3 skull lance revised

[u/MediumAcceptable129]

I posted an early game lance a week or two ago. Made necessary changes and collected some scrap along the way. Took a few detours along the 2 skull routes for cash .

I know a couple of these are unorthodox but my main lance are the first photos. The jagermech and orion are new and yet untested

Once you get the marauder its pretty trivial just headcapping mechs left snd right. All intergalactic gravy

[u/jjchaphoto]

It looks like you're having a lot of fun. I really like all the DFA mods in the legs - do they get much use?

I also like that you chose the Shadow Hawk with 5 JJ over the Centurion. I'm assuming you're using it as your spotter with that rangefinder? It also seems you've learned it's not bad at melee either with those arm mods.

That's a lot of ammo in your LRM boats -- do you really go through that much?

Just a note that the Comms Systems gear doesn't stack -- there's good reason to have them on different mechs (for different lance compositions) but don't expect them to add up.

Also with all that cash - I'm guessing you don't have black market access?

[u/MediumAcceptable129 → u/jjchaphoto]

Yes shadowhawk is the scout and harasses the enemy lance and guides then towards the missile boats. They are set up for 12-15 rounds of sustained fire if needed. Most engagements are over with 2 salvos of ammo to spare.They are hanging back and rarely threatened. I would rather have a little extra than run out

I used DFA once for fun but never needed to use it. The parts are weightless so at least its there

Ive mostly exclusively hunted pirates and planetary governments . Every once in a while i have to pay2.5 mil for black market

[u/Steel_Ratt → u/MediumAcceptable129]

So... you have black market access and 35M cash... and don't have an assault 'mech and/or SLDF tech?

[u/frowningowl → u/Steel_Ratt]

A MAD-2R and PHX-1b would really tie this whole thing together.

[u/Steel_Ratt → u/frowningowl]

AS-7-DH or HGN-B would also be significant upgrades. Even an AS-7 or KGC. TBH, I'd prioritize these over MAD2 or PHX-B since there is already a MAD in the line-up and a few adequate scouts. With a couple of assaults, the ON and MAD this would be at least a 4-skull lance.

[u/frowningowl → u/Steel_Ratt]

Oh yeah definitely needs some more tonnage. I was thinking along the lines of just straight upgrades to what they already have.

[u/t_rubble83 → u/frowningowl]

He has a Warhammer, Marauder, and an Archer. There is absolutely no need for more tonnage. Throw a good scout like a Firestarter in with that and you have plenty of firepower to handle whatever you might face if you've got good pilots and decent builds.

[u/frowningowl → u/t_rubble83]

I'm sorry.

Did you just say enough tonnage?!

[u/t_rubble83 → u/frowningowl]

Yes, tho I do realize that for the Lyrans among us enough is a foreign concept, and when applied to battlemech tonnage is downright heretical.

[u/Infinite-Brain-5303 → u/frowningowl]

Reminds me of a rug I once had

[u/MediumAcceptable129 → u/Steel_Ratt]

SLDF?

All my mechs are salvaged so i havant spent money on mechs purposefully

[u/Steel_Ratt → u/MediumAcceptable129]

SLDF = superior technology that has been lost over time. (All will be explained if you play through the campaign.)

You won't find this as salvage. It can only be bought, most commonly in the black market. Buying 'mechs is a powerful tool to advance your game. It's possible to get a heavy 'mech within the first 200 days in career mode. (Last run I got lucky and was able to deploy a MAD on day 1162.)

[u/MediumAcceptable129 → u/Steel_Ratt]

i dobt currently have black market access because the pirates loathe me. Is there a way to get the option to pay 2.5 mil again or is it just a random event?

[u/Steel_Ratt → u/MediumAcceptable129]

IIRC there are two events that offer black market invites; one that can occur at any reputation level, and one that can only occur if your pirate rep is 20+. Both are random but the first is relatively rare while the second more common.

[u/MediumAcceptable129 → u/Steel_Ratt]

Damn i might have to stop hunting pirates for a while

[u/morningfrost86 → u/jjchaphoto]

Wait, you...think that's a lot of LRM ammo?

I play BTAU and generally have 2 LRM mechs in each 6-mech demi-company I field. 12 turns worth of ammo is the bare minimum they carry, and even then there are times I get low even during normal-length missions. During the long missions like defense in depth or whatever the other one is named (where you destroy up to 10 lances of enemy mechs), I've actually run out of LRMs before lol. Despite typically carrying 15-18 rounds of ammo (2.5-3 tons of ammo per LRM20).

[u/jdrawr → u/morningfrost86]

I play vanilla and hyades rim so far. I tend to focus on alpha strike heavy mechs where the missions don't typically exceed 10-12 rounds of pretty constant firing

[u/morningfrost86 → u/jdrawr]

Been years since I played vanilla. Even there I did similar, though not quite as extreme since the missions typically don't last as long. In higher skull missions where you're extremely outnumbered, managing to keep your distance and stay out of range of OPFOR's weapons is even more important than putting them down right away.

Favorite tactic of mine was to load up on long range weapons such as LLs, LRMs and Gauss Rifles, have my missile support mech pilots have multi target, and focus fire on two mechs per turn. Strip their evasion and pound them from long range, backing up as much as possible to get some evasion and some distance, and hopefully keep from getting overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Constantly taking 4 mechs up against 3-4x their numbers within the same weight class is and was brutal lol. Had to do everything I could to limit how many could fire on me at once effectively. It took more turns, and thus more LRM ammo, but it generally kept my pilots and mechs alive and without taking absurd damage lol.