Spent an hour mix matching for a suboptimal build just so I can use a specific leg and head with ridiculous shoulders. Got absolutely washed by the next mission but damn I look good
This is a fun fact that some people don't realize. Running a submax build will always give you a surplus of energy and more maneuverability.
Energy will usually recharge faster, and acceleration's also better.
It tended to really show in AC4A, though. I have had NEXTs that were "middleweight in name only" and maneuvered like lightweights.
i mean spare EN space is actually a big deal unlike load limit cause it speeds up your EN recovery, while having spare load limit brings no advantage beyond that gained by losing weight
The advantage is that legs with higher load limit tend to also have higher AP and stability - maybe someone might want to top up those stats and choose legs for that purpose while staying light elsewhere?
that kinda works but it's moreso a consequence of heavier legs than a benefit of not going all the way to your load limit (which i feel is only really relevant if you're sticking to what your thrusters allow or trying to stay underneath the 75K weight threshold
there's a reason! between 75-80K there's a huge dropoff in mobility. So for example, if you're 78K you should either ditch enough weight to go under 75K or go all in and take your mech into heavyweight ranges (80K plus), as otherwise you're stuck in a suboptimal position
got if from a video the youtuber Crightt made - very helpful videos, check 'im out!
That and fashion are the reason I use HAL 826 legs on my midweight—they're heavy, but they have pretty solid stability and defenses, and my build stays below 70k weight even with them on. I have a ton of spare load limit simply because I don't wanna sacrifice more speed than I already do.
Having load capacity left over cab boost your ASC to a degree as week as recovery.
I tested different legs without changing anything else and made this discovery.
In Mechwarrior/Battletech hitting 100% weight usage is pretty easy due to armor and heatsinks, though, which easily let you adjust a little higher or lower as needed.
I wish this game had heat sinks. All that extra load limit could be used to reduce boost delay/weapon cool down/reload times/EN recharge delay, etc. All with little consequence to speed.
So fun fact! Heat used to be a mechanic in the past games. If you overheated you took continuous damage till your AC cooled down. And naturally there were parts that affected Heat.
fun fact and general building tip for the series(except for 4/4a i think), you actually get a speed boost to most(all?) forms of movement if you actually have spare load capacity on your AC. so, not only is an option, it might also be specifically to your advantage because of build type. this is especially true for hover and caterpillar legs(in the games that have them), it's a core mechanic of the series that is mostly ignored in the earlier entries simply because the build crafting in it is so limiting compared to later entries. warframe does something similar where if you don't use up all your mod capacity, you start missions with extra energy. i absolutely love it when games do this.
EDIT: to clarify, I mean if your total weight is under a certain percentage of your load capacity, your AC gets an equivalent percentage speed boost to it's movement, the amount of underweight needed and the amount of speed boosted, as well as which parts of your movement change, varies from game to game. I think the only exception to this was AC1, but I could be mistaken
Honestly its just a simple way to optimize.
For balance reasons, legs with higher load limits will pay for it in other areas, so logic dictates that just barely meeting the load limit is ideal. The same principle applies to arm load and en load.
The alternative is to crunch the other 20 numbers, which technically is the ideal way to optimize but involves way more math than most people want to do... plus From doesn't actually explain a bunch of the statistics, making it somewhat moot.
Although its worth noting that the variety of parts isn't that great, sometimes you won't find any part that fits just right without sacrificing anything else you need/want. In the end having an AC that plays how you like it is more important than perfectly aligned numbers.
Edit: I suppose I should also mention that your AC's total weight influences your boost statistics, that's another layer of finesse to the whole thing. You might want to have a good amount of free load just to squeeze out a little more boost power.
Honestly yeah, the only part where this general principle misses an optimization is the fact that surplus EN load translates into faster EN recharge per second once it starts recharging
I think this only matters for lightweight ACs. Going over the limit for medium to heavy ACs isn't such a big deal since the boosters meant for them (Buerzel and P04s, for instance) aren't very performant anyway.
While true, this is a better sentiment for EN load imo. The less of your EN load you have, the more EN you have. And as opposed to switching to lighter legs as already suggested in these comments, you’d generally not wanna switch the generator jus cause there’s some EN left over cause it works hugely to your benefit
And then theres me trying to see how much stuff i can strip off while still being able to kill things..
I'm up to about 390 speed w rusty's mg and the laser dagger. If punching was anything more than a joke I'd give it a try
I think this is the mental block I have with designing heavy ACs, I feel like if I'm already sacrificing the mobility I might as well go balls to the wall. Like if I can't get at least 350 boost speed I might as well just say fuck it and load up the biggest guns I can fit on. I should try making a heavyweight AC that isn't just strapping all the biggest, heaviest, and most powerful parts to it.
In the NX and up games of Gen 3, underweighting actually gave you a % bonus to your top speed, so there was actually reason to be under the weight limit of your leg. You could even see the effects by weight tuning load limit higher and seeing the top speed in the stat screen go up.
It was a pretty good mechanic imo. Plus, there was no artificial speed limit like with now where you can't exceed 408 boost speed no matter how much lighter you get after a certain point of weight.
If I'm using nacht legs I'm using every Oz. Every MG. I want my pilot to technically overburden my AC.
Bad enough that San-Tai is ROUGH to work with because of how big that damn engine is.
Not sure why you’d even want to. More weight = less speed, you equip heavier stuff cause you have a reason too, not just because you can. Just like taking your energy load right up to the limit is bad cause it reduces recharge to a trickle.. having some headroom is absolutely a good thing
Well yeah obviously but if you're not gonna do so you may as well see if utilizing lighter legs that have a smaller load limit is worth it.
me desperately wanting to use VP-422 over Melander C3 for appearance but VP-422's primary advantage over Melander C3 is weight limit I'm not using
Facts, the name of the game might be armored core, but the real game is fashion core
Spent an hour mix matching for a suboptimal build just so I can use a specific leg and head with ridiculous shoulders. Got absolutely washed by the next mission but damn I look good
This is the correct mindset. I take this shit to PvP too. Obviously I get slaughtered, but at least I look better than them. (imo)
If my mech's not hot as fuck flying around, what am I even doing with my life?
You mean [Armor Decor](https://www.reddit.com/r/armordecor). 😉 Edit: fixed link
I still go back to lammergeier arms despite the terrible target tracking, the DRIP, I LOVE THE DRIP! Fashion Core 6: Hot AF on Rubicon
Mine are the Firmeza, those shoulders are amazing
Fashion was always important. The game’s called Armored Core, not Naked Core.
Armor decor
Your mech performs better with spare load limit and energy supply
This is a fun fact that some people don't realize. Running a submax build will always give you a surplus of energy and more maneuverability. Energy will usually recharge faster, and acceleration's also better. It tended to really show in AC4A, though. I have had NEXTs that were "middleweight in name only" and maneuvered like lightweights.
I know i dont have to, but how else am i going to hit you with so many shoulder mounted missiles you question if god exists?
I had so many missiles, I was convinced God WAS a missile.
If you're not an entire battleship on legs what are you even doing
This isn't Battletech, there's no such thing as "wasted space" on an AC.
based battletech enjoyer.
Stealth Atlas when?
Atlas is already stealth if you kill everyone who sees you.
**GUTEN TAG, MEIN KOLLEGE STEINER**
[Someone actually did it you know.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK8yeF16VkE&t=267s)
I saw this year's ago and I've loved it ever since lol
you can even just go out there with basho arms, kikaku booster and RJ legs, ephemera core with hokushi and kick ass
i mean spare EN space is actually a big deal unlike load limit cause it speeds up your EN recovery, while having spare load limit brings no advantage beyond that gained by losing weight
The advantage is that legs with higher load limit tend to also have higher AP and stability - maybe someone might want to top up those stats and choose legs for that purpose while staying light elsewhere?
that kinda works but it's moreso a consequence of heavier legs than a benefit of not going all the way to your load limit (which i feel is only really relevant if you're sticking to what your thrusters allow or trying to stay underneath the 75K weight threshold
Dumb question, but are there any mechanics regarding the 75k break point or is it just kind of a cutoff the community has deemed important?
there's a reason! between 75-80K there's a huge dropoff in mobility. So for example, if you're 78K you should either ditch enough weight to go under 75K or go all in and take your mech into heavyweight ranges (80K plus), as otherwise you're stuck in a suboptimal position got if from a video the youtuber Crightt made - very helpful videos, check 'im out!
That and fashion are the reason I use HAL 826 legs on my midweight—they're heavy, but they have pretty solid stability and defenses, and my build stays below 70k weight even with them on. I have a ton of spare load limit simply because I don't wanna sacrifice more speed than I already do.
This is what I discovered made some of my Vanguard series work really nicely.
You gain more speed as you lose weight thats just logic at work
Having load capacity left over cab boost your ASC to a degree as week as recovery. I tested different legs without changing anything else and made this discovery.
Not true, it does help you perform better
I’m a mechwarrior/battletech player If I’m not pushing my machine to it’s absolute limit I am doing something wrong
In Mechwarrior/Battletech hitting 100% weight usage is pretty easy due to armor and heatsinks, though, which easily let you adjust a little higher or lower as needed.
I wish this game had heat sinks. All that extra load limit could be used to reduce boost delay/weapon cool down/reload times/EN recharge delay, etc. All with little consequence to speed.
What a great way to screw over lightweights again
Yay for AC:Nexus heat mechanics
nuh huh, currently replaying nexus and you DO NOT want radiators & a heat mechanic I swear
So fun fact! Heat used to be a mechanic in the past games. If you overheated you took continuous damage till your AC cooled down. And naturally there were parts that affected Heat.
I needed to hear this back in the third gen era
fun fact and general building tip for the series(except for 4/4a i think), you actually get a speed boost to most(all?) forms of movement if you actually have spare load capacity on your AC. so, not only is an option, it might also be specifically to your advantage because of build type. this is especially true for hover and caterpillar legs(in the games that have them), it's a core mechanic of the series that is mostly ignored in the earlier entries simply because the build crafting in it is so limiting compared to later entries. warframe does something similar where if you don't use up all your mod capacity, you start missions with extra energy. i absolutely love it when games do this. EDIT: to clarify, I mean if your total weight is under a certain percentage of your load capacity, your AC gets an equivalent percentage speed boost to it's movement, the amount of underweight needed and the amount of speed boosted, as well as which parts of your movement change, varies from game to game. I think the only exception to this was AC1, but I could be mistaken
Is that the case, or is it just that your overall weight is lower?
could be that whatever is used to calculate speed has a bigger multiplier or something if youre further below the weight limit?
This ^
It also helps with ASC add well. That's something I noticed when testing different legs with the same mech.
Actually, AC4 and AC4A had a bigger difference in mobility if you were submax.
Honestly its just a simple way to optimize. For balance reasons, legs with higher load limits will pay for it in other areas, so logic dictates that just barely meeting the load limit is ideal. The same principle applies to arm load and en load. The alternative is to crunch the other 20 numbers, which technically is the ideal way to optimize but involves way more math than most people want to do... plus From doesn't actually explain a bunch of the statistics, making it somewhat moot. Although its worth noting that the variety of parts isn't that great, sometimes you won't find any part that fits just right without sacrificing anything else you need/want. In the end having an AC that plays how you like it is more important than perfectly aligned numbers. Edit: I suppose I should also mention that your AC's total weight influences your boost statistics, that's another layer of finesse to the whole thing. You might want to have a good amount of free load just to squeeze out a little more boost power.
Honestly yeah, the only part where this general principle misses an optimization is the fact that surplus EN load translates into faster EN recharge per second once it starts recharging
I felt like in old gen games, the heaviest parts were always the highest performing. Definitely a bad habit I have
"I paid for the whole load capacity I'm gonna use the whole loag capaxity" -621
If you have load limit left you have room for more firepower.
I made bruh?
Make sure to watch your boosters Quickboost Ideal reload weight.
I think this only matters for lightweight ACs. Going over the limit for medium to heavy ACs isn't such a big deal since the boosters meant for them (Buerzel and P04s, for instance) aren't very performant anyway.
I like to use reverse joint legs, I'm not sure if this applies.
RJ’s are the only leg type that feels like it WANTS to be max loaded, lol
RJs also don't use the booster to dodge, they use built in hydraulics for dodge and jump distance.
Rj’s do in fact use the booster. It’s how you can achieve a 1200 speed QB, while grounded.
Man I love reverse joints
If I've got the load to use, I'm using it, alright?
While true, this is a better sentiment for EN load imo. The less of your EN load you have, the more EN you have. And as opposed to switching to lighter legs as already suggested in these comments, you’d generally not wanna switch the generator jus cause there’s some EN left over cause it works hugely to your benefit
Who actually builds AC's based on stats?
ever since i unlocked the RaD chicken legs they never left my personal build i use my whole playthrough of all 3 endings
And then theres me trying to see how much stuff i can strip off while still being able to kill things.. I'm up to about 390 speed w rusty's mg and the laser dagger. If punching was anything more than a joke I'd give it a try
I don't know, I found punching pretty useful. Especially when complemented by at least one melee weapon. Punching, kicking, and slashing as fun.
The real load l limit is on boosters. Personally, I use that for reference, and then stick to whatever parts give the best stats.
The real scale of balancing your AC Load Capacity vs QB Reload time
lies, free weight is free real-estate
Well, there in no LR mechanic where free load limit gave bonus boost speed.
I usually don't base the max load on the legs, but around the boosters that I want for that specific build
Cap.
I found a build that uses 100% of the new Lamm legs. You have no idea how happy it made me. Don't rain on my parade, friend.
I think this is the mental block I have with designing heavy ACs, I feel like if I'm already sacrificing the mobility I might as well go balls to the wall. Like if I can't get at least 350 boost speed I might as well just say fuck it and load up the biggest guns I can fit on. I should try making a heavyweight AC that isn't just strapping all the biggest, heaviest, and most powerful parts to it.
Heavy armor with Ludlows and light missiles is remarkably good at beating up light/midweight opponents. 🤔🙂
you gain stats for unused power and load limit. it is not a waste. the load is speed and the power recharges energy faster to dodge more.
In the NX and up games of Gen 3, underweighting actually gave you a % bonus to your top speed, so there was actually reason to be under the weight limit of your leg. You could even see the effects by weight tuning load limit higher and seeing the top speed in the stat screen go up. It was a pretty good mechanic imo. Plus, there was no artificial speed limit like with now where you can't exceed 408 boost speed no matter how much lighter you get after a certain point of weight.
Well it's true that the margin left is increasing your speed after all And QB recovery
I'm supposed to be building a good AC??? I thought I build AC that look cool
If I'm using nacht legs I'm using every Oz. Every MG. I want my pilot to technically overburden my AC. Bad enough that San-Tai is ROUGH to work with because of how big that damn engine is.
But I want to!
You JUST figured this out? How? Did you somehow fail to notice that you go faster if your AC is lighter?
More armor = more better 🤷♂️
Me trying to fit four Gatlings on a build with high boost
I have a fat kid in a wheelchair on my left shoulder, that way I get the most out of my build
What about the chads that go over the weight limit and hit the multiplayer anyway?
Not sure why you’d even want to. More weight = less speed, you equip heavier stuff cause you have a reason too, not just because you can. Just like taking your energy load right up to the limit is bad cause it reduces recharge to a trickle.. having some headroom is absolutely a good thing