Author Topic: Best melee mechs  (Read 14706 times)

Drewbacca

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Best melee mechs
« on: 13 February 2018, 17:03:06 »
Hello everyone, I was wondering what every thinks are the best mechs for making melee attacks with that do NOT have melee weapons.

Nightsong

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #1 on: 13 February 2018, 17:07:08 »
The Ostsol comes to mind, with the beamspam in the CT and freed up fists, each able to do 6 points of damage (2 head hits will knock the opponent's block off), or each taking the head off in the future when the TSM-equipped models came about. the OTL-6D in particular comes to mind, with the 6/9 (When the TSM activates), and array of ER and pulse lasers on a T-Comp to help mitigate the accuracy penalties for heat in much the way a lot of clan Heavy/T-Comp combos do.
« Last Edit: 13 February 2018, 17:15:19 by Nightsong »

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #2 on: 14 February 2018, 08:40:41 »
Do 20-ton 'Mechs count as melee weapons? If so the AS8-D Atlas would be excluded at times.
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Drewbacca

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #3 on: 14 February 2018, 08:59:55 »
HAHAHAHA!!! I forgot all about that. Although I did have the following in the write up for a 'rejected clan'

"A name come up with apparently by Andery Kerensky, during the initial trials for a spot in the 800. While watching a large scale battle, Andery noticed a group of warriors, who rushed their opponents and unleashed a furious barrage of physical attacks, including instances of attempting to twist an enemy battlemech's head off, kicking a leg clean off a mech and pummeling that very mech about the head and torso with it, numerous Death From Above attacks with varying success, and in one case what appeared to be a German Suplex applied to a Wasp by a Black Knight."

So, I think I have to exclude 20-ton mechs.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #4 on: 14 February 2018, 10:08:52 »
The Thunderbolt 60-RLA. Multiple options to keep the TSM at the sweet spot, where it moves 6/9 and has no weapons in either arm. It's punch instantly removes a head, and you get two attempts!   >:D
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #5 on: 14 February 2018, 11:56:47 »
I have a lot of luck finding heads and gyros with Archers.

Then there was a hilarious match I had once where I rammed an enemy mech off a cliff with a Jackal.

Tyler Jorgensson

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #6 on: 14 February 2018, 22:37:05 »
Celerities? Fireballs?

No but seriously a lot of larger mechs for their obvious weight per damage rations. I've personally had success with my Grasshoppers. I have several and after being hit for many turns (and turning things into Swiss cheese themselves) eventually things go to melee range. Dropping a medium laser or two for a couple punches or kicks (also get some heat back if you've lost some heat Sinks) ends up working pretty well for me.

Any SR based mech would benefit in melee : I mean a Piranha isn't that atrocious in melee because it shreds things with its MG's.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #7 on: 14 February 2018, 22:42:13 »
TSM'ed Charger-1A1's

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #8 on: 14 February 2018, 23:47:36 »
Few mechs were designed with hand to hand combat in mind.  The quickdraw, grasshopper,Battlemaster and banshee are a few.

After the advent of the battlemech melee weapon, a lt of mechs started being designed with the open possibility of such combat. The Stealth, anvil, gallowglas, thunder, and salamander all had at least one hand actuator free explicitly for self defense or offensive melee.  The trend waxed and waned from there.

Personally the stealth is good for hit and runs, the anvil and ost heavies for persistant melee strikes
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #9 on: 15 February 2018, 00:48:31 »
Few mechs were designed with hand to hand combat in mind.  The quickdraw, grasshopper,Battlemaster and banshee are a few.

After the advent of the battlemech melee weapon, a lt of mechs started being designed with the open possibility of such combat. The Stealth, anvil, gallowglas, thunder, and salamander all had at least one hand actuator free explicitly for self defense or offensive melee.  The trend waxed and waned from there.

Personally the stealth is good for hit and runs, the anvil and ost heavies for persistant melee strikes

Really the quickdraw?  Wasn't it a mech that has weak ankles and so was always worried about a good kick could cripple it?  It also has its forward close range firepower in its arms so I am surprised it would be looked at as a mech designed for hand to hand combat.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #10 on: 15 February 2018, 02:08:05 »
The Ti T'sang is pretty brutal. The Gorillabolt and the Ostboxer (the TDR-60-RLA and the OTL-8M respectively) are also way up there, along with the NDA-2KO No-Dachi.


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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #11 on: 15 February 2018, 02:49:11 »
I love using the Burrock in close combat. Blasting the enemy with the Ultra AC/20 or the Heavy Lasers followed by kicking him is fun. The Flamberge Prime is also pretty pretty good for the job, especially if you can jump into the enemies rear.
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #12 on: 15 February 2018, 08:51:43 »
TSM'ed Charger-1A1's

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Now that I've turned off all my heatsinks it will just take me a few turns to heat up....  ^-^

The Ti T'sang is pretty brutal. The Gorillabolt and the Ostboxer (the TDR-60-RLA and the OTL-8M respectively) are also way up there, along with the NDA-2KO No-Dachi.

Well, the Ti T'sang and No-Dachi both have melee weapons, so that takes them out of the running.
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #13 on: 15 February 2018, 11:43:08 »
Vindicators. Nothing special about the design, but in our group it seems like EVERY time a Vindy lands a kick on a prone target, the damage finds a way to make that target Stackpole.
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #14 on: 15 February 2018, 14:19:24 »
According to the MUL, the list of 100t mechs with TSM and no Melee weapons is: Atlas AS-8D, Pillager PLG-5Z, and Vanquisher VQR-7U. For me, it would be a toss-up between the Atlas and the Pillager. The Atlas has better medium range damage, but the Pillager has stealth armor. However, while the 100t+TSM mechs will give you the largest amount of damage from a punch or kick, they are a bit slow.

For a Melee mech, I would like to see a base, non-TSM speed of 5/8 or 3/5/5 if improved jump jets are an option. Still want TSM though. It literally doubles the damage, and there is no getting around how powerful that is. Looking at those criteria, the first contender is, oddly, the Hammerhands. Both the HMH-6D and -6E are 3/5/5 and have TSM. They aren't perfect though, as their major weapons are also in the arms, so really these are best for kicking and not punching...at least until you run out of autocannon ammo. The next steps down, the Thunder THR-2L and Excalibur EXC-CS have the same problems though, and are 5t lighter, so really the Hammerhands is a solid choice. Further down the weight scale, you get the Thunderbolt TDR-60-RLA which is 5/8/5, has TSM, and all its weapons in the torso. Not bad at all for fisticuffs.

I don't like going much below 65T mechs because, even with TSM, you start getting damage that is awful close to what a non-TSM'd assault could manage. You do pick up some speed, but I just feel that you end up being in too much danger from a return melee attack once you get down to 50t-55t. So, the TSM OstSol's are about as low as I would go. Plus, when you go smaller, there are actually very few mechs that have TSM but don't have a melee weapon of some sort to go with it. The ones that do exist tend to be pretty rare for one reason or another. If you start looking at 50t and smaller mechs without TSM or melee weapons (or both!), your physical attacks get unimpressive real fast.

All that said, the TSM Berzerker is still probably the most frightening melee mech out there if you ask me.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #15 on: 15 February 2018, 14:28:13 »
Executioner I. It will get in. It will get behind you. It will slice open your rear armour. And it will fill your torsos with missile spam.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #16 on: 15 February 2018, 18:18:24 »
Well, the Ti T'sang and No-Dachi both have melee weapons, so that takes them out of the running.

Whoops, I missed the 'no melee weapons' part of the OP. Well, then it's really gotta be the Gorillabolt, I don't think anything else really comes close. The Ostboxer is nasty but it can't jump, which is a huge disadvantage for a melee unit.


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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #17 on: 15 February 2018, 18:22:04 »
I have a lot of luck finding heads and gyros with Archers.

Then there was a hilarious match I had once where I rammed an enemy mech off a cliff with a Jackal.

Not as hilarious as the fight we had where the two archers punched each other's head off simultaneously.
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #18 on: 15 February 2018, 18:25:28 »
I seem to remember that you were using a Black Knight in that exchange.  Either way that was pretty epic.

Of course there was also the time you misread the terrain and forgot my custom Timber Wolf configuration could jump and it kicked an Awesome's head off.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #19 on: 15 February 2018, 18:36:28 »
Almost forgot: The Quasimodo cemented a place in my heart when it solo-killed a Marauder IIC. Landed a couple VSPLs in the left torso, and when the MAD pulled back to cover the hole the next turn, Quasi dashed forward and up a L1 hill, and promptly kicked that torso off. That previous salvo had also float-critted the engine elsewhere, so... :)
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #20 on: 15 February 2018, 18:43:40 »
A few years back I ran a No-Dachi 2ko in Masters and minions at Gencon. There was a masakari that I got up to and blasted away enough that it fell.  At my feet. With its back facing me.

Well, I decided to do a samurai check. See if I considered kicking a downed mech in the back not worthy of a warrior. Decided that 5+ I was taking the clanner out not matter what. Rolled a 2. Decided to not kick it, and instead talk about bushido.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #21 on: 16 February 2018, 01:47:15 »
Just for punching love, spiders, ostols, oscouts and ostrocs..  For kicking, anything 60 tons +..
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #22 on: 16 February 2018, 09:30:02 »
Any SR based mech would benefit in melee : I mean a Piranha isn't that atrocious in melee because it shreds things with its MG's.

"SR" being what? Super rare?
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #23 on: 16 February 2018, 09:31:18 »
"SR" being what? Super rare?

I'm guessing short ranged.
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Tyler Jorgensson

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #24 on: 16 February 2018, 17:11:50 »
Yeah sorry short ranged was correct.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #25 on: 21 February 2018, 17:01:39 »
The Ostsol comes to mind, with the beamspam in the CT and freed up fists, each able to do 6 points of damage (2 head hits will knock the opponent's block off), or each taking the head off in the future when the TSM-equipped models came about. the OTL-6D in particular comes to mind, with the 6/9 (When the TSM activates), and array of ER and pulse lasers on a T-Comp to help mitigate the accuracy penalties for heat in much the way a lot of clan Heavy/T-Comp combos do.

I prefer the 8M - 7/11 when the TSM activates. Plus one punch will take the opponents head off and you get 2 chances to do so.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #26 on: 21 February 2018, 17:32:07 »
My group's taken to calling the TDR-60-RLA "Death Punchies"
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #27 on: 21 February 2018, 23:13:24 »
The SW era unaltered Banshee.  With its combination of size and torso favoring weapons, that's some very nasty punches and kicks. 
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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #28 on: 22 February 2018, 00:41:01 »
What about the Celerity? A guided missile of charging death - HOW much damage can it do, theoretically?

I'm asking, seriously. I'm not sure where my basic book is.

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Re: Best melee mechs
« Reply #29 on: 22 February 2018, 01:34:50 »
What about the Celerity? A guided missile of charging death - HOW much damage can it do, theoretically?

I'm asking, seriously. I'm not sure where my basic book is.

I think the 5X does 60 damage on a max charge (IIRC MASC and Supercharger will give it a top move of 40 hexes).  By comparison a Dasher II 2 will do 80 on a successful 20-hex charge
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