Ideal sneaky sniper build?

Greetings fellow players,

I'm quite new to MWO, but i've already taken a liking to the lighter, faster mechs.
I'm currently running a Raven-3L with double ERLLas, and im having a lot of fun.
After browsing the forums a bit, im stuck with a question...I'm looking for a similar mech, with a bit more firepower, without losing too much mobility. Suggestions?

 

2ppc cicada 3m can be rather annoying.

 

I'd agree with cicada.

 

Problem with that though, is i will have serious problems killing anything moving at resonable speed. Dont suppose theres a build that runs 2x Gauss with decent speed?

 

There are a lot of Jagers running around with 2x Gauss as well as K2s. Be wary of XL engines though. Speaking from personal experience, if I'm running around in my SuperChicken 3L and I see a double gauss Jager I love to play "Pop goes the torso" and shoot out the side torsos, which is often times much easier than trying to bore through the CT.

One of my clan mates plays a 2x PPC Cicada 3M and swears by it. It isn't an easy machine to use (Cicada move weird, at least for me). You get the ECM, you get the PPCs and you get relatively decent speed. The trade off is an increased profile and hit boxes that just scream "take me out!!!"

 

Heck il give it a shot, il post back my findings once i played through a couple of games. See how it holds up against Raven-3L.

 

I believe the Raven-3L and Cicada-3M to be the best snipers in game. They are low weight, high speed, and ECM. I also believe that the most consistent and effective sniping weapon is the ER Large Laser. Because it is a beam weapon, it hits exactly where you aim instantaneously so you don't have to worry about the flight time and hit-registration of pin-point weapons like the PPC. With a steady hand and practice with advanced zoom, you can focus that beam weapon onto a single component. All it takes is a little more focus and exposure.

Raven-3L benefits from ECM, small weight class, small hitboxes and profile. The downside is that the mech is pretty hot while continuously firing the 2 ERLLas.

Cicade-3M benefits from ECM and more tonnage to spare on DHS, a third ERLLas, or "upgrade" to 2x PPCs. I would still favor 2 ERLLas on the 3M because it can operate much cooler than the 3L. The downside is the mech has a much larger profile and hitboxes. It is substantially less survivable at ~700m compared to the raven-3L.

However, the best counter-sniper to a 3M and a 3L is a dual (or triple) gauss mech like the Catapult K2, Jager, or Cataphract. Their ballistic gauss rifle moves fast enough and far enough to deal substantial damage if you pause for even a second to fire that beam weapon with accuracy. Speaking from experience in the triple gauss Ilya Muromets, I go for the ERLLas snipers ASAP because they are one of my biggest threats (being so low armored). They are pretty fun to watch explode on a regular basis too...

So just be aware that even though you have a dominate sniping build in your 3L or 3M, attention from gauss rifle mechs can really ruin your match, so focus on them first, or at least take out their gauss rifles.

 

I tried to see if a Gauss+PPC/LLas+ECM build was possible.

I would say not really; probably only roughly as viable as double PPC spiders. This was purely an exercise in mech-brainstorming.

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=36&l=950d098af61c53f6491add8dab90a55f794b86af

ERLLas attempt:
http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=36&l=fd28551c72454861c1718f7e699eb2eed64b7578

Single DHS attempt:
http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=36&l=58ba0bd6bb0da32ea16116b95fbb8ae611ed4508

 

One advantage of the 3L not mentioned is how high the energy ports are so you can just peep and fire while staying mostly in cover.

Personally I hate both the 3L dual ERLL and the Cicada 3M dual PPC but I'm usually in a slow mech with the way the game is atm.

One thing is the dual PPC build works superbly when paired with similar lance mates, whereas the dual ER LL is more a soloers or support fit. IMO of course!

 

I would agree with this, especially through a high speed turn.... it's like the center of gravity is.... off or sumthin.

 

I personally favor Solahma's "Long Shot" design. IMO this is the most "sneaky" sniper design since the Gauss round is virtually invisible and there's no weapon "trail" back to the source. I can usually go an entire match without being spotted in that mech.

 

It certainly is fun, just not very effective I found. Haven't played that in a LONG time

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=36&l=2996ac2065e7379006e42e17f35ee0f197bfbe1b

 

Is there a hero mech that would be any decent setting up for a sniper build?

 

The Ilya Muromets is the only mech that can take 3 gauss rifles... Other than that, I don't think any Hero mech has an advantage for sniper builds... Firebrand can take 2 Gauss rifles... smaller mechs don't really have a hero mech that excels as a sniper.

 

The Jester and K2 are not small mechs but they can put on a fair bit of speed while still be heavily armed with serious range weaponry.

I'm pretty partial to the K2 with dual ERPPC's and a single Gauss rifle, (apart from a tripple Gauss or quad ERPPC build) I believe it's the most direct fire damage I'm running currently at a kilometres range.

A Cicada toting a Gauss and ECM is pretty wicked, Sol.

 

I tried the Cicada-3M gauss build, but found that the 40 gauss ammo wasn't enough for me

 

I know you guys have said Raven and Cicada, but just for fun, I threw this together with random stuff I had (Don't ask why I had an XL245, I wasn't smart with my money in the past...)

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=52&l=290695d0ea6172e4b48b90ca238cc0fd83555ccd

It gives you your ERLLs, decent speed, ECM, and a jumpjet for added mobility. Both weapons are in your right arm, so you have to keep that in mind (protect your right arm like crazy). You could stick one ERLL in the CT if you wanted to have a backup when your arm gets blown off, but it would make sniping a little harder, plus, I have rarely ever had my arm blown off in a spider.

Just thought I'd post a new idea, don't know how it holds up in practice. So far I've done okay with it, average 2ish kills per match. Keep in mind, however, that if you want to master spiders, you will have to work with the 5V variant, which is interesting to say the least.

Good luck!

 

The spider 5V does make a good ..... UAV replacement.

 

Or super base thief. Trust me, theya re quite fun to use in Conquest... you can hardly ever catch them.

 

A sneaky sniper need not be fast- only surprising and in a position where retaliation is unlikely!

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=81&l=7f02d28cf296e29769ad028a76a054d5637db28e

This Firebrand is especially effective at "sniping". All that's required is proper management of your exposure, timing of the gauss shots, and a good sense on how to spend your relatively small amount of ammo.

It does carry sub-par numbers of armor, but you have more than enough in the front, and it's surprising how infrequently you're shot in the rear with good positioning.

You have all guns up high in the arms, and peeking the 40-pt alpha is a synch. What's great is that you're effective at *any* range! Point-blank can be troublesome until you get the hang of the charge-up, but even light mechs possess decreased radial movement up close, which gives you an advantage once you're able to make those shots.

And a 40-pt hit on a light mech... I like to think I'm a good pilot, and often I find that lights constitute half of my kills in a match. Like Solahma is saying, Gauss rifles wreck the little guys, and this Firebrand also packs an ERPPC to the punch! Play your cards right (that is, only use the Gauss when you can hit for full damage or the target is an immobile light within 1000m), and this thing is king. Or at least major peerage.

Playing conservatively early on in order to play harder late game is an excellent strategy, as your precise application of damage will prove instantly lethal to most damaged mechs. You can give them something to think about...