I like something that can take a beating and has allot of weapons...That is the definition of the Atlas in my opinion. You can make a workable brawler .....an amazing long range support platform .....even 100 tons of rolling thunder that starts 500m away and is doing damage to you for the entire time that he is making his advance. So what do you guys think of the atlas? Oh and one more question.....LRMboat Atlas....why? Seems to me that a heavy slow and unmaneuverable mech is toast if anyone faster than it breaks the curtain of LRMs and gets inside 180m. You could say it requires support but I still don't know.
From what I've seen of the Atlas LRM boat is a LOT of devastation. I wouldn't say it's the best use for the Atlas, but they make pretty bitchin LRM boats.
LRM Atlas is map dependent in my opinion. Obviously if you have good scouts and can standoff on Caustic you are going to win. However if the other team is organized and rushes your boats with brawlers it can end badly. I can't say I like specialized builds exclusively, but I do like a build that can use ALL of it's weapons at close range when needed.
l Love my up close atlas build but my new RS is a wonderful thing as well.....Start hitting them with large lasers and AC 20 and then move in for Med lasers and SRMs boom goes the atlas.....I dont know what it is, I just like assualt mechs in general they are just so much fun. Haha The Atlas K is an intresting variant though....you cant stack weapons in any of its hard points save for the CT and thats only 2 slots. It seems destaned for long range fire support with a couple high damage direct fire weapons and maybe some LRMS.
Yeah, Atlas is amazing - such wide range of weapons, armor and not bad mobility. It's such a pleasure to see when enemy is terrified and trying to run away. :3 Now it's number one mech for me.
So far Atlas is my favorite mech. I am wishy washy about one thing. Endo or DHS? I find it hard to run both due to lack of space. with Endo I tend to run out of slots and have extra tonnage. Hate Spending more cash to undo Endo but I am thinking DHS would be better. Your thoughts, mainly for Founder AS7-D
My preference is DHS. If you end up with extra tonnage after Endo then it didn't do it's job very well in maximizing your space usage. Where, I load my 'mech down and find I have extra slots and all I have is Heatsinks then I go for DHS.
Personally, I think the Stalker has more firepower, but the Atlas is more important to the group. The Atlas isn't just a big mech, it is a slow mech that everyone can fall in behind. If everyone is behind the Atlas, then chances are noone is getting left behind (unless they do so on purpose, i.e. for PPC/gauss/LRM), and the first person to get targeted by the enemy has the most armor. If the Atlas is a D-DC, even better for this group. This is why I say that Atlai should be built as brawlers. Having a Gauss or PPC is fine to use while closing in (although I think AC/20 or 2xLB-10X and lasers fit the brawling role better), but Atlai should be banned from having LRMs IMHO. Not officially, but whenever I see an Atlas playing sniper, I feel he's not helping the group as much as he could if he were the point man in the vanguard. If you want to play LRM boat, there are plenty of other assualt mechs that are capable of putting out more LRMs than the Atlas can. (End Rant). I do not find that Endo-Steel is helpful to Atlai for the most part; you usually need more slots than space. DHS is a must, it would take a lot of tons and space for SHS to catch up on cooling power.
I am a brawler through and through...and I dissagre with you that Atlas should be banned from doing anything but brawling. Now a 3x LRM15 DDC is a waste in my opinion but 2 PPCs, a rack of lrms, and a gauss in the hands of the right pilot can turn the tide of battle so long as he is well supported by his team. The AC20 cat gets headshotted the Assualts get rained on from relitively close range (300m or so) Atlas can be long - mid range support .... given they are working with a team.
Granted, it's different in competitive drops, but when you're running a PUG, the common strategy is "follow the fracking atlas." If you run a ranged support mech, then the people behind you might end up waiting too long to push into the brawl. I do wish they would give more assaults ballistic weapons, though.
Im not talking about competative play....Even in a pug if you let people know what you are doing they can adjust accordingly. It is a matter of comunication really.
I believe the Atlas is meant to be the Anchor of the Lance. The point around which everyone else on the team revolves. It should have hard hitting long range weapens in order to draw fire from the enemy early, but it should really shine in the Brawl. Whether the long range weaponry is Direct or Indirect fire is really a matter of being complementary to the rest of the support loadout of the team. If your lance carries LRM's then the Atlas should maybe use something Direct or vice versa. I am NOT an Assault Pilot. They are too slow for me but I understand their purpose well ennough. The Atlas is a great tool if used properly but it is not the be all or end all of the assualt 'mech line. Mythweaver
Silly question but where exactly is the head hitbox on an Atlas? Was fooling around on Training Grounds and each time I aimed for what I thought was the head (orangeish eye slit area) it kept registering as a torso hit.
can someone explain me, why the K has a LRM20-Launcher as Stockweapon, but the Launcher itself has only 10 Tubes (due to Smurfy)? Is this a joke? even the other Atlases have stockloadouts with bigger LRM-Launchers than they have tubes enough for a one volley blow.. WTF??
Completely unusable in PUGs. I bought a D-DC lately, and I really tried to support the team, but there is just zero support back ... you're left high and dry facing the enemy team alone while everyone is running around on his own. I guess that's the case for all mechs, but the Atlas is usually a primary target so you'll notice before everyone else. Most fights so far ended in a lonely showdown, my Atlas against multiple hostiles, while my team is off somewhere else. I came to hate piloting it, I guess I'll just stick to heavies and mediums which are more PUG-proof.
Or, you team up with a lance of friends. Maybe the community nights? I rarely pug drop in a Atlas for many reasons, the one above being one of them. A well coordinated push by a Atlas (or more) and heavies is a beautiful thing but it has to happen at the same time. If delayed by a weapon cycle, even a Atlas will die quick versus a second round of fire from multiple opponents. That's the major problem. To time it with pugs. On coms with a lance, it's far easier. I've been on and off looking for ways to get macro texts into the chat but I haven't succeeded yet - haven't tried that hard since I only pugdrop maybe 1 in a 100 games...but it'd be cool to have that ability to time it with the rest of the blues. Things like this: "Focus Alpha." "Focus Beta." ... "I will push, you guys follow 1 second behind." "Don't stop, don't let them cycle their weapons or cool down." "Follow The Fracking Atlas." "Group up." "Retreat." "Fall back"
