So, after observing thread after thread, comment after comment of players who continue to bash on the Kit Fox, I've decided to write this one up. It's really a misunderstood (and often misused) 'Mech, which really has tremendous flexibility in what you can do with it.
The first thing to be aware of is that the Kit Fox is really a tiny, tiny fragile medium masquerading as a light 'Mech. It does not run fast. It does not speedtank. So why would you pilot something like this in the first place? With the advent of the ACH in the clan stables, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Kit Fox is obsolete.
Flexibility. With a cXL engine that isn't oversized for its chassis weight, you have an enormous amount of pod space for a light 'Mech. With full armour (sans some head armour and a tiny amount of leg armour), and no extra weight from fixed equipment on any OmniPod, the Kit Fox has an enormous 15 tons of pod space on a 30-ton light mech. That's right - half of its mass is weapons, ammo and other killy gear! Couple that with lightweight clan weapons, and you've got a recipe for a light mech that hits extremely hard for its weight and size - much like an Adder.
Unlike the Adder, however, it has OmniPods with Jump Jets available. Up to 6 can be fitted, giving the Kit Fox fairly good vertical mobility. You can mix and match these for as much vertical mobility as you require, but keep in mind that all of these OmniPods come with negative structure penalties. Which brings me to the next reason why someone would want to use a Kit Fox.
It's also deceptively agile with its acceleration-deceleration quirks. Even with only a cXL180, the Kit Fox decelerates, accelerates and turns much, much faster than a raven with a XL275. Sure, it doesn't get the same top speed, but it turns exceptionally well, and can side-peek much better with a far bigger payload.
Durability. Yes, yes, I've heard it a lot of times. More times than I care to remember, from people who like to pilot heavies or fast lights. The Kit Fox is supposedly fragile due to its size and lack of speed. It really is huge. It also has some of the most obscene structural and armour quirks for a light 'Mech, which easily puts it 10-15 tons higher in durability depending on what OmniPods you take. The Prime RA (ballistic RA) has a whopping +20 armour on it. KFX-D arms (missile arms) have +10 armour and +10 structure, making them almost as good. STs have +7 structure, and legs have +14. This means that your Kit Fox, to start with, should have about 82 additional hitpoints on it spread out all over the mech. It's no Hunchback as far as tankiness goes, but for a slow mech it's quite respectable.
It also has the most amazing shield arms in the game because of the way the arms are shaped. Massive, paddle-shaped forearms, which get a VCR box taped to the top and bottom if you choose to run missiles on them. Simply put, these things block over two thirds of your side profile. They're that big. You can consciously roll damage very well just by turning side-to-side. I've lost count of how many times I've ended a match in a Kit Fox below 15-20% hp, just because people can't really hit the part they want to hit.
But enough of that. You want to see the useful builds for the glorious toolbox of infinite flexibility. I will split these by type of build.
Sometimes to deliver more damage, you got to make sure the enemy can't do damage back. This thing can do very well with its high mounted UAC10, and it shuts down enemy mechs if they try to get close. Substitute ERSLs for flamers if you want a bigger punch.
All weapons on one side. Use the right side as a deadside. Use this to annoy the living daylights out of enemy heavies and assaults, and to make cowardly pilots hesitate.
This build runs cold. Very cold. It can work on Terra Therma, spamming missiles all day long, and you'd still be ready to fire some more at the end of it. Plenty of ammo makes piloting this fairly forgiving as far as ammo conservation is concerned.
Similar to the above, but with bigger alpha strikes. If you want to poke and fight in close-quarters urban settings like Frozen City, this build will wreck face. Get in, fire a cloud of missiles, get out. KFX-D arm quirks make C-SRM6 behave almost as though it has Artemis.
When you feel like your missiles are still hitting everything but your target, maybe your KFX just needs a little push. Sometimes getting up closer isn't the push you can have, so the C-ASRM6 helps it hit that much further with more accuracy. Runs hotter than the builds above, and has less ammo. Make sure every shot counts.
Now we're entering anti-light-cheese territory. This build sacrifices a bit more armour to fit in some more ammo. Honestly, however, ASRM6x4 should be used instead. Streaks are fairly useless against big enemies, and has a horrendous reload time.
Plays differently to other LRM boats. Stick by your direct-fire bigger buddies and help them kill whatever they're shooting at.
LRM 30 + NARC / 1080 shots
As above, except with NARC. Use the NARC to jam enemy ECM if possible; this will help your team a LOT. Slow, barely-mobile targets are also good.
Kit Fox is angry, and is baring its sharp (but small) teeth. With careful positioning, this build can absolutely demolish mechs when vulturing. Requires a very, very ballsy team to work.
Kit Fox is angry, but wants to spitball at a longer distance first before engaging. ERPPC lets you throw some hurt out when your team is too cowardly to push.
Important to note that the PPC mount on the KFX's right arm is cockpit level, if a little bit far right. An alternative is to trade in the TComp for an additional 5 heatsinks, if you are supremely confident with leading your targets with slow PPC bolts.
Sometimes, you just want to see the world burn. Or maybe just your mech. This build runs VERY hot, but it is front loaded damage and requires absolute minimum face time.
Support Builds
Spoiler
ECM PPC sniper
Taking the path of a glorified mech-sized drone is often one of the best ways to play the Kit Fox. When there's a bigger, badder mech next to you, you are quite literally invisible to everyone because you look so harmless. Spread the love by shielding your big sugar daddy (direwhale) with ECM. He'll love you long time.
ERSLs give reasonable protection at nearly no weight and heat cost for when the ERPPC drives you close to the edge. PPC itself lets you hit things during the skirmish phase of the match.
You're still on this path? Then the next path to support enlightenment is the true support build. ECM-AMS. Yes, I hear all the time that AMS is redundant when ECM is on. No, it's not entirely true. At least not after the last ECM change which makes shielding sugardaddies with your lovely ECM that much harder (without getting trodden on or blocking their path when they try to reverse or turn). 90m really is tiny.
Not to mention that if ECM is all you rely on, then if you get NARC-ed, TAG-ed or have any form of active probe user around you, your ECM is made useless. This means that you - and your big sugar daddy - are exposed to enemy fire.
Triple AMS with AMS overload can easily chew through up to three Clan LRM launchers with 80-90% efficiency, and prevent two or less from even penetrating. It can block up to IS LRM10 - and will shoot down a NARC before it hits, provided that the AMS isn't busy shooting down other missiles. Sadly, it does not work all too well against SRMs or SSRMs; you'd block two or three in a cloud before it hits you.
Have a penchant for Polar LRMlands? Want to smack the enemy down with a glorious pseudo-deathstar 12 Narc/Tag kills? Then this is for you! ECM for stealth. NARC for marking enemies for death. PPC to jam enemy ECM. TAG for longer range marking.
SPECIAL: Purifier Builds
These builds REQUIRE the Kit Fox Hero mech! They are substantially more powerful than the standard KFX loadouts!
The Kit Fox's long-awaited dream of being an actual threat to the battlefield comes true with the Annihilator build of the KFX-Purifier.
This build provides the most obscenely powerful alpha strike available to light mechs, WITHOUT tripping ANY form of ghost heat. 72 damage alpha, 24 of which is pinpoint, gives this Kit Fox the bite of a heavy while being one of the squattest, shortest lights present in game.
With 58.8 heat cap on a mastered KFX, this gives a total of 3 alpha strikes WITHOUT overheating or blowing a Cool Shot on cold maps, or 2 alpha strikes on normal and hot maps. Cool Shot will be a must on this if you really feel the urge to bring the pain on enemy mechs.
This is where your enemies stop mocking you for trying to snipe with low-mounted arms. Because your right ear is stronger than their right bicep. Two ERPPCs mounted on the right torso place your weapons well above your cockpit, making sure that you will not hit the terrain while firing.
Pay VERY close attention to the KFX-C LT omnipod! That 5% heat generation quirk is very important to give this kitfox build as much cooling capacity as is humanly possible on a light mech with big guns!
This build is very useful when you want to dismantle enemy mechs very quickly with absurd pinpoint DPS. It runs so cold that if you ever run into any other mech with ERMLs or MLs, you can be confident that you can out-trade them in a brawl by pure heat efficiency. Just roll damage when they're firing at you, and then unload into them when they're not. Remember to rip off the enemy mech's side with most guns; if it doesn't use a XL engine or is running cXL, it loses most of its firepower, and if it does use an IS XL, it's an instant kill.
Without ECM, however, you really need to know the maps to navigate the Kit Fox safely to your target. Ambushing is one option, but often, the longer walks around the map are the shortest and safest ways of getting to your enemy's back lines.
LocationStationed at the Iron Dingo's Base on Dumassas
Posted 11 May 2016 - 04:24 PM
It would be great if you could design a Kit Fox for Scouting missions, specifically Protect Intel missions. I run a Mist Lynx for Gather missions, and I would like to run a light that packs a bit more punch for Protect Missions.
It would be great if you could design a Kit Fox for Scouting missions, specifically Protect Intel missions. I run a Mist Lynx for Gather missions, and I would like to run a light that packs a bit more punch for Protect Missions.
I found the quad MPL or quad SRM4 one works quite well with that, but it's hard to work with because the intel attackers usually run really fast mechs. You'd have to camp their extraction point and hope you can blow off their legs with one good hit.
LocationStationed at the Iron Dingo's Base on Dumassas
Posted 11 May 2016 - 07:44 PM
Thanks for the advice. I really want to be successful with under appreciated mechs such as the Mist Lynx and the Kit Fox, and things like this can help with that. I guess when it comes down to it, I'm the type of person who will deliberately reject what is considered to be "Meta" and will do exactly the opposite, all while trying to be successful in order to prove that it can be done. For example, LRM boating in Scout mode? Why not? No one runs AMS in Scout mode and if you have BAP ECM isn't really a problem.
Thanks for the advice. I really want to be successful with under appreciated mechs such as the Mist Lynx and the Kit Fox, and things like this can help with that. I guess when it comes down to it, I'm the type of person who will deliberately reject what is considered to be "Meta" and will do exactly the opposite, all while trying to be successful in order to prove that it can be done. For example, LRM boating in Scout mode? Why not? No one runs AMS in Scout mode and if you have BAP ECM isn't really a problem.
Well, the biggest problem I see with LRM boating in scout mode is that fast lights will either close the gap or run behind cover too quickly, and as a light you generally don't pack enough tubes to make a big enough dent.
My Kit Fox outperforms my Firestarters and here is the surprise...i flank or infiltrate far into enemy territory.
I like to be flexible with my weapon selection. 1x ERSL, 1x ERML, 4x MG, ECM, JJ, and either ER LL or a ER PPC.
Damage unstable. 150 to 600 but sometimes spikes into 700 to +900.
The most amusing ability of this build is when i'm the only survivor on my team and the enemy is all slow mechs.
I can engage at the range that suits me since a Kit Fox is still faster than an assault mech and thus an a pair of assault brawler mechs becomes toothless kittens.
This has been my most successful KFX build (though mine's on a Prime CT). I keep the support hardware safe by poking only with the left side. I only have that one KFX at the moment, but I plan on getting the hero chassis, and may also buy back my KFX-S. I can't remember why I got rid of the other variants...
GamerGirlGundam, on 10 October 2016 - 10:06 AM, said:
that Purifier close range build looks brutal coming out of a surprise cutiefox
does anyone have a theorycrafted energy boat Purifier build already ? (5ml might be a bit hot ? idk)
I have a theory, but it depends on where the torso energy hardpoints are located. If at least one of the two are up where the ballistic hardpoints are for the KFX-S, then I'm looking at using the KFX-C right arm, the KFX-Prime left arm, and running 2ERLLs and 5 SPLs, along with fitting one KFX-S leg to get a pair of jump jets.
I suspect they'll put one torso hardpoint up at the ballistic spot, but the second either beside the cockpit or lower. If you can play with the loadout to position both ERLLs to the top hardpoint you can barely peek over hills and unload long range damage (and ECM will help avoid being seen or targeted), plus you'll have 5 SPLs to use against any lights who come investigating. Might have to change those SPLs to SLs though and fit some heatsinks.
The KFX hero isn't going to make this chassis the best of its class but I am pretty sure it's going to be the best of its chassis. We don't know quirks yet, but if they are decent KFX might become better than ADR, and ADR is a very decent mech.
GamerGirlGundam, on 10 October 2016 - 10:06 AM, said:
that Purifier close range build looks brutal coming out of a surprise cutiefox
does anyone have a theorycrafted energy boat Purifier build already ? (5ml might be a bit hot ? idk)
Kit Fox is still hampered by an undersized engine (and therefore PoorDubs) so even running 4ML is rather hot.
Keeping in mind that a CERSL is more or less equivalent to an IS ML, you might want to try going with 8x CERSL and pad the rest of the space with DHS + 1x TComp I, or 7x CERSL + 1 ECM + 1x TComp I. This results in a mech with a reasonable ranged pinpoint alpha with still good heat management.
In last sale I brough one Kit Fox. I thought it having nominally 5 tons more, plus then some(due to lower engine), it would be simply a better light sniper than my belowed Mist Lyxt. I have 2 ER-L lasers on both, plus ECM obviously. With Mist Lynx I have very light amount of armor to carry those lasers, with Kit Fix I have better armor plus few more heat sinks.
Turns out it's not very good, at least with that loadout. It's so huge and you have to expose so much to be able to shoot. I lose the arm all the time and then I'm left with no weapons. Where as Mist Lynx is nearly immortal.
So far I haven't been able to make it work. Also initially I tried to run it with 3x AMS. I even unlocked AMS overload module just for it and bought it. But, fight after fight, I had no use for it. I tried to cover my allies but LRM boats are so rare I never could see it to work. I even turned off the ECM to help enemies lock on the friendlies close by in case they have LRMs, so see how effective those AMS's are, but no.
So eventually after few dozens of games I decided to drop them as it was just wasted tonnage better spent on heat sinks, plus it's difficult to snipe the enemy when you are along with rest of your team. But overall I really struggle to make any impact and I really hate losing the weapon arm so often. Mist Lynx also has it weapons on one arm only but I rarely lose it, at least no prematurely, even though having very little armor unlike in Kit Fox.
Never underestimate the Uller! I have had great success with any of the SRM loadouts of the D config. Long since I've piloted one now, but I sure will get around to it eventually. They are very fun to pilot. And nothing is as satisfying as acting like a jenner, smashing surms into heavies, assaults and even faster lights that gets to cocky!
LocationStationed at the Iron Dingo's Base on Dumassas
Posted 16 October 2016 - 11:49 AM
Teer5, on 16 October 2016 - 10:21 AM, said:
In last sale I brough one Kit Fox. I thought it having nominally 5 tons more, plus then some(due to lower engine), it would be simply a better light sniper than my belowed Mist Lyxt. I have 2 ER-L lasers on both, plus ECM obviously. With Mist Lynx I have very light amount of armor to carry those lasers, with Kit Fix I have better armor plus few more heat sinks.
Turns out it's not very good, at least with that loadout. It's so huge and you have to expose so much to be able to shoot. I lose the arm all the time and then I'm left with no weapons. Where as Mist Lynx is nearly immortal.
So far I haven't been able to make it work. Also initially I tried to run it with 3x AMS. I even unlocked AMS overload module just for it and bought it. But, fight after fight, I had no use for it. I tried to cover my allies but LRM boats are so rare I never could see it to work. I even turned off the ECM to help enemies lock on the friendlies close by in case they have LRMs, so see how effective those AMS's are, but no.
So eventually after few dozens of games I decided to drop them as it was just wasted tonnage better spent on heat sinks, plus it's difficult to snipe the enemy when you are along with rest of your team. But overall I really struggle to make any impact and I really hate losing the weapon arm so often. Mist Lynx also has it weapons on one arm only but I rarely lose it, at least no prematurely, even though having very little armor unlike in Kit Fox.
Which one did you buy? I've found great success with 4 MGs and 4ERMLs on the S.
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