20 replies to this topic

[Calvyr]

I'm fairly new to the game and have been enjoying my Hunchies so far (almost finished with the basics on my 4G after finishing the 4SP and 4J) and I'm starting to think of what to move to when I'm done. I'm probably going to elite them all, or at least the 4G and 4J, but I'm also thinking that the Griffin looks pretty appealing. Especially the 2N for the sneakiness with the ECM and the 3M for the mobility. I like the fact the Griffin is relatively speedy and has jumpjets, but it also seems fairly tough. It also seem pretty versatile.

Am I crazy, or is this just a Mech that a lot of people overlook? And if I am missing something, what might be a better option?

[Rogue Jedi]

the Griffin is great, think of it as the HBK-4J or 4SPwith Jumpjets.

most Griffin variants have most of the weapons on one side like the HBK,
they can safely run STD or XL engines,
the arms make far better sheilds than the Hunchback arms,
all variants can jump, the cbill variants all have 6 hardpoints, a mix of energy and missile.
if you use a standard engine, and you know how to shield components ^{(the HBK should have taught you that)} they are somewhat more durable than the HBK
they have almost as much torso twist as the HBK.

so provided you can live without ballistics, if you enjoy the Hunchback, and do not hate missiles, you should like the Griffin

[The Basilisk]

The Griffins main problem is its tremendous size for a med mech. AS soon AS you geht where ppl are actualy able to keep their lazors on target you will painfully realize how thinly armored and squishy it actualy is. Never the less it has its place and is not a bad mech. Take a look at its hero variant its a pretty strong mech.

[mikerso]

2n and sparky both have a place in my mech garages. 2n with 4x SRM 4 and 2x med laser. Sparky with 2 x large laser and 4 x med pulse. Both are a blast. Best I can recommend: stay with the group, you are squishy, and easy to spot as mentioned above. Staying in the pack will help you spread damage; (with the 2n) play like that crazy ecm light use your arms as shields, and get in their faces. An aggressive SRM boat can scare anyone; have fun. Don't play it because said it is good. Play it because you think it is fun. If you don't think it is fun, you'll end up not doing well in it.

[xengk]

I own all the griffin variant and have them mastered.
Personally, I rate them higher than my shadowhawks.
Both have the same engine cap and speed, with griffin having higher JJ limit.
Griffin win out on agility and slightly better torso hitbox, the Shawk get access to ballistic, thus higher alpha.

Run most of my griffin as laser/SRM brawler.
The 2N with ECM and SSRM2+MPL as light hunter, 3M as LRM support with torso TAG, Sparky as PPC sniper/laser brawler.

[Steel Raven]

Great Mech! Run the Sparky almost exclusively after mastering the machine. 2 Large Lasers and 4 Medium Lasers gives you decent rang and great firepower.

Griffin 1S was the first of the 3 mechs purchased, it's not the easiest but it's rewarding. Use the STD with 4 Medium Lasers and a SRM 6+4. Plays like a Centurion AH with Jump Jets.

Griffin 2N is a great ECM machine. Running the 4X SRM 4 with Artemis along with two medium laser, powerful alpha but I find chain firing the SRMs very satisfying

[jper4]

griffins have been one of my better performing IS mediums. unless you love ballistics there's no reason not to have them.

[Jody Von Jedi]

The 2N is usually in my CW (Faction Play) drop deck. ECM is a welcome addition to the GRF line-up. The 1N and 2N are my favorite. I don't own the Sparky, but with the hardpoints all spread out over the mech, firepower will not be as focused as on a HBK. You will draw a little more attention than you do in the HBK just because it's a bigger target. Most players, myself included, tend to target the biggest enemy mech within LOS (line of sight).

[HelBound]

Griffin's are boss!

Don't delay, get into your SRM murder machine NOW!

Edited by HelBound, 08 January 2016 - 11:01 AM.

[Tooth Fairy]

The Griffins are imho a very nice balance of speed, agility, and maneuverability. Equipped with sufficient JJs you get to many 'exclusive' map places. Torso twist range is awesome but twist speed is a tad slow. Engine wise XL friendly, but the mileage varies according to the role you want to play.
Weapons wise they are multi-role fighters sans ballistics. Depending on the individual model, you can easily slap on 2 ER PPCs for sniping, 6 MPlas for decent lazoring activities, 4 SRM4 for decent brawling or 4 LRM5 for long range support activities, just to provide some basic directions. Also makes a great medium scout, when sufficiently fast.

My personal favorite is this GRF-2N hidden lurmisher configuration. Despite the ongoing discussion about lurmz spread damage vs pin-point damage this one is such fun to play. Alternatively you can drop three tons of ammo to replace the 2 Mplas for an ER PPC, so that you can 'tag' ECM mechs from afar.

Visibility due to size is a minus, but the ECM variant greatly compensates for that.

Definitely an underrated and underestimated mech, that can be competitively played.

[DarthHias]

Jody Von Jedi, on 08 January 2016 - 10:58 AM, said:

The 2N is usually in my CW (Faction Play) drop deck. ECM is a welcome addition to the GRF line-up. The 1N and 2N are my favorite. I don't own the Sparky, but with the hardpoints all spread out over the mech, firepower will not be as focused as on a HBK. You will draw a little more attention than you do in the HBK just because it's a bigger target. Most players, myself included, tend to target the biggest enemy mech within LOS (line of sight).

Considering the Sparky:
The torso mounts are at a nice height and the arms are good for tracking so 2 LPL + 4 Meds works good.
Or 2LPL right arm + 1 LPL right torso make an excellent corner humper with brilliant convergence.

All in all Griffins are solid Mechs if you like to be quick and agile while packing a punch.

[Sewman]

I have probably the most seat time in my griffins than any other mech in my stable. I originally went looking for a new play style after spending allot of time with ballistics and long range builds.

This was before a host of rebalancing that put lasers in the meta forefront. I believe pulse lasers are still the best performing weapon right now but with the ghost heat limit recently lifted to 4 srm alphas,(previously 3) and srm spread reduced, mechs like the Griffin took a big jump back into the meta spotlight.

If you do decide to take the plunge, you'll be learning a new play style (srm boating). You're a finisher. Save armor until the end of the match. And when the brawl starts, you can do an unfair amount of damage to distracted assault mechs with some of the most forgiving heat curves of any builds. Once you get the timing of your 'reveal', you'll start to see pretty high average damage number$. That's just the way srms are. You end up just doing higher damage due to the spread of missiles. It's the opposite effect of getting more kills for relatively low damage numbers when running dual guass builds.

So you'll have to be a little more patient and you'll also have to rely a little more heavily on your team on larger maps like alpine (no more so than any other short ranger build). But your mouth will water for brawly maps with lots of cover like river city, frozen city and hpg manifold.

[Elyam]

I must post in support of what has been my signature mech since the earliest years of BT, And MWO's iteration is spot-on. At its best at long-rage fire support and as jump-agile disrupter in furballs. Favorite loadout: ERPPC,2xMLAS, AMS, LRM-10A, 2xSSRM2, BAP.

[Johny Rocket]

You are crazy if you don't have them. Grif 2N best $9 spent on this game yet.

[Calvyr]

Thank you all for the feedback. I will definitely be adding the Griffin to my garage down the road. For the short-term, I was distracted by the current sale and premium time and I'm working on acquiring the requisite 3 variants to master the Stormcrow. I foresee the 2N and likely the 3M finding busy spots in my garage and eventually my IS CW drop deck, when I get there.

[Soulscour]

They are ok

[mogs01gt]

The issue with Griffs is that whatever they can do, the Crow does it better. Even though I have my Griff's master and use my 2n a lot, its fairly underpowered and I only run it when I want to go nostalgic.

IMO since the price will be almost the same in the long run, get the Crow. Below is the exact same build on a Crow, added 1.5t of ammo as a tonnage place holder since the Crow cant carry ECM. Also, ECM is worth 400k.
SCR-PRIME
GRF-2N

Obviously this runs hot but a stock Crow with missles is a bit cheaper than a fully built GRF.
SCR-A

I have both Crows and Griffs master. I prefer the Griff simply because the Crow is soo strong, it becomes a bore fest.

Edited by mogs01gt, 11 January 2016 - 08:00 AM.

[Steel Raven]

Comparing the Storm Crow to the Griffin is like Comparing the Marauder to the Timberwolf.

The Storm Crow is a great mech if your going clan

[mogs01gt]

Steel Raven, on 12 January 2016 - 10:35 AM, said:

Comparing the Storm Crow to the Griffin is like Comparing the Marauder to the Timberwolf.
The Storm Crow is a great mech if your going clan

who cares if its a "clan" you go for what is the most efficient way of spending cbills. This is especially true when we are talking about new players.

[Steel Raven]

mogs01gt, on 12 January 2016 - 10:46 AM, said:

who cares if its a "clan" you go for what is the most efficient way of spending cbills. This is especially true when we are talking about new players.

The original question is regarding the Griffin, a IS mech. Cavlyr mentioned he already owns a trio of Hunchbacks so maybe he is building a IS drop deck for CW which means a Storm Crow wont help.

Also Storm Crows cost more C-Bills, not only the mech but the Omni pods to build new layouts. That's allot more grinding unless your throwing money at PGI

If you have the C-Bills or MCs, go for it. Fun mech.