66 replies to this topic

[Jun Watarase]

Its way too large for a 45 tonner (compare its size to other 40 tonners like the Assassin for one thing), its got awful hitboxes (the side torsos just scream "SHOOT ME!" especially the LT), arm mounted missiles have convergence issues and it doesnt have enough quirks to compensate for all the issues.

You can run it as a SRM boat, sure, but an assassin does that way better obviously...you can run it as a slowish 5x SRM-6 boat but the hitboxes combined with the mandatory XL to go fast are a death sentence, as well as the easy to shoot off arms and convergence issues...

The only thing it seems to do is get newbies killed when they bring the stock LRM-5 Hellspawn into matches.

Short of a rescale, you would need to dramatically improve the quirks to make it viable...at least 50% more armor quirks and way better missile quirks to make it worth taking over something like an Assassin...

Edited by Jun Watarase, 28 October 2021 - 11:42 PM.

[martian]

Jun Watarase, on 28 October 2021 - 11:40 PM, said:

Is The Free Hellspawn Good For Anything?

Most emphatically - Yes!

I am perfectly okay with the free Hellspawn!


See the photograph taken by the ComStar war correspondent:




In one of my first games after I claimed the free Hellspawn I got four Solo kills against enemy 'Mechs! In unskilled Hellspawn on top of that ...




My team lost the game, but I got the green arrow.




Or see this game. I did not notice one enemy retractable turret and got killed in the last second of the game , but my Hellspawn performed admirably.




I think that Match Score 630 can serve as a proof that the Hellspawn can be a pretty good 'Mech, if used correctly.

880 damage from such small 'Mech is quite nice.




The best Match Score of all 24 players with four kills shows that Hellspawn can pull its weight ....






When you do your best in a small 'Mech ...




Even in defeat Hellspawn can save your PSR ...




At first I was unsure what to expect, but I really like this 'Mech.

Edited by martian, 29 October 2021 - 02:19 AM.

[justcallme A S H]

I love how people list a whole heap of perceived issues at times...


Anyway - 5 x SRM6. hsn-8p - Done.

Don't be fooled - the Hellspawn is quite tanky.

[martian]

Jun Watarase, on 28 October 2021 - 11:40 PM, said:

Its way too large for a 45 tonner (compare its size to other 40 tonners like the Assassin for one thing), its got awful hitboxes (the side torsos just scream "SHOOT ME!" especially the LT), arm mounted missiles have convergence issues and it doesnt have enough quirks to compensate for all the issues.
...
Short of a rescale, you would need to dramatically improve the quirks to make it viable...at least 50% more armor quirks and way better missile quirks to make it worth taking over something like an Assassin...

Perhaps you should adjust your tactics, loadout or both. Because in my opinion the Hellspawn is very viable.

[pattonesque]

justcallme A S H, on 29 October 2021 - 01:39 AM, said:

I love how people list a whole heap of perceived issues at times...


Anyway - 5 x SRM6. hsn-8p - Done.

Don't be fooled - the Hellspawn is quite tanky.

in brawl range this robbit wins an awful lot of 1-on-1s that one wouldn't expect a Hellspawn to win

[RickySpanish]

Step 1: Stuff tissues into the energy hardpoints so you aren't tempted into that trap.
Step 2: Shove missiles everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
Step 3: Fire them all at once, and laugh as your opponent tries to figure out where the **** your center torso is.

[Jun Watarase]

Of course you can do well with a Hellspawn, that was never the question. The very nature of the game (especially QP) means you can do well with most mechs. Some mechs are just better than others though for certain things.

If you want to run a SRM boat, the Assassin is generally a superior choice if you want to go fast and it will live much longer due to better hitboxes and torso mounts. If you don't want to go as fast, then the bushwacker still does it better.

Again, you can get good scores in QP especially if you shoot people who dont turn around. But there are just way better mechs that can do the same thing.

If you like 96 kph SRM boats, try the KFX-D with 4x SRM-6A...does nearly the same thing at 15 tons less, better agility, better quirks and is a much smaller target. Or just run an Assassin with a higher speed and JJs. When I see a Hellspawn with those awful side torsos, I practically rub my hands in glee.

Edited by Jun Watarase, 29 October 2021 - 07:58 AM.

[martian]

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 07:44 AM, said:

Of course you can do well with a Hellspawn, that was never the question. The very nature of the game (especially QP) means you can do well with most mechs. Some mechs are just better than others though for certain things.

Well, if "you can do well with a Hellspawn", what is the point of this thread, then?

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 07:44 AM, said:

If you want to run a SRM boat, the Assassin is generally a superior choice if you want to go fast and it will live much longer due to better hitboxes and torso mounts. If you don't want to go as fast, then the bushwacker still does it better.

What if you would like to use something capable of being more armored than the Assassin and with the greater mobility than the Bushwacker?

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 07:44 AM, said:

Again, you can get good scores in QP especially if you shoot people who dont turn around.

In Tier 1 games players usually do turn around ...

When you get to Tier 1, you will see it too.

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 07:44 AM, said:

But there are just way better mechs that can do the same thing.

Maybe.

But I would not describe the Hellspawn as "a death sentence", "you would need to dramatically improve the quirks to make it viable", "awful hitboxes", etc.

[Jun Watarase]

Quote

Well, if "you can do well with a Hellspawn", what is the point of this thread, then?

The question was in the in the title of the thread. There is a difference between "is the hellspawn good for anything" and "i can do well in a hellspawn".

Quote

What if you would like to use something capable of being more armored than the Assassin and with the greater mobility than the Bushwacker?

Good hitboxes and higher speed on a SRM boat are worth way more than bad hitboxes combined with some armor quirks. An Assassin lives way longer than a Hellspawn when brawling with SRMs, its not even comparable, especially when the Assassin can use its arms to shield and its SRMs are torso mounted so converge better. A Hellspawn that uses its arms to shield is losing its weapons very quickly.

Theres also the psychological effect, people are way more likely to shoot a larger target than a smaller one. Most people will shoot the Hellspawn if they see both a hellspawn and assassin running towards them because its a slower, larger target and those side torsos are extremely inviting. Armor/Structure quirks dont tell the full story on how tanky a mech is, a Kintaro has more armor quirks than a Bushwacker, but in my experience, the Bushwacker is much tankier in actual play, no contest.

At the end of the day, its your mech, you can do whatever you want with it, im not trying to tell you to ditch it and use something else. Thats not the point of the thread. Im just saying if you are going to run an SRM boat, there are way better choices around the same weight range.

If you like the hellspawn with SRMs though, give the KFX-D a try, its pretty similar but better in almost every way (still has its flaws but not as bad).

Edited by Jun Watarase, 29 October 2021 - 08:20 AM.

[ScrapIron Prime]

Its FREE.

And its not like they handed you a Jenner and said "good luck, kid." the thing is quirked to boat SRM6 or LRM5. Do one of those. Or take the free mechbay and sell it if you prefer other chassis.

I bought the Hellspawn pack when it first came out. Now I have two 8P's. I've played them a total of... 10 times. Its a mech I won't bring out of the hangar unless i need one that does exactly this. And that's okay.

[pattonesque]

being able to alpha 5SRM6 on a 45-tonner is way more powerful than folks realize I think

[martian]

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 08:17 AM, said:

The question was in the in the title of the thread. There is a difference between "is the hellspawn good for anything" and "i can do well in a hellspawn".

Well, if somebody can achieve some good Match Score in the Hellspawn, that I would say that the Hellspawn is good.

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 08:17 AM, said:

Good hitboxes and higher speed on a SRM boat are worth way more than bad hitboxes combined with some armor quirks. An Assassin lives way longer than a Hellspawn when brawling with SRMs, its not even comparable, especially when the Assassin can use its arms to shield and its SRMs are torso mounted so converge better. A Hellspawn that uses its arms to shield is losing its weapons very quickly.

Theres also the psychological effect, people are way more likely to shoot a larger target than a smaller one. Most people will shoot the Hellspawn if they see both a hellspawn and assassin running towards them because its a slower, larger target and those side torsos are extremely inviting. Armor/Structure quirks dont tell the full story on how tanky a mech is, a Kintaro has more armor quirks than a Bushwacker, but in my experience, the Bushwacker is much tankier in actual play, no contest.

And are you sure that you are using the Hellspawn correctly?

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 08:17 AM, said:

At the end of the day, its your mech, you can do whatever you want with it, im not trying to tell you to ditch it and use something else. Thats not the point of the thread. Im just saying if you are going to run an SRM boat, there are way better choices around the same weight range.

If you like the hellspawn with SRMs though, give the KFX-D a try, its pretty similar but better in almost every way (still has its flaws but not as bad).

The Hellspawn is not limited to SRMs and LRMs, though. If armed with MRMs, the Hellspawn can reach up to 600 metres. If you have problems with short range brawling, on 600 m your hitboxes are less important. And MRMs do not require weapon locks such as LRMs, so you can fire them and disappear.

Or you can try some energy loadout, since the Hellspawn comes with energy quirk too.

[CrimsonPhantom6sg062]

pattonesque, on 29 October 2021 - 08:40 AM, said:

being able to alpha 5SRM6 on a 45-tonner is way more powerful than folks realize I think

64.5 damage with modest spread is very strong on a fast medium. You would expect to see that alpha on even some assaults.

Also, HSN-8P can run strong alpha builds with a fast cooldown.

[GoodTry]

The 5 SRM6 build is strong IMO, although it is held back a little bit by the fact that higher-tier players don't always want to engage at SRM ranges on some maps, so you may have to wait a while for the right opportunities.

[Bud Crue]

CrimsonPhantom6sg062, on 29 October 2021 - 09:57 AM, said:

64.5 damage with modest spread is very strong on a fast medium. You would expect to see that alpha on even some assaults.

Also, HSN-8P can run strong alpha builds with a fast cooldown.

Speaking of fast cooldown...

I get that the thing is quirked for 6s but by dropping to 5 SRM4s and 2 SPL you can get a 51 point alpha that is tighter than the 6s with comparable (better) heat but that fully cycles at under 2.8 seconds with skills.

[Gas Guzzler]

5 SRM6 build is great, I wouldn't necessarily say the Assassin is "just better". I found the Hellspawn to be solid and put up good numbers.

You also have a generous range quirk on the SRMs, which comes into play a lot more than you might think.

[ScrapIron Prime]

Gas Guzzler, on 29 October 2021 - 12:40 PM, said:

You also have a generous range quirk on the SRMs, which comes into play a lot more than you might think.

Indeed. Another 54 meters, taking it out to 324m plus whatever else you bought on the skill tree. SRM's at 350 paces, anyone?

[justcallme A S H]

Jun Watarase, on 29 October 2021 - 07:44 AM, said:

Of course you can do well with a Hellspawn, that was never the question. The very nature of the game (especially QP) means you can do well with most mechs. Some mechs are just better than others though for certain things.

If you want to run a SRM boat, the Assassin is generally a superior choice if you want to go fast and it will live much longer due to better hitboxes and torso mounts. If you don't want to go as fast, then the bushwacker still does it better..

I would not say the ASN is leagues better at all now this mech is on the table with the quirks it has. It's burst DPS is significantly higher than the ASN and thus will mow targets down.

I've played a heap if games in Hellspawns and they are quite underrated. Much tankier than people understand especially as they can fully side-sheild which ASNs cannot.

You can't compare a ASN to HSN anyway as they do and play a little differently.


I mean imagine asking making a thread asking if they are good at anything. Getting TOLD what it is even with evidence and the saying "nah it isn't".

Lol... Wut!?!?!

[Valdarion Silarius]

The only hellspawn that I own is the hero which I turned into a MPL boat. Regardless, I'm not a fan of SRM's and I got plenty of medium missile mechs that can do what this hellspawn does but better. This event mech is a pass for me. I like the look of the hellspawn but I am not a fan of how big its hitboxes are.

[pattonesque]

Gas Guzzler, on 29 October 2021 - 12:40 PM, said:

5 SRM6 build is great, I wouldn't necessarily say the Assassin is "just better". I found the Hellspawn to be solid and put up good numbers.

You also have a generous range quirk on the SRMs, which comes into play a lot more than you might think.

it's a v. good assault killer and can utilize that extra range against something like a DWF well