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I have the Marauder Collector pack coming, and since I have this TBR now...and it is a 75-ton hybrid of the Marauder and Catapult...I thought "what a great opportunity to see how the traditional MAD-3R I plan to spend a lot of time in might feel in game!" This is not intended to be a "good" build for the TBR, and I don't advocate anyone following my path. For pure combat, there are many far better loadouts for the TBR. This is expressly to give me a platform that will handle and fight similarly to an upgraded MAD-3R(S) in December so I can train for it and be effective in it against the Clans and the II-C mechs that will dominate the MWO battlefield in 2016.
When I get the 3R(S), I intend to add endo and DHS, upgrade the AC/5 to a uAC/5, and depending on quirks possibly upgrade the PPCs to ERPPCs. So I duplicated this on the TBR. It already has endo and Ferro. I stripped the TBR of all equipment and weapons, and maxed out its armor. I then purchased a TBR-Prime right arm omnipod for the energy hardpoints. I installed a uAC/5 with a ton and a half of ammo in the right torso, and one ERPPC + one ERML in each arm. I deleted the TC1 since the IS doesn't have those, and installed three heat sinks, one in the left torso and one in each arm.
As I suspected, the proto-Marauder runs hot. Traditionally, in EGA Multiplayer Online Battletech years ago, I remember the MAD-3D as being a 'mech with significant heat management challenges, and on hot worlds could be difficult to manage. The modified TBR is precisely what I remember the old Marauder to perform like. It has a heat rating of 1.13. It requires some thought. And I've found that it is very helpful to save the uAC for when I'm near shutdown or in high heat, but need to shoot. Its heat of 1 and double-tap ability helps with crowd control immensely. The combo has a native firepower of 39, and DPS that is fair but not amazing. It ranks as a supporter and is best trading in concert with a friendly assault 'mech or a brace of mediums with high DPS.
The TBR's hitboxes are magnificent, and if the Marauder duplicates them the IS will have a tough ranged brawler. My TBR/3R is not through basics yet, but I've topped 500 damage multiple times and nearly basiced it out in one night in the group queue. It is a terrific supporter in mid-range brawls, and I've managed eight or more assists in most matches I've been in...and yes, I've been on the winning side in most of them. And this almost exclusively in the group queue running against superior opposition. It has consistently performed on Mount Doom, on HPG, in River City, and in the Viridian Bog, and that one-two PPC punch can be devastating to enemy 'mechs in the open. I suspect that the MAD's higher ballistic mount will lend itself to much sniping, as the TBR's cheek mount is higher than the arms and I can see many possibilities.
This is, frankly, an interesting experiment, and I like this mix of weapons. I think that we may have a winner with the Marauder, and it's about time the IS got a winner. I believe the main differences will be that the MAD will be slower with a STD engine, and the 3R can't jump. But it should fight similarly.
Edited by Chados, 02 November 2015 - 03:28 AM.
