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Post by righter8 on May 2, 2017 3:59:24 GMT -8
Greetings MechWarriors,
Last nights campaign beginning was both fun and educational. I found that I need to improve my drop decks. I am asking for advice on what to bring to the fight. I'd like to know what others are taking that works well for them, so I may consider my strengths and either use those same builds or adapt them to my play style. I've reviewed Gman's builds and while I have tried them, I am looking for real world experience over theory.
So, before I slap a cERLL on a Cheetah and call it a candidate for my "Long Range" drop deck, I'd like to hear about the mechs in your drop decks.
Righter
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Post by frostyburn on May 2, 2017 4:32:26 GMT -8
That is a hard question to answer. Depends a bit on what you are comfortable to drop with. Sure you can go a Marauder 2C and 3 Huntsmen with Gauss/Tesla cannons and be really meta. Do that and you will be set for trading. Mine is split between brawling and mid range poking.
Deck 1
Timber wolf with 4SRM6 and 1 LBX20. Solid brawler but really short range due to the spread.
Timber Wolf with 2 UAC10s and 4 or 5 ERSL. Functions really well as a brawler and more versatile then the one above but you have to get the lasers in play for it to work.
Streakcrow with 5 SSRM 6 for hunting lights.
Arctic Cheeta with 6 SPL. Well tonnage ran out but a really fun mech that can be really useful if you know how to handle it.
Deck 2
Hellbringer with 3LPL. Not the best build as it lacks alpha strength but I have many solid FP games with it and more the once gotten 1K games.
Hellbringer with 2 UAC5 and 3 or 4 ERML. Swapped the LPLs for greater heat efficiency and the ability to pound open parts.
Ebon Jaguar with same build as the one over. Got more ammo but no ECM and one UAC moved to the arm from the shoulder. So not as good at poking.
Adders with 2 PPC. When the new skill tree comes I gonna upgrade it to a Shadow Cat which would be superior with MASC,JJ and ECM. Then I gonna shadow Boris.
And when the new skill tree comes it might push everything to laser vomit as mech will be sporting more armor and generate less heat. I think meta might shift towards high alpha.
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Post by vtine on May 2, 2017 4:39:58 GMT -8
I have two main drop decks, one for mid to short range, and another for long. My shorter range deck is:
TBR-W 2xLPL, 3xERM First drop, excellent poking power.
SCR-L 5xSPL, LBX20 Usually second drop. Roams around executing beat up mechs.
EBJ-A 3xERM, 2x UAC10 Either third or last drop. More mid range poking, with dual UAC10 burst damage when needed.
SHC-B 2xPPC ECM, MASC, JJ's, and long range, accurate damage is good for nearly any situation.
The idea behind these mechs is that I have an answer at nearly any time in the engagement. If trades are needed, plenty of mid to long range, high mounted weapons. Should I respawn at the mid point of a wave, or at the clean up phase at the end of the game, the Lacerator just destroys things. The Ebon Jaguar is good for nearly any situation other than a knife fight.
My second drop deck, which is intended for all long range is:
MADIIC-A 2xPPC, 3xUAC5 (either this or the Night Gyr are the first drops.) I don't believe I even need to describe what this is for. Use PPC's when in a trading fight, pulverize with the UAC's if someone is caught in the open, or both if someone is not paying attention.
NGR-JK 2xPPC, 2xUAC10 I love PPC's and UAC's, if you couldn't tell by now. While not a metamech by any means, I get plenty of work done with this thing. PPC's are the primary weapon here, with the burst down available with the two 10's should something close. UAC 10's have more reach then people tend to give them credit for, so are still viable in a mid range engagement.
SHC-B 2xPPC This sounds familiar.
KFX-PR 2xERL, 3xMG ECM to help the team out, and ERL's to be obnoxious. The three machine guns are useless at anything beyond point blank, but should something close with stripped armor, you'd be surprised how fast some MG's can slice it up.
Again, this is keeping the tempo of the match in mind. Mostly long range, with some shorter range available should it be needed at the time.
Build your drop decks with a range band in mind. Frequently our drops callers will designate each Lance in the lobby to go a specific range, either long, mid, or short. If you have a drop deck for each of those options, you should be good to go.
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Post by frostyburn on May 2, 2017 5:28:37 GMT -8
Yes I agree that range is def something to build a deck around. I also try to put something in that is a bit cooler for when we drop on hotter maps. Thats when autocannons and SRMs are nice. Gauss of course if you can handle it.
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Rekkon
Star Commander
Posts: 175
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Post by Rekkon on May 2, 2017 5:49:09 GMT -8
GMan's builds are based on "real world" experience. I would not be surprised if he has personally run each and every one of them (save perhaps the LRM boats). If he has not run a build directly, chances are good he has run something very similar either on that mech or another with similar properties. You may need to tweak a build for your playstyle and preferences, but they are all solid places to start.
Given our drop deck limits, mediums and heavies make up the bulk of our use.
Having at least one good light is also a good idea for when you want to front-load your tonnage or need mobility. The best all around option for that is the standard 6x SPL + ECM Arctic Cheetah. At 30 tons, it is the lightest effective mech we have (a Mist Lynx sacrifices far too much for the 5 tons), and the jump capacity comes in handy for endgame objective swarms, though those matter far less frequently since PGI added quick play game modes to faction play.
On the medium front, we have a number of options, but the best one overall is the Stormcrow. It can do many things, but its biggest advantage over the other mediums is speed. It has the pod space to bring the hurt and the ground speed to get out of trouble or get back to the front lines in a timely manner. It is never a bad idea to have a number of Stormcrows in different configurations to slot into your drop decks.
On the heavy front, we have a lot of good choices. Timber Wolves, Hellbringers, Ebon Jaguars and Night Gyrs. Night Gyrs have an especially useful niche because they ignore environmental heat modifiers. This means you can drop them into a hot map and not feel a thing. It also means you can drop them into a cold map and not get any cooling bonus, so plan accordingly. Jaguars are highly useful because of their combination of maximum pod space and lower tonnage than a Timber Wolf. Hellbringers are mainly for ECM. The Mad Dog deserves a mention if you want a budget SRM brawler or a Streak boat to combat enemy lights. If you are playing Conquest, especially on a larger map, a Linebacker would not be a bad choice either (though it is debatable how much better it is for the tonnage than a Stormcrow).
For assaults, Marauder IICs are the most bang for your tonnage. Kodiaks are still great, but they eat a lot of space and draw a lot of attention. Usually you will want these as your first drop so they have to worry less about regrouping.
Some of my specific builds:
Hellbringer: 2x LPL, 3x ERML, ECM
Ebon Jaguar: 2x LPL, 6x SPL
Timber Wolf: 2x LPL, 3x ERML, 1x JJ
Night Gyr: 4x UAC-5, 10x Ammo
Kodiak 3: 4x UAC-10, 10x Ammo
Arctic Cheetah: 6x SPL, ECM
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Post by frostyburn on May 2, 2017 5:55:14 GMT -8
If you wanna go LPLs my preference is Hellbringer since you get them all on the shoulders and narrow spacing between them. So excellent for hill poking. That and for less weight then a Timber.
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Post by righter8 on May 2, 2017 8:45:14 GMT -8
Thanks all. It is nice to see that many of the builds/mechs I already have (MAD IIC, HBR, TBR, SHC, ACH) are noted in the recommendations. It gives me confidence that my builds are not total trash. I may be getting a SCR, EBJ and NGR to add more options. Thanks for the feedback.
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