Victor Moody Stahl
Amarr Templars
Amarr Empire
166
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Posted - 2014.11.27 22:51:00 -
[1] - Quote
So, first off, let me congratulate you on not using the LR on the Amarr Commando. Seriously, it's not that great- the benefits of running LR AmSalt are far superior to the damage bonus on the Amarr Commando.
So, let's get to business:
On my A-I, I generally run a rep, damage mod, ScR (always the ScR), and either a MD or (for now at least) a MLT shotgun. My personal preference is nanos for the equipment- however, a scanner is also a great choice if you're using weapons that tend toward greater ammo efficiency (IE, the ScR).
The ACR is an ammo burner, but if it's more a case of using it to finish people off or as a backup to provide some armor damage, then ammo will- in theory- not be much of an issue for it. I don't really know- I ditched the ACR in favor of the ARR on my logi fits, and then decided to drop that in favor of just dumping a buttload of SP into ScRs (I'm now Prof4, Fitting Optimization 4, and Ammo 3; that Fitting Optimization is AMAZEBALLS).
Now as far as high/lows- obviously a damage mod for that lonely high slot. Commandos, since they carry two light weapons, get even more mileage out of damage mods than any other suit- the sole exception is a dual-sidearm fit running sidearm damage. And even then, dual light weapons are better than dual sidearms- the unrivalled flexibility and firepower is simply awesome.
For your lows, absolutely, reps are better than plates. I don't currently have complex armor reps- I maxed out plates first for my logi rigs (intended to run 2x Complex Reactive+2x Complex Ferroscales), so I can't say if it would fit. My own A/1-Series Commando is something like the following:
CRW-04 Scrambler Rifle
EXO-5 Mass Driver (or a CBR7 Swarm Launcher)
K-2 Nanohives (because I'm cheap ISK-wise)
Enhanced Light Weapon Damage Modifier
Enhanced Armor Repairer
Enhanced Kinetic Catalyzer
Most of the reason that my second light weapon is fairly limited right now is because the only light weapons I have to advanced are the MD, Swarms, and LR. The rest of my light weapon SP investment is all into the Scrambler Rifle. As I've already mentioned, the LR is of dubious value on the Commando- yes it gets a potential HP advantage (in practice I rather doubt this), and the awesome reload bonus... but the heat bonus on the AmSalt is just so much better for the LR.
But enough about why LR AmMando is bad, let's get back to my fitting: obviously damage mod+armor rep are pretty self-explanatory- the K-2 Nanos instead of X-3 Quantums as Shayz mentioned is because I'm an ISK-pincher (especially right now).
The MD offers great armor damage and has the added benefit of being one of the best anti-scout weapons to use... of course it doesn't work super well given that a cloaky shotgun scout can shat out about 1000 damage in less than 2 seconds without you ever being seen, but there's not much to be done about that.
The KinCat is because it kicks the sprint speed up. Which is surprisingly useful, in fact. I do, however, want to experiment with a dual-rep fit; a plate+rep or rep+reactive type fit I don't see being very useful- the extra armor HP isn't going to change the fact that you're still going to get double-tapped by a shotgun.
The alternate use of swarms is pretty self-explanatory; sometimes there's tanks, and somebody has to kill them. With practice the ScR is very usable as a short-range defensive weapon against scouts and some assaults- it's also possible to get lucky when coming up against some types of heavies in that the ScR will put them deep into armor, and if you're pretty nearly face-to-face with them, then rushing them to unleash that Commando mega-punch can actually be quite effective.
I will however caution that I have only done that against a MLT Caldari heavy, so be warned that it isn't the most viable of defenses.
I will also say I don't run my advanced rig that often- at ~38,000 ISK it's pretty pricy for my space-poor self, so I generally prefer my 10-12k ISK STD fits.
Generally speaking, Shayz's experience doesn't exaclty mirror mine (I find that I have difficulty with heavies, but I also only have MD Ops L3 and not something like Prof L4/L5 like Shayz does), and I've never tried damping, but I haven't really seen the value of using plates or even reactives compared to reps- you don't really have the slots or the base HP to really brick up, and it's not going to help against the things that are going to be the most dangerous to you- which is mostly shotgun scouts, HMG heavies, and FG/PLC users who can aim really well.
I also haven't tried the scanner on the Commando... but I think I may have to throw one onto my Commando A-I with STD ScR/MLT shotgun. Might be better than carrying nanos on that rig.
Buff Logis | Nerf Scouts
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Victor Moody Stahl
Amarr Templars
Amarr Empire
167
|
Posted - 2014.11.28 04:56:00 -
[2] - Quote
True Adamance wrote:I always prefered the ASCR and LR on my old Commando fits.
Both got bonus damage, I could alter how efficient I was in any engagement by switching to the most appropriate weapon, and ASCR used to be in my mind a competitive rifle.
Emphasis mine.
I never really got using the LR on the Commando, when the heat bonus of the Assault is just so much better for the weapon. I mean, I did try the LR on a Logi fit (because I wanted LR-level range but to still have lots of equipment), but I always felt like it was a compromise.
With the LR... it never really seemed like it was well-suited to a Commando suit. I mean, yeah, you could carry a light weapon as your backup, which is definitely nice, but considering the LR's mechanics, the AmSalt bonus is just so much better.
The Commando bonus is actually surprisingly competitive on the ScR. At proto level and with proto suits/mods, the Amarr Assault does end up being a bit better- it can get close enough to the damage advantage to be the same, while having better mobility, grenades, and the heat bonus that improves sustained fire applications.
With those same skills and mods applied to lower-end suits, however, the bonus shines. Adding a complex damage mod (that isn't stacking penalized against the suit bonus) gives ~17% additional damage per shot. An A/1-Series Assault with two complex damage mods is getting ~13% damage- it is, to be fair, getting a much better sustained fire ability from the heat bonus, but I would say that the dual light weapons of the commando compensates for that quite well.
Also... how did you ever get used to the AScR? I mean, I just can't get my head around the weapon right now. It might just be the better per-shot damage of the regular scrambler, and the fact that the regular ScR has become my go-to light weapon, but I just can't get a handle on the weapon.
Buff Logis | Nerf Scouts
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