After fighting with the 1D's hard points for some time, I think this is the best setup I've managed - http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=119&l=fb6bb58f43e56ee1cf596f6f567d2eed0c3a72f6 It packs a pretty good punch, has excellent heat efficiency and has good DPS. It lacks long range support, mostly because the arm hard points are too low-slung to be useful for sniping.
Tested this setup, works very well. I slightly modified it, cause i still prefer PPC. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=119&l=df1b90a3157e6bd13bc90382a581b4d470d2ace6 Use energy weapons to strip armor and then constantly fire LBX + MGS group to get MASSIVE crits.
If a mech is called "Battlemaster," it ought to be able to deal out some damage, right? That has not been my experience until now. Twigtech's build is the first one which has worked well for me so far. I group the right arm energy weapon to the right mouse button (I am still experimenting to see which high-power energy weapon is the best in that position), and I use it to edge around the corner and snipe or lay down suppression fire. The shotgun (left arm) is similarly grouped with the MGs to the left button (as they are all in left arm), and I can just hold that button down as I wade into my opponent, rocking them and critting them while generating little heat. The mediums are in the torso, grouped to the third button; these are used for alpha strikes and peeking over obstacles (they are positioned almost level with vision), and are also useful in case of limb loss and face huggers. Overall it makes good use of this mech's peculiarities. Well done, TwigTech!
The idea around this build is just an absolute immense amount of fun. Really. I tweaked a bit of it to better fit my playstyle, but your build has convinced me that the most fun way to play the Battlemaster is with a Standard Engine, up close and personal. My take: http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=119&l=b07d402a42f1962cc33afadd6f8071f10e2f640b The AMS can be dropped for an additional heatsink or two, or even to upgrade the LLas to a Large Pulse or PPC. The heat is still managable, and should you get up too high, just hold down your crit button until you cool off! My favorite part of this edit for it is the 60 shells of LBX ammo. Be wild and loose with your cannon.
I was about to post my latest build for the 1D - only to discover that you already posted the exact same loadout. Our builds only differ in their engines, as I wanted this one to be as fast as possible and therefore used a very big XL. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=119&l=a009126f23264ce362ad35b625e9297c44e49627 You've got to try this out, the maneuverability the XL386 grants is fantastic. This thing also ensures that you are able to engage quickly and additionally there aren't many mechs who can get away from you besides Mediums, Lights and some fast Heavies. [size=8pt]By the way, I especially bought the XL385 for this as it also is the biggest engine the VTRs and AWS-9M can mount. A friend of mine uses an XL400, MPLs instead of the MLs and no LBX (3x MG), but I didn't want to shell out for the XL400 without any alternative use for the engine. My weapon groups are exactly as Peregrine Plover describes them. Especially that combination of ballistics already proved to be pretty deadly close up. 5/5 from me, especially now that I know that a STD325 works as well with this shell. It's a great mech, and I will gladly provide some screenshots showing it's effectiveness when I am home this evening.
Well, I still don't like MGs and prefer the range-to-damage of a LLas, so, I stuck with the stock engine and added an extra ton of LBX ammo (to give some extra rounds to throw out at longer ranges) Requires Endo, but, stays more heat efficient. I'd actually love to be able to work the other two heat sinks into the engine to keep the lasers firing longer. This baby still gets a little warm up close. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=119&l=26777748174a776ff47d74fc66359a9c40ce8c69 Same essence of your build. I love it. Great way to run a BLR.
I've been struggling to find a nice build that worked for me. I am done! This was on the very first outing. My first encounter was with an Atlas that I was circle fighting the LBX to the right torso area and the constant machine gun fire must of been disorienting cause I walked away mostly yellow.
I use a modified version of this build in my Blurd, except I use FF and Endo to squeeze in a STD 350 (ups the HS in the CT to 4). Since the LB and MGs generate little to no heat, I've found 14 DHS to be be enough to handle 4 MLs and 1 ERLL. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=119&l=931e8f0d29717152cd4add578f5b9280bf4c1ce8 The LBX & MGs are crit-tastic in close (plenty of ammo to keep the trigger held down during a brawl) and the lasers can also bring the pain. Pretty quick for an assault and can take an absolute beating (almost full armor and an AMS) before going down. All in all, good stuff!
