Casual ACW-P "SPITFIRE" (2xATM9, 2xSPL, ECM, 3xJJ)

5/5,

1 rating

Sneaky!



I'd run ERSL and a light tag, the tag really helps with the lock-on and spread capabilities of your ATMs. The ERSL are just an option to mount 1.5t of lasers without sacrificing armor or ammo. The increased range is also very nice (and clan small pulse lasers have been nerfed into the ground since energy rebalance)

 

While the ACW-1 battlemech is capable of becoming a very fast splat build, I think this is the most useful configuration/playstyle for an omnimech ACW. The ECM protection helps to get your ATMs on point, and most people will consider the ECM from a hellbringer or kit fox first before they realize it's that pesky arctic wolf (I know I would).

 

Correcting you, because you told me so

TAG improves lock time and spread by 25% while held on the target. This is on top of the inherent lock time and spread reduction from having a direct line-of-sight (also works with LRMs, but is more common with ATMs), meaning its effects aren't as apparent until you're in a close range situation. Stacks with NARC or Artemis (ATMs are inherently Artemis launchers) but it can be tricky to keep TAG on targets and keep these bonuses.

A secondary function is that TAG disables ECM on the target mech. ECM no longer increases lock time when in line-of-sight the way it used to, but still has sensor range reduction (you can only target and lock onto an ECM mech from shorter ranges) and it may be a boon to teammates with lock-on that don't have direct sight of the target. This also means you don't need to put skills necessarily into sensor range as long as you bring TAG (LTAG reaches about 500m with range nodes), so you can put it in mobility to help you stay in the optimal range (though you'll be getting them anyway on your way to ECM nodes).

Did you test the sensor range calculations in-game? I didn't know the ECM sensor range reduction and skill sensor range increase stacked additively (though everything else does in the game, so it would make sense that you end up with 65% sensor range total)

And a small something about your build adaptation:

Backup weapons are a personal preference, like the amount of back armor you take. IMO, the 4th laser doesn't really scare away a piranha MG boat any more than the 3 lasers would. My focus should be firing missiles as fast and deadly as I can, while I can, which is what TAG helps me to do. They may kill the Piranha even before it gets close enough for my backup lasers! That said, an extra 33% damage might just be what you need to finish a component off that ATMs didn't just before they got in range. So, it's all situational.

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