7 replies to this topic

[Iron Tortoise]

I was seeing 732 and some 3 lpl + something builds and i think that the mech, in theory at least, is pretty viable, also i want to be a special snowflake, and i've never seen one on the battlefield, so, are they any good?

[Brizna]

IS Highlander is ultra hard mode, Atlas (another difficult mech to master) is easy mode in comparison. Do not try until you are very experienced.

Highlanders did receive nice armor quirks, still the hit boxes are far from good and the weapon hard points are mostly good for a playing style that has long fallen into oblivion.

EDIT: If you want to spam LPLs, Battlemaster is an easier and better mech.

Edited by Brizna, 29 January 2017 - 07:03 AM.

[Roughneck45]

I wouldn't call it ultra hard mode but other assaults are better.

After JJ's got nerf'd it fell out of favor. It can take some good asymmetrical loadouts and rolls damage pretty well but its slow, can't jump high enough, and is an easy target.

[The Basilisk]

The Highlander has a onesided (geometricaly seen) weapons layout¹, is cumbersomely slow until you elited him FULLY and his jumpjets are next to useless when it comes to offensive jumping but are oddly nessecery to have the faintest chance to keep up with your team.

It boils down to you beeing:

-- an experienced assaultmech pilot beeing accustomed to slow and big weapons platforms
-- experienced in twisting dmg since your, admittedly impressive, armor is your only defense
-- able to use jumpjets to maximum effect
-- used to take maximum effect out of high refire and low alpha builds

to be of any use for your team in an IS Highlander.

As for builds...I prefere this one for his precision.

1: Since I am neither inclined to be a useless LRM assault nor am I too fond of brawling Assaults I have absolutely no use for the missile hardpoints until IS MRMs come out this summer.

Edited by The Basilisk, 29 January 2017 - 08:11 AM.

[Koniving]

Iron Tortoise, on 29 January 2017 - 06:56 AM, said:

I was seeing 732 and some 3 lpl + something builds and i think that the mech, in theory at least, is pretty viable, also i want to be a special snowflake, and i've never seen one on the battlefield, so, are they any good?

Highlanders are 'old', and so you won't see terribly many of them. As an avid Highlander user, I will tell you that yes they are very viable.

Three LPL is actually a pretty decent combination, but it is toasty. Normally people would back that up with SRMs... which makes it deadly but super hot... and a weapon, whether a single gun or a 90 ton 'Mech is no good if it overheats before the job is done or after taking out a single target.
LRMs can help you soften targets before you get close, allowing the three LPL to finish them off with ease. The question becomes is this worth using an XL engine for, when you could run it with a standard engine and survive that much longer?

The alternative is to throw in Artemis, a BAP, and some Streaks. This will allow you to rapidly acquire locks and destroy enemy light forces, which your LPLs will be worthless against due to their torso-mounted nature, you simply won't be able to turn or twist fast enough to deal with them. (You would be using Artemis to exploit the bug that PGI will never fix, allowing 25% faster locks for your Streaks)

Or meet in the middle ground, 3 LPLs, 2 Streaks with BAP, 1 LRM-15+Artemis. Pepper them from afar to soften them. LPLs to finish them. Streaks to scare of any lone pesky lights that might be getting brave.

Always bring a 325 engine.

Also, jumpjets are not required, and I prefer to use just one to get around little 'stumps' in the ground. They are 2 tons each.

Edited by Koniving, 29 January 2017 - 09:53 AM.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Gauss is the best thing to pair with LPL, it keeps you running cold instead of burning up from the triple LPL.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...40e1cdf4b26ad6f

Here's a build I came up with. Just shield with your left side, try to make sure no one hits your guns. I got no heatsinks in the engine so there isn't anything to crit in the CT so that if it does open up it won't be taking extra crit damage (at least after the engine loses health) and it also helps pad the weapons.

Highlander is pretty old, it has some solid builds though and decent hardpoint locations, what keeps it down is that the weapons are low mounted and the mech moves slow. The quirks do help a lot with durability and agility though. Its not the best there is, but its not the worst there is.

[Koniving]

From a personal standpoint, I would prefer a 3 LPL build design on my Heavy Metal (Highlander Hero), but this is due to my preference for lasers in the arms where they are the most useful.

Watch the "o" crosshair in this video, especially while fighting the Hunchback after 3:40 and when dealing with the light soon after.
This ancient skill is lost on many players these days, and is the secret to making highly 'disliked' mechs such as the Dragon to live to their amazing potential. It is also something the 732 will never be able to do with its lasers, though thankfully you can use the 'o' reticle to lock streaks and LRMs. Just remember to hold shift when using the LPLs on your 732 for better control over the torso (if you have armlock off).

Edited by Koniving, 29 January 2017 - 11:49 AM.

[VitriolicViolet]

i run Highlanders quite often, Heavy Metal is my most played mech. Yes they are viable but are often compared to Victor or Vindi as not very good/overly nerfed. I have all of them (and Clan versions) and quite like them. As others have said it does help if your used to piloting assaults, and torso twistinf\g is very necessary as the Highlkander is quite boxy, easy to pick out the shoulders.

i recommend not using XLs (i never do for assaults) and to try take at least one JJ to skip over pebbles and other shouldnt-really-slow-you-down-but-it-does debris.

HGN-733C http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b2289bf5a90488e

Uses max JJ 1x LB10, 1x AC5, 3x SRM4, 1x LL, 1x SL, STD 270. Hits really hard and jumps but it almost to slow for me, i like to keep to 55+ kph for most assaults.

HGN-Hvy-Mtl http://mwo.smurfy-ne...436eddef0f4d9ae

this version of Heavy Metal uses no JJ but it can pack the most (5). considering 5 JJ weighs 10 tons i took them off this one.
Gauss and AC2 have the same velocity and similiar range, and then 2x SRM 6 and 3x SL. STD 320 means it hits 62. You can replicate this mechs hardpoints (but not JJ) on the HGN-732B variant.