I find the best tactical use of Energy Weapons, overall, is to make you feel clever for tearing them out and replacing them with SRM/LRM launchers and maybe Autocannon, and to make you feel equally clever when the AI shoots them at you, rather than something that will do damage and/or knock you down.
What is the tactical niche of laser ?
- Thread starter BaronNoir
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Medium lasers (and small lasers for that matter) are great. HBK-4P can wreck face.
LL and PPC are at least 5 (maybe up to 10) points too hot. (both could maybe use something like +5 dmg -5 heat)
LL and PPC are at least 5 (maybe up to 10) points too hot. (both could maybe use something like +5 dmg -5 heat)
I use them for concentrated High alphas on called shots/precision shots.
I have a black knight loaded up with medium lasers and heat sinks and I give it to my pilot with the highest gunnery skill to make called shots with it. ct shots on all lights and smaller mediums are insta kills. mediums and and lighter heavies it will rip off a leg.
I have a Thunderbolt with 8 medium lasers, an SRM6 and two machine guns (IIRC) and it seems to do pretty good as a point mech. Cored a poor Vindicator in one round with a called center torso shot. Enough armor to be a forward mech for the lighter armored LRM boats while still dishing out a respectable amount of damage at close to medium range.
I really want to work on a PPC boat for arctic or wet worlds. Not a very useful mech in general but in the right situation it could be fun.
I really want to work on a PPC boat for arctic or wet worlds. Not a very useful mech in general but in the right situation it could be fun.
the only PPCs worth using are those +30 stab damage PPCs
medium lasers, well hey, if you've got a ton free, might as well, right?
medium lasers, well hey, if you've got a ton free, might as well, right?
The fact that big energy gets such small + Dam Mods (PPC Caps out at +10, a 20% increase. LRMs get +2 per 4 Damage Missile, SRMS +4 per 8 Damage missile, a 50% Increase) serves to make bad worse. The very large stability damage bonuses on PPCs (+30 at the ++ level) close, but do not remove, the gap between the PPC and the LRM 20 - LRM 20 does 40 Stability, and another 40 with +2 Stability Damage mods. The PPC does 20, and gains 30 from the ++ level stability damage mod.
And as discussed, the LRM has a typical damage yield of 80 base, to which those larger boni are applied, so 120 damage on an 18 Total Ton weapon system, vs 60 Damage on a 20 Total Ton PPC (assuming fully sinked).
Really, LRMs/SRMs are the Proud Nails of game balance right now, and everything else is just whistling past graveyards until damage and bonus variants are brought in line with the other weapons.
And as discussed, the LRM has a typical damage yield of 80 base, to which those larger boni are applied, so 120 damage on an 18 Total Ton weapon system, vs 60 Damage on a 20 Total Ton PPC (assuming fully sinked).
Really, LRMs/SRMs are the Proud Nails of game balance right now, and everything else is just whistling past graveyards until damage and bonus variants are brought in line with the other weapons.
Energy weapons are especially good for light mechs with their free heat capacity (medium and small lasers) - as tonnage and more weapons come up, ballistics become more viable...
At least on the table-top, note the autocannon damage levels are higher than they are there right now (an AC/5 should be a really big, long-ranged medium laser with low-heat that carries the risk of ammunition explosions) plus the extremely useful stability damage.
Also all the 'Mechs seem to have free CASE installed so an explosion isn't an instantaneous demise.
I think the big PPC does still have some use for long-range breaching shot work, with the stability effect and the accuracy reduction. Large lasers are in a bad way.
At least on the table-top, note the autocannon damage levels are higher than they are there right now (an AC/5 should be a really big, long-ranged medium laser with low-heat that carries the risk of ammunition explosions) plus the extremely useful stability damage.
Also all the 'Mechs seem to have free CASE installed so an explosion isn't an instantaneous demise.
I think the big PPC does still have some use for long-range breaching shot work, with the stability effect and the accuracy reduction. Large lasers are in a bad way.
The niche of the Medium Laser is to have the highest Damage to Tonnage ratio of any weapon in the game.
The niche of the Large Laser is to sell for c-bills.
The niche of the PPC is to be put on a sniper mech so you can tally up all the times you miss with it when it counts.
The niche of the Large Laser is to sell for c-bills.
The niche of the PPC is to be put on a sniper mech so you can tally up all the times you miss with it when it counts.
In TT Lasers used to be a safer (but hotter) alternative to ACs. Both filled the same purpose, just went about it differently. ACs were heavier and required ammunition that if touched off would completely destroy the internal structure of the entire mech (not just one location). Lasers weighed less but required more heatsinks.
In this verison of the game the medium laser is still a good choice, but the L Laser and PPC had their heat values raised and ACs had their damage increased and the risk of ammo explosions has been lessened by the inclusion of free CASE (it used to cost a ton per location in TT to get CASE). If you didn't know, CASE is what prevents an ammo explosion from spreading to other hit locations. Originally, if ammo exploded the damage of all unfired ammo in that location would be applied to the internal structure of your mech. If it destroyed a section (how could it not) it then transferred to the next section, then the next, etc. Later in TT you could spend a ton to add CASE which prevented the ammo explosion from transfering.
So, right now lasers have lost their place as an alternative to ACs. The AC5 used to be a longer ranged medium laser, and the AC10 was basically a ballistic equivalent to a PPC. That's not the case anymore.
As for those that complain about medium lasers.... they are the base weapon to which all other weapons are balanced. They are the most efficient weapon in the game.
In this verison of the game the medium laser is still a good choice, but the L Laser and PPC had their heat values raised and ACs had their damage increased and the risk of ammo explosions has been lessened by the inclusion of free CASE (it used to cost a ton per location in TT to get CASE). If you didn't know, CASE is what prevents an ammo explosion from spreading to other hit locations. Originally, if ammo exploded the damage of all unfired ammo in that location would be applied to the internal structure of your mech. If it destroyed a section (how could it not) it then transferred to the next section, then the next, etc. Later in TT you could spend a ton to add CASE which prevented the ammo explosion from transfering.
So, right now lasers have lost their place as an alternative to ACs. The AC5 used to be a longer ranged medium laser, and the AC10 was basically a ballistic equivalent to a PPC. That's not the case anymore.
As for those that complain about medium lasers.... they are the base weapon to which all other weapons are balanced. They are the most efficient weapon in the game.