12 replies to this topic

[Ironkin]

So recently I tried a light mech for the first time, usually medium/heavies are my favorite. However I really had fun with it and now I'm looking for a light mech to buy.

I like to scout around, get those spot assists and run around those heavies and assaults and harass them. I thought about getting the Raven-3L, but it's speed seems a little slow for a scout, also I'd like to have some ballistic weapons on it, like an AC/X (X is just a variable in that case, to cover all ACs available), the 3L doesn't have any ballistic hardpoints though. I personally dislike the Jenner, the design just bugs me, but this shouldn't be a deciding attribute.

What I also like about the 3L is it's TAG and the active probe.

Anyway I would be thankful for any advice you can give.

Greetings.

[Metallis]

My favorite is a Commando 2d. I have it outfitted with 3 Streak missles and 1 Med Pulse Laser. My engine is XL210 which gives me 149k speed. I've also upgraded armor, double heat sinks and structure. This is by far my hardest hitting Commando.

My other build, Commando 1b, I call the harrasser, with 2 Flamers, 1 Streak and 1 Med laser. Again fitted with XL210 and upgraded armor, double heat sinks and structure. I have also outfitted it with anti-missle protection.

Here is a link with other ideas for the Commando. Have fun!!

http://mwowiki.org/wiki/Commando

Edited by Metallis, 20 February 2013 - 04:26 PM.

[One Medic Army]

Well, completely ignore the stock loadouts when you consider which light mech to get. Stock light mechs are almost universally crap.

The Raven-3L can be up-engined to an XL 295, which is only slightly short of the Jenner's engine cap of a XL 300. The rest of the ravens, however are painfully slow with maximum sized engines, avoid them.
If you want a ballistic in a light mech, there are really only 3 options.
Spider 5K: high maximum engine size, up to 6 jumpjets, 4 ballistic slots 1 energy slot.
Raven 4X: low maximum engine size, up to 5 jumpjets, 1 missile, 2 ballistic, and 2 energy slots.
Cicada 3M: high maximum engine size, ECM, 1 ballistic and 4 energy slots, no arm mounted weapons.

Personally I'd go more for the Spider or the Cicada. The Raven is just too slow with a max speed (incl tweak) of less than 125kph. Spider has the ballistics on fully articulated arms and jumpjets, the cicada has ECM more armor and more energy slots for backup weapons.

[Splinters]

Well the Craven 3L is still the most dangerous light mech in the game due to ECM.Put a 295Xl and you got yourself a 136.5kph (150.2kph w/ speed tweak) mech.

Swap out a ML for TAG as the situation fits, but this is THE mech that has most people screaming "OP" due to it's combo of ECM, speed, and SSRM2's.

A ballistic raven is also very doable, just not survivable vs streak-touting mechs like the Commando 2D (3x SSRM2's) that will eat you alive. Lights just don't have the weight for ballistics typically due to weapon weight and ammo weight combined (MG excepted). If your really into ballistics, go for a Hunchback, it will give you the weight and speed needed to carry a wider range of ballistics.

If you want to mess with people, try this Raven 4X build. It won't kill lights easily, but it will allow you to get behind big mechs and make a big hold in the rear torso's.

Any other light build with ECM is also doable (Spider 5D), non-ECM will be tough and require more skill than other pilots to even the playing field.

Good Luck! Hope this helps!

-S

[MasterofBlasters]

Splinters, on 20 February 2013 - 04:33 PM, said:

Well the Craven 3L is still the most dangerous light mech in the game due to ECM.Put a 295Xl and you got yourself a 136.5kph (150.2kph w/ speed tweak) mech.

Swap out a ML for TAG as the situation fits, but this is THE mech that has most people screaming "OP" due to it's combo of ECM, speed, and SSRM2's.

This. Every other light mech in the game + the Cicada are a complete joke in comparison.

[Ironkin]

Wow guys, thank you for those detailed replies. I'll try out the Raven 3L with the other engine.

[Tilon11]

A Jenner, is the most fun of them all. Craven is good, I ran it for a while, but never had as much fun as with my Jenner.

[Scimitar1336]

Ironkin, on 21 February 2013 - 04:00 AM, said:

Wow guys, thank you for those detailed replies. I'll try out the Raven 3L with the other engine.

Damn, another raven that will now haunt my cute little LRM Stalker

[Stringburka]

As a primarily light/fast pilot, I must disagree a bit on the recommendation of the Craven, and rather recommend the Cicada 3M, for a few reasons:
- Cravens are generally hated, which means enemies (especially enemy lights!) will focus fire on you. Cicadas are more often ignored, in my experience.
- You said you like ballistics, and Cravens have none while the Cicada can effectively mount UAC, MG, AC-2, or if you can take running at ~120 kph or dropping some armor, an LB10-X.
- You said you're used to the heavier classes, and the cicada can take a little more of a beating than the craven.

My main 'mechs are a Raven 3L (sometimes Craven, sometimes SRM backstabber) and a Cicada 3M (usually with 4ML + UAC) and I'm currently trying to learn the Spider 5D. While Ravens are most effective against other lights, as a pilot more used to the heavier 'mechs being a light fighting lights can be hard; it's enough that one 'mech goes in 150 kph, both don't need to. Cicada 3M can be a good stepping stone where you can train on quick maneuvering but against more stationary targets (that said, a Cicada is quick enough to defend itself very effectively from lights, so you're not a sitting duck).

[Konril]

Ironkin, on 20 February 2013 - 02:09 PM, said:

I like to scout around, get those spot assists and run around those heavies and assaults and harass them. I thought about getting the Raven-3L, but it's speed seems a little slow for a scout, also I'd like to have some ballistic weapons on it, like an AC/X (X is just a variable in that case, to cover all ACs available), the 3L doesn't have any ballistic hardpoints though. I personally dislike the Jenner, the design just bugs me, but this shouldn't be a deciding attribute.

What I also like about the 3L is it's TAG and the active probe.

Ballistics just aren't seen on any light mech that isn't some form of joke build. Let me tell you a bit about a famously bad cannon mech called the Urbanmech. 30 tons, 6 tons in armor, one AC/10, one small laser, two jump jets, and a standard 60 engine. Yes, that is sixty and not a typo. You can't officially get this because engines below 100 aren't available. If you could, it would be slower than an Atlas.

The stock Cicada 3M is the closest thing that I've seen seriously carrying any real autocannon, although I suppose it is possible to shoehorn an AC/2 or AC/5 on a Raven 4X or a Spider 5K, as long as you don't mind it being the only thing you have. But really, a 12, 14, or 15 ton weapon and ammunition on something that's only 30 tons to begin with is just silly. Even with the 3M, an Ultra AC5 is pushing the limit. After buying my own Cicada, the only thing I really could do was replace the cannon and small pulse laser with a PPC to make room for the ECM and actual armor.

[Stingz]

Konril, on 21 February 2013 - 06:27 PM, said:

Ballistics just aren't seen on any light mech that isn't some form of joke build. Let me tell you a bit about a famously bad cannon mech called the Urbanmech. 30 tons, 6 tons in armor, one AC/10, one small laser, two jump jets, and a standard 60 engine. Yes, that is sixty and not a typo. You can't officially get this because engines below 100 aren't available. If you could, it would be slower than an Atlas.

32 k/ph, slowest light mech on record. The Urbanmech "Magic Trashcan" is a terror in TT city fights, extremely cheap also.

Edited by Stingz, 21 February 2013 - 07:30 PM.

[Lege]

Raven-3L is the best mech in the game, since they added ECM.
Commando-2D isn't bad, but it's still a 25 ton commando. I won't pilot anything under 35 tons unless they remove the engine limits.
Cicada-3M is ok, but reliance on direct fire weapons hurts it. If the ballistic hard point was a missile hard point this would be the second best mech in the game.
Atlas D-DC is a good mech, but should have another missile hardpoint in the ballistic torso.
Now if ECM was by canon rules, this wouldn't be the case on the raven.
If they made ECM even remotely not overpowered, this wouldn't be the case.
800m sensor range down to 200m is just plain dumb.
800m sensor range down to 500m is strong, but not insanely overpowered.
I could even understand 800m sensor range down to 400m, cut it in half. But 1/4 range sensors is a rediculous advantage if one side has it and one side doesn't.
Not taking an ECM mech is like choosing to play hard mode.
They slightly nerfed ECM in the last patch, but it is still the biggest problem with MWO today.
I mean all the crashing, bugs, getting stuck on terrain and game freezing is nothing compared to how broken ECM is.

[Skribs]

Here's my take. The Commando is very light, but with most lights you get 2 of the 3: firepower, jets, and ECM. Jenner gets jets and firepower (in all variants), raven gets ECM and firepower (in the only good variant), and spider gets...well none of the variants have firepower.

If you want to level up 3 of the class easiest, Jenner or Commando is the best. If you plan on going Hero light, Commando is your only option, otherwise I'd recommend Jenner (more speed, firepower, and armor). If you want ECM, Raven would probably be better than Spider, but there is no better scout than a Spider.