31 replies to this topic

[The Massive]

If you saw that title and immediately pressed caps in preparation of a rage fuelled rant about how the Heavy Metal is AMAZING and it must be that THE PILOT IS RUBBISH!!!

You are exactly the person I'm looking for!

I'm really struggling with this mech. So why do you love it? What are its strengths and how do you use them. Some loadouts would be nice also.

To me it feels way to cumbersome. My Atlas feels like a centurion compared to this thing. I think it's crying out for a 350 but that's not an option.

Thanks for your time. Don't forget to turn caps off.

[Aleski]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e40efb631eb9692

I have been trap by your bait... So i'm force to send you my loadout, the unique loadout i run since i've buy my HM =)

You can do several other options, including some with STD engines. I use XL on him because i stay at more or less 400 meters of the battle with that loadout. Highlanders are not the best assault for brawling, but at long distance, they are good.
You can some SRM build, but in my opinion, you're better at long and medium range with this mech, this is how it has been design.

The triple large lasers arm mounted is the strenght of this Highlander, it's melt faces and allow you to wounded the lights too.

I really love this mech, it's the assault with my biggest score and epic games!

And YOU HAVE to paint it in Pink!! Why? Because it's sexy has hell for a war machine!!!!


http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c2b3031f5fe3ab6
Bonus : a STD build that i have try, not bad, but too short range for me. If you use only one ballistic weapons, the Gauss deserve a try too!
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d3a8c6337ede372

Have fun with this angry Scottish man!


http://mwo.smurfy-ne...25a543acc072383
BONUS x2 (it's your lucky day) : if you like a little LURMS on it, it's not a LRM boat, but you have an AC/10!!

Edited by Aleski, 15 October 2014 - 12:24 AM.

[The Massive]

Thanks Aleski. Funny thing is I was actually using your loadout plus 2x srm2. Might try it again with the extra heat sinks instead.

I'm also running an x325 and finding it slow. You really use it with a 300?

[Aleski]

Maccasimus, on 15 October 2014 - 02:05 AM, said:

Thanks Aleski. Funny thing is I was actually using your loadout plus 2x srm2. Might try it again with the extra heat sinks instead.

I'm also running an x325 and finding it slow. You really use it with a 300?

Yeah i really use it with a 300 engine. At the beginning, i was finding that i was incredibly slow. After all the skill tree complete on the mech, it's far more agile.

Now i pilot Direwolf sometimes. My HM looks like a dancer compare to that whale!


This what i've try when i was thinking it was too slow : http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a83c0381980a214

The less heat efficiencie on this version have made me return to the 300XL loadout. When you can fire your lasers a lot of time before shutting down, you're really more powerfull and made your ennemies hide!

[Macksheen]

If you want the standard engine, drop two jump jets, two heat sinks add endo and put in a standard 300. The choice is really the survival of the standard vs the mobility and heat management of the xl.

[Solomon Ward]

Used to love it ,

now it is collecting dust since it was indirectly nerfed due to ghost heat on triple large laser.

[M4NTiC0R3X]

Well, I can't come up with the links but at one point in time, until the Dragon Slayer out performed the Heavy Metal, it was one of the best chassis in game.

I believe the HGN733C is the preferred variant due to the fact you can squeeze dual UAC/5 and dual PPC on the right arm and torso. Also utilizing a STD engine, the left half of the variant basically becomes a shield.

the same can not be done with the Heavy Metal, the load out can, just not the location of the hard points. A lot of people use dual ERLL in the HM arm w/ added heat sinks instead of the PPC load out I explained. Don't forget they're re-working JJ so if you can somehow squeeze more than one on there it will greatly increase your turning rate while jump jetting in the future.

[Tahribator]

It actually twists at the same speed as a Dire, because it has a -10% torso twist rate quirk. So it's safe to say that it's a 90 ton 'Mech that feels like a Dire, except it runs faster.

I loved my HM, it was really my favourite assault up until the great rektoning of this Spring and Summer, when PGI decided poptart superiority should be replaced by Clan laser vomit superiority. Then Class I jumpjets were made completely useless, HGN torso mobility was nerfed and JJ heat was introduced making this already hot chassis even hotter.

Now I'm all about nerfing poptarts(it was plaguing the game for over a year), but I used by Highlanders exclusively for brawling and these changes made them simply unsuitable for brawling. It's too slow, too hot and therefore too vulnerable.

Coming to OP's question, the Heavy Metal augments the 733C in its brawling role. It has the most arm hardpoints of any IS assault(STK-3F doesn't count) and therefore can track targets better than any other assault. Arms hang so low that you have to expose yourself to fire anyway, you might as well use this to your advantage and brawl with it. It has a slightly higher engine cap and it also gets a 5th JJ. This made it favourable over other HGNs when JJs actually worked on this 'Mech, it could get better air time and back then air time meant cooling and tanking time for Highlanders.

Anyways, I think today this 'Mech is sentenced to a mid-long range role. You can do 2xAC5 and 3xLL or the standard 1xGauss 3xLL. The engine selection is up to you, its hitboxes are somewhat CT heavy(only slightly) so that XL is not a deathtrap like the Stalker or the Atlas. It definitely has the tonnage to mount heavy weaponry with a STD300 engine. About JJs, I wouldn't take more than one. PGI made it so even though you have 5xJJs, you only start accelerating upwards at the end of your burn after you absorbed all the heat and about 3-4 seconds later you wanted to go up anyway.

The quirkicide can't come soon enough.

[DrSlamastika]

no he is cool cose he playing a metal sound

my setup some std engine and 1x gauss gun / 3x LL / 1x SRM6

[Dagon Zur]

I'm fond of mixing dual-ballistics with missiles, high DPS with little heat

"Pink Victor"
(UAC5+AC5 , 2xASRM6 , 3xML / STD300)
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...ca03cacf0b4778b

"Pink Terror"
(GAUSS+AC2 , 2xLRM10 , 3xML / XL330)
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1e3855f24fe741d
(tip: gauss + ac2 linked together, right mouse button)


On both builds you can remove missiles and switch med lasers for LLs, ERLLs, PPCs,LPLs, maybe it fits your playstyle better...

[Bront]

The Heavy Metal plays a lot like a slightly slower Victor. Lots of boom in the arms.

If you plan on brawling with it, I suggest you take a standard engine.

Try this. 2 less HS, 1 less JJ, half a ton less ammo, and half a ton of armor, but you get a standard 300 instead. http://mwo.smurfy-ne...036e182b4f8e38. You're still running cool, and 60 shots per AC5 is more than enough. Throw in the AC5 cooldown mod, and LL Range mod, and you've got a pretty good long range fighter that can brawl.

[Trickstick]

I love running 5x JJ on my HM, you can jump up to some really nice places where people do not expect an assault to go. You can really give things the run around by jumping over buildings.

2x AC5, 3x ML, 2x LRM10, 5x JJ, XL330

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9445a1ad710595e

[Evogenesis]

It's your one way ticket to midnight, call it Heavy Metal...

Edited by Evogenesis, 15 October 2014 - 07:11 PM.

[James DeGriz]

+1 for the 2AC5, 3LL XL build. Exactly how I run mine. Group 1 - Chain fired LLs. Group 2 Group fired AC5s. Group 3 - group fire Alpha - only ever used as a finisher. Hold down both buttons and blast away. Ease off button 1 to let your heat come back down again.

It's an absolute brute of a mech, and I love it. (I've also got the Surat cockpit item in there... if you're gonna Heavy Metal, you need a drummer )

[Dagon Zur]

After the Nov.4th patch, HGN agility is back, Heavy Metal got AC5 buffs, also, LPL is cooler (same as LL).
So,currently I am using this build: 2xAC5(4tons ammo), 3xLPL, XL330, 16 DHS, 1JJ, Endo

[RazorbeastFXK3]

With the quirks and if I were to get the Heavy Metal I'd run with this build. http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0fee277098f472b

[White Bear 84]

Lol @ OP you almost had me...

[The GaussFather]

Haha nice bait! I LOVE THE HEAVY METAL, absolutely my go to assault if I don't know what I'm dealing with since you can build nice balanced builds with it. And the primary weapons in the arms is a nice touch for how I play. The build you ask?

330xl (need as much agility as you can get) 1 UAC5 + AC5, PPC and 2 med pulse lasers in the arms. LRM15+artemis, BAP. Plus lots of ammo obviously and 13 heatsinks.

So... I have trigger 1 set for PPC+UAC5+AC5 = 20 points at good ranges. If its hot just have trigger 2 set for the UAC&AC5 for dakka 3 is pulse lasers for brawling and a nice punch when they get too close for the PPC.

I've run it with ER PPC but it runs too hot... most of the time the PPC is enough. Use the pulse lasers if they are too close and of course the LRM15 is the best LRM in terms of punch vs. cool-off vs. not so easy to crit.

Alt. build before the ER laser nerf was 2 ER lasers and Tag in the arm... but I like it less than the PPC + med pulse lasers. Enjoy!

And like several have said, the Heavy Metal isn't best brawler mech, but at medium ranges its lethal and fun to use. Plus the guitar riff "war horn" is still the best.

[Hex Pallett]

The worst mech?

Naive!

You have yet to try out Pretty Baby....

[Lukoi Banacek]

Great thread opener Macc, lol.