Working against the pirates shouldn't be a problem as long as you work for them enough to keep your reputation up. The Black Market invite is an event, though, so sometimes you're just going to have bad luck with it not coming up quickly.
Is headcapping too powerful?
- Thread starter Jade_Rook
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I farmed pirates along with everything else on the first few planets. Then I gave them the Raven, and they forgot all about the dozens of dead pirates.
The Raven is a good asset for obtaining favor from the Faction of your choice.
I do think giving it to the Pirates is the ultimate form of chaos for the IS...still, it didn't stop me from doing it at least once
The Raven is a good asset for obtaining favor from the Faction of your choice.
I do think giving it to the Pirates is the ultimate form of chaos for the IS...still, it didn't stop me from doing it at least once
They were the only faction that didn't smarm up to us with unbelievable good intentions. They deserved it purely for having the lowest BS quotient. My only regret is that I couldn't take the remaining mechwarriors into my crew.
I've maintained a positive reputation with the pirates; I think it's just random luck with the event not triggering. This is a tangent relative to headcapping (though obviously, of interest to my personal career playthrough).
Back when I played TT Battletech you couldn't aim for specific locations at all, so I don't see anything wrong with not being able to aim at the head.
It is true, however, that I'm starting from the belief that PS is overpowered in the current game and that the change that I propose would make it slightly less powerful, overall, but still a useful ability (and, arguably, an ability which is just as useful for a casual player who hasn't spent a lot of time thinking about the meta-game).
The change would also (in my opinion) make it's utility more directed towards early- and mid-game (when there's more need to gang up on an opponent) than then endgame. But the consensus seems to be that the endgame is generally easier already.
Back when I played TT Battletech you couldn't aim for specific locations at all, so I don't see anything wrong with not being able to aim at the head.
It is true, however, that I'm starting from the belief that PS is overpowered in the current game and that the change that I propose would make it slightly less powerful, overall, but still a useful ability (and, arguably, an ability which is just as useful for a casual player who hasn't spent a lot of time thinking about the meta-game).
The change would also (in my opinion) make it's utility more directed towards early- and mid-game (when there's more need to gang up on an opponent) than then endgame. But the consensus seems to be that the endgame is generally easier already.
2x AC20, 2xML, 2xSRM6 and JJs for my fit. The leg armor was down to about 130 or 140 IIRC, it has been awhile since I actually played the build and swapped it out for Annihilators as soon as I found them in HM.
You said before there were reliable headcappers like those KC/Atlas with dual AC20s, but you didn't play with them (as headcappers) and it happens they're not reliable at all, as they run very hot and/or have very little armor, they're real cannon glasses. IMO the non AC20 loadouts like the AC5/ML/SRM or the STK are far superior, way more dependable with much better sustainable damage and durability, and as "reliable headcappers" neither of them are in the same league as the M3R. For that you need something like a ANH 5xUAC2 5xERML, which is a LOT slower, it will take you more time to get into position or change the target and it has worse init.
A mech with the headcapping power of a full-on ANH but the speed, initiative and flexibility of a GRH which allows you to Ace Pilot it instead of MT I'd say changes the difficulty of the game quite a bit.
I never said that the KC/Atlas with dual AC20s were headcappers. My exact words:
Then sorry I misunderstood you. But still I don't think the easier path is CT coring, because against the hardest targets the head is not always but often the path of less resistance, and even for CT core the best mechs for that job are not dual AC20 setups, not in a long mile, but those "reliable" headcappers, which have similar performance for CT core but with a lot more survivability, a lot more sustainable damage and better mobility (both due to better cooling) than the dual AC20 setup you told me.
Dual AC/20’s headcapping niche is /was targets with full head armor and 40% DR. Typically you’d pack some SRM2s to significantly up the odds of pilot damage if neither shot hit the head, and maybe a medium laser or two for buildings/ammo conservation, plus jump jets.
You take the shot from the side, so even if you don’t instakill the Target you still mess up one side. You also have a “normal” headcapper like a Stalker or GRH, plus an LRM boat. If the target doesn’t have entrenched, you can knock it over with LRMs pretty easily (assuming you’re running AC/20+++) If it does, you can instead follow up with a second called shot to the leg on the weakened side, scoring the knockdown + ST destruction for 2 more pilot injuries and typically removing most of the target’s firepower. Depending on the type of pilot you still need 1-2 more pilot hits, but there’s still a side torso to destroy and the mech will now immediately fall if you fill up the stability bar, and you usually haven’t hurt the CT too bad so you’re unlikely to kill the CT if you go for a headshot with SRM/MG.
Just remember, 2 AC/20+++ is/was way easier to get together (Demolishers) than 6 ml++d and 4 srm6+++ or 7 ml++d and 6 sl++d, and without all the ++d weapons it’s a lot harder to get through the CT at 40% DR.
The 2X AC/20 build still set its lancemates up for a kill if the 1/3 head instakill didn’t come up.
Once you get 4+ skull missions, mLaser +10s and SRM6+++ start dropping all over the place. I had plenty of both before I saw my first AC/20+++ in my new HM campaign.
Headshotting from flanks works even better with a ton of small arms because when you don't kill, you still get a head hit almost every time. And it"s much easier to dial down the damage as the target starts to get rickety. IIRC, my pre HN Atlas 2 build was around 60% to PK on the first alpha. Max SRMs, mLasers (-1 for the gyro), sLasers and two AC/5s. Upper 50s if it couldn't use the sLasers. With UAC/5s and ER sLasers it's going to be a beast, but still won't have nearly the instakill rate of a UAC/2 and mLaser Mara. I think my next project will be dual UAC/10s++ o and whatever smaller stuff I can get on an Annihilator. 4 insta kill chances is no joke.
Headshotting from flanks works even better with a ton of small arms because when you don't kill, you still get a head hit almost every time. And it"s much easier to dial down the damage as the target starts to get rickety. IIRC, my pre HN Atlas 2 build was around 60% to PK on the first alpha. Max SRMs, mLasers (-1 for the gyro), sLasers and two AC/5s. Upper 50s if it couldn't use the sLasers. With UAC/5s and ER sLasers it's going to be a beast, but still won't have nearly the instakill rate of a UAC/2 and mLaser Mara. I think my next project will be dual UAC/10s++ o and whatever smaller stuff I can get on an Annihilator. 4 insta kill chances is no joke.
Well, unless you click the "No Rare Salvage" option for the bonus difficulty modifier. And "dropping all over the place" is a bit of a mis-statement; they drop "frequently" enough you can put together the armament fairly fast. (Compared to the hours and hours without it.) But not many in the case of spare parts in case of a lost weapon, and it's still not quite guaranteed...
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a full mech’s loadout of medium laser ++d before I’ve gotten/seen 2 ac/20+++, regardless of settings or expansion.
Part of it is that you have a lot more options for medium lasers- you may have a bunch of + medium lasers, but you see a lot of +++ (+3 hit/50%crit), etc.
My Annihilator plans I was thinking Ultra AC/5s and ER medium lasers, still need to actually run across a couple or the parts instead of the assembled mech in the BM.
How that's better than just doing two consecutive salvos aimed at the head from the front, be it from the same mech or two different ones?. It's simpler, you can do it on the go, earlier, no LRMs or other particular requirements but two mechs with a good chance of blowing the head for around 60% of headcapping at 40% DR (or one headcapper and one long range finisher). The follow up, if required, can be anything really, from a long range direct damage mech, LRM boats, another headcapper, a trainer mech, anything which can do a lot of damage as a failsafe, it can be a non stab damage loadout.
In addition to be faster you can keep your forward mechs grouped together, so it's safer too. You don't need a lot of preparations, although this is better done after jumping from out of LoS, which is not a requirement but only a good practice in general, and not just for headcapping.
Then, those two mechs will have better armor, better cooling and better mobility. Because the two AC20s are very heavy, anything you add on top of them will have an impact, and remember they have significant recoil too, you may want to account for that.
Then, the hits that miss the CT, those have slightly lower chance to hit the CT than with regular salvos, the CT doesn't get preferential treatment when you miss the head (that would be clustering), and as Pherdnut says is much easier to tune down damage with a full ML/SRM setup, it's way more predictable, extremely unlikely to CT core with two salvos aimed at the head, even with three. But let's say I do it your way, how exactly is better doing it with AC20s than with non AC20 setups, the same tactic?. Because I don't see anything in your reasoning which makes any difference.
Not really. Against vehicles the most important thing is raw firepower and SRM+ML setups have plenty. If one of your AC20s go to the front and the other to a side you may not kill him (each side has almost the same chance as the front without PS), if one of them misses you won't kill him. In fact you won't do the demo if it's in cover and both shots land at the front plate. You don't have damage enough for that unless you add more firepower on top of the 2xAC20, weapons that will compromise your general survivability, cooling and mobility, whereas with a LRM boat you'll kill him every time.
And of course without ++ weapons the AC20 gets a lot better in comparison, but I already agreed AC20 is very good early on. But at that stage headcapping is not really a thing. It can happen but there are no "real" headcappers, mechs capable of semi consistently headcapping without full team effort. That's more of a late game thing.
I know I'm a little late but I just wanted to share my opinion. I do not think Headshots by maurader or otherwise are any more powerful than other PS shots. I agree as many have said that PS is a bit much as it is currently implemented. When I worked on my two kerensky runs I did a ton of headcapping. On my other career plays as well as my 30 year campaign I usually do CT cores as it is way faster, by being more reliable. So from that standpoint Headcap for me is slower but better loot, and with the store changes loot doesn't really matter anymore.
I finally have a Marauder and I did put in a Called Shot Mastery MechWarrior in it. I do like the increased chance.
I am running an UA/C10 in it as well for those juicy head hits.
I haven't run it long enough to see if headshots seem TOO easy. I'll have to make a mental note to keep an eye on that.
P.S. I wanted to run an UA/C5 in it instead to keep a More stock-like loadout, however I only have 2 UA/C5s right now and my Jager is dual wielding those...which is awesome
I am running an UA/C10 in it as well for those juicy head hits
.I haven't run it long enough to see if headshots seem TOO easy. I'll have to make a mental note to keep an eye on that.
P.S. I wanted to run an UA/C5 in it instead to keep a More stock-like loadout, however I only have 2 UA/C5s right now and my Jager is dual wielding those...which is awesome
I think that much like almost everything else in this game, late game is where balance issues arise. Headshots are the same. From a waste of time/last ditch effort in the early game to just reliably kill one or two mechs from headcapping every mission late game. This is in a low skill progression career. I think body part targeting should come at the expense of general cth. If at all possible for non knockdown/shutdown mechs.
I just got a Marauder and OMG is this thing the slayer. I'm going to rename it Basilisk as anything it sets its gaze upon is dust.
Nothing special on the build, just max armor, four +10 damage, +3 accuracy large lasers and five single heat sinks. Tactics nine pilot, Vanguard, gunnery four.
Four skull Battle in jungle on a beach.
Nothing special on the build, just max armor, four +10 damage, +3 accuracy large lasers and five single heat sinks. Tactics nine pilot, Vanguard, gunnery four.
Four skull Battle in jungle on a beach.
- Warhammer comes into range, called shot head, one hit and decap with a followup from my Thunderbolt with two SRM6, SnubPPC and an ER sLaser.
- Next turn a Kintaro crests a ridge, called shot head and poof two hit and dead mech
- Reinforcements arrive and I need to move up.
- Quickdraw gets a called shot to the head with one hit and a decap from the Thunderbolt
- K2 Catapult rolls up and I called shot head with one hit and then another decap with the Thunderbolt as a follow up called shot
- Orion V rolls up and he gets a head shot and then a follow up decap with the Thunderbolt.
I think for me headshots coming this easily breaks the spirit of the game. I had a Marauder during the last campaign I ran and I felt like I was cheating with it. Haven't gotten one yet in my current career, but I'm off missed feelings on it.
The damage reduction would be great enough on its own, but with the called shot bonus? Too much for my taste.
The damage reduction would be great enough on its own, but with the called shot bonus? Too much for my taste.