68 replies to this topic

[kryowyrm]

So with a double xp weekend about to kick off I want to pick up a new mech. I pilot almost exclusively heavies ATM. I love my Jaeger and direct-fire support in general is my preferred play style.

I'd like to do something in a medium and I'm leaning toward the Blackjack just for physical similarity to the Jaeger(high mount arms).

What are your thoughts on my choice? Is there a better suited medium for what I want to do? If not, what variant would be the best to pick up first?

Side note: Centurions are kind of off the table; I have a Wang and am not really a fan of it.

[Chadamir Fitzkrieg]

Hunchback perhaps? That's what I role, either mount an AC/10, AC/20, or my favorite: a gauss rifle. You're not the fastest mech, but you can take a bit of a beating and be able to deliver one better a Gauss Rifle w/ 30 shots and 4 medium lasers.

[Lord Ikka]

Hunchback, absolutely. Probably my favorite medium, suited to all sorts of roles.

4G/H- Second line brawler, using the big gun to take out damaged sections
4J/4SP- Missile boats that can move quickly, SP is very good Light-killer/brawler
4P- Laser boat that is great for killing anything

Edited by Lord Ikka, 10 October 2013 - 03:37 PM.

[Xeno Phalcon]

Blackjacks are one of my favorite mechs but right now they are highly susceptible to streaks (as they all go to the CT due to a bug) though that will be fixed soon*. Best variants (IMO) are the BJ-1, BJ-3 and BJ-1X.

Take the BJ-1 for ballistic, the BJ-3 for Energy and the BJ-1X loses the jump jets but has a higher engine rating allowing it to go faster than its cousins. the BJ-1-DC is the ugly duckling, it drops the jump jets from the 1 model but dosnt get the speed boost of the 1X, instead gaining two extra energy hardpoints.

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Also note that next month the 55 ton Shadowhawk will be available to none Project Phoenix buyers, and uh somewhere down the road two more mediums are squeezing through the door in the form of the Griffin and Wolverine

[Colby Boucher]

Yes, the BJs can be awesome. Some people can SHRED with the standard two AC/2 four Mlaser loadouts... but personally I find that this works quite well

Edited by Colby Boucher, 10 October 2013 - 04:00 PM.

[IllCaesar]

The last time I played, I was using my BJ-1, 2x AC2 and 4x SL, I wrecked the place. Got over 300 damage most matches, my highest being 495. Some people probably think I'm crazy for taking 4x SL over 2x ML or 4x ML and dropping some AC2 ammo, but as long as I have somebody bigger to lag behind, I last to the end of most matches and use up most of my ammo.

[xengk]

kryowyrm, on 10 October 2013 - 03:15 PM, said:

So with a double xp weekend about to kick off I want to pick up a new mech. I pilot almost exclusively heavies ATM. I love my Jaeger and direct-fire support in general is my preferred play style.

I'd like to do something in a medium and I'm leaning toward the Blackjack just for physical similarity to the Jaeger(high mount arms).

What are your thoughts on my choice? Is there a better suited medium for what I want to do? If not, what variant would be the best to pick up first?

Side note: Centurions are kind of off the table; I have a Wang and am not really a fan of it.

If you love the Dakka, the BJ1 is a good choice.
They are sometime known as minijager.
Pack 2x AC/2 with 5t of ammo and Zoom module, hang back from the frontline and rock people with constant AC/2 pinging.
The BJ1 is a flexible mech, you can put in an AC/20 or LBX and play close range or stick to GR and small AC for range support.

The 3x AC/2 Hunchback 4G with 6t or 7t of ammo can pour out some really insane Dakka too.
Standard AC/20, 3x MLaz 4G is a wrecking ball, but you will need to stay low profile to avoid having people hunting you down to remove your big gun.
I also run across 3x MG, 2x LPLAz Hunchback with max XL engine. They are fast, pack quite abit of amour and can seriously rip things apart.

[hargneux]

Blackjack is a great choice if you love Jagers.

My preferred build right now is a BJ-1 with an AC10 and 3ML, very effective.

Edited by hargneux, 11 October 2013 - 12:25 AM.

[BookWyrm]

I'd suggest revisiting the centurion, the Wang is really one of the toughest to get the hang of if you're used to something else.

[Toffa]

OP,

BJ1. AC20 + 3MLAS. 235XL.

BLAM!

Toffs ( '-')7

[Wintersdark]

BookWyrm, on 10 October 2013 - 09:02 PM, said:

I'd suggest revisiting the centurion, the Wang is really one of the toughest to get the hang of if you're used to something else.

This. The Wang is a pretty contentious model, as well - it's a solid mech, but requires an extremely specific playstyle. However, if you already have it and have XP on it, you could pick up two more Centurions for easier Mastery (yay 2xBasic bonuses!).

The Centurions are amongst the most durable mechs in the game, and unlike the Wang the others have much more flexible playstyles and don't rely on the arm so strongly.

CN9-A for example. Tear off both arms, it's still dealing pretty much full damage. Lose the right torso? Nothing happens. Left Torso? It can take even more damage due to the missile bay doors, but you've still got your MLas. This bad boy moves fast, and keeps fighting till the bitter end.

[Kitane]

Before you buy Centurion:

1) All Centurions have miserable hard points.

2) The mech is huge and wide.

3) The "best" Centurion build relies on 3 ASRM4/6 that have absolutely atrocious hit registration and even when they work, they force you to get close to the target.

4) The only saving grace that actually places Centurion among best medium mechs in the game is a damage transfer reduction mechanic. Centurion's destroyed arm stumps and wrecked side torsos are wonderful shields that give 50-75% flat damage reduction on incoming fire that hits them.

If PGI decides to "change their position" on this silly invention of theirs, Centurion will return to bottom of the medium weight class.

Edited by Kitane, 11 October 2013 - 01:12 AM.

[MisterPlanetarian]

Hunchbacks are probably some of the more fun mediums to play. I was hesitant to get one myself but decided to do it none the less a while back. The Hunchback can rip stuff to shreds and between the 4G/4P and the 4SP they play very differently and offer alot of fun and variety. The Shadowhawk, although less flexible overall, can offer some competition to the hunchie for the AC20 role with It's JumpJets and 55 tons. So if you plan to spend any money Project Phoenix offers some great mechs for dollar.

As for the blackjack, it can be fun but don't expect a miracle worker. Ammo shortages at 45 Tons are your main issue. Mechs like the Kintaro require massive investments to be successful like huge XL engines and Speedtweak, same for the Cicada. Treb is **** as is the Cent.

Some quick builds:

HBK 4G. 82kph AC20 Build.

HBK 4SP. Std275 Build.

HBK 4P. Std275 Build.

Havent really played the Hunchback since the medium mech buffs to agility and so on, should be even better now especially since the engine cap increase.

SHD 2H(P). My AC20 build for the Shadowhawk. will use this and a 3x AC2 build for long range damage.

[Wintersdark]

A better 4P build, in my opinion: HBK-4P Still at the 275, 6 Medium Lasers, 3 Small Lasers. One of the smalls in the hunch and a medium in the head, to allow maximum firepower when shoulder-clipped (it'll happen). So, trading 2 medium lasers and a tiny smidge of leg armor for 3 smalls and a DHS.

This offers an additional DHS raising your heat capacity and dissipation rates, and reduces heat generation and avoids Ghost Heat when alpha-striking.

---

I hated Hunchbacks until very recently. They were very popular in the Closed Beta crowd, but that was largely because of how competitive they were Back In The Day - they kind of sucked compared to Centurions (faster, no hunch vulnerability and massively more survivable) more recently. However, we recently had the Medium Mech Balancing Pass, and this saw an increase to torso twist and max engines on the Hunchbacks.

Now, Hunchbacks move upwards of 100kph, and can twist far enough to fire at mechs behind them. That's a very, very substantial buff, and it makes them much better overall. They're fast, agile, compact, and can deliver a strike comparable to that of a Heavy mech.

[MisterPlanetarian]

I agree. Hunchbacks across the board have the best torso twist in the medium lineup with their 125+40 degree torso+arm twist. 145+40 with TwistX x2. Ballistic hunchies still struggle to break 80kph without severe ammo problems unless they use lower calibre guns. They are still great mechs and play very easily if you learn to protect your vital right shoulder.

[Koniving]

The only medium I recommend avoiding is the Trebuchet. The rest are pretty solid.

[Kjudoon]

Koniving, on 12 October 2013 - 10:34 AM, said:

The only medium I recommend avoiding is the Trebuchet. The rest are pretty solid.

I'm torn between the Trebuchet and the Kintaro 19 right now. Why no lovin for either of these?

[Wintersdark]

Kjudoon, on 12 October 2013 - 02:12 PM, said:

I'm torn between the Trebuchet and the Kintaro 19 right now. Why no lovin for either of these?

I can't speak for the Kintaro - and Koniving said nothing bad about it either - but trebuchets are just bad mechs, really. Very large, mediocre hardpoints.

They're not unusably bad, just not as good as... Well, anything else.

[LauLiao]

Koniving, on 12 October 2013 - 10:34 AM, said:

The only medium I recommend avoiding is the Trebuchet. The rest are pretty solid.

It's not terrible, but there's really not much that it can do that you couldn't pull off in a Kintaro (and usually better).

[Kjudoon]

See, I'm looking either at buying a KTO-19 or a New XL 300 for my JM6-A and get that up to a BLISTERING 71kph.