32 replies to this topic

[MPhoenix]

I'm picking a hero mech and I think I'm down to these four.

I like the Virago but I've got an Ebon Jag and a Timber Wolf that both already do the Clan laser vomit thing. I'm not sure the Virago brings enough difference to the table to be worth it.

The Sleipnir is popular and seems to be good but every time I see it it's running 4 LB10X's. I'm concerned that it's a one trick pony.

La Malinche is one I never considered until I saw the updated quirks, it looks like it has a lot of possibilities but it's got a history of being pretty bad.

Scorch, it's darn hard to argue with 4 SRM-A's and 2 LB20X's. It's a walking delete button but is it a glass cannon?

Of these four which would you pick and why?

[LordNothing]

they are all pretty good. sleipnir and scorch have lots of build options. virago is good but other hellbys can do the same job. i liked my la malinche but i feel like its the weakest one of the bunch (though i think it got some new quirks recently, so i dont know if thats still the case).

[CFC Conky]

The Sleipnir is quite agile for an assault-class mech, more so than the Scorch.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

[ccrider]

Scorch. It's got the best sexy quirks.

[Maddermax]

I can absolutely vouch for Sleipnir as a great mech, it’s an assault mech that feels like you’re driving a heavy because it has excellent mobility stats. I love it with 4xLBX10s, they fire cold and quickly, with just enough time to torso twist back and forth between shots. It’s agility means you can torso twist effectively, and it’s barrel chest means it tanks damage very nicely. My friend and I took out twin Sleipnirs the other day, both of us got down to sub-30% health, and were still functional, with him on 1200 damage . A few games later, I did 1000 damage and ended up with 5% of my mech left, still alive. It also does double heavy gauss very effectively as well, if you prefer.

That said, I got the scorch for my pick, as I really want to try the mega damage brawler build, with LBX20s and SRMs. Should be fun!

ccrider, on 29 July 2022 - 06:30 PM, said:

Scorch. It's got the best sexy quirks.

I thought it only had the 10% SRM cool-down? Or is that what you mean?

Edited by Maddermax, 29 July 2022 - 07:24 PM.

[PocketYoda]

La Malinche is garbage even after its buffs the mech is too big and wide to survive.. it needed to be smaller or way more armor quirks.

Banshees sadly do not survive in MWO

Edited by Nomad Tech, 29 July 2022 - 07:36 PM.

[ccrider]

Maddermax, on 29 July 2022 - 07:19 PM, said:

I can absolutely vouch for Sleipnir as a great mech, it’s an assault mech that feels like you’re driving a heavy because it has excellent mobility stats. I love it with 4xLBX10s, they fire cold and quickly, with just enough time to torso twist back and forth between shots. It’s agility means you can torso twist effectively, and it’s barrel chest means it tanks damage very nicely. My friend and I took out twin Sleipnirs the other day, both of us got down to sub-30% health, and were still functional, with him on 1200 damage . A few games later, I did 1000 damage and ended up with 5% of my mech left, still alive. It also does double heavy gauss very effectively as well, if you prefer.

That said, I got the scorch for my pick, as I really want to try the mega damage brawler build, with LBX20s and SRMs. Should be fun!


I thought it only had the 10% SRM cool-down? Or is that what you mean?

the `0% is irrelevant. It's just goddam pretty.

[w0qj]

It really depends on what you want to do with your Assault/Heavy mech:
(I would prefer Cyclops Slepnir because I like ballistic LT/RT builds!)

Cyclops Slepnir: ballistic LT/RT, agile!

Marauder IIC Scorch: ballistic arms + missile LT/RT usually, agile also!

Hellbringer Virago hero mech: ECM + laser vomit, fast+agile!

BNC-LM hero mech on sale is also pretty sweet: I used it for PPC builds!
-20% Cooldown
+25% Range
-15% Heat
+20% Velocity
+1 HSL PPC Family

Edited by w0qj, 29 July 2022 - 09:52 PM.

[LordNothing]

Nomad Tech, on 29 July 2022 - 07:20 PM, said:

La Malinche is garbage even after its buffs the mech is too big and wide to survive.. it needed to be smaller or way more armor quirks.

Banshees sadly do not survive in MWO

before desync banshee was always the mobility option. cram in an xl400 and beat em with mobility. none of the quirk passes have ever restored this mobility which the mech absolutely needs to operate. ultimately i think the battlemaster stole its thunder.

restore mobility and you restore the banshee.

Edited by LordNothing, 30 July 2022 - 06:09 AM.

[Curccu]

w0qj, on 29 July 2022 - 09:49 PM, said:

Hellbringer Virago hero mech: ECM + laser vomit, fast+agile!

You will lose that 10% range if you take ECM which is the main point of Virago IMO.

[Vorpal Puppy]

I used to love my Scorch but it is very situational. Sleipnir much better overall.

Edited by Vorpal Puppy, 30 July 2022 - 10:03 AM.

[RickySpanish]

Sleipnir can do 4 uac 5s as well. Scorch is better as an LRM boat tbh, it's little wiggle at range spreads damage better than trying to shield at brawling distance. It also moves fast, and its poor torso agility is not so bad further out. Virago is great, but boring because you must keep the so8 quirk. Brilliant if you want laser vomit. Dunno about Banshee, seems fat and shite. I would go Sleipnir.

Edited by RickySpanish, 30 July 2022 - 10:27 AM.

[Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie]

RickySpanish, on 30 July 2022 - 10:24 AM, said:

Sleipnir can do 4 uac 5s as well. Scorch is better as an LRM boat tbh, it's little wiggle at range spreads damage better than trying to shield at brawling distance. It also moves fast, and its poor torso agility is not so bad further out. Virago is great, but boring because you must keep the so8 quirk. Brilliant if you want laser vomit. Dunno about Banshee, seems fat and shite. I would go Sleipnir.

yes, Sleipnir is a great mech.
I HAVE to point out though that a lrm-scorch is just a waste of 85t.
plenty of mechs quirked for that, and the scorch is not one of them.
it IS however a godsend for those about to brawl*.
seeing a lrm-scorch always gives me a sigh, an itchy trigger-finger and a "mission".


*FIRE! we salute you

Edited by Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie, 30 July 2022 - 11:17 AM.

[BellatorMonk]

I have not found a decent role for my Virago other than a laser vomit skirmisher that does middling damage. Slepnir and Scorch are great mechs that allows for great configs, Slepnir even more so. I left my Scorch as a sniper config that can brawl towards the end since it really a "glass cannon" no matter what you load on it.
This is of course from the aspect of a filthy casual solo player in QPlay....

[Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie]

BellatorMonk, on 30 July 2022 - 11:09 AM, said:

I have not found a decent role for my Virago other than a laser vomit skirmisher that does middling damage. Slepnir and Scorch are great mechs that allows for great configs, Slepnir even more so. I left my Scorch as a sniper config that can brawl towards the end since it really a "glass cannon" no matter what you load on it.
This is of course from the aspect of a filthy casual solo player in QPlay....

virago shines in FW, on certain maps, in certain modes, with certain people.
otherwise yeah: for QP-purposes, the 30%cbill boost is about the only thing it brings to the table that you don't get with a budget-hellbringer.

[RickySpanish]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie, on 30 July 2022 - 10:51 AM, said:

yes, Sleipnir is a great mech.
I HAVE to point out though that a lrm-scorch is just a waste of 85t.
plenty of mechs quirked for that, and the scorch is not one of them.
it IS however a godsend for those about to brawl*.
seeing a lrm-scorch always gives me a sigh, an itchy trigger-finger and a "mission".


*FIRE! we salute you

I used to think that too, until I started pulling 1k matches in it. Brawl scorch is tough to use because it is easy to isolate the side torsos close up. But at range the profile works well head on with small wiggles. The mounts are high up and the arm twist is enough to let you tag someone and shoot sideways. It probably isn't optimal, but it is very doable.

[Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie]

RickySpanish, on 30 July 2022 - 11:21 AM, said:

I used to think that too, until I started pulling 1k matches in it. Brawl scorch is tough to use because it is easy to isolate the side torsos close up. But at range the profile works well head on with small wiggles. The mounts are high up and the arm twist is enough to let you tag someone and shoot sideways. It probably isn't optimal, but it is very doable.

I'm not saying it's bad at lurming - I'm saying there are PLENTY of mechs BETTER at it.
both the lrmsome and the noobernova will pull _way_ more than 1k on a regular basis (read: more dmg for ~same tonnage), both my lrm-sunspider and my lrm-dog do more (read: same/more dmg for less weight, with more speed) etc on same regular basis. many mechs are better at lurming than the scorch.

use a scorch at what _IT_ is good at - and that's brawling. (again: not saying brawling is easy in todays QP - but saying the scorch is better at it than MANY other mechs).

Edited by Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie, 30 July 2022 - 12:18 PM.

[RickySpanish]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie, on 30 July 2022 - 12:15 PM, said:

I'm not saying it's bad at lurming - I'm saying there are PLENTY of mechs BETTER at it.
both the lrmsome and the noobernova will pull _way_ more than 1k on a regular basis, both my lrm-sunspider and my lrm-dog do more etc on same regular basis. plenty do more.

use a scorch at what _IT_ is good at - and that's brawling. (again: not saying brawling is easy in todays QP - but saying the scorch is better at it than MANY other mechs).

I hear you, and I did traditionally brawl in it. I find now that 'brawling' is actually poptarting with srms or snubs, or some kind of corner peak. Full exposure to fire your weapons is bad for your 'Mech, if you can load them all high or on one side to peak that's ideal. So with Scorch, it is a bit like the Executioner without the option of mid range - a big easy target. It's sacrilege to load it up with LRMs but it just doesn't have the profile of the modern brawler.

[MPhoenix]

I mainly was looking at the Virago because I see all these videos extolling it as 'the best mech in the game' or something like that but frankly my Timber BH(S) seems to do everything a Virago would including the 30% C-Bill bonus and ECM.

The Banshee looks good with the new quirks but the hard points seem to be all over the place, I can't find a build that doesn't feel 'thrown together'.

Scorch looks like it hits like a truck to the face, it's hard to get around that. And that Marauder/Zentraedi Officer's Pod shape is just darn sexy.

The quad LB10 looks to be the top build for the Sleipnir but it seems like it gives up speed and armor. Why does quad LB10 win out over dual LB20's or dual UAC20's?
Playing in mech.nav.alpha I can get full or near full armor with better speed and heat management with either 20 than with quad 10's. Other than range what does the quad 10 bring that makes it better? It's very popular so I'm guessing I'm missing something here.

BellatorMonk, on 30 July 2022 - 11:09 AM, said:

This is of course from the aspect of a filthy casual solo player in QPlay....

MY PEOPLE!!!

[crazytimes]

MPhoenix, on 30 July 2022 - 01:02 PM, said:

I mainly was looking at the Virago because I see all these videos extolling it as 'the best mech in the game' or something like that but frankly my Timber BH(S) seems to do everything a Virago would including the 30% C-Bill bonus and ECM.

Virago shines in long range trading. More seen in faction play. The 4 ERLL Virago in S08 can outrange nearly anything, only needs expose the shoulders, and has decent hitboxes and agility. This was before the timberwolf got the BH pods and a whole lot of quirks- but the Virago is still a better ERLL platform for trading.

The hellbringer 2HLL+3/4ERML still goes alright in QP, but it has been largely been replaced with the LPL/ERML Timberwolf in the meta. Virago in ERLL doesn't nascar well.