It is overall one of the most effective weapons you can get for general-purpose work. It uses much less ammo and thus is much more effective in extended missions than the AC/10. The LBX-10 is generally considered superior to the AC/10, and is invariably preferable in most fights. Because of this, they are quite useful for shredding armor off of enemies and making them more salvagable! The way LBX autocannons are set up, they nearly always strike a mech in mulitple locations, like the other Autocannons, but differ in that they hit these locations all at once instead of a salvo. They deal substantial damage at close range - but they deal increasingly less and in a more wide-spread swath if fired from afar. The Ammo restrictions and weight are just too severe to take it on every mission. It must be saved for worthy targets, and, in many cases, must be left behind entirely in favor of smaller and lighter weapons. Even a less-than-optimal hit causes extensive damage and loss of armor.Ī great temptation, the AC/20 must be used sparingly and cannot be employed foolishly. Its concentrated power is capable of killing a perfectly intact light or medium mech with a single salvo, given a lucky hit. Few weapons can approach the sheer power presented by a single salvo from this weapon. Why suffer the restrictions? The answer lies in the weapon's unrivaled power. Nonetheless, the AC/20 is devastating - though the least-used of the "heavy" Autocannon family, it is quite formidable and despite its drawbacks remains a favorite of some of the hardcore players. This makes it easier to hit a target with, but somewhat harder to kill a target with. The AC/20 deals unparallelled damage and fires in salvos like the AC/5 and AC/10. However, the cruelest cut of all of this weapon is its ammo capacity - a meager 20 shots. Unfortunately, it is also the heaviest and shortest-ranged Autocannon, meaning it is a weapon all but designed for infighting. The AC/20 is a monster of the battlefield, dishing out more damage than almost any other Inner Sphere weapon. Use Autocannons in moderation, and you'll find them to be one one of the better weapons available in the early moments of the campaigns. This limitation prevents the AC/10 from being the true staple weapon of Inner Sphere Mechs. 32 shots may sound like a lot, but on missions it's not uncommon for mechs armed with these to run dry.
The big downside of the AC/10 is its limited ammo. Basically, a Mech armed with an AC/10 is ready for almost any fight. It has good range and a moderate ammo capacity, and it pumps out concentrated damage at a faster rate than the somewhat comparable PPC. The AC/10 is a true workhorse among Autocannons, and a favorite of many mechwarriors. It's best-suited to fast Medium Mechs that do most of their fighting from long range.Įven if you decide you want a weapon of this sort, the Ultra AC/2 and Ultra AC/5 are both better choices. It's recommended that you steer clear of the AC/5 unless you plan to take advantage of its long range and high fire rate - for example, against emplaced defenses or multiple lightweight enemies. It holds the unpleasant distinction of being the least efficient weapon in the Inner Sphere arsenal with the possible exception of the Long Tom, which compensates by having splash damage. However, the fairly large tonnage of the weapon paired with its low damage capability makes it unpopular with many Mechwarriors. The lightest and smallest of the Autocannons, the AC/5 has excellent range and has lots of ammunition. today, I discuss some of these weapons, and my personal opinions and thoughts on each. Nonetheless, they are staples in the arsenals of many a MechWarrior - primarily because they generate virtually no heat.
In general, Ballistic weapons are more powerful and more efficient than energy weapons, but at a price they require ammunition, which makes them much heavier and which also adds the possibility of the weapon running low on ammunition during missions. Today, as part 2 of my Mechwarrior 4: Merceniaries weapons guide, I discuss ballistic weapons.