25 replies to this topic

[1453 R]

And by 'Hunter', they mean "Rick Hunter", because that Skull Squadron Veritech Phoenix Hawk is fly as hell.

But yes. The next set of fancy custom robits is the Hunter Pack featuring the PXH-7S and the STK-7D. Both are very energy-centric variants, and each shares a head-mounted energy hardpoint that would be much more useful if they had access to one-slot large lasers. Still, ain't nothing.

The PXH-7S is M.A.S.C. capable and runs 7e for its loadout, with 2e in each arm and 1e each in both shoulders and the face. Full set of six Pixhawk jumpy-jets, not that anybody will keep the six, and comes fully deck out of the box with endo, ferro, DHS< and a Light 270. No ECM, so no God's Trifecta of ECM, Hops, and M.A.S.C., but M.A.S.C. on a Pixhawk promises a very nimble machine indeed. I'm foreseeing a lot of basic standard ML spam on this sucker, possibly with people trying to give the Crab a run for its pinchers as a STD brawler. Don't think it'll be amazing in that role, honestly think the better fits are going to be the ones that stick with the LFE or even an XL and go for high-speed skirmisher, but whichever way it goes it'll look damn good doing it. Until it gets shot, anyways.

The STK-7D has a head energy hardpoint and two CT energy hardpoints, as well as two more energy in each shoulder and exactly one missile in each arm. If it had access to one-slot large lasers it'd be a goddamn nightmare - the Stalker's already an infamous zombie and deadside 'Mech, giving it three centerline energy is just asking for Zombie Apocalypse moments. As it stands, the thing has no hops, no ECM, and no M.A.S.C. Just a big mess of torso-mounted energy and two nearly superfluous missile launchers. I could see some deeply durable LFE/STD deadside brawlers coming from this thing - six medium lasers, a large pulse or snub in the right shoulder, and an MRM-30 or 40 depending on weight/heat in the right arm, use the left side as a shield, and just maul people in close.

My limited mock-ups on MechDB are showing it as uncomfortably warm and super starved for space, to the point where I'm not sure it has room for Endo, but with overall alpha numbers approaching Gausslasers Death Whale once you factor in the missing beams. Only two of those weapons are on the left side, and you can totall decide to skip those two if you really want. If the quirks aren't godawful, I could see this thing being the sleeper hit of the pack. M.A.S.C. Pixhawks with non-disastrous weapons are great, but Stalkers with eighty-point alpha blasts and powerful deadside builds are probably the nastier customer.

Also the eighties cockpit swag is just great. The camping-trip bolt-ons for the Stalker are hilarious, if not as hilarious as Elementals.

What's your folks' thoughts? This one a keeper or a sinker?

[FupDup]

We already have a MASC Pixie. Yeah, the hardpoints aren't the same (similar to different existing variants), but still.

IDK what to do with the Stalker. If you just want 6 energy you can just use a Battlemaster or something. MRM60 + lasers is all I can think of right now. Not that interesting.

All in all there's not much originality here.

[pattonesque]

FupDup, on 12 August 2021 - 04:53 PM, said:

We already have a MASC Pixie. Yeah, the hardpoints aren't the same (similar to different existing variants), but still.

the hardpoints in this are way better, the -3S can't do all that much with its hardpoints but this guy can do SPL, MPL, ML, etc.

[FupDup]

pattonesque, on 12 August 2021 - 04:54 PM, said:

the hardpoints in this are way better, the -3S can't do all that much with its hardpoints but this guy can do SPL, MPL, ML, etc.

It's a hybrid of the 1K and 3S, more or less. I would've preferred to see something that brings something new to the table rather than taking two existing variants and having them do the fusion dance together.

[1453 R]

The PXH-3S is kind of a disaster, yeah. Probably why I was halfway through writing the post before I remembered it existed. M.A.S.C. + 7e in mostly sensible spots is better than M.A.S.C. + 3e/2b in weird places all over the 'Mech.

The Stalker isn't flashy, but I'm also remembering all the carping and garping over the Warden 'Mechs being blatant power creep. That and it's probably a lot harder to do New And Original stuff on the Sphere side whilst staying within the lore. Stalkers have much better geo than Fattlemasters though. Hm.

I'll admit, it isn't as bam-wowza as I'd hoped after the Warden 'Mechs, especially given that the TBR-BH is basically a second Timberpuppy Hero 'Mech. if that had been a God's Trifecta Phoenix Hawk that would have been an entirely different story. Or hell - do a God's Trifecta Stalker, STK-10P or such with M.A.S.C., ECM, and hops, just to make people's heads explode. But alas, 'Mech Dad issues.

Better than the Grand Dragon, though. The Stalker may not be flashy but Stalker pilots are gonna milk it hard, and that Pixhawk may end up half the pursuit 'Mech the Black Lanner is, if it tries really hard.

[FupDup]

I'm not complaining that the mechs are weak, just boring.

If we really wanted to crank up the power creep, there's stuff like a 4 laser + 6 missile Firestarter or 7 laser + ECM Shadow Hawk that could've been chosen. Very unique and very stronk.

[Heavy Money]

The Phoenix Hawk does bring a new playstyle at least. Currently, all the IS mediums with Masc have split hardpoints and aren't good. Energey+Masc+JJ medium is a new playstyle.

The Stalker doesn't seem to bring anything new, just more efficient hardpoints.

[w0qj]

Did everyone notice that all three packs (Stryker / Warden / Hunter) are mostly energy weapons? That's fair, don't want to disturb the weapons meta in a big way. But if that's the case, perhaps the Clan Warden pack should have been based on IIC and other mechs which are not OmniMechs (unlike Timber Wolf and Dire Wolf). Right now, especially on the Dire Wolf, everyone and their dog is cramming ballistics into this CT ECM OmniMech. And this DWF-C mech would be available for virtual CBills in a few months time (!).

My take is that MWO is refraining from weapons hardpoint power creep for now.
Or at least until the next round of MWO Hero mechs gets introduced, fingers crossed

Edited by w0qj, 12 August 2021 - 05:47 PM.

[Heavy Money]

w0qj, on 12 August 2021 - 05:47 PM, said:

Did everyone notice that all three packs (Stryker / Warden / Hunter) are mostly energy weapons? That's fair, don't want to disturb the weapons meta in a big way. But if that's the case, perhaps the Clan Warden pack should have been based on IIC and other mechs which are not OmniMechs (unlike Timber Wolf and Dire Wolf). Right now, especially on the Dire Wolf, everyone and their dog is cramming ballistics into this CT ECM OmniMech. And this DWF-C mech would be available for virtual CBills in a few months time (!).

My take is that MWO is refraining from weapons hardpoint power creep for now.
Or at least until the next round of MWO Hero mechs gets introduced, fingers crossed

I suspect its a coincidence. We know the Grand Dragon and Direwolf were chosen due to popular demand, at least.
And if they are trying to avoid power creep, ECM on the TBR was not the right move, lol.

[justcallme A S H]

New TBR isn't really power creep. To put ECM on you have to sacrifice a bit as well as hardpoint location and the Quirk.
It does give you options however I'd draw the line at power creep.



New Mechs will have very nice quirks don't forget. A taste of this coming in this months patch so you'll see where it is all headed shortly enough. Stalker would probably be quite tanky one would think with nice Zombie ability as well.

[LordNothing]

its starting to get meh. i mean its nice that new variants are a thing now. but it leaves me thinking thats all there will ever be.

and why is it all vomit with a sparse smattering of missile tubes? i want to see ballistic variants.

Edited by LordNothing, 12 August 2021 - 06:29 PM.

[Wildstreak]

LordNothing, on 12 August 2021 - 06:25 PM, said:

its starting to get meh. i mean its nice that new variants are a thing now. but it leaves me thinking thats all there will ever be.

and why is it all vomit with a sparse smattering of missile tubes? i want to see ballistic variants.

Because it is easier on any chassis to make Energy and / or Missile builds than Ballistic.
For Ballistic, you have to go Heavy and Assault with limited Mediums and mainly MGs on Lights.

You and I know the difference Rifles would make but seems it may never happen.

Anyway, I am passing on all purchases from now on, I only bought the Striker and Warden to give back for getting MW5 through Bing Rewards for $0. Anyone who buys, hope you enjoy your purchase.

[bbihah]

I would love myself an assassin with ECM and more hardpoints, even at the cost of being a single type. Darkdeath leaves a lot to be desired and the 27 lacks the durability to put anything substantial on the arm, head location is too small to fit anything of value on there in combination with the arm. So you are stuck with using small lasers and big missiles, which is kinda meh and bland.

I love myself some nimble mediums

[1453 R]

Ye know what woulda been fun, even if not terribly practical?

A PHX-[whatever]P variant with twelve jump jets and jet quirks. A forty-five ton Spider except with payload weight, especially if they're gonna thumb their noses at Harmony Gold and bust out the Veritech paint job.

"Watch this Phoenix Hawk fly into spaaace!"

[Funky Bacon]

I wonder where the new energy points will be mounted on the Stalker? Right above where the current ones are mounted perhaps, or maybe they'll take the spot of the ballistic/missile pods?

I see people compare it to the Battlemaster but if they're all chin-mounted then it wont be as good at hill-peeking and losing the arm mounts will hurt the ability to hunt UAV's a bit.

[1453 R]

The Fattlemaster's better at hillhumping, but the Stalker's got much better geometry for brawling. That narrow frontal profile means they can chinwaggle damage around without losing their awareness, and frankly Stalkers tend to have much better durability quirks than Fattlemasters do. I think it stands a legit chance of being a pretty solid frontliner, so long as the mounts aren't utterly godawful.

[PocketYoda]

Annihilator ANH-1G and a Crab CRB-30, CRB-45, CRB-54...

54 could hunt light mechs at 140kph.

[1453 R]

...the CRB-54 uses a Composite Structure, an XXL engine, a Supercharger, and plasma rifles. The damn thing is literally made of No-Havium, Gnome. The others are at least semi-doable, though the Annihilator does literally nothing current Annihilators can't manage.

C'mon, man. At least make reasonable suggestions.

[PocketYoda]

1453 R, on 15 August 2021 - 05:58 PM, said:

...the CRB-54 uses a Composite Structure, an XXL engine, a Supercharger, and plasma rifles. The damn thing is literally made of No-Havium, Gnome. The others are at least semi-doable, though the Annihilator does literally nothing current Annihilators can't manage.

C'mon, man. At least make reasonable suggestions.

I know i was mostly wishing on the 54, 30 was my first choice as you can see.. The Anni would need a +1 Guass quirk.

Edited by MechaGnome, 16 August 2021 - 08:32 PM.

[1453 R]

All righty. Been fiddling with mock-ups of the new Hunter PHX, mostly because I'm not interested in Stalkers but I've always enjoyed Phoenix Hawks from afar. If the 1B variation is anything to go by, the torso energy mounts for this thing are going to be phenomenal. Like, Incubus-level good. You only get two of them, but then again the Phoenix Hawk's a lot bigger than the Incubus and can take bigger stuff. I can get two ERLLs and five ERSLs on a fake PXH-7S with full compliment of jumpy-jets and two extra double yeet sinks. Bigboi beamers in the torso for peeks and trades, smolgurl beamers in the arms (and face) for extra punch against pesky lights. Gotta drop down to light ferro to get room, and I know The Meta will want an LFE and a bunch of medium pulse lasers with nothing else going on, but I dunno. Seems almost a waste to not make use of those high, tight shoulder hardpoints for distance combat, ne?