Best zombie mech in MWO?

The other day, I got to thinking about zombie mechs. Not sure how, which is really bugging me! Anyway, I started looking through the Mech list on Smurfys to see which chassis fit the profile of a zombie mech. To the uninitiated, a zombie mech build generally has the following characteristics:

1) A Standard Engine
2) At least one Centre Torso or Head Energy hard-point
3) Heavy armour
4) As few empty critical slots as possible

A Standard Engine, combined with a CT or HD hard-point, allows a mech to stay in the fight after losing both Side Torsos. Heavy armour and few empty critical slots just means that there is more stuff to shield the mechs internals from incoming fire.

So, which chassis are available in MWO that can run as a zombie build? Actually, quite a few technically qualify. There are a lot of Light Mech chassis that have CT or HD Energy hard-points, but they don't have the tonnage to mount sufficient armour. Also, Light Mechs generally rely on speed for survival. With zombie builds, it doesn't play quite such an important role, though some builds can be configured to be surprisingly speedy.

In the Medium Mech category, the Hunchback and Centurion stand out as good candidates for zombie builds. The Cent in particular has a legendary status for being nigh on unstoppable. Other medium chassis that possess some zombie attributes include the Vindicator, Cicada and Wolverine.

There aren't quite so many Heavy Mech chassis that can be configured as a zombie build. I only counted three Catapult variants, the IV-FOUR Quickdraw and the Cataphract CTF-4X.

In the Assault Mech category, things look a little more promising. All variants of both the Awesome and Banshee BattleMechs have as a minimum one HD Energy hard-point, while there are two Stalker and three Atlas variants with CT hard-points.

But which is best? Well, that's going to depend partly on your own personal play style. From a purely facts and figures point of view, the clear winner for me is the AWS-9M variant of the Awesome, with its total of three zombie hard-points. Pack those with Medium Pulse Lasers and you have 18 points of damage at your disposal til the bitter end.

What about the runners up? Well, the Banshee BNC-3S has two separate zombie hard-points, while the 3M variant boasts an all-Energy load-out, making it less vulnerable to critical hits. The Stalker 5M and Misery chassis both come with a single CT Energy hard-point, which coupled with the chassis' legendary durability makes them ideal candidates for zombie builds. Three variants of the Atlas sport twin CT Energy hard-points; the AS7-D, AS7-K and AS7-S. Also, the fact that they can field a Light Mechs' weight in armour alone makes them fairly sturdy opponents.

So now, its over to you. What's your favourite zombie mech? Or, if that's not how you roll, what builds have you come across as opponents that no matter what you did, just wouldn't go down? Happy Hunting! And don't forget Zombieland Rule #2:- The Double Tap.

One more thing. During my research into the zombie mech phenomena, I came across the theory that a true zombie build has to have an all-Energy weapons load-out, as most ammo presents a possible explosion risk if critically hit. It seems like sound reasoning to me, if a bit restrictive, but what does everybody else think?

 

While they can't be "true" zombie mechs, I do like taking out the Hellbringers with their head lasers...I've gotten more than a few kills even after being reduced to one side torso and losing every other laser. But Clan mechs can't do full zombiemode since they can only lose one side.

I'd say Cents are probably the nastiest ones that I run into, mainly because good pilots can sustain their CTs for so long. Even if they don't do a ton of damage, they are a hell of a distraction (the piranhas really come out when they sense the kill coming), and that can screw a team if they focus the hurt mech for too long.

 

I never have issues killing zombies. Every mech has 2 legs, STD engine or XL. The fact that most are very slow with nothing longer ranged than a medium laser helps. Just stay distant, and let them shuffle around like the zombies they are.

The big issue with most zombie builds is that once zombied their effectiveness is minimal. They generally lose most of their firepower, eg a Yen-Lo without its AC20 is a really terrible version of a locust. A locust 1M with a STD 100 where someone forgot the missiles... is still faster. The best thing most zombie mechs can do is cap points, and that's hard when you can't get there quickly. That's not to say they can't finish off a kill, but it's rare for a zombie to be able to do anything significant to an opponent in good condition.

What Durandal says is true, of course. The best counter to zombies is to simply ignore them and walk away. If you can't, just take out the legs.

 

The smaller the mech, the more the loss of a single leg kills you. I would rule out Cicadas and under. People are going to be going for legs on lights especially, and a STD engine doesn't help you there.

Centurions have better hitboxes than pretty much every other brawler medium. I would say the CN9-A is probably the best zombie, and definitely the best under 70 tons.

Catapult hitboxes don't work too well for a zombie build IMO. You want something that you can spread the damage, and a Catapult is going to take a lot of damage.

Cataphracts are pretty good IMO, although they are kinda easy to hit. That's what's nice about the Centurion; it is not easy to hit.

Assaults make good brawlers, definitely, and it would be hard to pick. I do like the 9M for the reason mentioned; it can potentially hold 18 alpha with only a few components remaining.

Overall, my vote would be CN9-A. I've survived in that for a long time against an entire lance, popping off shots all the while. To be in a mech that size with less than 50% health and down 3+ components and still with full weapons and ammo...yeah, it's a beast.

Edit to add: the best zombie builds (which this could be accomplished on Clan mechs, too) IMO are those that have 2+ true zombie slots, and the rest of the majority of their firepower on one of the side torsos. For example, my Misery build with 4xML on the arms, but AC/20 in the side and LPL in the CT is a good zombie build. I can lose the empty torso and I only lose 2xML. Even if I just have my good torso and CT, I have 31 of my 51 alpha.

That's what makes the CN9-A so powerful. It's not the damage you do at minimum components. It's what you can do at minimum + 1. The CN9-A has a huge alpha (almost 50) even at minimum + 1.

 

+1 there, there is a reason why almost every light build out there includes XL engines as well...they need both the speed of the bigger engines and some tonnage left over to pack some weaponry worth a damn, and that just doesn't work on an STD...even if you make a zombie, you make one that's pre-neutered anyway, so who cares?

Friends don't let friends Light Zombie.

 

CN9A. I wince every time I see one. Normally I would try to kill it and go on but this guy takes forever to kill.. precious seconds are lost or even a minute, and when 2 of them start bugging you it really gets nasty

Some people say that a spider with a STD engine is almost impossible to kill but I doubt that and contrary to CN9A, spiders don't have firepower..

 

I think I need to build a good CN9 just to try for the Liquid Metal achievement Hard to get top damage with a build just designed to survive though heh

 

nah a CN9A with 3 ASRM6 and 2 Mlas / STD260 will do some serious damage before it turns into a zombie

 

I don't run Artemis in my CN9. I just get closer. That's 3 tons that can go towards speed and/or ammo.

That's another thing about zombie builds, is the faster you go (why the AWS-9M is a good candidate for an assault) the easier it is to duck into cover or torso twist.

Spiders don't need a STD engine to survive. As long as the enemy doesn't have streaks, spiders are nigh invincible.

 

I run XL in my Wang... I'll have to get my AL and A back one day and run STDs.

 

Having run Zombie Centurions a good deal back a year or so ago I can say without a doubt that it is probably my most favorite zombie in the game. There is a reason that light pilots feared it back in the day. That being said, as was mentioned above, all mechs have two legs and sometimes people skimp armor in them to pack in more missiles.

You can chew at a Cents upper body all day long and it will keep coming but if you blow off a leg it is missile bait waiting for the rain.

As a Raven pilot I likt to blow off a Zombie Cents leg, extend my range to 700m and begin to taunt them as I zap zap with my ERLLas and then begin to farm it for damage points. Another surprise easter egg is when a Cent pilot will store armor in their legs and I cook off some of that when I blow a leg off. Fun times!

 

The only zombie I've used (lack of mechs) is a Stalker with LPL in the CT, it was quite effective because STK are easy to tank with STs to spread damage, it's very armored so it's not a mech you leg that easily, the CT hitbox is pretty small and ST hitbox is so big you can take reduced damage to CT even when you lost both STs (sometimes people will even hit there without knowing, this is a mech that makes people scream about hit reg, while they are doing much reduced damage).



By the way, I found a recent post, I always thought it was half damage, actually less.

Russ Bullock 22 December 2014 :

Also LPL has a much superior range, power and accuracy compared to the other zombie weapons.



After the quirk pass, no heat weapon modules and clan mechs it's not the mech it used to be, but still Stalker is a f****r to kill even when reduced to a single CT, because of hitboxes and good armor and internals. The build probably needs a tweak to match the new quirks.



Untested ! But meant to run with SRM6 cooldown and LPL cooldown modules, range is already boosted in both, and SRM6+A would get a total of 32% reduced cooldown (5% skill, 15% quirks, 12% module). Not bad at all.

 

I vote the Stalker line, particularly the Misery.

 

I used to have a screenshot of a stalker I was fighting that had to have been reduced to as low an armor % as is possible in the game. I think i was probably in an Ember, panicked that I couldn't kill the guy, finally got him and got a screenshot of his condition at the end. Head, CT, and one leg, all completely cored. Armor percentage? F--cking FOUR PERCENT! I don't think I've ever witnessed anyone getting below 7 before. So that's a +1 for the Stalker chassis.

 

This is why I think there's a difference between brawler (high survivability), skirmisher (speed), and close-in-support (firepower). If I'm running a zombie build, I'm not skimping on leg armor.

 

Yep, as a good rule on a zombie both legs should have more armor then the CT togheter. On any mech really, I hate skipping on leg armor, but if you want to skip armor or a zombie, be if from an arm or a particular ST, but skipping the legs that are primary target for zombies (at least if you meet an experienced player) is a bad idea.

 

Try thinking laterally - gargoyle D.

Fast, assault armour, 2 torso energy slots in which you can put clan size energy weapons, TC1 in the head.

Its got a few downsides like large size of course but no one ignores it so it can tank a lot.

 

+1 Centurion... especially now, with the quirks. Something like an AL. That could make a killer zombie.

 

How about this for a hardcore, all-Energy zombie build?



P.S - not sure what's going on with the link. Any ideas?