Firebrand Destroyer (1x AC20, 1x PPC, 1x UAC5, XL255)

FIREBRAND-Destroyer



Destroyer
1 AC 20, 1 UAC5, 1 PPC, XL 255
5 tons AC20 ammo.
3 Tons UAC5 ammo.


Finally a Jager that can do it all! As all Jagers should be, it is first and foremost a sniper. What makes this Jager(FB) special is that it has both Ballistic and Energy hardpoints very high on the Mech for shooting over a ridge with minimal exposure. Jager S and DD variants use less versatile Ballistics on these high points, as opposed to the PPC you can use on the Firebrand which is the ultimate sniping weapon while also doing as much damage as an AC10 without the need for Ammo. All XL Jager builds must take advantage of the ability to snipe while hiding due to their inherent fragility(more on this later,) or you will find yourself frustrated and dead; over and over.

 

I'd like to hear how you'd make it a more pure sniper. Adding additional sniper weapons to the other arm messes up weapon convergence when leading, which is basically all you do while sniping. And an additional PPC creates too much heat even if you fill up with heat sinks. As for a purer brawler: JagerXL Brawlers is just code for bad player. A JagerXL cannot brawl more effectively than any other chassis set up to do so- setting one up as a pure brawler is counter productive and useless.

As for the Armor bit, its obvious you didn't look into the build too far. The armor as set is maxed on CT at 62 and maxed at 45 armor on the side Torso's. The armor sacrifices on this build come exclusively from the arms and legs for reasons that were explained very thoroughly in the OP.

So "to be honest," your suggestions do nothing to improve viability, and miss the fact that Torso armor is already maxed. It's not designed to do everything, it is the quintessential sniper with all sniper weapons one one arm to avoid convergence problems, endless sniper ammo because of the ERPPC, and suppression with UAC5.

The fact that it packs the AC/20 is what turns this from a simple sniper to something that is extremely dangerous up close- and can add a huge hit even at range(810) if the target is stationary- adding huge amounts of damage to an already vicious sniper set up.

Lastly, I'd hope you rate Mech builds based on their effectiveness. I have 3 Jagers fully elite'd and while I thought I explained what it is that makes this setup so special, I can say with my own subjective certainty that this is the most effective Jager out of thousands of combinations I've tried. So as you shallowly pick at the build, consider rating it on the fact that no other Jager build takes better advantage of what Jagers are good at as this build for the FB Variant. Very few builds consider the Convergence problem, have no problems with heat, and are as effective at both long and short ranges. No XL build is more durable, for reasons that were explained above and apparently ignored.

If for nothing else than the synergy, speed, cooling efficiency, understanding of limitations, consideration for advanced mechanics and fire power of the Mech, it deserves a high rating.

For its effectiveness its deserves all 5 stars. Nevermind my actual kill ratios with it are 3:1, or 600 damage a game is ordinary. The reasons this build works is laid out so plainly that I didn't deem it necessary to allude to my own stats with it which could be attributed to player skill. The fact is, as much as I'd like to say otherwise, this build is easy to play and its performance is more a result of the setup than how well I push the left or right click.

I'm sorry if this comes across as trite, but it is difficult to put so much effort, thought, research and experimentation into something and have it dismissed with unthought-out criticisms that are so empty and degrading because of "a personal twitch." If you rated it at least 4, perhaps my reaction is out of line, but you didn't include how you rated it, only that it was unfortunate that half the rating had to be for the Mech.

 

Why do you not mention that your armor criticism was not valid. You suggested upping armor on the Torso, which is already maxxed.

Second, lets discuss your Convergence comment: "The weapons convergence issue is a moot point for this mech, as your weapons have no minimum range. so no argument there."

I believe you misunderstand the Convergence problem, as I cannot figure out how the weapons not having a minimum range has any bearing on the discussion.

The convergence problem is this: When leading using weapons on both arms, the mech fires at the range your cursor is reading. Unfortunately when you are leading this is the ground in the background and not the actual mech and therefore is a much further range.

The problem therefore is your shots are converging behind the Mech, which is why when you lead at distance firing simultaneously with weapons on both arms, one shot will always miss. Additionally trying to figure out your lead is more difficult because the amount you need to lead is inconsistent between your 2 arms.
There are 3 ways to deal with this built into the game: 1, fire the arms independently. 2, Chain fire instead of Alpha. Neither of these solutions lend themselves to simplicity or sniping as either method will lower damage and complicate firing. The third way built into the game to ease the problem of convergence is the "Pinpoint" elite efficiency. This reduces the divergence(calculated initial separation when fired) of the weapons by 15%. This is of some but still minimal help. Finally you can just accept that your 2 shots are going to land differently and take solace in the fact that you can be less accurate but still have 1 shot land.

The best way however is to put the best 2 sniper weapons you can in the same arm, with synergies that cover the each others flaws. This eliminates the problem of convergence completely. Only the FB Variant can equip an ER PPC and UAC5 high mounted and in the same arm. They are a great marriage because they both have similar leads, huge overlaps in range, and are strong where the other is weak.

Now that that is out of the way, lets move on to your Gauss suggestion:
1) The Gauss is a ton heavier, eliminating at least 1 ton of ammo.
2) The Gauss does less damage anywhere inside of 810 range.
3) The Gauss requires a charge up to fire which is not conducive to ambush, or ledge sniping.
4) The Gauss has a very different lead from the other arm, making sniping moving targets with it a complete guess.

Still its not a terrible preference, but it does not add effectiveness and should not serve as an excuse to down rate(not that you necessarily need one for four stars, its just the way you phrased it that framed the Mech as a failure in your first post.)

I feel like you are speaking down to me, as if your opinion was of more inherent value with no necessity for explanation of your conclusions while make the effort to explain every intricacy of mine.

And while you brag about 100 games on a FB, I have played many more, 143 on FB, 116 on S. Not that I understand why this is even part of a discussion concerning build effectiveness but I feel like their must be some solution to how condescending you are being.

I will happily duel you FBvsFB, the game has gone a bit stale playing solo and I'm in need of group to stick with and if you need a game where I walk into your FB and 1 shot its side torso with 1 alpha as is the problem with all XLJagers I will happily do it if that is what you deem necessary to show a modicum of respect.

 

Thanks for posting that link, I completely missed what you meant by "50/10" but that makes much more sense. It is only a small change from 45/15, but I do understand the merit of that.

I can't play anymore this evening as my wife got home, but I will play some tonight and provide some screens. I do not consider myself a great player, it's just that the mech is really simple and easy to pilot compared to more complex weapon groups or epilepsy inducing lights.

I'm certain of my understanding of convergence. You're not going to notice the 2 that miss when you lead with 4 AC2's because 2 of them are going it hit and you'll think all 4 hit. To see it plainly you need to put 1 on each arm and try it, you'll notice only 1 hits on a lead of any distance even with pinpoint mastery unless the background is not much further away than the mech you are intending hit.
What makes the firebrand better to me is that you don't have to pile on tons of ammo for the ER PPC.

"It's just, I don't take your word that it is more effective than an AC20 Jager." I'm not certain what you mean by this, but I believe you mean 4xac5 on an S.
First, as discussed there is convergence on double arms. Don't take my word for it, check it out.
Second, the fire power is 35 vs 20.
Third, if your only hitting with 2 of your AC5's due to lead and convergence it is only doing 10 dmg, the same as 1 ER PPC hit, and 5 less than if the UAC5 hits.

Still, the 4xAC5 or even a 4xAC2 build, are very strong viable builds. The thing about this build is that it gets to have its cake and eat it too. It is as effective at range as 4xAC builds, requires less ammo- all while additionally packing an AC20 for anything inside 810 range.

I apologize for my over reaction, had I known you rated it 4 stars I wouldn't have been offended in the slightest, heh.

 

I attempted to add you to Flist, I do not have Teamspeak and even if I did I play when wife and kiddos are sleeping mostly so wouldn't be able to talk.

And yeh I didn't think you were actually suggesting dual ac20 as an effective build . At the same time it's sort of what a I love about this about this build, something as outrageous as dual ac20's only alpha's 5 higher. And the UAC sustains short bursts of steady dps to follow that up before it jams(which is something the smurfy doesn't seem to calculate as it gets same total for UAC5 vs AC5.)

 

I just checked it and didn't see anyone with your name in mech spec. At any rate no mic so hit me up in chat, i'm in channel.

 

ERPPC at 12 DHS? I run single ERPPC with 16+ DHS and still i have to wait ages for cooling down. Get some hot maps like Therma and you can't snipe very long.

The very low Arm/Leg.Armor frightens me. Especially because you have all your gunz in your Arms. If you get caught unluckily in a brawl you will often lose your whole firepower. If you say you never lost components before Sidetorso.Explosion, then you might be a lucky guy. But you must admit that it can happen and it's not wise to have low Armor on the parts with all your firepower. I played trillions of jagermech rounds and i do lose Arms sometimes. Some foe hits you from the side and kabooms goes your Arm. Sometimes you can't avoid surprise attacks from distance. About the legs - well there are skilled Lights-Pilots outside there, which specializes on legging enemies. Some Alphastrikes with multiple lasers and you are crippled. Won't happen often but can. You must be prepared for everything.

Biggest Problem i see in your build: Fighting fast Lights/Mediums could be a pain. Some Lasers would be fine.

Your "Solutions" are not viable, because dropping Heatsinks or Ammo is too big sacrifice.

I won't rate it until i have tested myself. But from my experience i can say it's not a competitive build.

My suggestion: simply play 20 random rounds and screenshot the final scores. If your average damage/kills score are exceptional high, let's say 500+/4+ then we can say it's a good build. That's how i test builds.

 

Please do test it, there must be some explanation for the variance in our description of the heat dissipation.

I believe it is because your builds likely have lasers which absolutely destroy your heat efficiency where as my build has none and so doesn't have to fight the heat of it. In game I have 38% efficiency and have never had a problem with overheat.

As for the armor, I agree that skilled light leggers would be a problem- though I haven't hit many. Regardless, you can drop down to 2 tons of AC20 ammo instead of 3 and Max out your armor on every slot. If the armor is worth it, it's worth it. And 2 tons ammo isn't too light of a load out, particularly when you have the ER PPC to fall back on. But I'd try it without it first and see how many times your problem is that your arms fell off(leaving you with JUST an AC/20 or JUST a UAC5 and ER PPC.) I have been legged twice, this is in over 100 games mind you- but both times where if they had gone for my torso they would have found just as much success: dueling with no team mates close enough to run to.

My kill ratio with the build is 3:1, typically 430 dmg/2kills- and I consider myself an unskilled player in a mech I found a sweet spot with. My Jenner for example I have a .4:1 kill ratio, .8:1 on my atlas.

So please, try it out and tell me if you have a problem with heat or my numbers don't match up. But I think you'll be too busy saying "that was fun!" once you try it, lol.

 

I will test your build later today after work and give you feedback thereafter. If it works with the Heat and the low Armor, i'll be the first one who support your concept.

I will also test it with the XL260 (from the JM6-DD) with much more Armor, if i get any problems with losing Arms too fast:

 

Thanks man, I think if you give it a fair shake you'll eventually fall in love. People like to rush into battle with Jagers but they are simply not that- especially with XL engines. They are way more fragile than other heavies, which is compensated by the amount of fire power they can put up high and thus avoid exposing themselves to much continuous damage. They are best used as snipers over looking the battle field, hidden, away from danger so they can lay their massive fire power down.

I played a few games with Vegere last night and while I didn't hit a 1k game to post; I did get a 623 game. Moreover my kill ratio remained in tact. He promised me 5 stars but as you see still 4 ~ . The kill ratio improved not because I was getting lots of kills, but because the play style allows you to stay so safe you don't die unless it comes down to you just being outnumbered.

For example in the 623 dmg game, I had 1 kill 9 assists. This is because you are sniping from outside the battle. You can't chase down a mech that is legged with no weapons but is on the other side of the map, so you're unlikely to get the killing blow even after bashing on it for 5 seconds with all firing groups. I finished with 89% on my mech and while getting few kills, 623 damage even spread over 10 mechs still averages to 62 damage done to each- the equivalent of 3 AC 20 hits to 10 mechs.

I've hit 1k on a few occasions, but even in those games where I am completely unmolested sniping at 1300ish range non stop with the UAC5/ER PPC I won't get more than 4 kills. What drives the kill ratio up for this mech is not neccesarily its lethality, but instead its survivability while being able to pot shot.
So if I only get limited kills my kill ratio goes up because I'm not dying.

Sometimes I'll get caught in sniper mode and suddenly notice my range finder says the target is inside 700 yards. The sudden destroyed component bonuses that come nearly every time you get to slip an AC20 shell into your sniping is endlessly gratifying for me.

Finally in fairness, I need to point out that until last night I was a purely pug player- which is probably why I developed such a safe play style. I learned the hard way that a lonely Jager is a dead Jager, a targeted XLJager without a ledge to disappear behind dies in seconds regardless of what you do with the armor(though the full Torso is still maxed in this build.) Combine this with the chaos of Pugs and you'll get a sense of why supporting from outside the danger of battle felt so natural once I got it rolling.

Anyway, just got home from work, TIME TO MECH.

 

IMO It's not so important to break 1K to prove the power of a build - can be a coincidence, e.g. fighting noobs. But a high average damage/kill score over all rounds can. As said 500+/4+ is my personal clue for a good build. A low Death rate is not significant, can also mean a very defensive gameplay, not contributing much to your team. But high Damage/Kill Scores do mean Teamcontribution!

as promised i will test this build after work in some hrs.. let's see what i can achieve

 

damn, server is down. was testing the build. Had 11 rounds and here are the results:

[table]
[tr]
[td]Damage[/td][td]Kills[/td][td]Assists[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]292[/td][td]1[/td][td]1[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]509[/td][td]3[/td][td]1[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]238[/td][td]0[/td][td]0[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]318[/td][td]2[/td][td]4[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]483[/td][td]1[/td][td]5[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]445[/td][td]0[/td][td]8[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]544[/td][td]2[/td][td]6[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]306[/td][td]1[/td][td]0[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]480[/td][td]2[/td][td]3[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]492[/td][td]2[/td][td]0[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]526[/td][td]3[/td][td]4[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Av.D.[/td][td]Av.K.[/td][td]Av.A.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]421[/td][td]1.55[/td][td]2.9[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Ok, let's come to my observations:

1. Armor @-20 Arms+Legs

In those 11 rounds i had 4 rounds where i lost one Arm, that's more than 1/3! Most times got hit by Counter-Snipers. Can't say if it happens more or less, if i would have more rounds, but it's close to the experience i generally have with the Jagermechs. But considering, that i usually run more aggressive Brawler-builds with my Jagermechs and for this build i kept distance to the enemies, it showed me that the chance to lose Arms with low Arms.Armor is quite high.
I didn't get legged, but 1/3 of the games i got RED on both legs though no leg-specialized Enemies attacked me. So imo you need to have luck to not lose one of your legs. "Hiding behind ridges all time" is not an argument to have low Leg-Armor, because you don't always have ridges to stay behind, especially if you want to follow your team instead staying at a fixed Sniperposition. Best Sniperrounds i had was on Therma at the Volcano-Center, where you directly find a stockade to stay behind. All City-Maps are bad for Ridge-Snipers, and they are quite 40-50% of the random draws.
[hr]

2. ERPPC @12DHS
The first shot i give on Therma gives me about 31% Heat Level. Cooling Speed is ok, allowing me to fire max.7 times nonstop until OH. Consider you come to Alphastrike at close Enemies, you can overheat very fast.
[hr]

3. AC20 @21 Bullets
Absolutely sufficient. In all those rounds i never got empty. The reason is simple - the AC20 is used as a Backup.Weapon for closing-up enemies. Due to defensive gameplay, i had fair to little chance to use the BFG. In some games i needed to go in to force the usage of the BFG to deal some more Damage scores.
[hr]

4. UAC5 @60 Bullets.
Absolutely sufficient, if you use it sparsely in combine-Fire with the ERPPC. Even for Cooling Down Situations it's fine, because with this Sniperbuild, i tried not to expose my Front to the Targets very long. Add the high Jam-Chance of the UAC5 and you hardly can empty the 2tons.
[hr]

5. Sniping with this build
ERPPC combined with UAC5 feels a bit strange, but it works. It feels strange, because the ERPPC is designed to Fire&Forget, while the UAC5 is designed to Hold&Suppress. Sometimes i really tended to keep firing the UAC5 at the targets, what i shouldn't, because of the necessity to avoid counterfire as good as possible. The Damage of both combined is not really high compared to Powersniperbuilds with 2xPPCs + xLLas or 2x Gauss etc.., so if you fuck some Powersnipers, they can fuck you first with their Powerblasts with 30+ Damage, while you deal only 15 Damage. Even 2xPPC-Snipers are superior at Long Range Firepower. The only good side of the Combo is, that you still can use the UAC5 at high Heatlevel. But if using a single UAC5 can be very annoying due to the high Jam-Chance.
[hr]

6. Defense/Brawling-Power
Well, half of the games either i got caught at Close Range or I seeked the Close Range Fight (because some solo enemies broke through our defense line and targeted me). The Defense/Brawling-Power is ok, considering you deal 35 Alpha-damage. Sometimes the UAC jammed, and i only had 30. Steady Alphafire can't be sustained very long due to the high Heatproduction. So either i got lucky and the attacking enemy was wounded already, or i needed to reposition very quickly to not get blasted away from a higher enemy-Alpha-Damage. You are right, if you say, that most deaths are by Sidetorso.Explosion instead Core. But even losing Arms in a close range brawl is also meaning you are as good as useless for the rest of the round. So really recommended to keep distance!
Fortunately i didn't meet professional Lights, but damn, it's really annoying to try hitting Lights with AC20, UAC and a ERPPC. Most times, i simply ignored them, because i didn't want to waste Bullets. I am better to hit them with Lasers and Streaks.
[hr]

Conlusion:
As Vergere said already, this build tries to be an Allrounder - can snipe, can brawl/defend a little, if needed. Compared to a true Sniperbuild with 20+ Snipe.Damage, it is inferior. Compared to a true Brawler it cannot survive long, but at least can dish out some good damage. Average damage as you can see is ok-ish, but not a real Blast compared to other Long Range Fighter builds. Of course there are some rounds, where you get lucky 500+ Damage, maybe even 600+ Damage, but should be the exceptional case. The Damage-Output & the Ammo is not really high enough to get more. Consider you hit with your Ballistics everytime at optimal range and empty your Ammo you deal 21x20 (420) + 60+5 (300) = 720 Damage. To break 1K-Damage, you need to deal additional 300+ Damage with your single ERPPC = 30 Hits at optimal Range.. Cut it to the half and you have a realistic average score at Top 500 as i could show in my testrounds. Prove me wrong if you have higher scores.
Other builds have much more Bullets to theoretically break 2k Damage or have some multiple Lasers, which can nonstop raise your score.
[hr]

Afterthought:
Since the Jams of the UAC are very annoying and you don't use it for Firesuppression, i recommend to replace it with a regular AC5 - same damage no jam but lighter!



I would suggest you to test this build also:



or if you prefer to run XL300 with lower Armor:



1. Higher Snipe-Damage than ERPPC+UAC5
2. Higher Defense-Power (against Lights)
3. Cool Efficiency is better if fired in Weapongroups: ERPPC + 2x AC5 @ 15 DHS, or 4x MLas + 2x AC5 @ 15 DHS. Only Alphastrikes produce more Heat over time (33 vs 22)
4. Higher Alphastrike (as Finisher)
5. Higher Armor on Arms/Legs

I still don't rate your concept, because not sure if i can give it 4 stars or only 3 stars. Got too little fieldtest-rounds.

 

Quickly:
First, I break 600 pretty reliably- I'll post screenie next chance I get and I told you the 38% cooling would be fine . I did over 600 twice last night in 5 games queing with 2 guys in the mech que(Vergere, Sai.)

I've also considered trading the UAC5 for AC5 but the DAKKA DAKKA appeals too much to me. Additionally I don't gain anything else by making the trade. The UAC5 is considered a better weapon because it is. Yeh the jams are annoying, but not bad enough to spoil the fun of suddenly pumping 5 shots down the snipe line or spamming it if you get caught in a fire fight.

The AC20 is your light neutralizer. The 3 tons of AC20 ammo allow you to miss quite a bit without much repricussion. Unlike usual AC20 usage, emptying your ammo on a light isn't as costly because of much ammo and "back up weapon." This is the same reason that I end up using it while sniping- doing less damage with it inside 800 yards is ok because the ammo is there to use. So try to take your time and hitting lights with the AC20 only gets easier. Whereas I used to be helpless in a light duel, one ac20 hit and the light will usually take off or lose a component. A second AC20 hit ends the duel. It feels weird at first spending ammo to miss a light but it's pretty much what your AC20 is there for- to shine in close or supplement mid range sniping. Add in an AC20 shell as often as possible while sniping and your dmg will jump quick.

If a pure sniper does 20 a hit, and I do 15, how do I justify 5 less dmg most often while sniping?
Double tap the UAC5 on the first shot to get your 20 dmg- back to equal footing.
The compromise is that the UAC5 does Jam so it's not 100% of the time just as effective as a 20 dmg sniper. But other basic 20 dmg snipers don't have an AC20 on their other arm and 82.2 KPH. If it is a compromise, it's a trade I would make 100% of the time... Getting your 20 dmg snipe off double tapping a UAC5- or using hotter weapons, or more ammo hungry set ups while additionally losing your AC 20. And all this is mute inside 800 yards since even at that range it adds in 10 damage- making your sniping alpha the 10 dmg from the AC20, the 10 dmg from the PPC and the 5 dmg from the UAC 5- adding up to 25 dmg inside 800 yards before calculating the double tap on the UAC for the additional 5. Double tapping the UAC5 also makes it just as much a fire and forget weapon as the ER PPC.

It's brawling power is also augmented by the UAC5. It's 35 alpha is effectively 40 when the UAC5 is unjammed and you can double tap. Again, admittedly the UAC5 loves jamming, but it's the compromise you make to most of the time be nearly as effective as Dual AC20's in close. Still you should avoid brawls whenever possible- I swear nothing pops as fast as a Jager with an XL in a fight. They got all the fire power you could stuff on a mech and nice high mounts- but none of the durability an atlas or even other heavy mechs have in a fight.

As for the lazer build you suggested: You trade my DAKKA and my AC20 for 4 lazers? All while lowering the cooling efficiency by 9% and lowering the speed 7Kph. First I find the cooling efficiency unacceptable- it is already difficult enough to keep the PPC on cool down at 38%. Second, I don't find losing the AC20 to be even a decent trade off- its absolutely build gutting. The lazers can't help snipe and ruin your ability to stay on your ER PPC. The AC20 can both bring situational Boom to your sniping and adds little ambient heat when not used. Never mind what it does in close.

Finally, I would like to thank you for giving the build a run and offering your insight. It does help me analyze my mech further which only improves my play with it and strengthens my understanding of why the build works so well for me. One thing I did change quite a bit after considering Vergere's take on the armor set is I switched the Torso splits to 70/10CT and 53/7 on side Torso. The improvement was noticeable and I don't mind being less durable from behind if it means my side torso is popping less from a medium lazer across the map... lol. So thanks again for taking the time to provide your input

 

I trade your UAC5+AC20 for 2x AC5 with no Jamming + 4x MLas + 3x extra Heatsinks. If you would have looked at the third suggestion you would have seen that it can run as fast as your build. Btw also higher Armor. So is it a bad trade?

I repeat it again for you:
ERPPC + 2x AC5 @15DHS >> ERPPC + UAC5 @12 DHS at 700+M. (Sniping)
2x AC5 + 4x MLas @15DHS (DPS) >> AC20 + UAC5 (Jam) @12DHS (Mid-Close Range)
ERPPC + 2x AC5 + 4x MLas (Alpha) >> ERPPC + AC20 + UAC5 (Alpha)

I told you already that firing in Weapongroups for different ranges Long/Mid/Close you deal a better DPS with my suggestion. But instead understanding the true effectiveness you simply argument on the lower smurfy cool efficiency (which refers to RAW Alphafiring!). You didn't even try the suggestion, right? This reaction shows me that you are an ignorant person totally fixed on his build. Ok, np for me. Don't listen to the tips of veteran players and be happy with your creation. GL&HF!!!


p.s. already seen that my suggested alternative has a tremendously higher Max DPS compared to yours though it has 9% lower smurfy cool efficiency? Can you imagine why? Think about it and last tip: try it out. You might experience a surprise in gameplay either as Sniper or in Defense Situations.

 

It's not an either/or situation. I can judge whether or not I like the trade you are suggesting without saying I don't see the merits in it. It just doesn't suit how I play and I don't despise the UAC5 like you do; either because I take advantage of double tapping it more often than you do- or because I play more cautious and jams are less critical for me.

I have absolutely NO affinity for Torso lazers at all- this may simply be a playstyle based preference but I don't want weapons that I'm unable to use 95% of the time because they are beneath a ridge line and hurt cooling efficiency .

As for you breakdowns:

ERPPC + 2x AC5 @15DHS >> ERPPC + UAC5 @12 DHS at 700+M. (Sniping)
Double tapping the UAC5 gives you the same 20 dmg snipe- though admittedly so, is not reliably happening, just most of the time. This is the sacrifice you're making for the AC20- which inside 800 meters blows the sniping question outta the water.
2x AC5 + 4x MLas @15DHS (DPS) >> AC20 + UAC5 (Jam) @12DHS (Mid-Close Range)
This would only be 2xMLas as I'm not willing to expose torso for the lasers. Also you are ignoing that that the ERPPC is just as effective at mid and close range and has no reason to be left out of the damage calculation. To me your comparison is actually 2xAC5 2xMlas vs AC20, UAC5(possible double tap,) and ER PPC. It's an easy choice for me.
ERPPC + 2x AC5 + 4x MLas (Alpha) >> ERPPC + AC20 + UAC5 (Alpha)
Once again your basing your alpha on Torso based dmg. But even ignoring that, your alpha is 40. My alpha s 35 +(5) if UAC% doesn't jam on the double tap.

Still I will try your configurations again, I've been through them before but I will give them another shot. Please don't be offended as I understand the merits of what your saying. And I also admit that the UAC while jammed is worse than any of your suggestions, it slices the other way as well, maybe you get 3 taps off before the jam, or at least get 2. It's a slight amount of inconsistency you are trading off to be able to keep the UAC 20 which devastates any of your builds firing over a ridge inside 800 yards.

Still, I understand if it is not for you, but calling me ignorant is assuming I don't see the bright sides of what you are saying. I may be subjectively judging the UAC5, but to me playing is completely unfun without both the UAC5 and AC20. So maybe you can show me a build that features them and improves upon what I've done?

I'm not totally fixed on anything, or closed minded. I genuinely appreciate your insight and will try it out even though I"m sure I've done it before as I just passed my 300th game in a Jager... lol. Still, the data you provided was extremely useful information, that does effect my decision going forward. But can't I accept all your data, make the judgement that I prefer what I'm doing without it meaning that I somehow resent you as an attack upon my loved one?

I believe so, and I think you do as well. Just relax, again I genuinely appreciate your effort, your presentation of data, and the insights this led me to- but I've got my own perspectives on it and data I believe is not being considered- like the UAC5 dbl tap- Or what is the true value versatility- or will that work behind a ledge(where I always am,) and how fragile I feel XL Jagers are even when fully armored. Thats what I think makes what I'm doing more appealing for me. Cheers mate.