ZEU-6T "Firehose" (3x MRM20, 4x MPL, LFE340) + alts

Thread in 'ZEU-6T' started by Ghastly, May 14, 2019.

  1. Ghastly

    Ghastly New Member

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    ZEU-6T "Firehose" (3x MRM20, 4x MPL, LFE340) + alts


    Description:
    When I mention "close support" builds in my unit chat, I've had a few people ask me why that's different from a brawler or a fire support build, and this Zeus really highlights the difference.

    Compared to an AC20/SRM Victor 9S brawler, this Zeus a bit squishy and lacks big, instant-punch alpha strikes. However, the sheer amount of sustained damage it can output can usually outdo a brawler in a fight. Additionally, it doesn't have to commit as often as a true heavy brawler has to. Compared to a true fire-support build like an AC2 Jagermech or AC2 Mauler, it doesn't have the incredibly long-range and pinpoint DPS, but it's mobile and tanky enough to keep up with the front-line and help share armor, and despite the spread, it often has higher damage output at ranges in which the spread doesn't matter quite so much. These are the qualities of a close-support build; you'd rather the brawlers take the damage, but you're moving with them, helping them kill beefy targets and can share armor with them when it's needed.

    And this Zeus 6T is a very nice close-support build. With the MRM20 missile fist and a missile cooldown quirk of -15%, you can dump a lot of damage very quickly with a tight enough spread that most of it is going where you want. Additionally, it dumps out its missiles faster than 30s and 40s, so even an opponent who is properly twisting is taking more damage than he wants to the components that he doesn't want you to hit. The four medium pulse lasers also help finish off components, but with the extra heat they generate you're better off only using them for that purpose and using the MRM20s for your main damage output. It's also very surprisingly mobile for an assault mech.

    The downside is that the Zeus' hitboxes are pretty easily singled out, and even with the generic heat generation quirk from December 2017 and the global heat dissipation buff in October 2018, it can still be quite hot if a true brawler pushes on it. While it doesn't get armor quirks, also, its structure quirks often help as a nice buffer when you push your heat threshold to finish off targets.


    Video:




    Build:
    [​IMG]
    Code:
    A24920L1|c?|i^|i^|i^|^g|HPpl0ql0|c?|c?rd0|c?sd0|Y@|Y@|Y@tg0|GPug0|GPv?0|GPw808080
    The main feature of the build is the missile fist. Three MRM20s in the same arm, getting a very tight spread compared to an equivalent set up on some other mechs.

    There's quite a bit of room for alternates and tweaks. You can drop to a Light 325 without losing any engine heat sinks, to free up tonnage for Light Ferro and some extra heat sinks in the torsos, though I like the extra top speed. You can drop some leg armor to upgrade the half-ton of MRM ammo for a full ton (and I'd do that while skilling it up).



    [​IMG]
    Code:
    A24920L1|c?|i^|i^|i^|HP|`g|i^pl0ql0|c?|c?rE0sd0|Y@|Y@|Y@te0|GPue0|GPv?0|GPw808080
    One larger tweak is dropping the arm-mounted medium pulse laser and armor from the now-dead arm to free up tonnage for other things. Notably, a Light 350 engine, and an additional in-engine heat sink. I don't use this personally, as I prefer the extra pinpoint damage to finish components, but I can definitely recommend this. Like the version up above, you can also drop to a Light 325 and Standard armor for four torso-mounted heat sinks (three extra over the one in the build code here).

    For many mechs like this, I wouldn't normally recommend XL engines. Even as second-line close support, you end up taking a beating and the Zeus' side torsos are very easy for an opponent to single out. However, this build can run hot enough in a sustained fight that quite often if you lose a side torso you'll probably just die to heat damage right after anyway. I still run a Light, myself, because I'm perfectly happy to dump one or two more volleys into target before I finally cook, but if you want to run an XL on this, I'd run it on the 3xMPL version. Losing the fourth medium pulse makes it a little easier to get an engine rating of 375 or above for even more heat sinks.



    [​IMG]
    Code:
    A24920L1|i^|i^|i^|`g|i^|Y?|GPpl0ql0|Y?|Y?rd0|Y?sd0|Y@|Y@|Y@to0|GPuo0|GPvA0|GPw808080
    I've seen this build using medium lasers a bit more often than medium pulse. Like the 3xMPL version, it gets a bigger engine and extra heat sink, but doesn't have to cut as much armor for everything. It also runs a bit cooler, as the four medium lasers don't generate as much heat per-second as even three medium pulse. However, I prefer the higher, harder-to-twist pinpoint from the medium pulse, as the missile-fist already suffers somewhat against people who are very good at torso-twisting. If you don't fire the lasers very often, I think this version will work better for you. For those who like to brawl, I don't think I'd recommend small pulse lasers on it, because that gets a bit too close-range for its more support-y role.

    Like the other alternate build, you can drop the arm-mounted laser and some arm and leg armor. This can get you another pair of heat sinks, for example. This can also fit an XL 375 with six heat sinks very easily.



    Comparisons to other mechs:
    Some other Zeus variants can do similar builds. If you want to run a build with a single MRM30 or 40 instead of three 20s, I think you're better off doing that build on the 6S or 9S variants. They get slightly better quirks for missiles, but only have one missile hardpoint. The 5S and 9S2 can do the 3x20 fist as well, but the 5S's only missile quirks are for LRMs, and the 9S2 only has two energy hardpoints.

    I think it's worth comparing this build on the Zeus with a similar build on the Hatamoto Chi. I also run a similar build (2x MRM30, 4x MPL) on the 28TR. Compared to the Zeus, the Hatamoto Chi 28TR gets ECM, jump jets and armor quirks, but it runs quite a bit hotter, worse spread on the MRMs and moves a lot slower due to the lower engine cap. I think both perform fairly well, but I believe an equivalent build on the Zeus will win a 1v1 between them.

    Compared to the missile-heavy Charger and Victor variants, I think their armor quirks let them work quite a bit better as ballistic+SRM brawlers compared to the Zeus. The Zeus 6T's ridiculous cooldown and generic heat reduction quirks, combined with the very tight spread of the missile fist all let this work a bit better as a second-line fire-support than the others.


    Skills:
    Code:
    a1b38b001fe01375ebeefefff7f00000000000000e86f633e2182b0020000
    (Kitlaan isn't generating permalinks for me right now, will add one later)

    As usual on all my missile-mechs-with-lasers, I went down the left side of the Firepower tree to get all the missile nodes and three Laser Duration nodes. I also picked up all the Heat Gen I reasonably could, to add on to that -10% it gets natively. One could argue you don't need Laser Duration nodes with medium pulse lasers, and while I think having even shorter duration helps, I can agree with cutting those nodes. Cooldown 1 and 3 on the left side also are easy cuts, I picked them up to push my total missile cooldown reduction over -20%.

    Since it's usually close enough to get shot at, I picked up the entire Survival tree, minus AMS Overload and an unnecessary Reinforced Casing. Since it gets structure quirks instead of armor, you can get away with cutting the left side armor nodes, but the extra armor has come in handy in many situations for me. I skipped the Mobility tree entirely, because the Zeus already has great agility stats beyond even most heavies. I can see going for Speed Tweak if you drop to a Light 325, though, but that's a lot of points to invest.

    Since the build is very warm, I ran down the Operations tree to get all of the Cool Run nodes. I've been told it's bad on a mech without a large amount of heat sinks, but however you slice it I'm cooling down 10% faster than I am without these nodes.

    As on all of my mechs, I went down the left side Sensor tree for a single node of Seismic Sensor and Radar Deprivation for the information they give me.

    I only put two leftover points into Auxiliary to slightly buff up an artillery strike along with a CoolShot. It's worth noting, by the way, taking out Cooldown 1 and 3 and the three Laser Duration nodes from the Firepower tree is enough to go down the middle of the tree to fully skill up CoolShots, and while I don't do that myself, I can recommend it.
     
  2. ShiverMeRivets

    ShiverMeRivets Well-Known Member

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    I really like the Zeus-6T and the MRM60 arm is a joy!

    However, the above build looks toasty. In order to enjoy the cooldown quirk you need better heat management. Also, MPLs have shorter range and shorter cycle time than the MRMs, which means that if you twist and wait the MRM cooldown, your MPLs are idling.

    I ran a similar build with ERMLs and LFE325 engine. You have to wait the MRM duration anyway, so beam duration fits within that. Range of ERMLs is enough to fire them together with the MRM always. Cooling is much better so you never stop firing.

    Something like this:


    I prefer my 3LL 3SRM6+A LFE325 build though.
     
  3. Ghastly

    Ghastly New Member

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    I mentioned variations like those in the post. I personally prefer the bigger engine for mobility in quick-play and the MPLs just to pick off open components more easily, but I don't usually fire them unless I'm either in trouble or need to destroy an open component. I love how versatile the build is; lot of good variations while keeping the MRM60 fist.
     
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