Ultimatum X, on 06 March 2015 - 05:43 PM, said:
I agree to a point, but we are at a stage in the game where alphas can be so large and punishing that when I see a Victor or Cataphract that has an XL, I know I'm going to get an easy kill.
When I see a Thunderbolt that most likely has a STD, if the player is even halfway decent at rolling damage I know I need to cut through quite a lot of mech before I can take it down.
The desire for big STD engines for good speed, is what drives the current laser heavy meta for IS mechs - which in turn is mostly a reaction to clan mechs.
Coincidentally, one Zeus variant JUST SO HAPPENS to have a bunch of energy hardpoints -- all stacked on the left side of the mech -- and decent energy quirks. Hmm.....