703 replies to this topic

[Jeremy Wade]

Have been having some success with the following loadout on my 4H, particularly on Tourmaline Desert:

STD Engine 200 - 71.3 kph with speed tweak
Endo Steel
3x DHS
Armour is maxed everywhere apart from the legs which are both at 39/48

2x LLas (1 in each arm)
1x UAC5 with 4 tons of ammo in the legs.

You can get off four or five volleys of the LLas before overheating (this is just with all basics unlocked, I havent got the 2x elite bonus or the additional elite cooldown on this mech yet). The UAC5 (when it isn't jammed) really lets you reach out and annoy people at range, lots of sniper mechs will quickly back down off a ledge, regardless of how much of the incoming fire is actually hitting them or doing damage.

I really like this loadout, it allows me to assist my team at all ranges. Up close you can plug away with the lasers and then when cooling off start hitting people with the UAC5 (for about a second before it jams again, damn you UAC5 gods!).

[Mordynak]

OK, gone with the last build i posted. Cheers Ewigan.

@ Wade, Looks a bit mental to me DPS is lower than the 5ML + AC10 and its slower. Plus i don't currently own a UAC.

I'd rather just forget about the UAC and run something like this instead HBK-4H

Higher firepower, fastest engine, full armour. 2 tonnes of AMS ammo too.

Edited by Mordynak, 21 March 2013 - 06:15 AM.

[Jeremy Wade]

The DPS

Mordynak, on 21 March 2013 - 06:12 AM, said:

OK, gone with the last build i posted. Cheers Ewigan.

@ Wade, Looks a bit mental to me DPS is lower than the 5ML + AC10 and its slower. Plus i don't currently own a UAC.

I'd rather just forget about the UAC and run something like this instead HBK-4H

Higher firepower, fastest engine, full armour. 2 tonnes of AMS ammo too.

True, the raw DPS may be lower, and it's not a speed machine, but I’m finding that with the addition of the larger maps to the roster, the 2 LLas are much more effective than the 5 MLas, especially as they are both on my arms, unlike the 5Mlas version where 3 are locked to the torso.

It’s not really a brawler, more of a medium range damage dealer, but up close the arm mounted LLas really let me stick the hurt on people around me, I don’t have to keep trying to get my torso lined up with people to deal with them when they are in my face. The caveat being that obviously you have to place your shots more carefully as the LLas have a longer recycle time than the MLas, unless you chainfire them.
The lower speed is not so much of an issue as I'm not racing to get into the brawl, but the lack of AMS does force you to pilot carefully.

EDIT: ARGH! Totally misread your mechlab loadout, haha! So p[lease disregard what I said about the 5Mlas and the stuff about the LLas on the arms! That said I prefer to carry something ballistic to offset the LLas while they are cooling. The UAC is just a nice combination of offputting noise, impact shake and damage (when it isn't jammed).

Edited by Jeremy Wade, 21 March 2013 - 08:59 AM.

[Hank941]

1st post

I've read practically all this thread. I've waffling between a HBK and a Trebuchet for my 1st mech. I've played for only a few days mostly with the current trial Tre (jumper).

I'm ancient and played the old MW3 and 4 (Mercs) in the old days addictively. I've reloaded all released half a dozen times and played through all campaigns after the online play gradually faded away. Now that I've found MW:O, I'm in hog heaven again.

HBK was one of my fav medium mechs back in those days. So I'm going with a Hunchback for my first purchased mech.

Thanks for all the pointers. See you on the BF.

[Nixak]

When I play in a premade of 4 I will go as this 4P. Its roll is not to deal dps or finish off mechs, but to drop an enemy mechs fps so they cannot respond as well to being attacked. Also just because nothing is as cool looking as when you alpha with this build.

[Blue Frog]

I have seen several mentions (not just in this post) of taking a ballistic hardpoint and swapping for an energy. Can someone explain how to do that? I am relatively new and still learning the finer points.
Thanks!

[SchwarzerPeter]

This probably refers to the HBK-4G and the HBK-4H. The first one has 3 Energy + 3 Ballistic hardpoints, the later one 5 Energy + 1 Ballistic hardpoints. You can only change the mech, not the hardpoints

Btw: I bought myself a HBk-4P and i realy love this baby with 9 ML. Its not even my first mech, lol ^^

[Rhialto]

SchwarzerPeter, on 22 March 2013 - 10:52 AM, said:

Btw: I bought myself a HBk-4P and i realy love this baby with 9 ML. Its not even my first mech, lol ^^

Runs a bit hot though...

[SchwarzerPeter]

If your not overheating you are doing it wrong

But the superior range of the ML is far better than the 90m of the SL, it makes up for the heat ^^
Not to mention the alpha is almost as powerful as the one from an atlas.

Edited by SchwarzerPeter, 22 March 2013 - 12:19 PM.

[Alamarian]

I'm new and I just wanted to thank you for the guide, Helmstif. After fiddling with the trial mechs and failing miserably, I bought a Hunchback as my first mech after reading this, a 4P running 8xML (TAG in the head, because I can't manage the heat just yet), and I can actually do stuff now! I just came off a 2 kill, 2 assist, 500 damage game. Not the best in the world but it's the best I've done in my two days. The damage is really stunning. I alpha'd a Stalker from behind, distracted him until an Atlas waded into the brawl, and then core'd his rear torso when he overheated trying to deal with the Atlas. That was sweet - first Assault I've killed.

[Hex Pallett]

Just a shoutout to thank Ravennus for the 4H build. Works amazing. tThe lack of AMS is not too much a problem, and the three ML is certainly doing their job. Dropped for about 4 matches, got at least two cores in all of them - and quite a few cores were actually achieved by the SLas.

Oh I love my Hunchbacks

[Mortua Manus]

Helmstif, on 26 November 2012 - 11:50 AM, said:

II. HBK-4H

[color="#b27204"]STD200, 12DHS, Endo, 1xAC20(3ton), 2xML, 3xSL, AMS[/color]

I wouldn't call 4H the best ballistic option, but you can still get a few good builds out of it. The single ballistic hardpoint makes AC20 the obvious option, and the hunch is marginally smaller than 4G's. In my case this is what I ended up and feels rather comfortable with it.

I call this one my little brick shithouse. Its slow, squat, tough and hits like the morning after a half bottle of Goldschlager and a burrito as big as your head. With enough practice with the AC20, you can surprise the hell out of a commando trying to circle strafe you with a figurative boot to the lil ******** head.

[Ravennus]

Helmstif, on 28 March 2013 - 08:26 PM, said:

Just a shoutout to thank Ravennus for the 4H build. Works amazing. tThe lack of AMS is not too much a problem, and the three ML is certainly doing their job. Dropped for about 4 matches, got at least two cores in all of them - and quite a few cores were actually achieved by the SLas.

Oh I love my Hunchbacks

Thanks Helmstif!

I'm glad you are enjoying it.

[SchwarzerPeter]

I have tried various options to make good use of the 4SPs arm lasers. The common builds have a rather short range with just medium laser. So its not that outstanding from the P variant.

Finally i have come up with this: HBK-4SP

Std 250, Endo, 16 DHS, 2 SSRM2, 4 ML, 1 LL
The large laser doesn't render you useless in greater distances and the 4 ML have enough power in close range.
I played around some dual large laser builds but they where either to hot or to slow for my taste. The streaks are quite useful, there seem to be less ECM round nowadays.
Even if you lose a torso you still have a decent firepower left and you got your zombielaser in worst case.

Edited by SchwarzerPeter, 08 April 2013 - 09:39 AM.

[Grimorkin]

I'm currently "levelling" my 4P with 9 MLas.

As said in the original post, you need to be careful/cautious with the trigger as overheating can be a problem, but as long as I don't kamikaze, I always end up doing a decent amount of damage.

All things considered, definitely my favorite HBK, and possibly my favorite mech.

[Ewigan]

Try out the 2 LLs in the arms.
Even more dangerous with the heat, but even more rewarding when you melt someones face off.
AND: MORE RANGE! (alpine and tourmaline anyone? )

[MuKen]

So I've started playing around with hunchies only recently, and of course all the builds I've tried are with STD engine because everybody always says XL is a bad idea on a hunchback because the hunch is the first thing to go. But it seems in my experience, I've rarely contributed anything of use after the hunch is gone, except on 4SP builds. All the others get neutered to the point of uselessness as soon as they lose their hunch. I'm starting to think that whatever small contributions you can make while zombie-ing would be overshadowed by the extra firepower you could get while still at full strength by taking an XL. It seems like 4SP is the only variant that should take a STD. Can someone tell me if I'm being crazy here?

[SchwarzerPeter]

The problem is, what crazy fire power can you fit in there with an XL which wont fit in there with a STD?
You can mount AC20, Gaus, 9 ML and everything else in there with an STD already. So why bother with a XL?

And hunchies do a decent job as zombies, just put an ML in the head and you are fine

The problem is that you are not saving that much tonnage. XL 255 weights 12,5t (same as XL 250) and the STD 250 only 18,5t. So you win 6t but often you have no crits left for Endo, which also saves 2.5t. So you win only 3.5t for most builds.

[Fenris Krinkovich]

Well, if you were going to put an XL in a Hunch, and I'm not sure I would, you could do something like this:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0835a9f0afd6b54

I call it "Sudden Death Eliminator": HBK-4P, XL 250, Endo, max armor, 16 DHS, 9 MPL. Tons of up close damage (54 point alpha) but it runs hot and when that hunch goes you are toast. Could be a great striker in a team but I don't think I could recommend it for lone-wolfing.

Edited by Fenris Krinkovich, 09 April 2013 - 04:21 PM.

[MuKen]

SchwarzerPeter, on 09 April 2013 - 11:33 AM, said:

The problem is, what crazy fire power can you fit in there with an XL which wont fit in there with a STD?
You can mount AC20, Gaus, 9 ML and everything else in there with an STD already. So why bother with a XL?

Been experimenting with this adjustment to one of the builds in the OP:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e925fb2f4f3ae4b

It seems quite effective, changing the arms to LLas gives me a little more 'oomph' to my alpha strike, which that build was somewhat lacking in compared to other hunchies, and also allows me a more effective strike as I try to close the gap on enemies.

Yes, I die when my hunch gets taken out, but like I said my 9mlas hunch wasn't doing a whole lot without his hunch anyway.

Edited by MuKen, 09 April 2013 - 06:51 PM.