31 replies to this topic

[Valtica]

Howdy after having fun with my IS mech Warhammer (many thaks to those who gave me their advice for me so i choose this mech) and Marauder im thinking of trying to pilot a Clan Mechs.

So far my candidate is Kodiak and Hellbringer.

As my playstyle is medium range support and prefer brawling as last resort which one of these 2 is better choice.

And i have question regarding "Wave II" collections in the store. do i get to choose which mech i want if i bought the Koshi Collection or i only get featured mech the Mist Lynx?

The reason why im asking the Wave II Collection is because its included several paint bonuses and several item too and most of all the Hellbringer only available there.

Any advice will be really appreciated.

EDIT: I do have a Dire Wolf from steam sale but after playing it several times i concluded that im unsuited in playing assault mechs.

Edited by EinstZecksclaw, 07 November 2016 - 07:20 AM.

[jd7710]

I have never run a Kodiak, however the Hellbringer has been in my stable since the initial release. Very good mech but a little light on the armor. It does have a var9ant with ecm which can be helpful best suited as a support mech not the tip of the spear

[TercieI]

EinstZecksclaw, on 07 November 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

Howdy after having fun with my IS mech Warhammer (many thaks to those who gave me their advice for me so i choose this mech) and Marauder im thinking of trying to pilot a Clan Mechs.

So far my candidate is Kodiak and Hellbringer.

As my playstyle is medium range support and prefer brawling as last resort which one of these 2 is better choice.

Probably the Kodiak. The KDK-3 is simply the best variant in the game right now. The HBR is a solid mech, but no more than the third-best clan heavy. You might consider the versatile and constantly strong Timber Wolf.

EinstZecksclaw, on 07 November 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

And i have question regarding "Wave II" collections in the store. do i get to choose which mech i want if i bought the Koshi Collection or i only get featured mech the Mist Lynx?

Base level is only the MLX, not an option. If you decide to buy any Wave II pack, you should know they'll be on sale between 11/14-21, so I'd counsel a bit of patience.

EinstZecksclaw, on 07 November 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

The reason why im asking the Wave II Collection is because its included several paint bonuses and several item too and most of all the Hellbringer only available there.

Actually you can buy most variants of the Hellbringer with C-Bills.

EinstZecksclaw, on 07 November 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

Any advice will be really appreciated.

EDIT: I do have a Dire Wolf from steam sale but after playing it several times i concluded that im unsuited in playing assault mechs.

Don't assume that based on the DWF alone. It is an outlier in terms of speed and agility (lack thereof) even among assault mechs. Where it's stuck with an XL300 engine, the KDK usually run an XL375+. That makes an immense difference.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Kdk-3 is an insanelly great mech, so its easy for me to recommend it as a choice to add to your stable. But remember, it is still an assault, so if you dont like assaults, you might want to consider the Night Gyr!

The Night Gyrs benefit is having jump jets, but at the cost of less weaponry and armor. (Mainly because its a heavy mech).

Both mechs are powerful for their weight class, except, of the two, only the kodiak can be obtained with c-bills (as of this date).

[Spheroid]

Are you set on using real money? Most of the best chassis can be bought with c-bills now.

An Artic Cheetah, Adder or Shadow Cat can be configured for medium/long range fairly cheaply.

Edited by Spheroid, 07 November 2016 - 09:16 AM.

[B L O O D W I T C H]

EinstZecksclaw, on 07 November 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

And i have question regarding "Wave II" collections in the store. do i get to choose which mech i want if i bought the Koshi Collection or i only get featured mech the Mist Lynx?

Koshi is the inner sphere callsign for the Mist Lynx.
Being the "lowest" tier of the clan wave II package, it only consists of 1 invasion (i) Mist Lynx and 2 c-bill variants.
You can not choose any 'mechs if you buy a package, you will only ever get what the package contains.
What you can choose however, is the clan camo pattern for the mechs offered in the package.

For the Myst Lynx package, you get to choose one out of the four camopattern as a permanent unlock for all Myst Lynx variants you own (or will own)
The higher the Package the more pattern you can choose.


If you want to choose which mechs out of the Wave II to buy, there is an a la carte option to buy them separately (horrible overpriced, tho).

I would highly recommend to not throw real money at a mystlynx package (they are kinda really bad).

Edited by Toha Heavy Industries, 07 November 2016 - 08:53 AM.

[B0oN]

HBR all day ... swiss army knoife in form of a battlemech .

2€-cents

[The Basilisk]

HBR is a common, often seen mech due to its tonnage beeing very FP friendly and it has an ECM option.
But it is neiter a brawler nor a med range supporter.
This mech is mainly for playing clan style peekaboo or better poking/trading strategies at med to long ranges.
HBRs are bad when it comes to taking dammage.
Also keep in mind that weapon range brackets are much wider with clan weapons.

The Kodiak mech is often hyped as "alpha predator", "best assault" and what not.
Remember its exclusively the KDK3 most ppl are talking about.
Yes it is a great mech...but like every mech you have to master it first.
And this isn't fun with any assault. (Battlemaster 2C .. this thing goes from good to effin awsome)

Timberwolf is good versatile mech with the disadvantage that every one knows this...go figure.
KDK is the same ... every one knows this mech is dangerous....so gues what happens when enemy sees you.

[Rogue Jedi]

Just to further clarify, you said the Helbringer is only available in the Wave 2 pack, as others have said this is completely wrong, you can get Helbringer in the store, under Battlemechs. I believe it lists the prices in both MC and Cbills, those are ether or, not both.

Most Mechs become available for Cbills 3-5 months after initial release.

[FireStoat]

When I got into Clan Mechs, I selected the usual Timber Wolf and enjoyed it, but ended up liking the ebon jaguar a bit more. The Hellbringer has ECM but I simply don't like the performance compared to the TWolf or Ebon Jag.

For Mediums, the Huntsman has performed perfectly for me. It speed is only moderate but its overall mobility when mastered w/ the jump jets is very acceptable. Outstanding loadout with the current omnipod options. Hunchback IIC does the same job and it does it a bit better with focused weapon builds, but the Huntsman hit boxes are solid and seems to do a better job (for me) with mixed weapon choices.

Kodiak is the mech that has people mad. Overall, I think the biggest strength it has is its ability to maneuver like a Heavy while actually being an Assault w/ clan weapons. The Marauder IIC is just around the corner and I'm picking up the basic 3 pack and will probably be delighted with its build / mobility choices when the engine's replaced with a 350 or 375 XL.

[Moebius Pi]

The Kodiak-3 is likely to get whammied by the nerf hammer; buyer beware. The KDK-3 may be considered "easy mode" much like the Arctic Cheetah was as a Light, but there is something to keep in mind. A Crutch is a crutch; the bitchfests when an "alpha predator mech" gets adjusted are pretty epic, and they aren't exactly rare, you can bet the KDK-3 is going to see something down the road. Relying on flavour of the month(s) chassis are fine and well if you're going competitive, but they come and go as the often non-sensical nerfbats come and go.

That said... the other variants have some fun heavy hitting builds, and the zippy "less tanky Atlas on pcp" Hero is entertaining, though nowhere near the dominance of the 3. Even if they simply had quirks removed for the 3, it'd be a monster, and unless it is substantially negatively quirked (or entirely unlikely, remodelled) it's going to stay a solid choice just from hardpoint layouts, much like lighter Banshees and Battlemasters with their high energy mounts if you want to dip your toes into a much more forgiving Assault than the norm.

If you want pure assault tankiness (again subject to requirkenings), the slowpoke IIC Highlanders are that as far as assaults go, but they're hellish to master and an acquired taste.

Are you planning on playing CW/FP? Fluctuating tonnages can wreak havoc, especially when building a deck around a 100 tonner, and that comes and goes depending on what is considered "OP".

Hellbringers are consistent; an ECM pod can be relatively cheaply bought to round out the variants you are mastering so they're all benefiting. Their tonnage is easy to work with, and you can put a pokey roster of them for mid to long ranges without feeling like you're gimping yourself.

Also... they aren't quirk reliant, so rarely do you feel shafted when a quirkening is afoot. Bringing a chunk of them and something else to fill in rarely feels like shooting yourself in the foot, even if they aren't the strongest heavy. Their primary firepower can often be neutered though, but in a few months you'll have access to the Loyalty variant pod most likely to help lessen that if going all energy.

Build wise they aren't the most versatile though; the real swiss army knife Timberwolf and Ebon Jaguar are -very- good choices if you like build options and variety, especially if you get bored of mono-builds. No ECM of course, which is a hellbringer claim to fame with some good chest/head mounts, but it's well worth considering those as alternatives. That alone can give them quite a lot longevity in your mechbays.

I won't suggest the Night Gyr as the first heavy; despite their very good hardpoints, they're slow as molasses, especially before speed tweak and often feel like a flimsy Assault while you're getting the swing of them, so your mileage is very likely to vary. The jump jets are nice as well as the ballistic capabilities, but I'd edge you towards the more mobile and forgiving clan heavies if the slowpoke route isn't your thing.

[Alreadythere]

Something like this KDK-3 rocks. Sure, you might get taken out fast once in a while, but usually only after extracting a hefty price. Just remember you aren't invincible. I've only basiced two other variants, the difference to KDK-3 is huge.

Haven't played the Hellbringer, but from all I've seen it's good. ECM with ok hardpoints on a fast heavy.

[Valtica]

First of all thanks for all the advice.

Hmm considering that the wave II pack will be on sale i will be wait patiently while i consider my decision to buy the pack or not.

For now im saving c-bills for modules, so i might rely on real money but because its not that urgent i will take my time consider the mechs i want.

Too bad Koshi package only contains Mist Lynx, if i can choose it would be a sure buy because of the bonuses. As for the ala carte i definitely agreed of it being extremely overpriced.

So far what understand is
- Hellbringer = stable platform with many option but kinda squishy that direct combat is not advised but its selling point were ECM.
- Kodiak = an Assault that considered easy to use but nerfbat is more likely coming to this mech.


Aside from those two i will try research Timber Wolf and Ebon Jaguar because some of you recommended it.

Darn i forgot they gonna release the Marauder lIC, gonna check on that too.

As for CW/FP im still too green to attempt it, but i will try it later time.

[Koniving]

The Dire Wolf is the slowest assault in MWO due to the fact that most assaults of similar speeds can change their engines and the Dire Wolf cannot. (If PGI would quirk it to go the stated speed of 53 kph pre-speed tweak, that'd be pretty nifty)

I like both Hellbringers and Kodiaks. As a Kodiak you can take pretty good punishment and dish it out. You'd also be the big thing that everyone will shoot at immediately.
"KODIAK, base, Kodiak!! I need Mechs here now!" (Ghost Bear Intro, MW2)

Hellbringers also draw a lot of fire, but not nearly so much as a Kodiak would.

Good luck with your choice.

I have two vids I could drop here, from a Kodiak novice like myself.


These aren't the best things in the world, but I do use several Kodiaks in them.

[Leone]

EinstZecksclaw, on 07 November 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

EDIT: I do have a Dire Wolf from steam sale but after playing it several times i concluded that im unsuited in playing assault mechs.

My suggestion would be to hold off on the Kodiak, for the reasons you stated. If you feel unsuited, then go for a more manouverable heavy. Once you've gotten a better handle on the game and positioning, try your Daishi (Direwolf) again. Once you find yourself enjoying that one, but maybe feeling like you could trade out a bit of weaponry for more movement, then think on the Kodiak. Otherwise I'm worried you'll find it only a bit more palatable than what you've already got.

So, Moving on. Clan Heavies you've mentioned.

Mad Cat (Timberwolf); Can jump via S chassis omnis. Most armour, fairly easy to target side torso on, lotta build options.
Cauldron Born (Ebon Jaguar); Can load as many weapons as a timber, better ability to twist damage, lotta build options.
Loki (Hellbringer); Can take Ecm, often get side torso blown out due most taking the ecm torso, lotta build options.

Go omnipods with all them build options! So, in short, Mad Cat for jumping and sheer armour, Loki for ECM, and Cauldron Born for viciousness in a slightly lighter package.

~Leone.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

Hellbringer is a personal fav, but it only has a small selection of viable (read: good) builds

KDK-3 is the undisputed meta king of being OP. So good it almost is not fun.

Timberwolf is the single most versatile mech in the game.

[Jingseng]

If you are unsuited to playing assault mechs, kodiaks should not be in your list.

for medium range support, I would suggest Shadowcats or Ebon Jags depending on weight class and play style. Alternatively, hunchIIc, stormcrow, huntsman, and to a lesser extent mad dog are also good candidates. Timberwolf if you want more firepower and don't mind being focused from time to time (actually, that's probably true of all the listed mechs, for various reasons).

Edit: It sounds like you prefer to snipe at medium ranges and be more mobile (although that's, imho an odd choice at times for whm and mad). For that, kdk is... kinda wrong. Kdk really should be heading into brawl range, especially as it can zombie fairly well. Pick kdk if you like to regularly receive mean comments from your team.

based on what you said. I'd think ebj would go well for you, followed maybe by mad dog and timberwolf.

Edited by Jingseng, 07 November 2016 - 08:10 PM.

[Spheroid]

Those paints are nothing special and Clan mechs have large amounts of gun metal visible. Pretty much everyone agrees the Ghostbear pattern is the only one that looks good. Wave II is such a bad deal.

The real winner was always Wave III which has the Ebon Jaguar and Artic Cheetah. Both great mechs. Don't get me wrong I love the Hellbringer, but I would never spend that kind of money for one good mech and three lemons. If only you had joined a few weeks earlier you could have qualified for the sweet loyalty Hellbringer-F and not had to worry about expense of purchasing the Wave II collection.

I submit as an alternative you simply buy the Hero Timberwolf for $20 which ships November 15th and slap an A-pod LT on it and call it day.

[Valtica]

Well the reason im kinda interested in Wave II pack is because they gave several paint bonuses, but then again because the mech i want is forcefully bundled with mechs i wont use is kinda make me want to drop the plan entirely plus the ala carte is overpriced and wont included in Black Friday discount either so high possibility i wont buy the Hellbringer.

Sadly the Ebon Jaguar and Shadow Cat also suffer from same problem, so for now my best bet is the hero Timberwolf and possibly the Clan Marauder.

Kodiak is out of the choice now because im still not confident in piloting an assault but might reconsider it after i gained more experience in assault.

Hopefully they gonna release a Clan Warhammer some time in the future.

[Audacious Aubergine]

If you want to take a bit of a risk and don't mind spending real money, the Linebacker comes out next week and is still up for preorder. Looks like it could be suited for the kind of play you're after but like I said, it's a risk since the mech hasn't been released yet?