Shadowhawk 2H (Project Phoenix Hero Mech) Juggernaut/Brawler Build

It seems that, in terms of actual combat effectiveness, the Shadowhawk is pulling ahead of the other Project Phoenix Mechs. This might change over time, as more and more builds are being figured out. However, at the moment Shadowhawks are destroying PUG matches on a regular basis. The Shadowhawk is the Project Phoenix’s Medium Mech weighing 55 tons. It has multiple hardpoints for every weapon type making it a very versatile Mech. Add Jump Jets to the mix, and you got a deadly and agile ninja, pacing around the battlefield, dishing out sick damage numbers. The damage is usually so high that a skilled Shadowhawk pilot with the right build must not fear a comparison with other Heavy and Assault pilots! This post will provide you with a rough outline of an allrounder build for the Shadowhawk 2H, the Project Phoenix Hero Mech variant.

Pay close attention to the armor distribution and emulate it to the point. Once you have some experience with the build you might want to adjust a couple points to your liking, but this allocation is already very polished and prooved its worthiness in a lot of battles. If you don’t have the engine lying around, you can also make this build work using an XL-300 (drop one UltraAC/5 ammo and increase armor on legs and left arm).

• Use your right arm as a shield. If you have incoming damage (especially ballistics or missiles of any kind), turn your upper torso quickly. Your shield arm has no armor on it, but it will still reduce the incoming damage greatly.
• At the beginning of matches and during long range stand-offs, use your UltraAC/5 to harass over great distances. It will wear down your opponent and, more importantly, scare him into cover.
• Your ER Large Laser should be constantly firing. Whenever you see a target popping up somewhere: shoot it! This will amount to high damage numbers at the end of the round and is very easy to do.
• The ammo distribution in this load-out puts a clear emphasis on extended use of the UltraAC/5. If you find yourself running out of StreakSRM2 ammo multiple times, exchange one ton of ballistics ammo for a second ton of StreakSRM2 ammo.
• This build is not considered to be an effective brawler. If you are entangled in close quarter fights, move a bit further away. Do not stop, do not engage. Keep firing your ER Large Laser and StreakSRM2s and get the hell out. You can dish out insane amounts of damage, but you can not take a lot.
• Weapon grouping advice: 1) UltraAC/5 2) ER Large Laser 3) Both StreakSRM2s 4) All weapons (optional)
• For modules use any combination of the following (in order of usefulness for random public games): Adv Seismic Sensor, Adv Sensor Range, Cool Shot 9 by 9, Faster Target Info Gathering, Artillery Strike.

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UltraAC/5 No-Jam Macro Tool Guide for Mechwarrior Online

Of all the weapons in Mechwarrior Online, only the UltraAC/5 have the unique mechanic of random jamming. Whenever you hold down the firing button or double click, the UAC/5 will release two shots resulting in double damage bursts. However, with a 20% chance, it will jam, rendering the weapon useless for 5 seconds.

Holding down the button (aka allowing double-shots and jamming) is actually a decrease in average damage per second (about 25% lower). But (very big but) if you are only fighting for less than 5 seconds, the potential burst and DPS is much higher.

Another advantage, besides increased sustained damage per second, is ammo conservation and reliability. Both excellent things to have on a weapon whose ammo is very heavy and has a random built-in jamming mechanic. The Ultra AC/5 is now much closer to the AC/5 in almost every respect. The additional ton and slot just buy you the ability to potentially burst. Especially your first shot becomes more powerful. This is useful for sniping, but the difference between the two weapons is not as big as it used to be.

If you don’t want your UltraAC/5s to jam, you have to restrain your trigger finger and only click precisely every 1.5 seconds. With a little practice, this is possible. However, there are also macros and tools which can help you with that. The remainder of this guide will show you where to get such a macro and how to set it up.

Macro Tool Installation and Setup

For this UltraAC/5 jamming macro guide we’ll be using ADHD – Fire Control by Clive (pilot name: evilC). It is a small tool which is already partially preconfigured for Mechwarrior Online. Check out his official page here and drop him a like. After all, he is providing free software for you. The tool is not that hard to set up, but if you are lazy or can’t get it to work, check out these few simple steps to get it all working.

1) Download the tool

Download the tool from his official site (direct link).

2) Unpack the zip file to a folder

Move it somewhere on your hard drive and create a desktop shortcut (right-click on the .exe-file and select Send to Desktop).

3) Start the program

Confirm any dialogues.

4) On the main-tab set the options as indicated in the screenshot

• Enter the weapon group containing all of your UltraAC/5s under Fire Sequence.
• Enter Fire Rate: 1500. If you have unlocked the Fast Fire efficiency, experiment with values around 1350.
• Side notes: You may need to add 4-5 to these values to account for lag. Keep in mind that the efficiency does not work while running Testing Grounds!
• Tick Limit Fire Rate.
• Ensure Weapon Toggle is set to None.

5) Set up bindings on the bindings-tab

• Tick Program Mode to be able to change settings.
• I would recommend setting all you UltraAC/5s to weapon group 1 in-game and then setting the Fire action to left mouse button (LButton).
• Ensure that Limit to Application is enabled and set to CryENGINE. This way, this tool will only work while Mechwarrior Online is running.
• Important: Untick Program Mode once you are done.

6) Own face!

If you have done everything right, you should be able to hold-down your mouse button and fire all your Ultra/AC5s without them ever jamming. You must have the tool running in order to work. Be careful if you are changing to a Mech which has something different set to its first weapon group. You might have to close the program (or set up an empty profile in Fire Control) to not mess with your ability to fire properly.

With Fire Control running, you can still click again to trigger the double-shot. If you are simply holding down the button, the macro tool will ensure that your weapons will not jam.

Credits

This tool was made by Clive aka evilC. If you like what you see here, go check out his official page and official forums thread and drop him a like or comment. The tool is free to use for every pilot, however, if you want to make a donation you can do so on his project page (side note: I do not know evilC personally and I don’t get any money from him).

Fire Control can handle many more things and has a lot more features which are not covered here. This guide is just meant to provide a quick-start into single-firing UltraAC/5s without any extra stuff messing up the guide. Check the project’s page or the official forums thread for more information on how to setup a TAG toggle button, work with chain-fire groups, change fire rate with the press of a button, and many more.

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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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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!

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