Build of the week - "The drive-by Commando"

Do you like lights and feel yourself competent in them? Do you like annoying the heck out of the bigger mechs? You might lean towards the Spider, but hear me out, there's a better option.

Wrong turf bro!
You might be wondering, why take a Commando at all? A 25 tons missile platform that doesn't seem to have enough of anything; be that armor, heat efficiency or weaponry. Yet you ignore the two things that make the Commandos unique, hitboxes and turning speed. Commandos are surprisingly hard to take down, they're so nimble and small that even hitting them at close range with ballistics is difficult. Even if they get hit, the arms tend to work as "flycatchers", blocking that AC20 shot from getting to your side torso. They don't have any fatal hitbox weaknesses like Jenner CTs and Spider, Raven, Firestart legs. Probably the biggest advantage is how fast these things can corner. Though, we'll get to that later.

I thought it was a good time to bring out my 3A after the SRM4 buffs. Right now, the SRM4 shoots considerably faster at 3 seconds per cycle, bringing its DPS up to 2.67 just shy of 3.00 of SRM6'es. That makes them a rapid-fire version of the SRM6'es, which suits perfectly for the gameplay we need for this Commando.



This guy is all about those two SRM4 racks. In order to accomodate them with a reasonable amount of ammo, unfortunately the engine has to be sacrificed. Still at 142.6 KPH, you have good speed to quickly disengage and still a good cornering speed to outcorner any mech you encounter. 2xML's offer additional pinpoint damage over 600 potential damage you get from your SRMs.

The typical gameplay is cruising at max speed, never stopping and doing very fast SRM drive-bys before disappearing. Unlike the 2D and TDK, this standard version has a bonus to turning rate which makes this a cornering monster. You can weave around tightest corners, dump 8 SRMs and a bit of ML on something and come around behind his back while he's wondering what the hell just happened. Nothing heavier than a light will be able to track you. The SRM cooldown reduction works wonders with this style, the SRM's will always be ready when you go for the second run. 

This type of gameplay is really fun, it will test your reflexes, knowledge of maps and of course the patience of your opponents. During the opening stages, you can afford to do hit and runs against slower mechs moving out of the enemy spawn. Contrary to MG and ML mechs, you don't need to keep your target in sight to apply damage, you just dump the SRM's as soon as you see them and disappear again, negating any kind of return fire. When you engage during big brawls, you will mostly go ignored since nobody has much experience against Commandos. They will prioritize other dangerous mechs they know to be deadly, giving you a free ticket to some excessive SRM therapy.

Yes it's relatively slow and It won't put much fight against other lights with good skill, but I had success in that area too ever since SRM hit detection got a slight boost last week. The Jenners with their big CT are the easiest targets. Ravens and Firestarters are tricky since SRM hit detection is still very wonky with light legs, their weakest parts. Still, if you're on a map with lots of obstacles(anything other than Caustic and Alpine actually), you can make the lights really work to kill you, even lose them. You will make the tightest corners while they will keep running into buildings or are forced to use JJs. Both options slow them down considerably.

PS: I don't do "Brawler of the week"s anymore, rather I want to present you builds from a broader aspect of the gameplay.


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About Rak

I'm an engineer who likes to write extremely long articles about games that border simulation and mainstream.
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