16 replies to this topic

[DA BAWSS]

Hi! I'm DA BAWSS, and now that I'm almost done eliting the Centurion chassis, Im trying to elite a heavy chassis.

So far, after playing around with various mechs through trials and buying a few, I narrowed down my choices.
I'm deciding between the Thunderbolt and Dragon.

I already have one Thunderbolt variant: The 5SS, which I find to be AMAZING at brawling. I used to own a 9S, But I sold it because I didn't know about the quirks it had. XD The 9SE is meh-ish in my opinion. Simply because of how boring it feels.

I had played the Trial Dragon a REALLY long time ago, like back in 2013. I enjoyed it, especially its ability to choose which range you wish to fight at. But it's been so long, Im not sure if it's changed since then. I hear the 1N has some mean AC/5 quirks. Also the 5N seems great for longer ranges with suppressive UAC/AC2 fire. The 1C seems very odd, mostly because it doesn't specialize in a single weapon.


I am used to piloting mechs that move between 74 and 100 kph. I am very used to shielding frequently, and prefer to use ballistic and energy weapons at all ranges. (Although I am a bit rusty at ranges beyond 650 m)
Examples: Centurion, Griffin (Trial), Shadowhawk (Back in 2013), Kit Fox (Trial), Blackjack (Back in 2013) and the Stormcrow (Trial)

Please help, I can't decide between the two.


Your fellow Mechwarrior: DA BAWSS.

[Bolter01]

I enjoy the Dragon a bit more. No doubt a little less survivable, but no matter, it's fast and fun. I use it much more from a distance.
Oh and the initial 'bonett' really amused me. You just need to give more than you get which ain't hard with rapid fire AC5's, makes most opponents at range pull their head in.

[Xoco]

The Dragon is so much prettier. Use them!

[Corka]

Well, the Thunderbolts are more popular right now and is generally one of the most solid options that IS has. But, we're looking at some big rebalances to the quirk system with the proposed removal of weapon quirks, and the Thunderbolt would probably be one of the biggest losers there. So while I love the current Thunderbolts, I am a little wary about making too strong a recommendation. I don't have experience with Dragons, though they do look cool, and the fact they are a lot rarer on the battlefield would help to make them feel more unique.

[TheLuc]

I do tend to prefer the Thunderbolt due to the tankiness.

[Roughneck45]

Dragons are going to have a harder learning curve. They are also XL dependent.

Thuds can take more versatile loadouts, have stronger alphas, and are tankier, but will generally be slower than a Dragon.

Honestly it probably comes down to whether you prefer AC's and speed or Pulse lasers and PPC's because of the insane quirks a few variants have.

Overall, thunderbolts are stronger right now. Dragons have been an underpowered/underdog mech for a long time.

Edited by Roughneck45, 18 October 2015 - 09:26 AM.

[rolly]

Er... Dragonbolt? ThunderDragon?

Both I love. Love the tanky-ness of the T-bolt. Dragon is pretty hardy but more of a striker. Since your starting point is the Centy, I recommend going T-bolt if you want more tanky-ness ™ in your diet or want to stretch your legs a bit; go for the Dragon for a bit more zoom-zoom pew pew.

The thing to keep in mind is the that the tubby nose of the Dragon is a wonderful target where as the pauldrons on the T-bolt and blockiness keep it better shielded (at least I find)

[DelRico]

In my case, I find the Dragon to be more viable... The Thundy somehows gets cored by long range fire in matter of seconds, and its so slow in brawling situation that the enemy can take his time to aim... Dragons with XL are like lights with huge cannons

[Darwins Dog]

Even before quirks the Thunderbolt was a really tough mech. With proper torso twisting it is toughest 65 tonner (among the toughest heavies period). With the weapons spread out all over the mech you should always have something to shoot with unless you lose both torsos. They have a great balance of weight and firepower for Community Warfare too.

Dragons are glass cannons, made for hit and run fighting. The CT sticks out really far so it's hard to protect. They are fast for a heavy, and they usually specialize in small to mid-size ACs.

With the great rebalance coming I would recommend either wait, or get the thunderbolts. IMO Dragons are only good because of the quirks (and only one of them got good quirks). Thunderbolts have good geometry and hitboxes which won't go away when the quirks do.

[DA BAWSS]

rolly, on 18 October 2015 - 09:51 AM, said:

Er... Dragonbolt? ThunderDragon?

Both I love. Love the tanky-ness of the T-bolt. Dragon is pretty hardy but more of a striker. Since your starting point is the Centy, I recommend going T-bolt if you want more tanky-ness ™ in your diet or want to stretch your legs a bit; go for the Dragon for a bit more zoom-zoom pew pew.

The thing to keep in mind is the that the tubby nose of the Dragon is a wonderful target where as the pauldrons on the T-bolt and blockiness keep it better shielded (at least I find)

"Tankiness" isn't exactly what I'm looking for. Sure its nice, but if it means sacrificing a speed above 74 kph, I'm not so sure about it.

[DA BAWSS]

Darwins Dog, on 19 October 2015 - 06:30 AM, said:

Even before quirks the Thunderbolt was a really tough mech. With proper torso twisting it is toughest 65 tonner (among the toughest heavies period). With the weapons spread out all over the mech you should always have something to shoot with unless you lose both torsos. They have a great balance of weight and firepower for Community Warfare too.

Dragons are glass cannons, made for hit and run fighting. The CT sticks out really far so it's hard to protect. They are fast for a heavy, and they usually specialize in small to mid-size ACs.

With the great rebalance coming I would recommend either wait, or get the thunderbolts. IMO Dragons are only good because of the quirks (and only one of them got good quirks). Thunderbolts have good geometry and hitboxes which won't go away when the quirks do.

I thought before the quirks, The thunderbolt was a complete waste of C-Bills?
I know the Thunderbolt is great for CW, (Not as great as the op Timber Wolf) I use the trial version all the time in solo drops.

The Dragons seem very interesting to me, as I really like going 80-100 kph. But the squishiness everyone says they have concerns me. Are they as squishy as a Jagermech? As the lack of durability and speed of the Jager made me sell it.

Also, I remember people saying both mechs were trash before quirks.

Edited by DA BAWSS, 25 October 2015 - 04:43 PM.

[orion0117]

For Dragon Success...Go fast, don't get hit, don't run out of ammo.



That's with a 1N. I hadn't played any Dragons for some time, your thread interested me in dusting it off. Seems I had a good run this time, good team and the enemy didn't pay much attention to me.

I ran this match with an XL350, 2 MPL and 2 AC5.

Dragons can be a very good mech, it's circumstances, man. Squishy, but fast and can pack a hella punch.

I never played the Thunderbolt as much as the Dragon, T-Bolt was not in game when I did the bulk of my Dragon running. I still have my Dragons, T-Bolts are long gone.

[Verstaka]

In your case case it sounds like you should go for a Dragon. People can talk about the quirks, meta, etc until their blue in the mouth but only you know what you want.

It's certainly no secret that the Dragon is an underdog that doesn't see much if any competitive play but you have made it abundantly clear you value speed over durability and you will be hard pressed to find any heavy that's faster than a dragon with a good XL engine. Just don't overstay your welcome in any fight as you have about 2/3 the armor of other heavys.

[Darwins Dog]

DA BAWSS, on 25 October 2015 - 04:42 PM, said:

I thought before the quirks, The thunderbolt was a complete waste of C-Bills?
I know the Thunderbolt is great for CW, (Not as great as the op Timber Wolf) I use the trial version all the time in solo drops.

The Dragons seem very interesting to me, as I really like going 80-100 kph. But the squishiness everyone says they have concerns me. Are they as squishy as a Jagermech? As the lack of durability and speed of the Jager made me sell it.

Also, I remember people saying both mechs were trash before quirks.

The thunderbolt has great hitboxes and big arms that make it very good at spreading damage. Quirks made it god tier, but it was always good. Remember that in internet speak and mech that's not the best is trash.

At the end of the day it's all about what interests you. If dragons are calling you, then you should answer. You will probably find them more fragile than the Jagermech. 5 tons lighter means less armor, and they have a CT that can be hit from either side and even slightly behind the mech. It's all about shoot and scoot with the dragon. Fire and leave before they shoot back.

[DA BAWSS]

Verstaka, on 25 October 2015 - 07:13 PM, said:

In your case case it sounds like you should go for a Dragon. People can talk about the quirks, meta, etc until their blue in the mouth but only you know what you want.

It's certainly no secret that the Dragon is an underdog that doesn't see much if any competitive play but you have made it abundantly clear you value speed over durability and you will be hard pressed to find any heavy that's faster than a dragon with a good XL engine. Just don't overstay your welcome in any fight as you have about 2/3 the armor of other heavys.

Well, Im not saying I value speed COMPLETELY over Tankiness. I just ask that the mech moves 75 kph or higher.

[signal]

DA BAWSS, on 25 November 2015 - 12:55 AM, said:

Well, Im not saying I value speed COMPLETELY over Tankiness. I just ask that the mech moves 75 kph or higher.

Most thunderbolt builds run faster than 75kph. It's a far better mech at higher levels of play than the Dragon.
Though as someone who adores the dragon, I'd say it's a difficult but fun chassis. If you're a bit lower tier then you shouldn't worry about it too much, get the chassis you like personally.

[Karl Streiger]

Well i have both - and i admit i don't give a damn about Meta or non meta - about efficiency or uselessness - when i want to run a Mech i run it.
and the Dragon 1N even in stock as well as the TDR in stock are both capable of dealing some damage - its not enough to carry a team but its exactly 1/12th of impact you should have