Very subjective, but in terms of usefulness/effectiveness on the battlefield, rate the chassis. There are 8 mechs, so from 1-8, with 8 being most useful. 8. Mad Cat 7. Kit Fox (Lan proved that I think) 6. Stormcrow 5. Dire Wolf (its a magnet for pain) 4. Nova 3. Warhawk 2. Summoner 1. Adder
8 - Stormcrow - just a perfect blend of speed, power, armor, and the low profile makes it easy to hide. Good loadout options across the board as well. If it had JJ's I would say its Over Powered. 7 - Timberwolf - Great speed, can do anything well, I think the size and shape make it a bit easy to kill sometimes and it has a giant bullseye on it when you drop in one. 6 - Warkhawk - Great, armor, giant firepower without being turtle slow like the Dire Wolf 5 - Kit Fox - ECM makes this one great 4 - Direwolf - Unmatchable fire power, but at the cost of terrible speed. Great with a good team, can be terrible in PUGS because its so easy to get left behind and singled out. 3 - Nova - JJ and laser boating are nice, but its a tad slow for the size, I would play the stormcrow over it every time. 2 - Summoner - Just to limited in both speed and hard points right now the Timberwolf outclasses across the board. It is fun to jump around in it though, could improve with incomming JJ Nerfs. 1 - Adder - has the same profile and speed as the stormcrow only with 20 tons less of armor and weapons, no thanks. If it was faster, say like 120 it could be a wrecking machine, but as it stands I would play the Kitfox with ECM over most of the time. It could be better in 3x3x3x3 situations when you are forced to drop with 3 lights if community warefare separates clans vs is as you probably wouldn't need 3 kitfoxes at that point.
Highest to lowest Timberwolf : 'nuff said. Kit-Fox (with ECM): way better with ECM, and JJ. DireWolf: really really slow. But also really really good firepower. Stormcrow: Almost perfect for everything, if only it had JJ. Warhawk: like are really tough Jager but with more firepower. Adder: packs a punch for the size, a bit slow though. Nova: better on paper than for real. A bit on the slow side even with J. Can pack a punch though. Summoner: Too big an engine and too many JJ taking up most of the tonnage. If not this can be great.
Mechspeccers, I (and I suspect others) are saving our pennies to buy some clan mechs once they come out for MC. I'd really appreciate it if those of you who have clan mechs could let those of us who don't know which ones we ought to be saving for by rating them. I'd hate to spend all that time grinding and then get a dud. As the late Douglas Adams said: "Man is almost unique in his ability to learn from the experience of others. Man is also notable for his disinclination to do so". I'd like to buck the trend and learn from you guys. Thanks!
ps. I'd have preordered myself but I want to stay happily married so... I envy some of you your financial freedom! Ha ha.
I only have a few of the clan mechs, but I would say that the Nova is an underrated mech. It does have to be played in a fire support role, but it can pack a serious punch, and will tear up light and other medium mechs in short order. It has enough speed to maneuver behind heavy/assault mechs if you move right, and the JJs give it some good versatility. Kit Fox I would have rated low, before I started really playing it to master my variants. Now that I'm better with it, I can say that it's a huge asset on the battlefield. With its speed, it can't skirmish like a Jenner or Firestarter, but it's good as either a support brawler (ECM and 3xAMS) or a sniper (3LLas, which is my build). I was weak, and just upgraded to the pack with Dire Wolf and Summoner...more because I just wanted to dick around with a 6UAC5 DWF for fun
Here's my impressions of the Clanmechs. Kitfox - Stock builds range from meh to craptastic. Starts to shine when played in a support role as ECM/AMS umbrella for the big boys. You can go overboard with 3 cAMS, ams overload module and even an ams range module. 3/5, 4 with ECM. Adder - Decent energy (cerllas) sniper thanks to it's low profile and you can fit a decent targeting computer and AMS too. Also works fine as a srm-boat Donkeypunch. Better speed then the KFX, but it lacks JJs. And don't get me started on the builtin non-removeable flamer. ugh. 2,5/5. Nova - Looks good on paper, but I'm still having difficulties with this baby. 12 cermlas is some seriously scary firepower, and a -very- good way to kill yourself by overheating. Although I've got decent results with the Yen-Lo Clan build (cUAC20, 2x cERMLAS) Stormcrow - THIS is what a medium is supposed to be! Fast, manueverable, good firepower. Works good as a laserboat, missileboat and brawler. Imonho the stock builds are close to spot on. 5/5 Timberwolf - THE clanmech. It can do pretty much everything. LRM-boat with silly amount of tubes and artemis? Check. Laserboat? Check. Ballistic boat? That too. Brawler? Ohyeah.. well you get the point. It's fast, mobile (esp. with jjs) packs a mean punch at all ranges. And it's a real icon. The only real downside (ifg any) is the lack of AMS. 7/5. Seriously. Summoner - This is another difficult mech for me. It really doesn't do anything better, or even on par with the 'Wolf. The huge-ish engine and non-removeable jjs really limits the options on this build. Does make a decent LRM-boat though and the ability to run dual cAMS. And you can have machineguns/autocannons for nipples. You kinky b*stard you. 2,5-3/5. Warhawk - Fast-ish and reasonably mobile, for an assaultmech that is. Still not as mobile as some IS-assaultmechs (steiner scout aka. awesome and hgn poptard comes to mind) but fast none the less. Can do direct firesupport with cerllas/cerppcs and a targeting computer, is THE clan lurmboat (clrm 60!). 4,5/5. Direwolf - It's a beached, quadraplegic whale and about as graceful as a hippo in a tutu. It can get stuck on the tiniests of rocks. Nothing says KILL ME! as piloting one of these. The only thing this is good at is a) sick amounts of firepower and b) making the other team focus on killing the dwf on your team instead of you. 1/5. tl;dr 50% of the clanmechs are good, the others are almost pure shaite. Also, list: 8 - TIMBERWOLF 7 - Scarecrow ehm. Stormcrow. 6 - Adder. 5 - Kitfox. 4 - Nova. 3 - Warhawk. 2 - Direwolf. 1 - Summoner. Hope this helps some. /CX
Stock build, separate your ERMLs into 3 groups of 4...while running stock, I found it did very well with heat only firing 4 at a time, and that's still a nasty 28 damage per shot (assuming the whole beam hits). The 6-and-6 dual weapon group still works, but I found doing 3x4 had better heat management. Alternate builds, the 6 ERML and 6 ERSL is a popular build for a good reason. I tend to run my Nova with 2 CERPPCs and 6 ERSLs, and it does extremely well with that build. A lot of people like throwing in MGs as well, and there's plenty of good builds on that subforum. The only thing I could note is that any heavy ballistic builds I tested (LBX, AC10/20, etc) didn't do well with the limited tonnage there. As an energyboat, however, it is amazing. Generally, with any build, it does far better when you operate it in a support capacity (ie, following right on the heels of 2-3 other mechs) rather than trying to be the vanguard.
To me these lists say more about our playstyles than anything else. I've had 6-8 kill battles in both the Adder and Kitfox but they're different beasts. The Kitfox feels like much more of a support mech and quite fragile. Its ECM and AMS combo is a great support tool for companies/lances and it can still load paired C-ERLL for a decent bite. The Adder can load paired C-ERLL/C-ERML with plenty of heat sinks to use them or even space for a TC. Its energy hard points are a lot better as can Torso mount up high your paired C-ERLL. Compare that to the Kitfox where its energy armament is arm based and wide. If you're peeping and shooting you'll end up shooting the rock too much in a kitfox as the C-ERLL beams are so long. That said I've had good battles in both and use them differently. Direwolves - most brutal mech on the battlefield but very team based. You don't get support you'll die pitifully to LRM's and poptarts. The other battles you're doing a lot of damage. Not fond of the slow moving pillbox analogy some people use as there's so much damage on the battlefield nowadays that no one can tank that much you avoid it or kill your opponent first. Its more a slow moving cannon that can kill anything in its arc of fire but needs protecting. Had several 5 kill battles even when not basiced out. Boosted Narc is a death sentence (learnt from experience) and triple AMS/ECM Kitfoxes are your best friend. BTW do NOT get in the way of a DWF as it can massively outdamage anything you can do in any other mech. Nova - I'm alternatively disappointed and excited by this chassis. Had too many battles where I end up on a battlefield with a badly suited loadout. On paper its great - whats not to love about 5JJ 12 E and 4 Ballistic hard points? The reality though is that its very easy to hit and I dread to think what the module/JJ changes will do to it as both radar deprivation and shock absorbance seem critical. I ended up running after changes a dual C-ERPPC setup with enough heat sinks to use them almost continuously (weapons in arm for peeping), 6 c-ERML and 4 MG for a finisher/support mech in lance, third option was a paired CERLL with 4 C-ERSL as support. Gold version was 12 ERSL and 4 MG. The C-ER PPC version gets most usage when I'm playing in a pre-arranged match as its snap fire, agile and good damage. Lance sees the 6 ERML/4MG version as it works very well with its agility to kill anything that concentrates on the DWF and TBR with me. Others TBD as i'm just steadily playing them though in sets. :blush:
I've been exping up my Dire Wolf now that I have one (I was weak...), and my impressions are...interesting. Keep in mind, I tend to prefer lighter mechs with a lot of speed, so this is actually the only assault mech I own right now. Early on, I had a LOT of problems with it. Habits that I developed using things like Jenners have been really hard to break, and like many, I found the massive CT being an easy target for a lot of players...so I went back to the drawing board, and started playing it more like I was playing my Nova, like a big, fat fire support machine. I used the build from this thread to great effect: http://www.mechspecs.com/forum/index.php?topic=7369.msg48496#new Like many, I had to get over the initial "Assault Problem" - you know, the one where you have delusions of grandeur since you have so much more armor than other mechs, so you must be able to survive more direct attention! HA! Once I got that out of my head, things improved. This match was the first one in one of my variants, so no efficiencies were unlocked. I didn't even remember to add in my modules since I was derping: My verdict is that the DWF can be a nasty, nasty addition to any team, but not as the vanguard to your force. Like the Nova, it fares far better by being the second mech into the fight, providing support to the person who's taking the first shots. Moving in against distracted enemies, you will rack up kills in this thing (provided you use a good build); while it's vulnerable in the CT, that just means you have to adjust your tactics to try and avoid damage as much as possible, which is where using something like a Gauss/PPC combo is brutal (letting you get off a shot, then twist away as soon as possible).
The 12x cERMLas build is a trap. Before I changed the loadout, the majority of my deaths were self-inflicted. Moving to 6x cERSLas, 4x cERMLas helped dramatically. Even so. I just can't seem to get the Nova's ballistic arm to work properly. I think the Nova won't really arrive until it's missile omnipod comes out. So far, though, I think that the Kit Fox works better. I can't speak to the rest of the clan 'mechs.
My problem is that twice today I had to hold down a flank and that involves putting down continuous fire into every target that presents itself in as loud a manner as possible. In those cases your only real friend is at least some cover to minimise your silhouette and something like quad+ uac5. If your fire is good people desperately get in cover. Not great for getting huge kill totals but the c-bils/sp are good as you're shooting a lot of mechs.
I've seen this or a variation (with 4MGs) builds in battle multiple times already. It seems to work ok. I wonder of 4MGs and a few cLPLasers would be any better? One of my favorite Centurion builds is the AL with 2x LPLasers in the arm. It's like having an infinite AC20 in your arm (proper cooling required).
PGI clearly made a mistake by giving Timber Wolf the S configuration, considering how little the Summoner is used and how it is rated so low. Without it and its JJ slots, the Summoner would be much better (the only Clan heavy with JJs). Better, perhaps not ideal due to lack of hard points (that's a big issue with the Summoner, right? At least i keep people saying that). Me, i'm a Summoner fan (it is a frigging cool looking mech), and can't wait to get it for C-Bills... EDIT and giving the Summoner ability to reduce JJs is not a solution. Keep things canonical.
Odd way to do the rankings but I'll just flip it to build to the Timberwolf. What? Obviously it's the most useful. 1 - Adder - Cannon fodder. I love them 2 - Warhawk - It isn't a Twolf, it isn't a Dwolf. But at least it carries more speed than the Dwolf 3 - Summoner - Streak30 terrifies me. Seems limited for the most part but I've seen good players completely dominate. Unlike the rest of the Clan mechs, I think the jury is still out on this one/has the most room to improve. 4 - Nova - As dangerous to itself as others. Stupidly easy to hit target, though 5 - Stormcrow - A proper medium: flexible, dangerous loadouts with speed. Low arms and no JJ prevents it from being one of the best 6 - Kit Fox - I love killing these things. But since this is arranged by usefulness, the triple AMS/ECM cannot be discredited 7 - Dire Wolf - A companys' worth of firepower in the heaviest sponge in the game. It'd be rated down with the Warhawk if it couldn't bring all those weapons to bear. I think this is the most overrated mech in the game. 8 - Timber Wolf - The most dangerous mech in the game, duh I don't own any of the clan mechs
This is my response every time to the Adder bit. Play a mech to its strengths not its weaknesses and you might be surprised. Or in other words DON'T BRAWL IN AN ADDER (which a lot seem to try).
Here's the Kitfox version. Basically the longer a game and the better you control the range the better those 2 chassis are.
I don't have an Adder, but I had to learn that in my Kit Fox...a big part of it was in using lights like Jenners, Spiders, or Firestarters, you get used to the idea of the light being that perfect skirmisher, able to move in, get a few shots off, and escape virtually untouched into cover...and at 150 KPH, they pull it off very well. But the Clan lights just don't have the speed to pull that off, so they take a lot of adjusting. Once I changed my KFX over to a 3ERLL version, I started racking up good games, including a 985 damage one, and I noticed that many games I would be the highest damage by several hundred points, despite not doing what I thought was very good. While I would love to have a 150KPH clan light to play, with the way their weaponry works, I can see why that doesn't get allowed just yet. Imagine a Jenner or Ember type clanmech with ERMLs and cMGs at elited speeds...
