I currently got 3 Cataphracts (3D, 1X and Ilya) and i love them, escpecially the 3D and Ilya are just awesome. Didnt find my way to the 1X yet, was the last i got. Dunno what to get next. Light is fun and all, but not really my thing. Im thinking medium or assault. HB/Cent maybe or Atlas/Stalker ? Cant decide! Oh, and btw: i loke boats! Two different kind of weapons is enough, more than three is too much. The less the better...
What about the Highlander? You could either dummy the ballistic arm so you can use only energy and missiles.
If you want to stay in the heavy class I'd say Catapult. Assualt class is a toss up between the Highlander and the Atlas. Mediums go Centurian or Hunchback. Lights go Jenner, Raven, or Spider.
The assault class generally contains all hardpoints, if you dislike mixing all three kinds - don't get the Atlas. Other then that, I really recommend the Atlas. It's a helluva brawler and in my eyes, the undisputed king of the battlefield. He may not have the highest damage output but he is the best armoured and armed combo. I dislike the stalker for precisely the reason you like it I'm afraid, it has a obscene amount of hardpoints of the same type and is easy to build boats on.
I don't understand the hatred of boats. What's wrong with running a 4LL K2 (My favorite kitty)? When it comes to such a versatile weapon such as LL's that can hit at most ranges, it's got good balance and is a lot of fun. I get not wanting to put 2 LRM20's on a C1 and walking around, and the XERPPC Stalkers are a pain, but is that the only thing the hatred of boating is built on?
Hatred? I dislike the stalker, that is all. Mainly because I have seen too many cheesebuilds with 6 erppcs that should melt a hole down to the planet core, given that the pilots shutdowns on every blast. That's not Mechwarrior to me. So perhaps I should say I dislike cheese pilots which have often utilised that tactic instead. I don't dislike boat builds necessarily. The Awesome is a good example of a boat build chassi that I like, if we want to talk about likes and dislikes. I run 4LL on plenty of chassi myself (catapults, Cataphracts, jagers, Atlas), it's the boats that go shutdown everytime they fire that get my dislike. We are heading OT though, sorry TS.
I'm taking that you like the following: - Elbows (lower-arm actuators) { Cents, Hunch, Commando, Awesome, Highlander, Quickdraw, Dragon, Treb } - Good variety between variants { Cents, Hunch, Treb, Jagers (w/ Rifleman--I mean--Firebrand) } - Ballistics and lasers { Cents, Jagers, Atlai, Treb, Blackjack } - Competitive design (subject to change) { Jagers, Stalkers, Raven } The Hunch is right out. As much as I love the little guy, the metagame just chews them up. That big "hit-me" hunch is a massive liability. Even the 4SP suffers from that somewhat, but he has two, smaller hunches. You're also all-but prevented from putting XLs into these guys because of the hunch. Likewise, the Dragon is out. Almost everything he does, some other 'mech does better. While the small side torsos make it easy to run an XL, and the 'mech just plain feels good to pilot, the big CT may as well have "free XP" written on it. The Awesome would be a contender, but it's pretty damn uniform from variant to variant. That and (currently) everything it does, the Stalker does better (but not as stylishly). If you're not sold on elbows, there's a lot to love in a Jagermech. Just put some armor on them first and avoid the DD for now. They're also nice if you love ballistics and Dakka. There is much Dakka to be had in the Jager. While the Trebs look very similar, they have a large degree of variability. The ballistic treb can work as a substitute Hunchback and is much friendlier to an XL engine. Some have JJs, some don't. I don't see too many of them anymore, though. The Highlander gets an honorable mention. It has more variation than it looks, but this and the previous patch's changes have thrown the ol beast down a peg or two in the metagame. Also, one of the C variant has no elbows, but there are so many cool things you can do with it. Don't skimp on the JJs either. This beast corners like a stoned rottweiler, and you need at least one JJ to turn quickly. The BJ is an odd duck. Its engine limitations, imho, prevent it from really shining. Even at its fastest, it is outpaced by the Treb. Not sure how the JJ metagame has messed with this puppy. Surely the upcoming PPC nerf will hit this chassis hard. Also... very... very low variability. No hero here, either. The Atlas is... the Atlas. The upcoming changes may bring this old boy back up to stardom, dunno. There's a lot to love in this chassis. Even though the variants are all very similar at first blush, they are very different in practice. The best Atlas pilots I've seen have made great use of the D-DC and RS. Just avoid the K, and resist the urge to put an XL in one of these. Quickdraw. 2 identical variants. I fear that the current mechanics and metagame will be very hard on this 'mech. And then there's the Cent. Viable with XL (small side torsos) or STD (viable zombie slots) engines. Decent--and pretty--Hero 'mech. There's a lot to love in the Cents. They were my 2nd favorite (behind the Dragon) in Closed Beta. But, due to some leftover resentment from the loss of the AH, I haven't gotten back into them.
Thanks for all the feedback guys! Im currently considering Atlas and Cent. The Jaeger sounds awesome too, but i already got an epic Dakkaboat with my Chainsaw Ilya and dont really see much potential in fitting in roles that my 3 Catas dont already fill. Besides i'd like to get out of Heavy class. Ill let ya know what i chose. Greets
