53 replies to this topic

[Mothykins]

WHK-A

?

Get close, fire SRMS while waiting to cool down, lay into them with med pulse when heat is available.

Pick at them with ERLL from range.

Edited by Cavale, 14 October 2014 - 01:23 PM.

[LT. HARDCASE]

Thought I'd hate it, ended up loving the Warhawk. Can't stand how sluggish the Dire is, while an elited Warhawk reminds me of piloting the Orion.

Had lots of success with this one. 1x ERPPC, 2x LPL, and 3x Streak 4s to kill any light that came near.

I also like this LB20-X build. Empty most of your Lurms the move in to clean up.

[KamikazeRat]

Cavale, on 14 October 2014 - 01:21 PM, said:

WHK-A

?

Get close, fire SRMS while waiting to cool down, lay into them with med pulse when heat is available.

Pick at them with ERLL from range.

try the same build on the B, it puts the 3rd SRM in CT so its a tighter pattern overall. soo much face has been wrecked with my B

Edited by KamikazeRat, 14 October 2014 - 02:21 PM.

[Abisha]

I have the idea the warhawk is build out of tin.
also the torso side is basicly locked so you stuck with 9 heatsinks.
so any ballistic build=wasted tonnage.

this mech can have been good if not being so limited by the build tools.

[Mothykins]

KamikazeRat, on 14 October 2014 - 02:21 PM, said:

try the same build on the B, it puts the 3rd SRM in CT so its a tighter pattern overall. soo much face has been wrecked with my B

WHK-B

A bit more beefyness, overall.

[CHH Badkarma]

Xarian, on 14 October 2014 - 10:48 AM, said:

The Warhawk is the Clan equivalent of the Awesome.

This is very very true. You know why? It is because in stock form they are both ppc boats that have been totally boned with little or no possitve quirks to offset the stock, high heat loadouts.
Hell, my prime has no LRMs, only a MkII TC and the 4 stock erppcs. The rest is all heatsinks and it is still only 1.2 on the heat scale. It can be managed, but for something that is a stock ppc boat by design the warhawk got gangbanged pretty hard by the pgi, "plow it in the boody" train.

Edited by CHH Badkarma, 14 October 2014 - 08:57 PM.

[El Bandito]

It is an assault that can keep up with the rest of the pack. Unlike the whale.

And it can have more weapons than the upcoming Gargoyle.

Edited by El Bandito, 14 October 2014 - 08:58 PM.

[Wine O]

If I could buy a second gold mech, it would be the Warhawk hands down. It's the real gem of the clan pack.

[Kain Demos]

I run mine similar to my Timberwolf--2 x CERPPC 1 x CGAUSS but with the added benefit of more heat sinks and a Mk V targeting computer and either AMS or more Gauss ammo as well as the additional armor.

Wine O, on 14 October 2014 - 09:34 PM, said:

If I could buy a second gold mech, it would be the Warhawk hands down. It's the real gem of the clan pack.

I'm really sorry I missed out on the Timberwolf---my favorite 'mech since 1995.

[zortesh]

whk-b is best missileboat in the game. quad lrm15+3medlas+1erllas+a tag.. or 4th med laser.(I removed one of the 15's to add a narc beacon launcher in mine, because its totally fast enough to run about narcing.)

Or you know you can do crazy **** like 4xsrm6 + 4erll or 5 medpulse.

Now as powerful as a direwolf, but it is a fast and fun mech, and should not be underestimated.

Edited by zortesh, 14 October 2014 - 09:56 PM.

[Pr8Dator]

My best Masakari build, which is my top kiling mech now out of the 20 I own, runs 3xSRM6 + 2xLBX20. I call it Da Beast. With full upgrades, it needs to run up to about 100m, allowing it to two shot a dire wolf and basically one shot most medium and lights. However, it has extremely limited payload... only 7 alphas in all. Bags me about 3 to 4 kills per match everytime. Its a brawler of course. I prefer not to go long range with this mech because its extra speed means it should be doing more meaningful closing in than the Direwolf, which I also own. If I want to standoff, I would simply play the Direwolf. So yes, its a hard mech to find a meaningful role because the TW makes a much better brawler. All in all, I mastered the Masakari only because its my favorite mech on tabletop.

[Widowmaker1981]

Bhael Fire, on 14 October 2014 - 11:09 AM, said:

It's one of my favorite Assault mechs in the game. And I absolutely love the fact that it's underrated because I'm hoping that means it will escape the nerf-hammer.

This. So much this

[Tahribator]

I went ahead and A la Carte'd this last week, knowing fully what I was getting into. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't total garbage that people made it seem to be. Yes, it's challenging playing the Tetris with critical slots, its gimped by arms missing lower arm actuators(and the only one that has an arm actuator is nerfed by a huge cooldown quirk), its sides pop too easily when flanked and so on . . . Yet, it's a 'Mech that has the staying power, cooling efficiency and firepower when you get used to it. I'd say it's still outclassed by the Timber Wolf and the Dire Wolf, but it has its niche being a mobile energy heavy assault.

What I like about the Warhawk:

• It's a great face tanker.
  
• Interesting energy build possibilities with huge targeting computers.(PPCs are almost OK with a TC Mk. VII).
  
• It is a great in-your-face brawler with excellent heat capacity.
  
• It synergizes well with energy and missile builds.
  
• Decent speed.
  
• Great torso mobility, especially if you also use the omnipods with torso yaw bonuses. It twists really fast.

What I don't like:

• Only one omnipod with lower arm actuator.
  
• Generally low hardpoint count. The most you can have is 9 with 5E and 4M on WHK-B. This quickly takes a dive if you want to use a ballistic. For comparison the Dire Wolf can have as many as 15 hardpoints and the Timber Wolf 12.
  
• Left torso is completely locked by fixed DHS' there.
  
• It is forced to have an ammo side(Protip: pop the right ST of a ballistic/missile WHK and it's useless)
  
• Almost exclusively arm-mounted weaponry, yet arms soak a lot of damage.
  
• It's almost the size of a Dire Wolf while having 5 tons less armor.
  
• Generally negative quirks dragging it further down.

What to do?

• Remove negative quirks from omnipods. Slightly buff the less desirable ones with quirks instead.
  
• Give the Prime variant arms lower arm actuators.
  
• Re-evaluate the fixed critical-slot distribution.

Edited by Tahribator, 15 October 2014 - 04:40 AM.

[LordKnightFandragon]

A cool ass quirk for the Warhawk that would go well with it's energy boat self, is -10% to Clan energy beam laser duration....Then it could really whip out the laser beams. 1.6 and 1.2 for LL and LPL down to like 1.08 and 1.44, along with a Cool down module, letting it refire faster....fun fun...

PLus the shorter duration quirk would allow it to deliver its damage in the same spot easier. Great for being a long range energy mech.....

One thing about IS MPL, 0.6s duration.....its almost shocking to me how fast the beam goes off and yet delivers 6dmg per laser. My Victor has 3 of those on it...though I havent dared to roll into combat with it, heat coolant is kinda slow..esp compared to the Whorehawk..

Edited by LordKnightFandragon, 15 October 2014 - 07:14 AM.

[Angel of Annihilation]

LordKnightFandragon, on 15 October 2014 - 07:13 AM, said:

A cool ass quirk for the Warhawk that would go well with it's energy boat self, is -10% to Clan energy beam laser duration....Then it could really whip out the laser beams. 1.6 and 1.2 for LL and LPL down to like 1.08 and 1.44, along with a Cool down module, letting it refire faster....fun fun...

PLus the shorter duration quirk would allow it to deliver its damage in the same spot easier. Great for being a long range energy mech.....

One thing about IS MPL, 0.6s duration.....its almost shocking to me how fast the beam goes off and yet delivers 6dmg per laser. My Victor has 3 of those on it...though I havent dared to roll into combat with it, heat coolant is kinda slow..esp compared to the Whorehawk..

Yeah IS Pulse Lasers in general just make Clan versions look pathetic. 0.6 second duration is just insane and easily allows for near pin point damage, at least for someone who is used to using lasers and keeping them held on target. I would easily trade Clan versions for IS ones if I could.

[Koda Shy]

I love my warhawks now, I didn't at first, I thought they were paper dolls, died easy, couldn't brawl worth a crap, but once I got my builds to suit my play style and changed how a play them, I put out more dmg over all than my Dire Wolf, stats wise,

the speed on them is really good, I have my missile boat which is pretty op, i have a gauss build that i love and a ac build , it cant brawl with a ****, but its very good for fire and cover,

so that being said, i love my warhawks , but keep in mind every mech has to be played a different way,

[Ultimax]

FupDup, on 14 October 2014 - 10:43 AM, said:

Pros:
-Surprisingly good agility for its size (i.e. good torso twist radius)
-Can handle heat-intensive arsenals well
-Good hitboxes, very durable
-Pretty good speed for an assault mech

Cons:
-Severe lack of critical slots makes it difficult to create a good build sometimes (good builds do exist, but there aren't very many of them)
-Ballistics can help solve the critslot issue, but then you might run out of tonnage faster...
-Relatively mediocre hardpoint variety
-The huge number of hardwired DHS (20) means that you have an obligation to use heat-intensive loadouts at all times (i.e. doing 2 Gauss Rifles is possible to build but "wastes" the mech's obligatory cooling potential)


Overall, it's a solid but limited assault mech.

This is a good, objective, view of the Warhawk.


If you solo drop a lot, you will probably enjoy the Warhawk as a sort of "mini-Dire Wolf". (or if you want LRM 40-55, etc)

It can't load a crapton of autocannons, but those are inefficient anyway.

It can't load Dual Gauss, but it can basically run the rest of the Gauss+Laser build, and will also have better sustainability than any Timber Wolf running pure lasers.



If you run in a full lance or more, and always have support for your Assault mechs - then you can probably just stick with the Dire Wolf.

If you drop solo frequently and don't want to be left hanging on Skirmish or Conquest you'll probably enjoy having a few Warhawks to play.



Anyone telling you the Warhawk is the Clan "Awesome", really does not know what they are talking about.


It's not T1 - that's held by the Dire Wolf, but there is no way the Warhawk is T5 either. It's likely in the T2, maybe T3 range depending on build.


This is the load out I've had the most consistent success with. It minimizes most of the Warhawk's drawbacks, while capitalizing on the small number of advantages it does have.

WHK-Prime

Unlike many WHK builds, its weapons/ballistics can't be easily crippled by targeting the RT.



Here is a variant of that build I sometimes run when solo dropping for AMS & Active probe to help my PUGgies out (although I didn't originally want a MK IV TC, the speed of targeting info combined with Active Probe surprised me in it's usefulness)

WHK-Prime

[SpiralFace]

I actually think that the warhawk has three major roles that it does better than both the wolves.

- Mid to back field support sniper (PPC's, Gauss, ERLL's, Clan LPL's.)
- Close range Brawler
- LRM boat.

With good speed and maneuverability for an assault, but with more cooling and heavier weapon options, Warhawks are really good at sustained back field support configs like ER LL's. Their speed allows them to swing wide and keep good distance MUCH better then a Direwolf could ever dream of, but their larger weapons, cooling profile, and raw size allow them to throw more firepower down field then the T-wolf. Personally, I think it creates the most "balanced" platform compared to the other two. The T-wolf is better at manuverability but does not have the same ability to sustain the heavy weapon fire, And while the Direwolf can throw more weapons down range, Its essentially a giant brick. So its near impossible to "swing wide" or flow with the battle in the Dire like you can in the warhawk.

The speed and manuveratility makes it a fantastic brawler for these same reasons.

While the Direwolf is more of a front line bullet sponge tank, the Warhawk can physically Brawl. The hitboxes on it are well positioned enough to where you can roll damage on the mech as you see fit, and its MANEUVERABLE and well armored enough to where you can shield side even better then a timber wolf could ever hope for. Its speed isn't zippy by any means, But unlike the Dire Brick, It can twist and turn with the ever shifting positions of a brawl. Something the Direwolves flat out can not do.

And while Timberwolves can rival it in this department in weapons output, Both heavier armor profiles, just as good hitboxes, and MUCH better cooling capacities allow it to be a nasty option as a "sustained" brawler. Something the Timberwolf does NOT do by any stretch of the imagination. (Both the T-wolf and the Mad Dog are more "head hunters," because they can only brawl for about 5-10 second stretches before you need to fall back and cool off.)

And it is flat out the best LRM boat the clans have. Not only in that it can take the most missile slots, but also because you can get a decent amount of missile slots and STILL have the tonnage for 2 ERLL's and all the ammo you'll need. Making it a pretty potent dual threat as a missile boat that can ALSO use as a long range sniper in the event of ECM cover.

T-wolves and Direwolves are good in the "raw firepower" niche, but the maneuverability and massive cooling capacities of the Warhawk allow it to be a fairly dominant mech in the right hands and utilized in the right ways.

I think the major mistake that people try to make with it is that they try to run it EXACTLY like a direwolf or Timber wolf. Which is NEVER going to end up working out for you. But its a good mech to have with a very well defined role on the battlefield as long as you play to its strengths.

[Revis Volek]

Escef, on 14 October 2014 - 11:51 AM, said:

I'll have to double check later, for now I will assume I was in error. According to lore, both mechs were made to replace an older omnimech called the Woodsman, and were even loosely patterned after it. The Naga artillery omnimech is also a part of this little family.

I WANT A NAGA SO BAD! and ARROW IV systems!!!! Let me shoot a DWF in the face from spawn to spawn on Alpine....im ok with it!

[Mechwarrior Buddah]

It makes a good ALRM boat, mine has a firepower of 105