Fafnir

A classic dakka build that's possible on many different mechs. With a 60-damage alpha, good DPS, and ECM, this mech is very well-suited for solo queue. Gameplay is no different from any other UAC boat - find yourself a good position and start dishing out as much dakka as you can. Duck back into cover only if you're heatcapped or if you find yourself doing less damage than what you take in return.

Similar builds are better on the FNR-5B, but this has CD quirk for the Gauss if you find that useful.

The Fafnir isn't necessarily a spectacular brawler, but this build has crazy DPS, runs ice cold and absolutely destroys mechs once their armor is gone. ECM really helps for getting into that 200-300m sweetspot where LBXs actually start doing work, so despite having worse hitboxes than an Annihilator and worse agility than the Cyclops, FNR-5 is still a very nice pick for a solo queue LB10 platform.

With this build you're supposed to ignore the ghost heat and just fire all four RACs. While at first glance it may seem like a bad idea, plenty of DHS and additional quirks handle the heat very well. Your main targets are slow heavies and assaults - this build feasts upon them. Avoid wasting DPS on fast movers unless they pose a big threat to your team. This loadout requires you to stare down targets and while ECM helps offset the issues that this brings, you should still choose your peeks very carefully.

No, you shouldn't run Stealth on this. This is already a build which has mediocre damage output, and being forced to 40kph or slower is just not worth Stealth. At the ranges where LGauss is optimal, ECM is plenty enough to keep you off of radar.

Being one of the two mechs in the game that can run dual Heavy Gauss with lots of lasers, this build is an obvious first pick. Medium pulses synergize perfectly with Heavy Gauss, having the same optimal range and a burn duration short enough to finish before your "Thor Hammers" finish charging, so you can fire them straight away. As a result we have a build with 80-pinpoint untwistable alpha - enough to core or outright one-shot many mechs before they can even react. ECM helps you get into that 250-300m sweetspot, where this build starts decimating enemies left and right.

This build has more range than the MPL version - you can shoot Heavy Gauss up until ~500m while still having respectable damage. The build's main drawback is that ERML have a longer burn duration than MPL, so they are less deadly and have less synergy with the HGauss charge mechanic - if you fire your lasers while charging, you'll have to wait longer for the lasers to finish before you can adjust for lead and loose the Gauss.

This build is just a bit more safe than the closer-ranged MPL one, so if you for some reason struggle with that one, you can definitely try this.

This is the ultimate IS gaussvomit mech. If you like gaussvomit gameplay but not the short range nature of HGauss or long burn duration of clan lasers, then this build is for you. ECM really makes this build shine since you can safely sit at 500-600m where most enemies won't even notice you and fire alpha after alpha at them. The build runs fairly cool and in general is very well-suited for QP.

Not a particularly outstanding build, but it's still pretty nice. Having the ballistics in your wide arms is a significant drawback due to convergence issues against moving targets. Still, you just can't go wrong with quad UAC5s on IS mechs. Medium lasers are there to add some punch to the build and help out whenever you suffer from too many jams - with decent output from the UAC5s, you have no excuse to overheat by firing the lasers when you can't afford to.

Probably the most optimal mech for running quad HPPC. By comparison, the Awesome and Highlander run too hot, and the Annihilator is slower and has low mounted arms.

With a 20% velocity quirk and 60-pinpoint salvo, very few mechs will want to trade with you. While this mech has 20DHS and a heat quirk, it still runs pretty hot, so watch your heat bar. Be very careful against fast targets - this build has no backup weapons, so its weakness is anything that can rush into your ~90m deadzone.

This is the only IS mech that can do the "Scorch" build and even being a 100-tonner it still barely fits it. It can't truly rival the Scorch itself or even the MCII-2, but it's still a very deadly mech with it's 92-point alpha. Its main disadvantage is the poor convergence with the SRMs and slow engine.

This build is not recommended for less experienced assault players due to being a brawler that moves very slowly, and will struggle without a team to back it up.

This build is almost identical to what is listed for the FNR-5. This variant loses the ECM in favor of a range quirk, while adding back a heatsink and some ammo. While definitely not as forgiving in terms of positioning as its ECM counterpart, this version is slightly more deadly.

Started as a meme build, this is actually one of the most deadly LRM boats, in part thanks to the heat and velocity quirks.

Very similar to FNR-5B, this mech loses ECM in favor of significantly higher DPS output provided by the global cooldown quirk backing the Heavy Gauss. If you feel confident about your positioning such that you don't need to crutch on ECM, you may want to try this build.

The Fafnir is the only mech that run this build effectively (others tend to have poor mounts). This build offers you an insane 50-PPFLD alpha at up to 500m. It runs pretty hot, but if you find yourself heatcapped you can fire just the AC10s which by themselves are pretty heat neutral.

While other Fafnir variants can run this build, the FNR-6R is the best due to its cooldown quirk and all torso mounts for nice convergence.

A very deadly build that can kill most components in just a few shots. Against faster targets remember to fire your MLs separately from everything else to ensure that everything goes where you want it.

ECM really helps this mech to get into close range where it can start shining. The main weakness is the missile hardpoints being spread across the entire mech which hurts the SRM convergence compared to alternatives like the Atlas.

Compared to the AC20 version, this build has more alpha and a bit more range, but it is slower, hotter and more fragile (HGauss can explode). It also may be harder to play for inexperienced players, due to the HGauss requiring charge and causing reticule shaking.

A pretty good MRM boat. While Annihilator / Nightstar does the MRM boating better, Wrath offers an ECM that helps offset it's chassis' innate flaws. Build's main drawback is (again) - convergence issues with arm mounted missile hardpoints.