15 replies to this topic

[Escef]

Inner Sphere Factions

Steiner

Spoiler

The Lyran Commonwealth (House Steiner) is commerce oriented with a prominent German presence. They tend to rely on diplomacy over warfare. When it comes time to mix things up, they tend to run heavier mechs than other armies in an effort to overcome the fact that many Lyran generals got their positions through politics, not martial ability. Of the currently available mechs in the game, they are best represented by the Banshee and Highlander, though ironically the Commando was their first home designed mech.

Kurita

Spoiler

The Draconis Combine (House Kurita) is more obsessed with feudal Japan than a 15 year old anime fan. Their society tends to be very orderly and structured, with a splash of xenophobia. In combat they are the faction most prone to dueling. Drac machines tend to mount PPCs. The mechs currently in game that best represent them are the Jenner, Dragon, and the stock configuration of the K2 Catapult.

Davion

Spoiler

The Federated Suns (House Davion) is strongly Anglo and French, with a very strong martial tradition. As a stable nation based upon western culture, they and the Lyrans are the ones most easily identified with by most gamers. They have a long running rivalry with their Drac neighbors, and are well known for ROFLstomping the Capellans. Mechs currently in game for the FedSuns are the Cataphract, Jagermech, and Centurion. As you may have guessed, Davions love them some autocannons.

Liao

Spoiler

The Capellan Confederation (House Liao) is dominated by Chinese heritage, with a sprinkling of Russian. They are also known for the insanity of their ruling family (Maximilian and his daughter Romano were both a few fruits shy of a basket, and Romano's daughter Kali was a fruit salad by herself). Capellans are survivors, and having been beaten back repeatedly by the FedSuns (and rarely interacting with the Free Worlds League) has made them more xenophobic than the Dracs. They will use any tactic that works, and frequently do not think twice about tactics that might be considered dirty or inhumane. They will gladly employ ECM, flamers, minefields, et al. Current mechs in game: Raven, Catapult, Cataphract, and the announced (but not yet available) Vindicator.

Marik

Spoiler

The Free Worlds League (House Marik) is a microcosm of the Inner Sphere. The various smaller states that make up the League are constantly jockeying for influence and/or independence. The nation has been wracked by civil war more than once, which is one of the biggest reasons why it has fared so poorly in the Succession Wars. Current mechs in game: Cicada, Hunchback, Awesome, and Orion.

Rasalhague

Spoiler

The Free Rasalhague Republic is a very young state with old roots and a strong Scandinavian flavor. The current Elected Prince,Haakon Magnusson, is the realms first ruler, so there is no family dynasty in place as of yet. The FRR is a fairly egalitarian realm, and struggles to maintain good relations with its neighbors, the Lyrans and the Combine. Lyran and Combine mechs tend to dominate their forces.

Mechs:

Firstly, a note on the model codes. As a general rule, mechs with designators ending in D are Davion variants, K are Kurita, L is Liao, S is Steiner, and M Marik. This is NOT a hard and fast rule. The JR7-D Jenner is an iconic Kurita light mech, the AS7-D is not a Davion specific mech either, the COM-1D and 2D are actually Steiner mechs, etc.

Secondly, the Project Phoenix mechs (P) variants (LCT-1V, SHD-2H, TDR-5S, BLR-1G, WVR-6R, and GRF-1N) are common throughout the Inner Sphere. Many of the other variants are house specific, however.

A last point before notes on individual mechs, remember that trade and battlefield salvage can cause mechs to appear in small numbers in other nations' militaries. The Federated Commonwealth treaty allows for easy trade between Houses Davion and Steiner; a similar treaty exists between Liao, Kurita, and Marik; Davions salvage Kurita Jenners, Kuritas salvage Davion BLR-1Ds, Rasalhague's using both Steiner and Kurita mechs, and with the clan invasion House Marik sells war material to almost everyone. You can justify nearly any Spheroid mech being fielded by any Inner Sphere faction, so don't sweat it if your favorite mech is not normally fielded by your faction of choice.

Light Mechs

Spoiler

Locust: The 1M and 3M are both Marik models, the 1S is Steiner.

Commando: The Commando is an iconic Steiner mech, and is rarely seen in other nations' militaries.

Spider: The 5K is a Kurita variant, the 5D Davion. Houses Marik and Kurita field the lion's share of Spiders, but every Inner Sphere house fields some Spiders.

Firestarter: The S is a Steiner variant, the K is not particularly associated with Kurita. Firestarters are found in pretty much every Inner Sphere army, but rarely deployed in numbers.

Jenner: The Jenner is manufactured exclusively within House Kurita territory. House Davion fields a few due to battle salvage, in other states they are all but non-existent.

Raven: The 4X and 3L are Liao variants, the 2X was the result of House Davion refurbishing Liao 1X Ravens (not available in MWO) during the 4th Succession War offensive against House Liao.

Medium Mechs

Spoiler

Cicada: All Inner Sphere powers have Cicadas in some quantity. House Marik possess a manufacturing facility for them, and thus possesses the most; the 3M is a Marik variant, but is freely sold. The 3C is a very old variant, most of which belong to House Liao out of pure happenstance.

Blackjack: Possessed in some numbers by all, Liao and Davion have the most. After a surprising performance in 3022, House Davion took a markedly higher interest in the mech.

Centurion: House Davion posses the majority of Centurions, in no small part due to lobbying efforts by the manufacturer, Corean Enterprises.

Hunchback: Possessed by all, House Marik currently has the only manufacturing line for this mech. The majority of Hunchbacks are fielded by House Marik, but their Liao and Kurita allies also field the mech in respectable numbers. Hunchbacks without the AC20 are sometimes referred to as "Swaybacks", as the lack of the iconic cannon tends to change the mech's appearance significantly.

Trebuchet: Primarily a Marik mech (especially the 7M), the 3C model dates back to the Star League, and the 7K is a Kurita variant.

Griffin: The 1S is a Steiner Succession War variant, the 3M is a late Succession War/Early Clan War model put out by the Mariks. The Steiners have a particular affinity for this mech, as a pair of them stand guard by the royal throne on Tharkad.

Kintaro: A Star League era mech, Kintaros saw downgrades during the Succession Wars. For a long time fielded mostly by House Davion, a secret deal with Comstar (the secretive, quasi-religious interstellar communications organization) saw House Kurita not only fielding more of these mechs, but old Star League models.

Shadowhawk: The 2D and 2D2 are Davion models, the 2K is Kurita, the 5M is a widely sold Marik model.

Wolverine: The Wolverine had technical issues with its jump jets, which caused House Kurita to strip them entirely on their 6K model. They were able to equip more reliable jump jets for the later 7K model.

Heavy Mechs

Spoiler

Dragon: An iconic Kurita mech, it is fairly rare outside of the Draconis Combine.

Quickdraw: Manufactured in both Marik and Kurita space, Quickdraws are found everywhere.

Catapult: Primarily a Liao mech, House Kurita also possess a few (especially their K2 variant), and the other houses a smattering of them.

Jagermech: The models A and S are almost exclusively Davion, though because Kurita captured a factory in the War of 3039 both houses field the DD model.

Thunderbolt: Fielded by every house, the 5SS and 9S models are House Steiner variants. The 9SE is predominantly utilized by the mercenary Eridani Lighthorse.

Cataphract: An experimental Liao design, the original factory was captured by House Davion during the 4th Succession War. The 1X was the original Liao model, the 2x and 4X were early Davion refits and production models, and House Davion would eventually produce the 3D as well.

Orion: Widely available in limited numbers, the ON1-M is a newer Marik refit which is widely fielded by House Marik, with significant sales to other nations.

Assault Mechs

Spoiler

Awesome: Manufactured in the House Marik's Free World's League, every House fields some of these.

Victor: Possessed by all, but for a long time primarily a Davion mech. The 9S was a rare variant found in Steiner space. The 9K was originally going to be called the 9D, but House Kurita captured the manufacturing facility during the War of 3039 before production could begin, and they decided to change the model designator without making any significant changes to the machine's equipment.

Battlemaster: D, S, and M variants follow the typical model code affiliations.

Stalker: Though everyone has some, they are predominantly manufactured by Houses Marik and Steiner.

Highlander: Predominately a Lyran (Steiner) mech, every house possessed a few in limited (and dwindling) numbers. The Draconis Combine (Kurita) acquired a few Highlanders, including Star League vintage model 732s, out of their deal with Comstar.

Banshee: For a long time found primarily in militias and backwater periphery worlds (that is, worlds on the edge of known space), the 3E Banshee was a boondoggle, and House Marik's 3M did little for the mech's reputation. The Lyran-made 3S was heralded as a step in the right direction, and House Steiner fields the majority of Banshees.

Atlas: Found everywhere in limited quantities. The D-DC was an attempt to add a dual cockpit system. The only model in MWO with any kind of House affiliation, Kurita's AS7-K was rushed into production; hence the use of advanced weapons and engine, but a lack of double heat sinks.

[Coralld]

Great job on the factions and their mechs and with who had what and so forth. Very informative.

I think however its important to point out that the Hunchback has by far the most variance, 20 or 25 if I remember correctly.

It would be really awesome if you decided to do something like this for the Clans.

[Escef]

Clan Factions

Jade Falcon

Spoiler

The Jade Falcons are traditionalists amongst the clans. Early in the history of the clans they had a rebellious/critical element to them, but the clan stomped that out with prejudice. The Falcons are perhaps the most "clan-like" of the clans; human, yet alien in culture. The Falcons tend to adhere to the "Crusader" political faction amongst the clans, that it is the purpose of the clans to grow strong and invade the Inner Sphere to forcibly reinstate the Star League and convert the citizenry to the clan way of life. They tend to be fairly straight forward warriors, favoring mobility over armor. Of the 8 Clan Collection mechs, they favor the Kit Fox/Uller and Summoner/Thor

Wolf

Spoiler

Though the Wolves are the clan of Nicholas Kerensky, the Founder of the clans, they have often been accused of being a rather maverick clan. Wolves are infamous for both political and strategic cunning, sometimes keeping within the confines of accepted conduct by the narrowest of margins. Amongst clan politics, they mostly identify as "Warden", believing that it is the duty of the clans to safeguard and shepherd the Inner Sphere. (Note that Clan Wolf is not unified in this political philosophy, and would eventually result in a schism in the clan.) Of the mechs PGI is offering as our initial foray into the clans, the Wolves favor the Adder/Puma, Dire Wolf/Daishi, and the iconic Timber Wolf/MadCat.

Smoke Jaguar

Spoiler

Exemplifying some of the worst traits of the clans, this "Crusader" clan is overly aggressive and places little to no value on the lives of civilians. The Smoke Jaguars owe most of their success to raw aggression and tactical cunning. They are not the type that negotiation is usually an option with. Mechs most favored by the Jaguars are the War Hawk/Masakari and Dire Wolf/Daishi

Ghost Bear

Spoiler

Clan Ghost Bear tends to be the most human of the clans, encouraging a sense of family and an appreciation for art amongst its members. The Bears are a moderate "Crusader" clan, and later in the timeline will switch to the "Warden" camp when they find the "Crusader" philosophy is no longer a practical match for their reality. The Ghost Bears rarely undertake actions or adopt strategies or technology without lengthy deliberation, though when the time comes to act the Bears tend to hit as hard and fast as possible. Of the Clan Collection mechs, the Bears most favor the Storm Crow/Ryoken.

Mechs

Kit Fox/Uller: Most popular with the Jade Falcons, they are not particularly liked by the other clans.

Adder/Puma: Designed to emulate popular Inner Sphere mechs to help train clan warriors for the invasion, the Adder quickly found itself puling frontline duty, and is utilized by every clan.

Nova/Blackhawk: A very old design that is no longer produced, every clan has respectable stockpiles of the mech. The mech's strength is also its weakness: though the lack of bulky advanced structure and armor meant you could mount almost anything on the Nova, the lack of podspace due to the absence of these weight saving technologies left it out performed by other mechs.

Storm Crow/Ryoken: Fielded in decent numbers by the Ghost Bears, every clan has at least a few of these. The combination of above average speed, heavy armor, and good podspace has made the mech successful. For most intents and purposes, it is a smaller, faster Timber Wolf.

Summoner/Thor: Originally designed by the Jade Falcons, they continue to field the Summoner in very large numbers. Other clans use these very mobile mechs as well, but not in numbers even approaching what the Falcons deploy.

Timber Wolf/MadCat: Perhaps the most iconic mech in the Battletech/Mechwarrior franchise. It is the first and last word in heavy cavalry. Fielded mostly by Clan Wolf; other clans have been forced to trade for them or win them in battle.

War Hawk/Masakari: Primarily a Smoke Jaguar mech, other clans managed to obtain a few during conflict with the Jaguars.

Dire Wolf/Daishi: Originally designed by the Wolf clan, the Smoke Jaguars won the mech from them before they could ever begin production. The Wolves retaliated by challenging the Jaguars for the right to produce the mech (without actually requiring the Jaguars to cease production themselves). And thus it came to be that the Dire Wolf is most common amongst clans Wolf and Smoke Jaguar.

Coralld, on 31 May 2014 - 12:08 PM, said:

It would be really awesome if you decided to do something like this for the Clans.

I had actually already started the write up, I just didn't want to have all that information in one post.

Edited by Escef, 31 May 2014 - 12:11 PM.

[Coralld]

Escef, on 31 May 2014 - 12:10 PM, said:

I had actually already started the write up, I just didn't want to have all that information in one post.

I was about to say, that was fast.

Now I know you are trying to keep with in the confines of what we currently have in MWO as it relates to the lore, but its also interesting to note that Clan Sea Fox/Diamond Shark, also gets the rights to produce the Timber Wolf, not only that, but it was the Sea Fox that made the Timberwolf MKII Assault mech and Timberwolf MKIII Medium mech.
However, even though the MKIII was a good mech, many of the other Clans considered it insulting and unClan like for whatever reason, to which the Sea Fox is the only Clan that fields the MKIII (to great effect I might add) and is sold heavily to the Inner Sphere after they move in. The MKIII doesn't come out till 3086 though.

Edited by Coralld, 31 May 2014 - 12:34 PM.

[Escef]

I tried not to drift outside of the early clan invasion too much with these write ups. Every now and again people ask about these things, so I figured it would be nice to get an updated write up onto the boards. I expect to be coming back and updating this as more mechs get released (and I expect to be adding entries for clans Nova Cat, Steel Viper, and Diamond Shark/Sea Fox if/when PGI decides to add their factions to the game).

[Coralld]

Escef, on 31 May 2014 - 12:34 PM, said:

I tried not to drift outside of the early clan invasion too much with these write ups. Every now and again people ask about these things, so I figured it would be nice to get an updated write up onto the boards. I expect to be coming back and updating this as more mechs get released (and I expect to be adding entries for clans Nova Cat, Steel Viper, and Diamond Shark/Sea Fox if/when PGI decides to add their factions to the game).

Yep, figured that would be the case, which I say more power to you and that I will look forward to your updates.

[Octavian]

Stormcrow is the most common medium mech in the clans. Most clans either produce them or have standing trade agreements for them. The only notable exception is Clan Wolf and the Ice Ferret.

[Escef]

Octavian, on 31 May 2014 - 12:39 PM, said:

Stormcrow is the most common medium mech in the clans. Most clans either produce them or have standing trade agreements for them. The only notable exception is Clan Wolf and the Ice Ferret.

Was going off of what I had in my PDF of TRO 3050 Upgrade. My copy of the original TRO 3050 is buried somewhere in my storage unit. Didn't want to mention the Ice Ferret/Fenris as it is not part of the initial clan package, nor has it been announced. (Honestly, I expect it to be amongst the first "new" clan mechs after the initial package settles in.)

[CtrlAltWheee]

Love stuff like this.

Edited by CtrlAltWheee, 31 May 2014 - 01:07 PM.

[Strum Wealh]

What sources are you using to determine the affinity/affiliations for the 'Mechs, Escef?

I ask, because a similar conversation came up at the beginning of the month, and your listing doesn't match what is stated in TRO 3050 & TRO 3050R.

Strum Wealh, on 01 May 2014 - 11:01 AM, said:

IMO, the Clans are less of an issue of preference among specific weapon types, and more of an issue of preferences among tactics and strategies.

The original TRO 3050 made mention that each of the original 16 OmniMechs was preferred among or substantially more common within one Clan moreso than the others.

• CGB: Dasher, Dragonfly, Vulture, Gladiator
  
• CJF: Uller, Loki, Thor
  
• CSJ: Koshi, Ryoken, Masakari, Daishi
  
• CW: Puma, Fenris, Black Hawk, Mad Cat, Man O' War

For example, we can see that the Jaguars seem to prefer to "run heavy" and rely more on sheer firepower (by running 'Mechs with comparatively large portions of armor & pod space vs total 'Mech weight), while the Falcons seem to prefer the middles of the weight classes (which may suggest more of a focus on the combination of speed & firepower, at the expense of armor capacity).

For example, the entry for the Ryoken specifically states, "The Ryoken, in several configurations, is one of the most common 'Mechs in the Smoke Jaguar forces. The primary configuration is also common in the other Clans, but the alternates are less widespread."; by contrast, the Ghost Bears' preferred medium is the as-yet-unannounced Dragonfly ("The Dragonfly is in common use only among the Ghost Bears. That Clan's preference for this comparatively weak design may be partly responsible for their relative lack of success compared to the other Clans.").

[Escef]

Strum Wealh, on 31 May 2014 - 01:07 PM, said:

What sources are you using to determine the affinity/affiliations for the 'Mechs, Escef?

I ask, because a similar conversation came up at the beginning of the month, and your listing doesn't match what is stated in TRO 3050 & TRO 3050R.

I'm going mostly off of TRO 3050 Upg. While I'd love to put more complete material in, I am limiting myself to what mechs are being put out with the Clan Collection. Which means no Fire Moth/Dasher, Viper/Dragonfly, Mad Dog/ Vulture, or Gladiator/Executioner for the Ghost Bears.

The TRO 3050 Upg. entry for the Storm Crow/Ryoken mentions the GBs getting a hold of the Hell's Horses production facility at Tokasha. No information exists in TRO 3050 Upg. to even suggest that the other 3 invading clans have them in disproportionate numbers.

EDIT: For clarification, if we were going off of table top Battletech, where we don't have the kind of in-game availability issues as we do in MWO, I expect my notes on which faction favors what mechs would look a bit different. But just as there is no Enforcer for the Davions or Zeus for the Lyrans; many of the mechs that are strongly associated with certain clans are unavailable. Given that the GBs don't have a marked affiliation with any of the Clan Collection mechs, I thoght it appropriate to mention that the Storm Crow/Ryoken would be the most favored of the available options due to them having a factory for it.

Edited by Escef, 31 May 2014 - 01:37 PM.

[Escef]

Figured today would be a good day to bump this, seems relevant considering it's "Clan Day".

[CheeseyPeas]

This is great for someone like me who knows very little about Battletech and has only played the MW games.

[Coralld]

Action Mac, on 17 June 2014 - 12:01 PM, said:

This is great for someone like me who knows very little about Battletech and has only played the MW games.

Agreed.
The fluff and lore in BT/MW is by far the most diverse and interesting.

For those who do not know much about the Universe, I highly recomend reading the Warrior Triligy whos books are, En Garde, Coup, and Riposte. For the Clans would have to be, Way of the Clans.

Edited by Coralld, 17 June 2014 - 06:48 PM.

[General Taskeen]

Major BT history researcher nut here.

Escef, I recommend checking the additional faction rarity listings in my sig.

The CTF-0X (obviously not in-game), CTF-1X, and CTF-2X are actually Liao designs. The 4X is a prototype Davion Mech they built after capturing a whole bunch of 1X and 2X Liao designs..

After the Davions captured Tikonov, where one of the Cataphract factories was located, Liao still continued to build the 1X and 2X, which were their designs. The Davions just happened to capture one of the factories producing their 'Mech.

Cataphracts are produced by Earthwerks Incorporated on the following planets:

-Tikonov (Before 3028)

-Betelgeuse (3032, Liao finally replaces lost Tikonov factory with a new Earthwerks factory here) (Earthwerks are also stationed on 3 other planets owned by Liao - Victoria, Ares, Grande Base)

CTF-1X - Liao (3025)
CTF-2X - Liao (3027) (relatively small amount entered service into Liao 'Mech forces) (in order to verify that it is indeed a Liao design, futher investigation shows that the weaponry on it, such as a Firmir MaxiLaser Large Laser, Hovertec Quad SRM4, and a Sarlon Maxicannon AC/10 are produced on planets owned by Liao forces - Betelgeuse, Menke, and Betelgeuse respectively)

August, 3028 - Fourth Succession War begins
November 21st, 3028 - Federated Suns capture Tikonov

Liao continues to build both the 1X and 2X prototypes, which they began to field in even larger numbers by the War of 3039 due to their brand new factory built on Betelgeuse in 3032, becoming some the second most common Heavy Mechs fielded by them. Davions also continue to maintain a smaller number of CTF-1X and 2X they either captured or had been built on Tikonov after they captured it. The Davions thus become the only other faction that ever fielded Cataphracts beside Liao.

CTF-4X (Davion) (3029) - Produced by Fed Sun forces the year after Tikonov is captured as a true prototype (meaning extremely small numbers, usually prototypes in the real world might have less than 30). Unknown how many prototypes are built, none are known to have ever been fielded in any of Davions forces. They however retain the prototype and use it as a testbed in 3053 when specialized AC ammo begans production.
CTF-3D (Davion) (3050) - Enters into full production. (Liao steals production plans for 3D, and start producing their own variant based on the 3D)
CTF-3L (Liao) (3050) - Enters into full production, based on stolen Davion designs of the 3D.
CES-3R (Davion) (3049) - Enters into full production, Davion reverse engineers Cataphract to produce the Ceasar.

Edited by General Taskeen, 17 June 2014 - 07:50 PM.

[verybad]

Good faction desciption. House Davion also have a large East Indian presence, especially close to Terra.

God I want me some Community Warfare where this might mean something.

Edited by verybad, 17 June 2014 - 08:53 PM.