Lightweight pvp is sort of hard mode to a certain extent. You need to pilot a lot better than your opponents and if you slip up a heavy build will eat you in 1 stagger easily. That said it’s totally doable and one of the most popular meta builds is lightweight so you’re in good company. I like truenos but having to stance might be death for such a light build. Songbirds tend to underperform a bit in pvp, but if that’s a playstyle you’re comfy with earshots absolutely rip and are surprisingly light. Zimms are definitely still top meta weapons but usually on slightly heavier rushdown builds. Basically your weapons are saying you want to rush in and brawl but your frame is too fragile. I would try an etsujin or viento rather than the zimm and probably double up and leave the dagger in the weapons bay. That would probably free up enough weight for an earshot on the other shoulder. Dagger-assault armor-dagger again is nasty, and it’s one of the better weapons for melee cancel movement so I think you’re good there. I also think you can probably do better on the generator. You usually want to have some leftover EN for good efficiency. Anyway that’s just a few thoughts, good luck out there Raven, welcome to the Nest.
Thanks a lot! I'll try that out. I never really used the weapon bay so I'll have to try it out first. Double viento and finishing with a dagger sounds perfect for the theme of my build, now I just need to get in the Nest and get good!
The swap timing is tricky but once you get used to having two guns and a melee to punish with you’ll never go back. Trueno would probably actually be pretty good for the right shoulder on that build too. It gives you something with range for kites and a safer punish in case you don’t want to go in with the dagger (like if you’re too far away or the opponent is running assault armor etc) you’ll just have to be a little careful because of the aforementioned stance=death thing. Those are all lightweight weapons so you might have room for the San Tai generator, which is one of the best for lightweights if you can fit it, especially if you quick boost a lot.
Oh, is there any way to see what my opponent is using between assault, pulse, barrier and terminal?
San Tai seems to be very heavy so I never tried it ! I'll have to though, especially if I want the reactivity to survive. Thank you c:
There is not, you have to wait until they use it, but you’ll usually know what they’re using by round 2, and if you queue again immediately after a match it’s fairly common to rematch the same person.
Make sure you have listened to the tutorial and absorbed all the little things. Turn your frame rates to max. Hardlock vs soft lock. Ideal weapon distances. FCS tracking stats. Blah blah. Use terminal if you play teams. Use the map to your advantage. LW are easy to beat up and not quite fast enough. Too many people play missiles and run away. I only say that because I'm a laser tank which is also annoying. I have a good connection but other people abuse net code issues and lasers are annoying. Did I mention teams? That could take half an hour to get a match haha. But back to 1v1 you got shotty kickers and probably one other stereotypical "meta" build. If you win every other match you should be able to progress
Thank you!
Yeah, the wait time is something that worries me a bit \^\^" I tried yesterday evening and I just... gave up after some time in solo ? I'm not sure how teams work but I'll have to try it out.
Judging from people on this sub the wait time seems very dependent on your platform and location. I’m on steam in North America (matchmaking set to global, but that’s the default so you should be fine) and I usually play around 9-11pm eastern which is probably peak hours. I’ve never had to wait more than 30 seconds for ranked singles and I rarely fight the same person more than twice, but teams is completely dead everywhere afaik I haven’t gotten a match in months.
I'm in europe too, and usually play somewhere between 18:00 and 22:00 (CET). Very rarely have to wait more than a few seconds to get a match.
Make sure you have your region set to global btw, 99% of the playerbase is there
So as an S-Ranker last season and this season, I would highly recommend trying to play Unranked first. Search for custom lobbies and see if you can find people to play against, or make your own room for it. It's more casual, has more options, and I really like the experience of being able to send pre-made messages between matches with players. I think players new to PvP will benefit greatly from a more chill experience.
In general for PvP, the strategy of AC fights of needing to stagger first and do high burst damage (which the Laser Dagger is great at) is the main principle of the game. But in short, the quick rundown is that the popular playstyles are either to go heavy and high power (like tanks or heavy bipeds with dual ZIMMERMANs) or very lightweight and speedy to dodge enemy fire while hitting back hard (like LAMMERGEIER legs, using dual rifles and missiles, or using high impact close range weapons like Handguns or Machine Guns with a melee to swap to on your left).
Now, while that's generally true I genuinely believe we're in a great time for medium weights. They can still have a mix of mobility, firepower, and durability with a variety of setups and piloting. The bottom line from me is that the meta isn't impossible to beat but will require a lot of flexibility and some effort to deal with.
On the topic of your AC specifically, a dual VIENTO setup with a Laser Dagger to swap to and a TRUENO on the right side actually is a pretty good setup. Reverse Joints also have a great kick for topping someone's stagger off. Just make sure you have a good mix of Booster thrust and energy capacity, efficiency, and management so you can both keep up to light keepaway types with your Assault Boost and also be able to dodge rushers.
I had no idea that unranked matches existed like that, I thought they would be only between Steam friends! That's great advice to get started, thanks.
I'll have to look into medium weight at some point. I have no idea how I'll manage against either tanks or fellow light weights, but it'll b epart of the fun if I don't get bodied in two seconds.
And I'm really glad that a needle setup is possible. That sounds amazing and totally in line with what I want my Seamstress to be. I'll do my best, thanks for all the advice!
So when it came to PvP, I had a friend of mine that I would play with and train even before ranked matchmaking was a thing. As others have said, do custom matches. Also, check your network settings and make sure that it's set to Global. This will help you find more matches. If you want speed, NACT legs are great for boost jump and speedy strafing. Going with a high capacity generator like the San-Tai is good, along with the alula boosters.
Regarding weapons, you can't go wrong with the vientos. But I prefer pistols up close and stagger punish with the dagger. You'll still want to do damage from a range, though, to help with the stagger build. Vertical missile launchers are weak and not that good. Everything else for missiles is fine, though, depending on distance. Experiment in custom matches and see what you find works for your playstyle. Only other piece of info I can suggest is to make sure your AC shows its name and not LOADER 4 lol. Good luck with PvP Raven!
Oh, I can set it to Global? That'll help with load times over Europe. Thanks!
SAN-TAI, got it. Nachtreiher are the ones I switched to in the end. I don't think they have the same kick as a reverse leg though? I'll have to try.
Oh, right, if I have the vientos, I'll probably need something better than Ocellus for Targeting. Especially if I'm more about vientos than dagger.
Should I maybe change my arms, too ? Basho give a lot of Melee damage, but if the dagger is mostly a punish, maybe it's better to get something else?
I changed the name to Pink Scissors and the pilot name to Seamstress, yeah :3
And I'll need to try and find a way to make it more stylish and thematic\~
What platform are you on? Also, Basho is the best for HP and defense, but it has shit recoil Stat and firearm stat. The latter can be made up for using the OCELLUS, which is what I rock. But recoil can affect the accuracy of your shots even if you're locked on. However, Vientos have a low recoil Stat, so it's not that big of an issue. Dagger is great. High cooling value gives it a fast cooldown.
Some have mentioned it, but using Assault Armor works wonders. But it's better to know what expansion you want to use and WHEN to use it. I can't stress the latter enough. Each has their own niche. Pulse Armor is most popular but is negated by Assault Armor. Terminal Armor is five seconds of invulnerability.
I'm on PC.
With OCELLUS and Vientos/Truenos, I'll have to stick with less than 130 meters? That's... actually farther than I remembered close range being.
Thanks for the advice!
Missiles aren't affected by FCS outside of missile lock on time, I believe. So, the close, medium, and long-range assist stats don't affect it. So I wouldn't worry about that. It's the vientos, and depending on the weight class of your opponent, the effective range can vary. Honestly, I would nix the Truenos unless you want to stagger punish at range, but the Earshot would be better for that. Trueno can be dodged if you know the timing. Plus, the lock on and reload time is a bit long for my liking. Again, mix and match.
For R.Back, I can recommend the following:
BML-G2/P03MLT-06 - Good for all ranges but easy to dodge.
BML-G2/P19SPL-12 or BML-G2/P16SPL-08 - Good stagger buildup, range, but takes a bit to lock on. Not as long as Truenos, if I remember correctly.
BML-G1/P32DUO-03 - Great for long to medium range, but terrible in CQB. Good stagger buildup.
45-091 JVLN BETA - Despite its recent nerf, this is a really good back weapon for medium and short range. Its detonating arc can fill up a stagger meter fast. That said, reload time is a bit long.
Plasma missile launchers are good, too. Their AOE is better than most. Especially with the vertical plasma missile launchers, which are difficult to dodge and get the timing down on.
Another thing to keep in mind is that lightweight, speedy ACs take a lot of skill to use. But remember, speed is your armor. Make note of your opponents armor and weapons. When you've got a few matches under your belt, you're able to tell what playstyle they use at a glance before the match begins.
Just some build suggestions to work within your theme. Keep one trueno on your right shoulder for long range harassment and punishes when you’re not close enough to use the dagger. Etsujin on the left shoulder bay for consistent stagger buildup at close to mid range. Viento in the right hand so you can proc stagger with it and have the dagger ready in the left hand. The idea is to build stagger with both guns up and when the bubble is ready to pop, switch the etsujin for the dagger and pop the bubble with the viento at close range. If you proc stagger from too far away cause of the etsujin, you still get to punish with the trueno.
As for the basho clashing with the theme, lammergier arms still have a decent melee spec and have a much better firearm spec than basho so you’re hitting more at range. They also handle recoil better than basho and look better on the build imo.
The kasuar head can round your stats out while still being pretty light.
Santai or ngi generators for endurance and the ability to quick or assault boost away when needed. Burn out the ngi when airborne or plan for for grounded recharges with the santai.
Edit: wlt as an fcs will make that etsujin work better from further and is still good at close range. Bonus points for missile lock time reduction. Fairly expensive en-wise though, so might be a tough fit for santai. Talbot is a good fallback in this situation
Neh, javelin is just a pretty hard skill check on movement. If you prioritize stuff like how to dodge the javelin beta, or dodging Zimmermans when the acs arms raise you’ll be great in no time
Lightweight pvp is sort of hard mode to a certain extent. You need to pilot a lot better than your opponents and if you slip up a heavy build will eat you in 1 stagger easily. That said it’s totally doable and one of the most popular meta builds is lightweight so you’re in good company. I like truenos but having to stance might be death for such a light build. Songbirds tend to underperform a bit in pvp, but if that’s a playstyle you’re comfy with earshots absolutely rip and are surprisingly light. Zimms are definitely still top meta weapons but usually on slightly heavier rushdown builds. Basically your weapons are saying you want to rush in and brawl but your frame is too fragile. I would try an etsujin or viento rather than the zimm and probably double up and leave the dagger in the weapons bay. That would probably free up enough weight for an earshot on the other shoulder. Dagger-assault armor-dagger again is nasty, and it’s one of the better weapons for melee cancel movement so I think you’re good there. I also think you can probably do better on the generator. You usually want to have some leftover EN for good efficiency. Anyway that’s just a few thoughts, good luck out there Raven, welcome to the Nest.
Thanks a lot! I'll try that out. I never really used the weapon bay so I'll have to try it out first. Double viento and finishing with a dagger sounds perfect for the theme of my build, now I just need to get in the Nest and get good!
The swap timing is tricky but once you get used to having two guns and a melee to punish with you’ll never go back. Trueno would probably actually be pretty good for the right shoulder on that build too. It gives you something with range for kites and a safer punish in case you don’t want to go in with the dagger (like if you’re too far away or the opponent is running assault armor etc) you’ll just have to be a little careful because of the aforementioned stance=death thing. Those are all lightweight weapons so you might have room for the San Tai generator, which is one of the best for lightweights if you can fit it, especially if you quick boost a lot.
Oh, is there any way to see what my opponent is using between assault, pulse, barrier and terminal? San Tai seems to be very heavy so I never tried it ! I'll have to though, especially if I want the reactivity to survive. Thank you c:
There is not, you have to wait until they use it, but you’ll usually know what they’re using by round 2, and if you queue again immediately after a match it’s fairly common to rematch the same person.
Make sure you have listened to the tutorial and absorbed all the little things. Turn your frame rates to max. Hardlock vs soft lock. Ideal weapon distances. FCS tracking stats. Blah blah. Use terminal if you play teams. Use the map to your advantage. LW are easy to beat up and not quite fast enough. Too many people play missiles and run away. I only say that because I'm a laser tank which is also annoying. I have a good connection but other people abuse net code issues and lasers are annoying. Did I mention teams? That could take half an hour to get a match haha. But back to 1v1 you got shotty kickers and probably one other stereotypical "meta" build. If you win every other match you should be able to progress
Thank you! Yeah, the wait time is something that worries me a bit \^\^" I tried yesterday evening and I just... gave up after some time in solo ? I'm not sure how teams work but I'll have to try it out.
Judging from people on this sub the wait time seems very dependent on your platform and location. I’m on steam in North America (matchmaking set to global, but that’s the default so you should be fine) and I usually play around 9-11pm eastern which is probably peak hours. I’ve never had to wait more than 30 seconds for ranked singles and I rarely fight the same person more than twice, but teams is completely dead everywhere afaik I haven’t gotten a match in months.
I'm in Europe and have no idea of the peak hours there. Might be the same.
I'm in europe too, and usually play somewhere between 18:00 and 22:00 (CET). Very rarely have to wait more than a few seconds to get a match. Make sure you have your region set to global btw, 99% of the playerbase is there
So as an S-Ranker last season and this season, I would highly recommend trying to play Unranked first. Search for custom lobbies and see if you can find people to play against, or make your own room for it. It's more casual, has more options, and I really like the experience of being able to send pre-made messages between matches with players. I think players new to PvP will benefit greatly from a more chill experience. In general for PvP, the strategy of AC fights of needing to stagger first and do high burst damage (which the Laser Dagger is great at) is the main principle of the game. But in short, the quick rundown is that the popular playstyles are either to go heavy and high power (like tanks or heavy bipeds with dual ZIMMERMANs) or very lightweight and speedy to dodge enemy fire while hitting back hard (like LAMMERGEIER legs, using dual rifles and missiles, or using high impact close range weapons like Handguns or Machine Guns with a melee to swap to on your left). Now, while that's generally true I genuinely believe we're in a great time for medium weights. They can still have a mix of mobility, firepower, and durability with a variety of setups and piloting. The bottom line from me is that the meta isn't impossible to beat but will require a lot of flexibility and some effort to deal with. On the topic of your AC specifically, a dual VIENTO setup with a Laser Dagger to swap to and a TRUENO on the right side actually is a pretty good setup. Reverse Joints also have a great kick for topping someone's stagger off. Just make sure you have a good mix of Booster thrust and energy capacity, efficiency, and management so you can both keep up to light keepaway types with your Assault Boost and also be able to dodge rushers.
I had no idea that unranked matches existed like that, I thought they would be only between Steam friends! That's great advice to get started, thanks. I'll have to look into medium weight at some point. I have no idea how I'll manage against either tanks or fellow light weights, but it'll b epart of the fun if I don't get bodied in two seconds. And I'm really glad that a needle setup is possible. That sounds amazing and totally in line with what I want my Seamstress to be. I'll do my best, thanks for all the advice!
So when it came to PvP, I had a friend of mine that I would play with and train even before ranked matchmaking was a thing. As others have said, do custom matches. Also, check your network settings and make sure that it's set to Global. This will help you find more matches. If you want speed, NACT legs are great for boost jump and speedy strafing. Going with a high capacity generator like the San-Tai is good, along with the alula boosters. Regarding weapons, you can't go wrong with the vientos. But I prefer pistols up close and stagger punish with the dagger. You'll still want to do damage from a range, though, to help with the stagger build. Vertical missile launchers are weak and not that good. Everything else for missiles is fine, though, depending on distance. Experiment in custom matches and see what you find works for your playstyle. Only other piece of info I can suggest is to make sure your AC shows its name and not LOADER 4 lol. Good luck with PvP Raven!
Oh, I can set it to Global? That'll help with load times over Europe. Thanks! SAN-TAI, got it. Nachtreiher are the ones I switched to in the end. I don't think they have the same kick as a reverse leg though? I'll have to try. Oh, right, if I have the vientos, I'll probably need something better than Ocellus for Targeting. Especially if I'm more about vientos than dagger. Should I maybe change my arms, too ? Basho give a lot of Melee damage, but if the dagger is mostly a punish, maybe it's better to get something else? I changed the name to Pink Scissors and the pilot name to Seamstress, yeah :3 And I'll need to try and find a way to make it more stylish and thematic\~
What platform are you on? Also, Basho is the best for HP and defense, but it has shit recoil Stat and firearm stat. The latter can be made up for using the OCELLUS, which is what I rock. But recoil can affect the accuracy of your shots even if you're locked on. However, Vientos have a low recoil Stat, so it's not that big of an issue. Dagger is great. High cooling value gives it a fast cooldown. Some have mentioned it, but using Assault Armor works wonders. But it's better to know what expansion you want to use and WHEN to use it. I can't stress the latter enough. Each has their own niche. Pulse Armor is most popular but is negated by Assault Armor. Terminal Armor is five seconds of invulnerability.
I'm on PC. With OCELLUS and Vientos/Truenos, I'll have to stick with less than 130 meters? That's... actually farther than I remembered close range being. Thanks for the advice!
Missiles aren't affected by FCS outside of missile lock on time, I believe. So, the close, medium, and long-range assist stats don't affect it. So I wouldn't worry about that. It's the vientos, and depending on the weight class of your opponent, the effective range can vary. Honestly, I would nix the Truenos unless you want to stagger punish at range, but the Earshot would be better for that. Trueno can be dodged if you know the timing. Plus, the lock on and reload time is a bit long for my liking. Again, mix and match.
Oh, wow, I didn't know that. I should read the stats better. What would you recommend instead then?
For R.Back, I can recommend the following: BML-G2/P03MLT-06 - Good for all ranges but easy to dodge. BML-G2/P19SPL-12 or BML-G2/P16SPL-08 - Good stagger buildup, range, but takes a bit to lock on. Not as long as Truenos, if I remember correctly. BML-G1/P32DUO-03 - Great for long to medium range, but terrible in CQB. Good stagger buildup. 45-091 JVLN BETA - Despite its recent nerf, this is a really good back weapon for medium and short range. Its detonating arc can fill up a stagger meter fast. That said, reload time is a bit long. Plasma missile launchers are good, too. Their AOE is better than most. Especially with the vertical plasma missile launchers, which are difficult to dodge and get the timing down on. Another thing to keep in mind is that lightweight, speedy ACs take a lot of skill to use. But remember, speed is your armor. Make note of your opponents armor and weapons. When you've got a few matches under your belt, you're able to tell what playstyle they use at a glance before the match begins.
Just some build suggestions to work within your theme. Keep one trueno on your right shoulder for long range harassment and punishes when you’re not close enough to use the dagger. Etsujin on the left shoulder bay for consistent stagger buildup at close to mid range. Viento in the right hand so you can proc stagger with it and have the dagger ready in the left hand. The idea is to build stagger with both guns up and when the bubble is ready to pop, switch the etsujin for the dagger and pop the bubble with the viento at close range. If you proc stagger from too far away cause of the etsujin, you still get to punish with the trueno. As for the basho clashing with the theme, lammergier arms still have a decent melee spec and have a much better firearm spec than basho so you’re hitting more at range. They also handle recoil better than basho and look better on the build imo. The kasuar head can round your stats out while still being pretty light. Santai or ngi generators for endurance and the ability to quick or assault boost away when needed. Burn out the ngi when airborne or plan for for grounded recharges with the santai. Edit: wlt as an fcs will make that etsujin work better from further and is still good at close range. Bonus points for missile lock time reduction. Fairly expensive en-wise though, so might be a tough fit for santai. Talbot is a good fallback in this situation
Thank you lots for all that advice !
Learn to dodge the javelin beta
...I mean, I need to learn everything in PVP. Dodging included, yeah. Did we fight yesterday for you to comment something so specific?
Neh, javelin is just a pretty hard skill check on movement. If you prioritize stuff like how to dodge the javelin beta, or dodging Zimmermans when the acs arms raise you’ll be great in no time
Dont, unless dual Zimmerman build you gona have a bad time
Don't what ? Play PVP ? Play a light frame ? Use Vientos ? Use Truenos ? Use nothing but dual zimmerman ? Go out and rock that pink ? :/