Is There A Pilot Skills Overview?

[Prussian Havoc]

I can sympathize with that. I'd like my primary class to be tactics and my secondary class to be piloting, but I'd really rather substitute sensor lock with multi-shot. So I want Evasive Movement, Multi-Shot, and Master Tactician.

I am leaning toward working all stats to 3 as soon as possible, the pushing the Guts Attribute to 5 for Bulwark before looking to Gunnery for its Level 5 (Multi-target) and Level 8 (Breaching Shot) Abilities.

Sure my Mercenary Commander will be my Scout, with Piloting and Tactics, and I'll have at least one Missileer with Tactics and Guts, but for the most part Guts and Gunnery sounds good to me. : )

 

[44th MAC|Bonsai]

I'm thinking about making my commander a guts/tactics pilot. He'll most likely be the one piloting the heaviest mech, so having +1 initiative would be nice. Bulwark for going in first and soak up all the damage.

There are a lot of other valid combinations, and in success (of my mercenary outfit) I'll probably try them all ;D

 

[Hawk.eye]

I am REALLY impressed how much Armor it is possible to hang on these Mechs.

Has anyone caught some examples of what "MAX Armor" actually weighs for the Mechs we've seen most frequently so far? Blackjack, Shadow Hawk, etc?

Checking Cohh's stream (which is now up on YTube which makes it _so_ much easier to search), armor is allocated/removed in 5 points lot (which makes a lot of sense, given 5 points of armor in Battletech = 1 point in TT) and weights between 0.06 and 0.065 tons
When Cohh removed 5 points of armor off the Blackjack's RA, it showed: Total weight: 44.96 tons, 0.06 tons remaining
When he removed another 5 points, it showed: Total weight: 44.88 tons, 0.13 tons remaining
He then removed another 10 points from the LA, giving those numbers: Total weight: 44.81/44.75 tons and 0.19/0.25 tons remaining

Given 20(4) points of armor add up to 0.25 tons, I'm inclined to say that 5 points come out at 0.0625 (what it should be according to TT rules) and the display is simply showing the number rounded to two digits.

Doing some more math and looking at the beta files (which so far hold true to what I have seen in the streams), maxing armor would be

Commando: 7.875 tons (max armor in TT: 5.5 tons)
Centurion: 14.8125 tons (max armor in TT: 10.5 tons)
Thunderbolt: 17.4375 tons (max armor in TT: 13.5 tons (5 points wasted))
Atlas: 23.5625 tons (max armor in TT: 19.5 tons (5 points wasted))

 

[44th MAC|Bonsai]

Atlas: 23.5625 tons (max armor in TT: 19.5 tons (5 points wasted))

Finally, an Atlas that can survive being hit by a large meteor!

 

[TheDarkestStig]

Updated the skill level charts with the latest information from the streams:

Sure looks like the Gunnery and Piloting skills bonuses are going to continue all the way up to Level 10, for a total of +25% to hit chance for ranged and melee, respectively. Interesting to note that the Unsteady threshold modifier is at Level 4 Piloting, but the Overheat threshold modifier isn't until Guts 6.

 

[Prussian Havoc]

...
Commando: 7.875 tons (max armor in TT: 5.5 tons)
Centurion: 14.8125 tons (max armor in TT: 10.5 tons)
Thunderbolt: 17.4375 tons (max armor in TT: 13.5 tons (5 points wasted))
Atlas: 23.5625 tons (max armor in TT: 19.5 tons (5 points wasted))

That is along the lines of what I had thought was occuring. Thank you Good Sir for running the numbers so very definitively. :bow:

 

[Rabid]

The fact that you have to choose 2 level 5 and 1 level 8 skills is quite interesting, you'd guess that virtually everyone wants either evasive move or bulwark because taking less damage is that damn good, but then you have the 'other' choice which isn't so clear cut. Seems like sensor lock will be a common pick up though just because not everyone is going to want

Do we know what Juggernaut does yet?

 

[Rhodium]

The fact that you have to choose 2 level 5 and 1 level 8 skills is quite interesting, you'd guess that virtually everyone wants either evasive move or bulwark because taking less damage is that damn good, but then you have the 'other' choice which isn't so clear cut.

Do we know what Juggernaut or Master Tactician does yet?

Master Tac increased your initiative 1 phase.
Juggernaut lets you punch people back a phase.

 

[gavicola]

My thoughts on pilot builds:


Front Line Tank: Gun 2/Guts 1
Stand in place, multi target to strip evasion, multi-target to multi-breaching shot

Hit N run: Pilot 2/Tactics 1:
Evasion boots negative to hit, ace pilot allows move-shoot-shoot-move
Sensor locking for other targets when not-advantagous to fire

Front Line Brawler: Guts 2/Piloting 1
Designed for Meleeing, Guts 2 improves melee, PIloting 1 improves survibability (ideal for 5/8/5 mediums?)
or? Guts 1/Piloting 2
If Juggernaut isn't particularly good, and its possible to punch after alphaing w/ ace pilot

Scout: Tactics 2/ Pilot 1
High evasion, sensor locking, moves first when required

Fire Support: Tactics 2/guts 1
Good at IDF (missiles), can bulwark, able to move a phase earlier, raining down LRM death on heavies that have not had a chance to react

---

for clarity, the 2/1 above refer to the 3 skill bonuses one is allowed to accrue for 1 character. Not to imply thats the rank associated with those bonuses.

 

[Rhodium]

My thoughts on pilot builds:


Front Line Tank: Gun 2/Guts 1
Stand in place, multi target to strip evasion, multi-target to multi-breaching shot

Hit N run: Pilot 2/Tactics 1:
Evasion boots negative to hit, ace pilot allows move-shoot-shoot-move
Sensor locking for other targets when not-advantagous to fire

Front Line Brawler: Guts 2/Piloting 1
Designed for Meleeing, Guts 2 improves melee, PIloting 1 improves survibability (ideal for 5/8/5 mediums?)
or? Guts 1/Piloting 2
If Juggernaut isn't particularly good, and its possible to punch after alphaing w/ ace pilot

Scout: Tactics 2/ Pilot 1
High evasion, sensor locking, moves first when required

Fire Support: Tactics 2/guts 1
Good at IDF (missiles), can bulwark, able to move a phase earlier, raining down LRM death on heavies that have not had a chance to react

---

for clarity, the 2/1 above refer to the 3 skill bonuses one is allowed to accrue for 1 character. Not to imply thats the rank associated with those bonuses.

I'm actually going to build my commander to be a melee specialist with Tactics 2/ Pilot 1. Once you get into Assault mechs Master Tac becomes super valuable.

 

[Gorski123]

I think my end game lance would be this.

Pilot 2/tactics 1
Guts 1/Gunnery 2
Guts 1/Tactics 2
Not sure about the 4th either Gunnery 2 or tactics 2

Not seeing a lot of love for juggernaut. What would HBS have to add to this to make us want it?

 

[Geddon]

Does DFA benefit from + melee accuracy from piloting skill tree?

 

[Double D]

Master Tac increased your initiative 1 phase.
Juggernaut lets you punch people back a phase.

Question: I wonder with Juggernaut if you can fire first, then melee during your move, since you melee during your movement phase?

 

[Rhodium]

Question: I wonder with Juggernaut if you can fire first, then melee during your move, since you melee during your movement phase?

I doubt it will let you melee after firing with ace pilot, and even if it does you can't take Juggernaut and Ace Pilot without modding the game.

 

[TheDarkestStig]

I doubt it will let you melee after firing with ace pilot, and even if it does you can't take Juggernaut and Ace Pilot without modding the game.

In a similar vein, I wonder if you can use other actions other than attack, such as Sensor Lock and then move.

 

[Double D]

I doubt it will let you melee after firing with ace pilot, and even if it does you can't take Juggernaut and Ace Pilot without modding the game.

You're right... I wasn't thinking about this correctly.

 

[44th MAC|Bonsai]

I was just thinking about that "Ace Pilot" ability: Can you just brace instead of moving? If yes: That's basically a Bulwark ability for free, with some added flexibility.

 

[TheDarkestStig]

I was just thinking about that "Ace Pilot" ability: Can you just brace instead of moving? If yes: That's basically a Bulwark ability for free, with some added flexibility.

Interesting... The ability says "This unit can move after shooting if it has not moved yet", implying either that a) the only action that can be taken and that allows a move afterwards is shooting, or b) that any action that "counts as shooting" (i.e. is turn ending) can be used.

Going to be interesting to see...

 

[gavicola]

I'm actually going to build my commander to be a melee specialist with Tactics 2/ Pilot 1. Once you get into Assault mechs Master Tac becomes super valuable.

i think i disagree a bit with this, after thinking a bit - i'm going with my inital Guts 1 / Gunnery 2. Assults moving w/ heavies is ok, but probably wont matter that much. Assaults being able to stand still with 50% damage reduction, while using multi-shot breaching shots to ignore other mechs damage reduction, seems REALLy good to me. particularly if your assults are carrying PPCs, AC20s, or other large damage weapons.

 

[Rhodium]

i think i disagree a bit with this, after thinking a bit - i'm going with my inital Guts 1 / Gunnery 2. Assults moving w/ heavies is ok, but probably wont matter that much. Assaults being able to stand still with 50% damage reduction, while using multi-shot breaching shots to ignore other mechs damage reduction, seems REALLy good to me. particularly if your assults are carrying PPCs, AC20s, or other large damage weapons.

I don't think you're fully considering the advantage having an Assault go in the Heavy phase grants you. Imagine you're facing an Atlas in phase 5, and you have a BattleMaster rigged up with 4 SRM6 racks and 4 Medium Lasers slotted into phase 4. It's not really about being able to move with your heavies; it's about you, at the start of the match, reserving your BattleMaster down to phase 5, and now having the option to, at any time, attack with that Battlemaster twice in a row before the Atlas can respond. The higher your alpha strike is, the more devastating this tactic becomes.

1v1, you're going to lay the smackdown on the Atlas, no problem, because you're going to start the fight by getting behind him and dumping two alphas in a row into his back and knocking him down, banging up his pilot and reducing his retaliatory accuracy. In a full team fight it's even worse for the poor Atlas; instead of getting behind him, you can throw a BattleMaster punch and knock him unsteady and remove any defensive buffs, then next turn, you're going to tip him over with a few LRMs from a teammate, and before he gets the chance to stand up, you're going to take that full 292 damage alpha and drive it into his CT with a called shot, which by the way is going to have increased accuracy because your tactics are at 8.