28 replies to this topic

[s1rGr1nG0]

I've got it narrowed down to one of those 4 packs. I'm just about done with mastering the Locust and I'm looking to beef up a bit for my next chassis.
I like those particular packs, (Collectors), because of the number of mechs you get, (five), and also you get 60 days of premium time too, all for $55.

Who else has gone this route and what are your thoughts on the mechs?

EDIT: That is 5 mechs including the hero add-in.

Edited by s1rGr1nG0, 07 April 2016 - 03:13 PM.

[ImperialKnight]

Warhammer. It's the best of the bunch. Good hitboxes for rolling damage. Good number of energy and ballistics hardpoints on the variants.

Next would be Archer, purely because of the 8x SRM4 ARC-5W. That thing is a beast. Every time I round a corner and see an Archer, I pray it's not one of those. The Hero is pretty sneaky as well.

I actually have the Marauder pack purely for nostalgia. The hitbox is not fantastic, but it trains you to play the kind of chasis where you don't actually torso twist. but wriggle while looking at the enemy to roll damage.

Rifleman is the last. Never found reason to fear them. Their hitbox is better than the Jagermech, but it's still fragile.


I would suggest buying the base pack first to see whether you like the chassis. You can always upgrade later.

[POOTYTANGASAUR]

Yes. Warhammer is better at everything other than SRM spam. It can carry quad ballistics, 2 gauss, 2 ac20, laser vomit, and can even SRM brawl or *scoffs* lrm if you're that kind of person.

Then marauder. Phenomenal tank of a mech. Fast and furious. Can do fun stuff like 3 ac5+ 3-4 mlas or ac29+ lasers. Jjs, and looks cool.

Then rifleman. Good mech. Squishy but still good. Can do fun stuff like 3 ac5, gauss+5mlas, 4 erll, 3 lgpls, etc. Has both ballistic and laser variants.

Archer last. Not because it's trash, it isn't. But it can only do one thing and that is missiles. It is not very flexible and will get stale quickly. But again, not a bad mech. Good SRM brawler or even *scoffs again, louder this time* I guess it could carry lrms although I wouldn't suggest it.

Have fun!

Edited by POOTYTANGASAUR, 07 April 2016 - 03:41 PM.

[Seal Farmer]

Agree with what others have said, Warhammer is a mech i like and the BW Hero is great 4xAC5 boat.

[Wedge Red Leader]

Of your list, I only have the Archer pack. I would call it a middle of the line mech, not a top nor a bottom tier mech. I have mastered the 3 standard variants, and they all are just meh, OK.
I think most ppl would agree, really only the Tempest is a "good" mech, and maybe the 5W for SRM boating.

I hear mixed reports on the Rifleman, and I don't see many in the field. The Warhammer and Marauder are used a lot.

Edited by Wedge Red Leader, 07 April 2016 - 04:22 PM.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

Id have to agree I think the Warhammer pack is the best of the bunch.
However, the Marauder is a very close 2nd choice.

I would not rank the Archer against either because they are more of a specialists mech (you need to be good at LURMs or SRM brawling)

The Rifleman looks neat, BUT you can get the Jagermech in game for free, and it is a superior mech.

[Seal Farmer]

Also tournament for these mechs coming up so if you get it in time to compete you can get a few extra goodies

https://mwomercs.com/tournaments

[TercieI]

Warhammer. Best and most diverse.

[Trainee]

I have the Marauder and the Warhammer pack. I'd say the MAD's perform way better for me than the WHM's do. I even went back this weekend and tried all kinds of different loadouts for WHM's, and they still didn't do that great.

I would say it's probably the survivability of the MAD's that really make it shine. Most people will tell you that it's easier to leg them, then trying to get through all the additional structure on the CT or ST's. I look at it this way... If I turn a corner and see a WHM and a MAD standing there, I'm shooting at the MAD first. WHM's just don't scare me.

Now they have gotten some structure buffs recently, which is why I went back and tried them again. They still didn't seem that great even though they survive longer now.

[Rogue Jedi]

I prefer the Warhammer but the Marauder is far more survivable, in a MAD I have survived 4+ mechs shooting at me for more than 20 seconds on several occaisions, it seems able to take more punishment than any other Mech. and while I prefer the handeling of the WHM there is not much in it.

If you are a newer player I would recomend the Marauder, if you are more experianced and already know how to spread damage go for the Warhammer

[Exard3k]

I prefer Warhammer and Rifleman over Archer/Marauder. Although all packs are worth the money

[Bud Crue]

Really enjoy the Marauder, particularly those versions with jumpjets. Unfortunately I am not very good with it (feel like I lose my RT when other mechs look at me sometimes). Its a feast or famine mech for me (e.g. one match near a thousand damage followed by six of...significantly less). BH is a blast to play even in a loss.

The Warhammer is far more forgiving and diverse. Only thing it lacks is jump jets.

Archer is in my view utterly meh. Yes you can do a brutal srm4 spam build, but I prefer my Cat A1 for that. Those that I tried to run LRMs with are just not inspiring. Tempest I ended up just going with an energy build.

Didn't buy the Rifleman because I have Quickdraws (felt like I would be cheating on them). I know a lot of folks speak very highly of them though, particularly when played as long range snipers.

[Rhavin]

Warhammer, Maurader, Archer, Rifleman is how I would rate it based on the Strength of the Collectors S variant. The archer and rifleman S variants just are not worth the 20 extra bucks. The maurader and warhammers are if you think you will like the mech.

. If You wanted to rate it on Hero strength alone I would go Black Widow, Tempest, Bounty Hunter then Legend Killer.

If I had 55 bucks I would grab standard Warhammer with Hero upgrade, and then standard Maurader pack. That's 7 great mechs plus 60 days premium. If your set on one chassis all the way Warhammer is hard to beat.

[Morggo]

My .2 cbills....

1. Marauder. - Tankiest of the bunch. Easy to slam out 600dmg games.
2. Warhammer. - Durable, good mounts, wide range of loadout options.
3. Rifleman. - Good mounts and options for energy or dakka.
4. Archer. - Odd duck, but quirks made it more durable. Feels lost what it wants to be.. missiles or energy...

YMMV, but yeah, as suggested above maybe pick up the base package for a couple, get a feel, then splurge on the upgrade for the one you really like.

[s1rGr1nG0]

Thanks for all the input guys. After reading, and re-reading, the data sheets on every variant I narrowed it down to the Marauder or Warhammer. Then I went to the store and fully intended to get the Marauder but wound up getting the Warhammer!
Something was nagging me in the back of my mind to go WH so I did. I pulled the trigger on the collectors pack + the hero upgrade.
Tonight when I get home from work I'll be dropping like crazy!

[Acehighsg]

Archer is for guys who likes LRMs while having a bit more mobility to go toe to toe

[Fobhopper]

s1rGr1nG0, on 08 April 2016 - 08:28 AM, said:

Thanks for all the input guys. After reading, and re-reading, the data sheets on every variant I narrowed it down to the Marauder or Warhammer. Then I went to the store and fully intended to get the Marauder but wound up getting the Warhammer!
Something was nagging me in the back of my mind to go WH so I did. I pulled the trigger on the collectors pack + the hero upgrade.
Tonight when I get home from work I'll be dropping like crazy!

Out of all the mechs from the 'classic/unseen' (I own all of them) I personally prefer the marauder the most. Good hit boxes, lots of health, great ballistic hardpoint locations and lots of loadout options. I personally kind of regret getting the warhammer. The hardpoints, the quirks, the location of hardpoints, the mech just doesnt jive with me. I can play every role, from fire support, sniper, scout, and specialize in brawling, but the warhammer is just too much of a 'jack of all trades'. It does a lot of things well, but it isn't a master of a specific style. I dont dislike the mech, but its lack of specialized roles disappointing. I just cant seem to get a good grasp of the mech.

Out of the other mechs though, I really like the archer (I am one of the few in this game that doesn't hate LRM's), and the two main ones I use are either 9 SRM6's, or 2 LRM10's and 2 LPL's. But the Rifleman, its legitimately the only mech I have ever bought that I regret. I love ballistics, I should love the rifleman, but the damn mech is so weak in armor, so lacks the tonnage to really make it shine in the game. I really wanted to like it, I spent millions upgrading, modifying and modul'ing the mechs out, and I just cant recommend them. They are just too paper-thin in armor, and too light to really be a threat as a primarily ballistic mech.

[s1rGr1nG0]

Fobhopper, on 08 April 2016 - 01:07 PM, said:

Out of all the mechs from the 'classic/unseen' (I own all of them) I personally prefer the marauder the most. Good hit boxes, lots of health, great ballistic hardpoint locations and lots of loadout options. I personally kind of regret getting the warhammer. The hardpoints, the quirks, the location of hardpoints, the mech just doesnt jive with me. I can play every role, from fire support, sniper, scout, and specialize in brawling, but the warhammer is just too much of a 'jack of all trades'. It does a lot of things well, but it isn't a master of a specific style. I dont dislike the mech, but its lack of specialized roles disappointing. I just cant seem to get a good grasp of the mech.

Out of the other mechs though, I really like the archer (I am one of the few in this game that doesn't hate LRM's), and the two main ones I use are either 9 SRM6's, or 2 LRM10's and 2 LPL's. But the Rifleman, its legitimately the only mech I have ever bought that I regret. I love ballistics, I should love the rifleman, but the damn mech is so weak in armor, so lacks the tonnage to really make it shine in the game. I really wanted to like it, I spent millions upgrading, modifying and modul'ing the mechs out, and I just cant recommend them. They are just too paper-thin in armor, and too light to really be a threat as a primarily ballistic mech.

I will probably, at some point, pick up the Marauder. I think it looks just too cool! I'm not an "old school" BT player but I will admit that I bought my very first computer, (waaaay back in 1995), specifically just to play MW2. That opening scene was what got me hooked.
I'll tinker with the WH because I like experimenting with various loadouts to see what I can come up with so if the WH is a jack of all trades then it sounds like I will have lots of options.

[Lanzman]

I have all four and my experience with them makes my preference this:

1 - Marauder. This thing is a freakin' monster. Despite what the dakka-heads will tell you, it's meant to carry a heavy energy weapon load, mainly PPCs. But I have one with four large lasers and an AC/5 for spice and I will tear things up in that mech.
2 - Rifleman. It's not as "tanky" as the MAD or WHM, but the various ballistics options make for some potent damage output. I have the best luck in my single AC/10 / dual AC/2 set-up, but I do fairly well in all the builds I use.
3 - Warhammer. Frankly, altho I love the thing I find it sort of fragile because its side torsos are so large. Again, it's a mech intended to carry mainly energy weapons (and a Warhammer without PPCs is not a Warhammer at all IMHO). I have one with two ER PPcs and two large pulse lasers and it's very effective.
4 - Archer. The LRMs (and this mech is all about LRMs, don't let anyone tell you different) tend to run out quickly even when you slam some extra ammo into it but the reach is phenomenal. My best work in the Archer is the one I've set up with dual LRM-15s and three large lasers. I will cause you pain with that load out. Kind of hot on Caustic or Terra Therma, tho.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

Warhammer or Marauder, and it's all about personal preference there as to which is better.

Either mech has a kind of loser variant (WHM-7S, MAD-5D). Either has a SOLID hero mech. I give ever-so-slight advantage to the MAD for having jump jets on 3/4 variants, and for the 3x B hard points on the one non-JJ variant (all very usable hard points, too). It's been a solid (for ME, anyhow, though I'm quite the scrub) DPS mech with 3x AC/5 or 2x UAC/5.

But the Whammy with 2x AC/10 (I call her, "DoomNipples"), either WHM-6R or Black Widow, is pretty solid as well. The other non-hero variant (GOD the -7S is crap for me) can squeeze 5 LLs into the torsos without sacrificing much, which makes it pretty decent for CW and laser-vomit-dependent drops. And they're all pretty heavily quirked for PPCs, which will make them interesting to look at once the slight PPC buff happens (minor increases to velocity and decreases to heat for ALL PPCs, per Russ).

Neither is really a missile mech, though both have missile hardpoints on at least one variant.

Now, there's nothing WRONG with the ROFLman. I personally REALLY like the RFL-5D with either 4x ERLL or 2x ERPPC and some MPLs. The -3N's ballistic quirks make it a pretty cool Gauss platform (and it can rock the lighter-weight ballistics). -3C also does alright. Haven't tried the LK yet, but I hear it's good for LOLs if you can stomach the IS LB-10X.

Archer? Haven't put in the time in this, but it IS a missile boat primarily. Some folks ignore the missile hard points and just load up on LPLs, though. Still, big torso segments that are pretty easily focused off, and the best builds are either XL-dependent or just SLOW. Tempest hero brings an ultra-rare IS ECM heavy into the mix, though ECM ain't what it used to be.

Not one of them is a BAD chassis, IMO. That said, the WHM and MAD are neck-and-neck for first place in Alpha Lance. I'd go with one of those two, whichever you think is sexier really...