Excellent Shadowhawk 2D2 Brawler Guide

It is now widely accepted (but not proven) that the Shadowhawk is the most versatile and viable of all the Project Phoenix Mechs. This build is another extremely good argument why this claims are probably true. A Shadowhawk 2D2 equipped with all the 270m range goodness (AC/20, Medium Lasers, StreakSRM2) will make you a fearsome brawler. Speed, firepower, agility, and armor are very nicely balanced making this an absolute bad boy on the battlefield. Smegmw from HBA is one of the first to come up with this build and many have copied it since. I have started to use it myself, and although I am a sh1tty Medium pilot, I melt faces with this thing, doing 400-600 damage without any basic upgrades. If you have ordered a Project Phoenix package which includes the Shadowhawk, I definitely recommend checking this build out. It is also very cheap to build c-bill wise.

The armor distribution on the Smurfy link is close to optimal. Depending on your play style you might want to shift a few armor points from the legs to the arms. However, this won’t probably make too much of a difference. Also note that this build is very cheap c-bill wise. Assuming you have none of the parts you will only need 4.6M c-bills. You might want to add Artemis, as well, in order to improve StreakSRM2 lock-on times.

• Use your arms to absorb incoming fire if you can’t hide fast enough. If you lose one of your Medium Lasers, you are still more than fine.
• Your main damage is coming from your AC/20. Make sure every hit counts and avoid firing it over great distances. Shoulders aka side torsos of your enemies are prime targets.
• If you are running high on heat, stop firing your StreakSRM2s. If you are still on high heat, stop firing your Medium Lasers, as well. Focus solely on placing a couple good AC/20 hits.
• Do not fire while turning with your keyboard. Instead, adjust your Mech first, then use your mouse to place precise shots.
• Use your jump jets! They are not only for easier cliff climbing or poptarting. When engaging enemies, use them to look over small ledges and other obstacles which block your line of fire. You will most certainly get a couple of hits in before you are even there.
• Always soften your falls with Jump Jets in order to avoid unneccessary damage to your legs. Some of your most important components are in your legs.

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Competetive Spider SDR-5D (ECM)

Spiders are very prominent Mechs in random matches and the competitive scene. Ever wanted to be that annoying bugger that zooms around the battlefield, shooting everyone, spotting everywhere while the enemy team is working their bottoms off to catch you? This is one of those Light Mech builds. A Spider 5D build (the variant with ECM) sporting lasers, AMS, ECM, and Jump Jets.

There are several types of Light Mech builds. The two most important broad categories are builds, which can kill other Light Mechs and the ones which are adjusted to fulfill other tasks. This Spider 5D build is one of the latter. You should avoid fights with other Light Mechs and instead support your team, for example, by harassing LRM boats, spotting, and providing ECM/AMS cover.

• Never stand still. Use your superior movement speed to not get hit. If you stand still you die.
• Never ever overheat. An overheated Light Mech will be destroyed instantly, and your team will flame you and they will be right to do so!
• Do not engage other Light Mechs. This build is not meant to fight other Light Mechs. Disengage and flee to your team’s other Mediums and Lights.
• Do not fire while turning with your keyboard. Instead, adjust your Mech first, then use your mouse to place precise shots.
• The above rules are absolute and without exceptions. Folllow them at all times, and you will be a great Light Mech pilot instead of just an average nuisance.
• Always soften your falls with Jump Jets in order to avoid unnecessary damage to your legs. A legged Light Mech is easy prey.

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Battlemaster 1G (Phoenix Hero Variant) Pubstomper Guide

Project Phoenix has arrived, and people have already come up with decent builds for Shadowhawks and Locusts. However, good Battlemaster builds are much harder to come by. The build presented here is a big mile stone in the development of the Battlemaster. It has everything you need: Long range high pinpoint damage, close quarter punch, and above average survivability. Two AC/5s and a single PPC provide excellent sniping and fire support capabilities. Six (6!) Medium Lasers allow you to dish out insane damage at close range. You can also continue to fire your double AC/5s while brawling. Finally, the Battlemaster is an Assault Mech and this build utilises a standard engine making it very durable. Let’s take a look at the build.

There are a few minor adjustments possible, depending on your preferred play style. For example, if you are more comfortable having all sniper weapons on your arms for increased precision, you can swap the PPC to your right arm and move the Medium Laser to the torso. While this is more comfortable, it is also less effective. Sniping around corners becomes more difficult and you will lose more important weapons when using your right arm as a shield arm. Addition of AMS is also possible, just remove any of the Medium Lasers, AC/5 ammo, or DHS to free up the tonnage. However, do not remove armor from your head. The cockpit is really easy to hit at the moment and you need every point of armor on it.

• PPCs have a minimum range of 90ms. Do not fire them beyond that range ever. You will overheat and die miserably.
• In high heat situations stop firing your PPCs immediately. You will always do more damage, if you do not overheat and use your AC/5s exclusively.
• AC/5s reload much faster than PPCs. Try working in at least one additional AC/5s salvo in between PPC recycle times when engaged at longer ranges.
• Use your right arm as a shield. One of your most vulnerable spots is you center torso. Try to protect it at all times.
• The Battlermaster’s upper torso twisting angle is very crappy. Keep this in mind when crossing through open spaces. Try to back up against a wall when engaged in close quarters.
• If you are playing in an organised group it is highly recommended allocating almost every point of armor in the front. If you are playing random games without a group, 10-25 rear armor are probably the better choice.
• Weapon grouping advice: 1) PPC and both AC/5s 2) All Medium Lasers 3) Both AC/5s only
• For modules use Cool Shot 9 by 9, Advanced Sensor Range, and Advanced Seismic Sensor. You can play around with the Advanced Zoom Module in exchange for the Advanced Seismic Sensor.

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Death’s Knell (Commando Hero Mech) Scout/Harasser Build

Time for another submission by the community. Today, we’ll take a look at the Trollmando. A Commando Hero Mech harass-build sent in by e-mail. The Death’s Knell build utilises all four energy hard points which are specific to this Hero Mech. It is not the strongest against other Lights, because it lacks the usual missiles and ECM. This build is more of a harasser aka pain in the a*s. For more information on how to play this build, check the Hints-Playstyle section below.

The above build has a BAP built-in for additional support while brawling and harassing. If you don’t think you need the Beagle Active Probe, go for the second build. It uses the additional tons to use a larger engine. This will make you slightly faster and improve your heat efficiency due to the extra engine heat sinks. Adding an AMS is also possible but you would end up with spare tons and less cooling.

• It is highly recommended turning arm-lock off. All your weapons are in the arms, and one would waste agility in leaving it enabled.
• If you have incoming missiles, run away. You are fast enough to get into cover easily, and you should because the Death’s Knell lacks ECM and AMS.
• Try to draw heavier Mechs away from the main fight. Ideally, they spend a lot of time chasing you down, at which point you make your escape.
• Be mindful of enemy Light and Medium ‘Mechs. A Raven with ECM and StreakSRM2s will destroy you. If you are entangled with enemy Light Mechs, flee and group up with other Lights from your team.
• Use your superior speed to bounce between the battles. Try to shoot enemy heavies and assaults in the back. Once they notice you, back off and look for another place to harass.

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Ilya Muromets (Cataphract Hero Mech) 3x UAC5 Guide

With the recent buff to UltraAC5s, this build has become even more fearsome than it was before. An Ilya Muromets armed with 3x UAC5s, and 2x Medium Laser is a beast. This Cataphract destroys Assault Mechs in seconds. You will have no trouble at all melting through the center torsos of your enemies, hence the nickname “Chainsaw”. The build is reasonably heat efficient and has enough ammo to pump out more than 1,000 damage per match. The only downside is your exposed front, carrying an XL-engine.

The first version of the build is the most offensive one. This is the maximum possible amount of ammo you can carry. Kaffeangst, myself, and other friends of mine are running this version to great success. 7 kills and 800 damage are no rare sight. However, this version of the Ilya Muromets Chainsaw build is not suited for absolute beginners. If you are new to the game or ballistic heavy builds, I do not recommend this version. You have to know what you are doing at all times and a reasonable level of teamwork, reflexes, and aiming is required.

If you would like to play this build in more of a support role or a newer player, use the following version. It trades some ammo for a larger engine and the addition of AMS. The increased movement speed and the Anti-Missile-System allow you to make more mistakes and support your team, even if you are not destroying Mechs fulltime. Use this build if you see yourself more like a 2nd line of fire guy which sticks behind the large team and assists as necessary.

• Cataphract plus XL-engine is problematic. If you are eating carefully aimed sniper shoots, LRMs, or high frontal damage, you are done for. Whenever you are being hit by anything mentioned here, get to cover. Do not return fire. Also do not make the mistake to peak around the same corner a few seconds later. You will die a quick but horrible death and be no good to your team, because all that sweet ammo is smoldering in your corpse.
• Since your weapons are firing from a very low point, you must expose yourself almost completely in order to fire properly. That being sad, you should always try to flank the enemy or fire at enemies who do not or can not return fire. The two Medium Lasers are mounted a bit higher, so when in doubt, use your lasers first.
• Weapon grouping advice: 1) All three UltraAC5s 2) Both Medium Lasers. In addition, you can create weapon groups for chain firing the UAC5s, only the arm-mounted ones, or a group for left and right UACs to fire around corners without wasting ammo.
• Ammo is precious and UltraAC5 ammo weighs a lot. Make every shoot count. If you are unsure whether or not you will hit the target, do not fire or use your lasers.
• UltraAC5s are excellent weapons to scare off enemies. However, you want to kill enemies. If you can flank or sneak up on an enemy, wait until you have a clear shoot and hold that trigger down. Early hits will waste ammo and your opponent has more time to react.
• Preferred control options are disabled arm-lock and holding down the weapon group which contains all three of your UltraAC5s. Only use the lasers on colder maps or if you are unsure you can hit properly.

If you are looking for a macro which prevents your UltraAC/5s from jamming, check out our guide on how to setup Fire Control.

Here is a screenshot of what an average round can look like for you soon.

 

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Hunchback 4G/4H AC/20 Working Brawler Guide

The Hunchback is a very cool chassis. However, many people don’t like it (or struggle while playing), because the hunch, the Hunchback’s signature side torso is such a vulnerable part. The hunch usually holds most of the important weapons and will always be focused down by enemies. This Hunchback brawler guide will show you how to make your hunch less vulnerable enabling a skilled pilot to dish out unseen amounts of damage. The build is centered around an AC/20 and is complemented by lasers. The Hunchback brawler load-out is brought to you by Reslin and was posted in the mwo-builds.net looking-for-builds thread in the official forums. Reslin also wrote a more in-depth guide about several Hunchback variants. Check them out and give him a thumbs up.

Because it is one of the most crucial things about this Hunchback brawler build, I want to point it out first: Pay close attention to the armor allocation on the builds! The hunch has only 2 rear armor and everything else on the front side. Such a distribution will greatly increase your effectiveness on the battlefield. The hunch’s rear torso will almost never get hit, thus, most points of armor should be at the front.

A similar load-out can be done with the HBK-4H, as well. This particular version of the Hunchback brawler build utilises the additional energy slots in the hunch. If you don’t like the reduced range of the small lasers, just go with the 4G build above. However, the small lasers increase the maximum possible alpha strike slightly.

• Pay close attention to the armor allocation on the load-outs. If you are off by only a few points, it will greatly diminish your survivability on the battlefield.
• Always stay in motion. If you stand still or overheat, you are toast.
• If you are eating damage and can’t easily return fire, turn your upper torso to protect it and head for cover.
• Your AC/20 is your main weapon. Try to always hit perfect shots on cooldown. If you are unsure that you can place your shot, don’t shoot.
• Try to focus all lasers on the same component to incapacitate and down enemies fast.
• Weapon grouping hints for first load-out: 1) AC/20 2) All Lasers.
• Weapon grouping hints for second load-out: 1) AC/20 2) All Medium Lasers 3) All Lasers.
• Do not use arm-lock with this build. It might help newer players to optimise pinpoint damage, but you are wasting a lot of the Hunchbacks’s excellent agility and run-by abilities.

 

The builds in this Hunchback guide were kindly provided by Reslin. He also wrote a more in-depth guide about the Hunchback chassis. Check it out and drop him a like.

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Atlas RS/RS(C) Classic Brawler Mini-Guide

This is just a minimalistic guide to quickly present another guide which is based on a suggestion in the current MWO forum’s build guide thread. If you have an excellent build yourself, post it in there and we will have a look at it! We read through all guides and post the best ones here. This load-out was originally proposed by DiePrimateDie in said thread. It is an Atlas-RS-build with a heavy emphasis on close range damage. Since the AS7-RS and the AS7-RS(C) have the same hardpoints, you can use this load-out on both variants. An AC/20 and two SRM6s make you an excellent brawler. Add to this four Medium Lasers and enough ammo and heat sinks to fire all of this at a constant rate, you can deal a crap-ton of damage at 270m range. If it is within range, it is dead. You alpha strike will rip through enemy Assaults and Heavies in seconds.

This build works with the RS and the Champion Mech variant RS(C). If you prefer the D-DC, check out this similar Atlas D-DC brawler builds overview.

•  This build is very heat efficient and carries a lot of ammo. Do not fear firing your weapons at all times. However, do not spam aimlessly. Especially the AC/20 hits should be targeted on critical parts of the enemy.
• If you encounter other heavy brawlers, focus fire their center torsos. Turn your upper body sideways, whenever you are not firing. You will be able to down an enemy Atlas without sustaining more than 20% armor.
• Move the larger chunk of your torso armor to the front parts. The stock distribution places too much emphasis on the rear. See the values in the Smurfy-link to get a rough idea of how these numbers should look like. Approximately 20 armor for the rear side torsos is enough. Center torso can even go as far as 100 upfront and 24 in the back.
• Weapon grouping advice: Weapon groups are completely up to you, but the following can serve as a field-proven starting point: 1) AC/20 2) All Medium Lasers 3) Both SRM6s 4) Alpha Strike aka all weapons you have (or bind alpha strike to a more accessible hotkey).
  

  I am not getting any money from PGI for showing their advertisements. I just didn’t find a better RS picture, yet :) However, Champion ‘Mechs are pretty good deals usually (bang for buck wise).

This build is based on a load-out proposed by DiePrimateDie in the official forums. Thanks again for that one.

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Blackjack 1X Brawler Build

We are constantly looking for the good builds through the official forums. Today we will have a look at another build brought to you by the community. A very fast Blackjack brawler build utilizing Medium Lasers. With this Blackjack 1X build you will be able to run as fast as most light Mechs and dish out considerable damage. Being able to fire six medium lasers almost without any heat issues makes this loadout a fearsome brawler. The Blackjack’s hardpoints allow the pilot to fire over cliffs and hills without exposing a lot of profile, similar to the Jagermech. If you can see it, you can kill it! For our avid readers who’s been asking if it’s safe to play real money online slots, you can click now right here to answer the questions.

Six Medium Lasers will make your enemies flee in terror. A lot of other builds have a comparable amount of lasers, but this Blackjack 1X build has enough double heat sinks to fire them constantly. The large engine provides excellent mobility, bringing your pain to wherever your team needs it. Read more at weboworld, have fun reading interesting things in there.

• Use your Blackjack’s high mounted weapons to shoot over cover without exposing too much of your chassis.
• This loadout is very heat efficient. For maximum continuous fire, consider carrying a cool shot consumables.
• The XL-engine provides you with a traveling speed of over 100kph. If you can’t win a fight, pick another one.
• Do not fear enemy SRM and AC carrying Mechs. The Blackjacks silhouette is very small and combined with the high movement speed you will be very hard to hit.

This build was kindly provided by Vulcan888. Check out the original post here.

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How to Build the most efficient Atlas D-DC SRM + AC/20 Brawler Loadouts

Everybody enjoys the Atlas D-DC. Everybody loves SRMs! Everybody craves for AC/20s. Everybody likes to have an ECM installed. Everybody wants to be on top of the score board. Well, maybe not everybody but most players will admit that most of these things are excellent toys to have fun with in Mechwarrior Online. I have a fair share of Atlas piloting experience myself and tried various builds. I also receive regular input from clan mates and real-life friends who pilot D-DCs themselves.

For a regular full guide, the author would rant on about how you must balance ammo position and tonnage. Armor on legs and engine size, etc etc. Not here. We played Atlas AS7-D-DCs for weeks and have come up with two of the most excellent builds. These builds are focussed on head-on close quarter combat. Long range weapons and PPCs are for sissies. Real pilots bring an AC/20 to the SRM brawl. 100t of death will ensure you eternal glory on the battlefield and the death curses of your enemies in the weeks to come.

We have come up with two very similar builds. The first one is faster, has more armor and an AMS installed. The second one skips on the defensive part in order to utilise bigger SRMs with more heat sinks. Thus, the second build runs a little bit slower and is more vulnerable, but has a slightly higher alpha strike and more sustained dps. Which of the two builds you’ll use is completely up to you. If you are a new to the game or the assault chassis in general, I personally recommend going with version #1. If you are already an experienced MWO player and know how to play, go with version #2.

Atlas D-DC Build version #1 – More Armor, better engine, and AMS

Atlas D-DC Build version #2 – Higher alpha strike, more sustained DPS.

If you want a more all-round build with more ranged weapons, but still stick with the D-DC and what makes it so strong, check out the Atlas D-DC juggernaut build guide.

• Your side-torsos are your most vulnerable part. You won’t die if you take some hits, but there is a high chance your most valuable weapons will be critted and destroyed. If you can not shoot, but are being shot at, turn your upper torso sideways. Your arms are sturdy as hell, and you won’t miss them once they are gone.
• If you are engaged in a brawl and running very hot, stop firing the medium lasers. Focus on perfectly hitting your AC/20 shots only. If the heat permits it, continue firing your SRMs.
• Weapon grouping tips: 1) AC/20 2) Medium Lasers 3) SRM6s 4) All weapons. This is one possible way to configure your weapon groups. However, do not bother with chain firing or other combinations. The loadout is pretty straight forward, and you should have these four intuitive groups set for maximum efficiency in hectic situations.
• Do not waste your SRM ammo on light Mechs. You will not hit them enough to make it worthwhile. Instead, use your medium lasers against their legs and fire AC/20 shots in their faces if you are sure you will hit them.

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Ilya Muromets (Cataphract Hero Mech) Dual Gauss Sniper Build

With the recent patch discouraging PPC and AC/20 boats, Cataphracts have been struggling to find new builds. If you are running you a 2X, you can build a brawler following this Cataphract 2X brawler guide. A more popular variant is the Ilya Muromets, the Hero Mech. A friend of mine at the Hell’s Black Aces Merc Corp showed me a build which has quickly become popular amongst competitive gamers. An Ilya Muromets build which is equipped with dual Gauss Rifles, Medium Lasers, and a Machine Gun. High alpha strikes, way above average dps and no heat issues what so ever make this Mech a fearsome opponent.

AMS + Machine Gun for critical hits and survivability

Higher movement speed version with AMS

Higher movement speed version without AMS but 3rd Medium Laser

•  Cataphract plus XL-engine makes you very susceptible to frontal damage. If you come under heavy LRM, AC or PPC fire from the front, take cover immediately or you will die in seconds.
• Always use your Gauss Rifles together. The pinpoint damage will make short work of what ever component you are targeting.
• When at close range, keep those Medium Lasers and the Machine Gun fire buttons held down! It is almost impossible to overheat with this build.
• Your damage output is easily focused on one point, and the damage per second at close surpasses most other builds currently in the game. If you are entangled in a brawl, keep firing all the time. Your enemies will most likely underestimate your firepower and only turn around, when it is already to late.

This build was brought to my attention by Smeg of the Hell’s Black Aces Merc Corp. Check out their web page!

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