I've had fun playing the PB. It's not a competitive mech by any stretch of the imagination, but if you enjoy the 9M and want something similar but with a hero bonus and capable of an even faster engine then the PB is a good choice.
My KDR overall is about 2.63 right now and my PB is 2.30 so it's slightly below average as far as performers go, but you don't run a PB because of the stats it gives you. You run it for the joy of an 89.1km/h barn door barreling down on people.
Some things to note before making your purchase:
The hardpoints present a challenge, play around in smurfy before you spend the money to make sure you come out with something you will like.
The decel nerf is frustrating and can take some of the fun away from playing the mech.
It only comes with an XL 340 engine and if you want to use it to do what only it can do (89.1km/h in an assault) then you have to shell out the cbills for an XL400 engine.
SRM's are vital to this mech (IMO) and right now they are pretty lousy as far as hit detection goes. I find myself dropping much less in my PB these days as a result.
TIPS:
The mech generally does well with XL engines and more often than not the CT goes before the side torso's. If you spread damage well then the arms can act as pretty decent damage shields before the CT goes.
Utilize the speed but don't be the first into the fight.
If you're not going to build it as a fast striker then I suggest there are a lot of other mechs that can provide fire support with better hardpoints and more favourable quirks.
Hopefully this information is helpful.
I think I'm running something like this:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...aaecd493d88c30c
Edited by Grimlox, 12 November 2013 - 10:46 AM.