Long Answer - Let’s look at the math for a sample weapon time, the rockets, or RPO series

Here, we will be looking at the three rocket weapons: Light (G4, 20 energy); Medium (MX5, 40 energy); Heavy (Z19, 70 energy)

I’ve boldened some key figures in the table, in columns L and O. Column L list out the cycle damage, i.e. the amount of damage you deal with that weapon in one magazine. Column O is just 2x Column L (for 2 lights vs 1 medium comparison)

In the Light vs Medium scenario, it’s a more apples to apples comparison, since 2 Lights = 40 Energy = 1 Medium. 1 Medium comes out the winner with ~1k more Damage than 2 Lights. Observant folk may realise that when factoring in reloads, 2 Lights have more cycles per minute than 1 Medium. However I think that that small a difference will get covered up in aiming, looking for cover, etc.

In Medium vs Heavy scenario, it’s not as clear cut. Say if you equip a 80 energy mech like Paragon with 2 Mediums, you get 96924 damage/cycle, vs 1 Heavy clocking in at 85625 damage. Here the question is, is a 10k damage difference worth putting in a 10 energy module like speed or HP boost? 

TL;DR Calculate cycle damage for weapon combinations before choosing load outs, and don’t just go by the damage figure listed in the weapon stats. That’s damage per round, and doesn’t immediately serve as a good metric for comparison.

My personal $0.02 - I prefer to rock a Paragon with a 70 energy weapon and speed boost module (fuel rod’s the name, IIRC). I used to run it with a Z19, and now am running it with a Heavy Sniper (Pavlichenko?). The added speed means I can take a corner, unload, then pop back in to cover. It also lets me backpedal and keep distance from pesky little mechs with shotguns :)

P.S. the damage stats will likely change on an ongoing basis given the game is in beta.  The point of this post was to highlight the key metrics you should consider before choosing your load out.