat sinks.

You'll likely have to move some ammo to the legs or arms, but I think you would have room for 1 DHS in each arm, 2 DHS in each side torso and 10 in the engine.

But I could be wrong.

*multi-ninja'd*

Edited by Magik0012, 21 December 2012 - 09:42 AM.

[Blackmane007]

Yeah it's a bullet magnet, but I found if you run with an atlas team mate, you get a devastating duo doing 700+ damage each a match. The two assaults spearheading an attack are devastating - one soaks up damage while brawling then falls back to let the next take the brunt of the damage. A long fight against an enemy team means you last the whole fight and the two of you are the brawling assault mechs that the big mechs are intended to be. I run a medium laser and srm build with double heatsinks and tons of srm ammo. I find myself disliking the netlag as team mates laugh at how I keep shooting arms and legs. The upside to this is the sheer devastation this thing delivers. Heat management is as essential as my hunchback 4P, however the steady regulated fire does increadable damage. The srms rip a mech down to its socks and undies in record time. Atlases realise quickly how much of a mistake it was to stick their head out against a well organised stalker brawler. You can see them torso turning in a desperate attempt to save their armour from so much direct fire damage. I have to admit it is as much fun as my atlas AS7-D-DC for brawling - perhaps even more so. The volume of fire you can throw down is frightening. I watched a full lrm build in action - 70+ lrms each time it fired - I felt nothing but pity for the poor mech on the recieving end of that... I want to try a PPC build next - looks like a real assassin hehehe. Overall I'm finding that the mech is growing on my...perhaps like a fungus but growing nonetheless. Thumbs up for the stalker STK-5M. I'll be getting the STK-5S next. woooo!!!

[Kanajashi]

I run a very similar build on my Stalker, however with a few differences. I run a 300 STD engine to allow for two heatsinks to be inside, freeing up some critical slots. Also an upgrade to double heat sinks for better heat dissipation and endo steel to get everything to fit.

Here is my build:

Spoiler

Engine: 300 Reg Engine
Internal Type: Endo Steel
Armor Type: Std Armor
Heat Sinks: 18 (12) Double Heat Sinks

Tonnage: 85.00
Speed: 57.2 kph
Armor Total: 512
Alpha Strike Damage: 56.00
Alpha Strike Heat: 36.00
Firepower: 14.18 dps
Heat Efficiency: 28.40%
Effective Range of Loadout: 450m

Head: 18/18
Right Torso: 50/72
Right Rear Torso: 22/72
Center Torso: 80/108
Center Rear Torso: 28/108
Left Torso: 50/72
Left Rear Torso: 22/72
Right Arm: 56/56
Left Arm: 56/56
Right Leg: 65/72
Left Leg: 65/72

Right Arm:
Streak SRM2
Large Laser
Large Laser
Endo Steel
Endo Steel
Endo Steel
Endo Steel
Endo Steel

Left Arm:
Streak SRM2
Large Laser
Large Laser
Endo Steel
Endo Steel
Endo Steel
Endo Steel
Endo Steel

Right Torso:
Streak SRM2
Double Heat Sink
Double Heat Sink
Double Heat Sink
Endo Steel
Endo Steel

Left Torso:
AMS
Streak SRM2
Double Heat Sink
Double Heat Sink
Double Heat Sink

Center Torso:
Endo Steel
Endo Steel

Head:
AMS Ammo

Right Leg:
Streak SRM Ammo
Streak SRM Ammo

Left Leg:
Streak SRM Ammo
Streak SRM Ammo

File created using MWO Mechbay

[BLUPRNT]

Swap heatsinks and one laser from each arm into side torso.That way if you lose your arm you won't lose two laser. If I see two laser coming from your arm its what I will aim for first. Losing heat heatsinks with an arm is not so bad since you will have lost a laser too.

[JohnnyC]

Magik0012, on 21 December 2012 - 09:41 AM, said:

I *think* with a 300xl and DHS you could effectively get the equivalent of about 28.4 heat sinks.

You'll likely have to move some ammo to the legs or arms, but I think you would have room for 1 DHS in each arm, 2 DHS in each side torso and 10 in the engine.

But I could be wrong.

*multi-ninja'd*

So you're saying that the heatsinks in the engine count as DHS if I convert the system to DHS (and not just the two DHS's that I load in the engine slots)? So a 300XL has an effective HS rating of 20 loaded with 2 DHS? Am I understanding that correctly?

[JohnnyC]

BLUPRNT, on 21 December 2012 - 09:49 AM, said:

Swap heatsinks and one laser from each arm into side torso.That way if you lose your arm you won't lose two laser. If I see two laser coming from your arm its what I will aim for first. Losing heat heatsinks with an arm is not so bad since you will have lost a laser too.

While I get what you're saying, I'm not particularly fond of the laser positions in the torso. That lowers their firing position to the lower portion of the torso and I have to expose most of my mech over cover to fire them. By keeping them in the arms it fires them from the top of my mech, meaning I can use cover more effectively. Yeah, it does mean that if my arms get blown off I'll lose the lasers, but most of the time I just have people trying to core me and not trying to take out my weapons.

[Flapdrol]

note the engine heatsinks also count towards the double heatsinks

upgrade to double heatsinks and put a standard engine in, you'll have the same or better cooling and be less easily destroyed.

Edited by Flapdrol, 21 December 2012 - 10:25 AM.

[Ceesa]

I think the optimum loadout for a stalker depends on how you plan on using it. If you think you might be in the middle of a fight, forget about it and sell the mech. It sucks because of the lack of torso twist. Large lasers don't have the standoff range you want, as mechs can easily find you and close that gap, then get behind you and stay there.

I'm playing with LRM and med laser builds for my 5S, and so far they're working out pretty well. I stay far back until all of my LRM ammo is gone and only use the ML to discourage other mechs from getting close. I struggle with harassing lights, but it takes a very long time for them to take me out, and I can usually call for help and get it before they get me.

[Kotev]

I have Stalker 5m with 3*LRM 20 and 5 ML, awesome firepower, averages from 500-800 dmg a match. For me this mech is more like weapon platform then standard mech, suffers from poor maneuverability but with skill is deadly

[Splice]

Vincent Lynch, on 19 December 2012 - 02:51 AM, said:

Took out a stalker with LRM fire from a single LRM15 rack yesterday.
That was actually quite simple: the Stalker travels so slowly that LRM hit it even if losing lock inflight, and it seems to have a pretty big head hitbox from the angle in which LRM come in.

Too bad the poor noob probably didn't have an AMS that they should have.

[sC4r]

i dont have a stalker but from my observations

it has kinda small (yes small) center torso... should you fire directly at the dead center of the mech normaly one of sides gets damaged i kinda find if you want to hit ct then aim at upper section of mech around cocpit

it kinda feels like it has endless heat treshold -> i did some really crazy atlas charge at one which had 6LL and despite my expectations that he should overheat at third salvo (he was constantly alpha striking me) he kind of didnt and could fire 5 consecutive shots like that
what makes me kind of angry about it is the capability of firing alphas of 6(er)ppc without any penalty for doing so... i mean when you have 90% heat and fire off such weapons that would put you at about 150% heat and with no dmg to internal is joke at least though(remember mw3 or 4 what would happen? )... though should he do so in a brawl he will be just punching doll

any missile build has tremendous dmg capability even with one torso down so often its very high priority target yet its not op coz of it cant turn much with its upper part and so its prone to any attack from side or back

[Magik0012]

JohnnyC, on 21 December 2012 - 09:59 AM, said:

So you're saying that the heatsinks in the engine count as DHS if I convert the system to DHS (and not just the two DHS's that I load in the engine slots)? So a 300XL has an effective HS rating of 20 loaded with 2 DHS? Am I understanding that correctly?

Yes, once you "upgrade" to DHS, ALL of your heat sinks are "DHS," including the internal engine HS.
All of you Engine-DHS will have a dissapation of 2 and DHS mounted outside the engine (L/R torso and arms) have a dissipation value of 1.4.

At least, that is how I understand it to work.

[JohnnyC]

I ended up taking a slightly different route. I decided to pull the SSRM2s out of the arms and the left and right torsos. Switched to an XL300 engine and upgraded to DHS. I dropped an LRM 10 in the left and right torso and moved ammo for the LRM and AMS to the legs. Removing the SSRMs in the arms opened up a 6th crit slot in the arms so I put 2 DHS in each arm and 2 in the left and right torsos + 2 in the XL300 engine slots. So that gives me 8 external DHS. I like the way the LRM's work in those smaller launch ports (staggers the shots due to the missile holes).

I know this reduces my light mech defensive capability a lot (no streaks), but the long range is improved with the LRM 10's. All in all, the build is working great this way and I'm really liking it a lot. The heat is easily manageable with the way its set up now.

[ShogunChaosMK2]

I cant believe this is even a topic! Im a long time awesome pilot (since the begginging of closed beta) When i find my self in a 1v1 with a stalker, i find that i come out on top if i keep my cool. the awesome can win vs atlas, stalker, depending on the pilot!

advantages for an awesome

quickest torso turn faster than all assaults
biggest torso turn than all other assaults (unless you compare to that 1 stalker variant)
fastest moving speed
good variation between long range and short range weaponry
best heat dissipation than all assaults
positing of torso and arm weapons, make for great sniper

advantages of a stalker

brute firepower! never face it head on!
decent armor
can reach good top speed with a great engine
long range weaponry... strikes fear into the hearts of your enemy

advantages of an atlas

Most armor
great mixup of weapons
turns its torso at a decent rate (faster than a stalker)
has some arm weapons which give it a distinct advantage
over the stalker
can also reach decent speeds

Have respect for the mech.. and you will get 100% use out of it

[Flapdrol]

One Medic Army, on 18 December 2012 - 12:56 PM, said:

Let's face it, the real problem is that the Awesome sucks.

+1

[Lugh]

I've piloted Dragons with a single LL and a single UAC5 and done over 600 damage a match. It's not the amount of weapons you bring to a fight, it's how well you use them.

[Stingz]

EnigmaNL, on 20 December 2012 - 01:58 AM, said:

While I agree with you on the part of diversity, I disagree on the part of not changing it. In my opinion the Stalker is a good 'mech but it's severely limited torso twist is too big of a handicap and it should be changed. At the moment it can't even look sideways properly. Any 'mech should at least be able to look 90 degrees to either side.

Play a Catapult If you want better twist, a whole 300 deg of twist range, almost behind you too. The Stalker was made to lead charges, and have teammates cover the sides and rear(and i like it!).

The twist range is how the Stalker is balanced(compared to the Catapult, that sure isn't).

[KalebFenoir]

If you like Awesomes, you'll get an Awesome. If you like Stalkers, you'll get a Stalker. One might be not equal to the other, but that's the way mechs are. If they were all the same... the game would kinda suck. I know people who wouldn't get a Stalker just because they hated the old TT version of it with a passion. Same for the Awesome.

[Koniving]

Original Poster: Consider the two mechs you are listing.
1) The stalker's turn radius in said builds is a measily 65 degrees in either direction. The Awesome has a 90 degree radius.
2) The Awesome's arms can be used as shields by skilled pilots. The Stalker's arms can not.
3) The awesome can aim beyond his torso twist due to lower arm actuators. The stalker can not.
4) The Awesome can generally equip larger engines, thus making it faster than the stalker's maximum possible speed of 59 kph.
5) The Awesome is more versatile in the ranges it can fight. The Stalker has a very limited capacity in close range against lights and intelligent mediums.

EnigmaNL said:
"While I agree with you on the part of diversity, I disagree on the part of not changing it. In my opinion the Stalker is a good 'mech but it's severely limited torso twist is too big of a handicap and it should be changed. At the moment it can't even look sideways properly. Any 'mech should at least be able to look 90 degrees to either side."

If you're upset about the stalker torso-twist, EnigmaNL, you shouldn't have gone for the high missile builds. Try the Stalker 3-F, it has a much larger torso twist.

Edited by Koniving, 23 December 2012 - 10:21 AM.

[ShogunChaosMK2]

Flapdrol, on 23 December 2012 - 07:47 AM, said:

+1

wrong wrong and wrong again