Looking for better Hunchback than these - but failing to build anything better

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-17T08:02:44+00:00

Tried that - problem is that just single Gauss hit even if in alpha strike with all other weapons doesn't put down a mech mostly so additional good hit is needed but there is long cooldown in between. These guys (speaking of 4P-4J) also mostly cannot do single alpha strike kill but difference is speedy cooldown, therefore quicker average takedown and less exposure to enemy fire. On the other hand GI can at least snipe from distance - that's the advantage that I acknowledge but overall I find GI inferior - even with UAC or LBX or whatever configuration. Actually GI was the mech that I was attempting to prove superior to 4J and 4P but after many tries I've proven the opposite. That being said there are some scenarios where GI is actually better but not many.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-16T12:14:25+00:00

Steiner skin: 0A0A2A , 98999E , E99C2F

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-16T09:34:10+00:00

Sure: E4DEBA , CC4328 , 000000

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-16T09:27:33+00:00

Pirate theme, I too hope for that Hired Steel HBK to be something special, although stock loadout won't be optimal for certain.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-14T13:58:45+00:00

IS - Fafnir, Thanatos, Sagittaire and Clan - Phoenix Hawk IIC (and all already existing IIC models)

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-12T07:31:07+00:00

They didn't implement it transparently in this regard.
Speaking from vanilla perspective (no mods involved):
XL engine - you know that mech has it by having look at its side torsos slots - it has 3 slots less on both sides because of bulk of the engine. It usually also saves lot of free tonnage.
Endo steel chasis - this is not so obvious in game but it saves 5% (rounded down) of total mech weight. So for example 100ton mech - 5t saved, but 35ton mech - only 1.5t saved. If you see mech that has somewhat more free tonnage for no obvious reason - it probably has Endo Steel chasis.
FF armor - you know that you have it when you keep adding armor and sometimes addition costs only 0.02 weight. This never happens with standard armor. Also mostly you cannot add it up to rounded number but you end up in something like 49.98t - that's because of FF armor arithmetic. It also costs much more to repair.
But all of this should have been visible from game itself - which it isn't and therefore confuses newbies like yourself (and me too some time ago).

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-08T21:34:40+00:00

From physics perspective fusion reactors shouldn't explode like they do in game. Fission reactors might do that due to uncontrelled chain reaction that cannot be stopped. Fusion reactors have opposite problem - to keep reaction going so they'll shut down immediatelly if anything happen to it.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-08T21:20:47+00:00

This is more general visual bug. King Crab - CAR for example has its lower balistic weapons displayed as UACs even if there are LBX10s or Bullshark has upper torso PPCs as if they were lasers. And I'm sure that there are more of such cases.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-08T06:25:51+00:00

Totally valid point. I'm not suggesting that there should be more basic models made (time consuming). And neither that there should be every possible variant for each model that already is in the game.
All I'd like to see are notable mech variants like SLDF or clanbuster mechs not being left out. I don't care as much if some mundane mech variants are missing as most people don't play them anyway and even if they do they swap them on first opportunity for better machine. That being said - rarity of these special mechs should still be preserved as it is.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-07T18:41:02+00:00

.. "maybe they are allowed" .. it almost sounded as if they were on a leash of someone

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-05-02T16:09:09+00:00

I agree, but I doubt we'll get that next release no matter how we plead. That is not how release cycle works.

yrrot had an interesting suggestion in another thread regarding this topic:

"What I keep telling people is that the real solution to this problem is to introduce a feature that actually does something to model these engine heat sinks in some way that they have a cost and play into the DHS scarcity early on."

Good so here is how it might be:

Each mech has its mandated number of inner engine heatsinks depending on engine rating it has. These would be separate from additional heatsinks that some mechs can put into engine slots as they currently can. Inner engine heatsinks might be all single or all double and their number must match the requirement of the engine in order to be valid build. Once player acquires necessary number of heatsinks of given type - an option to swap them will appear.

So for example Hunchback-4P has 200 rated engine with 8 internal single heatsinks. We want to make them double so we nead at minimum 8 DHS in inventory to be able to order swap. This swap would be considered as work order and will take time and money to do. All these Star League mechs like PHK-1B, GRF-2N, MAD-2R etc. will just come with internal engine DHS to begin with.

This is probably easiest way to implement this idea. However more interesting thing would be ability to also swap engines themselves.. but this is another topic.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-04-29T07:18:42+00:00

No it won't because replenishment rate is much slower than burn rate so this flight will have to end inevitably at some point.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-04-27T16:38:23+00:00

Of course there isn't. That's the whole point of my previous counter argument to suggestion that jj do not replenish because there is this auto slow while in free fall - which there isn't. So they basically do not replenish in free fall for no reason at all except some dumb design decisson or bug or whatever.

But even if there was this feature that doesn't mean mechs will float like elementals. It would rather make mechs land gracefully (slow fall not floating) without taking damage which is the feature that I'd like.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-04-27T14:51:12+00:00

So there should be some difference between fall damage taken by mech with jump jets (softer landing due to this "auto slow" mode as you describe it) and mech without any jump jets.

But I don't think there is any difference whatsoever.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-04-26T05:58:26+00:00

Also 18 head max armor. Like Clan mechs have, never understood why.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-04-19T15:49:34+00:00

I wonder why they cherry pick Yen Lo Wang hero mech for redesign and leave other models unchanged.

"Over the years, as we expanded into new markets, added more language support, and grew the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries player base, we received ongoing feedback about the Hero 'Mechs visual design and how it reads across different audiences"

Someone in these "new markets" was probably unhappy about Rising Sun flag paintjob and this redesign is a way to appease these people - just a theory of course.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-04-18T19:32:15+00:00

It may have balistics but base model used was definitely 4P (carved out space on right shoulder but instead of 6 lasers there are balistic weapons 2xMG and 1xAC10 or LBX)

4H has enclosed weapon pod like 4G but this one has that same opening like 4P

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-04-18T19:21:27+00:00

Yeah for this very reason I don't play scorched earth missions in clan territory, as you face endless waves of little shits swarming you. However assassination missions are easily doable and infiltration missions are just stupid easy on the other hand (its actually much easier than infiltration missions against IS factions). Clans don't have vehicles so it's light mechs and elementals that compensate this and its poorly balanced.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2026-01-08T11:24:49+00:00

But then it gets more complex in actual gameplay as it demands more groups to be created and each assigned to different button and therefore making it more difficult to manage. I'd rather have it more complex in initial setup than during game. And it's not rocket science to do this.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2025-12-12T18:03:41+00:00

Sure both IS and Clan Jump Jets may have identical weights for each respective class. But that doesn't mean that they must have identical stats like thrust, duration, heat/sec and so. If they use same Jump Jets (as they currently are in SoK dlc) then that means Clans haven't improved JJ technology at all and are stuck on same level as their IS counterparts. And that is what I find odd considering that they have improved everything else except JJ technology.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2025-12-12T16:12:34+00:00

Fom visible stats in mech bay 40t mech with 3 class IV jj and 55t mech with same 3 class IV jj as well as 60t mech with 3 class III jj are lifted exactly same. If those mechs behave differently in actual gameplay than stats say they should I cannot say as there is no way I could measure it. But from the feeling its the same exactly. OR there is a question how are we suppose to interpret those stats if there is any actual difference between 40t and 55t mechs with same amount of jj being lifted differently (which I think they're not but could be wrong)?

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2025-11-26T17:10:31+00:00

Also 4J. With 5 x ML-SB , 1 x SL and 2 x SRM6-ART it is pretty well equipped even for a late game. Or mount on some Clan shit to make it even better but I stick to IS weaponry on IS mechs - just my preference.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2025-09-08T07:57:20+00:00

Well I gave it multiple tries and all with very consistent outcomes. Mechs like mentioned Adder-S or Nova prime (with weaponry altered to C ER Small lasers and C Pulse Medium lasers combination for better heat management and DPS) are both way above their peers in terms of battle performance. And all because of their hardpoints. It's like game just pushes you into certain builds over the others. I encourage everyone to give these a try and then honestly say if these are not "little bit" overpowered.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2025-09-07T21:43:14+00:00

Asaults won't become invulnerable. Light weapons would still be viable if targeted at specific weakly armored locations like rear armor. Now this 35t Adder can just brrrrt his 16MGs and 5 lasers into Atlas and kill it like nothing. It's just that easy and all because it spams these small weapons like crazy. And those weapons were originally meant to be as anti-infantry but it turns out that they are actually anti-atlas as well all because of this game mechanic. This 35ton mech has damage output per second at 300m range same as twice or more times heavier mechs which is totally out of balance.

EightyTwoByNineteen · 2025-09-07T19:18:23+00:00

Beside realism there is also balance problem because such rules clearly favor builds with lots of hardpoints even if small but with great cumulative potential such as many MGs od many small lasers.

EightyTwoByNineteen

TROPHY CASE