6 replies to this topic

[1453 R]

I just picked up Flame so as to help me get to the giant XL engines my (newly plural) Dragons all seem to need just a bit faster, and have discovered that Flame is really kinda fraggin' awesome. It's swiftly becoming my favorite 'Mech, and I decided to head on over to Smurfy and see what I could do with it. 'what I could do with it' seems to be a variant on the accepted standard GaussLasShrimps model, as follows:

Smaug

What'd'y'all think?

I know that LBX autocannons aren't great right now, but oh my GOD is that thing fun. And hiding an SRM salvo (currently using a 4 since I don't have weight for the 6 until I get the damned XL) inside a buckshot blast not only makes it easier to aim both (somehow. I do not know why), but produces a visually spectacular and honestly kinda pants-tighteningly cool cloud of smoke and sparks and broken dreams from the hulls of enemy 'Mechs whenever I land a blast. As well as making some somewhat less observant folks wonder how the hell an LBX cannon shot just did that much damage to them.

Originally I had a full-up 360 in that sucker, biggest engine I could find, but experimentation showed that dropping down to a 350 deprived me of three whole klicks an hour - ahem: OH NOES - in exchange for giving me a bit of extra armor and, more importantly, that last engine-mounted DHS. I'm still faster than most anything but a light 'Mech, with half again the armor of most light 'Mechs and a lot more gun most of them can carry. And anything that carries more gun than I do, I tend to have between ten and forty klicks over and can thus drive-by rather than stand and brawl with. Or so I hope.

It also kinda tickles me that I've successfully managed to use every single critical slot in the 'Mech, including all available engine DHS slots.

I don't have the firepower of the Gauss versions, and I don't even begin to have the firepower of the Gauss/LL versions...but I'm also faster and have more armor, and I kick the crap out of the G/LL heat profiles. I can scoot around and pick up cap points a lot easier, and once I stop being a terrible pilot I can pretty easily kick most enemy lights right off those same cap points. Is that an acceptable trade-off for losing the range and firepower of the Gauss rifle?

[slayerkdm]

My current favorite mech is my Dragon 1n. I run an LBX10, 2SRM4's, and a couple medium lasers. I find it quite viable. Its a brawler for sure, no real range potential with all the spread. Its a very good light killer, as you can hit them much easier with the SRM and Shotgun.

I run the 360XL with speed tweak. Not much is faster than I am. Its a good back shooter, lol. I dont find its damage good enough to stand toe to toe with the bigger heavies or assaults, so I usually blast and circle, or blast and move on.

I have 2 tons of ammo for both the LBX and the SRM's and it seems about right, as only in very long fights, do I find myself dry.

I would reccomend you try it, and see if you like it.

I will say, I have run my 1C with the same loadout, except 1 SRM6 instead of 2SRM4's and found it less effective. I think the SRM's cluster better.

[Ophidian]

That's my build!

Or pretty close. I have the XL360 and have a SSRM2 instead of the SRM6. It's probably a matter of preference.

I used to carry Gauss, but given that I was almost always fighting at under 100 meters and the fact that a Gauss in your shoulder will kill you with an unlucky hit, I've given it up. I'm much happier with the LBx.

[Spectre999]

While I generally prefer AC10 to the LBX, I found out that it works ver well with the SRM, which also has a shotgun like pattern.
It's even more fun on the 1N, where you can fit in dual SRM4. I've seen people underestimate it, but the punch is close to an AC20 up close. And since it spreads like buckshot, it's pretty goot at hunting both fowl and insects.

I don't think the 360 is worth it (truth be told, on most mechs the biggest possible engine is a bit of a waste). I guess it's a matter of personal preference, but for me both 325 and 340 are the sweet spots here. 340 works when I want to get close and personal, 325 when I keep my distance.

[1453 R]

Been running as close as I can get to the Smaug configuration as I can without the dratted XL350 all day so far, and I have to say I am loving the hell out of it.

I've almost tripled my average damage per game since I picked this nasty lizard up. I don't tend to get a lot of kills, but I get a piece of almost every kill my team makes, and the whole Dragon pilot thing is finally starting to click. I find myself weaving through fights lengthwise, sandblasting everything in front of me once or twice in turn before circling back around to enemy lines. I get dinged up doing it, but while all those Cataphracts are turning around trying to get a bead on my fat Dragon keister, their own backplates are getting shot at by all those friendlies of mine they stopped paying attention to after they got drive-by'd by the jerk with the giant scattergun. It's glorious. Cannot wait to get the extra engine rating and missile tubes, even if it means I'm going to start dying more. Heh...been keeping note of every time I lose a side torso in the match and telling myself "Congratulations - you just died" every time it happens.

Still...it is something else. I've actually stopped feeling like a burden to my team now. I am so thrilled you could see my smile from there if my house wasn't in the way.

[Jordan Youngblood]

I do have an XL350 and have been running several configs for my Flame. I have been very successful using the gauss, as well as the 4xLL build, and so, after seeing this post I decided to try this out as well. I thought it was interesting because to this point I'd never used the LBX/10.

I am so glad I tried it. It really does work phenomenally for taking out light mechs and I find that is my most useful role when playing a Dragon because of the decent armor and weapons + speed. The relatively high alpha of this build makes it effective in tearing apart brawlers back armor as they are engaged with other mechs.

Very nice build.

[1453 R]

I'm glad it's working out for you - means it has a better chance of working out for me when I finally get my engine

It's especially effective, like ye said, at taking potshots at an enemy's back while I'm cruising by. Half the time they'll spin around to find me because I, y'know, just plowed thirty-odd damage up their tailpipe and they wish to file a complaint on my face...but that just means that whatever else they were originally shooting at gets a crack at their backplate too. or at least gets a few moments' breathing space while the thing I suckerpunched takes a few shots at my backplate.

There is a very good reason my back armor is as thick as it is in that build T_T. Matter of fact, I'm considering thickening it up even more given how often I catch junk with my posterior as I'm running away from something I just pissed off.

Edited by 1453 R, 02 February 2013 - 11:39 AM.