After much fussing and fiddling, this is the MAD-IIC laser build I have settled on. Options I looked at were (all viable of themselves, I think): 2xLPL, 6xERML 2xLPL, 5xERML 2xERLL, 6xMPL 2xHLL, 6xERML 2xHLL, 5xERML 9xMPL 8xMPL and in the end, in terms of heat management, big alpha, DPS, etc etc., I think you'll enjoy 2xHLL, 5xMPL. You get a nice big 71 point alpha strike, which, when fully skilled with cool runs and a few heat gen nodes, you can fire multiple times. Or, you have the option for a rapid follow up burst with the 5xMPL's after your big burn. Like all the laser builds, it works best as a slow tempo poking mech rather than a full-on commit to a brawl mech. Weaknesses: Brawling. Shooting down UAV's is tricky. Fast lights. However, your 5xMPL are more of a threat to lights than ERML's. Skill link: https://kitlaan.gitlab.io/mwoskill/?p=jsonbin1.59d82fe53a67f427208e21c6#s=Weapons
About the build, you can downgrade to a cXL375, fit more DHS and add a 6th cMPL. You can also add a TC1 for the +4% range and crit chances, or swap the TC1 for another DHS. About the skill tree, IMHO you are too focused on Agility: you already have an extremely fast assault, because pre-skill with a cXL375 you move at 71 km/h, which is sonic-the-edgehog-level compared to any other assault. Some points are well spent though, like on acceleration/deceleration/torso-speed/pitch/yaw, but I would only invest no more than 10 nodes on the left branch and I will never go for speed tweak: after a lot of games, I really felt they are simply not worth it when you could have spend the nodes on every range and/or heatgen in firepower. On the other hand, I find interesting the fact that you simply try to avoid like the plague "cooldown" nodes and mainly aim for heatgens skilling in useless nodes (at least for this build) like missiles and ballistics: if on one hand this is going to be the perfect skill tre for the long run, on the other hand heatgen won't help you when you need to kill quickly an enemy, like when you alfa strike someone in the face and then it immediately tries to brawl you because he know he can't win the poke-war... Also, if you won't skill in cooldown, you really get very few range nodes. I think that the last part applies mostly on the MPLs, because they have a shorter range than ERML and deals the same damage, but thanks to their shorter laser duration, they are actually viable in brawls or short ranged engagements despite being hot. They are also you best defense versus anything too close or fast to be tracked by your HLL (which will inevitably spread damage if your target is not standing still or poking), further enhancing the importance of yours MPLs as both an offensive and personal defense.
I like the option for the 6th MPL. 2xHLL 6xMPL would be the 'Beast Mode' version of this build. However, I like for heat management purposes going with just 5. 2 and 5 makes for a very sustainable situation where you can keep the damage rolling. 2 and 6 is obviously a bigger alpha (good), but less sustainable for multiple followups. Cooldown nodes on laser builds help your burst DPS but ultimately I do not think they help you out much with heavy lasers. Theoretically yes, with a long cooldown duration weapon like the HLL points invested in cooldown will reap the greatest reward; but personally I think having the long cooldown helps you manage your heat. On a heat neutral map with the skill tree posted there I can alpha three times in a row, and only have to wait 2-3 extra seconds to fire a fourth alpha. That is pretty freakin' good! I agree that getting the full 15% range nodes would help quite a bit for the MPL's (and HLL's), but there just weren't enough skill points to go around. For personal playstyle preference I could see switching all the mobility points into either armor or range; but for my personal playstyle (coming out of a laser Ebon Jag), going full mobility with an XL 400 makes the MAD-IIC a beauty of a mech to get in and out of firing positions in. Edit - in closing - I prefer the 2xLPL, 5xMPL, or the 9xMPL, or the 2xLPL, 6xERML builds over this thing. However, the MAD-IIC-2 has quirks for the HLL, making it a possible platform for the 2xHLL, 5xMPL build: _
