32 replies to this topic

[Judgesin]

Hi i cant kill these annoying things.

They keep walking in circles around me faster than i can track them with my weapons. I tried turning around the OTHER way but it only lets me get off 1 shot before they also change direction. Also, i cant seem to do much damage to them even with 4 med lasers (might be lagshield)


What strategies/weapons are effective against these? I just got destroyed by a 8 light mech team

[Flapdrol]

streaks is the only thing that works really well, ideally you'll want streaks and ecm so you can counter their ecm.

[Nikoliy]

Im sorry dude but currently their is no real way to counter them b/c they have to easy a time killing you. They run around with no collisions if they were in they would be down face first on the ground half the time and would make excellent targets... Fighting them one on one I would recommend bringing a couple of SSRM2s or some medium pulse lasers for back up weapons if you have something like an LRM boat. Large lasers are good as a primary armament and for killing light mechs just takes a steady hand. Also bringing your own 8 light mechs would help as well

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Take lasers and aim just in front of their legs. You should hit and kill their lag shield. Amount of leading needed depends on the combination of both pings.

Alternatively use the tag that you should be carrying to counter ECM as a targeting laster and use that to aim.

Or wait and see if the new patch will finally fix this long standing problem.

[Spirit of the Wolf]

Well first of all, if you got destroyed by an 8 mech light team, you were playing in an 8-man.

It's not possible to go up against 8 lights anywhere else. (Okay, fine. Statistically, it's possible, yes. The odds are better of you dying from an asteroid crashing through your house as you read this post.)

My first recommendation:
Don't play 8 mans until you're a really good player. I play with a clan, and we still don't play them very often. We prefer 4-mans.

Second recommendation:
Pulse lasers.

3rd:
Aim in front of the lights, then keep aiming in front of them -- don't try to hit the mech, and don't look at your reticule: look at the paper doll model. If it takes damage, then you've hit them.

4th:
SRMs. Preferably with TAG.

5th:
Make sure your teammates are staying in a group, and stay with them. Nothing presents a more tempting target to a group of light mechs than an enemy mech standing/moving alone. (Except maybe a stationary missile boat with nothing but LRMs that's far away from the rest of the team.)

If you really want to mess with enemy lights, level the playing field -- get a light mech. I play in a jenner-D, and I consistently get upwards of 400 damage per match. I'm usually alive until the end, and I don't have ECM. You don't need ECM on a light to make it good -- what you need are good piloting skills, and good reflexes. (Planning, and a low ping, also help a lot.)

[Krazy Kat]

Spirit of the Wolf, on 06 January 2013 - 04:06 PM, said:

Make sure your teammates are staying in a group, and stay with them. Nothing presents a more tempting target to a group of light mechs than an enemy mech standing/moving alone. (Except maybe a stationary missile boat with nothing but LRMs that's far away from the rest of the team.)

This. Never get caught alone. The best way to hit is when they are moving straight towards or away from you. If you are being circled your team will try to kill him. If you are alone, you are in trouble.

[MagicHamsta]

Judgesin, on 06 January 2013 - 03:53 PM, said:

Hi i cant kill these annoying things.

They keep walking in circles around me faster than i can track them with my weapons. I tried turning around the OTHER way but it only lets me get off 1 shot before they also change direction.

Me suggest you learn how to track faster, compensate for "lag shield" and concentrate your weapons at a point (rather than just sweeping *Sweeping be fine if the light mech literally has a red component about to fall off with a poke).
Even an assault mech can track lights moving at 140 kph with the weapons systems just fine.
And 1 or two good shot be all it takes to take down a light. (Especially with their flimsy legs/CT/etc)

[ArcDemon]

As a light mech pilot a good deal of time:

1. Unless you play premade 8v8 there should be the same number of lights on your team as theirs, make sure your lights are countering theirs. When I'm piloting my Commando and see a light I know it's my job to take them out of the picture and keep them off my teammates. If your teammates don't know this tell them.

2. Raking lasers works, go for the legs unless they are a Commando (Commando usually has only 12 armor between you and their XL engine so rake the chest).

3. Stick with your teammates and coordinate fire. That 'lag shield' you fear so much doesn't work very well if I can't keep you at my 3 or 9 o'clock and have the freedom to change direction and speed in relation to you in order to throw off your aim. If I am heading directly toward or away from you the lag shield means nothing. Against 3 mechs focus firing it becomes almost impossible to stay out of all their kill zones at once, and it only takes a few hits to cripple or kill me. Against proper focus fire a light can either retreat or die.

4. Get them targeted with R and call in fire support. ECM has been tweaked so it doesn't block every mech all the time. If a few of you are pointing at the same target it provides the constant lock on needed for an LRM strike. A lot of the people who bought a Raven after ECM came out don't know what do about incoming missiles. They will die.

5. When faced with a pack of lights target Raven 3L's first, they are a strong threat to you and a deadly threat to your own teams lights, which you will need to help counter the pack. Commando 2Ds come next to get rid of their ECM. The rest should be much easier to mop up.

[De La Fresniere]

Leading your target a little (an amount proportionate to your latency) usually works... though I've seen a couple Ravens who just didn't take significant damage no matter how often you shot them, even if you lead them or they're not moving or whatever. Probably some exploit.

[Wrenchfarm]

Light pilots will be in for a rude awaking if netcode and collisions are ever ironed out

For now the best advice is to play smart. Stick with teammates, use buildings to protect your back if your a big slow bro, and communicate, communicate, communicate - especially against ECM lights. Remember, you won't show up on friendly radar so simply screaming for help in chat won't help, you need to give your map grid number.

Streaks are the obvious choice for taking down non-ECM or jammed lights, lasers are the go to second option. Lag shooting is difficult but your only hope, aim ahead of where the mech appears and adjust as you see the crosshairs go red.

[Krazy Kat]

Standing with your back against a wall. Nice! I will try that next time i get stranded alone against lights

[HTTP Error 400]

As I mentioned in another 'how do I kill Light Mechs' thread: Walk backwards.

Lights like to run around you. If you walk backwards you increase the amount of time they spend in front of you, allowing you more time to aim, lag lead and hit them.

[NRP]

Hit them with an alpha from a 6 PPC stalker!

On a less impossible note, stay with teammates. Lights always bug out when multiple mechs are shooting at them. If you're alone, you are dead. And it's a terrible death too. A death by a thousand stings from a pissant, and you can't do anything about it. Takes forever and you feel hopeless throughout the entire ordeal.

Edited by NRP, 09 January 2013 - 03:14 PM.

[Eisenhorne]

NRP, on 09 January 2013 - 03:13 PM, said:

Hit them with an alpha from a 6 PPC stalker!

On a less impossible note, stay with teammates. Lights always bug out when multiple mechs are shooting at them. If you're alone, you are dead. And it's a terrible death too. A death by a thousand stings from a pissant, and you can't do anything about it. Takes forever and you feel hopeless throughout the entire ordeal.

The alpha from a PPC stalker isn't so impossible. I run a 4 PPC stalker (with 21 double heatsinks, its actually a viable sniper build) and I bullseye lights often with an alpha strike. Granted, it won't core most lights in a single volley, or even take out their legs all the way, if they have been softened up a bit first its often a clean way to kill it as it runs away.

[t0ast]

HTTP Error 400, on 09 January 2013 - 02:59 PM, said:

As I mentioned in another 'how do I kill Light Mechs' thread: Walk backwards.

As someone who has been constantly playing light mechs since closed beta, this is one of the best things you can do to make our lives a bit more difficult when fighting heavier mechs. It won't do much for a super-slow Atlas or the twist-gimped Stalker, but for just about everything else in the heavy and assault tiers, it does a pretty good job of cutting down on the time we can stay out of your aiming range.

Also, as mentioned above, backing up against a wall or steep terrain can also work out in your favor if you still have a good amount of armor left. If a light mech sticks around, you stand a decent chance at winning the fight. If they don't, you no longer have a light mech on you (at least for a while), so you can go about your business.

Edited by t0ast, 11 January 2013 - 07:32 AM.

[liku]

My advice are simple:
Know where they are and how to engage. I was used to 6 ppc snipe light but when they are more than 3.. its ahem..painfull.
My best counter so far: have one or 2 light in your team protecting the light hunter :-)
Lrm+ artemis+tag +(add your heat managements skills) erppc/ppc/mlas
My best game, with a puc teaming raven: 3 raven and 1 com killed.
Engage between 300 to 400 meter. Lock with tag. Follow like with a llaaybe shoot a second salvo..done.
Never hesitate to shoot your mlas aven too 300 to 400meter. Depending on your heat management skills. I find it add noticeably.

My best 2 combo are 4 lrm20+2mla+tag almost under 2 salvo to kill it. Never forgot to always maintain tag every 2 sec and track almost all your missile will it.
My favorite combo is a risk variant of the 6ppc....lrm10+4 ermpc...cause they will always run straigth at you thinking: punny ppc zniper or vile lrm boat ill close at you and you l be hopeless.. and boom point blank erppc... next.

Always aim for the legs :-)

[Regrets]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say walk backwards will not work versus skilled light pilot. He will just stop and walk backwards faster than you.

[Stingz]

Regrets, on 13 January 2013 - 05:19 PM, said:

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say walk backwards will not work versus skilled light pilot. He will just stop and walk backwards faster than you.

Yeeup, I'm pretty sure my Commando (and other lights) can back up at around +64 k/ph.

[Regrets]

Stingz, on 13 January 2013 - 05:48 PM, said:

Yeeup, I'm pretty sure my Commando (and other lights) can back up at around +64 k/ph.

They can backup and turn, but you still gonna get kited.

[Gigastrike]

Really, the best possible way to counter light mechs is the buddy system. If you see them circling one of your allies, you have a much better shot than if they were circling you. Plus focused fire takes out anything faster.