How to make the Kintaro 18 work?

[Patty]

I have tried a fast brawly build with 4x SRM6+Artemis, 300LE engine. It has a good top speed of nearly 100kph and is hard hitting. However it's large size and squishy armour means it goes down too quick for my liking, it just doesnt have the surviability for a close range brawl.

So I then swapped out the SRM6's for MRM's, 50 tubes total. The extra range is nice as it means I dont have to risk the delicate armour in a brawl, but the lack of jumpjets and pokeyness means you take a lot of return fire.

I am now thinking I have been doing it wrong and should put a small engine in to maximise tonnage for LRM's. LRM 40 on a Medium with a couple of backup lasers might be a better way to play? People hate campy LRM Assaults / Heavies so a medium might be the better mech to do it with.

Any other ideas?

[Ishan451]

I mastered the Kintaro frame back before the skill tree and in the end i kept the Kintaro 19, because its the Kintaro i enjoyed the most.

While i used the 19 as SRM (quad artemis srm4 or trio of artemis srm6) brawler with two large lasers (if you use lasers or missiles you will not melt your mech).. i used the Kintaro 18 as LRM boat.

I ran it like this:

KTO-18[mwo.smurfy-net.de]

and this:

KTO-18[mwo.smurfy-net.de]

The later one in Chainfire (Used to be better, but still can be done).

Important thing is... don't play the Kintaro, either version SRM or LRM, as brawler or Camper. The Kintaro is a support mech. That means you beeline it to your Assaults and you stick behind your the Assault that inspires you with the most confidence. And that is where you will end up. You wait until the guy engages, wait until his enemy unloads into him and then you step out and deliver your pay load... or when you do LRM, you lob them over your Assault buddies head.

Kintaro is not a front line mech and it will fall appart when it gets focused, doesn't matter if its a light mech or an assault mech. So you don't want to be alone.... ever.

I never liked the 18... i think its the worst of the lot, but its also the one people claim is the best. So take it with a grain of salt.

[Dakota]

The mech seems lacking as an LRM boat due to having very few close in defensive weapons that an LRM boat would need to protect itself from light mech attacks or to be used in effective LRM roles where you're not just in the back shooting some mountainside a KM away.

If you want MRMs I'd recommend that you put them both in the side torso then side peek. This, combined with the mech's good agility (medium mech, so its going to get around quick) means that you can peek out, fire 60 damage from dual MRM30s, and get back into cover without taking too much return fire once you get used to it.
https://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=95&l=2131c0cd028b9e363120845c03eb8d86c78220e7

You could also play like its 2013 again and put an STD275 in there with 5 SRM6s without artemis, then spread damage to all the side torsos to keep that CT alive. The CT hitbox is hard to hit and has that missile bay door giving you 25% more durability on the section when closed, so you can absorb MASSIVE amounts of damage if you play it right. Once the sides are down continue to shield with them for a hefty damage reduction.

[Captain Worthy]

Delicate armour?!

Take all of the armour & structure nodes. No other mech of its class has as much armour.

You can enhance its toughness even further by not using any weapons in the center torso due to the bay door like Dakota said.

[Patty]

Originally posted by Mithrandir:

Delicate armour?!

Take all of the armour & structure nodes. No other mech of its class has as much armour.

You can enhance its toughness even further by not using any weapons in the center torso due to the bay door like Dakota said.

Everything is relative though. It has good armour for it's tonnage sure but it is massive. It is bigger than a lot of heavies.

[Shadow of the SPQR]

Originally posted by Mithrandir:

Delicate armour?!

Take all of the armour & structure nodes. No other mech of its class has as much armour.

You can enhance its toughness even further by not using any weapons in the center torso due to the bay door like Dakota said.

Doesn't matter if speed and hitboxes are subpar :P

[Xilo The Odd]

what about 3 LRM 10 without arty and a tag? think a light engine would fit in that then? hmm...

answered my own question xP it can be a thing. but i dunno if it'd be as tonnage efficient as a dual LRM 15 with arty.
https://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=95&l=95b9e562b4283dbaa43d89fa5884d53178be5646

guess it'd be the middle ground between LRM 5 chain spam and burst fire LRM 15.

this would be for pirahnna hunting/assault guard build.
https://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=95&l=6da6a4a4ff4622ae0c23d58e0097d737380fb8bd

[Captain Worthy]

Originally posted by CommodusIV:

Originally posted by Mithrandir:

Delicate armour?!

Take all of the armour & structure nodes. No other mech of its class has as much armour.

You can enhance its toughness even further by not using any weapons in the center torso due to the bay door like Dakota said.

Doesn't matter if speed and hitboxes are subpar :P

It has excellent speed as well, and is absolutely great in scouting where it outperforms the Bushwacker, especially when fighting streakboats.

[The Fifth Horseman]

It has nearly the same DPS as a 6xSSRM-4 BSW-P1 with only 5xSSRM-4 - but the hitboxes make it frequently lose arms (the only place where you can mount the TAG). Currently experimenting with using the Laser Duration quirkk and building the mech with 2x LPL

[Dakota]

Originally posted by Patty:

Originally posted by Mithrandir:

Delicate armour?!

Take all of the armour & structure nodes. No other mech of its class has as much armour.

You can enhance its toughness even further by not using any weapons in the center torso due to the bay door like Dakota said.

Everything is relative though. It has good armour for it's tonnage sure but it is massive. It is bigger than a lot of heavies.

But volumetric scaling means that its actually not bigger than any heavies. Instead it has those huge juicy shield arms to help out.

[Shadow of the SPQR]

Originally posted by Mithrandir:

Originally posted by CommodusIV:

Doesn't matter if speed and hitboxes are subpar :P

It has excellent speed as well, and is absolutely great in scouting where it outperforms the Bushwacker, especially when fighting streakboats.

Perhaps you've seen them perform better, yet I've never seen one come close to causing me any issues. But, I haven't done CW content for quite a while (the mode bores the hell out of me), so perhaps it differs there.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by CommodusIV:

Originally posted by Mithrandir:

It has excellent speed as well, and is absolutely great in scouting where it outperforms the Bushwacker, especially when fighting streakboats.

Perhaps you've seen them perform better, yet I've never seen one come close to causing me any issues. But, I haven't done CW content for quite a while (the mode bores the hell out of me), so perhaps it differs there.

They're quite good in Scouting mode when someone good plays them. Usually Kintaros are known for people piloting with LRMs ineffectively.

[Shadow of the SPQR]

Originally posted by Dakota:

Originally posted by CommodusIV:

Perhaps you've seen them perform better, yet I've never seen one come close to causing me any issues. But, I haven't done CW content for quite a while (the mode bores the hell out of me), so perhaps it differs there.

They're quite good in Scouting mode when someone good plays them. Usually Kintaros are known for people piloting with LRMs ineffectively.

Yes, in good part that's what I know it for :p well, good to know the oft undervalued mech has its niche.