Commando
Death’s Knell
Raven
Spider
Hunchback
Blackjack
Centurion
Yen-Lo-Wang
Cataphract
Ilya Muromets
Jagermech
Firebrand
Quickdraw
Atlas
Awesome
Pretty Baby
Battlemaster
Highlander
Stalker
Misery
Ballistic Weapons
Lasers and PPCs
Short Range Missiles
Long Range Missiles
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Do You Play other Games, too?
1 Aug 2014
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The Best Shadowhawk 2D2 Brawler
13 Nov 2013
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Competetive Spider 5D Build
7 Nov 2013
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Shadowhawk 2H (P) Damage Dealer
23 Oct 2013
Category Lasers and PPCs
Cataphract 2X Brawler Build
I am a great fan of the Cataphract chassis. I bought a 4X, 2X, and 1X right when they came out. However, the CTF-3D and the Hero Mech variant “Ilya Muromets” are much more popular. While those are really fun and powerful variants, I wanted to beat something with my 2X and 1X. So this guide came to life. See how a Cataphract 2X can easily deal as much damage as the more popular variants. People will only underestimate you until you blasted the second Assault Mech in their team to bits.
This build features everything you need. The Cataphract 2X brawler build is like the whole family fun package. A Gauss Rifle for long range shots and in order to add critical pinpoint damage while brawling. It can also be used in the rare case of running on high heat. Three Medium Lasers will serve as your all-purpose weapons. Finally, double SRM6 will be your melee range blaster. The recent MWO patch buffed their damage even further. Note, that all screenshots where taken before this patch and the damage values were already insanely high. Especially when encountering Assault Mechs, the SRM6s will provide the critical damage needed to take them down quickly.
- Although your Cataphract 2X is equipped with a Gauss Rifle, the most damage can be dealt at close range. Try to engage in brawls early on for maximum output.
- This build is very heat efficient. Do not fear to fire all weapons at all times. In the rare case of running on high heat, continue firing your SRM6s and the Gauss Rifle only.
- The combination of a Cataphract chassis and an XL-engine make you very susceptible to frontal attacks. Try to hug buildings, ledges, and cliffs at all times.
Note, that the following screenshots where taken before the recent buff to SRM damage. You should be able to easily reach or even surpass those numbers.
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The Highlander 732/733C PPC Sniper Build (updated for Alpha Patch July 2013)
The Highlander is one of the best assault chassis and quickly became a favourite of my own. Sniper builds are everywhere, and no match goes by without countless PPCs fired at you. It is time to strike back. Obviously, some variants are better suited for the job than others. If you like a sturdy armor and heavy armor, but don’t want to slack on the mobility side: Congratulations! You just found one of the best PPC sniper builds currently known to the Mechwarrior Online community. This Highlander 732 PPC sniper build combines the unmatched armor and firepower of assault chassis’ with excellent mobility.
Note: this exact same build can be built on the 733C as well.
The recent Mechwarrior Online Patch made PPC boats very ineffective. However, you can use the following build until July 20th 2013. After that you will have to rely on the above build.
Warning: the following builds are not very effective any more! You must use chain fire or multiple weapon groups in order to still use them. It is highly recommended switching to the a fore mentioned builds.
The 3 PPCs and the Gauss Rifle will grant you with unmatched firepower. Alpha strikes of 45 damage at a reasonable heat dissipation will tear enemies to shreds with only a few shots. Light Mechs will die instantly most of the time.
Since LRMs are making a huge comeback you may want to add an AMS to your build. Here is a slight variation on the above build which includes an Anti-Missile-System. This will reduce your damage only very slightly, but the increased survivability is often worth the small cost. This Mech is using an XL-engine after all.
- For maximum efficiency, group your weapons as follows: 1 Gauss Rifle 2 All three PPCs 3 Gauss Rifle plus one PPC (when high on heat) 4 All three PPCs in chain fire (for test shots and disabling ECM).
- All your PPCs and the Gauss Rifle are on one side of your Mech. Whenever you are under heavy fire or LRMs are inbound, turn your upper torso so the other side of your Mech faces the enemy.
- Use jump jets to look over cliffs. Often times you will be able to even shoot Mechs will falling back down.
- Be careful not to harm your legs from excessive jump jet usage. Rule of thumb: when using more than 75% of your jump jet energy, you will take damage to your legs upon landing. Try to reserve some fuel to soften your landing.
- When close to overheating, keep firing your Gauss Rifle plus a single PPC. This will cause very little heat and allows you to continue damaging the enemy with roughly 60% of your firepower. This is always better than overheating or not firing at all.
If you know of an excellent build or guide, submit it and maybe it will be featured on mwo-builds.net and seen by thousands of players. You can submit builds by e-mail, post it in the official looking-for-builds thread, or send us a private message via the official forums.
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Quickdraw Brawler Build
The Quickdraw is the latest addition to the heavy weight class. Its hit box is not the best, but it features jump jets and a lot of energy and missile hardpoints. This guide is just a quick overview on how to build a very good Quickdraw QKD-4H. Without further a due, let’s jump into one of the best Quickdraw builds for brawling. This bad-ass comes with three SRM6 and 4 medium lasers; a firepower comparably with two AC 20s. If you master the chassis this Mech will go up to 95 kph! There are only very few Mechs which can achieve this speed while maintaing that high a firepower.
This version does not have an AMS installed. However, with speeds of up to 95kph this Quickdraw build is easily able to dodge behind cover or sometimes even outrun missiles.
- Enable Arm-Lock in the options menu. Your weapons are spread over your whole chassis. It would be a shame if the shoots go everywhere as well.
- The cooling efficiency is very good. Just group all lasers to one group and all missiles to a second.
- When facing other heavies and assaults, shoot them right in the face and then use your superior movement speed and jump jets to get behind them. While they are wondering where you went, you will blast their backs with SRMs. If everything hits that’s a wooping 47 damage.
The core layout of this build is inspired by a thread originally posted by Warchanter. Click here to check out the original thread.
Get Connected!
If you know of an excellent build, resource, or guide, submit it and maybe it will be featured on mwo-builds.net and seen by thousands of players. You can submit builds by sending us an e-mail, post it in the official looking-for-builds thread, or send us a private message via the official forums. You can also submit guides and builds via Facebook or Twitter (see below). Join hundreds of other Mechwarrior enthusiasts and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Receive the latest guides and the best MWO builds directly to your favourite social platform!| Follow @mwobuildsnet |
People who read this guide also read:
Please note: This guide may still be viable, but is very old.
You will probably find better ones or will need to tweak a few things. In addition, some or all meta game information and play style/hints may include outdated information. As soon as an updated version is available, it will be shown here. If you have up-to-date information on how to improve this build, please leave a comment below. Thank you.
The Misery is the Stalker Hero Mech. Like all other Hero Mechs, it features unique hardpoints, a c-bill boost and a fantastically looking paint job. But what to do with these hardpoints? The following Misery build combines all the chassis’ strengths into a dedicated sniper build which fits very well into the current meta game. It is very difficult to put together a Misery build which really packs a punch. The only other viable option, which we found so far, is combining Large Pulse Lasers and an Ultra AC/5. This close quarter combat oriented misery build will be discussed in another post.
It is possible to slightly alter this Misery build by stripping armor on the legs and cockpit and/or removing one Double Heat Sink. However, you will run into critical slots aka space problems soon. The only worthy alternative is to get an AMS in exchange for heat efficiency. The Artemis is not needed with this specific build. I am just too lazy to update the build.
- You are piloting an assault Mech, but you are by no means indestructible. The Misery’s side torsos are also quite exposed. If you have incoming missiles, twist your upper torso sideways and move behind cover.
- It may be tempting to put all weapons on one weapon group and activate armlock for maximum pinpoint damage. However, experience has shown that two separate groups are more viable. Fire quick shots with your PPCs and only add the Gauss Rifle if you are completely sure that the shoot will hit.
- If you are above 50% heat, use the Gauss Rifle only. Try not to overheat or you will be dead more quickly than you can say shutdown.
- Use single/chain fire of your PPCs to disable enemy ECMs.
- PPCs have a minimum range of 90m. Do not fire them at close range ever!
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Please note: This guide may still be viable, but is very old.
You will probably find better ones or will need to tweak a few things. In addition, some or all meta game information and play style/hints may include outdated information. As soon as an updated version is available, it will be shown here. If you have up-to-date information on how to improve this build, please leave a comment below. Thank you.
This is the second featured Stalker setup in the current series of Stalker builds. When resorting to a xl-engine, it is possible to equip this chassis with 6x PPC. This equals an alpha strike of 3 AC 20s but is able to fire twice as far. Making killing blows is very easy with this build. There are only very few other builds which can produce such an big alpha strike.
- Do not be afraid to do a shoot which will overheat you. But only do this if you are sure to at least heavily cripple your enemy.
- PPCs have a minimum range of 90m. Light Mechs will tear you to shreds. Always stay with some lighter Mechs which can aid you.
- Enable Arm-Lock in the options menu. This way you will ensure maximum pinpoint damage.
- Even heavy Mechs can be two-shoted with this build. Always aim for center torso (worst case scenario: you rip out a shoulder)
- You alpha-strikes generate 50-75 heat (depending on map). Do not shoot if you are already at 80-99 heat or your engine will blow up.
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With the Pretty Baby a powerful Awesome variant enters the battlefield. Those of you who can bring the required money to the table will be rewarded with an excellent Assault Mech which can outplay any opponent using its strong armament and the outrageous xl engine 400! This guide was kindly provided by BertyBargo via the official forums. Be sure to drop by his profile and leave him a thumbs-up (link at the end of the guide).
- Awesome – Pretty Baby (Hero Mech)
- XL Engine 400
- Max armor on all parts
- 3x SRM6 (4x ammo)
- 3x Medium Pulse Laser
- Your torso twists very fast and very wide. Turn your torso sidewards when charging enemies. Your broad front is an easy target but when moving at high speeds and turning 90 degrees sideways you are almost unhittable. In addition the parts that will be hit this way have more armor and shield your XL engine. It is literally possible to Matrix dodge incoming projectiles.
- As with all relatively fast Mechs: Try not to be the first on the frontline. It is very tempting to rush headlong into your death. Move at slower speeds at the beginning of the match or even better, try to circle around the enemies.
- Try to distribute incoming damage. You can easily twist your torso to show more intact parts to your enemy, even your back is a valid option if your center torso is critical upfront.
- This is an assault Mech but you can very effectively run away with it. You will live longer, can come back and increase your match score greatly by living to die another day.
A similar build can be used without buying the hero variant using a AWS-9M. You can check out the smaller build by clicking here.
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Please note: This guide may still be viable, but is very old.
You will probably find better ones or will need to tweak a few things. In addition, some or all meta game information and play style/hints may include outdated information. As soon as an updated version is available, it will be shown here. If you have up-to-date information on how to improve this build, please leave a comment below. Thank you.
The second guide today will be the infamous Stalker PPC build. There are many iterations of this build. This particular version tries to maintain heavy sniping capabilities without sacrificing close quarter combat capabilities entirely. Anudiz posted this guide in the current search thread. Be sure to drop by his profile and leave him a thumbs-up (link at the end of the guide).
- Stalker STK-3F
- Standard Engine 280
- Reduce armor on head and legs. Max all torso parts.
- 2x SRM 4 (3x SRM Ammo)
- 2x SRM 2
- 4x PPC
- Maintain sniping range as long as possible.
- Avoid the temptation of heavy brawling. Your SRMs improve your close quarter capabilities a lot but this is a sniper build. Stay out of the action and use SRMs only to finish off damaged opponents.
- If you notice a damaged component on an enemy. Try to take it out quickly with a precise strike from all four PPCs.
- Set up a chainfire PPC weapon group. You don´t want to alpha strike every single time.
People who read this guide also read:
Please note: This guide may still be viable, but is very old.
You will probably find better ones or will need to tweak a few things. In addition, some or all meta game information and play style/hints may include outdated information. As soon as an updated version is available, it will be shown here. If you have up-to-date information on how to improve this build, please leave a comment below. Thank you.
I am happy to provide you with a final guide for the regular Cataphract variants. A guy named Wrench from the official forums was kind enough to allow me to use the guide here. Be sure to check out his profile and the original thread in the official forums to drop him a like and thumbs up. Enjoy:
The Cataphract has been a staple of House Davion Lances since it’s construction. A dependable heavy mech that could be relied upon, and The Gershom, a -3D variant piloted by loyalist Nicholas Reffin was no exception. With a pair of fearsome AC10s, four medium lasers and an experimental XL290 engine, The Gershom was a classic design that saw it’s share of battles and always comported itself well on the field, bringing victory and honour to its pilot .But a mechwarrior is never completely satisfied.
While The Gershom was successful, Nicholas was always irritated by its limitations. The mech shouldered the vulnerability of the XL engine, but still moved at a mediocre speed. This sluggishness made close range confrontations unpleasant when the fighting moved in, especially against highly manoeuvrable mechs. This was only compounded by the mech’s inability to quickly dissipate heat. Temperature ratings rested in acceptable tolerances when lobbing shells at range, perhaps with sporadic use of the MLAS. But frequent firing of all four MLAS in a brawl situation had a tendency to build an uncomfortable amount of heat.Still, with limited resources, it was hard to justify any changes on a successful – if imperfect – mech. The Gershom was ran as a powerful, but conventional heavy support unit for some time. But in a changing time of war, more flexibility is desired from a heavy chassis. Flush with an unexpected source of income, Reffin demanded a complete overhaul of some of his older configurations from his engineering team. First among these refits was a project to expand the tactical flexibility of the Gershom.
After much deliberation and several rejected designs, the Gershom was completely striped and rebuilt over a matter of weeks. While unpopular with some, the decision was made to actually reduce the armament on the mech, replacing the dual AC10s with a pair of UAC5s. The argument was made that despite the drop in single shot punch, the rapid firing rate of the combined UAC5s, provided it was properly managed, could bring the total destructive power of the cannons to near parity with the AC10s; and in some use-cases actually exceed them. This fire power could be maintain while projecting a more suppressive effect on the battlefield, laying down a threatening barrage of shells rather than the sporadic hammering of the AC10s. This was though to be more in line with the Gershom’s expanded role as a more active direct fire support unit.
The lighter and more space efficient cannons made way for the upgraded XL320 engine. Capable of moving the large Cataphract at the more impressive speed of 74kph, the engine was further augmented by an additional heatsink over the old design, helping to alleviate what minor heat issues the Gershom had without losing any of the four medium lasers.
However, the most extensive augmentation to the mech’s design was the rebuilding of the internal structural using the new weight efficient Endo-Steel technology and addition of 4 class-III jump jets. While bulky, the new lighter frame brought the mech just in line with the proper tonnage to thrust ratio needed to make the jets worth while.
While the Gershom will never exactly soar over the battlefield, the jump jets give the mech a decent amount of vertical and horizontal movement. This aerial mobility combined with the mech’s higher top speed allow for a much greater range of tactical options. Whether using the jets to reach a high vantage point to fire a storm of UAC5 rounds down on an enemy, to escape an unfavourable engagement, or to short-cut and overtake a fleeing enemy, the jump-jets are a constant surprise to the Gershom’s foes in the field.
The Gershom’s remaining limitations mostly centre around it’s shallow ammunition stores, 100 UAC5 rounds can be used up quickly in an engagement of even moderate length. The XL engine is a constant source of vexation and due concern in the broad chested Cataphract, requiring constant awareness of the mech’s torso condition.
- Cataphract CTF-3D
- XL Engine 320
- Maxed Armor
- 2x UltraAC/5 (4x ammo, best placed in legs)
- 4x Medium Laser
- 4x Jumpjets
People who read this guide also read:
Please note: This guide may still be viable, but is very old.
You will probably find better ones or will need to tweak a few things. In addition, some or all meta game information and play style/hints may include outdated information. As soon as an updated version is available, it will be shown here. If you have up-to-date information on how to improve this build, please leave a comment below. Thank you.
The Cataphract CTF-1x offers 5 energy slots (and one ballistic slot). It will occur to most people to use some mixture of a smaller ballistic weapon (UAC5, AC5, AC10, LB10X) and multiple Large Lasers. However, if you don´t need the range and just want to dish out loads of damage with ease, a Medium Laser centered build usually brings nicer results in regards to the endgame screen. This build provides a successfully tested allround build with an emphasis on high damage dealt utilizing Medium Lasers and a complementary Gauss Rifle as a heat efficient secondary weapon.
CTF-1X Build Overview
- Cataphract CTF-1X
- XL Engine 255
- Max Armor except legs (~39 each) and cockpit (~10)
- 5x Medium Laser
- 1x Gauss Rifle (~4x ammo)
- 1x Anti-Missile-System (1x ammo)
- Despite being a heavy and having a considerable amount of armor: play save, do not lead the charge. Use the increased speed from the engine to outmaneuver your opponents.
- If you find your Gauss Rifle destroyed a lot before you can use up all the ammo, remove 1-3 ammo and replace them with heat sinks.
- If you are at high heat levels, do NOT fire your lasers again and overheat. Instead, fire your Gauss Rifle which produces almost no heat.
- If you overheat and face a strong but slow opponent (Atlas, Stalker, other heavys oder assaults), do the following: override shutdown immediately (hotkey “o”), do not fire, and run for it. Take the fight back to them if you are behind something solid and recovered.
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