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Post by ѻﻭɼﻉ on Jan 6, 2020 12:57:15 GMT -5
A somewhat elaborate assessment:
Close Range = 350m or less Medium Range = 600m or less Long Range = 1100m or less
As far as iOS Champions League goes, LR and even MR builds appear to have gone out of fashion since the appearance of the Phantom and Leech.
Due to the power and speed of those two, they are able to close in quickly, so we have witnessed quite a decline in the use of 600m+ weapons. You see the occasional Pulsar or Dragoon; Trebs and Arbalest are very rare; maybe one or two guys who love their Ballista Spectre; Hussar and Marquess are rare; Wasp and Sting I havenâ??t even encountered in a while. The most common weapon from 600m or more is Scourge and Spark because these do a little damage at 600m and more power the closer they get, so theyâ??re versatile for medium to close range.
Now, with the appearance of Titans, there is a realization that is gradually dawning on people, one that I think will see the return of more 600m+ weapons. Not only does the defense mitigation of Titans allow them to easily decimate mechs with damage resistance, more Ao Ming users are using plasma weapons, myself included. At the moment the lack of 600m+ weapons allows us to maintain air superiority and decimate the enemy team. The occasional Ao Jun is able to close distance, but so far it is rare, so any of you reading this who have killed plasma Ao Ming, please set aside your pride about a few kills and consider more carefully what Iâ??m writing. Lol, Iâ??m telling people how to kill my plasma Ao Ming. Why would I do this? Because I prefer to be challenged than to dominate. What Iâ??m saying now is more and more people with AM are using plasma and upgrading it, and the real reason for this is the lack of opposition beyond 500m. Because of this, the plasma AM can stay out of range of enemy weapons including (currently) ALL Kids and Arthurs, because those two equip guns or rockets.
Another issue here is that while closing distance on the AM is one major counter against it, if that players team brawlers have control or protect the Ao Ming/s, the enemy team canâ??t get at them. In social media, we then see people calling such players names because theyâ??re butthurt that someone is using a viable combat tactic to kick their ?bum-bum? (staying out of range of enemy weapons). That is stupid. If you donâ??t like getting whooped by an enemy that can stay beyond your weapon range, can someone tell me what the logical tactical decision should be to adjust? Lmao, yes, my suggestion is we should have one mech in our hangar that has 600m+. The more people that have this, the less advantage a plasma AM is going to have; the less impact they will have against your team.
Kinetic builds such as Tempest and Molot will do pretty good at suppressing fire against the plasma AM. At max range (800m), although these guns can hit AM, they will only slowly whittle at it, then they can self-heal. The optimal range of these kinetics is 400-500m to really do more severe damage. So personally, I myself would only choose them if I was either intending to merely play a suppression role, or mounting these weapons on something like a Bulwark. Pulsars, Wasps, Hussar Marquess, and LR energy or kinetic cannons will be more devastating than Tempests. Weapons that allow you to close to 600m, hit and retreat will do pretty well but you risk being hit, so timing and positioning will be important to reduce exposure. I would say, based on my experience, is the best mech for Pulsars, Wasps, and Hussars against plasma AM is Spectre because AM canâ??t hit a stealth bot. Marquess Pursuer maybe. And definitely Dragoon Bulwark and Dragoon Ao Jun! Imo there are two particular things that will work best as anti-plasma AM:
- Weapons that can hit hard from beyond 600m - A Plasma Arthur
However, if like me you donâ??t like LR weapons but prefer MR builds that will still do well at closer ranges, refer to the 600m suggestions just mentioned above.
I hope someone finds this useful, and look forward to greater tactical challenge to my plasma Ao Ming.
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jan 6, 2020 15:19:17 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips. And since I'm so nice, don't shoot at me when me meet. :-)
It kinda stinks with the Titans being yet another monetization effort by Pix. I've been holding-off spending the moolah but for the good of the clan I'm gonna have to relent in a month or two. EXIT is cool about it though. Nobody is pressuring me to "spend or get out."
Best of luck, Ollie
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Post by ѻﻭɼﻉ on Jan 6, 2020 15:25:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips. And since I'm so nice, don't shoot at me when me meet. :-) It kinda stinks with the Titans being yet another monetization effort by Pix. I've been holding-off spending the moolah but for the good of the clan I'm gonna have to relent in a month or two. EXIT is cool about it though. Nobody is pressuring me to "spend or get out." Best of luck, Ollie Unless you have the $ to do it, instead of buying titans and their weapons, building more common mechs and weapons as anti-Titan will be easier and cheaper, such as the Pulsar or Dragoon suggestions I made. Then either saving up platinum or using it to enhance the titan stuff you already have will also be cheaper than buying entire new titan or new weapon types like plasma or rockets.
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Post by Garbage game on Jan 6, 2020 15:28:15 GMT -5
Avenger Ao Jun is still effective vs the Ao Ming. Sharpshooter, speedshooter, and the large size of the Ao Ming means you’ll hit a decent amount of shots from 500m. Plus you can close the distance and fly back to cover if you need to. Most the Ao Mings I’ve killed just required a few passes, the usual deal when fighting tanks, except I don’t really need to use Dragon Breath.
Running a 600+ meter bot is a bit of a liability with all the Leeches and Phantoms and AJs around
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Post by ѻﻭɼﻉ on Jan 6, 2020 15:42:47 GMT -5
Avenger Ao Jun is still effective vs the Ao Ming. Sharpshooter, speedshooter, and the large size of the Ao Ming means you’ll hit a decent amount of shots from 500m. Plus you can close the distance and fly back to cover if you need to. Most the Ao Mings I’ve killed just required a few passes, the usual deal when fighting tanks, except I don’t really need to use Dragon Breath. Running a 600+ meter bot is a bit of a liability with all the Leeches and Phantoms and AJs around That depends on how you play that 600m bot. Although a couple maps are slightly more challenging to do so, such as DC, mechs with Pulsar or Dragoon still do quite well
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Post by hi5 on Jan 6, 2020 15:45:05 GMT -5
Been trying a goon style Raker the last few days, mostly because I can’t commit to leveling it yet so staying at 600m lets me see how it rolls without getting rolled myself in an instant. Suppress/goon cycle worked pretty well on a plasma AM camping off the side of carrier - well kept him from being a menace to blues at least.
Good tips, appreciate the thread!
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Post by ѻﻭɼﻉ on Jan 6, 2020 21:26:14 GMT -5
Been trying a goon style Raker the last few days, mostly because I can’t commit to leveling it yet so staying at 600m lets me see how it rolls without getting rolled myself in an instant. Suppress/goon cycle worked pretty well on a plasma AM camping off the side of carrier - well kept him from being a menace to blues at least. Good tips, appreciate the thread! Excellent decision. I too have been building same....good range and ability to suppress the AM weapons. May be worthwhile to either Death Mark or even Lock Down Ammo to keep AM from evading!
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Post by T34 on Jan 6, 2020 22:31:08 GMT -5
Good post OP. A highly levelled plasma Ming is OP. Not sure if many have called it OP but that’s what it is IMO. I haven’t got a levelled plasma Ming but I reckon it’s a top 3 bot now if not top bot. Its only disadvantage is that it cant be deployed until charged. Doesn’t even have to stay at 600m. Especially if it has backup. Even at DC and such places if it has backup it is King. Not sure if there is a viable counter to it ATM. Just like any other just released OP bots. I will stick with my avenger Jun and wont embark on a levelling crusade until the situation clears up a bit more. Raykers may do well but I suspect the Ming does much better so not sure if a Rayker is a viable option. The Ming will be the Ming’s best counter probably for the time being. Stealth bots may trump the Ming if one team deploys too many Mings in beacon modes (Mings will rule in TDM). This is the new OP bot and will take months for a counter to be made available by Pix and it will probably be in the form of another titan thereby Pix initiating an arms race within the Titans sphere. ATM there is no arms race, Kid<Arthur<Ming. Its that happy times again for paying customers once more.
Just had a game at Rome and the sky was riddled with Mings. Maybe stealth bots like the pursuer with phase shift is the answer. But again not sure how area control would turn out in that scenario.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2020 18:46:40 GMT -5
I find the 600m Plasma weapons to be very accurate and a lot easier to aim than the default machine guns, which can miss a lot of shots (and thus do very poor damage) if not aimed perfectly.
The Plasma weapons have a lot of burst damage too, very quickly able to last stand & kill most regular bots at around 600m, even Repulsing Leeches (due to defence mitigation).
As for counters, hmm...
Other than the Avenger Ao Jun, which might be the best bet (it serves a lot of purposes) even if it still struggles to damage max Ao Mings,
other stealth and Retribution bots (Ares / Hades / Nemesis) are currently completely immune to Titan fire when their abilities are active.
And being completely immune to them seems like the way to go.
600m Quantum Radar Pulsar Leeches serve as a great Ao Jun counter (Leech one while shooting and locking the others), but can't take a hit from a levelled Plasma titan.
Rayker can suppress Ao Mings at 600m, but they can still do a lot of damage even while suppressed, and their plasma weapons can also just be left to recharge while suppressed.
Machine gun Ao Mings can do a lot of damage to Plasma Ao Mings, but they're usually fast enough to fly away.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2020 18:56:47 GMT -5
Excellent observations. Thanks for putting this together. Cross-posting to Reddit. Cheers.
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Post by maverick on Jan 20, 2020 2:52:38 GMT -5
One on one Avenger Ao Jun wipes the floor with AM as long as the Ao Jun player uses cover to land behind. 2 or 3 passes depending on if you are close enough to use Dragon Breath and AM is falling to the ground like a sack of ?dookie?. In a team situation if the other players protect AM then that changes things especially if you have fast assault bots to catch Ao Jun on the ground. Then again a smart team will protect Ao Jun while it's on the ground because it's one of the few that can deal with AM quickly and safely.
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Post by shad3z on Jan 20, 2020 5:06:42 GMT -5
When I'm in the right bot (Avenger Ao Jun of course), I still consider Ao Ming as a bag of silver. In other bot's it's less easy...
I'm gonna finish my first Leech in WS tomorrow (won 8000 comps during the event). I'm thinking of just running it with 4x Tulumbas, possibly using Deathmark. I wonder what the effect will be when I leech onto an AO Ming and unload 4 Tulumbas on it while using Deathmark. Has anybody tried this?
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Post by ѻﻭɼﻉ on Jan 21, 2020 14:16:17 GMT -5
I rarely have my Ao Ming closed on and killed, but tell you what - the Nightingale will be a good counter because it is in stealth, so AM can’t hit it, and although weapons are disengaged during the Nightingale flight mode, it has multiple frequent suppression blasts, and that is going to take a toll on plasma AM if people actually go that route.
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Post by >bobby_digital< on Jan 21, 2020 15:36:16 GMT -5
working on it my dude... So far, standard kinetic mings are dispatched readily with a quadrophenia of MK2 pulsars on a leech or spectre and playing range. The plasma variant...well, that's really the rub ain't it? I've seen a flux behemoth do the dirty but other than that, I dunno. I don't think a ballista/arbalast combo have enough whomp to kill a ming alone but with help from a team it's doable. quad ballista would chip the paint quite a bit but not for a takedown before someone sends a phantom over to clean the snipers clock. Trebs with powerman would be an interesting exercise. I'm playing with the idea of kang dae's on a butch, only because butch is more mobile than a behemoth, but it tends to get stuck on everything...maybe a kang dae fury? when I'm out there testing, you'll know... or not.
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Post by Rollo Tomasi on Jan 21, 2020 16:04:38 GMT -5
Been trying a goon style Raker the last few days, mostly because I can’t commit to leveling it yet so staying at 600m lets me see how it rolls without getting rolled myself in an instant. Suppress/goon cycle worked pretty well on a plasma AM camping off the side of carrier - well kept him from being a menace to blues at least. Good tips, appreciate the thread! I’ve been running the same. I’ve tried it as a brawler, but lvl 9Mk1 and no premium mods leave it too fragile. My only complaint is that the heavy weapon seems prone to being blown off, otherwise a good counter to Kid and Ao Ming.
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Post by Deadeye on Jan 21, 2020 16:38:50 GMT -5
speaking of LR options, I saw a Fury the other day running Kang Daes that seemed to fire every 4-5 seconds. Is that really a thing now? Is that a pilot skill thing? I thought they were like 15 second reload. (I'm headed to the wiki as I type this...)
Edit: Well I'll be, they did change that! It's a 6 second reload at 800m, which means it can be aided by the new LR pilot. KD Behemoth?!?
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Post by >bobby_digital< on Jan 22, 2020 15:23:54 GMT -5
speaking of LR options, I saw a Fury the other day running Kang Daes that seemed to fire every 4-5 seconds. Is that really a thing now? Is that a pilot skill thing? I thought they were like 15 second reload. (I'm headed to the wiki as I type this...) Edit: Well I'll be, they did change that! It's a 6 second reload at 800m, which means it can be aided by the new LR pilot. KD Behemoth?!? yeah that 6 sec reload is a game changer for the KD's in this environment. My only issue with the Behemoth is the ability making it stationary. I don't think there's enough firepower to take down a ming in that 200m gap. Maybe with thermos and the LR pilot...Not sure about behemoth's ground speed but I don't think it'll be able to kite effectively. Again, working on it my dude...
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jan 24, 2020 10:42:07 GMT -5
TL;DR - Anyone consider maxed Ballistas as a counter? They certainly have the range and the exposure time is minimal. The AM is also a big, easy target to hit with a manual weapon like Ballistas.
Thoughts?
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jan 27, 2020 10:36:46 GMT -5
This weekend we had an iOS match with TB (Tool Breakers) a good match until they brought out multiple AMs that they spent money on. If one could grind Pt it would be different but it kinda just doesn't feel right just blatantly getting outspent.
Absolutely the WORST part is that maxed weapons slice through any defense. This needs to be dialed back.
It is what it is, but this whole Titan thing isn't encouraging me to play more. During this match I felt like, "Can't win, why try?"
But... Thanks for starting and keeping this thread going. It helps.
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Post by Old-Cat on Jan 28, 2020 11:07:54 GMT -5
Does anyone run or have a leveled bulwark? I wonder how its shield holds up w maxed fortifiers against the beast? Sadly I don't think its two heavies are make it worth the investment, but still I'm curious.
I pulled my Falcon and went w a second Ao jun, boooo. At least I can attack and get to cover without having my laststand triggered in 3 secs. Damage reduction bots have taken a huge hit with the release of the modules for Titans. You almost have to run them with a different thought in mind now that maxed titans are on the field, certainly not with intention of bulldozing to a beacon mid to late game.
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Post by Old-Cat on Jan 28, 2020 11:17:29 GMT -5
This weekend we had an iOS match with TB (Tool Breakers) a good match until they brought out multiple AMs that they spent money on. If one could grind Pt it would be different but it kinda just doesn't feel right just blatantly getting outspent. Absolutely the WORST part is that maxed weapons slice through any defense. This needs to be dialed back. It is what it is, but this whole Titan thing isn't encouraging me to play more. During this match I felt like, "Can't win, why try?" But... Thanks for starting and keeping this thread going. It helps. Its no competition when a maxed Titan is deployed. I have this picture of a bully holding his hand out, cupping a much shorter guys head holding him at bay, all the while the small guy flails away hitting nothing but air. I dont mind being under powered, fact is i often am against top clans, but this power difference is just plain stupid.
I'm gonna roll w it for now. I sure hope pix sees what they have done.
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jan 28, 2020 11:20:59 GMT -5
I'm feeling very (umm, what do the kids say? Salty?) salty about highly-leveled AMs. They are the ruination of my fun. It's not a straight up fight it's a cash war. B.o.r.i.n.g. A talentless eviscerating shoot-a-thon. Congratulations. Even Ares had counters that people would have spirited debates about. Pix has finally taken it too far. I'm gonna give it to this weekend and see how things go.
I'm thinking of talking to my clan and seeing if they just want to drop after the third frickin' AM takes flight.
I'm probably in the minority because leadership insists on never quitting, but the only choice is to literally to hide in deep cover and ride out the timer. And that way everybody has fun.
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Post by Adazahi on Jan 28, 2020 11:27:31 GMT -5
I have a video on this topic I plan on releasing today, I made a whole clan strategy just for fighting these things.
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Post by Danny Linguini on Jan 28, 2020 11:56:15 GMT -5
This weekend we had an iOS match with TB (Tool Breakers) a good match until they brought out multiple AMs that they spent money on. If one could grind Pt it would be different but it kinda just doesn't feel right just blatantly getting outspent. Absolutely the WORST part is that maxed weapons slice through any defense. This needs to be dialed back. It is what it is, but this whole Titan thing isn't encouraging me to play more. During this match I felt like, "Can't win, why try?" But... Thanks for starting and keeping this thread going. It helps. Its no competition when a maxed Titan is deployed. I have this picture of a bully holding his hand out, cupping a much shorter guys head holding him at bay, all the while the small guy flails away hitting nothing but air. I dont mind being under powered, fact is i often am against top clans, but this power difference is just plain stupid.
I'm gonna roll w it for now. I sure hope pix sees what they have done.
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Post by Old-Cat on Jan 28, 2020 12:57:50 GMT -5
Its no competition when a maxed Titan is deployed. I have this picture of a bully holding his hand out, cupping a much shorter guys head holding him at bay, all the while the small guy flails away hitting nothing but air. I dont mind being under powered, fact is i often am against top clans, but this power difference is just plain stupid.
I'm gonna roll w it for now. I sure hope pix sees what they have done.
That's the point, no doubt. I don't do what I do for free. But this one sure seems short sided. dem' crazy russian.
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Post by Danny Linguini on Jan 28, 2020 13:10:43 GMT -5
That's the point, no doubt. I don't do what I do for free. But this one sure seems short sided. dem' crazy russian. They have not cared what they do to game play since the conception of the idea of the dash bots and the conscious decision to sell power. We’ve been crying the same thing about the short-sightedness of this strategy since that time, and all they’ve done is doubled- and tripled-down on it. The absurd power gap with maxed Titans is just the next extension of it. We’ve been saying boycott and stop spending on all the latest OP stuff, but enough people are obviously going to keep spending on it, so Pix is going to keep creating it.
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Post by Old-Cat on Jan 28, 2020 13:40:16 GMT -5
That's the point, no doubt. I don't do what I do for free. But this one sure seems short sided. dem' crazy russian. They have not cared what they do to game play since the conception of the idea of the dash bots and the conscious decision to sell power. We’ve been crying the same thing about the short-sightedness of this strategy since that time, and all they’ve done is doubled- and tripled-down on it. The absurd power gap with maxed Titans is just the next extension of it. We’ve been saying boycott and stop spending on all the latest OP stuff, but enough people are obviously going to keep spending on it, so Pix is going to keep creating it. This is quadruple whammy. I mean who thought that was a good idea? I still think they were drunk when this was approved. Seeing one bot wipe out wave after wave of the entire field is comedic gold. We are about at the thermonuclear button stage. Say 50 bucks for one nuke. Shoot. I would buy couple just for the laughs.
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jan 28, 2020 17:07:51 GMT -5
Shoot. I would buy couple just for the laughs.
You're leeched on to me from behind a wall... Not for long! 450 PCs for a tac-nuke! Boom! That felt gooooooood. :-)
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jan 28, 2020 17:22:03 GMT -5
Seriously: Are Noricums viable as an anti-Titan weapon? Yes, it would take at least three maxed, but would it be a laughable amount of damage? Would they bypass the Arthur's front shield? Do they have a prayer of hitting an Ao Ming in flight?
I'm asking for a friend. :-)
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Post by ⓣⓡⓘⓒⓚⓨ48 on Jan 28, 2020 17:51:03 GMT -5
Seriously: Are Noricums viable as an anti-Titan weapon? Yes, it would take at least three maxed, but would it be a laughable amount of damage? Would they bypass the Arthur's front shield? Do they have a prayer of hitting an Ao Ming in flight? I'm asking for a friend. :-) I can't say if they are viable... but they are Splash so "Yes" to the Arthur's shield being bypassed.
Noris have one of the more realistic-ish flight paths in the game... they hit from 300m - 500m fairly quickly, but passed that they have an artillery like delay that means you have to lead your shots. With an Arthur, as slow as it is, that should not be much of an issue and would allow you your friend to get a good amount of hits in.
But... I have no idea how they would do as far as actually doing enough damage to be worth it... even maxed. That's a question for someone with a BR account.
Hitting an AM? No clue. I don't know how it would handle the elevation. It's slow enough to not be too big of a challenge from 600m + ranges... but whether the height of the bot makes it harder or easier to hit, IDK.
IMO, YMMV
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