29 replies to this topic

[Craftyman]

Hi, I'm getting pretty close to affording either a centurion or a hunchback and I wanted to know which one would be a better brawler, or can they both brawl pretty well? I'd also like to get a cataphract someday they seem like pretty solid mechs for brawling

[Kiiyor]

Welcome and salutations and all that jazz!

Both make decent brawlers, but their weapon hardpoints are spread out over each chassis differently.

The cent can carry some pretty hefty ballistics in it's arm, and has a smattering of missile and laser hardpoints across it's variants. The arm mounting makes it fragile though.

The hunchback, generally, concentrates the bulk of it's firepower in it's hunch, with some exceptions. It also mixes ballistics, missiles and energy across it's variants.

Helmstif has an awesome hunchback guide here:
http://mwomercs.com/...unchback-guide/

Here are a few cent posts, for some reason my search-fu has failed to find something more comprehensive:
http://mwomercs.com/...the-centurions/
(therre's some build advice buried in the thread above)

http://mwomercs.com/...nturion-builds/
This one has some nice cent builds.

You could always trawl the battlemech guide section also:
http://mwomercs.com/...96-battlemechs/

Personally, I prefer the hunchbacks. The concentration of firepower in a cent's arm makes their damage potential a little too fragile for me.

The Hunchie 4SP is my favorite brawler; good weapon spread, speed and survivability once kitted out. The laserback is also friggin awesome. The rest are so-so.

The best option for both though is speed - once you grind through enough cash to get a decent engine (std 250 or so, or a bigger XL) the game changes dramatically for the better, imho.

Anyhoo, good luck, and good hunting!

[gregsolidus]

Centurion with Standard Engine and SRM6s will do.

[Eisenhorne]

CN9-A with 3x SSRM 6's is probably my favorite brawler medium. Load in 2 medium pulse in the center torso, and your lethal with just a head, center torso, and a single leg. Nothing can take a licking but keep on ticking like a centurion

[Stingz]

Hunchback-SP for it's spread out firepower, Centurion for survivability. SP has a good SRM/Laser mix going, and the Centurion only needs legs, CT, and head to still be dangerous with the x2 Medium Lasers in the center.

Putting a XL in either is pretty wasteful of their survivability. SP sill has lots of firepower with only one torso, and the Centurions Right Torso gets blown out very often, usually after the arm.

Edited by Stingz, 05 December 2012 - 05:24 PM.

[Tex Arcana]

Speed options are good in either type (Hunchie or Cent) as well.
Non-XL engine for sure: Don't bother with the fancy stuff if you don't need it.
You can pack a lot on a stock armour/internal/non-XL model.
I'm liking the Hunchie grind myself so far (SP, J, and P): Can't complain about the Model....
...I can complain about my aim right now though...(wotta noob)

Edited by Tex Arcana, 05 December 2012 - 10:39 PM.

[BigJim]

Tex Arcana, on 05 December 2012 - 10:36 PM, said:

...I can complain about my aim right now though...(wotta noob)

C:\Games\Piranha Games\MechWarrior Online\User.cfg

Add the following lines & save;

i_mouse_smooth = 0
i_mouse_accel = 0
cl_sensitivity = 0.16
the "0.16" can be adjusted to taste, the default iirc is 1.0, this should help with your aim by reducing the mouse sensitivity.

[Buck Cake]

A swayback is much more forgiving for a new player. Centurion is a mech for advanced players that needs to have a perfect loadout to be effective.

[Atlas3060]

Either chassis is a good choice for a first time brawler purchase, but I would recommend the Swayback or even the AC/10 Hunchie.
Though the all energy version is useful when it comes to ammo purchases (meaning it has 0) certain maps like Caustic are a hinderance to firing unless you time your shots right.

Edited by Atlas3060, 06 December 2012 - 04:21 AM.

[Mordin Ashe]

Hunchback.Centurion is great, but it is wider and in my opinion Hunchback is more reliable chassis, exactly what a beginner needs.

[Darwins Dog]

I got the centurion A, and it's worked quite well. I swapped the AC10 for a UAC5, and put SRM6 and SRM4 in the torso. Even with the arm gone, the 20 potential damage from the SRMs is pretty nasty. Not to mention the standard issue 2 Meduim lasers in the center. I like because I can go for AC2, large laser and LRMs and be a ranged support as well.

As others have said though, the hunchback is a little more forgiving. You have to learn how to maneuver the cent to protect your good arm, and learn how to use the shield arm.

[Elizander]

HBK 4SP. Nothing quite like it.

[Giani]

Like others have stated, the Hunchback 4SP is great for brawling. It is also the only Hunch not to be almost totally disarmed by removal of the right torso. Piloting a Hunch you will notice everyone goes for that torso first, even if you're in the 4SP. Putting ammo elsewhere would be a good idea.

The Centurion makes a fantastic zombie brawler, in other words one that can be dangerous even after losing nearly every body part. I have an -AL with 2 medium pulse lasers in the CT, SSRM2 (for Jenners), and a 260STD engine (biggest that fits, top speed ~90 kph), max armor, and *nothing* in the arm. Everyone targets the right arm first since that's where most of a Cent's firepower usually is, and it always makes me laugh. By using both arms as shields and twisting to minimize CT hits you can live a long time. My favorite match I was quadruple teamed and it still took all four firing everything but the kitchen sink at me for a good 30 seconds to finally bring me down. With a zombie build you don't kill fast, but you die hard, which gives you the time to do your damage. That style is not for everyone though.

All things considered, I would go with the 4SP. Just a solid choice all around (and my current ride).

Edited by Giani, 07 December 2012 - 02:38 PM.

[Chameleon Silk]

CN9-A

nothing beats its SRM6, XL engine or standard (which is preferred setup)

personally i run an XL centurion.

[NoFish]

I highly recommend the Hunch if you're just starting out. A Cent is a great mech, don't get me wrong, but it's a lot less forgiving tactically. With a Hunch you can just sit on somebody's face and trade punches with anything short of an Atlas. The Cent doesn't have the same staying power unless you've learned to be good with it. Also, the Hunchback 4P is one of the best farming mechs in the game, with a pretty low repair cost, no ammo expenditure (well, maybe a little if you slip in an AMS), and the firepower to get you some kills.

All-in-all, get the Hunchback for now, pick up the Cent later if you still want it.

[Reavana]

I highly recommend any Hunchback, especially for your first CBill buy. The primary reason being that it easier to level up in. The Cent only has 2 cheap varients that you can buy with CBills. The other 2 options are a very high cost tech version, and a hero mech that is MC only.

I started down the Cent line, but then found it easier to pick up the Hunch as it was cheaper.

[Taizan]

I'd say the Centurion is a good brawler once your battlefield awareness is decent and you know how to protect that arm for a while, so it doesn't get shot off within the first few seconds of enemy contact.

The HBKs make good brawlers, but I always feel they are a bit less offensive, being more in a damage support role.

[TANTE EMMA]

Take the HBK - 4SP, honestly, the Centurion as it stands right now is just crap, sorry PGI, had to say this...
it's build is way too broad and it is actually taller than the Awesome...that combined with the fact that there is basically not a single Centurion that will survive a match with it's right arm intact makes it inferior on the battlefield. Personally when it comes to brawling I recommend a HBK - 4SP. Even when you get one Torso blown off, you will still keep 50% of your weaponry intact.

[Tex Arcana]

Don't throw the Hunchback P Model out of bed either.
Hunch may be a big target; but all those lasers...
I'm loving the P right now; 245 engine, DHS, and lasers-lasers-lasers.
The big key to it is speed; harder to target the hunch when you're moving 80 kliks plus...
I may go up to a 260 engine...
Here's a good guide for the P (or "Ghetto Delight"):
http://mwomercs.com/...-hunchback-4-p/

Edited by Tex Arcana, 08 December 2012 - 05:43 PM.

[Maverick41]

Hello, I am new to this game, I have played some battles and have earned about 2,000,000. How much do you need to earn before you can start buying mechs? The store icon is greyed out and I can't click on it.