13 replies to this topic

[Requiemking]

So, I've seen a lot of conflicting views about the roles of the Clan light mechs, and I would like to post what I think their intended roles are. Bear in mind, this is my point of view on this subject. I do not intend for this to be taken as solid, confirmed fact, as it is merely an opinion.

Adder/ Kit Fox
The Adder and the Kit Fox, as far as I have been able to gather, do pretty much the same thing, which is be a downsized medium. They both are especially slow for lights, but they can both pack a lot of firepower for a light. Due to these factors, I see them performing best in a more defensive role, escorting larger mechs and providing fire support, whether through direct fire with the Adder Prime or the Kit Fox C/S, or through indirect fire with the Adder A or the Kit Fox D.

Jenner IIC/ Arctic Cheetah
The Jenner IIC and the Arctic Cheetah are considered the Clans' best Light mechs, and with good reason. Both are small (relatively speaking in the case of the Cheetah), fast, and can carry a fair amount of firepower. They do well in more offensive roles, such as Scout mode and Invasion rushes.

Mist Lynx
The Mist Lynx, in my opinion, is the most underrated mech in the Clans' arsenal, mostly due to people trying to make it fill roles it was not intended for. Most of the builds suggested to me tend to work better on Cheetahs or Jenner IICs. How ever, I feel that, if you are willing to take the more dangerous roles in combat with this mech, you can be of great value to your team. The roles I have found the Mist Lynx to excel at in MWO are infiltration, long-range harassment, and light hunting(to an extent), utilizing some specific builds.
The first build is the Mist Lynx C model armed with a single ERPPC, no AMS, and ECM. This build is more geared towards infiltration and harassment.This build, when played correctly, takes full advantage of the Lynx's superb jumping capabilities. Your standard run tends to look something like this(In QP). Loop around the enemy, get into either a well-hidden position or an area you can easily reposition in, poke out, fire at the enemy's back, duck back, repeat until enemy dies, either by you pumping him full of ERPPC bolts, or by your allies shooting him while he is looking around for you. This does require a fair bit of skill, as such is not recommended for newer players.
The second build is more oriented for light hunting, consisting of a Mist Lynx B armed with three Small Pulse Lasers and two SRM 6s. This one is more useful for Scout mode than the other one, but is ill suited for other modes due to it's armament forcing you into a combat range you are better of staying out of. However, it can do reasonably well in other modes if you run Radar Deprivation and you shoot enemies in the back.

If you feel that I am incorrect on any points, feel free to post them in the comments below.

[Tronword Furey]

Adder: Gauss Snake, Alpha Blaster, SrM Smasher

Kit Fox: Anti Lrm...and...uhh...that is all I have.

Jenner IIC: It SrM splats everything and it has awesomesauce jump jets

Arctic Cheetah: Small Pulse laser smasher, heat efficient small laser crusher, roided myst Lynx with one torso PPC.

Myst Lynx: PPC with ECM...range for days! Ultimate poptart.

[MoonGlum Ebon]

Lets just say, support your assualt lance. How often the lights run off and let the assualts get picked off from behind.
Especially ecm lights. You other lights, go do your thing, narc and such.

[Vxheous]

MoonGlum Ebon, on 29 May 2016 - 11:20 PM, said:

Lets just say, support your assualt lance. How often the lights run off and let the assualts get picked off from behind.
Especially ecm lights. You other lights, go do your thing, narc and such.

Unless you run a streak build on a Kitfox/Adder to protect against Jenner IIc/Oxide/cheetah/firestarters, you are going to end up just as dead as the Assaults

[MoonGlum Ebon]

So your telling people not to support the assualt lance, gg.

[feeWAIVER]

IMO, Mediums role is to support Assaults.
At the beginning of each match in a Medium, I will find the slow assaults and escort them.

[The Basilisk]

Bear in mind that IS light mechs where never mend to be customizable at all !!!
Since the basic designs of the mechs with their hardpoint layout is translated from the lore of a Tabletop game the balancing factor there was to restrict the customizable clan mechs by restricting their podspace/ payload.
After TT rules there are no wpn hardpoints like it is in MWO.
A Clan Omnimech will normaly be using preconfigured omnipods but under certain circumstances its common practice to just mount the weapons the Warrior wants.
The things you cant change are hardwired weapons, armor, structure and engine. (JJ are podmounted under TT rules)
So IS mechs would carry much less armor, weapons and engine rating.
The Firestarter f.e. wouldn't be considdered a "Battlemech" at all.
Its a light second line Infantry support Mech.
Weapons could be exchanged within certain borders, but normaly only alike weapons (LLas vs ERLLas or exchange a AC vs UAC5 and drop the MGs or something) and for torsomounted systems you would need serious support facilitys and engine and structure would be out of question under normal circumstances.

TL, DR
Reason for Clan Mechs beeing so odd performing is the customisation insanity of MWO. Non Omnis beeing more Omni than Omnis
BTW the biggest balancing problem within all MW titles so far.

[Karl Streiger]

While FP is supposed to create the deepest BattleTech feeling, I can't stop to think what might happen when the MechLab would be disabled for FP.
OmniMechs might swap their load outs when players earned enough LPs.

[Vxheous]

MoonGlum Ebon, on 29 May 2016 - 11:45 PM, said:

So your telling people not to support the assualt lance, gg.

No, I am saying that those light mechs make poor bodyguards in general.

[Lily from animove]

I love my adders, with srm's or double peps in the torsi its a great mech and works well as that.

[TooDumbToQuit]

My Kit Fox watches the assaults with my 3 AMS, a PPC, 4 MGs and two SL. While is is hard to fight a light off alone, with another Mech is it easier which is the idea.

This is not a one on one game, done right it is a 3-1 game.

While the faster lights are doing their running around thing. I stay and guard and take long range shots. I wish i got XP for shooting down LRMs, lol.

[Veiled Cause]

Although I loved my Adde... I dont know what kind of role I would've give it (I sold it) I usually stayed behind and snipe with ERLLs but a 3L can do that better, and it moves faster too.
as for the Kit fox I found myself loosing my arms that carried my main weaponry so... Yeah. I'll probably just stick with heavier 'mechs and try to give some support and such.
I may've been salty with them, but I did loved them. Though in the end I preffered 'safer' options like the Scat, which is pretty much a 3L with high jumps

[Chagatay]

Roles:

1. Scouting "imaginary" what you are really doing is going rrrrrrrr for all those sweet cbills
2. Rainmaker
3. Harrassing
4. Backstabbing
5. Distracting

[Vanguard319]

Been playing my Mist Lynx like a 25 ton Oxide as of late, mostly mounting 3 SRM 4s and a sm Plaser or m laser as the only alternate weapon. Worked pretty well in scouting in the current event.

Edited by Vanguard319, 02 July 2016 - 01:09 AM.