22 replies to this topic

[Zemo Kerensky]

....before I actually buy it.

I've been posting and listening all about the forums and finally decided a Shadowhawk will be my first owned chassis. I think I kept shopping other weights & builds mostly because I hear this Mech is FoTM, and I as a rule, NEVER look for those in games.

But I actually like a jumping medium with role specific weapon possibilities across three variants that don't suck. I'm the one that's gotta grind all those anyway!

This build, I think allows me to do the stuff I tried to pull off in trial Mech:

A) Jump
B ) 70-90 kph untweaked
C) At least one weapon that can hit at distance (I'm really accurate when stationary!)
D) Something that hurts up close to medium also
E) Something that goes 'BOOM!' and reeks of gun oil!

This leaves me 1/3 the cbills for my next chassis:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b10a21f02fb342b

Am I missing any glaring deficiencies before I spend the lucre?

Yes, I intend to have this 280XL, knowing the 5M has nearly the same....it's so I can pilot both with nice builds in constant rotation, no down time. I want that 3rd one too, after all!

Edited by Zemo Kerensky, 23 December 2013 - 02:49 PM.

[Tesunie]

From my quick look over, looks good. I would probably recommend trying to fit one more ton of SSRM ammo, as a single ton isn't going to last you long. The LBx is best at working on fast targets (spread) or targets with a hole in it's armor (crit seeker). I can see that paired with the more focused damage from the large laser can make for a good pair. The SSRMs are better for fighting light and fast mechs, which I can see working well with the LBx's spread and the laser splash. XL gives you some fragility, but more fighting abilities and speed.

I can see this as a fast mech hunter. If you can spare it, I'd suggest you get Artemis on the mech, as Artemis will make your SSRMs lock on time shorter, which will help when the fast mechs are zipping around you.
I'd say give it a try. If nothing else, you can always change the weapons at a later time. The Shadowhawk is a good mech. Lots of different ways you can play it.

Addition:

What trial mech did you like best so far? That might give you ideas on what your first mech could be. At least as far as what role you might prefer as well as what weight class you might be better suited for.

[Kai Harper]

Fun fact: Artemis will only cost you C-bills, since you're using Streaks. It won't affect your tonnage or crit slots as of right now.

As for the Shadow Hawk being the FotM right now...it's because it's the only medium mech in-game that can do *everything*. It's got ballistics, it's got missiles, it's got lasers, it's got jets, and it's got enough tonnage to use them and go fast. It's a great mech on all points.

*EDIT* Tonnage and crit slots, not tonnage and weight. >.<

Edited by Kai Harper, 23 December 2013 - 02:54 PM.

[Zemo Kerensky]

Tesunie, on 23 December 2013 - 02:45 PM, said:

From my quick look over, looks good. I would probably recommend trying to fit one more ton of SSRM ammo, as a single ton isn't going to last you long. The LBx is best at working on fast targets (spread) or targets with a hole in it's armor (crit seeker). I can see that paired with the more focused damage from the large laser can make for a good pair. The SSRMs are better for fighting light and fast mechs, which I can see working well with the LBx's spread and the laser splash. XL gives you some fragility, but more fighting abilities and speed.

I can see this as a fast mech hunter. If you can spare it, I'd suggest you get Artemis on the mech, as Artemis will make your SSRMs lock on time shorter, which will help when the fast mechs are zipping around you.
I'd say give it a try. If nothing else, you can always change the weapons at a later time. The Shadowhawk is a good mech. Lots of different ways you can play it.

Addition:

What trial mech did you like best so far? That might give you ideas on what your first mech could be. At least as far as what role you might prefer as well as what weight class you might be better suited for.

Kai Harper, on 23 December 2013 - 02:52 PM, said:

Fun fact: Artemis will only cost you C-bills, since you're using Streaks. It won't affect your tonnage or crit slots as of right now.

As for the Shadow Hawk being the FotM right now...it's because it's the only medium mech in-game that can do *everything*. It's got ballistics, it's got missiles, it's got lasers, it's got jets, and it's got enough tonnage to use them and go fast. It's a great mech on all points.

*EDIT* Tonnage and crit slots, not tonnage and weight. >.<

Thanks!

I edited the build to reflect Artemis. and had only omitted it thinking it added weight like on SRM's, not lack of coin, thankfully!

I enjoyed the BJ because it jumped and had my bass canon.

I like what the Highlander could do. Made me think of a drawing of a cone spread. Green was closest, then, Yellow, then Red. Orange would have been AC2 / Gauss / ER PPC, all meh for me, green being inside 90-270 meters, etc.

Having at least one thing for 3 cone lines and at least one more with overlap felt fluid and intuitive.

Assaults, barring a Victor whose motor I can't afford, are too frigging slow, not in step but swing.

Edited by Zemo Kerensky, 23 December 2013 - 02:57 PM.

[Kai Harper]

Engine size decides how fast a mech can turn its torso, as well as the top speed of it - just a heads-up. Heavier mechs are slower, but you can compensate for that on certain assaults - 9M Awesome is the *big* point there, as you can mount almost the biggest engine possible, and it looks like it handles like a *slightly* sluggish medium. I'm saving for an XL380 for it right now to check for myself, but from what I've seen, that's the case.

[Zemo Kerensky]

Here is the closest I can come to an extra ton of streak ammo......lots of lost armor and I hear one JJ still launches you enough.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8cd09570cd9b720

And then this one can brawl with a standard engine.....decisions, decisions!

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...196efcfed2a12dd

*** disregard ammo location, lol.

Edited by Zemo Kerensky, 23 December 2013 - 03:10 PM.

[Tesunie]

Zemo Kerensky, on 23 December 2013 - 03:01 PM, said:

Here is the closest I can come to an extra ton of streak ammo......lots of lost armor and I hear one JJ still launches you enough.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8cd09570cd9b720

And then this one can brawl with a standard engine.....decisions, decisions!

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...196efcfed2a12dd

*** disregard ammo location, lol.

Looks better. Last suggestion I have, unless you tend to get shot in the back a lot, I'd reduce your rear armor significantly. I'd move the rear armor number to 10-15 area, and shift that armor to the front. This goes for center and side torsos. The lower armor on the arm with no weapon is a good idea.

I'd give this a try. It looks good from what I can see. Only one way left to test it, and that's testing grounds/live fire action. (I'd suggest you test this mech on Tarra Therma, as it's the hottest map around. This will let you know what your heat is at the worst possible conditions. If your mech design can handle those heats, it can handle any heat.)

[Kai Harper]

That looks pretty solid! Got a good mix of weaponry, and the jumping capacity to spread damage, and enter in for a banzai strike if you want to - especially effective and fun in the canyons when you see an enemy mech dive into them.

[Israel Finklestein]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...547f7f9ce1caeba

This is a 2D2 build that I'd recommend over the 2H for a starter mech. One of the big issues I have with your build is that it's really hard to run both ballistics and missiles on anything that's not an Assault and to carry enough ammo for both. That and the LBX gets crit off like a *****, and having to cut back armor on your left arm just to have enough missiles to make it through a round makes it much more likely you'll lose it.

With that weapon loadout it looks like you're fixing to be a light/medium hunter, and the Shadowhawk is an amazing chassis for that, but you need to run faster to pull that off. This 2D2 allows for that with much more speed, more heat efficiency due to less ammo requirements, an extra SSRM and a pair of medium pulse lasers for poking at exposed components once the SSRMs have stripped armor off. You can also drop a heatsink and the medium pulse lasers and use an ER large instead, if you feel the need to poke people at long range.

And I should add that you're going to want three shadowhawks anyways, so if you want to go and try this build later it's still open, and not that bad of a build. I'm just saying that ideally you want to play the 'standard' builds that are a little easier to pull off first before experimenting too much. Went through three accounts of wasted cadet c-bills before figuring out how to build mechs properly myself.

Edited by Israel Finklestein, 23 December 2013 - 03:28 PM.

[Tesunie]

Israel Finklestein, on 23 December 2013 - 03:20 PM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...547f7f9ce1caeba

You see, if I was to recommend mechs, I'd go with more LRMs than SSRMs... but then again it's a personal style. There was a reason I only made suggestions and tips on what he already made... Otherwise I would be trying to get him into a completely different style of combat that he might not like...

This mech doesn't seem like a bad loadout, but I'd want something to add some range. It's all close range weapons on it... Maybe try for a pair of LLs with SSRMs?

[Sandra McCrow]

Others correct me if I am wrong about it... I would strip the head down to say 6-7 and put the extra armour on that left hand since you will be using it as a shield I assume.

[Tastian]

Israel Finklestein, on 23 December 2013 - 03:20 PM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...547f7f9ce1caeba

This is a 2D2 build that I'd recommend over the 2H for a starter mech.

Except that 360XL is incredibly expensive and only mildly useful on a select few mechs.

[Kai Harper]

Sandro Mc, on 23 December 2013 - 05:05 PM, said:

Others correct me if I am wrong about it... I would strip the head down to say 6-7 and put the extra armour on that left hand since you will be using it as a shield I assume.

That'd be valid, I'd think. It wouldn't be *much*, but every bit can keep you alive.

Edited by Kai Harper, 23 December 2013 - 05:16 PM.

[Redshift2k5]

The Shadowhawk is a solid place to start. The loadout is not in line with the general FOTM but looks solid enough to try; adjusting the weapons won't be a huge expense once you've already got your expensive upgrades in place. I would suggest experimenting with some different ballistics when you get a few spare space bucks I like the LBX, but a high DPS UAC5 or the dependable workhorse AC5 is also a good choice. Multiple AC2 is also an option.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 23 December 2013 - 05:18 PM.

[Spheroid]

Always look to the D2 first. That is by far the best variant. Only insane autocannon nuts like the H.

[juxstapo]

with only one ballistics slot? Neg, Although this chassis does everything,so to speak, the one thing it does exceptionally well is high mounted ballistics. Don't know if I'd class it as FoTM, or just another addition to the competitive tier, right alongside the Cataphracts and Highlanders.

[Buckminster]

I've been running my -2H as "super stock" - upgrade the AC5 to a UAC, swap out the SRM2 for a SSRM, added in a 300XL, and maxed the armor. A lot of fun, and the 4 different weapon systems give it a bit of a jack-of-all-trades feel. No matter where the target, you can hit it. It also helps that the SSRM and LRM5 share the same targeting system, so you're really only aiming three different weapons.

But my favorite Shadow Hawk lately has been my -2D2. I have a 275XL, and it's carrying 4 SSRMs, BAP and a Gauss. It's an interesting combo between a sniper (love advanced zoom) and a light hunter. The gauss is also useful at closer ranges against slower mechs, so it still packs a lot of punch in a brawl. You just have to watch out for that gauss if it explodes - it'll tear you to pieces.

[mack sabbath]

juxstapo, on 24 December 2013 - 08:50 AM, said:

with only one ballistics slot? Neg, Although this chassis does everything,so to speak, the one thing it does exceptionally well is high mounted ballistics. Don't know if I'd class it as FoTM, or just another addition to the competitive tier, right alongside the Cataphracts and Highlanders.

Are two AC/5's the proper ballistic since UAC/5 is a jammomatic for me?

[juxstapo]

think of 'em as a single weapon. It's an AC/10 that stretches out to 650m and recycles every 1.5 seconds.
The UAC has proven totally not worth it for me also. Trade off was too heavy for the "benefit"

[mack sabbath]

Meh, this is what I think I'll cobble together from my scrap bin:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...4a1444e1ea0cf5d