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[Ttly]

Some mechs are straight up awfully underpowered, has loadout overlap with another mech that runs said loadout better than it, can't carry enough ammo, bla bla bla, here are proposed changes to make them worthwhile made by some random guy on some forum that you don't need to care about. I don't expect people to care about these proposals as they're mostly just what I've concluded after spending enough time messing around mechdb's mechlab and playing enough variety of stuff to get the gist of what is what well enough.
Also I wrote these at 3AM or something, so some of them might be stupid but whatever, I just want to get these ideas out there.

These proposals are made with the thought that:

-Tonnages don't matter, a mech is a mech.

This means that a mech in a match should be as valuable as any other regardless of tonnage, if a mech with the same loadout and similar role exists (i.e Assassin/Griffin) then the lower tonnage should be entitled to more DPS/sDPS (sustained DPS) quirks like -cooldown% or -heat% to make up for its less armor and weapon tonnage. And a light should be more potent in support roles with target decay and +consumable slot for strikes and UAVs if nothing else.
Because hey, this is a game without respawn where both teams have equal player count and playing lower tonnage mechs shouldn't be soft-griefing/sabotaging your team.
Oh and drop decks, the only time where mech tonnages actually matter, belongs to an irrelevant gamemode/events only and shouldn't be the reason as to why a 40t mech should be significantly worse than a 55t mech when they have the same loadout.

-Omnis are (mostly) balanced with the thought of So8 and not mixed pod loadouts.

Most So8 configurations are frankly pretty underwhelming so I figured they're the ones that need it first.

-Does not give mechs additional hardpoints.
That means no (significant) increase in alpha damage. Instead a focus on improving their DPS.
Alpha damage should be an heavy/assault thing anyway.

-Tries to keep a mech's role/flavour or at least enhance them in regards that its contemporary (if any) doesn't have an edge on if it doesn't already.
For example, the Adder-D and Cougar-D are near identical, yet the Cougar is not only slower, but hardly has anything over the Adder, thus it should at least have other benefits.

-Tries to ALLOW build variety in a mech.
That means less specific weapon quirks and instead general quirks.

-Tries to not buff already meta loadouts too much/closens the gap in power with non-meta loadouts.
Self-explanatory.

-LIGHTS-

I want to say to just give all/most lights some fullbody armor quirks like the ACH-B's So8 has so that they don't just blow up when they overtwist and someone hits them on their rear ST hitbox or something. Also they really need more ammo quirks. Oh and more target decay quirks so that they can scout for their team better because teamwork sure.


Adder (ADR): Bad hitbox and hardpoint placement compared to role equivalents like the Urbie. Give it more armor in general I guess?


=PRIME: Could use more -heat% and +velocity% for more sustained DPS and accuracy. Its mobility gives it decent amount of edge to actually use its loadout rather well already otherwise.
=A: If it's supposed to LRM then give it T.Decay, and ammo quirk so it can afford to mount more cDHS for better sustain, and bigger lasers or something like an AMS (give it an AMS hardpoint in that case).
=B: More -heat% and -cd% I guess, so it can shoot its lasers more.
=D: It has a mixed weapons loadout of all three types which makes it a bit awkward to use, give it more -jam% and some -heat% if -cd% isn't an option because "that would be too much DPS for a light" or something.
=W: Well assuming the chassis gets armor buff, nothing I guess. Maybe an AMS hardpoint so it can use its free tonnage for something to "pretend being useful" instead of carrying too much ammo.
=CINDER: Slightly more -heat% I guess, not much else.


Arctic Cheetah (ACH):

Locked into a less than optimal engine (cXL 240) when an battlemech equivalent could use an 245 instead, also regarded as having "too many jump jets" though I don't really mind that part much.
Could use -JJ heat% and -fall damage% I guess.

=PRIME: It already has ECM and decent amount of hardpoints so meh.
=A: Could use -heat% and more -cd% maybe give it fullbody armor like the B as otherwise it's just a worse Prime.
=B: Surprisingly okay already.
=C: Some -heat% to an otherwise hot but already decent laser poptart loadout.
=E: It has a decent loadout already so I guess some -heat% for more sustain.
=SHARD: Some -heat%.


-Commando (COM):

After the recent buffs it's already pretty decent at its niche of being a fast, durable, hit and run SRM bomber so I don't really have much to say for it.


-Commando IIC (COM-IIC):

Doesn't die from ST loss thanks to cXL and more alpha than the IS version, but struggles with ammo. Maybe +50% ammo would be warranted? Its lower engine cap already handicapped it somewhat.


-Cougar (COU)

The true slowest light mech in the game. We can start by giving it exceptionally high armor quirks for a light I guess? Make it something like the IS Orion equivalent of lights. It also has bad weapon placement on its arms, but good ST ones.


=PRIME: Basically a 35t Mad Dog-Prime as it is, at least give it T.Decay and missile ammo quirks.

=C: A lot more Gauss -cd%, STD C-AC -cd% and slightly more -heat% quirk if it's not supposed to use UACs, as making it compatible with them would result in role overlap with the D and the H anyway.

=D: More -heat%, +range%, +velocity%, more -jam%, missile ammo quirk, this thing has a lot of overlap with the ADR-D as it is, and is hardly better than it for being slower.

=E: More missile -cd% and T.Decay I guess? The energy hardpoints placement are pretty good already to make up for this variant's lower DPS quirks compared to the Prime.

=H: More -jam%, just jam it up to -100%, the MLX-D and the EXE-C can have it, why not this thing for being the slowest light in the game?

=BLOOD ADDER: Missile ammo quirks I guess sure whatever.


-Firestarter (FS9):

Just give this thing (and the Vulcan) +50% flamer range, and -fall damage% (for laser poptarts) and we can call it a day. Oh and give the new missile Firestarter ammo quirks.


-Flea (FLE)

Just give the 15 LMG and MG ammo quirk and +100% RoF instead of +50%, not like anyone plays variants outside the 17, 20, and the 19 anyway. I guess the Romeo can have more +top speed and +ammo quirk and -cd% while at it.
It's already the fastest and the smallest mech in the game with good weapon hardpoint placement and count.

-Incubus (INC)

Hot loadouts, and doesn't have the armor quirk to afford being slow. Give it slightly more -heat% and more torso armor I guess? The missile variants that hardly anyone uses could use more +velocity% and ammo quirks as well.


-Javelin (JVN)

This thing has a surprising lack of quirks for an IS Light, barely any heat, cooldown, and ammo, or JJ quirks? It's like someone forgot this thing exists! Just give it all of those, especially for the variants that has little of them.


-Jenner (JR7)

Large for a light, decently jumpy and modestly armored. It could do better on some places though, like more arm armor, and more JJ quirks if it's supposed to use it beyond just getting to places maybe.


=D: Just give this thing laser duration and missile ammo quirks.

=F: More duration quirk, and -heat% and JJ -heat% sure.

=K: -heat% quirks and missile ammo quirk.

=A: Already has its gimmick of bootleg beam laser, more -heat% I guess since it's mostly a for fun variant anyway.

=OXIDE: Missile ammo quirks and more -heat% why not, come on. This thing has no JJs already for a thing that you'd think is a bootleg SRM Catapult.


-Jenner IIC (JR7-IIC)

Generally could just use ammo and more heat quirks on some variants in this world where the Scaleshot exists, otherwise I think it has been buffed decently throughout this year already.


-Kit Fox (KFX)

Pretty fragile for a 30t light with large hitbox, give it some fullbody armor quirks on top of what it already has or 50 -crit%. Having its durability consists of +structure quirks isn't really that great for something that moves only as fast as some mediums/as slow as the Adder.


=PRIME: Missile ammo quirk, more -cd% and -heat% sure, let's start with that.

=D: Already decent even compared to the ADR-A for LRMs I guess, and also capable of running SRM loadouts unlike it.

=S: More -heat%, JJ -heat%, some missile and ballistic ammo quirk, and target decay so it can spot for its team because this game needs more teamwork or something. Oh and just bump the MG RoF to +50%.

=C: Surprisingly hard to say what it should get, as it's an ECM variant with firepower quirks already as it is.

=G: +100% missile ammo quirk and more -heat% sure, it already has ECM.

=P: A lot of hardpoints but not enough ammo, so more ammo quirks for ballistic and missile. Also more -jam% and bump the -heat% up a bit.

=PURIFIER: Some -heat% for better sustain why not, bump the MG RoF to +50% too.


-Locust (LCT)

Pretty good as it is already.


-Mist Lynx (MLX)

Too much JJs for a 25t, at least give it -JJ heat% and -fall damage%.


=PRIME: Extra T.Decay and missile ammo+100% instead of its current +25%, and a bit of MG ammo quirk sure. This thing overlaps with the ACH-A/Prime as it is.

=B: Similar deal as the prime, toss in more -heat% quirks while at it.

=C: More -heat% and -laser duration%. While it is an ECM sniper variant, its DPS is frankly rather meh and could use some buffing.

=D: Make the UAC2 full auto like the RAC2. No really, tapping this thing's UAC2 to the point of making it worthwhile is going to hurt your finger otherwise. Oh and slightly even more ammo quirk I guess because it's a 25t that can barely fit 1.5t of ammo+2ERSL. Or maybe just give it durability quirks like the ACH-B has.

=A: MG RoF to +100% and toss in ammo quirk for it too.

=G: MG ammo quirk, that's all.

=EBON DRAGOON: More -heat% and -laser duration% and more ammo.


-Osiris (OSR)

Already decent after this year's buffs, might be due some ammo quirks though.


-Panther (PNT)

Uhh, more armor and -heat% quirk for the IS light that is quirked for a loadout like a medium I guess?


-Piranha (PIR)

It's 20t, it can barely fit any ammo as it is and it needs them, badly. It's also extremely glass so it's often not even realistic to expect them to use them up often, but they should at least be allowed the attempt to do that extra damage.


=1: Just give this thing +100% MG ammo so it can afford to mount more ERSLs instead of using micros while having more than 400 damage worth of ammo.

=2: Heat quirks like +heat dissipation% and -heat%, this thing is absurdly glass as is already on top of the short range of micros.

=3: Same deal as the 2, it can keep its extra structure since it has less hardpoint sure.

=A: +100% AMS ammo quirk, yes really. It already has ammo quirks for once, and asking a 20t to stick to its team is already a big ask.

=B: -Cooldown% quirks I guess? I mean it has low hardpoint count.

=D: -Laser duration%? It's literally just a Clan FLE-17 with worse hitbox if you think about it.

=CIPHER: Ammo quirk.


-Raven (RVN)

The 4X and Huggin could use even more +MG RoF% you ask me, but other than that it's in an okay spot.


-Urbanmech (UM)

Already good.


-Urbanmech IIC (UM-IIC)


Hashke: It's okay I guess, wish it has more -jam%.

Abaddon: This Hollander wannabe can't actually fit a gauss rifle viably, just consolidate the cooldown and gauss cooldown to -30% general cooldown, so it can cram in a HAG20+Micros loadout with better performance at least.


-Wolfhound (WLF)

It's ok, maybe more heat quirks.


-Wolfhound Clan (WLF-C)

It's ok, maybe some heat quirks though, since it can't cram significantly more cDHS than the IS version despite clan weapons being significantly hotter on top of lack of heat quirks.


-MEDIUM-

Mediums usually has the issue of not being able to carry enough ammo for their loadouts, at least the IS ones. Meanwhile the clan ones gets little armor quirks to the point that they might as well be oversized lights.


-Arctic Wolf (ACW)

Just give all the variants missile ammo quirks like the Prime has.


-Assassin (ASN)

The Griffin but just worse in almost everything.
No seriously, they both have similar hardpoints, JJ count, and quirks, except the Assassin feels like the forgotten middle child like the Javelin was on top of having less tonnage to play with.
Just copy the Griffin's weapon quirks except make them more potent in general to give it the niche of having more DPS in general. Oh, and lower its JJ capacity 4 but give it enough quirks to effectively perform as if it has 6 JJs since it has very limited tonnage and slots.

-Blackjack (BJ)

Ammo quirks for the U/AC variants. The 1X you'd think overlaps with the PXH-7S, PXH-1K, and HBK-4P but it fullfills the niche of being able to run 8ERML with the LE280.


-Black Lanner (BKL)

Why does the A have T.Decay but no missile while the prime has no T.Decay but the missiles?

That's about it, it's otherwise a decent light-medium (in 55t form) already, I mean it does have ECM and the quirk loadouts+MASC to harass stuff too.


-Bushwacker (BSW)

Ammo quirks, this thing runs ammo loadouts all the time, at least let it move faster by improving the damage per ton efficiency so it can put on heavier engines instead of moving at the speed of a heavy.


-Centurion (CN9)

Same deal as the Bushwacker, ammo quirks so it can afford to move faster or even put on a standard engine.


-Cicada (CDA)

Ammo quirks for the ballistic variants, yep. The energy variants does fine already though they can use more -heat% I guess.


-Crab (CRB)

+Heat dissipation% for better sustained DPS and less derpy quirks like "STD and ER laser duration" or "ER laser heat" instead of general -laser duration% and general -heat%


-Dervish (DV)

Probably doesn't need more stuff, I mean it has missile doors on its STs that makes it significantly more durable than your average medium already among other things. If it does need something, maybe heat quirks.


-Enforcer (ENF)

Some ammo and JJ quirks. It's plenty capable as it is already, if really boring to the point that you'd rarely see anyone playing them.


-Griffin (GRF)

It's okay I guess? It has decent amount of quirks but their numbers can be rather low so maybe fine tune them higher a bit here and there like the Wolverine gotten.


-Hatchetman (HCT)

It's a 45t medium that is expected to carry autocannons, so yeah, more ammo quirks than it already has.


-Hellspawn (HSN)

Less pigeonholed (ER laser/pulse laser/MRM only) quirks, more general quirks.


-Hunchback (HBK)


Just give all the variants the 4G's -crit% for a start.


-4G: Just replace the AC20 quirks with generic ballistic/STD AC so it's less boxed into using only the AC20, also give it -heat% quirks if sustain is supposed to be its specialty to the 4H's UAC.

-4P: Fullfills the niche of 9 medium lasers medium with standard engine (standard 260 to be specific) already. Could use more -heat% and -cooldown% quirks though.

-4H: More -jam%, what? It only has a single ballistic hardpoint that it has to heavily rely on.

-4J: Target decay so it can lock on to stuff by itself. Oh and +33% missile ammo quirk at least.

-4SP: More missile cooldown, ammo quirks, and -heat% quirks, at least let it shoot all day long if it's going to be at SRM ranges.

-GRID IRON: Gauss and missile ammo quirks, pretty please? Regular gauss rifles are rather underwhelming now that the AC2 had its velocity buffed. So at least let this thing move faster/mount more weapons alongside it on those hardpoints it has.


-Hunchback IIC (HBK-IIC)

It's a medium glass cannon, and it should at least have its cannon status in a world where BVs, tonnage, and CBills budget limits per team doesn't really exist.


-IIC: Just give it B.HSL+1 and ammo quirks, maybe you'll see the elusive HAG80 Hunchback then for a start. Oh, and a significant -jam%, -heat%, this is a world where the Sun Spider-D and the Mad Dog-C exists with a similar loadout anyway, so at least let this 50 ton walking coffin viably run its 2C-UAC20 loadout.

-A: Heat quirks, what else?

-B: General missile quirks instead of SRM, more potent quirks.

-C: -jam%, more -heat%.

-DEATHWISH: Surprisingly not much, its HML loadout is actually rather viable as long as you can get in range and play it like the IS Hunchback if it were a real glass cannon.


-Ice Ferret (IFR)

A light-medium mech that suffers from an locked overweight engine courtesy of being an omnimech.
Give it fullbody armor and or -crit%, its durability mostly comes from structure quirks anyway.
It's also an omnimech that is usually always run in mixed pods configuration rather than So8 ever, mainly using the P chassis for its CT ECM hardpoint.
Anyway admittedly I couldn't really imagine running these things on So8 anyway, so just give the CTs more -heat% and +heat dissipation% quirks?
The UAC2 variant could also use more ammo quirks and -jam% I guess.


-Kintaro (KTO)

Surprisingly okay thanks to being one of the most durable mediums thanks to armor quirks in the game already.

Could use some -cooldown% quirks and -heat% I guess.


-Nova (NVA)

It's fine, it's what a glass cannon medium should look like more or less. There are some stinker variants but they fill their niche just fine already like the sniper PPC variant.


-Phoenix Hawk (PXH)

A bit more leg armor, otherwise already solid, really fills in the shoe of the IS XL medium that can go as fast as lights do.

-Shadow Cat (SHC)

What if the Ice Ferret doesn't have an overweight engine and makes up for that less speed with MASC and JJs? It's already fine if a bit underwhelming in some parts. Has the added challenge of needing to use its MASC to get the most out of it.
-Shadow Hawk (SHD)

Give these things JJ quirks, ammo quirks (at least +50%), and give the 2D and 2D2's 40 -crit% quirk to all of them for a start.
Most of the quirks on the variants can also be changed to general cooldown, heat, and velocity quirks rather than being specific weapon category quirks.

-Trebuchet (TBT)
Missile ammo quirks, change the specific weapon quirks like LRM only and standard laser quirks to general ones. Maybe even give this thing T.Decay.

-Uziel (UZL)

JJ quirks, ammo quirks, heat quirks on some variants like the 3P, 5P, and 6P.

-Vapor Eagle (VGL)

Some -heat% quirks, slightly better accel/decel stat as well since it's exceptionally bad in that part for a medium otherwise. Not much else as it's already regarded as a good medium I suppose.

-Vindicator (VND)

Already buffed decently this year I think.

-Viper (VPR)
It's surprisingly rare to see a Viper that is NOT the Scaleshot, so yes, maybe it does need some buffs. There's also the fact that this thing barely has any heatsinks and heat quirks.
Oh also these things have NON-UNIFORM ARMOR QUIRKS for some reason, some variants might have +4 CT, others +10, some has +6 arms, others +10, etc. make that part uniform, just give everyone +10 and remove the So8 armor quirks, integrate them into the pods instead.

=Prime: Give it missile ammo quirks and more -cooldown%, -heat%, and +MG RoF, it barely has weapons as it is.
=A: Missile ammo quirk, energy cooldown quirk, more -heat%.
=B: More C-ERPPC +velocity% and give it cooldown quirks because it has none for some reason.
=C: Some -heat% and slight MG ammo quirk I guess?
=D: T.Decay quirk if it wants to be a dedicated missile hopper. Oh and more -heat%.
=F: It's already fine barring the armor quirks. Could use -heat% so it could have even more sustain DPS though.
=Medusa: Just give this thing some laser duration and more -heat%? I mean the Jenner supercedes this thing in some regards already.
=Scaleshot: Nothing. As much as I want to say -heat%, it doesn't really deserve to get it.

-Vulcan (VL)
Make all the variants as durable as the 2T, give it +50% flamer range for fun and brawl supporting brawls and increase the MG RoF quirks to +75% or +100% on some variants at least.

-Wolverine (WVR)
Already got buffed recently so maybe it doesn't need any more?