Scout Derek, on 29 February 2016 - 03:55 PM, said:
to me the Orion IIC is much better than its counterpart, with it being able to have the largest engine with xl, and being able to carry a heavy load too makes it better than its regular counterpart.
in fact a few days ago I was locked in combat with one the other day... crit his CT with two volleys of uac 20 and 4srm 6 with Artemis... least to say he was not happy with the results...
It IS better than it's counterpart; but it's got the same weakness dragging it down too - size, bulkiness, hitboxes. The ClanXL helps a lot, for sure. I love my Orion IIC's

But they're not as good as Timberwolves. Not bad mechs, but not really great ones either.
But the Kodiak? It's got adequate to good hardpoints, armor, speed. It can run, on one variant or another, almost any DWF build, but it can also do those builds with a larger engine. With 350-375 rated engines, it can get a magical mix of speed/maneuverability AND massive tonnage available for lighter clan weapons, while still packing in oodles of DHS. It certainly won't be a bad mech, unless the hitbox fairy kicks it square in the nuts.