Best sniper mech? Missile, Kinetic or Laser?

[CptConnor]

Came back to the game after a few months away, only mech I've been running is a STK-5S with a Pulse Laser Loadout [mwo.smurfy-net.de]. I've loved this mech so far, can do massive amounts of damage as well as tanking when it needs to.

Question is I'm looking for a more long range mech, something which can engage over very long distance and still do decent damage. My current STK can fire quite long range but delivers barely any damage, so I'm looking for something with more power.

Hopefully the link to my loadout worked :D

[Shadow of the SPQR]

Missiles do damage, but the big question is how effective that damage is. While other weapons let you make holes right through torsos, LRM's scatter all over the entire mech and larger LRM types will still flat out miss. Then unless you get lucky with a narcer on an open map or the other team is stupid, or some combination, your lrm's may not even hit at all.

Gauss rifle's a little bit of a chore when it comes to leading and hitreg, but still a very much valid sniping weapon, especially dual.

AC2 won't get ya much... but it is long range. :P

ERLL is a very high end sniping weapon, good range and decent damage, though suffers a bit by duration and the fact you're obvious.

PPC? That's up to you if you think you can do that one. I don't like it, some do. *shrug*

You can definately go longer range with that stalker, looks like a medium range brawly build to me...

[Eisen]

King Crab, with 2 Gauss + 2-3 ERLL

[ScrapIron Prime]

Missiles are not a sniping weapon. Period. they have a travel time and the target receives a warning that they're coming. Long Range Missiles are best used at ranges of 400 to 500 meters so the target does not have time to get into cover.

AC/2's are great, but only if you use 4-6 of them on one mech, otherwise their only use is making people duck because "oh crap I'm getting hit", and you can do THAT with just one. (Kind of like a single LRM-5 forces people to duck because they don't know how MANY missiles are coming...)

AC/5's (including Ultra AC/5's) are excellent if you pair them with PPC's, as they have similar lead and velocity. Many heavy mechs can pair 2 AC/5 with 2 PPC and put out 30 points of damage per salvo with a good rate of fire. But this puts your full damage range inside 600m.

AC/5's (and Ultra AC/5's) are also excellent if you have 3-5 of them on a mech. Few mechs can do this, though, but the ones that can don't need backup weapons either, which is lovely. Again, you're limited to an optimum range inside 600m.

Gauss rifles are useful in pairs. they too do 30 point salvoes, and they don't broadcast your position like energy weapons do, but they are slow on the recharge and have that annoying charge up time (that prevents them from being all-powerful, game balance, yada yada).

ERLL are solid sniper weapons, and much lighter than any of the above weapons. But you have to hold their long duration beam still on the target to apply their damage to just one armor location, unlike all the above which impact instantaneously. If you wash them over the target, you're not drilling out any one section. They also give away your position quite nicely.

[Maj_Cyric]

Missiles are noobish weapons... they require no skill, and rely entirely on your teammates to hold locks for you... And on most maps any avg player knows how (or should) to avoid incoming missiles by using cover...

But the best STK is the -M... using 3 L-Pulse 2 M-Pulse.. Hits targets at 400m with surgical precision (with an optional SRM6 with 1 ton for targets within 250m)...

STKs are somewhat to large a mech to make a good sniper... a Sniper mech are those that can fires and relocate without taking return fire... Normally a Light or Med sized mech...

But the best "sniper" mechs are the ones piloted by those who know how to poptard with duel ER PPCs, that are using Radar Dep... Gauss was once the best for Poptard'ing, but PGI nerfed them with a charge up time, and a nerf to how JJs function (too many people crying about poptarding and how hard it was to close in and damage a lance of skilled poptarders)... But now it's the Duel ER PPC or ER PPC/UAC5 (mainly for clans) combo which works best...

UAC2 have the longest range, but in order to deal worthwhile damage you must maintain "facing time" with your target (because they fire so fast), which doesn't really allow for you to twist (normally done during weapon cooldown times) and spread incoming damage...

[Glowth]

I am still a rather new player. What weapon is ERLL?

[MagicMoshii]

Originally posted by Glowth:

I am still a rather new player. What weapon is ERLL?

Extra Range Large Laser

[Rouken]

Since you already have a Stalker this[mwo.smurfy-net.de] would be an easy transition.

It isn't the most long range build you can have on that mech, but it is a decent choice for most quick play games.

That build should work on most Stalkers, though some have a bonus to lasers that makes it better than on other models.

[Dakota]

Seems your loadout is more of a mid range build, with its optimal range 400m or under, If you are trying to use it at long ranges I can see why you aren't dealing much damage with it.

ER Large Lasers would work out better for you in this case, they actually deal less damage, but have double the range, so that at longer ranges they are actually putting out much more damage. That and a Stalker can run a 6 ERLL build decently well.

As for your other options, missiles don't really work well for sniping seeing as they are generally a support weapon, and dispite the name Long Range Missile, they tend to work best the closer you are as long as its over 180m from the enemy, besides that they take a lot of knowledge about how they work to get them working well, and hitting with them reliably is much harder and pointing and clicking. Even with them being harder to get good results with people still think they are no skill weapons on top of that just because there are many brain dead LRM boats who make any good ones look bad.

Ballistics are pretty good long range weapons, gauss rifles, AC5s, AC2s, would be the best ones to try out. Gauss hits hard and has a very fast velocity, but it has a long cooldown and a special firing mechanic, AC2s have the same velocity, fire rapidly, and do more DPS than gauss but hit for much less damage per shot. AC5s are a good inbetween, firing slower, lower velocity, but higher DPS than the AC2s, massing together a group of 3 to 5 of these can ruin an enemy's day with good aim.

Back to energy weapons, ER PPCs are also viable alternatives to the ERLL, its considerably hotter, but acts similarly to ballistics in how they deal damage. If you want to cut your face time with enemies considerably then PPCs are the way to go.

If you go with the Clans, their large pulse laser has a range and duration between the IS large pulse laser and the IS ER large laser and works out pretty well for many builds.

Mech's I'd recommend for sniping based on weapon choice:

ERLL: Stalker, Battlemaster, Banshee, Hellbringer, Timber Wolf, Executioner, Hunchback IIC-A

Gauss Rifle: Jager Mech, Ebon Jaguar, Kodiak, Mauler, King Crab, Hunchback IIC

AC5/Ultra AC5/AC2: Mauler, Warhammer Black Widow, Banshee 3E, Marauder 3R, Jagermech

ERPPC: For the most part any mech with good quirks for the ERPPC or able to hold a massive amount of cooling or the abilty to jump. Nova, Shadowcat, Hunchback IIC-A, and even a Summoner can do that, if you are bringing more than 2 ERPPCs you'll have to go with Assault mech and probably forgo jumping, Kodiak and Warhawk are some of the best for clan side, I'm not too familiar with the IS side, though Awesome has some good PPC quirks, one Thunderbolt variant has good ERPPC quirks, and Stalker and Battlemaster can hold a decent amount in high mounted hardpoints.

C-LPL: Pretty much every clan mech with high hardpoints and enough tonnage to hold a couple of them, jump jets help too.

[Jeronimo25]

Pulse laser are more effective at medium or close range. For long range punch i advise ERLL, AC5/Ultra AC5 or even Gauss rifle. PPC are good too, but if enemy closes distance between you and him to 90 meters or less you're in deep trouble.

[ScrapIron Prime]

personally I avoid playing mechs that are harmless at 400m or greater, as the stalker at the top of this thread is, unless that mech clears 100kph in speed. A slow mech with massive short range punch is great in the right location, and useless in the wrong location.

As my unit is fond of saying, "oh look, they brought pulse lasers to a gauss rifle fight!"

I prefer to mix long and short range weaponry on my mechs. A Pair of PPC's or a trio of ERLL backed by medium lasers or small pulse lasers, for example. I lose out on some face-ripping power, but more than make up for it (IMHO) in the ability to trade fire at 600m before the brawl begins. Because there are maps in this game where you're just jacked if you cannot close the distance and cannot respond at range...

[MagicMoshii]

Originally posted by ScrapIron Prime:

personally I avoid playing mechs that are harmless at 400m or greater, as the stalker at the top of this thread is, unless that mech clears 100kph in speed. A slow mech with massive short range punch is great in the right location, and useless in the wrong location.

As my unit is fond of saying, "oh look, they brought pulse lasers to a gauss rifle fight!"

I prefer to mix long and short range weaponry on my mechs. A Pair of PPC's or a trio of ERLL backed by medium lasers or small pulse lasers, for example. I lose out on some face-ripping power, but more than make up for it (IMHO) in the ability to trade fire at 600m before the brawl begins. Because there are maps in this game where you're just jacked if you cannot close the distance and cannot respond at range...

aye. if you're making essentially a brawling heavy or assault, you should be able to squeeze in a weapon or two to reach where your specialization doesn't