HELP ME REACH S RANK! Need build/Piloting advice

[Hobocop]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3388319690
9PT7Z16FZBQX - Bad Company

So I recently hit A-Rank, and I'm barely making any progress. Rats, Heavies and certain Lighter builds tend to give me alot of trouble. I'd prefer not to adopt a cookie cutter meta build just to compete, and I wanted to hear a few tips/build changes that could hopefully make the difference.

I'd like to leave most of my frame Intact if I can help it- I've grown quite fond of it, especially the Spring Chicken- but im not entirely unwilling to swap something out if its universally agreed to be bad.

When it comes to my Weapons and my Internals, However- Boosters, FCS, Generator- I'm all ears.

One thing I know for certain: I'm not using assault boost/kicks enough. I'm having a difficult time determining when its the right time, and I imagine that this is probably due to my speed.

[k-ricks]

try to use your back weapon less often and just speed through to the end kill some along the way then you might get S but 285 speed is kinda slow Gills is for flying S rank mainly for speed you might want to change it

[Martial Autist]

Originally posted by k-ricks:

try to use your back weapon less often and just speed through to the end kill some along the way then you might get S but 285 speed is kinda slow Gills is for flying S rank mainly for speed you might want to change it

He is talking about pvp.

[Martial Autist]

I am not very familiar with S rank pvp, I kind of forewent that in favour of co-op pvp. But friends have 'stolen my homework' (their words lol) before while climbing the ladder. I don't know how useful it will be in S rank but I can drop you my build list if you want. Maybe something in there will give you an idea for something new.

[Hobocop]

Originally posted by Martial Autist:

I am not very familiar with S rank pvp, I kind of forewent that in favour of co-op pvp. But friends have 'stolen my homework' (their words lol) before while climbing the ladder. I don't know how useful it will be in S rank but I can drop you my build list if you want. Maybe something in there will give you an idea for something new.

sure, I wouldn't mind taking a peek lol

[Martial Autist]

Recently sent this to someone else so I will just quote myself. Not behind my PC atm to grab my bookmarked links. Still have to update some of the zenith builds but most is up to date by now. ;)

Originally posted by Martial Autist:

I will share a somewhat recent post with some of my builds (and link to full build list at the bottom). Might give you a few ideas. Not entirely up-to-date (sorting through it now and updating as I go) but still somewhat recent. Also while I haven't personally taken these into ranked they do well enough in co-op PvP. And at least one friend has used some of them while climbing the ladder. 'Stealing my homework' as he called it. x'D

All of these are just made for fun or to fit a particular role in a team composition, though some may be accidentally meta.

Originally posted by Martial Autist:

I have a wide variety of builds per frame, but here are some of my favorites for both co-op (pvp enabled) and single-player.

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AC: Maelstrom v1[i.imgur.com]
Build Type: Ranged Support
My go-to light tetrapod. Built for long range support in co-op and as kite/anti-kite. Basically a harassment AC. If hell has mosquitos, it's this thing.

It uses double LCS in addition to double PFAU (which doubles as a linear burst weapon) to give it a more dominant presence when approached by an enemy. Alternatively it can use a different shoulder weapon alongside a plasma thrower, different missiles, or all of the above. Alternate build looks like this.[i.imgur.com]

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AC: Zenith v1[i.imgur.com]
Build Type: Support
Another go-to light AC. Built for medium range kite/anti-kite and harassment. It is entirely focussed on spraying it's payload all over the enemy to (consistently) force stagger, so that it can whip out it's massive moonlight for the money shot. Got an annoying invader sticking to you, trying to introduce you to the business end of his bu-tt/a? This AC is there to peel him off you. Alternate Frame: CL4P-TP[i.imgur.com]

The timing on the etsujins, shao-wei, and moonlight is such that after every clip emptied shao-wei is cooling down and moonlight is available. Post-moonlight all your other weapons are ready for another cycle. On the alternate frame the etsujins can be changed for sampu for a more aggressive approach, And WLT FCS can be changed for talbot if you need to boost his EN efficiency.

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AC: Martyr v1a[i.imgur.com]
Build Type: Bruiser
Built to effectively be a mid-range pilebunker, this one is a bit of a gimmick, but at the same time I may have gone overboard when designing it. It has enough raw BEEF to keep coming at it's target for a good long while, and god help any AC that gets caught in that lance. Much like getting your sleeve stuck in a woodchipper, anything in the light-to-medium weight range gets completely chewed up. And heavies don't fare much better.

It has two main combo's. The first is for light-to-medium AC's, where upon connecting the lance you fire the javelin followed by two charged LCD's. Or for heavier AC's you follow the lance up with a double LCD shot, followed by javelin, followed by another double LCD shot. The former combo (one-shot) has some downtime after each rotation, while the latter is meant to just keep going in short but regular bursts.

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AC: Maelstrom v2[i.imgur.com]
Build Type: Bruiser
Another bruiser. The original model in fact, recently dusted off and updated. It is built to be a cqc combo machine that doesn't ever stop. Anything that gets within crusading distance of this thing dies. Horribly. Alternate Frame (mini-me): Maelstrom v1[i.imgur.com]

It's weapons are fine-tuned to not only synergize well but also alternate smoothly. From either handheld jav or plasma thrower into double LCD shot into whichever of the first two weapons is not on cooldown, back into double LCD, etc. until LCD overheat.

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AC: Maelstrom v2[i.imgur.com]
Build Type: Bruiser
Yet another bruiser. Hovers menacingly over the enemy while unleashing constant suppressive fire. A monkey could pilot this thing and still violate like half of the geneva conventions. Alternate Frame: Martyr v1a[i.imgur.com]

It simply locks onto a target and fires it's double huben in-between double LCD shots. This gives it both good burst and good sustained damage, at decent range.

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AC: Martyr v1b[i.imgur.com]
Build Type: Ranged Support/Meatshield
A heavy sniper themed build that can pick off targets at any range. No quips about this one, just 130 metric tons of murderous intent.

It is incredibly sturdy, has high damage potential, infinite airtime, and some of the best body slams of any AC type. Which can double as a tool to quickly gain altitude. It can make surprisingly liberal use of assault boost as well thanks to the coral engine, which along with it's long range makes it very hard to shake. So it don't stop coming and it don't stop coming. Great as either support or the meatshield of the group. Can switch between the WLT and VE-21A FCS depending on need. Can be altered to fit 2x KRSV and 2x Fasan as well by changing arms. Alternate build looks like this.[i.imgur.com]

(My full build list can be found here[imgur.com])

[BookItFaster]

Originally posted by Martial Autist:

Originally posted by k-ricks:

try to use your back weapon less often and just speed through to the end kill some along the way then you might get S but 285 speed is kinda slow Gills is for flying S rank mainly for speed you might want to change it

He is talking about pvp.

lmfao he didnt read the post

[AC_R4VN]

Looking at the build, it looks kinda like a kite build with the rifles. I would suggest maybe switching out the CURTIS for a HARRIS if it can be fitted on. I would also consider switching out Terminal Armor for Pulse Armor as it has way more flexibility. For the back weapons, I would experiment to see what combos you like (EARSHOT isn't bad, but it can be hard to catch small ACs and aerial players - maybe another missile launcher could be good).

Looking at the size and possible weight on the AC, for boosters consider the 12345's - they have good vertical boost and are good for heavy AC's. As for FCS, the TALBOT isn't bad and is a good go-to for midrange units, the WLT-001 is also good though a bit expensive on energy/weight for an FCS. Generator is a solid pick, the HOKUSHI is also a good alternative if weight becomes an issue.

As a fellow A-Ranker who just got into the rank, it's rough - REALLY rough. AC's with shields, kite-lightweights, "NEO Statue" (which is a lame name for a meta build, don't know who came up with that) - from here on out it's gonna be a lot of cookies cut straight from the cheese grinder with some unique AC's here and there. Try to have patience and slowly move the boulder up while remembering that boulder will come down from time to time - advise that I have a hard time following.

Good luck on the climb my dude