Why is the MWO Kit Fox so hard to kill?

[Alan Grant]

Seeing a few Clan mechs around I decided to pick up MWO again after kinda taking a break. Taking on Clan machines in my IS mechs I've noticed some neat/cool stuff, definitely adds a "breath of fresh air" to the game, as I saw one player put it on the MWO forums.

But one nagging thing stands out. Not as a complaint, but as an inquiry. Why are Kit Foxes so hard to kill? They seem durable as hell for a light mech. I can frequently hit them, they aren't that fast and they are certainly easier to hit than say a Spider, but they just don't die. I've pumped Gauss Rifle shots into a Kit Fox from my Hunchback, only to see it ignore me and walk away around a corner with depleted armor and missing an arm.

Is it hit box placement? Armor?

I gotta admit I wasn't expecting to find fighting Kit Foxes to be so tough. The other Clan mechs, sure, I had no doubt that fighting a Summoner or Timber Wolf was going to be a rough ride, but I wasn't expecting this kind of "stand and fight" durability from a Kit Fox.

[MarauderD]

Kit Foxes are short with decent hit boxes. As you already know, clan XL engines mean losing a side torso is survivable. My advice is to gun for their right arm. Most KF pilots take the C arm with ECM and triple AMS. After they lose that arm, they will succumb to the normal causes of death.

[Alan Grant]

Wait...why is side torso loss with a Clan XL engine survivable?

You are probably going to tell me its always been that way and I've just somehow overlooked this quirk of Clan tech for years. Which is not out of the question   ;)

[IAMCLANWOLF]

You are probably going to tell me its always been that way and I've just somehow overlooked this quirk of Clan tech for years. Which is not out of the question   ;)

Yup. 3 crits for engine destruction.

[MarauderD]

Speaking of Kit Fox, last match we were down to clean up, it was 3 on 1. Kit Fox comes running around the corner, red torso, no weapons.  UAC 20 double tap ftw!

[Sandslice]

Wait...why is side torso loss with a Clan XL engine survivable?

You are probably going to tell me its always been that way and I've just somehow overlooked this quirk of Clan tech for years. Which is not out of the question   ;)

That's the case.  Clan XL engines only hang 2 crits in the side torsos; thus, a side torso loss only inflicts 2 engine crits, not enough for a kill.

[Kitsune413]

I love Kit Foxes.

[Cyc]

As a person shooting at them rather than piloting them, my experience is the complete opposite. Unless I'm in an LRM boat and they are carrying full 3xAMS and ECM arm, they fold easy. Reading the stats I just was so scared they'd be OP, but just watching them melt within seconds to salvos of (finally fixed) SRMs from my Wolverines makes me grin every time.

[Jayof9s]

As a person shooting at them rather than piloting them, my experience is the complete opposite. Unless I'm in an LRM boat and they are carrying full 3xAMS and ECM arm, they fold easy. Reading the stats I just was so scared they'd be OP, but just watching them melt within seconds to salvos of (finally fixed) SRMs from my Wolverines makes me grin every time.

Shouldn't be too surprising. Even with all of those nice toys and the ability to add extra armor, the Kit Fox is still a light that only goes 96 kph (+10% w/ masteries) it should be relatively easy to take out with direct fire, at least compared to the IS lights that most people keep at 115-130+ kph minimum last I checked.

[SubtleAsAHammer]

As a person shooting at them rather than piloting them, my experience is the complete opposite. Unless I'm in an LRM boat and they are carrying full 3xAMS and ECM arm, they fold easy. Reading the stats I just was so scared they'd be OP, but just watching them melt within seconds to salvos of (finally fixed) SRMs from my Wolverines makes me grin every time.

The live about as long as a Spider.

[Cyc]

The live about as long as a Spider.

As a Spider owner, I'd disagree. The fact they are 1) Clans and Clans are automatically meant to be more deadly, 2) Far slower and provide loads more anti-LRM coverage means they always seem to both draw more and take more fire than my ECM Spider.