The Hydra, as with the many other first-generation ProtoMechs, was born from the last gasp of Smoke Jaguar creativity before their death. Described as an assault unit, the design has since spread to a handful of other Clans. The Hell’s Horses would bring forth the Hydra 2, the Mandrills the Hydra 3, and the Spirits the Hydra 4. Each would specialize the Hydra in completely different ways, turning them into what would be most needed by their Clan.
6-ton ProtoMechs are comparable, in many ways, to 60-ton BattleMechs. They are the lightest of the heavies, reaping both the inherent advantages and drawbacks of this choice. Jump Jets now weigh more than they do for ProtoMechs 5-tons and lighter, making them less than attractive choices for the 6-tonners. On the other side, internal structure is increased by 1 in every location, which is more important than it sounds: the head and arms now sport 2 points of structure each, which plays a larger difference than it might sound. Additionally, frenzy attacks now deal 2 damage instead of 1.
This weightband is also the first to be able to survive a 15-point gauss slug to the torso region, a 5-point hit to the arms, or a 10-point hit to the legs. Indeed, arm armor alone is doubled compared to anything lighter, and we go from needing 3 points to tear off a 5-ton Proto's arm to needing a total of 6 points. This substantial increase in survivability makes 6-tonners the lightest ProtoMechs that can be thrown into direct combat and still have a chance of coming out alive.
From TRO: 3060
The initial Hydra is a solid design, although one that suffers in a few subtle ways. The 4/6 movement reflexively appears to be a bit slow for a 6-ton Proto, but is ultimately the heaviest one can go without having to start referring to the master engine table. This is backed up by a respectable, but not fantastic, 29 points of armor set out 3(head), 10(torso), 3(arms), 7(legs), 3(MG). The Hydra would be the lightest ProtoMech able to survive a Gauss slug straight to the torso for 8 years, a feat only later matched by the Chrysaor. The legs are able to take a 7-point hit without going internal, or even 2 5-point hits without crumbling. These are the most important locations for any ProtoMech, so having a good amount of toughness there is definitely attractive. The arms, main gun and head aren’t as good. 5-point hits can smash through any of them, and three 7-point hits can tear through the head/an arm and just barely core out the torso afterward. Nothing can really be done about this, though, unless design choices are sacrificed in a chassis rebuild.
The remaining weight is put towards a very nasty duo of weapons: 1800 kg are invested in a Streak SRM-3 with 10 rounds of ammo, and another 750 kg go into the first recorded use of a Micro Pulse Laser. The amount of firepower here is pretty staggering - the accurate nature of both weapon systems means that at close range, the Hydra has a high chance of landing 9 points of damage per turn. Streak SRMs also have quite good range for a ProtoMech weapon system, while the Micro Pulse Laser gives it added options against infantry.
Both of these make the Hydra a brilliant partner to heavy bruiser ‘Mechs or vehicles. A few of them can add dedicated anti-vehicle, anti-infantry and critseeking options to more imposing holepunchers. It plays very well in secondline formations, supporting Clan mainstays such as the Ku, Ishtar, Oro and Athena. Common standard ’Mechs like the Marauder IIC, Warhammer IIC, Rifleman IIC and Glass Spider can also take advantage of the critseeking an AI abilities of any supporting Hydras. Each costs a pretty reasonable 209 BV, not too hefty a price to pay for what it can bring to a force.
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As I said earlier, the Horses eventually rolled out the Hydra 2 in 3066. This variant isn’t the best. At all. Honestly, I hate it. First, the good: three jump jets are added to give the Hydra 2 a semblance of mobility, adding on the option for hit-and-fade engagements in broken terrain. The Micro Pulse Laser is ditched, instead replaced by two additional missile tubes to give the Hydra 2 a very intimidating Streak SRM-5 with an exorbitant ten shots of ammo. The bad: all of the extra weight needed to improve those launchers comes straight from its armor. Only 14 points are left, with 2(head), 5(torso), 1(arms), 3(legs), 2(head). The Hydra 2 is one of those travesties that relies more on internal structure than armor for survivability, but at least it can still take a 10-point hit to the torso without dying. That upside is counterbalanced by many downsides; a 7-point hit rips apart the legs, while two 7-point hits core it even when coming from the arms or main gun.
The relegates the Hydra 2 to two roles in my eyes: ambushes, and urban combat in heavily built up terrain. In ambush situations, it can quickly disengage before reengaging when heavier and more intimidating elements enter the fray, while urban combat gives it the armor it needs to survive. It is basically the very definition of a glass canon, so use it as such. It does, however, synergize well with the other ProtoMechs in the Horse roster; it has comparable armor to the Orc, Centaur and Procyon, so using one to give some added oomph to a Horse Point can be interesting. Having a 223 BV cost, more than the standard Hydra, does make it less disposable, and its payload makes it a priority target. Be extremely careful when using it.
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The Hydra 3 is a Mandrill innovation, beginning to enter their forces by 3067. It is a radical departure from the other variants. The 5/8/5 movement is reminiscent of the Roc, although the upgrading of the engine and jump jets costs it a scary 2000 kg, a third of its weight (same as the Siren). It is worth noting that the engine is also suboptimal; a 6/9 engine weighs exactly the same on a 6-ton ProtoMech chassis. The firepower is also quite different: a single LRM-6 with 10 shots. This isn’t a terrible choice, and the weaker 24 points of armor [3(head), 9(torso), 3(arms), 6(legs)] isn’t as big of a deal. It can no longer take a 15-point hit to the torso, but it does still pass the double 7-point hit threshold. The point stripped from the legs kind of sucks, but jump jets mostly invalidate that drawback. The remaining loss of armor was taken from the now non-existent main gun, an intelligent sacrifice.
The Hydra 3 is easy to use, and it suits the Mandrills well. The Clan leans towards using ProtoMechs that can accurately engage at range, and the Hydra 3 plays straight into that strength. Use the jump jets to find the best vantage points, and rain away. Remember that your firepower is very limited, stay in your medium range or at the edges of short range to get the most bang for your buck - as long as you have something more attractive for your opponent to hit. It’s a bit pricy at 247 BV, make those missiles land where you need them. You can’t afford to jump around every round and boost up your own to-hit numbers too often.
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The Hydra 4 is what the Spirits brought forth in 3072. All of the weaponry is once again switched out, although it is a sort of refinement of the original Hydra. The Hydra 4 triples-down on the anti-infantry role with three AP Gauss rifles loaded onto it, 10 shots for each. This gives it the ranged critseeking options of the original, while keeping up the same overall DPS rate. Range is somewhat cut, but a dramatic increase in armor makes it more than worth it in my eyes: armor is now nearly maxed at 35 points, with 4(head), 12(torso), 4(arms), 8(legs), 3(MG). This is fantastic. The Hydra 4 can now survive a 5-point hit to any location except for the now less important main gun, while able to take more 7-point hits to the arms (or even a 7-point followed by a gauss slug) without dying to a cored torso. It is solid, without a doubt.
BV is a bit more expensive, but at 220 it is still cheaper than the Hydra 2. It’s a very good design, and one that I would consider over the standard Hydra given the choice (and spare BV). Padding out a heavy lance with the Hydra 4 makes you near-invulnerable to infantry assaults while able to stay relevant at range. While not entirely the same kind of unit, I’d suggest to any players used to fielding AP Gauss Elementals to give the Hydra 4 a shot. Three of them costs less BV than a 3/4 APG Elemental Point, while mostly maintaining the same weight of fire and having more overall durability. It works well for the Spirits; the other anti-infantry designs they have are the Chrysaor 2 and the Satyr 2, so having another with more range (while still being more than useful in a non-AI role) is great.
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All in all, I would suggest using Hydras to shadow larger units. They're difficult to swat with secondary weapons, and keeping them close to something larger increases their longevity even more - something you want, considering the deep ammo bins of all of the variants. They create an additional threat bubble, preventing opponents from trying to close to knife-fighting range where they'll become entrapped by the slower ProtoMechs. Another option is sometimes using them as a part of a ProtoMech anvil, but only in a support role; they don't have any holepunching weapons of their own, so they would have to be matched up with Minotaurs, Gorgon 2s, and the like.
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MUL Link:
http://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/1594/hydra-standardCamospecs:
http://www.camospecs.com/MiniList.asp?Action=Detail&ID=41IWM:
http://ironwindmetals.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4808