I finally got around to giving the Marauder a thorough look, and I have to say I like this mech. It's cool-looking, can take a beating, and has the ability to hold some really devastating weapon combos. I started out with alpha-strike variants, like the one Black Caesar has dubbed the "Hand of God" - HGR, 2PPCCap. Then I started toying with it, swapping out one PPCCap for a regular PPC, which gave a better recycle stagger and heat curve. I worked some lasers into the mix by dropping one of the PPC-types altogether. This, I found made the mech even better, as the insta-hit of the lasers can really benefit a semi-ponderous Marauder being swarmed by smaller and faster mechs.

Due to the BAP and lack of ECM, I wanted to explore options for the dorsal gun rack that would give me longer range. Gauss wouldn't cut it, can only fit one regular one and I wanted better damage than a pair of Lights would give me. I went for RACs. 2RAC2 to be exact. Wow, do I like RAC Marauders now! After several experiments with the energy slots, I came upon the combo of 2ISLL and one ISPPC. Not the biggest hitter around, but the amount of sinks and the speed you can have with this much free weapon tonnage, and the constant damage of twin pulsed RAC2's let you really rip through enemies. I use it as a forward attack mech, sort of a linebreaker, dealing damage the whole time I advance, and it's tough enough to last a while once it gets into the fray. ERLL of course will give you more of a standoff option, which can be useful on some maps.

Twin ERPPC is also a nice complement for longer range maps, as the ranges of the ERPPC and the RACs are close, and the leads are quite close as well, allowing the RACs to be used as tracers. 4 Large Lasers with the RACs can lay quite a hurting on someone too.

Anyway, I guess my point is "Go RAC Marauder!!"

i use the marauder as a mid-range beast.

3 large lasers
3 medium lasers
1 heavy gauss

that's one of my better ones for the marauder, can't stay alive in a sniper environment, but it can beat the hell out of most any other mid-range heavy.

2 LL
2 PPC
1 HG
The best part? 0 heatsinks.

BWAHAHA! NBT-beast. Painful, fun, and hot.

Dare you to use it on Solar Desert.

I only Have a few marauder variants and the majority of them are short-mid range.

Marauder

6 HML
2 CLBX10
Max FF armor
extra speed (I have it in the 80 KPH range)
Rest of tonnage to heatsinks

I like to set my laser in 3 groups of 2 and fire off each group a second after the other. Provides decent knock.

6 LL
Max armoor
70 KPH
Rest of tonnage to heatsinks.

4 LXPL
Max armor
75 KPH
rest of tonnage to heatsinks

And the Ultimate Heatwhore mech

6 ERLPL
1 RAC5
all the armor and speed you want
BAP
No heatsinks (No real heatwhore needs 'em)
Be amazed be the knock and how quickly your heat builds Up.

I dare you to use THIS on Solar Desert

2ltg 2 cppc

5 Flamer 1 HeatAGL

3 ISLPL

That sounds like one of my favored Marauders.

Light Gauss
Cap PPC
2x Large Lasers

It does ok when I'm able to get the gun cycle going. I sometimes feel that I don't have much to shoot at long ranges. It does pretty well on hot maps.

Tried some of the configs here last night/morning/whatever ...

the RAC2 Marauders are nice, and the PPC/CAP + PPC - Combo is really helpful, first time ever I could something useful on lunacy ... also when it's sitting in crater and waiting for someone to jump, as the place was crawling with laserboats, and mean pulse ares, not a good idea to stick your head out ...

... on ronin Hazmat 0wned me with a nice config - Dual HVAC5 and 4 LL, pretty tough to stay out of range of them,
esp. on avarice city. On such a map, one could maybe substitute the HVAC5's with something more nasty.

Puretech.

2CPPC
2RAC2 +1ton ammo each

2PPC
2LG

6LL(standart one)

3LL
2RAC5

I really like the marader as a line breaker too. just gotta make sure there is some room to maneuver and have the beast doing at least 75kph. that way you can zoom and boom with it.

2ppc, 2Hml, CG - good for all ranges, and for that pesky light. staggering the ppc's and Hml doesn't give them much time to put csrms into your back

12ml, 3lac5 - for fun, lots of stuff hitting the bad guys with this, recycle time is great.

4erll, CG - boring, but gets the job done

N00B3R!!
6 ERLL
1 CGR

Be amazed as you pwn and are called N00b! and other not so nice things.

Pulsar
6 ERLPL
Min speed
7 heatsinks
Not what anyone would consider heat effecient. Actually is a pretty good mech for cold maps with water. I use it as a support mech for the brawlers and other mechs on my team. I actually made the mistake of bringing this mech to a desert map...Not a smart thing to do.

Prototype 01
1 LPL
1 LXPL
2 MPL
2 SXPL
1 AC5
Min speed
stock armor
rest of tonnage to heatsinks. (about 50% heat efficiency)

This odd amixture of weapons lets you constantly chip away the armor of your opponents. It has nothing but quick recycle low damage weapons, so I wouldn't suggest this variant to Anyone who wants a one hit wonder.

Prototype 02
2 ERLPL
Max speed
Specialty armor (none in arms)
All components
Rest of tonnage to heatsinks

Not terribly effective but you can fire constantly due to the amount of heatsinks. Doesn't turn too well though...

Stock Marauder. Panzerfritz knows

(Mwahaha).

Ahh my favorite mech in the game. (lubs me raptor)

IS pure
4xLL
1xHGR
Full FF, speed etc to taste.
My glad pit config, touchy with the heat but enough punch to get it done.

Raptor C IS pure
2xrac 2 +2
2xISLpulse
Full FF, 75 kph and above. chaos creator front line breaker.

Raptor A
2xLXpulse
1xLBX10
1xRAC5 +1
Full FF speed etc to taste. My main ride, love this thing. Able to break up sniper ridges in a single bound, able to stop a speeding landpig and still able to yell
"pull" when you catch that scat in mid air. Serously give this thing a try, 4 weapons groups need to operate.

Velo raptor
3xERL
Max speed and as many sinks as possible. Armor to taste. There are many other varients that can perform this but none that can take the beating this can.

Urban raptor (pack hunter wingman needed)
8xISMedL
2xHVYMedL
2xLBX10
Full FF speed etc to taste. As stated wingman needed for this config, good recycle decent heat.

Native Raptor
2xERLL
2XHVYMedL
1HVAC20
Not your run of the mill config which suprises many when they get hit with for the first. The chain abllity of the ERLL and the HVAC20 will have assaults running for cover, but in the same token has a decent alpha up close.

Hypothetical variant:
2ERPPC
2ERLL
1CGR

Probably a bit toasty, since you'd want to be 70+kph, but heatsinks are for the elderly, infirm, and womenfolk anyhow.

10 ML
1 LL
1 HVAC20

I kept thinking to myself.... "The marauder is just too slow....too slow..." So I went to change this. Just that the only weakness that I saw with the marauder, (besides being able to manuever the mech in tigh corners) is just it's speed. So I came up with a couple of configs to combat this. (all configs have maxish armor)

1 ppc
2 lt gauss +1 each
bap, 80 kph.

or 1 er ppc
2 lt gauss +1 each
bap 85 kph.

Fell in love with this marauder I take it a good bit. It lacks punch though. so.....

2 IS ppcs, 1 large Laser
1 lt gauss +1
bap, 80 kph
sinks armor to taste


Now this one is...different. Hate those pesky lights?
1 long tom +1
6 hmls
75kph, speed sinks armor to taste

Haven't experimented too much, but the 2 out of about 10 configs I tried:

HMLx6, HVAC20.

MWL Solaris variant


CapPPCx2, IS Gauss+ammo. Puretech.

This is my favorite, speed around 70. Great mech for hill humping. It might be me, but I think the new weapons suffer less NDB and/or does more damage than specified. It's amazing how many times I've cored opponents with 1 alpha from this variant.

Another one of my favorites

3 LXPL
1 HVAC10 + 1

Just set the LXPL to chain, and fire the HVAC10 when you're over heating. I love this one on Oilspill.

'Course, if you want some more midrange firepower, you can replace the 10 with the 20, but it'll be hotter because you'll be running low on heatsinks.

1 LG
2 PPC
6 ML
sprinkle in a few heat sinks...

the medium lasers as back up work great for that flea thats circling you

umm.....


6LL
1 HGR
Min speed
Reduced armor (9.5 I think)

The only Marauder you need.