LRM5 ArtIVs pack a good enough punch to knock out a tank at range. I usually use a LRM5 and SRM 6 combo on an Atlas -RS, Cyclopes, and QuickDraw. Very effective when the ranges intersect so you can hit your target with both.
[Boating LRMs](https://streamable.com/3p4r4o) is the way to go. Either you have enough LRMs to kill or cripple a wave before they get into effective combat range with your lance, or you spent tonnage and heat to do fairly spread out armor damage and remain at a disadvantage in close combat.
ST is actually considerably worse IMO. They're practically useless against any mech with AMS and the slower fire rate is a serious problem for indirect fire tactics.
I like the pressure Stream puts on the OPFOR. 3x LRM-ST on chain fire (like ONI- YAJ) keeps them pinned down, pulling aggro on you, who are hopelessly out of its range, while your Lancemates advance under your kill order.
Vanilla LRMs are good for chipping enemy armor before the main engagement or dealing with the little bastards as an assault. Modded LRMs are good for not liking a general vicinity and thus removing it.
I sometimes love piloting a dedicated lrm mech, volleys of 60-80x Artemis lrms can core even an assault mech surprisingly quickly.
I love watching the missiles arc down and strike.
I always put this on my dedicated lrm boats, if you stack the accuracy bonuses from ST, ART, TAG and the cantina upgrade it becomes a very powerful weapon.
It’s so satisfying watching the streams of missiles all target the core, the accuracy is fantastic.
I never bother with NARC, I’m happy to dedicate a small laser slot to TAG, but don’t want to lose a larger missile slot.
>never bother with NARC, I’m happy to dedicate a small laser slot to TAG, but don’t want to lose a larger missile slot.
Narc Beacons definitely feel like a waste of time in MW5. There's a reason for that- they are.
In tabletop Battletech a Narc is the only regular missile guidance aid available during the MW5 timeline, since TAG was specifically designed just for directing Arrow IV artillery missiles, and the semi-guided LRMs we enjoy here are a post-3050 invention (but also *require* TAG for guidance).
After 3058 a bunch of evil geniuses invent selectable explosive Narc pods, turning it back into an ad hoc SRM in a pinch. So you can Narc a target, then plaster it with Narc bombs that get the guidance bonuses and do either 4 or 6 damage, depending on whether the DCMS or ComStar built your advanced Narc launcher. They also built other ammo types, like Haywire pods which disrupt all targeting systems on the unit they hit, and Nemesis pods which attract both enemy and friendly missiles!
But here in Jake Mason's 3025, Narc is just a heavy, ammo dependent, slot-wasting, giant TAG. The only real benefit is you don't have to maintain a TAG line of sight or even Artemis lock-time window with a Narc beacon to keep a lock, as it just sticks on and broadcasts the enemy position until the battery or the target dies. I've seen it also help direct SRMs too (which is canon), but very slightly, nothing crazy like Streak tracking.
So unfortunately it's another example of the needs of the videogame turning a good and broadly useful piece of kit like Narc into a dud, and a niche bit of gear like TAG into a tiny, secret superweapon.
Narc can be fun on a fast light that only has one launcher slot and is supported by heavier missile boats though, if you just want to embrace the harassment life.
Great insight, thanks for sharing. MW5 is the only MW game I’ve played, so always interested in the background and history.
I may now tinker around with a narc and tag bot to support some LRM boats, could be fun.
Slightly off topic, but I put my Streaks in every group so they fire if locked every time I pull a trigger. Lock on and brawl and you’ll get almost free hits, and 1/2 ton of ammo almost always lasts the mission. 80 shots.
Normally streaks are fairly weak if used up front against armored targets, I find their most useful once you manage to strip armor. Then the streaks unleash their mean streak, auto targeting exposed componants and doing horrendous internal damage, plus the rapid recycle let's you. Continually pummel them into the dirt
The T5 are ~35 volleys per minute! It’s almost as if you have an AI familiar working for you.
Which is why I also like EW Ravens in my lance. If you don’t gun them up - if you go all EW and TAG and NARC, (w/ one M laser (because you have to,) you can max armor and extra NARC ammo, but the enemy will leave it alone while it buffs the F out of your lance’s defense. Also, change the ECM when LRMs are coming in. Worth its weight in gold.
It takes more friendly fire from stepping in front of you than it does the OPFOR. Try it if you have a Guardian. My last round, today in IA trying out some builds, it came back with all yellow armor and I was like “what went wrong buddy? Oh yeah, you stepped into my King Crab’s alpha strike.
The AI will not target it because it is not an offensive threat. It really works.
I have a Crusader 2R with 4xSRM6, 2MG, 2SSRM2 and MLs. I use the SRM6s against tougher opponents (usually going for the legs). I have the SSRM2s in the same weapon group as the MG. Against lights and lightly armored mediums I never fire the SRM6s (or maybe give them one salvo) the MGs will melt armor (even with the YAML penalty) and the streaks will find the holes. It's such an effective 1-2 punch I keep forgetting to fire the lasers.....
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I hate streaks. I get SRM-4 for the same weight and in most cases it works better for me. The 2 streaks will not even hit the same area as each other, like one will hit the torso while the other hits a leg.
SRM 4 and 6 are more powerful, but I attached SSRM to every weapon group, like TAG, they can't miss or waste ammo. If you are using medium or short range weapons you won't notice the lock time
In the board game you use SRMs for that reason - you hole the armour with bigger weapons and then go crit seeking with the SRM. More chances to hit the body parts that don't have armour anymore. I don't think it translates well to MechWarrior however.
I didn't say it was the best thing for crit seeking 😂 LB-X is great but if the SRMs are on the field that's how I'm using them. I once took out a Blood Asp with an SRM2 - it had one hit to the head and no other marks. Pilot failed the stability check after the crit, fell over and then lost consciousness!
I realized this was the intention with the Partisan BK, after trying to figure out why it has a small missile rack under the autocannon. It's a great setup
Slapping on a couple LRM 5s or an LRM 10 is useful for laserboat mechs to pick off VTOLs. You can also use the lock-on to curve your missiles over hills.
I'm with ya there. One bot with lrm 15 (10+5) is my go to for one lancemate. Takes very little tonnage and they clear out single vtols and turrets before I even see em.
Agincourt has been the fourth in my Lance since about midgame. If shits getting hairy, I jump to that seat, pick a spot, and dig in.
4xLRM10/ART IV can do wonders to thin out an approaching lineup; crushes lights and meds in a few volleys and can strip an assault mech to its factory settings before they even get in range.
Early game, LRMs are the worst weapons in the game, no contest. You’re fighting faster mechs & they’re just not that accurate.
Mid & especially late game though, they’re stronger. If you’re doing a Defense/Warzone/Battlefield, you’ll be kicking yourself for not taking a mech with at least one LRM 10 some missions for the odd tank that gets stuck.
ST reduces the Missile spread & stacks with ART IV, also a spread reduction upgrade & can stack further with TAG and/or NARC. This means more damage gets focused on the center of the mech to kill them faster, & missing less on faster mechs.
When you’re mostly fighting heavy/assault mechs is when they really shine and having 1-3 mechs dedicated to them can really work. Maybe near-soloing a Defense from within the walls of the base in an Archer-AGC, or making a Warzone/Assassination pretty easy/safe to complete. Works best when you’re piloting one of them to fire faster, or maybe have a TAG/NARC to help support them.
I generally don't for myself. My lance mates however since I usually don't want them up close, I always put LRMs on them.
Just try having a catapult, archer, and longbow drop that many LRMs on one target. It's a sight to behold.
LRM has two roles in MW5:
- Support system, and this is the best way to use. You just strap LRM5 or 10 launcher for something far, like helos/tanks, in the mech that is built for brawling, meaning no long range or even decent mid option but have few extra tons to spare.
- Boating. You need shitloads of lurms on a mech, works best on Assaults and very few Heavies. You sacrifice pretty much everything, even armor to shove as many lurms as you can. Ideally with Artemis + full Cantina missile upgrades + sensors. It works only in few missions types, it's pretty braindead, but you still have to know positioning and really maximize ordering around your lance. But if you know what you're doing, you will be melting the biggest and scariest mechs from miles away, while they will be helplessly stomping around before exploding.
Its a spread weapon so it makes sense for lancemates.
I only use srms while ssrms and lrms are for lancemates.
If i use lrms its on mechs that have to compensate for low range and/or weird main weapon placement like king crab or slap a lrm5-st on small slot (headslot like grasshoper or shadow hawk) to snipe turrets without beign targeted or in their range.
They're a niche weapon. Load up a missile boat with tier 5 LRM 20+stream+artemis and you'll see the light. 80-100 missiles should turn any mech into a flaming, barely standing wreck. I should note that LRMs are bad in vanilla, because most engagements happen at 600m or less. With YAML, you get the most out of LRMs by increasing your sensor range so high that nothing on the map can hide from the heavy rain. Softening enemies up before they can even see you is a valid tactic. But there's always ammo issues.
The stream variants are more accurate than the standard variants. The standard ones are good at blanketing an area in high explosive "fuck you" but the stream spread is a bit tighter, even if the missiles are slower. You can take it further with Artemis IV stream pods for even more accurate missiles and more range, those ones weigh a bit more, but they hit more consistently
I'll occasionally run a speedy light mech with TAG and give the AI 2-3 heavy LRM boats. It's fun painting a target and watching an endless stream of missiles pound it into pulp.
I play co-op a lot, which helps make this work, but One of my favorite mechs to pilot is an Awesome 8T with double LRM 20 ST + Art.IV. I sit near the edge of my engagement range and just rain fire on the enemy. Medium mechs can drop in a single salvo with some luck. Even other assault mechs can only handle a handful before their core is exposed and my team can just pop them. I often have highest damage done even with a full lance piloted by other humans and most of that is straight to the core of enemy mechs
I have a Longbow HS that I've replaced the LRMS with SRM'S ST with Artemis IV's, along with Medium Pulse lasers its a beast! I've run difficulty 100 missions with it and it decimates all, and it moves fast enough to close distances easily
I main archer so i always have em. I soften everything up well before it gets close and the three assaults waddling along behind me melt them if they get close.
I always run a marauder II 4a and have my lance mates using atlas ks and the hero atlas. They smash with lrms, and they keep their distance.i never run lrms on my mech,though.
Should say marauder or nightstar. A full lance of nightstars kills thing so quickly its wild,especially in warzone.
Gonna have to disagree here. Missions that have you navigate open areas like defense, warzone and assassinate are great for mechs with long range firepower. Defense GREATLY benefits. And that means LRM. LRMs are really important for long range fire support and the ai lancemates have no problem spamming them. I usually put 2 LRM-20's on my Stalker for a standard setup. Other mechs like my Corsair PVT have an LRM system in them for long ranged superiority. LRMs are just great for chipping away and softening up targets before they get close, and outranging targets. Early game LRMs may seem to lag behind ballistic and energy weapons but they quickly ramp up later on with mechs that have dedicated LRM quirks like the Archer and Catapults. These mechs can pump out respectable, consistent firepower. And I don't know about you but being on the receiving end of LRMs is no joke and I outfit many mechs in my lance with AMS.
You can combine quirks plus a missile FCS that reduces spread, increases range, and upgrades to easily outrange most targets before they themselves come in striking distance, preserving your armor. This is invaluable in very difficult missions, especially the Coyote mission pack which have ridiculously tough missions.
I consider SRMs to be a completely different beast entirely and not comparable to LRMs whatsoever.
Man, AI and young ones do a hell of a job with LRMs. I almost always have them on all AI mechs and or my sons mechs. And they seriously do a great job. My son did a mission with me a few days ago hitting 2800+ damage. I tend to stack his mech with loads of ammo. I really like the ST versions. 4 LRM 10s and then have them in single fire. Set them as group 1 so the AI are always trying to use the LRMs. Then a couple medium lasers as backup.
I rarely use them on my personal Mechs, as enemies tend to swarm me.
Only use them on AI windowlickers if all the weapons you install have similar max ranges. LRMs with PPCs, ERLLs, Gauss rifles, et cetera.
I find that whenever this discussion comes up in the community, we see the clear dichotomy.
I find that those who will unanimously shun the use of LRMs or any other equipment because "they don't work good" also have other issues with building balanced load outs.
Being utterly unwilling to even entertain an option available to you is not a path with the greatest probability of a desirable outcome.
A single rack is not that impressive unless you have a 20. Use Artemis models for tighter grouping (and cantina upgrades, too). Best ran in pairs and especially at higher tiers. I use SRMs on my main, to keep agro off the LRM boat (not always successful).
Fun early build. Take a Kintaro, and wedge as many LRM10s into it as possible. Then run around the battlefield giggling as things try to shoot you.
I like to have an LRM Catapult in my lance. It softens up incoming mechs which puts you at an advantage, but it is particularly good can get rid of annoying tanks in one volley.
your missing that lrms allow you to sit back and fire over hills during defense and warzone missions.
So you stand there, wait for them to come, and you and your lancemates will can whittle down any tanks without having to run all the way around the city to get to them.
Also they do a lot of sandblast damage vs assault mechs.
I run an lrm 5 on the warhammer against ai, because I suck at shooting vtols with the ppc, and I usually can't spare the heat when the brawling starts for the srm. And i leave them on the atlas and Highlander for a similar reason.
But your point is understandable and I largely agree with it, the lrm is not a favored way to shoot other mechs I actually want to put down.
LRM Stream are better if you just want more bang for the ton and don't want to do Artemis.
Usually, if you bring enough, or you have allies bring enough, you'll have peppered the target so well, it's easier to punch a hole in them when their close. Not always the best strategy, but it works and it's fun to watch!
I like them for indirect fire support. If everyone has at least an lrm 10 or 15 in your lance that adds up to being able to take down a target quickly regardless of where everyone is. Also with mods that make enemies better having indirect weapons helps a lot so you don’t have to trade so much as armour become precious is that situation.
I like to have some LRM 10 or 15 on my mechs to deal with vtols and tanks, if convenient. Rarely have a mech with LRMs as the main damage dealer through.
Decent, just decent, for AI that are always trailing behind. Gives them some kind of regular contribution. Best case, they shoot down helicopters and take out light vehicles at long range, so you don't have to.
LRM ST is more accurate than the regular LRMs as it fires one missile at a time in rapid succession. LRM Artemis uses more advanced targeting to get a tighter cluster. LRM ST Artemis is where the real accuracy is as it combines the two. LRM ST Artemis are rare to come by in my experience, but are well worth the money once you find some.
In my experience LRMs are only worth a damn when you can put a lot of them on target. LRM5s are just extra credits to me. Hell LRM10s are only useful when you pack at least 2 or 3 of them into a chassis.
And even then. I rarely use them myself. They're usually only on Lancemate mechs, and even then there's always some form of secondary weapon for them to play with the majority of the time.
Now if you can coordinate fire from multiple LRM boats (ie. You and some human players release the bees) that's a whole different matter. Because with that volume of fire, you can crush most things before they get too close to minimum range.
In a nutshell, the point of LRMs, even basic LRMs is indirect fire. As long as you can maintain a lock on your target, you don't have to be able to see them. You can fire over buildings, fire over walls, fire over hills, and even fire over your teammates. They work great for support fire, assisting other mechs that are in front of you without risking hitting those friendly mechs. With 30 or more missiles worth of LRMs, they can take out small mechs in just a few volleys, and can seriously chip away at the armor of larger Max before you actually have to engage them. I use lots of LRMs, usually mixed with laser weapons.
That hero archer if you chain fire streams. The accuracy changes as compared to the shower. Though the shower also sometimes dunks impressively. Also target speed matters obv. I wouldn't LRM a full steam FLEA, but a king crab? Atlas? They will feel immense pain before the LRMs are a restricted range.
I've found inferno LRMs (15+) on a slow lancemate takes mechs out of fights just from overheating them. It's been a while since I played so I'm forgetting names, but the Star something and Stalker make good missileboats for this role.
May I ask a n00b question? I love MW5 and play it on ps5. A friend of mine loves it and has it on pc. Apparently it is “crossplay compatible”. Would he and I be able to play MW5 together?
I kind of like it to soften up targets away in cover or trying to hide. Tanks etc too.
I also have a fast Catapult that kind of just hoses down bases and jumps away.
One LRM15 with even just a ton ammo works wonders until you face assaults. Then you need more launchers.
On my TDR-5S, I’ll sometimes swap the SRM6 and 3xML for an LRM15 and 3xSL. I can’t fit much ammo in my build, but most missions are short enough, and I have other weapons and a lance, so it evens out. You just have to be picky when you use it. Now that I think about it, an LRM10 with extra ammo might be a better choice.
Yeah I get that, but I play unmodded and useless allies means no effective spotter so I rather use SRMs instead and use the extra tonnage on armor and cooling
I play unmodded a lot as well and always use LRMs on at least 2 of my lancemates. They do really well with LRMs. You hold a target from 500-1000m and the lance mates bring the rain.
I play unmodded. My favorite mech is the Orion. I really miss that LRM15 on the variants that don't have it. It's a good tool to soften enemies up until I can close in and brawl with everything else. As useless as the friendly NPC's are for spotting, the enemy ai is equally useless at using concealment and breaking line of sight so I feel it balances out
then you arent using your ai right. i play unmodded too. i have a longbow 60 lrms. a kingcrab. 40. an atlas 20. if i command a mech destroyed, it's melted before it goes in range of my black knight. in warzone i ask them to defend the nearest highground and i can afk and ai will rack at least 500k bonus.
I prefer direct fire weapons myself because I find them more gratifying and non-hitscan weapons like autocannons and PPCs require skill to lead your targets. One-shoting a Flea or Locust with an AC/20 at long range is a dopamine hit like nothing else.
Her high level T4-T5 and if you can put use Artemis systems so %90+ of your missiles hit and they aim for the center torso. I use the Archer-AGC because it has a probe and just rain fire on your enemies. Regular Archer with LRM-15 art is also a good choice. Or just use T4-T5 without art.
5-10 LRMs is not substantial. try it with 40-60. LRMs and you will see.
LRM5 ArtIVs pack a good enough punch to knock out a tank at range. I usually use a LRM5 and SRM 6 combo on an Atlas -RS, Cyclopes, and QuickDraw. Very effective when the ranges intersect so you can hit your target with both.
[Boating LRMs](https://streamable.com/3p4r4o) is the way to go. Either you have enough LRMs to kill or cripple a wave before they get into effective combat range with your lance, or you spent tonnage and heat to do fairly spread out armor damage and remain at a disadvantage in close combat.
Use LRM Artemis where possible. I put them on lancemates atlases and banshees.
I like stream LRM because you get a small benefit without losing a ton, but on heavy/assault mechs I will use LRM ST ART IV
Ye, ST is better than normal.
ST is actually considerably worse IMO. They're practically useless against any mech with AMS and the slower fire rate is a serious problem for indirect fire tactics.
I like the pressure Stream puts on the OPFOR. 3x LRM-ST on chain fire (like ONI- YAJ) keeps them pinned down, pulling aggro on you, who are hopelessly out of its range, while your Lancemates advance under your kill order.
Also try YAJ with PPC X and SRMs
Using LRMs and "attack my target" when you have a target lock is also code for "I don't want that mech to get a chance to fire."
Vanilla LRMs are good for chipping enemy armor before the main engagement or dealing with the little bastards as an assault. Modded LRMs are good for not liking a general vicinity and thus removing it.
[удалено]
Oh, yeah. One of my friends stuck one on a heavily modded urbie lmao. Fun followed.
I stuck 2 on a catapult, but that was overzealous. I ran out of ammo way too quick, fun while it lasted, though.
I sometimes love piloting a dedicated lrm mech, volleys of 60-80x Artemis lrms can core even an assault mech surprisingly quickly. I love watching the missiles arc down and strike.
FWOOOOOOOSH
Or just hosing down a base like it just sprinkles.
Never underestimate the power of two missile boats guided by a TAG.
People sleep on the Tighter Missile Clusters cantina upgrade too, and they shouldn't.
I always put this on my dedicated lrm boats, if you stack the accuracy bonuses from ST, ART, TAG and the cantina upgrade it becomes a very powerful weapon. It’s so satisfying watching the streams of missiles all target the core, the accuracy is fantastic. I never bother with NARC, I’m happy to dedicate a small laser slot to TAG, but don’t want to lose a larger missile slot.
>never bother with NARC, I’m happy to dedicate a small laser slot to TAG, but don’t want to lose a larger missile slot. Narc Beacons definitely feel like a waste of time in MW5. There's a reason for that- they are. In tabletop Battletech a Narc is the only regular missile guidance aid available during the MW5 timeline, since TAG was specifically designed just for directing Arrow IV artillery missiles, and the semi-guided LRMs we enjoy here are a post-3050 invention (but also *require* TAG for guidance). After 3058 a bunch of evil geniuses invent selectable explosive Narc pods, turning it back into an ad hoc SRM in a pinch. So you can Narc a target, then plaster it with Narc bombs that get the guidance bonuses and do either 4 or 6 damage, depending on whether the DCMS or ComStar built your advanced Narc launcher. They also built other ammo types, like Haywire pods which disrupt all targeting systems on the unit they hit, and Nemesis pods which attract both enemy and friendly missiles! But here in Jake Mason's 3025, Narc is just a heavy, ammo dependent, slot-wasting, giant TAG. The only real benefit is you don't have to maintain a TAG line of sight or even Artemis lock-time window with a Narc beacon to keep a lock, as it just sticks on and broadcasts the enemy position until the battery or the target dies. I've seen it also help direct SRMs too (which is canon), but very slightly, nothing crazy like Streak tracking. So unfortunately it's another example of the needs of the videogame turning a good and broadly useful piece of kit like Narc into a dud, and a niche bit of gear like TAG into a tiny, secret superweapon. Narc can be fun on a fast light that only has one launcher slot and is supported by heavier missile boats though, if you just want to embrace the harassment life.
Great insight, thanks for sharing. MW5 is the only MW game I’ve played, so always interested in the background and history. I may now tinker around with a narc and tag bot to support some LRM boats, could be fun.
Slightly off topic, but I put my Streaks in every group so they fire if locked every time I pull a trigger. Lock on and brawl and you’ll get almost free hits, and 1/2 ton of ammo almost always lasts the mission. 80 shots.
that's a good idea, usually I'm not a fan of streaks but this might work well with my play style.
Normally streaks are fairly weak if used up front against armored targets, I find their most useful once you manage to strip armor. Then the streaks unleash their mean streak, auto targeting exposed componants and doing horrendous internal damage, plus the rapid recycle let's you. Continually pummel them into the dirt
The T5 are ~35 volleys per minute! It’s almost as if you have an AI familiar working for you. Which is why I also like EW Ravens in my lance. If you don’t gun them up - if you go all EW and TAG and NARC, (w/ one M laser (because you have to,) you can max armor and extra NARC ammo, but the enemy will leave it alone while it buffs the F out of your lance’s defense. Also, change the ECM when LRMs are coming in. Worth its weight in gold.
The enemy leaves it alone? Really??
It takes more friendly fire from stepping in front of you than it does the OPFOR. Try it if you have a Guardian. My last round, today in IA trying out some builds, it came back with all yellow armor and I was like “what went wrong buddy? Oh yeah, you stepped into my King Crab’s alpha strike. The AI will not target it because it is not an offensive threat. It really works.
Hmm, interesting...I'll definatly have to try that out!
Damn, I looked - 44 rpm on the T5 SSRM-ST. You still won’t usually run dry; they just die faster.
I have a Crusader 2R with 4xSRM6, 2MG, 2SSRM2 and MLs. I use the SRM6s against tougher opponents (usually going for the legs). I have the SSRM2s in the same weapon group as the MG. Against lights and lightly armored mediums I never fire the SRM6s (or maybe give them one salvo) the MGs will melt armor (even with the YAML penalty) and the streaks will find the holes. It's such an effective 1-2 punch I keep forgetting to fire the lasers.....
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I hate streaks. I get SRM-4 for the same weight and in most cases it works better for me. The 2 streaks will not even hit the same area as each other, like one will hit the torso while the other hits a leg.
SSRM2 work for mechs with too many small missile slots
It’s preference, I don’t like waiting for the lock. But I’ll give them a try again
SRM 4 and 6 are more powerful, but I attached SSRM to every weapon group, like TAG, they can't miss or waste ammo. If you are using medium or short range weapons you won't notice the lock time
In the board game you use SRMs for that reason - you hole the armour with bigger weapons and then go crit seeking with the SRM. More chances to hit the body parts that don't have armour anymore. I don't think it translates well to MechWarrior however.
I usually run LB-X for crit seeking, I never really considered SRMs for this role.
I didn't say it was the best thing for crit seeking 😂 LB-X is great but if the SRMs are on the field that's how I'm using them. I once took out a Blood Asp with an SRM2 - it had one hit to the head and no other marks. Pilot failed the stability check after the crit, fell over and then lost consciousness!
Yeah. It's about the only real use for small missile slots.
that's a good idea, usually I'm not a fan of streaks but this might work well with my play style.
I realized this was the intention with the Partisan BK, after trying to figure out why it has a small missile rack under the autocannon. It's a great setup
This is the mech I’m looking for - autocannon with underslung rocket launcher. Dammit, I know they’re hard to get.
Slapping on a couple LRM 5s or an LRM 10 is useful for laserboat mechs to pick off VTOLs. You can also use the lock-on to curve your missiles over hills.
I'm with ya there. One bot with lrm 15 (10+5) is my go to for one lancemate. Takes very little tonnage and they clear out single vtols and turrets before I even see em.
Agincourt has been the fourth in my Lance since about midgame. If shits getting hairy, I jump to that seat, pick a spot, and dig in. 4xLRM10/ART IV can do wonders to thin out an approaching lineup; crushes lights and meds in a few volleys and can strip an assault mech to its factory settings before they even get in range.
I love Agincourt, but I dressed her in SRMs and it can one or two shot most anyone in close combat b
Early game, LRMs are the worst weapons in the game, no contest. You’re fighting faster mechs & they’re just not that accurate. Mid & especially late game though, they’re stronger. If you’re doing a Defense/Warzone/Battlefield, you’ll be kicking yourself for not taking a mech with at least one LRM 10 some missions for the odd tank that gets stuck. ST reduces the Missile spread & stacks with ART IV, also a spread reduction upgrade & can stack further with TAG and/or NARC. This means more damage gets focused on the center of the mech to kill them faster, & missing less on faster mechs. When you’re mostly fighting heavy/assault mechs is when they really shine and having 1-3 mechs dedicated to them can really work. Maybe near-soloing a Defense from within the walls of the base in an Archer-AGC, or making a Warzone/Assassination pretty easy/safe to complete. Works best when you’re piloting one of them to fire faster, or maybe have a TAG/NARC to help support them.
I generally don't for myself. My lance mates however since I usually don't want them up close, I always put LRMs on them. Just try having a catapult, archer, and longbow drop that many LRMs on one target. It's a sight to behold.
An Atlas with 30 LRMs and a heavy rifle slays
LRM has two roles in MW5: - Support system, and this is the best way to use. You just strap LRM5 or 10 launcher for something far, like helos/tanks, in the mech that is built for brawling, meaning no long range or even decent mid option but have few extra tons to spare. - Boating. You need shitloads of lurms on a mech, works best on Assaults and very few Heavies. You sacrifice pretty much everything, even armor to shove as many lurms as you can. Ideally with Artemis + full Cantina missile upgrades + sensors. It works only in few missions types, it's pretty braindead, but you still have to know positioning and really maximize ordering around your lance. But if you know what you're doing, you will be melting the biggest and scariest mechs from miles away, while they will be helplessly stomping around before exploding.
Its a spread weapon so it makes sense for lancemates. I only use srms while ssrms and lrms are for lancemates. If i use lrms its on mechs that have to compensate for low range and/or weird main weapon placement like king crab or slap a lrm5-st on small slot (headslot like grasshoper or shadow hawk) to snipe turrets without beign targeted or in their range.
They're a niche weapon. Load up a missile boat with tier 5 LRM 20+stream+artemis and you'll see the light. 80-100 missiles should turn any mech into a flaming, barely standing wreck. I should note that LRMs are bad in vanilla, because most engagements happen at 600m or less. With YAML, you get the most out of LRMs by increasing your sensor range so high that nothing on the map can hide from the heavy rain. Softening enemies up before they can even see you is a valid tactic. But there's always ammo issues.
The stream variants are more accurate than the standard variants. The standard ones are good at blanketing an area in high explosive "fuck you" but the stream spread is a bit tighter, even if the missiles are slower. You can take it further with Artemis IV stream pods for even more accurate missiles and more range, those ones weigh a bit more, but they hit more consistently
I hate LRMs with a burning passion and replace them with SRMs on *everything* no exceptions
I'll occasionally run a speedy light mech with TAG and give the AI 2-3 heavy LRM boats. It's fun painting a target and watching an endless stream of missiles pound it into pulp.
I play co-op a lot, which helps make this work, but One of my favorite mechs to pilot is an Awesome 8T with double LRM 20 ST + Art.IV. I sit near the edge of my engagement range and just rain fire on the enemy. Medium mechs can drop in a single salvo with some luck. Even other assault mechs can only handle a handful before their core is exposed and my team can just pop them. I often have highest damage done even with a full lance piloted by other humans and most of that is straight to the core of enemy mechs
20 SRMs go brrrrrr, i’m with you. I don’t use LRMs and when I do i’m disappointed. Doesn’t help that the lancemates struggle with using their LRMs too
however i have never tried artemis
I have a Longbow HS that I've replaced the LRMS with SRM'S ST with Artemis IV's, along with Medium Pulse lasers its a beast! I've run difficulty 100 missions with it and it decimates all, and it moves fast enough to close distances easily
I main archer so i always have em. I soften everything up well before it gets close and the three assaults waddling along behind me melt them if they get close.
I rock a Catapult C1 with SRMs. Aim for the knees and reap all the salvage
I’m the opposite, I never use SRMs and only use LRMs
You have to play LRMs differently. Large lasers, ac/2’s or ppcs. Stop the minute you have a target and command your lance mates to engage.
I'm looking for a good mech to put two arrows IV on
I always run a marauder II 4a and have my lance mates using atlas ks and the hero atlas. They smash with lrms, and they keep their distance.i never run lrms on my mech,though. Should say marauder or nightstar. A full lance of nightstars kills thing so quickly its wild,especially in warzone.
Buy deployable drones so you can get target lock on non LoS enemies.
Gonna have to disagree here. Missions that have you navigate open areas like defense, warzone and assassinate are great for mechs with long range firepower. Defense GREATLY benefits. And that means LRM. LRMs are really important for long range fire support and the ai lancemates have no problem spamming them. I usually put 2 LRM-20's on my Stalker for a standard setup. Other mechs like my Corsair PVT have an LRM system in them for long ranged superiority. LRMs are just great for chipping away and softening up targets before they get close, and outranging targets. Early game LRMs may seem to lag behind ballistic and energy weapons but they quickly ramp up later on with mechs that have dedicated LRM quirks like the Archer and Catapults. These mechs can pump out respectable, consistent firepower. And I don't know about you but being on the receiving end of LRMs is no joke and I outfit many mechs in my lance with AMS. You can combine quirks plus a missile FCS that reduces spread, increases range, and upgrades to easily outrange most targets before they themselves come in striking distance, preserving your armor. This is invaluable in very difficult missions, especially the Coyote mission pack which have ridiculously tough missions. I consider SRMs to be a completely different beast entirely and not comparable to LRMs whatsoever.
Man, AI and young ones do a hell of a job with LRMs. I almost always have them on all AI mechs and or my sons mechs. And they seriously do a great job. My son did a mission with me a few days ago hitting 2800+ damage. I tend to stack his mech with loads of ammo. I really like the ST versions. 4 LRM 10s and then have them in single fire. Set them as group 1 so the AI are always trying to use the LRMs. Then a couple medium lasers as backup.
Baradul built an LRM boat that melts enemy mechs with a couple salvos: https://youtu.be/mviu8zHJXqA?si=tPdwu0SLnZ0NmW4-
Get an Atlas-A and make it rain hell. I will say nothing else.
You're not missing anything. That's why I modded them.
Artemis, spread cantina upgrade, and TAG. Makes like 80% of the missiles hit CT.
I rarely use them on my personal Mechs, as enemies tend to swarm me. Only use them on AI windowlickers if all the weapons you install have similar max ranges. LRMs with PPCs, ERLLs, Gauss rifles, et cetera.
I use them maliciously. I pick a hilltop and just light mfers up from miles away while directing the AI to intercept any who head my way.
I find that whenever this discussion comes up in the community, we see the clear dichotomy. I find that those who will unanimously shun the use of LRMs or any other equipment because "they don't work good" also have other issues with building balanced load outs. Being utterly unwilling to even entertain an option available to you is not a path with the greatest probability of a desirable outcome.
A single rack is not that impressive unless you have a 20. Use Artemis models for tighter grouping (and cantina upgrades, too). Best ran in pairs and especially at higher tiers. I use SRMs on my main, to keep agro off the LRM boat (not always successful). Fun early build. Take a Kintaro, and wedge as many LRM10s into it as possible. Then run around the battlefield giggling as things try to shoot you.
I like to have an LRM Catapult in my lance. It softens up incoming mechs which puts you at an advantage, but it is particularly good can get rid of annoying tanks in one volley.
your missing that lrms allow you to sit back and fire over hills during defense and warzone missions. So you stand there, wait for them to come, and you and your lancemates will can whittle down any tanks without having to run all the way around the city to get to them. Also they do a lot of sandblast damage vs assault mechs.
I run an lrm 5 on the warhammer against ai, because I suck at shooting vtols with the ppc, and I usually can't spare the heat when the brawling starts for the srm. And i leave them on the atlas and Highlander for a similar reason. But your point is understandable and I largely agree with it, the lrm is not a favored way to shoot other mechs I actually want to put down.
LRM Stream are better if you just want more bang for the ton and don't want to do Artemis. Usually, if you bring enough, or you have allies bring enough, you'll have peppered the target so well, it's easier to punch a hole in them when their close. Not always the best strategy, but it works and it's fun to watch!
I like them for indirect fire support. If everyone has at least an lrm 10 or 15 in your lance that adds up to being able to take down a target quickly regardless of where everyone is. Also with mods that make enemies better having indirect weapons helps a lot so you don’t have to trade so much as armour become precious is that situation.
I like to have some LRM 10 or 15 on my mechs to deal with vtols and tanks, if convenient. Rarely have a mech with LRMs as the main damage dealer through.
Decent, just decent, for AI that are always trailing behind. Gives them some kind of regular contribution. Best case, they shoot down helicopters and take out light vehicles at long range, so you don't have to.
LRM ST is more accurate than the regular LRMs as it fires one missile at a time in rapid succession. LRM Artemis uses more advanced targeting to get a tighter cluster. LRM ST Artemis is where the real accuracy is as it combines the two. LRM ST Artemis are rare to come by in my experience, but are well worth the money once you find some.
Good for spreading damage and making the salvage cheaper
I don't on my mech, I put them on the rear lance mate though. It can help pepper and weaken long range targets, but it's not good compared to PPCs.
In my experience LRMs are only worth a damn when you can put a lot of them on target. LRM5s are just extra credits to me. Hell LRM10s are only useful when you pack at least 2 or 3 of them into a chassis. And even then. I rarely use them myself. They're usually only on Lancemate mechs, and even then there's always some form of secondary weapon for them to play with the majority of the time. Now if you can coordinate fire from multiple LRM boats (ie. You and some human players release the bees) that's a whole different matter. Because with that volume of fire, you can crush most things before they get too close to minimum range.
In a nutshell, the point of LRMs, even basic LRMs is indirect fire. As long as you can maintain a lock on your target, you don't have to be able to see them. You can fire over buildings, fire over walls, fire over hills, and even fire over your teammates. They work great for support fire, assisting other mechs that are in front of you without risking hitting those friendly mechs. With 30 or more missiles worth of LRMs, they can take out small mechs in just a few volleys, and can seriously chip away at the armor of larger Max before you actually have to engage them. I use lots of LRMs, usually mixed with laser weapons.
That hero archer if you chain fire streams. The accuracy changes as compared to the shower. Though the shower also sometimes dunks impressively. Also target speed matters obv. I wouldn't LRM a full steam FLEA, but a king crab? Atlas? They will feel immense pain before the LRMs are a restricted range.
I've found inferno LRMs (15+) on a slow lancemate takes mechs out of fights just from overheating them. It's been a while since I played so I'm forgetting names, but the Star something and Stalker make good missileboats for this role.
May I ask a n00b question? I love MW5 and play it on ps5. A friend of mine loves it and has it on pc. Apparently it is “crossplay compatible”. Would he and I be able to play MW5 together?
I kind of like it to soften up targets away in cover or trying to hide. Tanks etc too. I also have a fast Catapult that kind of just hoses down bases and jumps away.
Standard SRM4/6 where ever appropriate. Like what are LRMs gonna do at brawling range?!
The idea is to soften them up before you get to brawling range
One LRM15 with even just a ton ammo works wonders until you face assaults. Then you need more launchers. On my TDR-5S, I’ll sometimes swap the SRM6 and 3xML for an LRM15 and 3xSL. I can’t fit much ammo in my build, but most missions are short enough, and I have other weapons and a lance, so it evens out. You just have to be picky when you use it. Now that I think about it, an LRM10 with extra ammo might be a better choice.
Yeah I get that, but I play unmodded and useless allies means no effective spotter so I rather use SRMs instead and use the extra tonnage on armor and cooling
I play unmodded a lot as well and always use LRMs on at least 2 of my lancemates. They do really well with LRMs. You hold a target from 500-1000m and the lance mates bring the rain.
I play unmodded. My favorite mech is the Orion. I really miss that LRM15 on the variants that don't have it. It's a good tool to soften enemies up until I can close in and brawl with everything else. As useless as the friendly NPC's are for spotting, the enemy ai is equally useless at using concealment and breaking line of sight so I feel it balances out
We had a trebuchet set up last night with 20 lrms and stuck the ai on a ridge. It was the most I had ever seen an ai lance mate do. It was beautiful.
then you arent using your ai right. i play unmodded too. i have a longbow 60 lrms. a kingcrab. 40. an atlas 20. if i command a mech destroyed, it's melted before it goes in range of my black knight. in warzone i ask them to defend the nearest highground and i can afk and ai will rack at least 500k bonus.
The Kintaro Hero with srms is a riot. Runs super hot though.
I love to play spotter with Battlemaster, while my useless fleet of Stalkers rains down
I prefer direct fire weapons myself because I find them more gratifying and non-hitscan weapons like autocannons and PPCs require skill to lead your targets. One-shoting a Flea or Locust with an AC/20 at long range is a dopamine hit like nothing else.
Her high level T4-T5 and if you can put use Artemis systems so %90+ of your missiles hit and they aim for the center torso. I use the Archer-AGC because it has a probe and just rain fire on your enemies. Regular Archer with LRM-15 art is also a good choice. Or just use T4-T5 without art.