So the mech I've spent the most time in game with is the 9M... but lately I've been kind of down on it. I've struggled to find just the "right" fit for it, and then kind of fell into this one. I call it the "Toaster" - for fairly obvious reasons. This thing puts out a TON of heat - but it's really pretty manageable. The quad LL is used to tear stuff up until you're close to your heat cap. The ML and SRM4 are for plinking away till it's back down to a workable level (as you chain fire the LLs as well).
You've packed this 'mech pretty tight, I don't see much room for improvement. The SRM4 seems like an afterthought (Especially in a 2-tube launcher), but I'm having a hard time coming up with an alternative to it.
The SRM4 (and the ML for that matter) are really only there for 2 reasons. One is to give just a little more punch when things get up in your grill. It's not the place you want to be with an XL mech - but it happens. And when it does, every little bit of damage you can drop in those first 4-5 seconds is a plus. If you core an opponent before he cores you, he's almost invariably going to 'turn' or go defensive... and then it's "game over". The second reason is that it gives you a second weapon group when you're chain firing to fill in with. It's that little extra DPS when you need it... but clearly they're not essential or the "keys" to the build. In fact, to be dead-honest, the SRM4 almost never survives a full game intact for me anyways. I use the left arm to shield myself and soak damage - and that usually leads to having it blown off at one point or another... It does help though, and I'm pretty happy with keeping it there vs. leaving the hardpoint empty - or spending the tonnage on armor, 2kph, etc...
