114 replies to this topic

[Jalthibuster]

...could i have a Kit Fox-C arm pretty please? Can't find a single reason and no purpose to bring that mech instead of my MadCat if it doesn't get some extra gimmick. I know it's lore and so on but....seriously what is it good for?

[xMintaka]

Jalthibuster, on 23 June 2014 - 11:31 AM, said:

seriously what is it good for?

Dual AMS. AMS on side torso's that aren't utterly useless.

Those strange, strange people who prefer the Thor to the Madcat.

[DONTOR]

Harder to headshot, and has componenets that decrease weapon recycle time ( balistc and energy) atleast thats why use mine.

[Maverick27]

I've found some good builds but definitely had to tweak the omnipods. For the Prime I'm liking a simple ERPPC, LBX10 and SRM6 though you're right, you can make that build with any mech (the JJs are great though).

My favorite though is 2xCERLL, CSSRM14. Clan Streak is beastly.

[Revis Volek]

Is there a perk to increase SSRM cycle time? May force me to drop them off the Timber Wolf and give my summoner a use as a SSRM Boat.

[1453 R]

Nope, no missile reductions on the Summoner. Thing can be fairly beast with a beams build, though - swap the left-arm autocannon out for the D's dual beams and slot in some C-ERMLs to back up the PPC and the LRM launcher, use some of the spare tonnage for more heat sinks and armor, and have a decent standoff fighter.

Decent, mind. I like my Summoners, but they could defo use some agility tweaks to give them a job the Timber Wolf can't pigjack whenever it feels like pigjacking it. Don't get me wrong, I like the Timber Wolves too, but the Timber-S just kinda feels like a fat bird finger to the poor Summoner in its current iteration. Give the Summoner some accel/decel buffs and mebbe some twist advantages, make it nimbler than a jumping Timber Wolf so it can use those reduced-cooldown weapons it has more effectively. And also maybe kick the cooldown buffs up to 20% - not like the Summoner gets to boat weapons and break those cooldowns wide open anyways, eh?

[Lucur]

Those ballistic slots in the side torsos are so high, if you see it you can shoot it. I like the Summoner and actually i'm doing nearly as well as in the TBR. Plus it looks five times more awesome

[Pygar]

Yes, the Thor falls into a weird place where other Clan mechs can do or mostly do anything that it can do. (or even in some cses, can possibly do it better) That being said, that doesn't mean that the Thor is useless....especially not to those of us who own a Thor but will have to wait for some time now to get a T-wolf instead.

[Forte]

I've been running a weird build after I noticed a trend while fighting. People all tend to rip off my left arm first. I don't know why, as I torso twist evenly, but left always goes first. To combat this (I was running a 2ERPPC 2ERML) build, I switched the 2ERPPCs to the right and dropped the ERMLs for 2 SRM2s. Now my heat efficiency is higher, I keep my ERPPCs longer, and shockingly those little SRM2s do some work with that short as hell cooldown.

I will admit after reading this thread I'm probably going to build that reduced cooldown E weapon Summoner with 1 ERPPC 2 ERML and 1 SRM6

[TELEFORCE]

I have used my Summoner a lot more than my Timber Wolf and here's why:

1) Everyone and their brother is using a Timber Wolf right now and I want to be different.

2) I just love the look of the Summoner! It has that brutish appearance conveyed by the offset cockpit, asymmetrical arms, and big legs; A look that just says that it is going to find you and beat you to death with extreme prejudice.

3) In the case of the Summoner, less is more. With a Clan arsenal, you really don't need more than three hardpoints, especially if they're mixed like the Prime version; 1 energy, 1 missile, 1 ballistic. I enjoy that simplicity.

4) Mobility. Sure, the Timber Wolf can mount jump jets, and I've tried it a couple times, but it just feels like a slug in mid air compared to the Summoner! The Summoner feels like a bigger Griffin to me, and I love my Griffins! I run and gun and jump whenever possible.


With that being said, I've only had time to use two configurations extensively:

1) The stock Prime config (1 LBX-AC/10 w/ 1 ton ammo, 1 LRM-15 w/ 2 tons ammo, ERPPC). This is a great all around configuration with an emphasis on medium to long-range combat. When I get close, I let my cluster rounds fly!

2) A modification of the C configuration (1 UAC/20 w/ 3 tons ammo, 1 SRM-6 w/ 1 ton ammo, ER Large Laser). This is more brawl-oriented. The UAC/20 shoots quite fast, and the ER Large Laser allows you to touch people at a farther range, raking in kill assists. The SRM-6 is a nice close-range backup weapon that acts as a missile shotgun against smaller, faster targets, and helps the UAC/20 pummel bigger targets.

I've had another idea for the Summoner floating around which would be essentially a bigger Griffin. I am thinking of an ERPPC in the right arm, 2 LRM-15s in the left arm, and 1 LRM-15 in the left torso, with six tons of LRM ammo total. I'm looking forward to trying this

I've been thinking how strange it is that I like the Summoner, given that it's a Clan Jade Falcon design. I associate myself with Clan Wolf, and I haven't been driving my Timber Wolf lately. But I do enjoy my Dire Wolf

EDIT: Another idea I had: I have enjoyed running my Orion ON1-K in a close-to-stock configuration, and I can more or less replicate it on the Summoner! Here's what I'm thinking:

Left Arm: SRM-6 w/ 1 ton ammo
Left Torso: LRM-15 w/ 2 tons ammo
Right Torso: Ultra or LBX-AC/10 w/ 2.5 tons of ammo
Right Arm: 2 ER Medium Lasers

It might not be as well-armored, but I think the extra mobility of the Summoner compensates for that!

Edited by TELEFORCE, 23 June 2014 - 06:19 PM.

[Koniks]

Summoner has slightly better twist+arm range, better agility, better hit boxes, and higher-mounted ballistics than the Timber Wolf. Its peak damage is more in line with IS 55-tonners or the Orion, than the TBR or even the Stormcrow though. So even though it can take a meta-loadout, that's only ERPPC plus Gauss. It does make a nice NARC platform with something like a UAC10 and 4 lasers. Or a 70-ton FS9-H with UAC5s in place of MGs. Or it can out-Thunderbolt the Thunderbolt and is probably at least a match for the Orions.

Getting it through elite efficiencies was a chore.

Edited by Mizeur, 23 June 2014 - 11:09 PM.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

why pilot a summoner over a timberwolf you say?
need a gimmick you say?

ever wondered what the baby of a highlander and a thunderbolt might look like?
ever wanted to pilot said baby?

... well sir... the Thor is the mech for you! and for only $55 USD you can pilot 3 different versions of said baby!!! your in luck!

[TELEFORCE]

Mizeur, on 23 June 2014 - 11:06 PM, said:

Summoner has slightly better twist+arm range, better agility, better hit boxes, and higher-mounted ballistics than the Timber Wolf. Its peak damage is more in line with IS 55-tonners or the Orion, than the TBR or even the Stormcrow though.

The Summoner has a half ton more pod space than the Stormcrow. The six differences between the chassis are:

1) Stormcrow is faster.

2) Stormcrow has more armor.

3) Stormcrow can mount more beam weapons.

4) Summoner can jump.

5) Summoner has a half ton more pod space.

6) Summoner has 14 fixed double heat sinks.

I am more of a lore purist when it comes to the Clan omnimechs, so I haven't touched their armor values at all. It really doesn't bother me. And I've also driven the Summoner more than even the Stormcrow, though I do enjoy the almost-B config I made for the Stormcrow

Edited by TELEFORCE, 24 June 2014 - 02:15 AM.

[Aleski]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...47d29e2216ece13

This is a viable build (ASRM12 + 2x C-ERLL + 2x C-MG + 2x AMS)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...4943836f298bbde

This a viable build too. (3X C-ERML + C-ERPPC + C-LB/5XAC)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d33034f37ba60a7

(4X C-ERML + 1X C-SRM6 + 1X C-LB/10X)

Why pick a Summoner over a T-wolf? He can jump. Very high!!! And he is cool... Well not a lot of arguments indeed...

Edited by Aleski, 25 June 2014 - 02:56 AM.

[PeeWrinkle]

I pilot a Summoner because they are one of my favorite mechs from table top. There were strategic advantages to them, especially if playing a strict lore based game where you could not customize your mechs. Then again customization in tabletop was much more extensive for the clan mechs.

Ironically I never like them until 1999 playing the original mech commander. I was all about salvaging the couple MadCats you encountered in that game. Then I got rocked on a mission by a Thor. Changed my perspective, even though I am a Clan Wolf junkie.

That said, I do think that PGI should give them Endo, just to have a couple extra tons for ammo if nothing else. Compared to the other clan mechs they are significantly out gunned. And so far they don't feel much more mobile to me, but then again I played the Stormcrow a lot early. That mech seems to be just amazing!

But I do have to give it to the Summoner, it feels much more maneuverable than the Timber Wolf, Warhawk, and Dire Wolf, which is really what it is supposed to be. Here are a couple builds I have used with varying success.
Slight Modified Classic Lore Build: You can loose a ton of LRM ammo and add a ton of armor, but you run out ammo way to fast.
Harasser to Brawler: Quite nasty up close, which does surprise many pilots for some reason. I guess they are not expecting a 24 SRM barrage, after hitting them with LRMs for a while. You need to be accurate and smart with your shots to make it work though.

[Cion]

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, on 23 June 2014 - 11:27 PM, said:

why pilot a summoner over a timberwolf you say?
need a gimmick you say?

ever wondered what the baby of a highlander and a thunderbolt might look like?
ever wanted to pilot said baby?

... well sir... the Thor is the mech for you! and for only $55 USD you can pilot 3 different versions of said baby!!! your in luck!

PGI should hire you sir for their sales or marketing department . Made me almost get a Summoner, and I'm a tough guy to entice to buy into the clans

(for the record I got some MC instead before reading this post)

[LordKnightFandragon]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d1ac9f4c7dce1eb

Lol, just me messing in Smurfy trying to find a loadout that I would dare to take into the field if I had a summoner, even this I question haha.

[Aleski]

LordKnightFandragon, on 24 June 2014 - 10:18 PM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d1ac9f4c7dce1eb

Lol, just me messing in Smurfy trying to find a loadout that I would dare to take into the field if I had a summoner, even this I question haha.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e81a526d7adb171

The same but with UAC/20 minus AMS?

Better for brawling things...

[Tremendous Upside]

Aleski, on 25 June 2014 - 02:49 AM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e81a526d7adb171

The same but with UAC/20 minus AMS?

Better for brawling things...

I run almost this exact build on my Summoner. I won't lie - it was kind of a chore to level it through skills (it'd get a little hot for a brawler without doubled basics), but once I got it Elited out, it was a whole new animal. The mech takes damage quite well, and the raw firepower with the UAC20 is excellent. It's been my favorite clan mech of the bunch so far.

[Redshift2k5]

Aleski, on 24 June 2014 - 02:17 AM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...47d29e2216ece13

This is a viable build (ASRM12 + 2x C-ERLL + 2x C-MG + 2x AMS)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...4943836f298bbde

This a viable build too. (3X C-ERML + C-ERPPC + C-LB/5XAC)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d33034f37ba60a7

(4X C-ERML + 1X C-SRM6 + 1X C-LB/10X)

Why pick a Summoner over a T-wolf? He can jump. Very high!!! And he is cool... Well not a lot of arguments indeed...

Quoting you here so I can find this post again and try these builds when I get home.

My best Summoner has just been 2 ERLL 2 ERML 2 MG, and it feels like I'm in a fat Medium and not a Heavy but without a medium's responsiveness.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 25 June 2014 - 03:47 AM.