BattleMech Compilation Thread

[Kereminde]

GLT-4L Guillotine

• Armament: LL, 4 ML, SRM-6

Movement: 4\6\4
Armor:12 tons
Heatsinks: 22

Advantages: Devastating close range firepower. Can avoid running very hot with its generous number of heatsinks. Good mobility for a heavy mech with the jumpjets.

Disadvantages: Limited production makes spare parts and replacement expensive, but not impossible. Only has LL for mid range fighting.

Tactics: A mech that is very similar to the previously discussed Grasshopper, in fact the differences are basically the Guillotine has 1 less ton of armor and has an SRM-6 instead of an LRM-5. Other than that the profiles are astonishingly similar and the Guillotine fills the same roles the Grasshopper does as a strike mech and close range harasser. Its mostly energy based weaponry also allows it to work well as a raiding or guerrilla mech, though the Grasshoppers hand actuators make it a little better for that role than the Guillotine.

- Packrat's Notes -
GLT-4L: This is an astonishingly effective mech. For its size, its firepower and mobility are outstanding, its armor is average, and it has decent heat sink capacity. The only real flaw you'll find with the mech is the lack of a long range punch, so you'll have to be careful as you approach your target. Once it's in range, though, the Guillotine is a serious threat to any mech. Though it has good overall firepower, it's spread across a number of weapons, meaning it's not so good for opening up holes in heavily armored opponents. It's best to play this mech like you would a medium, staying mobile and attempting to get behind your opponents. The Guillotine's armament is perfectly suited for exploiting weak rear armor, giving you a large number of shots to hopefully hit the torso. It has the heat sinks to fire and move, further supporting this style of play. It can't slug it out with assaults or even other heavies, but if you're smart about taking advantage of its mobility, this mech is exceptionally deadly.
GLT-4P: The primary modification for this variant is the exchange of the large laser for a PPC. You get 2 more points of damage at a 3 hex longer range, but your heat sinks are under additional strain, there's a minimum range to contend with, and worst of all, you now have 2 tons less armor. All in all, it just doesn't seem worth it. That being said, a slightly worse version of the Guillotine-4L is still a good mech. Instead of getting close and using your entire arsenal, the tactic now is to use your PPC to cover your approach, then make good use of your jump jets to protect yourself while you let loose with your medium lasers and SRM launcher. The weaker armor but heavier firepower and longer reach make this an outstanding choice for hunting medium mechs, but it'll find itself worse off against heavier designs.

 

[Kereminde]

WHM-6R Warhammer

• Armament: 2 PPC, SRM-6, 2 ML, 2 Sm L, 2 MG
• Movement:4\6
• Armor: 10 tons
• Heatsinks: 18

Advantages: Excellent firepower in all ranges, short , med and long. Punch power with the PPC's , each one ripping off over half a ton of armor per hit. Built in searchlight makes it an effective Night Fighter. MG's make it effective in dealing with infantry and light vehicles.

Disadvantages: 10 tons of armor, while decent, is less than most heavies, meaning it cannot absorb as much damage. No hand actuators. Even 18 heatsinks is not enough to allow it to fire its full arsenal without severe overheating issues. Normally its either the PPC's or the short range weapons, not both. Ammo from MG and SRM give potential ammo explosion issues.

Tactics: Standard variant should use its PPC's at med to long range to cause damage to an enemy and punch through the armor, then come in close to finish off its opponent. Is best staying at medium to long range and not going hand to hand where it has a significant disadvantage. A couple of variants remove the MG's to add more heatsinks, and the WHM-6D removes the SRM-6 for 4 tons of armor, which weakens its short range punch but makes it better able to absorb damage on the battle line.

- Packrat's Notes -
WHM-6R: So, look, I know this is an iconic mech that is very popular (and it looks fantastic), but I just don't think it's as great as its reputation. The problem for me is that it's fragile. It's not terrible or anything, but only 10 tons of armor on a 70 ton mech with a full ton of MG ammo sitting in its torso? That makes me worried. So, it's not something I'd ever use by itself, but as part of a lance it can be a solid contributor. What you want to do is find yourself some nice partial cover to shield those legs with their glass armor, and snipe away screened by your lancemates. The sheer number of short range weapons may tempt you to get in close, but that is inadvisable. Its close-in punch ain't anything special for a heavy, and it lacks the armor to stand up to other heavies. Keep it at long range where it can put those PPCs to good use.
WHM-6D: The Federated Suns asked me not to post this, but I'm gonna post it anyway, because I wrote it, and it's the truth: I ****ing love this mech. This is the best variant of the Warhammer in 3025. Period. Ladies and gentlemen -- the Warhammer D! Let's see, it strips out some weapons you probably shouldn't be using anyway considering its role, and adds 4 more tons of armor and 2 more heat sinks. This variant is the king heavy sniper of 3025. All hail.
WHM-6K: This variant takes the Warhammer-6R, removes the machine gun ammunition that's more of an asset to your enemies than it is to you as well as the now-useless machine guns themselves, and adds a couple of heat sinks. I've never heard anyone who didn't consider this to be pretty much a straight upgrade over the base model. Personally, I probably would've gone with armor instead of heat sinks, but being heat neutral with your primary weapons while stationary isn't a bad thing for a sniper.
WHM-6L: This variant also removes the machine guns and their ammo (I sense a pattern here), and replaces them with flamers. Once again, a straight upgrade over the base model, not that the Warhammer should ever be fighting infantry, but if you simply must have the capability to do so, this is the variant to go with.

 

[Kereminde]

BL-7-KNT Black Knight

• Armament: PPC, 2 LL, 4 ML, Sm L
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 11 tons
• Heatsinks: 20

Advantages: Excellent firepower, especially at medium and short ranges. All energy loadout is useful for extended campaigns and guerrilla fighting where re-supply is low or non-existent.

Disadvantages: Even 20 Heatsinks can't keep the mech from frying itself ( and its pilot) if it tries to fire everything. Armor, at less than 15% armor to weight ratio is very weak for a mech designed to battle on the front lines. No longer produced making refits, spare parts and replacement extremely difficult.

Tactics: It's a heavy mech with an Assault mech's arsenal and a medium mech's armor. It has to bracket fire because it risks a very real chance of shutting down if it Alpha strikes with its entire arsenal ( although it could deliver a massive amount of damage if it hit with everything). The downgrade from star league tech took away superior communications , an active probe and a couple of tons of armor, making a less effective, but still dangerous mech. It's weapons are spread across both arms and both torsos, meaning it can still bring respectable firepower even with heavy damage taken. It takes skill in managing its heat but it can still deliver the kind of firepower expected of a front line heavy mech that rivals the Warhammer and Marauder.

- Packrat's Notes -
BL-7-KNT: This is a mech built for forests. Its speed is typical of its size, its firepower high, and its armor and heat sinks low. The ideal tactic is to fight most of the battle at medium range, doing everything you can to make your opponents' shots more difficult to hit you, even if they also make yours more difficult. The reason it works for this mech is its all-energy arsenal. If you fire and miss, so what? The enemy, however, has to decide between risking a shot of valuable ammunition, or saving it, both of which play into your hand. If they take the shots, they'll eventually run out, leaving you still firing at the match's end. If they don't, that means you can strip armor relatively safely and then either take out the weapon itself -- meaning it was a non-factor during the fight -- or touch off the ammo, destroying the mech entirely. In this sense, the Black Knight's biggest weakness is facing other flashbulbs, because it doesn't have the armor or heat sink capacity to take on mechs of comparable size that can afford to take equally risky shots.
BL-7-KNT-L: This simple modification of the mech replaces the PPC with a 3rd large laser and 2 more heat sinks. It's a small change, but I prefer it because it addresses one of the Black Knight's biggest faults: this variant is much more capable of sustaining a barrage than the base model. It does lose some range, but the Black Knight's strength lies at intermediate range anyway, so it's not a huge loss.

 

[Kereminde]

FLS-7K Flashman

• Armament: 2 LL, 5 ML (1 Rear Facing) , Flamer
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 13.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 23

Advantages: Strong close range firepower. No ammo vulnerabilities. All energy weaponry makes it effective in low supply or guerrilla campaigns. Well armored with the 13.5 tons of armor.

Disadvantages: Runs hot if all weapons fired, even with 23 heatsinks. Only being produced in limited numbers in the Lyran Commonwealth, making supply or replacement difficult outside that area. No longer has the XL engine that gave it better speed than most mechs of its size.

Tactics: A heavy mech that can stand on the front lines and trade firepower with any other heavy mech. It has the armor to absorb heavy blows, and the short and med range firepower to answer back in kind. With a generous 23 heat sinks, it can keep up most of a full barrage, only needing to leave out one of the LL or a pair of ML to remain heat neutral. Originally designed as a heavy cavalry mech, it had an XL engine that would let it reach speeds of 86 km\h, but the loss of star league tech resulted in it getting fitted with a smaller Vlar 300 engine and its speed reduced to the same as most other heavy mechs. It still retains its firepower and armor though, making it a continued valuable member of Lyran heavy lances.

- Packrat's Notes -
FLS-7K: This mech is a mercenary's dream. Heavy armor, heavy firepower, no ammo concerns, and it even has a flamer for anti-infantry duty for maximum flexibility. It's a little light on the heat sinks for having so many energy weapons, but it's 3025, so that's just the kind of thing you deal with. It's always compared to the Grasshopper and Guillotine, against which is has worse mobility but superior firepower beyond 9 hexes. Instead of a skirmisher like those mechs, this is much more of a straightforward, frontal attack mech, using its sheer mass of armor and weaponry to destroy its enemies. (Is it any wonder the Lyrans of all people are the ones who maintained production?) That being said, its reach isn't the greatest, so you generally need to stick to cover while you move into position. The sheer number of weapons it can fire means it pairs well with mechs that have fewer, higher powered weapons, like an Awesome, to try to exploit holes in the enemy's armor. Incidentally, the Awesome's long range firepower also provides excellent cover for the Flashman's approach, the Flashman's short range firepower can protect the Awesome from attempts to duck inside its minimum range, and they're both all-energy designs, making them excellent complements for each other.

 

[Kereminde]

MAD-3R Marauder

• Armament: 2 PPC, AC\5 2 ML
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 11.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 16

Advantages: Good long range firepower with the PPC's and AC\5. Fear factor, being one of the most recognizable silhouettes in the Inner Sphere. Even though it doesn't have hands or battle fists, the arm weapon pods are durable enough to be used in melee combat. Once-unique silhouette of the Marauder made it much harder to target than the more common humanoid models.

Disadvantages: 16 heat sinks is not enough to prevent significant heat buildup from the PPC's, much less all its weapons. 11.5 tons of armor is adequate but less than other heavy mechs it's size or smaller. Autocannon connection to the main chassis was tenuous and a successful hit could easily disable the system, while the gun itself was often temperamental. The rotation rings connecting the chassis with the leg assemblies was a similar weak point in the design.

Tactics: Both the armament and the tactics are common with the Warhammer. It has slightly more armor than the main Warhammer variant, and a little more damage from range when you add the AC\5 in. Close range damage is a little lower than the Warhammer but has the ability to melee. Still much like the Warhammer this is a mech that should look to get to med or long range ( depending on the weaponry of the opponent(s) and deliver its blistering firepower. It will need to alternate its fire on some salvos to prevent overheating but it can still deliver an impressive amount of firepower downrange that can punch big holes in it's enemy.

- Packrat's Notes -
MAD-3R: So, look, I know this is an iconic mech that is very popular, but I just don't think it's as great as its reputation... Wait, this sounds familiar. Oh yeah, it's exactly what I said about the Warhammer-6R. These were the mechs the first BattleTech players got all excited about? We've come a long way. Anyway, this mech is similar to the Warhammer in other ways, namely that it's a fragile, heavy sniper. Unlike the Warhammer, though, it doesn't even have the heat sinks to fire its long range arsenal at a standstill without garnering a heat penalty (and also doesn't look as good). So it can't maintain its firepower, it has weak armor, and its mobility is only average. I feel like calling this mech mediocre may be giving it more credit than it deserves. You're just going to have to eat the heat penalties, leaving yourself vulnerable, but ideally you can find a nice spot to snipe from at a standstill and try to make sure no one sneaks up on you during a cooldown turn.
MAD-3D: Another thing the Marauder shares with the Warhammer is that the Federated Suns makes the best 3025 variant of it. Swapping the autocannon for a large laser and 4 heat sinks is a great trade, accomplishing 3 things: 1) it removes ammunition concerns, 2) it gives you extra firepower that doesn't have a minimum range, and 3) it allows you to fire your long range battery at a standstill and remain heat neutral. All that and the only thing you lose is 5 damage per long range salvo. Seems like a sweet deal to me. The large laser can be used in interesting ways, either serving as punishment for anyone who tries to duck inside the minimum range of the PPCs, or being fired alongside them for a devastating medium range punch, though at the cost of a large heat spike. It's a risky move, but if you really need to finish off that enemy now, it can be a useful one. Still, despite the mech's enhanced close range firepower, it doesn't have the armor to brawl, so it's best to keep your distance. There's just one thing that confuses me about this mech: the Federated Suns variant is the one that removes the autocannon?!
MAD-3L: This variant exchanges one of the PPCs for a large laser and a pair of heat sinks. The staggered range brackets always threw me off for some reason. It doesn't really have great firepower at any single one, but if you can maintain a certain "sweet spot" distance from the enemy, it can be more effective than the base model by allowing you to keep up a better barrage of fire.
MAD-3M: This variant trades the PPCs for a pair of large lasers and 4 heat sinks. You might look at the fact that you can fire both sets of lasers at a run and only spike 4 heat and think you've got a good brawler on your hands, but its armor is not improved over the base model, and you still have that ammo sitting in the torso. So what you actually have is a slightly oversinked skirmisher, able to fire its full medium-long range arsenal at a run with 1 heat to spare. It really could've used some extra armor, but nothing's perfect. The shorter range of the large lasers means you really have to fire at a run most of the time, because it still can't handle being up close to other heavies, so you've got to move to stay alive. Taking advantage of terrain is key here. This is a very tricky mech to use, but it can serve you well if you can master it.

 

[Kereminde]

ON1-K Orion

• Armament: 1 LRM-15, 1 AC-10, 1 SRM-4, 2 ML
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 14.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 10

Advantages: Has good damage at all ranges long to short. Plentiful ammo for the autocannon allows it to be effective for longer engagements. Well armored, can take 2 PPC shots or an AC\20 in the arms or side torsos and still not be penetrated, can take over 30 points in chest and legs before breaching the armor. Spacious interior makes performing repairs and maintenance much easier.

Disadvantages: Only 10 heatsinks, can cause significant heat build up, especially if firing all the short range weapons with the AC. Ammunition feed to the cannon suffered regular jamming unless pilots loaded nineteen salvos instead of the full twenty in the ammunition clip. LRM system control cables in the shoulder, if subject to excessive heat can cause either the weapon or actuator to shutdown. Three different ammo weapons makes it very vulnerable if and when the armor in the left or right torso is breached. Lacks hand actuators, meaning it can't pick up items for raid or salvage and can't punch in melee without damaging it's weapons.

Tactics: The Orion is very similar to the Thunderbolt in that it has weapons for all ranges and is well armored. It can close relentlessly, switching to the most effective set of weapons for each range and to avoid heat build up. It is a workhorse heavy mech ( particularly in the regiments of the Free Worlds League) that can dish out and take punishment either as a close range combatant or midrange sniper or even firelance bodyguard and contributor.

- Packrat's Notes -
ON1-K: This mech is deceptively tricky to use. It looks straightforward enough -- continually close in, where your armament gradually gets more powerful, and rely on your heavy armor to survive. The problem is that its lack of heat dissipation means you're going to be spiking heat if you want to take advantage of that short range firepower. The preferred tactic is to close in with the LRM-15 and AC/10, and once in short range, rely on the AC/10 and SRM-4 as your main hitting power (gotta burn through that ammo), firing the medium lasers when possible and laying off them to cool down when needed. The result is that you can't keep up a great amount of firepower, but you can keep up a decent amount of firepower. The Orion's best asset is its armor, though its survivability is compromised a bit by all that ammo. As such, the Orion is unusual for a heavy mech in that it's best to exploit whatever range your opponent is weakest at rather than sticking to the best range for your own mech. The Orion doesn't really have a "best range", so hit your opponent where they're weakest, using its armor to cover your approach if necessary. Another tricky thing about the Orion is managing the delicate balancing act of using up your ammo so it's not as much of a liability once your armor is breached, but not squandering it too much because your only other weapons are a pair of medium lasers.
ON1-V: This variant is a mistake. It sacrifices the Orion's best asset, its armor, in order to add a second SRM-4 that it doesn't have the heat sinks to take advantage of. Just a terrible idea.
ON1-VA: Instead of cutting into its armor, this variant trades its LRMs for SRMs and heat sinks, turning the Orion into a pure brawler design. This is the best variant, IMO, possessing enough heat sinks to actually use its armament, the armor to slug it out up close, and still mounting the AC/10 to give it a decent punch past 9 hexes. The much easier heat management and obvious penchant for close range combat make this Orion the easiest the use, but it still has that balancing act you have to work with your ammo.

 

[Kereminde]

AWS-8Q Awesome

• Armament: 3 PPC, Sm L
• Movement: 3\5
• Armor: 15 tons
• Heatsinks: 28

Advantages: High damage potential at med and long range. Can strip off close to 2 tons of armor with each barrage from the PPC's. Heavily armored. Even the rear armor can take a PPC shot without being penetrated. No ammo dependency or vulnerability.

Disadvantages: Slow. Not going to be able to catch up to fleeing enemies or maintain pace with a normal heavy lance in a moving battle. Even 28 heatsinks isn't enough to let it fire all its PPC's without slowly building heat. Needs to usually alternate 3-2-3-2 to keep heat under control. Only one Sm L to deal with enemies that get inside its effective PPC range, though it does have a battlefist to perform melee combat.

Tactics: The Awesome does one thing and it does it well. Deliver heavy damage at med to long range. Is best used either defending or assaulting a fixed position or taking on another Assault mech of the enemy.

- Packrat's Notes -
AWS-8Q: The capabilities of this mech are well known, and if you don't already know them, they're obvious to figure out just looking at its specs. This is a direct fire support mech unrivaled in 3025, and its heavy armor, lack of ammo, and placement of weapons in the torso mean it can sustain a horrendous amount of damage. It's true that it's weak up close, but between the firepower this thing is putting out and proper screening from its lancemates, nothing should survive long enough to take advantage of that fact. This mech is so good, that even as the setting progresses and technology advances, this remains an exceptionally effective design, something few other mechs of its era can claim.
AWS-8R: Also a fire support design, this variant uses missiles instead of PPCs, sporting a pair of LRM-15s with a large laser to back them up (and the small laser featured on every Awesome variant). This is not a very effective mech, having limited firepower, limited ammo, and far too many heat sinks. If you absolutely must use this mech, try to use the large laser to chip at enemies while positioning yourself for a good shot with the LRMs. Once the ammo is gone, close into melee range and let 'em have it.
AWS-8T: This variant takes the Awesome-8R and drops 5 heat sinks to add a second large laser. Now we're talking! You can almost think of this as a big Catapult, featuring the same primary long range armament, but featuring longer ranged backup weapons better at punching holes in targets. In that sense, it can still kind of continue providing some degree of fire support once its ammo bins have run dry. Interestingly, the mech still has enough heat sinks to fire all 4 of its primary weapons and only generate 3 heat, meaning its best use is not attacking from long range, but rather from medium range where it can unleash its full fury.
AWS-8V: Something of a combination of all the other models, this variant mounts a PPC, large laser, and LRM-15. It has 2 tons of LRM ammo, giving it good endurance in that area. As with the Awesome-8T, it's best to use this mech in medium range, hitting with all 3 of its main weapons as often as possible. It's oversinked, able to alpha strike at a run and still have 2 heat left over, so you can feel free to reposition as necessary without worrying about movement heat.

 

[Kereminde]

CGR-1A1 Charger

• Armament: 5 Sm Lasers
• Movement: 5\8
• Armor: 10 tons
• Heatsinks: 10

Advantages: Unprecedented speed for an Assault Mech. Low maintenance. Unlike numerous mechs, still has a production line open insuring ability to replace the chassis.

Disadvantages: Unable to fight anything but light mechs and infantry with its weaponry. Armor is inadequate to stand up to fire of heavy mechs.

Tactics: Originally designed as an Ultra heavy scout mech, the massive 400 engine means there was very little room left over for other equipment. Since it was intended to scout, the designers felt armament was non essential. The Succession wars proved differently but that need for mechs did give the Charger some life as a rear area guard and garrison mech. Both the Capellans and the Draconis Combine have attempted to give it more combat potential by downsizing the engine ( and the mech's speed) to a 320 to create more room for weapons. With a ready made production line, new tech did allow creation of several designs by Kurita that used the Charger chassis but were fundamentally different in loadout and performance. As to how to use the original version, it can act as a scout for heavy and assault lances, can beat up smaller mechs in melee combat and can hopefully draw fire away from more valuable mechs.

- Packrat's Notes -
CGR-1A1: This is the only machine that can rival the UrbanMech for being the biggest joke of a mech ever fielded. If you are absolutely forced to use it, you've been given a hint as to its most effective attack right with the name: an 80 ton mech with 5/8 speed can unleash devastating charge attacks. The 5 small lasers allow it to do some critseeking duty if you don't have the movement to actually reach the target that turn, but you're generally better off thinking of it as a melee-only mech.
CGR-1A5: This variant decreases the speed to 4/6, increases the armor to 15 tons, adds 3 heat sinks, and replaces the armament with an AC/20, medium laser, small laser, and a pair of SRM-6 launchers. It reminds me of a big Hunchback. Like the Hunchback, you need to use cover as you approach because you have no weapons that can reach past 9 hexes. Once you're in range, though, you can soak up a lot of damage. It still has some flaws though, namely limited ammo (only 2 tons of AC/20 ammo and single bin of SRM ammo shared by both launchers) and a lack of heat sinks. There are a couple of ways you can work around these limitations. The first is to carefully monitor your weapons fire, sticking to only the AC/20, medium laser, and one of the SRM-6 launchers while stripping armor (cycling out the SRM-6 every once in a while to control heat) , and switching out the AC/20 for the other SRM-6 to finish off opponents, all the while firing only when you're very likely to hit and relying on your armor to carry the day. The other possibility is to simply alpha strike once you get a clear shot and use physical attacks while you cool off, which also serves the purpose of stretching your ammo reserves.
CGR-1L: This variant drops all of its weapons and almost half of its armor in order to mount a large laser and a pair of medium lasers. This mech is good for bug hunting and absolutely nothing else. The fluff notes that assignment to this mech is used as a punishment, and that sounds about right to me.
CGR-SB: The Lyrans looked at the original Charger, laughed and exclaimed, "That's not an assault mech!" Then they made this variant and said, "This is an assault mech." Removing all of its weapons and reducing its speed to 3/5, the Challenger mounts 4 large lasers, a medium laser, 28 heat sinks, and 15.5 tons of armor. This is basically what you'd get if you made an Awesome with large lasers instead of PPCs. If you have to stay mobile, it appears inferior to the Awesome, lacking the ability to fire all of its primary weapons while moving without suffering a heat penalty. This is where the medium laser comes in, because you can substitute it in place of the 4th large laser to fire and move while staying heat neutral at a walk, and still putting out more sustained damage than the Awesome. If, however, you can just park it somewhere and play TurretTech with it, it's arguably even better than the Awesome, possessing both superior burst damage and better sustained damaged, able to easily maintain a 4-3-4-3 firing rhythm. It doesn't have quite the same reach as the Awesome, but it also doesn't have a minimum range, and it does have that extra half ton of armor. As a huge fan of the Awesome, this is easily my favorite Charger variant.

 

[Kereminde]

GOL-1H Goliath

• Armament: PPC, 2 LRM-10, 2 MG
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 14.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 17

Advantages: Good long range punch. Well armored. Has MGs to use against Infantry and light vehicles. Runs cool with 17 heat sinks

Disadvantages: No hand actuators. No close range weaponry other than machine guns. Only has a PPC once the LRMs run dry.

Tactics: The LRMs and the PPC lend it to long and mid range fire support. It has enough speed to keep up with heavy lances. It has enough armor to stay in the fight but its achilles heel is close range. Other than giving a good kick,it only has MGs to use in 90 meters without penalties. Is faster than the Awesome, and can maintain the same amount of total firepower ( albeit somewhat spread out with the LRMs accuracy) until the missiles run out. If you need assault bulk but long range firepower and it needs to move faster than an Awesome, the Goliath is a decent choice at 80 tons.

- Packrat's Notes -
GOL-1H: The Goliath is a decent if unspectacular fire support mech. It has a good amount of ammo, stretched by the need to occasionally lay off an LRM launcher to control heat, and its heat curve is easy to manage and lets you sustain a barrage well, especially if you're stationary (ideally behind partial cover to maximize the advantages of the quad design). Armor is good and speed is above average for an assault mech. So what's the problem with it? For an 80 ton mech, it doesn't have a great amount of firepower, and it is extremely vulnerable to enemies that can get inside the minimum range of its weapons. The firepower thing you just have to deal with, but you can mitigate its minimum range issues somewhat by using that big engine to walk backwards while firing. I don't recall if quads can lateral shift backwards, but if they can, this greatly enhances its ability to maintain range while putting itself in optimum firing positions. Ultimately, it's a niche mech that isn't even amazing within that niche, but it can still get the job done.

 

[Kereminde]

THG -10E Thug

• Armament: 2 PPC, 2 SRM-4
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 14.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 19

Advantages: Good long range firepower, decent short range punch. Well armored. Can use the Warhammer PPCs making repair\replacement of those easier.

Disadvantages: Only one ton of ammo shared between both launchers. Will still build heat moving and firing the PPCs, or even firing the PPCs while standing still. Limited production means spare parts are difficult to obtain or salvage.

Tactics: Designed to replace the Warhammer, it does lose some protection and effectiveness in the downgrade from star league tech. the SRM-4s were originally 6s and had a ton of ammo each, the heatsinks were doubled and it had a ton more armor. But it is still an excellent light assault mech and can complement Warhammers and Marauders quite well in a combined lance, or fill the role of one of those mechs in a heavy lance.

- Packrat's Notes -
THG-10E: This mech is beautiful in its simplicity. You remove armor with the PPCs, and destroy the squishy insides with the SRMs. The SRMs aren't so good until there's a breach in the armor, which is where its rather good for its size 4/6 movement comes into play, allowing you to maintain distance while the PPCs do their work. Ideally, though, you want to move as infrequently as possible so you can fire both PPCs for the greatest number of turns before laying off one to cool down. In such a situation, the big 320-rated engine represents some wasted tonnage, but we all know what happens to plans upon first contact with the enemy, so the ability to fire and move can be useful, especially when it comes time to get into range for the killing blow with the SRMs. Between its decent speed, heavy armor, and only a single ammunition bin (12.5 salvos of fire is plenty for the SRM-4s' role), it can stay in the fight a long time.

 

[Kereminde]

VTR-9B Victor

• Armament: 1 AC\20, 2 ML, SRM-4
• Movement: 4\6\4
• Armor: 11.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 15

Advantages: Mobility. No other assault class mech in 3025 can jump as far as the Victor, and only a couple can move as fast. Devastating short range firepower. Can deliver up to 38pts of damage at close range. Fear factor of the AC\20. While a weapon with significant limitations, when it hits, very few mechs can avoid internal damage from wherever it hits. Runs cool with 15 heatsinks. Is only liable to build heat if jumping and firing all its weapons for multiple turns.

Disadvantages: No medium or long range weaponry. All it's weapons are short range, so if you can maintain the distance, you can avoid return fire while shooting it. Armor is weak for assault class mechs and means that the Victor would do well to avoid trading punches with other assault mechs. Is all or nothing around the AC\20. If that is put out of commission, it's firepower becomes extremely weak.

Tactics: Should jump in close while opponents are engaged with other mechs, deliver its devastating close range punch and then get out again when the enemy starts concentrating on it. Has the speed and maneuverability to keep up with mobile heavy lances and provide a heavy hitter. Carried 3 tons of ammo for the AC\20, giving it 15 shots so it does not have to wait for the absolute best shot in an engagement. Should be used like a mobile heavy unit that can deliver the punch of an assault when needed.

- Packrat's Notes -
VTR-9B: I've never been a fan of the Victor. It needs to be in close to use its weapons, but lacks the speed to close reliably and the armor to withstand the damage. The base model is the best at what Victors do, though, which is basically acting like an oversized medium mech. You need to play it like a Hunchback with jump jets, hiding behind terrain while you attempt to close with your targets. Try to use its jump jets to hop behind someone engaging one of your lancemates to hit them in the back. It has lots of ammo for its weapons and ample heat sinks, so you can afford to take risky shots other mechs can't.
VTR-9A: This variant drops 3 tons of the Victor's already meager armor to add a machine gun and a pair of flamers. Just... why? Why?!
VTR-9A1: I suppose this is technically better than the Victor-9A, only dropping 1.5 tons of armor to add a pair of MGs, but it's still a terrible idea to make an already fragile assault mech even more fragile just to add some anti-infantry capability.
VTR-9S: The only version of the Victor in 3025 besides the base model I'd even consider using, this drops 1 ton of armor to upsize the SRM-4 to an SRM-6. Why everyone in the setting was so obsessed with making the Victor easier to kill, I have no idea, but this variant at least does something worthwhile with the mass freed up.

 

[Kereminde]

ZEU-6S Zeus

• Armament: LL, 2 ML, LRM-15, AC\5
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 11 tons
• Heatsinks: 17

Advantages: Good long and medium range firepower. Enough speed to keep up with heavy mechs. Use of reliable, low-maintenance and easily-modified systems.

Disadvantages: Armor is lighter than some heavy mechs and most battle line assault mechs.

Tactics: Built for engaging the enemy at long range and for hit and run assaults. The opposite of the Victor in this regard as the Victor wants to do the same thing but at close range. More of a light-assault mech than a true assault, is best treated as a large heavy mech.

- Packrat's Notes -
ZEU-6S: The standard Lyran scout mech, the Zeus is certainly armored like one. Its armament also fails to impress, though it has plentiful heat sinks to keep up what little fire it can. With the Zeus's thin armor and lack of hand actuators, you're going to want to keep your distance from the enemy. The mech excels at mid range, where it can bring all its weapons to bear. The large laser and AC/5 are its bread and butter weapons, but don't be afraid to fire that medium laser even with low odds to hit, because it has the heat sinks that it won't be a worry. Stay mobile, and look for opportunities to open up with the LRM-15. With only 8 shots, you have to be picky about when you fire it.
ZEU-6T: Now this is more like it! Exchanging the AC/5 for a PPC and 2 more heat sinks, the Zeus-6T actually has the kind of firepower you'd expect from an assault mech. Heat has to be monitored, unlike the base model, but you can fire both the PPC and large laser at a walk and remain heat neutral, or even fire all of its forward facing energy weapons at a run for only 4 heat. At the proper range, you can easily cycle out the large laser for the LRM-15 and medium laser at the same heat level. Other than heat management, it plays exactly like the base model.

 

[Kereminde]

BLR-1G BattleMaster
Armament: PPC, 6 ML (2 rear facing) 2 MG, SRM-6
Movement: 4\6
Armor: 14.5 tons
Heatsinks: 18

Advantages: Good close range firepower with the 4 ML and SRM-6. PPC can be disengaged for close range brawling or picking up items.

Disadvantages: Mid and long range punch is weak,with only the PPC usable outside short range. Armor, while adequate at 14.5 tons, is still equal to battle line heavy mechs and below most straight assault mechs its size. Vulnerable once left torso is penetrated as both the SRM and MG ammo stored there.

Tactics: Excels as a command vehicle for a heavy or light assault lance. Has enough armor and firepower to come in and make a difference once the main forces are engaged. Can brawl if it needs to, can deliver a good deal of damage close in, but is more effective if it can hang back a little and then come in to turn the tide instead of standing in the main battleline the whole time in a heavy and assault battle. It's not the most heavily armed or armored assault chassis, but its more than adequate to do the job that heavy and assault mechs need to, and has served as a command vehicle for some of the biggest names in the Inner Sphere at one point, including Hanse Davion and Takashi Kurita.

- Packrat's Notes -
BLR-1G: Some people call it an oversized heavy mech. I say it's a trooper assault mech. It has decent mobility, decent armor, and decent firepower, not excelling in any one area, but not being truly deficient in any of them either. There are a couple of ways you can employ the classic BattleMaster. The first is to use it to advance on your enemy, opening up holes with your PPC as you close in, and then critting things up with its medium laser battery and SRM-6 up close. It can fire all of its forward-facing close range firepower at a run while remaining heat neutral, so it lends itself well to this mobile brawler style. The other way to use it is as a bodyguard for fire support units, contributing with its PPC from afar and devastating anyone who tries to exploit its charges' minimum range with its own short range firepower. Again, it possesses the speed to be able to respond to threats. The BattleMaser devotes a lot of tonnage to that big engine, so it's best to make the most of its speed, especially since its armor is a little on the light side.
BLR-1D: Dropping the SRM-6 and rear-facing weapons for an additional ton of armor and enough heat sinks to be heat neutral, the role of this BattleMaster variant changes a bit to that of a skirmisher. It excels at short-medium range combat, firing its full arsenal every turn, and maintains the mobility to exploit weaknesses in the enemy. It is both less fragile than the base model, and can keep up a better barrage of fire, making it my preferred variant.
BLR-1S: This variant removes the PPC and downsizes the SRM-6 to a pair of SRM-2s, adding an LRM-15, LRM-5, and a pair of heat sinks. The spread of missile launchers and extra heat sinks are curious, but they actually don't change much how the mech plays. It's arguably better suited for the fire support bodyguard role now than it is for the mobile brawler role, but can still fulfill both.

 

[Kereminde]

LBG-0W Longbow

• Armament: 2 LRM-20, 2 LRM-5, Sm L
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 9 tons
• Heatsinks: 13

Advantages: Sheer long range barrage capability. Able to put more missiles downfield than any other mech, 25% more than an Archer and 60% more than a Catapult. Speed to keep up with a heavy lance.Still being produced at 2 factories and spare parts and refits available at a 3rd making spare parts and replacements relatively easy to obtain.

Disadvantages: Only a Sm laser for close defense. At only 9 tons of armor, can't absorb hits from mechs its size. Can't fire its full load without building heat, even standing still.

Tactics: The name says it all, stay back at long range and keep lobbing missiles. It has the armor to absorb some hits from flanking light and med mechs till they can be driven off by allies, but it can't defend itself up close ( in the base version) and can't take punishment from heavy or assault mechs. It has one job and on job only, deliver a large volume of LRMs downfield by direct or indirect fire. it can launch 12 volleys from each of the big launchers, and 24 volleys from each of the smaller ones, giving it decent staying power for most battles.

- Packrat's Notes -
LBG-0W: The Longbow is a fire support mech with an immense long range punch, good speed for its size, and absolutely nothing else to recommend it. It has the armor of a medium mech, inadequate heat sinks, and basically nothing to protect itself with should an enemy get inside the LRMs' minimum range -- not even fists. Given its weak armor and 6 tons of ammo, it's extremely fragile. This mech can do somewhat well for itself as fire support for a company-sized unit or larger -- it needs mechs to screen it -- but even at that you'll run into the problem of its heat sink capacity. It has loads of ammo for its LRM-5s, so you can fire those all day, but it's something of a double-edged sword because the LRM-5s are what people would naturally look to cycle out of the firing order to cool down, but you have 2 tons of ammo for them, so you want to fire them a lot to get rid of it. What you should probably do is fire the LRM-5s while maneuvering, and save the LRM-20 ammo for when you're in position for a great shot. Still, it's not a good mech.
LGB-7Q: If you were to just say the words "85 ton missile boat", this is the kind of thing that I'd picture. Dropping its speed to 3/5 really opens up the mech's capabilities, mounting a total of 14.5 tons of armor and 22 heat sinks making it by far the superior variant. It also exchanges the small laser and 1 ton of LRM-5 ammo for a pair of medium lasers. Let's see, 12 salvos of LRMs with a pair of medium lasers to protect itself -- this is basically a bigger version of the Archer. Notably, it's heat neutral at a standstill, meaning if something is at 6-9 hexes, an alpha strike is a good option. 22 heat sinks also means it can fire its entire LRM arsenal at a run and actually reduce its total heat. You could make the case it's oversinked, actually. With armor and speed on par for an assault mech and great long range firepower, this is a fantastic fire support mech against those lightly armored heavies that are common in 3025, against which the spread of its LRMs isn't such a big deal due to the sheer number of missiles it can put downrange. It doesn't have the punch to slug it out with assault mechs and its BV puts it out of range of medium lances, but it's right at home as the big guy in a heavy lance. Its short range punch is better than the LGB-0W, but it's still only a pair of medium lasers, effective only against bug mechs, so you'll still have to screen it against anything larger than that, but it doesn't need the level of babysitting the base model does, so it's good for lance-sized battles.

 

[Kereminde]

STK-3F Stalker

• Armament: 2 LRM-10, 2LL. 4 ML. 2 SRM-6
• Movement: 3\5
• Armor: 13.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 20

Advantages: Can deliver heavy damage in all ranges of combat.

Disadvantages: No arm actuators for melee combat. Even 20 heatsinks is not enough to dissipate its load if it fires all its weapons. The Stalker needs to choose weapon groupings for optimal heat management. Slow, not able to keep up with mobile heavy lances, is best used attacking or defending slow moving or stationary targets. Venerable design can lead to severe hull stress, which has caused several models to remove 15 tons of weaponry to reduce the strain. Lots of ammo can lead to vulnerability when armor penetrated. Only 13.5 tons of armor is relatively low for its weight in a mech that is designed for straight ahead assault.

Tactics: Its a slow moving weapons platform designed to deliver good damage across all ranges, shifting weapons groups as the range closes. Like the Thunderbolt, it starts with LRMs from distance, goes to large lasers in med range, and then Med lasers and SRM's up close. But while it has the same armor as a Thunderbolt, it can deliver 50% more damage in each range. It's armor may not stand up to a long pounding, but its weaponry is a match for any other assault mech in terms of firepower and can reduce most opponents to scrap before it is destroyed.

- Packrat's Notes -
STK-3F: The Stalker always feels like a mech just on the verge of being amazing, but instead falling short into "pretty good" territory. The base model has a curious identity crisis, having its most concentrated firepower in close range, but lacking the armor to slug it out with other assaults, and not having great enough firepower in that range to make up for it. As such, I think the best usage is to instead exploit the range your enemy is weakest at. The Stalker has respectable firepower at any range, but its weakness is its armor, so the key seems to be picking the range where the enemy can dish out the least damage and hammering them from there. This also plays into the Stalker's heat sink capacity, only possessing the ability to cool the weapons from a single bracket at a time.
STK-3H: Dropping the large lasers to upsize the LRM-10s to LRM-20s, this variant brings a greater split to the Stalker's weapon coverage. This encourages the traditional Stalker playstyle of weakening the enemy at range and closing in to finish them off, but because the Stalker lacks the armor to trade blows with another assault possessing strong long range firepower, I find this to be an overall weaker design, lacking the versatility of the base model.
STK-4N: This variant removes an LRM-10 and its ton of ammo in order to add 6 heat sinks. I constantly waffle on whether I prefer this variant or the base model. On the one hand, the Stalker's versatility is compromised. On the other, the Stalker might now have enough heat sinks to maintain enough of a close range barrage to make up for its armor, truly playing into the traditional Stalker ethos of mounting an inexorable advance that just gets deadlier as it closes.
STK-4P: Worth noting just for completions' sake, this is a 75 ton Stalker variant. The only difference between it and the base model is the removal of an LRM-10 and its attendant ammo bin. Though the Stalker's armor is light for an assault mech, it's actually pretty good for a heavy mech, meaning the Stalker might curiously make a better heavy than it does an assault. The playstyle is very similar to the base 85 ton model, simply needing to adjust for its weaker long range firepower with more of a mid range game to start with, firing the large lasers and LRM-10 as a group before closing in.

 

[Kereminde]

CP-10-Z Cyclops

• Armament: AC\20, LRM-10, SRM-4, 2 ML
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 10 tons
• Heatsinks: 12

Advantages: Good short range firepower. For those still with the B-2000 system, excellent command and control capabilities. Speed to keep up with heavy lances

Disadvantages: Ammo located in all the torso locations. Armor is good... for a mech half its weight. But is very light for an assault mech. Only has an LRM 10 to use beyond 270 meters.

Tactics: Depends on if the B-2000 system is present as that greatly increases the value of the mech. If its lacking that, then its an assault with a med mech armor and probably shouldn't be looking to go one on one with other assaults. But its short range weaponry is more than enough to wreck medium and most heavy mechs. In a company or battalion its best value is in the back lines where it can coordinate the battle, but in lance combat its weapons are skewed towards short range combat, ideally against an enemy already engaged against a more heavily armored mech.

- Packrat's Notes -
CP-10-Z: It's very difficult to make a 4/6 assault mech that's actually good. The Cyclops is a good example of what not to do. Its engine weighs 33 tons, and it uses a massive amount of its little free weight to mount an AC/20. What you end up with is a mech that's fast for its size with pretty good short range firepower, but everything else about it is terrible. It only has an LRM-10 for hitting past 9 hexes, it doesn't have enough heat sinks to use its entire short range arsenal, it has the armor of a medium mech, and it has 6 ammo bins. From a fluff perspective, I see what they were thinking: the commander shouldn't be too close to battle and needs a big gun to scare off people trying to pick them off, and you don't want them to be too slow so they don't find themselves trapped by the enemy. This was just a terrible way to go about it, though. If you have to use it in a fight, treat it like you would a Hunchback that's been brought to an assault mech fight, because that's basically what it is. It has loads of ammo for its AC/20 though, so you can afford to fire it at anything that gets in range, so the Cyclops can be a decent area denial tool against smaller mechs.
CP-10-Q: This variant removes the AC/20 and its 4 tons of ammo, replacing them a 2nd LRM-10, 3 more tons of LRM ammo (enough for 24 salvos), a 3rd medium laser, 2 more heat sinks, and 7 more tons of armor. The AC/20 is the Cyclops's best asset besides its initiative bonus, but you just get so much by giving it up that I think this has to be the superior variant, even if it's still rather lackluster. It has a massive amount of both armor and LRM ammo, so it can play in the fire support role all day, but a pair of LRM-10s are hardly threatening at the assault mech level. A better use for it is to fight at intermediate range, where you can fire both its LRMs and its short range weapons at the same target. The extra heat sinks encourage this playstyle, having an excess of heat capacity for either bracket, but a manageable heat curve if you're using both of them at once. This mech won't threaten other assault mechs, but you can bring this mech to serve the "tank" role in a heavy lance, soaking up impressive amounts of enemy weapons fire and allowing the rest of the lance to do its thing.

 

[Kereminde]

HGN-733 Highlander

• Armament: AC\10, LRM-20, SRM-6, 2 ML
• Movement: 3\5\3
• Armor: 17.5 tons
• Heatsinks: 12

Advantages: High mobility for an assault mech with the jumpjets, allowing it to maneuver well in rough terrain and city environments. Good firepower in all ranges. Good protection with 17.5 tons or armor, only the Atlas (of mechs in game) is better protected. Reinforced legs (the better to perform the 'Highlander Burial' DFA).

Disadvantages: Primarily ammo based armament, even though each system has 2 tons of ammo each, can run out over extended engagement and makes mech vulnerable when armor is penetrated. Although it uses mostly low heat weapons, 12 heat sinks isn't enough for it to use the jumpjets and fire all its weapons without building heat. It can move well in rough and city environments, yet is still slow overall and not able to keep up with mobile heavy and assault lances.

Tactics: Like most assault mechs, is best attacking or defending a fixed position where its lack of speed doesn't handicap it. Is especially effective in City and Rough terrain environment. Has a similar weapon lineup to the Atlas ( although of lower caliber in terms of the Autocannon). Solid protection allows it to stand in the battleline and face off against other assault mechs. Firepower is not tremendous in any particular range, but has good damage across all weapon ranges, similiar to the Stalker. Should be kept where it can be re-supplied frequently as it is heavily ammo dependent and only has a couple med lasers and its fists once the ammo runs dry.

- Packrat's Notes -
HGN-733: This is a mech made for aggressive folks. It's got the armor and firepower to bring the fight to the enemy at any range, and jump jets make sure you can't hide from it. The LRM-20 and AC/10 make it a threat at range, but it's most dangerous up close, where it can supplement the AC/10 with a pair of medium lasers and an SRM-6, not to mention the devastating melee attacks its 90 ton frame is capable of. It has loads of ammo for its close range weapons, so try to remain in that range, taking any shots that present themselves, and soften up new targets with the LRM-20 as you close in. Heat needs to be monitored, but it's not too bad by 3025 standards. Its low number of heat sinks means you shouldn't be jumping very often, though. Use the jump jets for advancing on the enemy and positioning for subsequent attacks, but don't hop around in battle.
HGN-733C: Trading a ton each of LRM and SRM ammo to upsize the AC/10 to an AC/20, this is basically a smaller, jump-capable Atlas. That being said, it's not very effective. Whereas the base model has too much SRM ammo, this variant is lacking in ammo for everything except the SRM-6. As such, you need to carefully choose your shots, especially because the AC/20 is quite heat intensive for a ballistic weapon and the number of heat sinks is the same as the base model. With limited shots for its LRM-20 and its only other armament being weapons with a range of 9 hexes, this is almost exclusively a knife fighter. So not only is it less versatile than the base model, it also has worse longevity, worse heat management, and can't sustain its firepower. The lack of ammo and heat issues naturally lead you to its best tactic, waiting for a good shot, unloading into the enemy, and then cooling down while looking for another opportunity to unleash its high burst damage potential.
HGN-733P: The opposite of the Highlander-733C, this variant removes the autocannon entirely and replaces it with a PPC and 7 more heat sinks. This is easily my favorite Highlander variant. To start with, it has outstanding ranged damage with its PPC and LRM-20, and the medium lasers and SRM-6 provide decent close ranged backup. Where it really excels, though, is medium range, where it can use any of its weapons as the situation dictates. It doesn't have the heat sinks to alpha strike, but it does have enough to maintain a steady rate of fire if you're selective about which weapons you fire. Its golden zone is 3-12 hexes, lashing out with whichever weapons have a decent chance to hit. Replacing the AC/10 with a PPC lets you take chancy potshots with the PPC when you're at range because you don't have ammo to worry about, and 2 fewer bins of explosive munitions increases its survivability. The best part is it does all of this without sacrificing the Highlander's mobility or armor.

 

[Kereminde]

BNC-3E Banshee

• Armament: PPC, AC-5 Sm L
• Movement: 4\6
• Armor: 15 tons
• Heatsinks: 16

Advantages: Speed, no other assault mech this size or bigger has this high of a speed, allowing the Banshee to keep up with Heavy and Light Assault lances. Two hand actuators. Whether for picking up salvage, or delivering a one, two melee punch , having two battlefists allows the Banshee to use its bulk effectively in melee combat. Runs cool. Even with the PPC, remains heat neutral or close to heat neutral while firing its main weapons and moving.

Disadvantages: Very undergunned for an Assault Mech, even for a Heavy Mech. ( Variants do try to address this somewhat). In close range only has a Sm L for use inside the min range of it's main weapons. Armor for it's size, while decent, is well below the maximum possible for this size.

Tactics: The Banshee pays a lot in terms of firepower for that unprecedented speed. Designed as a close assault mech in the days of the Mackie and the Emperor while the speed was impressive, it couldn't deliver significant damage unless it got into melee range where its bulk would allow it to scrap smaller mechs. A couple of designs add a PPC and 2 ML in place of the AC ( but causing a big heat load) or upgrade the AC\5 to an AC\10 ( at the cost of heat sinks, again causing heat concerns) but hte base models best uses are to bring it into melee combat as fast as possible, firing the PPC and the AC\5 on the way in to soften up the target, so that it can use its size to finish off the opponent with punches and kicks. If nothing else, it may draw fire away from mechs that can cause more significant damage from range.
It should be noted that Defiance Industries did modify the chassis by removing the bulky 380 engine for a lighter 285 engine, reducing the speed to 3\5 but allowing more weapons to be added, boasting an impressive 2 PPC, AC\10 4 ML, 2 SM L and SRM-6 along with 21 heatsinks. This turns it into a true assault mech, albeit one now with heat concerns and still not as heavily protected as other assault mechs.

- Packrat's Notes -
BNC-3E: So, the weapons suggest this is a fire support mech. But only having a PPC and AC/5 is quite weak for a 95 ton mech. You actually do more damage with those big assault mech fists. The Banshee is thus good for fighting two people at once without a secondary target modifier! One role it might be able to fill well (this is largely a guess) is that of a bodyguard for fire support units, contributing to the mission with its guns and using its sheer mass to dismantle anything that tries to close in. I have no idea why this mech has 16 heat sinks when it's only capable of generating 14 heat.
BNC-3M: Basically an up-armored Marauder, the Banshee-3M mounts a pair of PPCs and a pair of medium lasers with 16 heat sinks. The mech is now slightly undersinked, but with 15 tons of armor it can afford to eat the occasional movement penalty. Its usage is largely the same as the base model, but is even better at being a fire support bodyguard, a capability that requires a slight sacrifice in overall mobility if you plan to fire both PPCs regularly, meaning it's slightly worse in the traditional Banshee role of "run up in their face and pound them".
BNC-3Q: This variant removes both primary weapons for an AC/20. What we have here is a 95 ton UrbanMech without jump jets. Use it like one.
BNC-3S: Now this is an assault mech. It's everyone's favorite Banshee for a reason. A pair of PPCs provides great long range punch, the AC/10 is effective at a variety of ranges, and it's devastating in close with a quartet of medium lasers and an SRM-6. (There is also a second small laser. Wee!) 21 heat sinks makes its heat supremely manageable. The only real flaw in the design is its armor, which is the same as the base model, but even then 15 tons ain't exactly paper-thin. This is just a superb all-around mech that can fight effectively from any range. There's really no wrong way to use it as long as you keep in mind that it had to drop its speed to 3/5 to allow for these changes.

 

[Kereminde]

AS7-D Atlas

• Armament: AC\20, LRM-20. SRM-6, 4 ML (2 rear facing)
• Movement: 3\5
• Armor: 19 tons
• Heatsinks: 20

Advantages: Reputation. The Atlas is respected and feared throughout the Inner Sphere, and when that death's head visage is on the Battlefield, death itself is walking there. Tons of Armor. At 19 tons has almost the weight of a Locust in armor alone. One of the best protected mechs in the Inner Sphere. Huge close range damage burst. With the AC\20, 2 ML and SRM-6 has a potential 42 pt Alpha Strike. Runs very cool. With few heat demanding weapons, the 20 heat sinks keep the Atlas from overheating, even when firing a full barrage.

Disadvantages: Long range damage. While an LRM-20 is nothing to sneeze at,it doesn't deliver the same punch for the Atlas at long and medium range as the rest of the weapons do at short. Three different Ammo systems. While it has 2 tons of LRM ammo, 2 tons of AC\20 ammo and 1 ton SRM-6 ammo, and thus is well supplied for most battles, if its armor does get breached (most likely by concentrated fire of the enemy) then there is a lot of chance for ammo explosion. Ammo dependent weapons. In an extended battle or campaign with limited re-supply, the Atlas becomes nothing more than a super armored, slow moving lump with only 2 ML to use against enemies in front of it ( at least until it can get in range to start throwing punches with its massive battlefists).

Tactics: Basic Assault tactics. Shred the target with LRM fire as approaching, get in close, unleash massive short range bursts, then punch through with the fists and kicks in melee range. You are as big or bigger than anything else you will face, as well armed, and have more protection than any other mech ( currently in game). The Atlas is the standard by which all other Assault mechs are judges and for good reason as nothing else has done the job as well for as long.

- Packrat's Notes -
AS7-D: I'll probably be in the minority here, but I'm kind of underwhelmed by the Atlas-D. It has unspectacular long range firepower, and its short range firepower is only better than the Hunchback, a mech half its size, by a single SRM-6. Its slow speed and necessity to get in short range also creates problems. On the plus side, its armor is amazing and it runs very cool. In fact, I'd say it's oversinked. Its combination of weak long range firepower, strong short range firepower, and unparalleled armor means the best tactic is to mount a dauntless advance, attempting to simply overwhelm anything that gets in your way. In that sense, it is the physical embodiment of the LCAF. The closer you are to the enemy, where you can bring those massive punches into play, the better.
AS7-RS: Ah, now this is more like it. Its armament consists of a pair of large lasers, an AC/10, an LRM-15, and an SRM-4. It lacks the raw hitting power of the base model, and it runs hotter, but its medium range arsenal cures one of the problems of the original. Its higher number of shots for its weapons and more high-powered lasers also give it better longevity, which I think complements its heavily armored nature quite well. The great thing about the Atlas-RS is it can play to the weaknesses of your opponent. If you're facing a mostly short ranged enemy, you can stay at medium range where your better to-hit numbers and massive amount of armor will carry the day. If they focus on long range, you can still get in close and dish out the pain. If they're equally adept at both, you can just hang at medium range where you can use any of your weapons as you see fit. This ability to devastate any foe and keep fighting for a long, long time make this version of the Atlas finally live up to its reputation in my mind.

 

[Kereminde]

KGC-0000 King Crab

• Armament: 2 AC-20, LRM-15, LL
• Movement: 3\5
• Armor: 17 tons
• Heatsinks: 15

Advantages: Overwhelming short range firepower. Enough to get internal damage on ANY mech if both cannons hit the same location, and will probably destroy or severely cripple any medium mech or lower with one salvo. Ability to fight at any range. While the most damage comes in close, it has a good damage weapon for medium and long range.

Disadvantages: Very ammo reliant, with only one ton of ammo for each cannon, the AC\20's can run dry quickly, leaving it with only a medium mech firepower.

Tactics: Soften up the target(s) with the LRM and LL as you approach, and when it gets to short range, unleash the Autocannons. If the opponent is still standing, he won't be after the second burst. The King Crab should probably come in after the opponent(s) have been engaged or weakened so that it can make the best use of it's limited shots with the AC\20. Although not defenseless once the ammo bin has run dry, its not nearly as scary at that point.

- Packrat's Notes -
KGC-0000: The King Crab is the mech equivalent of a nuclear weapon. The best way to use it is not to use it. By that I mean, you don't want to ever actually have to fire those big guns, but that doesn't mean they can't be useful. The most powerful asset the King Crab has is not its firepower, but the psychological impact it has on your opponents. As long as this mech is standing, it is surrounded by a Bubble Of Death that no one wants to enter. As such, you can use it to dictate the terms of engagement, and that is a very useful thing indeed. Once the lead starts flying, you'll find that the King Crab quickly falls prey to attrition. It's almost guaranteed to take down at least one enemy, but doesn't have enough ammunition to reliably contribute much more to the battle than that. Once its ammo is gone, it's useless. So, keep those weapons fully loaded, and scare your opponent into doing what you want them to. If all goes well, the battle will end without the King Crab having ever fired a shot. If things don't go as you planned (and we all know how often that is), you'll have sunk a lot of BV into very little effect on the battlefield.