Do you like to have standoff weapons (i.e. Gauss, PPC, LL or ER LL, LRMs) on your Assault brawlers? I'm not talking about a large laser boat, a dakka spammer, or an LRM boat. Those are designed to be effective at mid-range and can be capable up close. I'm talking about builds like: Stalker 3F/5S with 4xSRM4, 4xML, and 2x ER LL Atlas-D-DC with dual LB10X, medium lasers, and an LRM20 Atlas-S with 4xSRM4, medium lasers, and a Gauss In each of these cases, the main weapons include a battery of medium lasers and either SRMs, shotguns, or AC20. In other words, something designed to be used under 270 (even if LB10s have a longer range). However, there also exists a single long-range weapon that can be used while the team is playing peekaboo and too afraid to push, or while closing in on an open map. Personally, my philosophy has always been to focus on a specific job. If the enemy has a bunch of dual gauss builds, a single gauss on my Atlas isn't going to trade efficiently. If I'm up against PPC snipers, the 2x ER LL on my Stalker won't trade well. A single LRM20 with 2 tons of ammo is 12 tons wasted on a weapon you don't plan to get much out of. While I see the point of using your lasers to close in because the heat will dissipate anyway, that Stalker could use those 10 tons to get more speed, more cooling, more ammo, more armor, bigger SRMs, or to upgrade the lasers to pulse lasers. What is your philosophy? Do you like to always have a long-range weapon on a brawler? Do you prefer to dedicate yourself entirely to sustaining a high short-range alpha? What's your take?
Not Gauss for sure, that thing goes kaboom too easily. A pair of LL would be good though, that would allow you to do some damage at longer range. That would allow for more damage during engaging and disengaging. I choose LL/ERLL cause of the low weight requirement and the smaller size. When you are engaging you are not heating up, so mind as well send in a few hits, samge goes for things that are turning tail, sometimes that would leg some smaller targets letting you finish them off.
Yes and no. Depends on the Chassis, the Hitboxes, the Weapon Hardpoints (Location) and the Weapon Skills/Quirks, also the Maps. Generally spoken I'd say a single LRM20+A or a single ERPPC is good to get some Assistent Scores at Long Range while in Short Range Alphastrike Damage ist deadly effective enough. Usually this means you have too much E-hardpoints to play with, but don't want to either Break the Heat Penalty Rule, or don't have the option to buy a bigger (unusual) Engine to use up the remaining Tonnage, or don't have enough free slots to add more Heatsinks/Extra Buff Items. Also, there are Situations where you just need a single Range Attack to finish off faster enemies, which would try to avoid your optimal range.
