25 replies to this topic

[Alistair Winter]

Pick any Inner Sphere or Clan mech. You can make any changes you'd like, except you have to keep the stock armament in their original hardpoints. For example, you can pick the CPLT-K2, give it Endo+DHS and XL315 engine, but you have to keep the 2xPPC, 2xML and 2xMG armament.

What's the best mech / variant in the game, given these parameters?

Note: Hero mechs don't count, unless their stock armament is from TT and not from MWO.
E.g. CN9-YLW is ok, CDA-X5 is not ok.

Among the mechs I own, for my playstyle, it's gotta be the the AWS-8Q with 22 DHS and STD300. With modules and quirks, it gets a 35% PPC cooldown bonus, 25% heat reduction, 25% range bonus (730 meters!) and... 15% shorter laser duration for its small laser! This thing vomits PPCs like nobody's business. And still has that small laser for maximum swagger. One of my favourite mechs.

[Templar Dane]

If single heat sinks have to be stuck as single heat sinks, pretty much every mech equipped with them is automatically terrible.

And a lot of mechs aren't quirked for the weapons in the stock loadouts. Look at thunderbolts, it's like the guy who designed it wanted a rainbow shooting out from it.

Edited by lordtzar, 10 June 2015 - 06:14 PM.

[Alistair Winter]

lordtzar, on 10 June 2015 - 06:11 PM, said:

If single heat sinks have to be stuck as single heat sinks, pretty much every mech equipped with them is automatically terrible.

And a lot of mechs aren't quirked for the weapons in the stock loadouts. Look at thunderbolts, it's like the guy who designed it wanted a rainbow shooting out from it.

Any changes you'd like.
You can upgrade to DHS, you can upgrade to Endo, you can add more ammo, you can add AMS, you can do whatever you want... but not change the weapons or their locations. So yeah, the stock Thunderbolt armament is pretty bad for MWO. As is the stock Firestarter armament, for the variants with flamers.

[Deathlike]

Easily, Jenners (minus the Oxide, I don't care for it).

Edited by Deathlike, 10 June 2015 - 06:17 PM.

[Templar Dane]

Pretty much any flavor of king crab then.

All are packing dual AC20s. They've got single heat sinks and ferro instead of endo, but with that changing they'd be pretty good.

Deathlike, on 10 June 2015 - 06:17 PM, said:

Easily, Jenners (minus the Oxide, I don't care for it).

That was my first instinct, but then I actually looked at the stock loadouts................standard engines........ewwwww

Oh wait, can change the engines? doh

Tired.

Edited by lordtzar, 10 June 2015 - 06:23 PM.

[Pariah Devalis]

KCG is solid. Stormcrow Prime is damned near perfect, Hellbringer Prime with Endo and Ferro, with the armor maxed and extra DHS would not be terrible. Timberwolf Prime has a pretty nice multipurpose loadout as is.

[Lugin]

I like the Stormcrow C. Just change out the cluster (LBX) for slug (C-AC).

[Saint Scarlett Johan]

Heh, this is actually how we used to play TT if we allowed customization for battlemechs. You could change anything but the weapons.

If we didn't have **** engine caps:
AWS-(pretend it's an 8Q)9M

Otherwise this guy since the TTKs would go up considerably.

[Nathan Foxbane]

My CPLT-C1(F) still runs the stock weapons and I still love it.

[Sjorpha]

I think I'd add endo, ferro, a std255 and C.A.S.E to the Yen Lo Wang then.

[WrathOfDeadguy]

HBK-4G, BJ-3, and WVR-7K all have fairly practical weapon loadouts. Hell, they wouldn't fare so badly run stock with a good pilot; the latter two come with DHS and the HBK's single AC20 would be pretty manageable even with SHS (as long as you kept your head and didn't start in with the laser spam until you'd run dry on ammo). All three variants have full or near full armor, and although the HBK and BJ are dangerously slow stock, the thread rules allow engine upgrades.

So... stock armaments on a HBK-4G with STD250, DHS, Endo, max armor on torso sections but reduced on head, legs, and arms, four tons of ammo; Stock armaments on a BJ-3 with XL235, Endo, and max armor except on head, stock armaments on a WVR-7K with XL280, armor slightly more frontloaded, minus two points on head, Endo, one more ton of SRM ammo, one more heat sink, and max jets.

Edited by PS WrathOfDeadguy, 10 June 2015 - 07:53 PM.

[Ultimax]

DWF-A is pretty solid actually. A little crazeballs with the AMS ammo, but otherwise decent.

[process]

Stormcrow Prime doesn't need any modification. I personally heart Adder Prime, only swapping the targeting computer with additional heatsinks.

Honorable mentions: Hunchback 4P, Jenner D, any Stalker and any King Crab.

[627]

I'd start with all mechs packing an AC20 or a Gauss.

[BarHaid]

I run stock mechs on my alt account. I like the Centurion D; it has enough ammo for the AC and LRM and a good amount of armor on it. I even run a pseudo-stock Cent-D on my "normal" account. The standard upgrades allow a bigger engine and more AC ammo (I do cheat and use 2 LRM5s instead of the single 10-pack). Solid mech.

[CyclonerM]

SCR Prime, Kit Fox A (not in MWO, but you can perfectly recreate it), GAR Prime with quirks (could use ammo quirks though), Mad Dog C, TBR Prime, TBR-C, TBR-D, DWF-Prime, Adder Prime, Nova Prime.

Edited by CyclonerM, 11 June 2015 - 10:49 AM.

[CDLord HHGD]

Hunchback HBK-4G all the way. Mine's got almost stock armament as it it (I use SLs).

[Cyborne Elemental]

I would have to go with Hunchy, that or King crab are both very powerful stock loads.

[Crotch RockIt]

Other than the mechs already mentioned...

Sparky is good with DHS and a big XL.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...f92eb71c2c671cc

Jager S is pretty good (at least until its ammo runs out).

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...471d521cd492c57

Battlemaster 1G isn't bad, either.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a5f2f650ee4c84e

[Alistair Winter]

CyclonerM, on 11 June 2015 - 10:48 AM, said:

SCR Prime, Kit Fox A (not in MWO, but you can perfectly recreate it), GAR Prime with quirks (could use ammo quirks though), Mad Dog C, TBR Prime, TBR-C, TBR-D, DWF-Prime, Adder Prime, Nova Prime.

The TBR Prime has horrible stock armament for MWO, IMO. Those dual ER LLs have very specific use for very specialized builds, unfortunately. The DWF-Prime is way, way too hot for MWO too. The other ones are pretty good