Dragon Slayer "Now What" (1xUAC5, 1xAC5, 1xLL, 2xML, 2xSRM4, 2xJJ, AMS, XL330)

Well, I've been hunting for a Dragon Slayer Build without a gauss rifle. Can anyone come up with something better than this? I want to keep the XL330, and AMS.



I was looking at AC/10 or LB 10-X, but I don't have experience with them. I've come to the conclusion that any victor build has to use missiles.

I could lose a JJ for more ammo I guess.

It really sucks that the most useful gun for the DS ballistic arm is the gauss rifle. At least the victors have a good balance of all weapon type hardpoints, so they should never become completely useless.

 

Honestly? No offense but I wouldn't set foot in this mech.

AMMO SITUATION:
You have got far too many ammo dependent systems on this mech which is asking for explosions galore. For instance; you've got a train wreck waiting to happen in that left arm (UAC5 ammo + AC5 ammo?). When that sucker gets hit it is blowing off the arm for sure and probably the left torso which means your XL goes and the mech is dead. Having your ARM be a critical weakness in your mech build is asking for trouble. I would move your ammo from there to the CT since that is the most heavily armored piece on the mech.

WEAPON SITUATION:
You are a jack of all trades and master of none. You have a large mix of weapons with all different ranges, heat scales and recycle times etc. I would imagine this mech requires more systems management than cooling rods at a nuclear reactor. In the heat of battle, and trust me assaults will very quickly become priority targets, you may not be able to manage it that easily and run into problems.

HEAT ISSUES:
35% smurfy efficiency? I am not sure what that translates to in game but if it is less than 1.29 then you are asking for a world of hurt. I'm a fairly experienced player and have some good heat management skills and I would be wary to take something big and hot into battle like this.

 

Cmon Michael, dont be so harsh. The tweaked build with dual AC5 is actually fine. Two (or four) Weapon Groups 1.AC5s + LLas (Long Range), 2. MLas + SRMs (Close Range). 14 DHS is ok for cooling. Personally id drop one JJ for either more Ammo or Speed.

 

thanks for the advice. I should mention that I've done fine with both builds (including my 1st build with mixed ammo). In game heat is 1.24 in my version, which does cause problems on the hot maps.

Anyways, I'm well aware of the issues, thus the request for advice.

The only problem is my 9s build with dual AC5 would tear these apart (in fairness it tears any mech apart).

I need a better solution for the DS so I can make use of the 30% c-bill bonus. Maybe I should try spending more time learning the new guass rifle. We'll see I guess.

 

This! Yes the heat seems worse but it is really quite usable. If you don't like it you can trade some JJ for DHS...

You need AC5 with more ammo, for all ranges.
For long range you are using AC5 and LLas, which should be fine since AC5 is not hot.

For mid range you have 2x SRM4. MLas for backup. Your LLas would be a bit too hot for this range.

 

Wasn't trying to be a dick but giving my honest opinion on the mech.

Don't get me wrong I have seen some people do good things in a Dragon Slayer but for me the mech just doesn't work out well enough for me to use it. I am a firm believer in championing the difference between "doing well" and having the enemy cry "zomg wtf was that"-good.

If it works for your playstyle then keep using it and tweak it but I gave you the weaknesses I saw in the mech outright. That left arm is asking for trouble. Move the ammo to the CT to protect it better.

 

I gotta agree with Michael...this guy is just a little too...all over the place. I know everyone wants the big ballistic in the DS, but have you considered not making them the priority weapon?

 

I've been trying AC/10 and found that you can't use the extra weight for better laser weapons because there aren't enough slots for the double heat sinks that are then required.

the other option is using the extra weight for a faster engine and Artemis upgrade, I was even able to put in a standard engine and keep almost the same speed with the weight savings. But no ability to level up the firepower.

I'll have to look into a single AC5 or UAC5, or even smaller ballistic weapon(s) to see where that gets me

Edit: Nope, trying to level up the energy weapons sucks as well.

This is the best I could do. I'll post some variants. You can trade the three Right arm heatsinks for machine guns....

Lasers

I may try this one out a few times. Heat is still not that good and there's an extra 1.5 tons which could go into a higher engine. Max DPS and sustained DPS are still lower than the first build I posted.
3 LLAs plus AC5

So it seems like my original conclusion is correct, DS is really knocked down a level with new gauss rifle, unless one of the critics of my builds can actually post a better build without using the gauss rifle?


Another try

 

What exactly are you looking for in your mech? That's would be good to know

 

The best DS build possible for 0 to 600m combat.

 

Then a gauss isnt what you needed in the first place. Sounds like one of the a/c20 variants is better suited for you. But heres a possibility:




100% 600 meter range and closer brawler. No Ballistics, but you use the JJ to twist and the right arm as a shield. I personally wouldnt use this, but im not sure really what you're looking for. 600m and closer is pretty vague.



Heres my take on the A/c10 version. More than 600m capable though, which is a boon.

 

I would go with something like this...



- Your ammo is laid out in such a way that your SRMs will pull from the head and then the CT (in that order) and your LBX will pull from the right arm first and then the CT. This reduces the chances of you suffering an ammo explosion for something critical later on in the game by making sure you utilize the ammo in critical spaces first (ie that right arm).

- The mech can still move at a decent speed. Having a mech like this still move at 70 with the survivability is pretty impressive for a brawler.

- Has a moderate heat scale. Easily manageable since you can stagger ranged fire with the LLas and the LBX then close up with the SRMs etc.

- Can remove 1 DHS and 1 ton of ammo and add Artemis to the missiles if you want it

- Left arm can be used to mitigate a lot of incoming fire with your torso twisting powah!

- STD engine means you can stay in the fight longer even if you lose one of your side torsos.

I realize a lot of these guys are recommending XL engines but in a brawler? No thanks. People will see you moving fast and instantly know to begin shooting your RT/LT since it has less armor than the CT and POP goes the weasel.

One weakness to this mech is no AMS. This means you are going to have to pay close attention to where your AMS friends are AND to who is directing LRM fire at you.

Why no jump jets? Well you said you wanted 0-600m so I'm guessing you don't want a jump sniper and the mech is still quick enough to get around without really needing jump jets.

Overall I would say this mech needs some hardcore testing before being recommended but its a good platform to START with.

 

Thanks for the options. I'll have to play around with them. At first glance I like all three, but I'd definitely go for some jump jets. I just enjoy them to much. Edit: Hrm... no space.

I've found that for more than 600m in most cases I can avoid confrontation by using terrain etc if I want, but less than 600m it's not always possible to avoid confrontation. I think the only map I've had trouble with that is the large snow map, I don't remember the name.

I've definitely found that I do better with the 9S. But I'm trying to find a good build that I like with the dragon slayer since I paid so much money for it and there's the extra c-bill bonus!