Posted 28 November 2014 - 04:10 PM
Cataphract is probably the safest option.
I, however, am going to make a case for the Blackjack.
First, the Blackjacks are only somewhat decent before they've been mastered. After mastery, however, they really come into their own, and the advantages stack. I shall describe them:
First, speed tweak lets you run faster than most heavies, period, on small engines. Because speed tweak lets you run faster on a smaller engine, you can drop down to a 225 engine and still keep lockstep with TBRs, NVAs, and the myriad other 'Mechs that run at 89.1 kph. This is also fast enough to give a short chase on Lights and wound them.
Now, since dropping down to a 225 engine, you've freed up an additional 1 ton of equipment over that max engine size of 235. Big deal, you say. Well, it is a big deal. That one ton can be used to hold the one required external heatsink while the rest of the free weight can be crammed full of guns and ammo, and the number of effective combinations on the Blackjack are numerous. The mastery allows you to use those those double heating bonuses in conjunction with the previously described agility to keep the 'Mech cool. You'll get about 16 to 24 seconds of firing time with the typical load-out, and you only have to wait two or three seconds when near the heat cap to fire your full arsenal again, giving you tremendous staying power.
Going back to the loadouts, it's incredibly versatile. Looking at the most flexible variant, the BJ-1DC, and using the STD 225 with Endo and Ferro and 304 out of 306 points of armor, we have:
Brawler: 2x Medium Laser, 4x Small Laser, 1x LB-10X + 3T ammo
Fire Support: 1x ER Large Laser, 2x Medium Laser, 1x AC/5 + 3T ammo
Jack-of-all-Trades: 2x ER Large Laser, 4x Medium Laser, 2x Machine Gun + 1T ammo, 2x extra heatsinks
Striker: 6x Medium Pulse Laser, 2x MG + 2T ammo, 3x extra heatsinks
Sniper: 2x PPC, 4x Small Laser, 2x MG + 1T ammo
It excels in all of these roles. All of them. The most potent, I've found, is the Jack-of-all-Trades role. That one allows you to zap targets at any practical range with great damage potential, it allows you to defend yourself effectively up close, and it dishes a 38 point alpha it can use twice, with a short 3-second cool-down before a third shot.
Some of these builds can also be improved by changing the engine. Fire Support, for example, is even better if you drop to a STD 200, swap the AC/5 for an AC/2, and throw on a second ERLL. The amount of damage per second you can then deal at 743 meters is phenomenal with those ballistic rate of fire quirks and you still move at a respectable 79.2 kph. Striker is better if you trade a heatsink for the maximum STD 235 engine, to help offset the shorter range on the MPLs.
The other Blackjack variants are all specialized. The BJ-3 is specialized as a sniper, with PPC quirks and only six energy hardpoints. The BJ-A is specialized as a brawler, because those six MGs and three energy hardpoints run super cool while dealing more than 11 DPS.
The BJ-1, I am not a fan of. It's a less flexible version of the BJ-1DC; basically trade the four small lasers you see in the -1DC builds for two mediums and you're set. Or drop some lasers for the jump-jets. At any rate, there is nothing this variant can do that the others can't do better.
The BJ-1X is the weird one in the bunch. It runs at an astounding 110.8 kph on a STD 280 with six Medium Lasers, two Small lasers, and five extra heatsinks. And the best part? Those MLs have a duration almost as short as MPLs while having 324 meter reach after modules. This one build, when combined with the speed, durability of the chassis, can be used to do literally anything in the game short of sniping. Scouting, harassing, brawling, striking, fire support...it's amazing. Eat your heart out, Storm Turkies!
Finally, a word about Jump Jets on this chassis: they generally hurt the 'Mech. You either sacrifice firepower or the durability of a STD to fit them, and it's not worth it. The 'Mech can also climb most inclines that aren't sheer cliffs, so they also aren't really necessary.
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