HBS Expansion Thread- its time for II (spoilers)

[Luciora]

It's a energy shotgun, I like them alot.  There is a Snub ++ that is lower heat also, which is nice.

What do y'all think of snub PPCs? Worth it or just stick with the normal ones?

Right now my King Crab has got 2 LRM20++ and 2 LL (+10dmg, +3 accuracy) with DHS, but I'm thinking of switching the lasers to the snub PPC- more heat, but hopefully a more powerful alpha strike.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

What mech are you leading with?  I usually keep them behind my Marauder, reserve them let them mob a single isolated target while the Maruader tanks everything else.

My Thunderbolt, it's my best mech.  I tried using the T-Bolt as bait but the computer ignores it in favor of going after one of the Urbanmechs or Commandos or whatever and usually kills it in one or two rounds.

[Luciora]

Depending on what you have the Tbolt retrofitted with, maybe try and target off left and right torsos on enemies to deprive then of firepower first, and try and keep the trainees out of direct sight as much as possible and just ambush. 

My Thunderbolt, it's my best mech.  I tried using the T-Bolt as bait but the computer ignores it in favor of going after one of the Urbanmechs or Commandos or whatever and usually kills it in one or two rounds.

[Jayof9s]

What do y'all think of snub PPCs? Worth it or just stick with the normal ones?

Right now my King Crab has got 2 LRM20++ and 2 LL (+10dmg, +3 accuracy) with DHS, but I'm thinking of switching the lasers to the snub PPC- more heat, but hopefully a more powerful alpha strike.

I like it but the snub is probably too hot for most designs to be honest. If you have ++ versions, I'd say it's completely worth it. Mostly the + damage ones or even the reduced heat versions.

The + damage version is basically firing 5x medium lasers, at which point it is relatively heat efficient for all the damage it does.

[Firesprocket]

My Thunderbolt, it's my best mech.  I tried using the T-Bolt as bait but the computer ignores it in favor of going after one of the Urbanmechs or Commandos or whatever and usually kills it in one or two rounds.

Use the Commando to find the enemy and keep the rest of your units at long range.  Put your biggest unit between you and them.  That should solve the problem.  If they ignore you to go after the weenies then they get shot in the back.  Otherwise you still pummel them.

If you don't have a heavier mech at the time you just run 3 in a pack, spring the OPFOR and have them chase you into the guns of the other 3.  Use terrain.  At most you should only lose one guy.

[Firesprocket]

What do y'all think of snub PPCs? Worth it or just stick with the normal ones?

Right now my King Crab has got 2 LRM20++ and 2 LL (+10dmg, +3 accuracy) with DHS, but I'm thinking of switching the lasers to the snub PPC- more heat, but hopefully a more powerful alpha strike.

I'd keep what you have given the two options.  SnPPCs are good early with the +dmg and flog light mechs and to a lesser extent medium mechs.  Otherwise I'd use it as a crit seeker on a larger mech.  I can't say that I found them a good combination with LRMs.

[Triptych]

I've fought P-Hawks twice now.

Those things are mean.

I have a Phoenixhawk in my storage but havent used it yet.

What's the proper build for it?

[Caedis Animus]

I have a Phoenixhawk in my storage but havent used it yet.

What's the proper build for it?

Beamspam, I'd assume.

[NickAragua]

I have a Phoenixhawk in my storage but havent used it yet.

What's the proper build for it?

I've played around with it quite a bit, and the standard build is a little under-armored. And also overheats a lot. I've had pretty good success replacing the large laser with a medium - that gives you plenty of free tonnage to up the armor and stick in a heat sink with what's left.

The Vectored Thrust systems also work in your favor if you want to ditch the normal weapons loadout and drop in a PPC, which turns the mech it into a hole puncher.

[DarkSpade]

I gave mine 3 medium lasers and two machine guns.  I think I also knocked off a jump jet or two.  I use it as a back stabber.  Heat isn't really a problem because if I'm not behind something then I'm probably not going to bother shooting.  That's why I went with machine guns.  They give me an a heat free option to still get some use out of the mech when activated.  Even if it is just to knock off a point of evade on a mech or two.  Also adds some more damage when I cool off by going into melee.  For that reason I also often put some 0 weight arm mods on it.

I gave up on trying to find a less heat intensive load out.  You just can't do it without handicapping it some other way.  Bad heat is easier to manage than no armor or guns.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I finally salvaged the last piece I needed to put a Quickdraw together.

Any suggestions on how to customize it, since the standard config really isn't sufficient.

[Firesprocket]

I have a Phoenixhawk in my storage but havent used it yet.

What's the proper build for it?

I went with 3 mediums and a couple small lasers.  I also packed as many 0 weight melee/DFA buffs as I could on the thing.  Ideally you want to get a COIL laser or two on them and go to town.   Nick's suggest of one large PPC also works.

I finally salvaged the last piece I needed to put a Quickdraw together.

Any suggestions on how to customize it, since the standard config really isn't sufficient.

I never really had a killer version of the Quickdraw I enjoyed and haven't had one in my inventory since heavy metal dropped.  Assuming you have the expansion, I'd suggest looking at 4 medium lasers and TAG.  The rest you put into heat sinks and/or jump jets.  Your success or failure with the design is going to entirely depend on what your pilot's skills are that you a dropping into the design.  Coolant Vent is probably ideal, but Ace Pilot is almost always good.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I've got all the expansions but I'm still relatively early in the game.  I assume that the space savings from removing the missile pods should go into armor and heatsinks?

[DarkSpade]

Its 5 speed make it useful for target acquisition mission. Max the jump jets and armor then fill what's left with medium lasers and heat sinks. It doesn't need to kill, just survive.

Out side of that, it's garbage. I've never found a decent load out and I've never brought one to battle without leaving half of it littering the battlefield after the mission. Meanwhile, enemy quickdraws never seem to die...

[Jayof9s]

Its 5 speed make it useful for target acquisition mission. Max the jump jets and armor then fill what's left with medium lasers and heat sinks. It doesn't need to kill, just survive.

And even then, only if you're short on 55 ton designs. A 60 tonner at 5/8 has 29 free tons vs 28 on the 55 - but the JJ weigh twice as much, so effectively 24 vs 25.5 in the lighter design's favor.

Marginally more armor potential on the 60 tonner but they're also slightly easier to hit, since mediums have an innate +1 Hit defense.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Given that I've already got a Shadow Hawk, a Wolverine, and a Kintaro, I'm hearing that I should just sell the thing or put it in storage?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Excellent.  A couple of good missions netted me enough salvage to put a Trebuchet and a Griffin 1S together, and I nabbed part of an Atlas II out of the Hell of a Deal event.

[Triptych]

I've got all the expansions but I'm still relatively early in the game.  I assume that the space savings from removing the missile pods should go into armor and heatsinks?

I would just sell it. The only 60 ton mech worth keeping imo is the Rifleman. The Quickdraw for me was pretty disappointing.

[mechnut450]

so I been upgrading my pc ( swapped out my fx cpu to a new rzyen 9 3950 cpu and a gaming board.  and I seen a large improvement  in my system lol ( better right ) but. I was playing a mission where the spy had a atlas mech and I shot it in the head with a ac 20+++ and baby it sweet to get a second one lol  so I am running around with a assault lance and I manage to not lose a single pilot so far ( got to love the cockpit mod++ I have it in every mech and I couple spares

[Jim1701]

I disagree on salvsge.  I get lots of good stuff in salvage.  I do pick up some stuff in the stores but the majority of my stuff is from salvage. 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I would just sell it. The only 60 ton mech worth keeping imo is the Rifleman. The Quickdraw for me was pretty disappointing.

Thanks, I was starting to lean in that direction anyway given the medium mechs I just salvaged.

[Colt Ward]

My PXH has 3 ML and 2 SL, max JJ, and I put on the heat exchanger and I think bank.  I have to watch the heat anywhere but polar regions, but I can get behind some heavies & down to core them in a turn.  But its mostly my spotter and using the MLs to knock off some evasion if the spotter has the multi-target ability.

[Triptych]

Has anyone tried to put 4 gauss rifles on an Annihilator?  :D

[Firesprocket]

Has anyone tried to put 4 gauss rifles on an Annihilator?  :D

I haven't yet had 4 Gauss Rifles at the same time to try it in roughly in any of my 7 or 8 play-throughs.

[DarkSpade]

I picked up a gauss rifle with -2 tons and -1 slot from the black market.  Before I could buy the ammo, the market glitched and everything but the energy weapons disappeared.  :ticked:  Luckily my next planet had a normal guass rifle and 1 ton of ammo.

Anyone else notice that Mortars only do damage to the rear armor no matter where the mech was in the blast zone?  Really annoying.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Do NPCs mount mortars?

[DarkSpade]

None of the new gear appears on enemy mechs. 

[Triptych]

I haven't yet had 4 Gauss Rifles at the same time to try it in roughly in any of my 7 or 8 play-throughs.

Ah OK. Gauss rifles are plentiful now it seems. I have 4 in my inventory- two are on my mechs and another two are in reserve.

Does anyone know if there's any built in differences between the IS Black Knight and the SLDF version? I've got a bunch of double heatsinks and a rebuilt IS BK, but not the SLDF version, and I'm wondering if I could replicate the SLDF loadout.

[Sandslice]

Ah OK. Gauss rifles are plentiful now it seems. I have 4 in my inventory- two are on my mechs and another two are in reserve.

Does anyone know if there's any built in differences between the IS Black Knight and the SLDF version? I've got a bunch of double heatsinks and a rebuilt IS BK, but not the SLDF version, and I'm wondering if I could replicate the SLDF loadout.

The tabletop BL-6b-KNT has endo steel (+4 tons, baked into the fixed component weight) and active probe (+1.5 tons as compensation for omitting the non-existent gear) for a total of +5.5 tons of warload relative to the IS BK and other 4-jump-cap 75 ton 'Mechs.

The downgrade loses 2.5 tons from the armour, and 4 tons from swapping LPLs to LLs; but compensates 1 ton for an extra heat sink.

To retro-upgrade, you'll need nine DHS, one ERPPC++ (Snub PPC also works), and two LPL++.  Armour will still be lighter than expected, but you'll have the main weapon suite; this works because those ++ weapons have a -1 ton buff, making them all 6 tons.

[Triptych]

The tabletop BL-6b-KNT has endo steel (+4 tons, baked into the fixed component weight) and active probe (+1.5 tons as compensation for omitting the non-existent gear) for a total of +5.5 tons of warload relative to the IS BK and other 4-jump-cap 75 ton 'Mechs.

The downgrade loses 2.5 tons from the armour, and 4 tons from swapping LPLs to LLs; but compensates 1 ton for an extra heat sink.

To retro-upgrade, you'll need nine DHS, one ERPPC++ (Snub PPC also works), and two LPL++.  Armour will still be lighter than expected, but you'll have the main weapon suite; this works because those ++ weapons have a -1 ton buff, making them all 6 tons.

( double HS? Hooboy, I dont think I could fit all of them into the chassis. I guess this was a bad idea lol.