So this is a build I thought of and like a lot, aesthetically and gameplay-wise. It's so powerful it broke Smurfy who claims it does 144 dps. It doesn't (obviously). Simple premise: 2RAC5 boat Advanced tactics: 2SL for backup (optional, can be extra ammo or TC) Masterful execution: 4RL15 for sudden burst damage kills. STD engine for a budget build version: XL engine for the edgelords in 2018 (and later):
Replaced spl and rl with srm, to stave off lights, finish fight, mess up components, and to fire when jammed
I considered to build it with SRMs instead of RL, but decided not to. SRMs are much heavier. SRM range is pitiful, about half that of rockets. You need to fire 7 volleys of SRM to get the same damage output as the RLs. That's at least 18 seconds of close range fighting vs 0. Using all missile hardpoints with a big ballistic in between looks hella sick on an arm. My playstyle is as a simple dual RAC5 boat. I'll save my rockets until a critical moment when I can't be sure of sustained damage to do the job. For example, finish/open a poking mech, or to delete a mech that tries to get in brawling range. It's nice to be able to do that up to a range that coincides with my RACs. When firing I have to keep looking at the target so when my RACs jam I will hide/twist torso and cool down because I'm not able to do that at other times. The 2xSL are more of an afterthought. Some people really dislike bringing no backup weapons so I threw them in there because it's possible and occasionally useful to deter facehuggers while waiting for my RACs to come online again. Otherwise, they can finish components that are opened by a ~75m rocket shot. I feel that SRMs cost way too much tonnage for this mech to make use of them. Because of the limited range, their role is confined to deterring mechs that get close (while your RACs jam), or it means you'll have to get closer than a RACboat would want to. The burst damage they pack is really underwhelming if a mech does eventually get close, a quick volley of rockets does more to open them up and scare them off, and can be used from further away giving you more room to reposition yourself. The fact that they need sustained fire in a suboptimal range to be as effective as the RLs means enemies get more time to kill you to and by firing weapons you are not twisting your damage as effectively as you would without them. TL;DR: While SRMs give you sustained close range bursts and eventually more damage than rockets, their burst and range are too low to supplement the RAC-with-burst playstyle.
