'Mech of the Week: Dominator

[Diplominator]

Dominator
Source: Recognition Guide: IlClan Vol. 01

It's basically a Warwolf A with an inferiority complex.

Welcome to the first in what should be a wave of new articles as designs from the IlClan recognition guides clear moratorium! Today, we're talking about a highly mobile Clan Wolf heavy 'Mech. In order to facilitate increasingly common physical attacks, it keeps one arm free for punching while mounting a headcapper in the other. Additionally, it is difficult to kill, wrapped in over two hundred points of reactive..

Wait. Sorry. That's the Warwolf. I don't know what I was thinking.

Okay, this must be it. Brand-new, highly mobile heavy 'Mech, used by Wolves, one arm for punching and one arm for shooting, mounts a bunch of...reflective armor. Dang, nope, that's the Thresher II.

Here we go. Alright. Very mobile, long-ranged, capable of physical attacks, just over 200 points of ferro-fibrous armor. It's the Dominator!

THAT WAS A BIT OF A JOURNEY.

I'm sorry, the design just seems a bit redundant is all. Now, in fairness, this is nothing new for the Wolves. At the 4/6 speed class they've got the Tundra Wolf, the Blood Reaper, the Orion IIC, the Guillotine IIC, the Night Wolf, and now they're putting the Woodsman back in production? And they started off the Invasion era using both the Mad Cat and Man O'War? Clearly this is not a phenomenon they feel bad about.

THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT OKAY.

Yeah, well, you try telling the Wolves what to do. That's how the Lyrans lost two different Archons in the summer of '43.

BUT YOU DIGRESS.

Right, the Dominator. Here goes: 65 tons puts it solidly into "we would like this to be effective, but we do not want to devote a lot of resources to it" territory. A 325 XL engine propels it at a respectable 5/8, and the inclusion of both a supercharger and five jump jets give it a great deal of flexibility as far as movement goes. It can put on great bursts of speed to run enemies down and then still be quite agile in a closer fight. The Dominator is clearly intended to outshoot what it can catch, and outrun what it can't outshoot.

The armor is pretty solid. 10.5 tons of ferro-fibrous give it just ten points short of the maximum, and the armor is arrayed in an unusual fashion: the weaponless left arm has five fewer points than the right. This is a sort of ruthlessness that a lot of designs don't fuss with but it makes sense here.

It makes sense because the right side of the 'Mech is mostly where the guns are. It has an ER PPC in the arm and an ER Large Laser in the torso, a fairly nasty and very long-ranged combination only made more efficient by the targeting computer also stuck in the right torso. The entire left side of the 'Mech carries nothing but a Streak SRM-6, a ton of ammo, two jump jets, and two heat sinks. It also carries a rear-mounted ER Small Laser in the back of its head.

Eighteen double heat sinks cool the design, which means that it can fire its entire forward arsenal at a full jump with no heat issues. That makes it hilariously oversinked by usual Clan standards, but I think it makes sense here. Pushing the use of the supercharger will inevitably lead to an engine crit, but that's far less debilitating for the Dominator. Additionally, it can lose its entire left torso and still contribute effectively despite the engine hits and missing heat sink.

SO IS THAT...GOOD?

It's fine, just a little unusual for a Clan 'Mech. Other 65-tonners like the Loki and Cauldron-Born have a lot more firepower than they can effectively use, so they can have large sections shot off and still have some guns. The Dominator only has a few big guns, but between the targeting computer and the abundance of cooling, it can get the most out of them, even while jumping. Additionally, the two main guns have fantastic range, so it will start being effective as soon as possible. The ER Small Laser is a silly inclusion, though. A simple torso-twist will let it point an entire ER PPC into its rear arc, and it necessitates an entire extra ton of targeting computer.
It's hardly a logistical burden, either, consuming nothing but Streak SRMs (which are very efficient). Again, it's not built for losing lots of equipment and eking out a narrow victory in a Trial. This is a 'Mech for campaigns.

It definitely seems like a design that can be dropped into almost any Star without too much stress. It's mobile enough to keep up with lighter elements but well-armed enough to be useful if paired with heavier designs. I don't think I'd want it in an assault role, but at the very least it's got enough range to contribute as better-armored units take hits. Also, as we get further into the Recognition Guide series it's possible there will be additional synergies (or aggravating redundancies). Time will tell.

WHAT ABOUT VARIANTS?

There's one, a field refit that was later put into production. It drops the ERPPC, SRMs, supercharger, and a heat sink for a second ER Large Laser, an ER Medium Laser, and an LRM-20 with Artemis V. This is without a doubt a much more dangerous design, but the loss of the supercharger stings a bit, and the importance of the LRM-20 makes it a bit less appealing to try to tank hits on the left side. Nevertheless, it makes for a very effective sniper, with accuracy bonuses on all its weapons.

HOW DO I KILL IT?

That depends heavily on how good your pilots are. 5/8(10)/5 is fast enough that green-to-regular units are probably going to want some form of targeting bonus, whereas units with higher gunnery scores can probably do without. Getting close to it is likely a good move, reducing the impact of its range and accuracy bonuses, but it does have the Battlefist quirk, so be wary of getting too close. In the same vein, reflective armor can be good against its main guns, but it is quite vulnerable to physical attacks.

On top of that, its raw damage output isn't actually all that high for a Clan-tech heavy 'Mech. Conventional vehicles won't like the Streaks much, but aside from motive crits its ability to actually chew through a big slab of armor is pretty limited. They might not be able to catch it, but a small group of long-ranged tanks will be able to punish a Dominator if it tries anything.

Oh, and if you can get the initiative against it, try to take out its right side. That's where most of its firepower lives, and all of its long-range potential. Try not to be too predictable about it, though; a good Dominator pilot could leave their right side open in order to encourage an opponent to make a mistake.

THAT SOUNDS PRETTY DECENT, THEN.

"Pretty decent" is the right summary, I think. It's unusual for a Clan design, but it's not at all mysterious how it should be used. Stay mobile, keep an accuracy advantage, protect your right side, and never stop shooting. Even a century after the initial invasion, the Clan ER PPC and Clan ER Large Laser are the premier energy weapons in the game and so very few things can safely ignore the Dominator.

[Empyrus]

My major issue with the Dominator is the BV-boosting jump jets/supercharger combo. One or the other is OK, having both bloats BV too much.
Otherwise, well, it looks great and it is mildly quirky, i like that. The variant is perhaps more to my liking (at least if it gets a miniature!) but i won't say no to the standard model.
Also, it didn't occur to me it is actually a lot like the Warwolf A. Weirdly, i don't actually like the Warwolf A much but the Dominator gets a pass. I'll chalk it to the Warwolf config being aesthetically displeasing in the Warwolf.

[Kojak]

So Diplominator and I had a lengthy discussion about the Dominator prior to writing of this article, in which he and I were both provisionally negative on the design, but over the course of the discussion I kind of talked myself into really liking it. And it's because of where I believe this 'Mech slots in in terms of current Imperial Wolf battlefield doctrine.

Now, the first thing to note here is that the conversation began around what Diplominator and I felt was the 'Mech's fundamental redundancy. It was doing things that can be replicated to greater effectiveness on the Warwolf, and the Wolf touman (in theory) is already replete with 5/8 heavy 'Mechs. Diplominator alluded to this at the article's outset, but he actually highlighted what I believe are this 'Mech's two natural partners. As he noted, the Wolves are notorious for picking a few points on the weight-class/MP spectrum and really going all-in on them. That said, I am somewhat agnostic on the actual effectiveness of this organizational strategy -- although I will note that in my experience, forces that get strung out due to differing movement speeds tend to lose to forces with better movement discipline, so I can see a kind of wisdom in this sort of Wolf 'pack tactics'.

Here's how I see it: while the Wolves certainly no doubt have a fair number of older Invasion-era Omnis and other 'Mechs at a 5/8 movement curve (your Timber Wolves and Gargoyles, maybe the odd Summoner or Nova), as far as we know they're haven't been building any new ones in a very long time. Right now, the meat of their 5/8s are Warwolves, Dominators and Thresher IIs. The Warwolf has been fluffed as being distributed to ristars and as political favors, and while in the 3145-50 interval they've likely proliferated, they're still essentially an officer 'Mech. Likewise, they're one of the very few units in the setting that uses reactive armor, which I imagine would be a major logistical strain if you had too many of them. So they're not common or rugged enough to form the backbone of your heavy cavalry. Similarly, the Thresher II is both Sea Fox-supplied and has reflective armor, which leaves them highly vulnerable to melee rushers. In either case, they can't fill this role either.

This is where the Dominator comes in. It's straightforward, it can keep pace with the other two, and it can shoot in as it closes to brawling range. It's there to be the linebacker, while the Warwolves snipe from the backfield and the Thresher IIs skitter about at medium range adding their shots into the scrum. A nice, solid heavy cav trinity that can fill out a Star, work together with an effective commander at the helm, and still remain a swift force at both the tactical and strategic level.

Note that all of this might be rendered totally nonsensical by further RecGuides, especially if it turns out the Wolves have restarted Timber Wolf production, but at least provisionally, given what we know at this moment, the Dominator makes a great deal of sense.

[Empyrus]

Per Objectives the Clans, which is set around 3080, the Wolves were producing the Timber Wolf then, though with low production rate due to needing hand-build some parts. Presumably this has gotten better over time.
Of course, with the move across the Inner Sphere, their Timby factory status is uncertain. Has it been set up? Did they get rid of it? Are they gonna replace an existing line with a Timby line? Did Timby factory get left behind and is now in hands of the Falcons or Horses?

[Kojak]

Presumably this has gotten better over time.

Absent any evidence, we can't operate on this assumption. That said, there's a decent chance you are about to proven right when the next RecGuide drops, given that there's a Timber Wolf on the cover.

[Empyrus]

Absent any evidence, we can't operate on this assumption. That said, there's a decent chance you are about to proven right when the next RecGuide drops, given that there's a Timber Wolf on the cover.

I'm inclined to assume situation evolving rather than status quo staying over many many decades. But yeah, the next one should clarify the situation.

I suppose one reason for the Dominator's existence is that the Timber Wolf could not be put back into production, perhaps the Wolves did take the factory with them BUT couldn't take all relevant stuff, like lacking 375 XL engine production or something like that.
Then again, BattleTech often has many 'Mechs that share similar role and capabilities being in production within one nation even that makes little sense, so thinking about what's logical and sensible doesn't necessarily apply to BT...

Alternatively, perhaps the Wolves have limited medium 'Mech production but produce more heavies. The Wolves have designed a lot of heavy 'Mechs after all, and buy a bunch from the Sea Foxes.
The Dominator feels like it could work as a medium 'Mech replacement, with its high mobility for its weight class.

[Diplominator]

For what it's worth, the Warwolf fluff explicitly says it was an attempt to create a new iconic heavy design after the Foxes co-opted the Mad Cat. They could totally change their minds, but as of right immediately now there isn't any reason to think they're still making them.

[Scotty]

I'm extremely down on the Dominator (and, for very similar reasons, the Thresher II) and most of it comes down entirely to the small things, like:

1) The price tag.  Over 3000 BV is a massive ask for something that can hit +4 TMM but probably won't unless you manage to find the most predictable 10-hex straight line of all time.

2) The Targeting Computer (or more specifically the ER Small Laser).  This one is just plain egregious, literally anything in the world is a better use of that half ton (ton and a half) than this.  I'll leave the workshopping to the custom designs board but seriously there are a half dozen separate improvements that would have done well just on this point alone.

3) The armor.  Yes, Ferro-Fibrous is efficient.  But we're told that this is a design that's trying to counter fast Jade Falcon heavies that love to melee.  Like Jade Hawks.  And it has 28 armor in each leg, when the maximum is 30.  Anybody know off-hand how much damage a TSM'd Jade Hawk does on a kick? ::)  This would have been a nigh-perfect opportunity to show-off Impact-Resistant armor, something that exactly four other 'Mechs have.  You can even keep the level of protection identical with some judicious pruning (goodbye, ER Small Laser and Supercharger) and come up with something almost 400 BV cheaper but significantly improved.

It's a 'Mech that we have to be told is an excellent 'Mech in the text, rather than being a 'Mech that is excellent in its construction.

[GreekFire]

I've been pretty hard on the Dominator, but unlike Diplominator or Kojak I tend to play a lot more games balanced by BV—and that often colors my opinion of a design. And like Empyrus mentioned, the Dominator stuffs a targeting computer, an ERPPC, a supercharger, and jump jets onto its chassis to get a s-s-s-super combo and blast the BV numbers out of this world. I mean, c'mon bruh. I can get most Daishi variants for less BV than this thing.

But shoving that ugly BV issue out of the way, it does have its uses. Yeah, damage output is low. But combining the speed and accuracy together, along with the pretty decent durability of the chassis, makes it a pretty solid bully when used against the medium 'Mechs the Falcons love to use (hello, Heirofalcon). It also does fine against Spheroid stuff, where its damage and speed still outperforms most of what Inner Sphere manufacturers can pump out. And if I really want more damage for a bit less speed, well, the Tundra Wolf 2 does exists.

All in all, I guess it makes for a good generalist.
I still don't like it. I think its ultra heat neutral design must give me 3050-era FWL PTSD flashbacks or something.

[Empyrus]

3) The armor.  Yes, Ferro-Fibrous is efficient.  But we're told that this is a design that's trying to counter fast Jade Falcon heavies that love to melee.  Like Jade Hawks.  And it has 28 armor in each leg, when the maximum is 30.  Anybody know off-hand how much damage a TSM'd Jade Hawk does on a kick? ::)  This would have been a nigh-perfect opportunity to show-off Impact-Resistant armor, something that exactly four other 'Mechs have.  You can even keep the level of protection identical with some judicious pruning (goodbye, ER Small Laser and Supercharger) and come up with something almost 400 BV cheaper but significantly improved.

I would use just about any armor but impact-resistant. It just ain't good. (Also pure IS tech, though mixed tech is not really a barrier anymore.)
And the Falcons don't actually use the TSM versions of the Jade Hawk (that's the version sold to mercs), so melee attacks are even less of a consideration.
While i like specialty armor, it is lucky this one doesn't have any, they tend to boost BV even more.

The ERSL and its ton of targeting computer is the biggest sin of this design to be sure. I would pull the ERSL and add CASE II and Laser AMS.
EDIT Or perhaps i would've used AES rather than a TC.

[Scotty]

Impact-Resistant Armor has no BV modifier.  In any case, it reduces all physical damage (including falls and DFAs, including if you're the one doing the DFA) by one point per three, meaning that in the event of five point clusters you actually only take three.  A Dominator that falls over is going to take four points of damage instead of seven, for example.  That seems entirely relevant and I absolutely think it was a missed-opportunity here given that the stated purpose is "be good against 'Mechs that like to melee things".

[Empyrus]

Ah, forgot that it is one of those with no modifier. But between it being IS tech, rare (as you say, 4 'Mechs only), and generally limited use... well, i don't think it is a good choice, nor a plausible one. I did make a Workshop thread, i suggest you post IRA version there.

[Scotty]

Done.

[JPArbiter]

The phrase “not fit for stated purpose” comes to mind. This mech does great things. but what it is suppoused to do, which is give the now six bird mechs fits, it does not accomplish well.

It cannot cope with kicks from either an Eyrie or Jade Hawk

It matches range with the Gyrfalcon, but cannot defeat the reflective armor.

It cannot deflect the missile weaponry from any of the birds that use them.

It cannot disrupt the enhanced cooling brought by partial wings

The most you can say is it stands a reasonable chance of going toe to toe with a Shrike and coming out ahead. Not a great plan.

[Empyrus]

Considering the Dominator's mobility and range, i don't think getting melee attacked should be a problem. It is in principle quite good against melee attackers.

The Shrike is not as mobile though as an assault it is to be respected. Not a duel i'd like to fight, though then there are few 'Mechs i'd like to bring to one on one fight against the Shrike. Curiously the BV values are quite similar, but the Shrike has advantage thanks to its mass and overall firepower and durability. If the Dominator had weapons with greater reach than the Clan ER large laser, it could be different, but such weapons are few and not too common.

The Gyrfalcon is built ranged fighting, and melee is generally more dangerous to the Gyrfalcon, especially the standard model. But i think it will win long range dueling, thanks to its higher mobility (and cost allowing better pilot). Reflective armor grants further edge to the Gyrfalcon, but off-hand i seem to recall people preferring the non-reflec models, still mobility is the key here.

The Hierofalcon is not really built with melee in mind though as an Omni it is gonna be unpredictable opponent. But as with the Gyrfalcon, higher mobility is an issue.

The Eyrie's kicks are dangerous but that applies to every 'Mech, not just the Dominator. At the same time the Eyrie is only a light, if you can hit it, it will fold quickly (shame the Dominator doesn't have a large pulse laser). Not saying it is easy, but the risk the Eyrie poses is perhaps overstated. Would prefer something else against the Eyrie though, just in case.

The Jade Hawk is a threat to be sure, though in a team fight i'm not too concerned thanks to its short range (sure, go ahead, come next to my companions...). The Jade Hawk's melee is no more dangerous to the Dominator than other 'Mechs' though, as the Falcon models don't have TSM. The JHK-03 does possess TSM but it doesn't actually have as good mobility as the Dominator, lacking full jump jet array (4 jump max in standard atmo), and while its ground speed is dependent on TSM being active and on its SC.
In a duel, i will put my money on the Jade Hawk though, unless the Dominator has good enough pilot to perhaps cripple the Jade Hawk before it gets close, unlikely in BV-balanced environment. The alternative Jade Hawk models are also dangerous, thanks their longer range armament, and unfortunately in BV-balanced situations they're gonna have better pilots.

Uh... right. So, let's recap: Melee is not a a major issue, and against most melee/short range 'Mechs the Dominator should have the edge. The Jade Falcon 'Mechs aren't really melee 'Mechs (how they use them is another matter). Jade Falcon totems are dangerous opponents, but that's mostly because they tend to be more dedicated to certain combat styles and quite well designed at that, while the Dominator is more of a generalist.

Unfortunately the Dominator is just one of those 'Mechs where BV calculations aren't really fair. If it paid only for MASC/SC or jump jets, it would be some 300 BV cheaper (at standard 4/5 pilot), and would be much more dangerous for the BV you pay for it. If we ignore BV, it is quite good generalist, though not really great at anything.

[Scotty]

I flatly disagree with the assertion that melee isn't an issue.  You're 5/8[10]/5, not 15/23.  Something will close to melee range if it's advantageous for them and you lose initiative (or you're not playing a 1v1 in which case it's less a matter of losing initiative and more an inevitability).  Every single one of the Falcon 'Mechs you just listed has a jump of 5 or more (in most configs, for the Hierofalcon) which means the first time they close to a range of 1 hex will absolutely not be the last time the range is 1 hex until either you or they are dead.

Writing off melee as a non-issue is a mistake.

[Empyrus]

I flatly disagree with the assertion that melee isn't an issue.  You're 5/8[10]/5, not 15/23.  Something will close to melee range if it's advantageous for them and you lose initiative (or you're not playing a 1v1 in which case it's less a matter of losing initiative and more an inevitability).  Every single one of the Falcon 'Mechs you just listed has a jump of 5 or more (in most configs, for the Hierofalcon) which means the first time they close to a range of 1 hex will absolutely not be the last time the range is 1 hex until either you or they are dead.

Writing off melee as a non-issue is a mistake.

Against the Eyrie, the Dominator will win in melee, though admittedly with few caveats. The Eyrie doesn't kick as hard and the Dominator is more durable (and has more firepower), the Eyrie will be losing a leg sooner than the Dominator (ignoring balance loss here as it will twist the fight right away). Now, the caveat is that the Eyrie can probably get to a position where the Dominator has limited retaliation possibilities, but this isn't insurmountable. If we play on standard map sheets, all the Dominator needs to do is to keep its back on the map edge. Stand-up fight, the Dominator wins, up close the Eyrie is open to melee attacks. Of course, the Eyrie still has mobility advantage, and that may end up deciding the fight, but it ain't melee that decides the fight. Rolling map sheets, it becomes pretty random, if the Dominator gets ideal defensive position fast enough it has reasonable chances, otherwise the Eyrie probably wins.
I grant i'm ignoring pilot skills here, but that's mostly because better pilots has perhaps disproportionate effect on the game, such as the Eyrie being essentially unable to fall down. In campaign environment, massive pilot skill differences seem unlikely, realistically speaking.

The Gyrfalcon is designed for ranged combat, why come to melee? It has mobility advantage and similar firepower at distance (no TC except the 3 variant, but perhaps better pilot), all it needs to do is to keep hit modifiers on its side. If it tries to come to melee distance, the Dominator is better at melee (especially against the reflective armor version), and the edge hugging tactic is workable here. Yes yes, with initiative the Gyrfalcon could swoop in, kick, and then get away, but i question if that's worth doing in this fight. I'll dismiss melee because the Gyrfalcon is already better at ranged fight.

The Hierofalcon, sure it probably wins in melee, even if the Dominator prevents rear kicks, due to its combined firepower and melee power. This one is an issue certainly.

The Shrike is an assault 'Mech, it will win with sheer firepower and durability anyhow, why come to melee? Sure, if the Dominator gets physical with the Shrike, it is in trouble but that's not because melee is inherently the issue for the Dominator, it is because of the mass difference. Incidentally, running with the SC makes possible to disengage from melee, so i'm not sure it is in the Shrike's interests to engage in melee, though then again this would grant the Shrike more or less free rear arc shot. A win for the Shrike but that was gonna be so anyway.

The Jade Hawk will naturally aim for melee range though i believe the Dominator will lose the fight anyhow, melee or not, the SRM barrage and lasers are brutal enough. Err, the lesson here is not to engage the Jade Hawk in a duel.

[wantec]

For what it's worth, the Warwolf fluff explicitly says it was an attempt to create a new iconic heavy design after the Foxes co-opted the Mad Cat. They could totally change their minds, but as of right immediately now there isn't any reason to think they're still making them.

The Foxes didn't co-opt the Timber Wolf because the Wolves weren't making them (who knows if they are or aren't), but because the Foxes/Sharks have a long history of making new 'Mechs that build off the Timber Wolf's design and reputation. The Mad Cat Mk II, the Mad Cat Mk III, the Mk IV is just the next in the series and happens to be an Omni built at the same tonnage as the original design inspiration. The Warwolf is Clan Wolf's take on upgrading the Timber Wolf in a new Omni.



I'm not the designer or the author of the entry, but I think the Dominator fills an existing hole in the Wolf touman. The Dominator is a second line cavalry 'Mech of which the Wolves have almost none. Looking at the MUL, the Wolves only make the Griffin C, Lobos, and the Violator with a ground speed of 5/8 or higher until you go down into the light 'Mechs. For the front-line forces the Dominator isn't a good fit like you all have pointed out. Every Omni Clan Wolf makes within 15 tons of the Dominator is 5/8 or faster except for the resurrected Woodsman. Adding the Dominator (and the Thresher II) gives the Wolves a second line heavy cavalry option and unlike the Thresher II it's a Wolf produced 'Mech.

As for the design itself, the long range energy weapons let it fight from a distance, ideally where it can stay until it needs the SRMs to exploit holes and finish off an enemy. The targeting computer is a nice addition for warriors who are likely not as good gunners as front-line warriors. The variant with the LRMs does this all as well as the original, just without the headcapping ability. 

[Fat Guy]

The Shrike is an assault 'Mech, it will win with sheer firepower and durability anyhow, why come to melee?

Durability, yes.

Firepower? The primary variant of the Shrike is as under-gunned for it's tonnage as the Dominator is at it's own. The 2 is a little better, The 3 has the guns, but overheats like a Rifleman. The other two have heat issues to a lesser extent.

That being said, the Dominator has the mobility to dictate range and the dissipation to keep up a full barrage. In a 1v1 against a Shrike, I'd expect it to win more than half the time. It would be a long, irritating game to play though.

Having used both, I do kind of like both variants of the Dominator. A bit under-gunned, but I used them as "big mediums" anyway.

If only they didn't have the BV of many Daishis I'd probably use them more.

[Colt Ward]

Scotty & I both had the gripes about that ERSL for what it did with the TC.  Most of the Wolf designed mechs, at least until the Jihad, did not sport JJs . . . then we started getting a bunch.  To me, high ground speed sounds like a Wolf machine but we leave jumping to the Falcons in most cases . . . yeah, the Omnis have some configs but they are not fixed.

Really, I am more excited for the Thresher II and would prefer it over the Dom if I had the option when building a secondline force.