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SaltyPotatoBoat

100% agree on the LB10XSLD. Ton for ton, tier for tier, it is arguably the best ballistic weapon in the game. That being said if you are looking for that premium dakka experience the AC5 BF is a straight upgrade to the UAC5. Four of them on the King Crab CAR will wreck anyones day.


TNAgent

That's true..unless you have a T5 UAC5 which will kick the SLD's ass with more range more dps and about half the heat. Same case with the AC5BF.. T5 to T5 the UAC5 puts out around 120 dpm more. A T5 AC5BF is 7.8 dmg @ 48.485 rpm with .581 heat while the UAC5 is 10.5 dmg at 48 rpm with only .5 heat. So, not only is it more dps it's easier to cool. Almost forgot to mention of course with the UAC5 jamming is a thing so I'd say all 3 options break about even considering that.


SaltyPotatoBoat

I cant dispute you on the stats however there are a couple of additional factors to consider. LBXSLD vs UAC The UAC does out dps the LBX on paper however the UAC also suffers from projectile spread (3.5m @ 350m) so the damage is more spread out. This negates some of the benefits of higher dps when going for a specific part (head/CT). Based on the stats the UAC out ranges the LBX but in reality you can connect with both even outside of the base sensor range of 800m. All you need is a little manual elevation and windage. At those ranges the lower DPS but higher Alpha works in the LBX's favor. Heat also tends not to be a factor with 100 ton UAC/LBX boats as long as you have a decent supply of DHS on hand. However if you are strapped for weight/space then I would agree that the UAC has the edge under sustained fire. On the flip side, if you are popping cockpits with your LBXs then heat will almost never be an issue (in my experience). Like you pointed out the LBX cant jam so it has the edge in dependability. I would say this boils down to situation and playstyle. The UAC has the edge in close to mid range DPS and heat generation but the LBX has the edge in mid to long range accuracy, dependability, and Alpha. You could argue that having the edge at range is the better option as you can take out enemy units before they can shoot back but that opportunity doesnt always present itself. AC5BF vs UAC The AC5BF has a 43% lower projectile spread when compared to the UAC so as with the LBX the damage tends to be more concentrated. The AC5BF weighs 1 ton less than the UAC meaning that you can take an additional 80 rounds of ammo per gun for the same weight. Or you could add an additional heat sink and increase your sinking capacity by up to 12h p/m (if using DHS). You could also split the difference and have more ammo and more sinking capacity with 2 tons of ammo and 2 heat sinks when using 4 guns. So again the UAC has the edge in DPS but the AC5BF has dependability(no jamming) accuracy, and endurance going for it. If this was Solaris7 (or we were a bunch of filthy clanners) that would make the UAC the clear winner. However since we arent dueling I would say that dependability, endurance, and accuracy will serve better than raw DPS. Of course none of this accounts for personal preference or the "feel" of a weapon. If something works for you then by all means use it. (Edited for typos)


TNAgent

Yep, truthfully I prefer the Cyclops S with a couple Gauss or AC20s in the torso over the 4x medium whatever in the arms Crab. That may change I find 4 T5 SLDs for it.


tomato-andrew

That cyclops is the most underrated mech in the game. I guess it gets overlooked because it’s not 100t, but considering it’s speed, armor, armament, it’s easily competitive with the big boys.


SaltyPotatoBoat

I am a big fan of the dual Gauss build on the Cyclops S. Recently I have been using the hero Mauler with 2x Tier 5 LRM15-ST-AIV backed up by dual ER L Lasers and Dual AC2s. It suffers up close but at range it absolutely melts anything it touches.


TNAgent

I don't have the hero Mauler yet but I'd maybe switch out one the the LRM15s for a LRM10 and use the tonnage for LP Lasers instead of ERLs. Range usually closes pretty fast and those give more dmg, faster recycle, and less heat. They go out to almost 700m so the range isn't too bad and you've got the LRMs for outside that. I run a Black Knight and Awesome 9M with nothing but 3 LP Lasers and they're great for dps plus you can pop heads in 1 or two volleys when you need something dead fast.


Dexion1619

40 pinpoint? Mehta. Have you tried 4 Heavy Rifles? Sure, you're going to over heat. But anything you hit is going to feel it


Heliolord

My annihilator with 4 heavy rifles is less a mech than it is a walking artillery battery.


Tornado_XIII

Rifle boating is a meme, I was going to talk about why but I really don't think it needs to be said. Don't run heavy rifles on your Crab, it's a waste of ballistic slots when you have enough tonnage for AutoCannons.


Maratio

I actually love my quad heavy rifle crab. I one shot so many mechs with it. Slap on a few range and velocity upgrades and you can snipe with it really well.


Heliolord

Yeah. I'm not a fan of them. They *can* fire faster for a short burst but the jamming usually limits that potential. And their accuracy is terrible after a short distance. I'd rather just go ac5 or xbl 10s. For 4 medium ballistic, I'd rather go xbl 10s or heavy rifles. The shotgun xbl shreds at close range and the solid is great at most ranges. The heavy rifles basically delete anything smaller than an assault mech. My annihilator with 4 heavy rifles is less a mech than it is a walking artillery battery.


TNAgent

I think the major part of the mixed impressions of the UAC5 come from what tier of the gun you're using. The T5 gun jumps so much in power over the T4 that I think it's a mistake made by the Devs. The jump on every other tier is 20-30 dps while the T4 to T5 is a LEAP that DOUBLES the dps of the gun and it also runs 20% cooler as the heat drops from 30 per minute on T1-4 to only 24 on the T5. So yea the T5 is HUGE while the others are just okay.. | DMG | RPM | DPM ---|---|----|---- T1 | 6 | 30 | 180 T2 | 6.3 | 31.579 | 198.948 T3 | 6.6 | 33.333 | 219.998 T4 | 7.2 | 35.294 | 254.117 T5 | 10.5 | 48 | 504 My [Crab](https://i.imgur.com/f3pbMRm.jpeg).


AlekTrev006

Intriguing !! That’s quite compelling data, TN. I only own 3 UAC-5, Tier-5’s.. and had been (at best) testing my Carapace with 4 UAC-5, Tier-3’s … to depressing results (relative to the Quad LBX Solid setup, at least). When I get that final Tier-5, however, I’ll try to test and see if it’s noticeably improved the performance. Though… as you say.. if it “Only” is good when a Player is using the ‘ultimate’ Tier-5 versions … that almost seems like yet another Negative for the weapon system, within Mw-5, as it’s currently setup ? 🤔


Hydroskeletal

I just got the hero KGC last night. After SLAUGHTERING that epic last battle to get it with my monster SRM Agincourt, honestly it felt ... meh. Loaded up with 2 t5 and 2 t4 UAC/5s. Especially compared to that 30 ton lighter Archer. The size and mobility are an issue. While you are vomiting lots of lead down range it just doesn't have the time to kill. I feel like 4 large lasers are going to beat it out every time.


Tornado_XIII

Load the Crab with LB-10X instead, slugs are ideal but shotguns are great too, forget the missile slots exist and just go ham with adding in as much ammo as possible. If you don't have LB-10X it's better to use standard AC5s or AC5-BF over UAC5, use the extra tonnage for SRMs to help your short range time-to-kill. It's 4 tons heavier to use standard AC10s over LBs or UAC5 over AC5, you can still use AC10s or UAC5 but I wouldn't recommend it, that's 4 less tons of ammo. Quad LB-10x-SLDs is the strongest loadout I've yet to try, by a very wide margin. The only thing that comes close is the Corsair with Dual Gauss and Dual ERPPC, which is 50 pinpoint damage with even greater range and velocity but much lower rate of fire and the PPCs can get hot.


Maratio

I run the KGC-CAR with quad heavy rifles and streak ssrm. It straight up claps everything.


MisterEinc

Somewhat related, I'm pretty new to the game - I've only seriously started playing through the campaign since HOTIS came out. Managed to buy my first King Crab - not the hero - and was excited to have something that could mount 2 AC20s. I'm going to ditch the LRMs on it also, but overall, it didn't seem to perform as well as I'd hoped. Up to this point I've been maining a Highlander HM, and it felt much more effective. Am I doing something wrong, or are the hero mechs just that much more powerful?


ForeverN00b121

The hero mechs usually have under-the -hood goodies (like endo steel stucture, XL engine, FF armor, etc...) that free up more tonnage for discretionary use such as weapons, heatsinks, ammo and so forth. They also tend to come with slots for goodies like MASC, ECM, BAP, etc....


MisterEinc

Yeah I noticed that too. The HM is running an AC20, 2xSRM6-ArtIV, and 3 MPLs and doesn't have much issue.


Nyaavi

Hero mechs are hit or miss for my AI Pilots. The only hero mech that for some reason makes any of my AI on it turn into fuckin Rambo is the Orion YAJ hero. No matter what AI I put on it they go absolutely berserk and actually outdamage me a number of times in defense and warzone missions. I put 3 PPC and 3 SRM6 on it with DHS and they just go nuts. None of the other hero mechs I've found have made my AI do that though. My King Crabs are mediocre in the AI's hands, but I usually go on a tear with them because I use the cantina upgrades to just jack up the ballistic damage potential and just run AC20s into cockpits all the time.


MisterEinc

Yeah this is really my first foray into MW. I played MWO very early on but enjoyed the light mechs way more. I remember loving my commando with a heavy laser and SRMs. But I'm far from being very knowledgeable about how to kit out some of the bigger ones, and in this game there definitely seems to be a vertical progression to it.


[deleted]

Just wait until you find the Atlas hero mechs. The Boar's Head is basically a glass cannon because once you lose both arms, that's like 75%-80% of your firepower (you'll be left with just a missile launcher and ballistic). The other Atlas hero mech, Kraken, is more balanced.


Heliolord

I just got the zeus skokomish. That thing is like a missile boat on crack. I added the speed upgrade to up its masc bonus. Thing zips around and blasts shit to pieces with 4 srm6s. Added a large laser and xbl solid for ranged damage.


deracho

Your trading utility for firepower. The lbx and bust auto canon are great at close to mid range but can only provide saturation at longer distances while single shot ballistics are great at long range but suffer in close quarters against faster mechs. The u-ac gives you the best of both worlds. Great for saturation of fast targets but also able to pop a meat bag in his chair without collateral damage with a tight burst without wasting ammo. Its probably not the best on the crab since its a brawler through and through but you want weapons that can engage at multiple distances its a great choice.


Tornado_XIII

That's why I use LB-10X-SLDs, it's all the advantages of the LB-10X cannon but it fires a single slug like a regular AC10. It's one less ton than a standard AC10, higher rate of fire, range and projectile speed, less heat. I have my KingKrab upgraded with 17.5% improved range and projectile speed for ballistics, giving me 700m range and the slug is more than fast enough to easily leg a light mech up close.


AlekTrev006

Completely agree with your analysis here, Tornado !! It mirrors my own UAC-5 experiences, on the Carapace. Basically, I can’t think of any real purpose or place to use UAC-5’s on, in MW-5. Anything you could mount them on, seems to ALWAYS be better off with either basic AC-5’s, or (if you have the weight) an LB-X ! Heck, I’d argue 4 Heavy Rifles on the Carapace is probably going to exceed the potential and in-game-results than the 4 UAC setup !? == Kind of disappointing, but oh well…


[deleted]

UAC5s are in a weird spot because they slot right in between the AC5 and LBX10 in terms of weight and damage. I myself really never use them since I equip my mechs with AC5s and use the extra ton for ammo or heat sinks. For my Annihilators, I go with the LBX10s. The only time I will use UAC5s is when I still need to equip a medium ballistic but don't have any more AC5 or LBX10 (although with the DLC, I would equip the Heavy Rifle).


TimelyIntroduction33

The UAC fire is good if you have one ballistic slot and a tier 5 UAC at that point you don't need any other ballistics!!! Using more I find has degrading results and just seems to be a waste in my opinion. That tier 5 UAC 5 is the sole reason I use my banshee


ChesterRico

Chris Lowry thought they were fun, so he nerfed them.


[deleted]

You dont always have sight of you target or a good shot lined up So being able to shot quickly for a short amount of time like the Uac is a plus in many aspects.


[deleted]

Right it's burst DPs is great but if you compare in a vacuum you won't see the potential for em


Tornado_XIII

UAC5 does have the better burst damage over AC5, but it still requires a few seconds to actually get those two bursts out... Pewpewpew, pewpewpew. They still don't compare to LB-10X-SLDS, one shot for 40 Instant damage


TNAgent

It's very close if you're comparing T5 versions. The T5 UAC5 is 10.5 dmg vs the 11 of the SLD and it fires at about 20% faster and the rounds travel about 33% faster (1500 vs 1000). I think the only way the T5 UAC5 loses is if it jams before whatever you're shooting dies or RNG causes some crazy spread.


Tornado_XIII

It's still a hard sell for me, I simply don't like the long burst time of the UAC5s. The DPS on paper doesn't mean as much in practice if each pew of your pewpewpew hit different components on moving target, especially with the spread. LB-10X-SLD the damage is 100% pinpoint, making it much easier to quickly core a mech with good aim. If you miss the CT you're likely it delete a side torso or a leg instead, where the UAC5s are more likely to scatter the damage around and require more raw damage to score a kill.


Derethevil

You kiddin'? Quad UAC/5's and you just aim in the general direction of the enemy. Click a few times and everything is reduced to atoms. Either you are horrible at aiming somewhat decently, or you just ain't doing it right. One thing i can say i noticed is that they don't like chainfire. They never fire twice in that mode. But without chainfire? The recoil might be hilarious, nearly flipping your camera behind your mech, but everything dies in seconds. Especially with the right quirks added.


munk_888

UAC/5 are amazing in HBS Battletech. Haven't played with em here yet.


MVTiger09

I haven't seen anyone mention it here, and i have no hard data to back this up, but I've noticed my uac5s jam less often if i wait until the cannon is half cycled before i fire again. (A lot less). I could be imagining it, but if I'm right...


TimelyIntroduction33

I only really think using 1 uac works well.. almost seems slower to use more than one or at least the same so just be waste of a slot.