20 questions: new tech and weapons, asked by a long-time absentee

Light builds are the one that changed the least... (XL engine is still a must... "Gotta go fast!")
Light Engine are more and more common on heavies and assaults, on medium mech it depends on build, range and so on.
Always check how many free slots you have: light ferro fibrous occupies only 7 slots and could be a nice touch / addition.

Old "LPL + ML" builds should be replaced at least with "LPL + ERML", prioritising ERML over LPL... This also applies on any non-brawler build: ERML are sooo good on IS mechs.
Heavy clan mech with vomit laser build should swap LPL with HLL or ERLL, and swap SPL with HSL or HML
Light hunters could / should swap Streaks for ATMs and Tags with Light tags.

Maybe there is something else...

 

What did they do to LPLs to nerf them so bad?

What makes ERMLs better than MLs?

Why are ATMs so much better than SSRMs? I thought the minimum range would be a bad thing for a light hunter.

 

ERLL: 4 tons, 11 dmg, 1.35 s duration, 4s cooldown, 740m - 1480m range, 10.8 heat, 2.06 dps, 2.02 hps
HLL: 4 tons, 18 dmg, 1.55s duration, 5.75s cooldown, 450m - 900m range, 16 heat, 2.47 dps, 2.19 hps
LPL: 6 tons, 12 dmg, 1.09s duration, 3.2s cooldown, 600m - 780m range, 10 heat, 2.8 dps, 2.33 hps

On the long run you are cooler with 2xHLL + 4 DHS than with 2xLPL, plus you get a higher alpha strike, despite the duration and cooldown...
Plus, LPL has nearly same duration compared to ERLL, worse maximum range and nearly same heat... Unless you really love the shorter duration and cooldown, stat wise there is little to no point to use a LPL over a ERLL or a HLL... Personally I choose to fit LPL due to lack of slots or due to tons to spare (or both), for example on the good old MAD-IIC (2xLPL, 6xcERML, TC2, cXL375)

ML: 1 ton, 5 dmg, 0.9 s duration, 3.5 s cooldown, 270 m - 540 m range, 3.4 heat, 1.14 dps, 0.77 hps
ERML: 1 ton, 5 dmg, 0.9 s duration, 4 s cooldown, 360 m - 720 m range, 4.5 heat, 1.02 dps, 0.92 hps

IS ERML have 360 meters range instead of 270, but lower cooldown and greater heat. ERML also have almost the same range of LPL (365 m), so they pair perfectly on "classic" vomit laser builds.

IS LPL have similar issues to clan LPL: despite "better" stats compared to non-ER LL (especially dps over hps), a single ERML achieve half damage with similar performance with 6 tons less! There is literally no point to fit a LPL if not for alpha strike or burst (not sustained) DPS.

It actually depends on your positioning, speed and torso yaw: for example, a stormcrow is really fast, has excelent torso yaw and lower actuators, so you can actually keep you range and rain ATMs on your foes.
ATMs are very situational and are not meant for the classic "brawl", so because the current meta is "high-alpha and hide" and they can deal an awesome amount of damage, you should work on positioning and anticipate enemy plans rather than pure brawl skills. Huntsman and Stormcrow with ATMs have become classic ATM poptart / ambushers (even the hunchback IIC to some extent).

2 x ATM12 * 3 dmg = 72 damage to mostly CT and legs are a nightmare for anything below medium weight.

 

I better clarify my statements.

Clan LPL (cLPL) has been nerfed, IS LPL has not.
You should fit cHLL over LPL if you have little ton to spare and enough room to fit them (e.g.: meta Hellbringer 2xcHLL + 5xcERML), because you can take advantage of the better cooling and similar DPS / HPS. On thight builds, cLPL can be viable, despite NOT being optimal or as efficient as HLL in high-alpha / vomit laser builds. If slots are an issue, ERLL could still be preferable over LPL due to similar stats proven that you are skillfull enough to pinpoint a component despite the slightly longer duration.

Given enough energy hardpoints, IS ERML will win over IS LPL all day long. Unless you really love DPS / short duration / low heat, ERML are the way to go for pokers.
In fact, both my heavy gauss annihilator and mauler fits non-ER ML, but any other vomit laser / hybrid / gauss vomit build (e.g.: Warhammer 2xGauss + 4xERML, Black Knight / Warhammer 6xERML + 3xLL) fits ERML for the advantage of increased range and standard LL for less tonnage usage and additional cooling... Which in turn means more damage when firing over optimal range, for example at ~450-500 meters, clanner's vomit laser range...

These are the reasons why you rarely see cLPL and LPL in faction play, unless the mech used has some "fitting" issues, like lack of hardpoints or tonnage.

 

I always considered an LPL as a way to get 2xML in a platform where you only had 1x energy hardpoint. For example, if you take a Stalker with 4 energy hardpoints in the arms, you can't do 8xML, so you do 4xLPL. This thinking changed a little bit when pulse lasers got buffed a few years ago, but has still kind of stuck with me.

So ATMs track CT like SSRMs used to?

 

On a side note, unluckily Stalker is now obsolete: it has been taken over by the Battlemaster (the one with energy range bonus and the one with heat generation bonus).

ATMs track mostly the lower part of the mech, so if the target is moving they tend to focus mostly legs. I can't tell how much better or worse compared to Streaks because I rarely used both because I rarely liked the "point in general direction of target" style.

 

The high arms of the STK are not replaced by the Battlemaster.

 

I would argue that whatever is their height over the cockpit, it is actually pointless because no matter what you can't shoot at someone without seeing him, so IMHO it is better to have 6 hardpoints over the cockpit than 4 very high and 2 below the cockpit.

Plus, quirks: Stalker quirks have changed as well as Battlemaster. I can't tell you exactly how much.

 

It's not just about the position above the cockpit, but the fact they are arms, which means they can more easily shoot up and down hills, shoot UAVs, etc.

 

Fair point, but valid mostly in quickplay... I use the battlemaster in FP as a 850+ meter ERLL sniper.

 

QP is most of what I do, especially when I work 14 hour days.

While we're on the subject of hardpoint locations, is there a master list of Mechs with favorable locations?

 

I don't think so, but I guess it could be a valid guide for newcomers.

Right now, the mechs with the best hardpoints I could think of are:

• IS light:
  • locust
  • osiris
  • wolfhound (actually low, the only "high" are mounted on the torsoes, but are manageable)
• IS medium:
  • Blackjack (IMHO only the ERPPC variant is actually worth it compared to other mechs and variants)
  • bushwacker
  • uziel (too squishy IMHO)
  • assassin (only the torsoes)
  • hunchback (only the right torso and head laser)
  • shadow hawk (only the left torso)
• IS heavy:
  • warhammer
  • rifleman
  • grasshopper (need to waste 1 hardpoint per side torso)
  • marauder (ballistic excelent, lasers on arms low)
• IS assault:
  • Banshee (need to waste 1 hardpoint per side torso)
  • Battlemaster

• Clan light:
  • Purifier (kit fox, only the side torsoes)
  • Artic cheetah (ERLL on side torsoes)
• Clan Medium:
  • Hunchback IIC
  • Huntsman
  • Shadow cat
  • Stormcrow (not really high, but they are at the same height of your cockpit)
• Clan heavy:
  • Summoner (2xERPPC nipples poptart)
  • Hellbringer (below cockpit, but very manageable)
  • Ebon Jaguar (not very common anymore, but still valid)
  • Sun Spider (squishy, not sure if worth it in FP, never actually bothered to skill ATM)
  • Night Gyr (? not sure if used for hardpoint location or only for the heat quirk)
• Clan Assault:
  • Kodiak (uncommon, no more king of the assaults)
  • Mad Cat mkII (new meta, some hardpoint are below cockpit but manageables)
  • Marauder (kinda squishy, but still common due to good tonnage in FP)

Please not that I'm not taking into account other excelent mechs like the Annihilator (extremely tanky and with nice quirks), the warhawk (WHK-Prime w/ 4xERPPC is still excelent) or the Super Nova (6 or 8 xERLL sniper build).

 

To be clear, mechs with humanoid arms, but high torso hardpoints (like Marauder) are fine, too.

I'm mainly trying to avoid the mechs with super low torso hardpoints.

 

If you've been gone over a year, there's one aspect of building mechs that's changed majorly: Engine desync. Engine rating used to determine turn speed, acceleration, deceleration, and torso speed in addition to max speed. This is no longer the case. Just something to consider, especially when looking at older builds.