While I was thinking about which type I'd buy for my 3rd Cicada I came across the CDA-3C ... seemed this little frame could pack some firepower. Inspired by the 40T Jager I tried to make something with good firepower across all ranges, and enough speed to move across large maps. I've been playing it a bit and it is a fun boat to drive - it even raised the curiosity of a spectator which was a first ^^ so I thought I'd share it. This is it, the Arrancar (I name all of my Mechs after Anime Characters, sue me) It can cap - as a matter of fact I had to cap more with it than I originally intended. It's fast enough to run back to base if some light mech is trying to capture, and drive him out of the capping ring. You can squezze off 2-3 alphas before you have to watch the heat, that's a tap on the shoulder noone is going to ignore. But I think the role suited best for it is supporter/harrasser. Stick with the Atlas, shoot what they shoot and watch the opposition melt away quickly. Finishing off a cored enemy also always a prospect. I also tried to follow the cappers on small maps like river city if they make a grab for a difficult spot (like Theta, which is almost always contested). Some long range firepower can make the opposition dodge the bullets long enough for the cappers to get in, cap, and get out. So I'm quiet happy with it. It will perform well as long as you remember that you're not a light hunter - there are builds and other Cicadas that are better suited in that role. You're a little light on armor to duke it out with medium brawlers like Trebs or Centurions, but if they don't get the drop on you then you can pelt them from a distance before they get into effective range. Everything bigger you should be able to outrun, loose targetting, then reengage from a different angle.
as pointed out, LRMs ruin your day, but who would fire lrms at the CDA next to a AS? Fills the roll of the weight up punching CDAs I love. you can get Ferro just to add more armor if you want, you have the slots to do so.
Some compromise for long range harasser... I tryed this build, but my average damage was not so good... 200-750 max, lower numbers mostly...
