Focus Fire goes BOTH Ways - Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries DLC: The Dragon's Gambit Episode 5

[@JamesJones-xi4np]

"Let's do some war crimes, I guess" the unofficial motto of Battletech

[@damekonokami]

Take this atlas, you will need it! And awesome, and stalker too!

[@zangy3748]

I remember some dude saying, they should've called it the Dragon's Gauntlet instead of Gambit with all these Mission in close succession

[@Reoh0z]

> "Pincer movement!"

[@ChadKanotz]

It's great that you're making this content. I will eventually get back to MW5, once I'm done with BG3 and Starfield. Seeing this makes me want to be a Mechwarrior again.

[@MrOrdosan]

Baradul using the KGC as a shield for his catapult is exactly how I play my cata in MWO,lol.

[@RauchTRa88]

I think you have suboptimal wapongroups for your lancemates. Primary wapons first, support wapons later, to change the behavior of the AI. Loving the playthrough, will also soon start a new carrer.

[@TheCobraCom]

It looks like that. Normally they shouldn`t act that moronic. Also, he should buy either Atlas or Stalker. Good for piloting, good for supporting. Both give a good bang for the buck. The Stalker-F is my favorite variant (not counting the FB). I normally run it 2 PPC, 4 SRM6, and keep the ML. But it is good as it is.

[@trevorreniger5670]

The way AI is programed is literally by weapon group/distance. If weapon group 1 is set up close range, they'll try to close distance, even if they have PPCs or LRMs. Still doesn't explain why if they ONLY have PPCs or LRMs that they'll just stand there and stare at the scenery without firing. The AI is truly just poorly programed in this game and has been since launch.

[@benfubbs2432]

@@trevorreniger5670 That's total rubbish, weapon groups don't matter to the AI in regards to how close or far they are going to move. The range at which they perform combat is weighted by damage output, so if you have a large number of close range weapons (for example six machine guns) in weapon group five, and one LRM5 in weapon group 1, the AI will preferentially close in to use their machine guns because that is the main source of damage. The AI is programmed to find the optimal range for damage output.

[@MrVacicak]

Bara never sets up weapon groups when changing loadout, this way his lancemates usually cannot use soem weapons since base game tends to put Ac20 with small laser into one group and such. This is common issue with his playthrougs as far as i remember years ago :D

[@docthorr]

Loving that playthrough ! Thanks Bara ❤

[@EverCr0ss]

This video and my own play through really makes me hope that in the new MW5 Clans game they can do something to improve lance/star mates battle behaviors. Even a way to designate a LRM missile mech so it doesn't go running into close range and get taken apart easily

[@TheCobraCom]

I put the LRM 20 on Group 1, the LRM 5 on Group 2, the ML on Group 3, and the 8C works nearly perfectly. It damages everything well but draws surprisingly little counterfire when piloted by AI. But it gets really ugly when I pilot it myself ... simply draws too much fire AND being nearly helpless in close range is not a favored condition. The complete antithesis to an SRM-AGC.

[@nravenz7538]

the closest we've got is changing around the weapon groups put the lurms on group 1 and the support weapons on group five and they'll charge into close range less

[@MrOrdosan]

oh ya. looking up the actual list of longbows they are all basically the same cept different engine and energy hardpoints. which makes MW5 vanilla hardpoints make it one of the most...same... mech in terms of builds. (the buff mentioned in last episode is they are making the ST M mounts into large slots instead of small) the hero will still be the same Large M arms, Med M ST, and 1E in each torso+head. I REALLY looking forward to seeing how the bloated MWO hardpoitns will make this a worth while mech. even if its just the ability to run a legit splatbow.

[@MisterNi]

Get your Nightstar back, receive pretty major damage on the very first mission having it back. 😄 Good video though Bara. 🙂

[@Weamz]

When giving attack orders once the mech is killed they will basically turn around and do no dps and try to return to formation. So unless you are giving attack orders constantly after every mech kill they will turn around every time and face their weapons away from the group of enemies once the mech you focused is killed. I've found it best to give movement orders to herd your lance where you want to go and they will basically stay at that range you order for them. That why it's best to have mechs with similar optimal ranges. Even when staying in formation it depends on the weapon binds you set that will determine what ranges they will gravitate to when engaging enemies. In other words using movement orders is best or your short range mechs will get shot out from under you every time.

[@perry92964]

in that last mission i hate to say it but you got what you deserved, you were all alone out in the wide open in line of site of all the enemy mechs

[@jaksilver3656]

Your group might be getting paid, sure, but you're being BLACKMAILED into what you're doing. Don't lose sight of that, Bara

[@rickadkins4741]

i have noticed that if you assign the lance to an area (f3) they fight independently much better and don't waffle between trying to resume formation and fight.

[@benfubbs2432]

All of these missions are specifically designed around LRM builds (for example to showcase the longbow) everything involves shooting long range from high ground.

[@gregoryshinn9805]

Thanks for the video

[@jamesvoicepro3345]

On the second mission: there is a big hill to the right of the spawn point. Fi you go to the top of that hill, you have LOS and visual on first 2 target. Much better way to go.

[@julienc7084]

11m25 "i got hit, by a turret?" heuuu yes a little by the turret but also because of walking on ammunitions a sec before... seems that bara never saw that walking on something red is not a good idea 😂

[@roush243]

I mean, it just feels like you are going out of your way to spawn as many enemies as possible as quickly as possible then you complain that they aren't dying quick enough. If you don't constantly assign targets to your lancemates, they will fire at target of opportunities. As it is, they have to forego the best shots to reorient themselves for your target. Then they automatically try to return to formation and you assign them yet another target. Honestly, you would be better off ordering to a location where the enemy is located rather than ordering them to attack a specific target. Not to mention you haven't set up weapon groups for all the mechs so as they cycle through the preferred weapons they are not firing their weapons efficiently (weapon group 1 should be the main weapon they use the most often/with greatest range).

[@WayneWatson1]

You could have targeted those dishes and had your missle boat take them out without going into the city. When you keep taking damage like that, don't just stand in the fight and get smacked in the head with missle. Move behind stuff and let them do damage. Tactics are your friend

[@bblvrable]

Bara keeps forgetting he's using vanilla AI. 1. They will first attempt to engage with their primary fire group, and if that's left at something short range, they will not engage the enemy until the enemy comes close. 2. If you command them to attack your target, they will charge into medium range, even if they have LRMs, PPCs, Gauss Rifles, or AC/2s. Once that target is destroyed, they will then walk back into formation with you before engaging a new target. This means that if you're at long range, and you command your lance to attack your target, they'll rush up ahead, doing nothing until they get into medium range, and then once the target is destroyed, unless you give them another command, they will simply turn around and walk back to you, even if that means exposing their backs to an enemy that's 500m away from them.

[@vikingtenfifty]

It's not the 1980's anymore "check point Charlie" is long since gone. :)

[@GamerDitzy]

woo just finished last episode when this came out.

[@starmechs]

Baradul, just wanted you to know that in that last mission you missed the cache of LV. 5 equipment. It was to the NE corner of that city, just a little Hut. Each of the Dragon's Gambit missions have a Cache that give you LV. 5 equipment

[@starmechs]

Second mission this episode the cache is NW of the City, just keep an eye out for a random tent in the Tundra

[@DIEGhostfish]

Can you give me the list for when i one day get this?

[@jt6581]

I love MechWarrior but I wish they would take a page out of Warthunder book. Armor not just being health bars. It be so neat seeing armor bouncing rounds and stuff or being melted to slag by Laser fire before thumping some warheads through with a AC10

[@Acaios1]

Mechs with the cockpit in the center of the CT are deathtraps.

[@MarvinWestmaas]

If it's a SH it doesn't matter, the amount of CT armor compensates for how easy it is to hit.

[@torhacs]

My tatic to vanilla warhammer is to have him with large laser in the arms, machine guns, medium lasers, flamers and srm 6 to boost close range punch. And just so you know the ai choose th prioryty over weapon regarding their numeric order so if a close range weapons is in 01 they will run to get that optimal distance to attack as priority. I would also try to put some faster mech in the mix and keep the missile support in the last slot please it1s the only one thta do not advance from your position

[@benfubbs2432]

16:16 the sign has a typo

[@RobotYawn]

Your lance-mates did NOTHING that last match.

[@HalIOfFamer]

They tend to be giga useless. There used to be a mod that made lance mates pretty competent but it was either discontinued or clashed with another mod. Hopefully it is re-released for this dlc because I really wanna play it but with no mechlab and ameba AI I just can't be bothered.

[@Thor847200]

In the fight with the missile mech that was only shooting Bara, it would have helped a lot if he didn't just slowly backup and instead moved forward behind his allies and used them as cover. He has been either stopping outright or barely moving his mech a lot lately. I get stopping tor snipe something, especially if its far away but at least when you are moving forward you can zigzag a little bit to help dodge missiles.

[@Coercer2010]

he's most of the time playing turret defense and rarely gives orders for the lance, seems easier to complain 🤣 almost never set's weapon groups before he is playing the mech himself

[@maxbombel877]

I think hitting the barrels of the orbital cannons destroys them faster than hitting the base of it

[@Finleymcg]

The time limits between missions is a big difference to your previous series. It forces you to make the hard decisions.

[@Sqwallbg]

Does anyone know if Otomo variants can be acquired outside of getting them as rewards in the champing? My save file is past the date where i can start the DLC...so is there any way to get them? Used to have 100% database, would be kind of a bummer if i can no longer have that

[@sergioamendoeira6795]

I think you should take more time to repair all mechs before going on to the next location. I don't think there is a time limit for you to choose the travel to missions, right?

[@FARBerserker]

rebuild your mechs a bit put both of your LB-X 10 ACs into the KGC and put the UAC5 into the Marauder.

[@sardaukerlegion]

Just noted that in this campain you face lot less tanks / vtols then in the other DLCs. Can you try some random map match to see if there are changes too?

[@meeborggp9055]

A good chunk of the Battletech lore deals with mercenaries, who are humans after all, declining to commit war crimes, even turning against their employer. I really miss that option in this game.

[@benfubbs2432]

Yes I agree it would be so much more immersive if I have the option to not burn that farmer and his family to death trapped inside their house with my firestarter, and then choose to do it anyway.

[@valor1omega]

I always avoid missions that target civilians. City combat it's clear that the cities have been evaluated. I was enjoying the first part of the dlc when fighting in snake space but the moment I had my unit's hands stained with the blood of civilians because of the dlc I hated it the dlc and lost all enjoyment.

[@juangonzalez9848]

King crabs are great, you just have to learn that leading shots is easier when you are closer. Should never have dipped to 10s, 20s are great.

[@igorbukovy4313]

I heard that the WHM has left torso bug.

[@bjorntrollgesicht1144]

Awesome Q not good enough for you? ;) Those things can pack 4 PPCs and have them cooled reliably, or 4 large lasers if you want less heat. My favorite mech, can punch well above its weight.

[@TheCobraCom]

Won´t fit in a vanilla 8Q. Three hardpoints for PPC only.

[@bjorntrollgesicht1144]

@@TheCobraCom Right! I'd say three are still a good whack!

[@TheCobraCom]

@@bjorntrollgesicht1144 Yes, they are ;-)

[@bjorntrollgesicht1144]

@@TheCobraCom too bad quirks aren't a thing. In YAML it has a PPC quirk- one of my more favorite builds is two snubnose PPCs and two MP Lasers. It doesn't overheat and it shoots and shoots and shoots... Perfect for hunting lighter stuff!

[@covahredro8370]

Double Gauss and a PCC for the Crab, make it a head clipper

[@DIEGhostfish]

24:09 again the Ares conventions stopped being a thing at the START of the Star League it's been 100s of years since they meant anything.

[@chrisyoder8985]

Will you be doing a new modded play through when yaml gets updated?

[@russlegibs4490]

Imagine MWO with these graphics 🤤

[@Mindflayer1978]

I don't get why you don't rebuild the 000 King Crab into a 010???? Replace the AC/20s with LB-10Xs, the Large Laser with an (ER)PPC, the LRM with an SRM-6 and fill up the space left with double heatsinks and ammo! That significantly increases your range and reduces the weapon heat.

[@michaelbarnard8529]

The silliest part of mech design is the glass cockpits. The ultimate anti mech weapon in reality would be a 20 mm Gatling cannon: a one second burst will give you a hundred chances to hit the glass and cause enough spall to kill the pilot. Tanks are just a better design concept.

[@bigsarge2085]

✌

[@apocolototh1948]

Can we get an assault jaeger? like, 90 tons, 2 ac5, 2 ac10, 4 M pulselasers. so the stock version is customary bad as always

[@Reoh0z]

I wish we had choices, I'd have taken on the mission the hard way if it avoided the war-crimes.

[@creightonc8147]

It’s a weird issue in the game, Trebuchet 2 LRM 15’s, 3 Med lasers, 50 Tons. Catapult 2 LRM 15’s or 20’s, 4 med lasers. 65 tons. Crusader 2 LRM 15’s 2 Med lasers, 2 machine guns, 2 SRM launchers, Archer 2 LRM 20’s 4 med lasers, LRM Battle Master 2 LRM 20’s med lasers, 85 tons. Stalker, better than all of the above as a support mech. 4 missile hard points, 4 med energy hard points, 2 large energy hard points. Outside of the Stalker, all the other mechs are the same damn mech. They get bigger, but they don’t gain much firepower if any. It’s like the Marauder vs. the Marauder 2 in the game, The 100 ton mech has basically the same firepower, but more armor and is much slower. In some cases the more advanced marauders, have more firepower. A Battleship should have much more firepower than a destroyer, in this game, the destroyers sometimes have more Firepower, to go along with more speed. PGI does not know how to balance mechs. Never have.

[@RincetheWind]

That is not on PGI but on the source material. And it mostly comes from engines becoming heavy quicky, so trying to make a heavier mech quick means you pay dearly until XL engines come along. Which is why the Longbow 0W is so bad. The Trebuchet hat paper for armor and is the fastest of the lot, but can't jump. I love the mech, but it should never get into medium laser range while the enemy can still fight back in a meaningfull way. The Catapult is a very good allrounder, can jump and get into close range when it runs out of missiles (which doesn't take long), but it lacks in the armor department (same as a Warhammer) Crusader is the same weight and speed as the Catapult, can't jump has heavier armor and weapons. It should have SRM6s in the legs, not 2s, iirc. All of those mechs only have 1t of ammo for each lrm launcher. Archer is still the same speed, but has more ammo and more armor. Bigger launchers as well. The construction rules mean that all mechs of a weightclass are basically the same if you rip everything out. They would allow you to make a Warhammer out of an Archer, though it would take months. So I kinda like the hardpoints to make them more different. Though I think they are a bit too strict when it comes to weapon size. Some of it comes down to not all factions having access to the same mechs, so they wind up with similar ones. Both the Crusader and the Catapult (also the Trebuchet, but that is more of a flanker and harasser) shoot their missiles while moving in, they only have 8 turns of fire each in the tabletop. The Stalker is one of the best Assaults in the game and unlike all of the mechs above it has the cooling to shoot either its long or its short range arsenal almost all the time.

[@jrockoclock7088]

I used to think stalkers were the ugliest and most stupid looking mechs but now I love them. There's some quality to their design that makes them annoying as hell to deal with if they decide you're the one they want to kill. I think it's thin CT and they have good weapons on every part and the completely flat back means you have to be completely behind them to get an angle on the thin armor. They're legitimately concerning - particularly the one with lrm 10s srm6s and heavy lasers, the second that thing sees you you may as well be being hammered with an ac20 every couple seconds.

[@DIEGhostfish]

I mean Arcturus had it coming, they decided to suppress their own dissenters, why not get a taste of what it feels like to be suppressed?

[@opa_plays_mw5318]

Four years subscribed, 850+ of my own video's and still learning from the master.

[@DIEGhostfish]

The sad issue is even the lower rated longbow's still trashy without YAML because it's 2 LRM5s MAYBE 10s tops and 2 slots for 15s-20s. So unless you've got Artemis 20s you ain't got much to do with it.

[@Talon771]

I wish you were still doing your daily dose of mechwarrior

[@markmueller-rougier3098]

Same

[@CristianBurr]

Give lancemates more orders and have them advance in front of you... win the game

[@bryanlast1264]

The lancemate AI needs to be improved. At this point PGI should just give lancemates 100% accuracy and remove heat from lancemate mechs and maybe it'll feel like you don't carry the entire mission solo.

[@tyrindel]

the ai get buggy as hell when building targets are there vs mechs they want to prioritize buildings over what can shoot them for some reason

[@goliath4802]

He take the stalker 3F downgraded it's LRM's to LRM 10s give it 2 SRM 6s and 6 M Lasers 6 tons of LRM ammo and 4 tons of SRM ammo and the rest goes into heat sinks and armor. I have used that variant myself it's my own one that thing will set their ice-cold all damn battlelore empties its payloads.

[@goliath4802]

And it's great at long range and devastating in close.

[@supdude1878]

Tyftv!

[@naomy1701]

why are u turning ur right side to absorb dmg when its the tight side that is worst dmged already oO u realy need to concentrate a bit more >_

[@danielecatania9631]

At least the writers show how military rethoric is shallow and meaningless

[@olivierpelletier9643]

So many DLCs, so many years and still they havent improved the spawns nor the AI. Having a lance appear out of nowhere in almost every episode I watch makes me glad I just bought the vanilla. And the AI ...ugh... The enemy plays the suicide run everytime and your companions play the retarded run, like a kid sitting in a cockpit and hitting all the switches at once with no clue on what anything does. Its so friggen idiotic that of course, its up to the modding community to fix that every single time.

[@igorbukovy4313]

LGB-0W is not as garbage as U think. Just get rid of LRMs and install SRMs. It is a solid SRM brawler. Will U listen to my advice? Probably not.

[@TheCobraCom]

Maxed out with 2 SRM6 + 2 SRM4? In an 85 ton Mech without any further close combat capability? Doesn´t sound so solid.

[@Finleymcg]

The 0W makes sacrifices to move at the speed of a heavy. One of those sacrifices is armour. Likewise, it's a fire support mech. It wants to hang back and pepper targets at range.

[@igorbukovy4313]

@@TheCobraCom I tried it. I would not recommend it otherwise.

[@igorbukovy4313]

@@Finleymcg Nope. U can max the armor on the SRM boat.

[@Finleymcg]

@igorbukovy4313 not what I'd expect, but if it works.

[@arnepietruszewski9255]

Missing Roguetech, seriously Bara five! Mechwarrior5 episodes gets boring if you dont play it.

[@trevorreniger5670]

How long does this game need to keep stealing my money for DLCs before they give the AI Lancemates ChatGPT Pilots? They're soooooo dumb 🤣

[@MrSchmichri]

Erster :)