16 replies to this topic

[GrumpyMuppet]

So I am mastering one mech of each class and want to remain loyal to IS.

Which assault mech do you recommend?
Preferably, it will have different build options for three variants, and none of them Being duds.

I'm finding that I enjoy brawler mechs most. Fave mechs so far are the blackjack (BJ1) with ac20 and 2 mpl and the warhammer with an AC20 and 4 mpl.

I'm thinking atlas, just because it is THE archetypal mech, but not sure if they are outshone by the king crab? Open to other suggestions too.
Also, I'm about to choose a faction but I'm rusty on the lore. If my mechs are blackjack, warhmmaer and raven (and choose an assault) does that lend to any of the IS houses more than the others?

[Rear Admiral Tier 6]

Mauler is the mid-long range king,excellent hardpoints and reasonable tonnage to have hard hitting ballistic builds.

[Audacious Aubergine]

Atlas vs King Crab is subjective. I've mastered both and I tend to prefer the King Crab for the possible loadouts I can carry on it (that is, a factory's worth of autocannons) but an SRM+AC20 Atlas is still terrifying at close range despite recent releases and rebalances etc. Both of them are the highest priority targets though, so be prepared to go down in flames very quickly if you put yourself into the open without a way out, backup or a death wish

[Spheroid]

If you want build variety your best choice are Maulers.

Edited by Spheroid, 24 October 2016 - 11:18 PM.

[Kimberm1911]

If it's your first assault I would advise against the Atlas or King Crab. They are both difficult to pilot, and can be frustrating if you don't have experience. The Mauler, Banshee 3m, Battlemaster or stalker are probably your best bet as they are currently meta, and are somewhat easy to pilot (at least for assaults). If you are really itching for a brawler, the stalker 5m is possibly the second best brawler in the game. Some people may not believe me, but I truly believe the 5m outclasses everything short of an Atlas As7-s in terms of brawling, and even gives that mech a run for uts money. With the SRM range quirk, it has 337 meter range SRMS, and it amazing side torsos make it incredibly hard to kill. You can also zombie with a CT LPL. I've both seen, and done some crazy things in the stalker 5m. In addition stalkers have great build variaty asside from ballistic potential, and none the used variants are irrelevant.

Edited by Kimberm1911, 25 October 2016 - 09:29 AM.

[Jay Leon Hart]

GrumpyMuppet, on 24 October 2016 - 10:26 PM, said:

Also, I'm about to choose a faction but I'm rusty on the lore. If my mechs are blackjack, warhammer and raven (and choose an assault) does that lend to any of the IS houses more than the others?

According to Sarna
Raven is both a Capellan Confederation and Free Worlds League 'mech
Blackjack is both a Capellan Confederation and Federated Suns 'mech
Warhammer is a general Inner Sphere 'mech

So far, Capellan Confederation ticks 2/3 but none of their Assault 'mechs are out yet

General IS Assault 'mechs that will likely be suggested;
Atlas
Banshee
Battlemaster
Cyclops
Stalker

Draconis Combine;
Mauler

Free Rasalhague Republic;
Mauler

Then there's the King Crab, which comes under Comstar / SLDF

[Ayatolla of Rock and Rolla]

stalkers/battlemasters are still not to be left under. 2 85 tonners both of which are very capable laser shooters with good hardpoints.
stalkers can be top notch brawlers as well with a bunch of srm's.

forget about highlanders and victors tho. sad existences of a glorious past....

banshee's are really really slow now and lack the structure/armor quirks and die rather fast due to their huge silhouette. still work well with proper loadouts tho.

[Kuaron]

Seeing you piloting a Raven, I welcome you to the Confederation, citizen Muppet!

You might be interested in this thread for finding out more about the different houses' typical Mechs.

[Recon Strike]

For your first assault, I would strongly recommend the Stalker.

It was my first assault and felt right at home. They are very versatile in terms of range and role. You can make every variant work for short/medium range or long range as you please.
They are also relatively cheap to outfit since you can make very effective loadouts that don't need endo steel. The only upgrade that you will always want is DHS.

And the best thing about them.. err.. is that the best things about them can't be nerfed: their high hardpoint locations and ability to spread damage. So they will allways be good and are a good investment as such.

[Steel Raven]

It really depends considering Assaults require a noticeable different approach from Mediums and Assaults. I've done fairly well with heavies but mechs like the Stalker take effort and currently finding the Banshee quit the challenge considering it's slow at everything.

That said, the Mauler is the current Dakka king for the IS, second only to the King Crab. Just keep in mind that the Mauler has relatively low mounts and the King Crab is a slow moving big target.

The Stalker is still praised. Though not a brawler per say, you have the 5S Large Pulse Laser build and the 5M "ALL THE SRMs!" builds. The AC/20 Misery is still popular if your looking for a Hero Mech.

The Atlas is slow, big target but still tough and scary. The Banshee 3S Meta Mech Build looks good on paper with better torso twist than 3E (whats killing me right now)

The Cyclops is looking more impressing every game, SRM builds can be as brutal as Stalker 5M (speaking as a man who has been hit by one)

Last; The Kodiak is amazingly easy to pilot if you don't mind it being a clan mech (could always say you stole it like in Mechwarrior 2: Mercs) As someone who struggles with Assaults, it's the one the lives up to the hype.

[GrumpyMuppet]

I can't imagine the stalker brawling... Doesn't it have really bad torso twist?

I think, based on this, it is between the mauler, battlemaster and cyclops. Battlemaster probably the most likely as it has a mastery package for sale... If anyone can comment on the 3 mechs in that? (Hell slinger, 2c, 1s)

[SlightlyMobileTurret]

STK-5M has remarkable firepower. Actually matching the AS7-S without issues. It doesn't need to twist more than that range really, it wiggles to spread damage.

[Corrado]

GrumpyMuppet, on 24 October 2016 - 10:26 PM, said:

So I am mastering one mech of each class and want to remain loyal to IS.

Which assault mech do you recommend?
Preferably, it will have different build options for three variants, and none of them Being duds.

I'm finding that I enjoy brawler mechs most. Fave mechs so far are the blackjack (BJ1) with ac20 and 2 mpl and the warhammer with an AC20 and 4 mpl.

I'm thinking atlas, just because it is THE archetypal mech, but not sure if they are outshone by the king crab? Open to other suggestions too.
Also, I'm about to choose a faction but I'm rusty on the lore. If my mechs are blackjack, warhmmaer and raven (and choose an assault) does that lend to any of the IS houses more than the others?

i do really like the Boar's Head with 5LPL or 6LL. the brawler AS7-S with 4ASRM6 AC20 is very situational but there is no better at punch range. Mauler from mid-range with 4UAC5 or 5AC5, the Mauler 2P with AC20+1LPL+5ML has really nice heatgen and laser duration quirks. Mauler 1R with 2xAC10 4xSRM4 is another good short range striker. Banshee-3M is the king of LPL+ML vomit, hence his giant CT is the only assault i recommend running a 400XL in.
Gauss speaking, the king crab is the best assault as gauss platform (since can mount the gauss rifles in the arms and dont explode as soon as your torsoes are yellow). i do run the 000B for that, with 2GAUSS 3LL STD325. the KCrab000 is funny with 2AC20 and STD360 or 4UAC5, while the 0000 i do run it with 4xASRM6 and 4xML pretty much like an AS7-S. both arms do works just as shields and high torso mounted SRMs and Lasers are good at short range hill peekabo.
Even if Stalkers could deliver a really good punch in SRM terms, side torsoes goes off too fast (no shield arms)
I dont have Cyclops but i'd like to try the 7SRM build.

[Kimberm1911]

GrumpyMuppet, on 26 October 2016 - 02:15 AM, said:

I can't imagine the stalker brawling... Doesn't it have really bad torso twist?

I think, based on this, it is between the mauler, battlemaster and cyclops. Battlemaster probably the most likely as it has a mastery package for sale... If anyone can comment on the 3 mechs in that? (Hell slinger, 2c, 1s)

............ The stalker 5m is one of the best brawling chassis, no contest. I dare you to try and hit that CT in a close range brawl. In addition, 5 SRM 6 plus artemis hits very very hard, especially with 337 meter range. You have effectively 67 extra meters of range compared to other brawlers.

[Corrado]

Kimberm1911, on 26 October 2016 - 05:58 AM, said:

............ The stalker 5m is one of the best brawling chassis, no contest. I dare you to try and hit that CT in a close range brawl. In addition, 5 SRM 6 plus artemis hits very very hard, especially with 337 meter range. You have effectively 67 extra meters of range compared to other brawlers.

to shoot a stalker CT, you just need to aim the belly. but few does so the stalker gets ST ripped off in seconds. also no arms to shield with so a KDK just neutralize it in less than you can spell STALKER

[Recon Strike]

GrumpyMuppet, on 26 October 2016 - 02:15 AM, said:

I can't imagine the stalker brawling... Doesn't it have really bad torso twist?

Corrado, on 26 October 2016 - 06:09 AM, said:

to shoot a stalker CT, you just need to aim the belly. but few does so the stalker gets ST ripped off in seconds. also no arms to shield with so a KDK just neutralize it in less than you can spell STALKER

If that is your issue you should build an asym brawling stalker... You only have to twist a tiny bit to make it almost impossible to miss the shield torso. That way they have to grind through the armor of the ST and (at a reduced rate) through the CT. That's when a stalker becomes very durable.

Here are some asym ideas:

STK-5M: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e38bdf6f8f4af5d

Misery: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...144ceec06d850de

Both run nice and cool, but still pack a punch. Both have an entirely empty shield side, so you don't even lose heatsinks when they are destroyed. Both of these work very well for me...

[Steel Raven]

GrumpyMuppet, on 26 October 2016 - 02:15 AM, said:

I can't imagine the stalker brawling... Doesn't it have really bad torso twist?

Not as bad as Banshee's
The Stalker 3F actually has a decent torso twist, the others are limited no more than other assaults. I have out flanked King Crabs and Dire Wolves in lighter mechs as easily as any Stalker. That said, it's very much a 'face towards enemy' mech.

GrumpyMuppet, on 26 October 2016 - 02:15 AM, said:

I think, based on this, it is between the mauler, battlemaster and cyclops. Battlemaster probably the most likely as it has a mastery package for sale... If anyone can comment on the 3 mechs in that? (Hell slinger, 2c, 1s)

I did like the Champion Battlemaster while it was on trail, Hellslinger seems versatile, 1S has lost some bit over the constant requirking but hey, 'SRMs!'

(keep in mind you can still get a Cyclops pack for $20 at the store)