This is a build I came up with while thumbing through various engine sizes I had lying around. It was a combination of frustration and a desire for a palatable assault build that can take down pop-tarts effectively. Pros: Very high Damage Per Second (16.96 pinpoint DPS) [17.98 DPS elited] LONG Range Pinpoint Damage Twin PPC's allow for return fire on pop-tarts AC/2's are phenomenal for eliminating targets that wander in close and scaring opponents away The wall of 4 AC/2's on the left torso allows for 'damage roll' to protect the CT when in a head-on brawl Very mobile with XL350 (59.7 kph)[65.7 kph elited] that improves torso twist rates for great damage roll 28 Pinpoint damage is very effective at punishing stationary lights Capable of removing a side torso in about 5 or 6 seconds if you are careful Cons:Very high Heat Per Second (10.96 HPS) [11.91 HPS elited] Requires cover close for frequent cooling time between bursts Requires cover close for LRM defense Cool shots, Adv. Zoom, and Adv. Seismic Sensor is HIGHLY recommended AC/2 cockpit shake is obnoxious so always be ready to receive focus fire after a few brawls XL can be an issue when enemies sneak behind and know to shoot side torsos Fast mediums and lights working in pairs will be a problem Skirmishes should be kept below 12 seconds due to mass heat generation Not recommended for those without some heat discipline and Elite Cooling Efficiencies Group 1: AC/2's x4 Group 2: PPC Chain fire Group 3: PPC x2 Enjoy UPDATE 5/29: There is an incoming nerf to (U)AC/5's; (U)AC/5's will have their max range reduced the same way as the AC/2 has been reduced. Approximations suggest that a little past the AC/2's optimal range, about 900 m, (U)AC/5's will be dealing half damage to enemy mechs' at the release of the next patch. This may improve viability of AC/2 builds as well as Gauss builds now that the (U)AC/5 has been brought into line.
Sorry, but this is simply too hot to be effective. There's no way quad AC2 will kill a mech before you overheat, and if you add PPCs, those have even worse heat usage (1dmg/heat instead of 2dmg/heat). The max DPS is high for that moment but other builds for the 3E aren't far behind and cool down much faster or need less heat to deal that DPS. The amount of sitting around waiting to cool off you do can be read from the ammo value, 375 is what you use (and run out of) in a match for 2 AC2s but is equipped for twice the amount of autocannons here, so you're basically wasting 2 cannons of tonnage (12t) over the course of the game since you'll deal the same damage in the end. Combined with the problem that PPCs and AC2s have the same range in which they are effective and that people will twist their torso once they feel the autocannons (as long as they're smart), it will be very hard to make the damage from the AC2s really 'pinpoint' and kill anything before you overheat.
I actually really appreciate the feedback. I'd ask for raters to try the build anyway though even if it sounds lame. The thing is ammo reserves do deplete faster when there are more weapon systems. But the reason I have 4 AC/2's is to dispense a higher volume of rounds in a shorter period of time. There is no 'set in stone' amount of ammo that is required solely based off of a weapon system. Besides, Banshees suffer from CT damage when in long-duration fights anyway; the 3E suffers the most because of the front profile of the mech and its tendency to remain facing the target for so long to do damage. Any drawn out firefight ends up with a red popsicle for a CT. The appeal for this build is range, precision, burst damage, and repositioning power. I found greater success in finishing off opponents before they could retreat to cover because I could utilize all potential firepower at a comfortable range. The suppression effect of AC/2's and the speed of the 350xl provides a nice consistency in most matches.
It's true that you can spend the ammo quicker at one moment, but not to an extent where it's worth the huge downsides in weight and heat. You're even generating a little bit of ghost heat, firing more than 3 AC2s in the same alpha. If I really wanted to go I'd remove one AC2 or replace it with a UAC5 (I have the latter). Simply removing the 4th can give you more ammo and many more heatsinks. A build that has been tested and proven of course is the 3xAC5 + 2 PPC, which works mainly because the AC5s have better pinpoint (guaranteed 5 damage to one component per shot instead of 2 for a total of 15 instead of 8), longer cooldown (so you can twist your torso around a bit without losing too much DPS) and much less heat generation.
