Monthly Archives January 2013

Atlas AS7-D-DC Best Brawler Build Ever


Updated Version of this Atlas Brawler Guide is available!

Note: An updated version (July 2013) of this Atlas brawler build guide is available. Click here to view it.


One of my best friends, Strawberry5, has great success with an Atlas Brawler build, almost always topping the scoreboard and blowing scrubs to bits and pieces. This guide is the result of hours of grinding and experimenting and represents the, in my opinion, currently best load-out if you want to go toe to toe with your foes as an Atlas pilot. Be sure to drop by his profile and leave him a thumbs-up (link at the end of the guide).

Armor - StandardEndo Steel StructureDouble Heat SinksNo Artemis

View Build Online at mwo.smurfy-net.de

Build Info and Engine

  • Atlas AS7-D-DC
  • Standard Engine 350
  • Max armor on all torso partitions, reduce both legs to ~41 and both arms to ~52

Armament

  • 2x UltraAC/5 (7x ammo)
  • 2x Medium Laser
  • 3x StreakSRM2 (3x ammo)
  • 1x C.A.S.E. (3x SSRM2 ammo and 2x UAC/5 ammo in left torso)
  • Anti-Missile System (1x ammo)
  • Guardian ECM (place in right leg to avoid early destruction)

Playstyle and Hints

  • Always move at max speed (>62kph with upgrades) if possible. This will make your worst enemies (SRM6s, AC/20s, Gauss Rifles) miss your mech more often.
  • Use the high max range of your double UltraAC/5 to lay down suppressing fire and chip away at enemies during the first minutes of the match. Enemy LRM-boats and other long range builds will duck back behind cover and potential future enemies will have their starting armor reduced.
  • Always try to entangle your enemies in close quarters combat as soon as possible. You are one of the most fearsome brawlers on the battlefield; make your enemies brawl as well whether they want to or not.
  • Fire your UltraAC/5s by single clicking at all times (1.1sec). Restrain yourself from holding down the key as they will most likely jam very fast and your actual damage output will decline. Only gamble on your weapons not jamming when being faced with certain death.
  • If your ECM gets blocked (mostly by light mechs), switch to counter (hotkey J). Afterwards, find the ECM bearing mech and dispose of it with your triple SSRM2s and lasers.
  • Keep in mind that your ECM will not protect you from LRM barrages while it is set to counter mode.

Strawberry5 owns the battlefield #1

 

 

Strawberry5 owns the battlefield #2

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Cataphract CTF-3D Dual UAC/5 Brawler


Caution, old build!

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:

Introductory Lore

 

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.

Armor - StandardEndo Steel StructureDouble Heat SinksNo ArtemisView Build Online at mwo.smurfy-net.de

Build Info and Engine

  • Cataphract CTF-3D
  • XL Engine 320
  • Maxed Armor

Armament

  • 2x UltraAC/5 (4x ammo, best placed in legs)
  • 4x Medium Laser
  • 4x Jumpjets

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Mechbay Online Tool – Plan and Share all Your Builds for Free!

Ever wondered if you should buy double heat sinks for one of your mechs, but didn´t want to spend so many millions just to try it and fail? Ever wondered how exactly the internal structure of the new mech you are saving for looks like? If it is at all possible to make that armament work? Wouldn´t it be nice to have an online tool that simulates the mechbay from Mechwarrior Online 1:1 and always have the most up-to-date patching data? Look no further, your prayers have been answered:

A guy named Smurfynet made a stats look-up site which automatically generates the data from the game files. In this way it is accurate at all times. However, the most excellent feature of the page is a mechbay simulator. It works exactly like the current mechbay in the game and allows you to plan and experiment with builds. If you register for the site you will also be allowed to store mech setups in your personal online mechbay.

Link to the Smurfy free online Mechbay tool – Click here!

mwo.smurfy-net.de example dragon loadout with tool

mwo.smurfy-net.de example dragon loadout made with onle mechbay tool

The builds on this site will feature a link in the following style which you can simply click to view the setup on smurf-net:

View Build Online at mwo.smurfy-net.de

Be sure to check out the thread in the official forums and drop him a like:

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