91 replies to this topic

[1453 R]

As one may be able to notice from scanning to the left if this sentence for a moment, I have a pile of Phoenix 'Mechs as a gift from my brother. The Shadow hawks have fallen in nicely (2H DakkaHawk, 5M Mini-Victor, and the 2D2...well, it's almost good), and the Locusts are hilarious with their pile of guns strapped to what amounts to a tinfoil dragster. I'm even starting - slowly - to pick up a few tricks in a Battlemaster or two, and I figured those'd sit in a dusty corner of the hangar forever.

But for the life of me, I have no idea what to do with these cod-whalloping Thunderbolts.

I see them all the time, with a huge array of different awkward builds on them, but I've never really felt particularly threatened by a Thunderbolt the way I am by a JagerMook or Catapult, or even an Orion. And as for piloting them myself...

I'll level with you. I'm a strike pilot. I use XL engines pretty much exclusively, to the point where I don't really buy 'Mechs in which XL engines are a bad idea. I find that the extra speed and firepower of an XL 'Mech is a far more comfortable fit than the extra sturdiness - and accompanying broken-legged speed and completely anemic armament - of a STD design.

Except now I've got these Thunderbolt things in my hangar, and they're so obviously terrible at strike designs it makes my brain bleed. You can't make a swift and agile strike machine out of a Thunderbolt - but its compact frame and fairly diverse, wide-spread weapons hardpoints seem to appeal to brawler-type pilots everywhere.

Here's a request for Thunderbolt pilots out there - tell me what the Gehenna I'm supposed to do with these things. In some detail, if you would - don't just go "Here, try this, I get 600-damage games in it: *Smurfy link*" Please, if you would - explain to me what this awkward, clunky Dwarf-looking thing is meant to do, how it's meant to do it, and why it exists. I don't particularly like having 'Mechs in my hangar I can't make use of, I'm not selling machines my brother gave me when I don't know if I'll ever see him again, and I just CAN'T FIGURE THESE JUNKHEAPS OUT. IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS.

[Amsro]

This TDR-9SE would fall into your striker type play style. JJ help to be able to relocate easily.

Brawler TDR-9SS with a STD300 is still quick. I group all the mediums together, and use the arm to melt the legs of light mechs.

Heavy range support TDR-5S with a STD275 or XL315 . I really like using Gauss, if you do not then 2 AC5's will be nearly the same build.

All 3 of these work very well for me. I hope some of it helps.

Edited by Amsro, 19 January 2014 - 03:36 PM.

[wanderer]

The -5S can function just fine as a faux Jagermech of sorts, since you can put a PPC in one arm (or the torso) and either two smaller ballistics or a Gauss/ AC-10 in the other. That the arm is fully mobile can be a boon, too. Add secondaries to taste in the torso, since it can mount decent energy or missiles as you prefer.

[BadFortune]

The Thunderbolt is my current favourite heavy chassis, and I've tried quite some by now.

The 5S for some dakka-dakka, harassing, and such
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6cbb9109e0efc36


The 5SS has 7 energy hardpoints ----> it's a laserboat. Note the position of the ERLs.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6a5d6bffd2da87a


The 9SE is like a 5S with JJ
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d3edae11faed80e

[Eugen Johannes]

Allright, so here's my $0.02 from a guy that loves the Thunderbolt chassis...

The 5S mech is the quintessential bodyguard mech. The way you play it is load up the energy arm with a (ER) large laser, the ballistic arm with AC10, AC5 (you can try UAC5, but I have zero luck with jams), or the AC2 and a trio of Medium lasers in the torso. Slap in a STD275 engine with Endo Steel and Double Heatsinks and you have your "base". Now depending on what you want to do (and how much room you have left over after the AC choice) you can either drop in x2 LRM 5s (if you were pairing up with a longer range buddy and wanted to help out) or some SRM's (if you two intend to brawl), or actually drop them altogether. Putting missiles on this mech increases the side torso a good bit so good shots will shred "The Hump" and end up taking out half your weapons in one go. In the end, you're supposed to be the "less dangerous mech" in the group so it shouldn't matter much, but I have a nasty habit of drawing fire so I tend to go 50-50 with or without missiles. Stuff the rest with heat sinks & AMS and you're good to go.

With a 275 engine you'll be heading mid-70's after speed tweak so you'll move right along with the other assaults in the group. You spend the match right on the *** of the guy you are protecting. The higher damage AC's give the obvious benefits, but don't shy away from the AC2. Its high rate of fire and screen shake make this a good weapon for helping your buddy last a bit longer by screwing up the other guy's shot. Use the heavier assault as portable cover. Let him fire his salvo, then pop out behind him and hit the guy he just hit, then duck back behind him as your weapons cool down / his come back up. As always, rake the lights / mediums that try to come in around the flank, but your focus really should be on amplifying your partner...let the mediums chase the squirrel.

I actually use the 9SE as a "heavy medium". STD 300 engine, x2 ER Large Lasers and x3 Mediums lasers. You'll go in the 80's with speed tweak and with Jump Jets you can easily scare off harasser lights. The thing is you need to know your roll in this thing...you don't chase lights, you scare them away (x2 ER Large will do that). You don't flank the opponent, you get on the flank to prevent the opponent from flanking. Basically, its a very nice defensive mech with enough punch to join in the fray as a second line mech, but better served on the edge.

I absolutely hate the 5SS, but its actually the easiest XL mech to play with. Its x2 torso energy hardpoints are located very high, making it a great ridge humping sniper with x2 (ER) PPC's. Problem I've always had is you just can't stuff enough heat sinks into the mech to handle x7 energy hardpoints. Still, if you have enough control to just not fire the big weapons and chain fire the medium lasers in close the heat is manageable, but you'll end up getting taken down by other mechs who can pinpoint damage and maneuver for cooling. The missile hardpoint combines the "increases torso size" problem with "inability to boat" making it a relatively unattractive hardpoint to use.

As you can tell...the Thunderbolt to me is a "second line mech". You should never be leading the charge, but rather paired up with a heavier mech or working as a reinforcement...sending the opportunistic LRM and direct fire where enemies are breaking through / flanking. While you could make the argument any of these roles could utilize an XL engine (and in fairness, you have the crit space to do so) I believe the squat stature and inability to boat high alphas (ie: you won't be drawing fire from multiple mechs most times) gives the STD engines, and the survivability they give, a real place on this mech

I admit, it doesn't sound as appealing as AlphaStrikeWarriorOnline (and quite frankly doesn't match my playstyle really), but its really fun when you can get into a group and utilize the mech as such.

[mogs01gt]

The 5ss is a horrid mech! It suppose to be this laser boat or long range support mech but there is no room for DHS's to keep ur dps up. The Orion does everything this mech can do but better.


wish I didnt sell my Orion for this tdr.

[Solis Obscuri]

The Thunderbolts are solid 'mechs. Really, really solid. Like overbuilt solid. They can hold a variety of weapon loadouts due to their plethora of hardpoints, though most center on a mix of missile and energy weapons that can be devastating, but tend to run a bit hot. And they tank magnificently for their size.

So as long as you can find a loadout that works for you and avoid overheating to shutdown, you have a pretty good chance in most fights - just remember the way back to cover and friendly forces when that heat bar begins to rise.

[Elyam]

I run the TDR-5S(P) as I do most mechs, as an all-around skirmisher. XL315, 14 DHS, 400 armor, Endo, AMS, BAP, LRM-15A and SRM-4A (or LRM-10A and SRM-6A), 1 ERLLAS, 2 MLAS, 1 MPLAS, and 2 MG. The LRM and ER large cover long ranges, the SRM and mediums cover mid, and the pulse and MGs are in the arms on the same trigger covering the wide arc close up versus orbiting lights and the wounded. Yes, it is a 5-trigger build, but I'm very used to it and the right mouse makes it easy (G700).

On both this mech and the BLR-1G I've been very happy with the close-in defense provided by the MPLAS and 2 MG in the arms, adding of course to other lasers and SRMs. I use the pulse here over standard for the faster cycling rate.

Typically this is a high-assist build. It isn't designed for 1000+ dmg, but commonly will pull 300-500 with 2 kills/8 assists or 1 kill/10 assists - because it's effective in a wide variety of situations. The speed and responsiveness brought with use of the maxed engine lets it keep up with all but quickest strike groups, or to change battlefield position with ease.

It's very true to the spirit of the original Thunderbolt, with the only notable change (other than upgrades) being the shift of the heavy laser to the highest body mount instead of the RA to facilitate the hull-down long-range support situations that come up so often in MWO (and that was not a factor in TT).

While it could mount 1 medium or 2 light ballistic cannons, there will be enough people offering that. This should give an interesting alternative.

[Zordicron]

More to your OP question

TDR: how does it work?

Well, lets look at it's Sarna history.

iw was originally considered an assault mech. yes, it is that old of a chassis, so old 65 tons was seen as big and slow. So then, ets consider this. At mid 60's KPH(stock) it is slightly faster then the heaviest assault mechs(like atlas). it has a wide array of weapon hardpoints, and stock form has a wide array of weapon range and utility. This mirrors what most assault mechs of the day were like, tough, multipurpose, multirange balwarks of a lance.

PGI did one thing right on this chassis for sure: they made the hit box(s) correctly, so spreading dmg if you actively defend is not that hard. Sure some poptart meta HGN can kill you through side torso, but he can do that to anything really so I see that as Moot. For sure, the TDR is an order of magnitude tougher then a Jager, and can arguably be tougher then a catapult even if both have XL's. For sure with STD engines.

Certainly, the TDR is not a striker. If you scrounge through SARNA, you will see pretty much no assault in history was a striker loadout(well there is a couple with massive engines and small laser loadouts but those are generally exceptions or considered in lore to be mistake designs) so, even though 65 tons has left the assault bracket long ago, the chassis is still an assault design, so it is what it is.

So, for loadouts and how they work:

I have had best success in all 3 of the variants with some mixed range/weapon type loadouts. Even the 5SS, though it is mostly a laser boat. I run XL in all 3, but nothing massive, I think 275's or 285's or so, in that range anyway. I am not going to get into the nitty gritty too much, but give you an idea and how they play out. All 3 prefer "mid range" which despite what it should be in this game(300M) is actually closer to 500- 700M. So then, tha variants:

I will start with 5SS, as it can be most troubleing how to play it. It is in reality a laser boat. I mount a LRM 20 with a decent amount of ammo(up to you to fine tune that) and then LL in the arm mount, and ML in the torso mounts. CHAINFIRE EVERYTHING. if you alpha 5 ML and 2 LL, the heat fairy will slap you. use the lasers in their optimum ranges. LL for longer ranges, ML for close up work. MOVE. its ok to slow down, use cover, etc. when it becomes time to fight a foe, if you stop to shoot you die. you need to move, and strafe the foe, and twist away when he is going to shoot his alpha, or even if you are just waiting for LL to recharge etc. It is a pseudo brawler chassis. f you keep moving around, you will easily spread the incoming dmg. Use the LRM 20 early in the match, use it for support fire, use it for area denial. You are not a LRM boat, dont act like one. if the bralw starts early, move in to roughly 300M, and use LL and LRM20 instead of the ML. Yes, LRM work at 300M, pretty dang well actually, and the heat will be a little easier. Plus you dont want the ammo around for the whole match anyway.

if you end up in terra therma, stay back a good ways and try rto use LL and LRM20 ammo up. Hot maps make 5SS cry trying to fire off all those ML. better to stay out of optimum ML and AC20 range and use LL to pick people off so you have time to manage heat. If you end up on Moon Base, well, you won the laser lottery and you can fire off all lasers(still chainfire) A LOT and the dmg from 5ML and 2LL is significant when you can sustain the heat. those ballistic boats wont know what happened.

The other two: one has ballistic arm, the other has JJ. Put some mediocre amount of LRM on both( I think 2 LRM10, or LRM15 and 10 or something, to taste) and use them early and often in a match. Ideally, you want the ammo to go out before the brawl starts on the jumpjet variant, as at that point you go into jumping brawler mode. Similar loadout to the 5SS, LL in arm, ML in torso. make sure you pick an XL engine big enough to get you in the mid/high 70KPH, maybe even pushing 81KPH after tweak for the JJ variant. Not a striker loadout, but if you stay at full throttle and at that magic 300-400M range, you will be pretty dang tough for the tonnage. The other ballistic variant, it can run slower. maybe 71 or so after tweak. use a ballistic with decent range, but not extreme heat. so twin AC 2's are meh. Twin AC5, UAC5+AC2(hotter but managable) single AC10 or LBX. LL in other arm, ML in torso, some LRM. if you go twin AC5, skip the other arm, you wont have tonnage for a LL, and a single arm ML is a waste because you will never get it to converge with the torso ML anyway. Save the ton for ammo and use it as shield arm.

Unlike other variants, you dont need to use up LRM ammo right away, in fact save it. You are the 400M murder machine. Save those ML for when someone thinks they are better off within 200M to escape the LRM fire. if they are at 200-500M, LRM's and LL, with AC fire mixxed in. Longer, use LL depending on range, and AC fire. Closer then 200M, stop AC Fire(depends on what AC's due to heat and such) use ML in torso and LL in arm(again depends on what AC you mount) or use shield arm and do the "shoot and look away" tactic, using right arm for shield if it doesnt have a LL in it. The final loadout is going to be decided on what AC you prefer, and if you like to have the LL in the arm or not. I have tried all of these, and have gotten good results from all of them. Twin AC5 is the dmg machine, but it does not provide you advantage in a brawl. UAC5+AC2 is a dps machine with more heat and jams, but the dakka spray is very intimidating to enemy players, so gives mental advantage in bralws. Single AC10 and LL in other arm is sort of in between, but has more versatility. LBX and LL is good for anti light fighting if you find yourself harrassed a lot.


No TDR is a run and gun alpha machine. they use DPS builds best. You cant sit and wait, or stop to hide. You need to strafe and twist and be relentless to your foe. its the smallest assault mech on the field. it is a mid range DPS powerhouse. You wont see epic KDR on it, or Extreme dmg(but over 500 is easy) and you will see high assist counts. Push the mech. if you die, it wont be first. If you dont have internals showing at the end of the match you either totally rolled the other team or didnt play hard enough.

OH, one last thing, all these loadouts require 3 triggers to be effective. 4 triggers is a boon on some. 2 triggers for a TDR means you arent doing it right.

[Archie4Strings]

I mastered them all and in the end i sold them all except the 5S cause the hardpoints are all pretty much the same , except the 2 ballistic points in the 5S, which makes him more particular for me, even more than the JJ-Chassis.

As most of the preposters already said, put a bigger engine inside! Like at least 300 xl, you need the speed.
Without that, the Thunderbolt ist as slow as most Assaults are, but with less firepower and amor. Think this is the key to this mech! Since i did that, i play it really successfull as a close combat bruiser with some long range fierpower (got 4er and 6er SRM + Artemis, AC10 and ER PPC (heat is no problem with ballistic and srm...) .

Just figure out what kind of mech you wanna play, i am sure, the thunderbolt is a good chassis for you, giving you whatever you want or need!

And yeah! I have 3 triggers

Edited by Archie4Strings, 21 January 2014 - 03:11 AM.

[TheStrider]

5S: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...dabbbf9050045ad

Basically hold back blasting with LBX/LL combo till something wanders into range of the torso weapons. Group 1 & 2 are the arm weapons (respective sides) Group 3 is the ML and SRM packs. If the fight overruns you, try to stay mobile. You are packing alot of weaponry and people will misjudge what you can dish out. Obviously you are running XL, so be aware of that and try not to present damaged torso's to them. Best used with a "more dangerous" buddy who holds their attention.

5SE: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...aa13cb17245c6c7

Standard Engine Zombie Jump Brawler. Lots of fun, unless the battle is at range - obviously. Run/jumping around them, quite fun.


As for the 3rd, he was always difficult, but I think I loaded him up with 7ML and a LRM launcher of some sort. Basically stick back till your LRMs are dry then turn into a scalpel.

[1453 R]

I’ve got a Razer Naga under my right hand and a Nostromo under my left. Trigger count is in no way a problem.

Anyways.

After some thoughtful chewing on the advice of all’a these posters here, as well as a few ideas I had writing up the original post, I’ve been experimenting with a few highly unusual Thunderbolt configurations. A few things I’ve noticed which have influenced these configurations, or arose while playtesting them:

1.) Those arms are enormous. They catch a lot of fire, which is fantastic for shielding the torso but is honestly really bad for retaining arm-mounted weapons. Big ballistics in the 5S(P)’s left arm are contraindicated from my own experience with the things. Even heavy energy in the arm risks losing primary armaments well before the ‘Mech itself is ready to call it quits.

2.) Thunderbolts are sluggish and unresponsive even with 300-rated engines, which is what I have to put in them right now. They feel even clumsier than my Victors did, pre-basics. Doubled basics and Tweak will likely be essential to get any real performance out of the things. This sounds like a Captain Durr revelation, but it’s been my experience that the lighter machines I’m used to don’t need double basics to function. Thunderbolts do. Clunky bass tarps.

3.) HEAT. PROBLEMS. Jeebus Bananamantic Mancripes, these things bake like cakes in most of the configurations that make sense for them. Tourmaline and Mordor are torture, and Caustic isn’t much better.

These three observations, taken together, have been influencing my decisions with the Thunderbolts. As much as I appreciate the extra mobility of the right arm lasers on the 5SS and 9SE, I’m increasingly convinced that justifying primary weapons in those arms is difficult at best. The ballistic hardpoints in the 5S(P)’s left arm are a flat no-go – I’m not losing over sixteen tons of cannon+ammo tonnage before my machine hits 50% integrity.

I’m also thinking more and more as I go that the missile hardpoints on these suckers are something that needs to be leveraged. Thunderbolts appreciate a non-beam option to keep up pressure while their energy arrays cool off, and for the most part that means torso-mounted missiles. Preliminary test runs with Amsro’s 5SS STD brawler configuration have shown this rather starkly – despite having a much better heat efficiency than my missiles-and-pulse-lasers 9SE, the 5SS tends to boil in its britches and push into heat shutdown more often than the significantly hotter 9SE, just because the SE can still fire missiles while the SS is struggling to find enough spare heat capacity to toss off one more laser shot. The 5S(P) is actually quite manageable, given its extremely un-Thunderboltish armament.

Configurations up for trials at the moment:

TDR-5S(P) “Thunder Hammer”
Strengths:
-Chin-mounted PPC makes ridge-peeking easy
-Dense LRM salvos hit like trucks when shots are available and combines well with PPC fire.
-Very forgiving heat management. For a Thunderbolt.

Weaknesses:
-Junk in close combat, needs more team support than Dancer or Special
-Prone to losing its TAG
-Attracts a lot of enemy attention

TDR-9SE “Thunder Dancer”
Strengths:
-assault ‘Mech-level close quarters firepower
-Increased mobility with jump jets.
-pulse lasers really are more accurate

Weaknesses:
-Brutal heat problems prevent full use of its armament in anything but short bursts
-Very prone to losing the primary lasers in its arm
-Low-slung, way-over-there primary weapons cause problems in heavy cover

TDR-5SS “Amsro Special”
Strengths:
-STD engine significantly improves survivability
-Zero-ammo build ensures longevity and no debilitating ammo booms
-more controlled heat buildup and better dissipation than Dancer

Weaknesses:
-No low-heat fall back options for keeping up damage at the end of the heat bar
-Just as prone to losing its main lasers as Dancer is.
-Lack of jump jets hurts its options in the close fights it’s built for.

I’ve had some monster games in Dancer, who has also proven that there’s something to be said for the shorter beam duration of the pulse lasers, even with the sacrifice in range. Dancer doesn’t want to be fighting at 500+ meters anyways, and in close-range combat the paired pulse lasers deal slightly more damage than an AC/20 shot for the same tonnage as the cannon itself minus shells, without any lead-the-target issues given the fluctuating shot velocity of the autocannon. Its ‘ammunition’ (extra heat sinks) is also completely compatible with its secondary lasers as well. Dancer is a surprisingly effective fatty hunter, living up to its name around big, cumbersome trial Highlanders and other large BattleMechs not used to seeing this much gun move quite this quickly.

Hammer has proven itself a consistent and reliable fire support unit for the most part which isn’t completely helpless when enemy strikers finally get within claw’s reach of our main line. It may actually supplant my TBT-5N as my favorite fire support ‘Mech when I finally pick up masteries on the Thunderbolts, given how well that chin-mounted PPC works. The TAG gives me problems, as Hammer likes to ridge-peek a lot and generally only gets line-of-sight for that arm on about two thirds of its launches, but when it works, it works like gangbusters.

Special is still shaking down, I haven’t had it fully upgraded for more than a few matches yet, but initial trials have proven intriguing. The lack of missiles hurts it, and the lack of jump jets hurts it even more, but it’s also the most durable of the three and the only STD-engine ‘Mech in my entire hangar that actually meant to keep that engine. Defensive twisting and spreading an entire gamespan of working with XL engines instills in someone means that Special has the capacity to be quite the durable irritant indeed – if it can get a grip on its heat issues.

What do you folks think?

Edited by 1453 R, 22 January 2014 - 03:34 PM.

[Firemage]

So I'm a pre gauss nerf dragon pilot. I tend towards a jack of all trades flanking style of play with fast heavies, I have quite enjoyed my time in the t-bolt. It has the tonnage to carry a decent mix of weapons along with decent hardpoint support.

So here are my builds.
-5S(P) - RA Large pulse, LA AC2, RT 2xLRM10, LT 3x Med Lasers, 10DHS. XL300
If you think i run heat sink light here you are quite right, this mech is a game in itself for heat management. But even with that this mixed arms monster has my best KDR a solid 1.74 and more assists than i can really remember.

I tend to use it in support of my lance mates, softening up targets with the LRMs in chain fire, poking at soft points with the AC2, then bringing the heat heavy LPL and Med lasers to bear for frying the now opened points on their armor.

-5SS - RA 2x Medium Pulse, RT 2x med lasers, LT 3x med lasers LRM10, 19DHS XL315
On the other hand of the heat mini-game, we have my brawlerbolt, I keep the ML on chain fire and dance around using the speed of the XL315, the heat sinks and chain fire keep my heat well in check. The med pulse are mostly use for kill shots at softer parts or for annoying lights who get close. The LRMs are to give me something to throw at indirect targets.

-5SE - RA ERPPC, LT 3x Med lasers, 2x LRM10, 13DHS XL300
I kinda jump shot with this one, nothing special like the other two.

-G

[Archie4Strings]

I am kind of happy knowing that you play the Thunderbolt successful now (cause i like it really much).
But i disagree about the ballistic weapon points. Sure you can use the left arm as a shield to cover your torso, but i think its more important to put an AC-something inside and have the advantage of the low-heat-damage. 2 AC5, 1 AC10 (i go very well with the AC10)... it provides you with continuos damage without overheating while giving your heatsinks the time to cooldown. Without the ballistic weapons the 5S is like the other 2 Chassis, just with less Energyslots or JumpJets.
Also i actually never had a problem about losing my arms in this chassis first! Just turn your torso to spread the damage all over your whole mech instead of giving them the left or right arm first to shield.
But thats just my opinion!

Though i like the style of your mechs and i think i will try the "Thunderhammer"-Setup too and see if it works really well without the autocannon!

[Colonel Tequila]

XL315 - Triple PPCs. Left Torso only. Reason cockpit directly above PPCs makes for good shots.

All Thunderbolts can fit this. Playstyle volley only when kill strike, otherwise chain those ppcs for good effect!

All Thunder bolts should bring down thunder upon those that shall be smiten down by the Thunder!!!

Edited by Colonel Tequila, 23 January 2014 - 04:00 AM.

[Denolven]

Eldagore, on 20 January 2014 - 09:47 PM, said:

OH, one last thing, all these loadouts require 3 triggers to be effective. 4 triggers is a boon on some. 2 triggers for a TDR means you arent doing it right.

Actually, a friend of mine adapted one of my Victor builds for his Thunderbolt (not sure which one) that uses only 2 and does well:
- double AC2 in the arm
- LRM and mobility balanced as you prefer

Played as a mid range supporter, where the Thunderbolt in general shines IMHO. As long as you don't play the lone ranger, those two weapon systems can handle pretty much everything, at least well enough to not be useless. Not very well suited for brawling, but still giving your opponents 8+ dps and lots of smoke in the face if they try to get you. LRMs at 200-500m add quite some damage too. You can suppress at all ranges, deal decent damage at all ranges (with good damage at mid range), use both horizontal and vertical cover, and are still mobile enough to chose your distance against most asssaults and heavies - especially when they are busy with your brawling allies.

The only drawbacks are that a single light will likely kill you when you are alone (which a support mech should never be in the first place), and of course the ammo if you are the happy trigger type. Amount/size of LRM, engine size and amount of ammo needs to be fine tuned according to the pilots style.

[Mechteric]

Part of the problem with the Thunderbolt is the same problem that other missile bound mechs currently suffer while SRMs are broken. (Quickdraw, Kintaro, Trebuchet, Wolverine, Griffon) About the only thing you can do with them is either not use the missile mounts, go LRM boat, or mount all Streak SRMs for anti-light duties. This leaves brawling with few choices since SSRMs aren't really all that powerful except against lights/meds.

But since we'll just have to make do until SRMs make their glorious come back to bring beautiful balance back to brawlers (bbbbb), here's some Thunderbolt configs I came to like while leveling them up.

TDR-5SS - 2 PPC, 5 ML

TDR-5SS - ERPPC, 6 ML

TDR-5S - AC10, PPC, 3 ML

TDR-5S - 2 AC5, 2 LL

TDR-9SE - 2 ERPPC, 3 ML, 4 JJ


As you can see nearly all of them have STD engines except the jump sniper, I would recommend STD for most configs simply because its not a fast mech and its side torsos do tend to get blown off occasionally (though not as often as say a Stalker).

Edited by CapperDeluxe, 23 January 2014 - 05:11 AM.

[LiGhtningFF13]

It was really hard for me to level this kind of Mech. Wasn't really easy to maneuver it for the first time. It's also very wide/easy to hit and difficult to cover.

[Wildstreak]

Been wondering about this Mech for some time now.
So it is a 65 ton Awesome.

[Sagamore]

I can't post smurfy links right now but I don't run XLs in any of my Thunderbolts. They can take a ridiculous amount of punishment with a STD and have fairly balanced load-outs. I rarely die above 30% which is how much of a beating it can take. My Phoenix variant has 1 PPC, 1 LB10-X and 3 medium lasers and 2 SSRM2.