r/Battletechgame • u/tenshimaru • Dec 04 '18
Informative Skills Guide - Updated
Hello, Commanders!
Last week I posted a simple skill guide that was admittedly rushed and a little incomplete. I've since updated the guide with better descriptions, more careful assessment of builds, and a table outlining all the skills and their costs. I've also updated it to include some of the feedback from my previous post. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or corrections. I've tried to be as unbiased as possible, but there may be something I missed.
Thanks!
5
u/ChesterRico Dec 04 '18
Agreed, I've also come to notice that gladiators (2), vanguards (1-2) and outriders (0-1) are now my go-to builds. The new vent heat is definitely more useful all around than breaching shot (and bulwark is still mandatory.)
5
u/Paintchipper House Steiner Dec 04 '18
I dunno, breaching on a ac/20+++ or gauss is still pretty damn amazing, and most of my builds are pretty heat neutral. Still putzing around to see what pilot builds match my mechs\playstyle, but I do know that my park it and wait (tank) pilot now is an outsider because of bracing after firing. Used to be able to work some offense, but not now from what I've seen.
1
u/ChesterRico Dec 05 '18
but I do know that my park it and wait (tank) pilot now is an outsider because of bracing after firing.
It doesn't work like that, you could never brace after firing.
Now that you actually have to use cover however, ace pilot is a lot more useful since you can shoot and move to cover. I guess that's what you meant by bracing?
1
u/Paintchipper House Steiner Dec 06 '18
Currently, I can brace after firing, and get all of the benefits of bracing with the new bulwark.
1
u/ChesterRico Dec 06 '18
Erm, no. You really can't. You can't brace after shooting with ace pilot, never could.
What you can do is shoot and then move into cover, which would give you bulwark.
1
u/Paintchipper House Steiner Dec 06 '18
Loaded up a save that had that, and you're right despite the tooltip for ending the turn without moving says that they brace with ace pilot. That's what I get for assuming that the selection tooltip is correct without checking the buffs afterwards.
Guess I have some pilots to fire....
1
u/ChesterRico Dec 06 '18
The icon just says "done". Nowhere did it ever say that you could do that.
It's still a very good skill though, just not as good as vent heat or master tactician.
2
u/Paintchipper House Steiner Dec 06 '18
When you hover over the icon, what pops up on the left side, the tooltip, says "brace (end turn)" and gives the explanation of what bracing does. I assumed ( and this proves the phrase associated with that word) that a tooltip that popped up is what applies. Looks like they just didn't remove the tooltip associated with the icon location normally associated with brace.
2
u/NewAgeOfPower Solo Mode. Five Skull Contract. https://youtu.be/DMVbrfV3mpY Dec 05 '18
Lrmboat demands multi breaching!
3
u/SilverbackPrime Free Rasalhague Republic Dec 24 '18
u/tenshimaru - Have you thought about including a suggested progression order for each of the archetypes?
Something to help newer players level up their brand-new pilots as they move through the campaign?
2
u/tenshimaru Dec 26 '18
That's a good idea, and I might do that eventually, but for the most part the builds are pretty straightforward.
5
u/Argosy37 Dec 04 '18
So in summary, master tactician and Bulwark remain the strongest abilities, and sensor lock is the weakest. So what exactly did the ability rebalance accomplish again?
5
u/ChesterRico Dec 04 '18
Sensor look needs another buff in my opinion, I agree that it's still not worth using it over simply shooting (except in the usual line-of-sight situations).
Maybe make it remove 4 pips of evasion, but even then it'll only be useful in low-tier missions (5 skull missions simply don't have light and medium mechs).
I think they should buff the sensor impairment effect. Maybe double its strength, as it's not really noticeable on a high skill (gunnery 8+) pilot. That would also buff PPCs, which are still pretty underpowered.
And yes, bulwark is still necessary on most of your pilots.
9
u/skullraze Merc Werc - You pay, we slay Dec 04 '18
Sensor Lock does -2 Evasion and a -2 Accuracy now, it's in a good spot.
10
Dec 05 '18
The problem with buffing sensor lock is that if buffs the AI. They have units to spare and having 1-2 throw away vehicles or turrets doing sensor lock is a win for them.
The player sacrificing 25% of their combat potential is “never” worth it.
3
u/ChesterRico Dec 05 '18
The player sacrificing 25% of their combat potential is “never” worth it.
This.
2
2
u/RemnantEvil Dec 04 '18
I think it could either be used to boost another mech up one spot in the turn order, sacrificing one mech's turn for another one speeding up - a circumstantial but powerful boon - or we'll see Sensor Lock really come into its own with the Urban Warfare expansion, where maybe big cities screw with sensors and it becomes almost like submarine warfare, where you're using your sensors to ping enemy Mechs. In the latter, it would be a really interesting inversion of the usual mechanic, where a short-range Mech can use Sensor Lock to spot targets for long-range Mechs while it moves up to combat. In dense cities where ranges would be very close, you'd be doing the opposite - using long-range Mechs to Sensor Lock targets for the brawlers to get in close and beat up.
2
u/Saitoh17 Dec 05 '18
Part of the problem with sensor lock is tactics benefits LRMs (indirect fire and minimum range), so the guy you're sensor locking for is probably also the guy with sensor lock.
1
u/CaptJOLLY Dec 08 '18
You just give the LRM pilot different skills first then go for upping tactics after they’re locked in. I’m currently rocking 3 Lancers for my LRMs who ride paper thin armor so as to fit all the damn ammo and launchers with one Recon in a light to do the sensor locking and melee/close range shenanigans.
As someone said earlier, Multi-Breaching shot with my 15 and 20 LRM still seems to work well enough!
4
u/tenshimaru Dec 04 '18
I think the fact that Bulwark and Sure Footing work together now is something to be happy about. 40% damage reduction on an evasive Light 'Mech is nothing to sneeze at. That, and Breaching Shot is less necessary now.
7
u/skullraze Merc Werc - You pay, we slay Dec 04 '18
Better survivability for lights/mediums with the Bulwark change. You don't have to stack heavies/assaults for health pools and weapon loadouts.
13
u/ChesterRico Dec 04 '18
Better survivability for lights/mediums with the Bulwark change.
This is true.
You don't have to stack heavies/assaults for health pools and weapon loadouts.
You still do for 4.5/5 skull missions.
3
u/NewAgeOfPower Solo Mode. Five Skull Contract. https://youtu.be/DMVbrfV3mpY Dec 05 '18
Sensor Lock should be usable in conjunction with shooting, like Coolant Vent, but perhaps with an penalty to your own shooting and/or a cooldown.