Difference between revisions of "Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannons"

Revision as of 20:28, 21 September 2020

Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannon, or LBX (also written LB-X), is a development that builds upon the Standard AutoCannon by turning it into the BattleMech equivalent of a shotgun.

Overview

Schematic of an LBX AutoCannon

Rather than firing a single slug, the LBX Autocannon fires a cluster of pellets that spread out and may thus strike multiple sections of the target. The larger the LBX, the more the pellets spread out. Single pellet damage is same for all variants, and only the amount of pellets shot at the time varies. Conveniently, the LBX variant's size number (2,5,10 and 20) indicates how many pellets it shoots.

Compared to single slug firing standard AutoCannons (AC10 and AC20), the LBX rate-of-fire is lower, but the single shot damage potential is significantly greater. In addition, all LBX weapons have somewhat improved range compared to their standard AutoCannon counterparts.

There is no difference between Inner Sphere and Clan versions of the Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannon.

Weapon Stats

Gameplay & Hints

(C)LBX variants

• LBX AutoCannons used by ground assets deal Light Kinetic damage, which does extra damage against Vehicles and Air units

• Shot spread can be useful hitting speedy Battle Armors

• Shot spread can make it difficult to focus fire on a single location when firing at range, instead spreading the damage out across the unit

• At close range the pellets have less time to spread out, resulting in more concentrated damage, making the LBX10 and LBX20 especially dangerous in close quarters combat

Air LBX variants

• Air LBX AutoCannons deal Kinetic-air damage, which is more effective against Vehicles and other Air units

• Differing from LBX used by ground assets, the Air LBX pellets also cause splash damage to the hit target

Canon

Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannon was initially intended to expand the weapon's role into anti-vehicle and anti-infantry duties. Initially developed in 2595 by the Terran Hegemony (LBX10 only), it featured the ability to fire either slugs for concentrated damage or cluster munitions that had a better chance of finding a chink in the target's armor (and also made it better able to engage aircraft).

While the Inner Sphere lost LBX technology in 2840 during the Succession Wars the Clans would go on to introduce the LBX2, LBX5 and LBX20 during the 2820's. Later the Inner Sphere would rediscover the LBX10 in 3035 thanks to the Helm Core, and introduce the other LBX classes in 3058 in response to the Clan Invasion.

In Classic BattleTech the CLBX2 and CLBX5 have improved range over their Inner Sphere counterparts. In addition all CLBX weapons are more compact and weigh less than Inner Sphere LBX weapons.

BattleTech reference

Usage

The following assets equip LB-X AutoCannons: