Most Powerful single mech by rules level

[Drewbacca]

Looking for some suggestions from the hive mind, what is the single most powerful, or more to the point, most difficult mech to fight against, baring the Super Heavies, per rules level (standard, advanced, experimental)?

[Greatclub]

Intro - banshee -3S

IS std - Fafnir. It can't fight alone, though
Clan Std - It's hard to beat the hellstar, though the BV is excessive for what you get.

Clan Ex - Osteon Prime. Great range, great ability to throw damage, Just. Won't. Die.

[dgorsman]

Awesome for intro rules.

Hellstar for pretty much anything else.  Although my preference is the ERLL and TCOMP version.

[boilerman]

Looking for some suggestions from the hive mind, what is the single most powerful, or more to the point, most difficult mech to fight against, baring the Super Heavies, per rules level (standard, advanced, experimental)?

I'd say that depends on the scenario.

[massey]

Hard to top the Daishi Widowmaker.

[agen2]

Tomahawk II.

[Kit deSummersville]

The Xanthos -5O is such a pain to kill but if you ignore it then it will chew up your 'Mechs one at a time.

[Wrangler]

Clan wise - Tomahawk OmniMech (the original) - Selections are so brutal and the Machine is so tough.
Inner Sphere - Berserker - That thing comes in like a freight train, the variant with TSM is brutal if you get up and personal.

[Daryk]

No one's mentioned the 3025 Marauder II yet?  ???

[I am Belch II]

Bane 3....I ve been on the receiving and giving side of this mech. Didn't last long when on the receiving end.

[Colt Ward]

Clan wise - Tomahawk OmniMech (the original) - Selections are so brutal and the Machine is so tough.
Inner Sphere - Berserker - That thing comes in like a freight train, the variant with TSM is brutal if you get up and personal.

Not sure the Tomahawk beats out the Osteon . . C or D, take your pick.  The Osteon starts out with Ferro-Lam armor, Reinforced Structure, Nova CEWS, and a CT cockpit.  First is 3/5/5 with 2 Large Pulse, 4 Med Pulse, and TC.  Second is just 3/5 with 4 Large Pulse and nearly enough DHS to constantly fire them.  I am not part of the Clan Large Pulse Cult, but its going to negate a lot that gets done to it . . . and with Nova CEWS, it just gets better with a team mate.

Might have to find someone to play the Hellstar vs a Osteon (12 pts per hit vs 10) . . . see how it goes.

[dgorsman]

15 with the ER PPCs, 10 with the ERLL.   ;)

[MadCapellan]

IS Tech wise, the PLG-4Z Pillager & DVS-2 Devastator are pretty near the pinnacle. Definitely Hellstar for the Clans, though.

[Greatclub]

Clan wise - Tomahawk OmniMech (the original) - Selections are so brutal and the Machine is so tough.
Inner Sphere - Berserker - That thing comes in like a freight train, the variant with TSM is brutal if you get up and personal.

Balancing heat on the TSM 'zerk is such a pain that it limits what it can do. Banshee -8S for my 'cut it in half' needs. I'll take the relative fragility for a consistent heat of 9.

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

Including artillery 'Mechs?

[Colt Ward]

15 with the ER PPCs, 10 with the ERLL.   ;)

No, what I was giving was what the damage would be between the Hellstar and the Osteon D . . . The Osteon D is only going to take 12 points of damage from the Hellstar b/c Ferro-Lam armor takes 80% of the damage.  So if you wanted to go with the ERLL Hellstar, your down to 8 point hits vs the Osteon's 10 point hits.

[massey]

Turkina Z is pretty freakin' brutal.  I'd take it over a Hellstar any day.

[Sartris]

hitting with all four iATM-12s firing HE is a special kind of satisfying.

[GreekFire]

Looking for some suggestions from the hive mind, what is the single most powerful, or more to the point, most difficult mech to fight against, baring the Super Heavies, per rules level (standard, advanced, experimental)?

Powerful is one thing. People have mentioned the Hellstar, or Tomahawk, or Pillager, or any of those big shooty 'Mechs.

Most difficult to fight against? Wulfen C.

First: It has a 10/15/10 speed backed up by Stealth Armor. You will only ever engage it on its terms, never the opposite.

Second: It has three TargComp'd ER Mediums. It can reliably force a PSR on its own.

Third: It has options. It can run (with Stealth on) and fire all ER Mediums for +9 heat - allowing it to escape at 9/14/10 speeds the next turn. Or, it can jump 10 (with Stealth off), fire all ER Mediums for +13 heat, just shy of that shutdown roll. Run away, repeat. With Stealth off, it can do running backstabs all day.

Fourth: It is the posterchild of a 'Mech that completely and utterly breaks the BV system. My group has come to the conclusion that adding an extra 400 BV to its price to makes "fair".

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

The Wulfen C is powerful, but it's a massive heat pig.

[Giovanni Blasini]

No one's mentioned the 3025 Marauder II yet?  ???

Good call for Intro tech, yeah.

[Daryk]

Thanks!  I was beginning to worry this was going to be a clan only discussion.

[Sharpnel]

IS Introductory: TI-1A Titan

IS Tournament Legal: MAD-4L Marauder II (Stealth plus twin gauss and a ER PPC)

Clan: Hellstar or the Turkina Z

[Colt Ward]

Okay . . . so BV balanced . . .

A 3/4 Hellstar has 90ish BV on a 2/4 Osteon D . . . while a 3/5 Osteon D has 20 BV on a 4/5 Hellstar.

Any Hellstar believers want to give it a shot in MegaMek? 32x32 map?

[ANS Kamas P81]

IS Intro, and nobody mentions the Awesome yet?  Shame.

[Giovanni Blasini]

IS Intro, and nobody mentions the Awesome yet?  Shame.

 ???

Uh, got mentioned three posts in:

Awesome for intro rules.

Hellstar for pretty much anything else.  Although my preference is the ERLL and TCOMP version.

[massey]

The PPC mechs are cool, but I think they really lose out to other designs.  I'll take the Stalker over the Awesome.  More overall damage potential once you get close.

And don't forget about jumping Clan pulse machines.  The Viper (Black Python) is still a beast.

[Jellico]

Dueling or formation?

A Hellstar is great when it has friends to protect it and use its range but there is plenty out there that will close and gut it one on one.

[ANS Kamas P81]

Uh, got mentioned three posts in:

I guess it was so obvious a choice I didn't see it!  ;D

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Dueling or formation?

A Hellstar is great when it has friends to protect it and use its range but there is plenty out there that will close and gut it one on one.

Pretty much. Dueling and fighting in a formation are quite different.