11 replies to this topic

[Karazyr]

So it seems my beloved centurion has been superseded by other mechs.

What would be the best one for me considering i love the centurion? im looking for a fast mech that is variable in role.

I really like the look of the new phoenix hawk mech, but the only issue is that it looks like its going to have awful hardpoints that cant really pack any tonnage.

Ive tried the victor and griffin but they dont really suit me, the victor is too slow and i don't really like how ballistics work in this game (i use the centurion AL) I have been looking at the black knight because i remember it being a beast in MW4 but X pulse lasers dont exist in mwo

[Steinkrieg]

Are you asking for Clan and IS mechs, or just IS?

[Raso]

If you want to retain a medium I'd say grab a Hunchback 4SP. They're still a solid platform.

If you want to stay clear of ballistics and keep some speed the Thunderbolts are super popular. Higher mounted weapons make them very versatile.

If you are thinking of going assault the Battlemaster ia fun and has loads of options. It's also not terribly slow.

Blackjacks might be another option for mediums. They have surprisingly good health quirks (even after a nerf) and, yes, while ballistic focused have a few good energy weapon quirks.

If you want to go clan then the Storm Crow is a terrifying medium. Jump on that and be feared

[Aerei]

I started with the Centurion, until I found out just how "meh" in was in the current day. In my opinion, you have quite a few good options, and I'll break it down. This will be a bit long for the sake of detail, but I'll put in a TL;DR if you want the highlights.

Enforcer

The Enforcer 4R is probably the only really amazing Enforcer, but it's really good. It can equip jumpjets for positioning and getting out of trouble. The hardpoints (5 energy, 1 ballistic, 1 AMS) give you a fair few options in terms of what range you want to play--the hitboxes are pretty nice, and the quirks are solid if you run lasers. Large Lasers get a 20% range buff (10% generic, 10% L laser). With the module as well, that bags you an optimal range of 585, which fits open queue really nicely. It's only got a 260 engine cap for a speed of 90.6 (speed tweaked), which is my biggest complaint.

Blackjack

Blackjack has two variants that are doing well: The BJ-3 and the BJ-1X. The BJ-1X has an engine cap of 295 and 8 energy hardpoints, allowing you to boat an insane amount of medium lasers and hit top speeds of around 115kph. No jumpjets, and some basic energy weapon quirks. Arm mounts are really high too, if you like the poking game.

BJ-3 has jumpjets, and 6 energy hardpoints, but suffers from an engine cap of 235. It does go about as fast as the Enforcer 4R does, but the BJ-3 benefits from much higher arm mounts. Quirks are slightly worse for laser boating. Hitboxes are still decent. If you really don't care about jumpjets though, I'd just stick to the 1X, personally.

Stormcrow

This mech is really fast and hits really hard, all with decent range as well. Since Clan M lasers have much more range than their IS counterparts, you can really go nuts with stacking weapons on here. Mine currently runs one Large Pulse Laser and six Medium Lasers. Around ~400 range, this thing can really wreck other mechs. If you like brawlier builds, you can swap the LPL for two SRM4s and Artermis. Both builds really hurt, and it's all on a mech that can hit about 105 kph. You don't have jumpjets, but since you're used to piloting a Centurion, that really shouldn't hinder you all that much. This thing is nuts.

Hunchback

These hitboxes suck, but the quirks are nice and you can definitely get some nice variety in the variants if that's your thing. The HBK-4P can boat lots of lasers, with 9 Energy Mounts in total, and sports a 25% cooldown buff on M Lasers.

The HBK-4J is the medium you use if you want to LRM on a medium. The cooldown on the LRM10s is pretty low thanks to quirks, and you have 4 energy mounts, so you can load some pretty good backup weapons as well.

The HBK-4G has awesome AC20 quirks, so you can lay in the pain really nicely as a brawler. I personally haven't used this one, but I've heard good things.

None of the Hunchbacks have jumpjets, and like I said...that R Torso is gonna die. Really quick. If you're fast on your twist and play strategically, it can be a solid medium, but I don't like it as much as the other three.


Lastly, both the Shadowhawk 2D2 and the Griffin-3M can boat SRMs quite nicely and be really effective in a brawl. I don't have much experience in a Griffin, and I'm....eh, as a brawler, so I'll let someone else tackle those two in more detail, but a cluster of 4 SRMs can really ruin your day. Shadowhawks can run jumpjets and have some big engine caps, not sure about the Griffin.

[Stickus]

I would recommend the ENF to replace the venerable Centurion. Play style is similar, but they have more punch without the shield arm. I had three CN9 variants before the Resistance pack dropped (which I preordered) and the ENF has completely replaced the CN9 in my mech bays

[McHoshi]

What´s wrong with the cent? It´s still a deadly weapon ... in the right hands

[Steel Raven]

The Centurion is on the list to be re-scaled to give it a smaller profile. In the mean time, the Champ Hunchback and Champ Enforcer are trail mechs to try out (thinking about getting a Hunchy myself)

I love the Griffin myself. The 2N has ECM which is a great plus. The 1N and 3M are go to medium SRM carriers. The 1S was the first Griffin I purchased (it was on sale) and while I wouldn't recommend it, I play it like a Centurion AH with jump jets (4 Medium lasers, SRM 4+6) I pulled off some decent kills while brawling.

[WrathOfDeadguy]

If you love the chassis, there's no reason to give it up. The Cent may not be at the top of the medium food chain right now, but several of its variants can still more than hold their own. The CN9-AL and CN9-AH are the strongest, with the AL supporting one of those triple-LPL configs that seem to be all the rage on IS mediums these days, and the AH possessing a powerful, cool running alpha that, while ammo-limited, can easily dispatch 'Mechs far larger than the Cent. The CN9-A can still make a mean SRM brawler. That awesome shield arm is still a selling point- no other medium can sword-and-board quite as well, even though Zombie Cent is pretty much a thing of the past. XLs are the way to go with them now; the durability you gain with STD isn't really worth the tradeoff of having less firepower in today's high-alpha environment (the Cent's largest advantage in durability has always been the shield arm anyway, and that part isn't any less effective with an XL).

[mogs01gt]

Derrpy, on 12 March 2016 - 06:12 PM, said:

So it seems my beloved centurion has been superseded by other mechs.What would be the best one for me considering i love the centurion? im looking for a fast mech that is variable in role.I really like the look of the new phoenix hawk mech, but the only issue is that it looks like its going to have awful hardpoints that cant really pack any tonnage.Ive tried the victor and griffin but they dont really suit me, the victor is too slow and i don't really like how ballistics work in this game (i use the centurion AL) I have been looking at the black knight because i remember it being a beast in MW4 but X pulse lasers dont exist in mwo

You post is confusing. Are you looking for a totally new mech or a mech that replaces the Centurion?

[process]

If you run Centurions primarily for ballistics, try Enforcers. Good hardpoints, tanky, most have jumpjets.

Blackjacks, Crabs, and the Hunchback 4P are good choices for energy builds.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Black Jacks are extremelly potent mechs! Not as strong as they were a month ago, but still extremelly scary in my opinion!

So my recommendation lies with the black jack.

On a side note, i have faith that the pheonix hawk pxh-2 will be pretty decent at the very least

Edit: 6 energy hard points, ecm, jump capable... With the ability to carry a large engine

Edited by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, 19 March 2016 - 06:48 PM.

[PeeWrinkle]

Since you liked the Centurion, which is a ballistic medium in my mind I would recommend the Enforcer.

The Enforcer is a great ballistic medium that has decent energy hardpoints. Most variants also have JJs, which is an upgrade from the Centurion. Also most variants are faster and more maneuverable. The downside would be if you played more missile oriented Centurions, in that case the Enforcer might not be for you since it has no missile hardpoints.

Next I would suggest the Hunchback IIC (if you are willing to go Clan). I just started playing these, and really like them. They are glass canons for sure, but there is a lot of build flexibility and they can be decently speedy. I usually never have less than an XL255 engine in mine.

After that I would recommend the Stormcrow. Great Clan mech and is probably still the cream of the crop medium. With omnipod swapping you can virtually do any build you like.

The last mech I would suggest for you is the Blackjack. But only if you like Ballistics as it also has no missile hardpoints.

If you want to experiment with all Energy weapons, I would list the Crab as an honorable mention. It is a great mech, very Tanky for a 50 tonner. No XL Engines with this one though, but it still can move decently fast.

Hope that helps.