Any advice for using the BlackJack?

[Rex]

I'm restarting my campaign for a few different reasons, namely, I understand how everything works better now and would like to take a fresh approach.

However, I always found the BlackJack completely underwhelming in every mission I brought it on and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on how to get more out of it?

[Muskrat]

I reconfigured it to a BJ-1DB and have been much happier.

Remove the ac/2’s, ammo, and arm mounted M-lasers.

Add 2 L-lasers, and 6 heat sinks.

Gives it a bit more punch from range, and a powerful alphastrike up close. Runs hot however, so manage your heat. I give it to Dekker when I don’t want him in a light mech like a firestarter. This way he can still sensor lock if he needs a cool down turn.

[Veritas]

Its stock loadout is fine honestly, just adjust rear armor to and add front armor. It's only a 45 ton mech so it does a lot for its weight class and the 4 jumpjets lets you get high quality shots sometimes. Get a pilot with 6 guts for it quickly so that you can park it somewhere up high and push its limits with the medium lasers while effectively doubling its armor.

If you want more knockdowns you can drop the heat sinks and jumpjets, swap the AC2s for 5s and keep 2 medium lasers, you lose on overall firepower but the extra stability damage leads to more knockdowns for called shots. Both work.

The other approach is to just make a laserjack. 1 large laser and a bunch of mediums, or 2 large lasers, heat sinks to fill in wight. It'll suck on a few of the story misisons and hot maps though and you won't be getting knockdowns with it.

[CiZerin]

Something like 2xAC5 + 2xMLaser, use him as a Skirmisher

[Sticky Wicket]

I find the blackjack (certainly with its default loadout) to be a bit on the lame side. It's hardpoints are a bit limiting imho.

It's twin AC2 makes it okay for sniping, but the 4 medium lasers hardly ever get used.

It certainly feels like the weakest link in the chain with the 4 mechs you get to start with. Ive just got a Centurian, and I have put the Blackjack into storage.

[Overread]

The biggest thing is to keep an eye on the heat buildup - its default loadout can build up heat pretty quick in battle so one big trick to using it is to make sure that you keep an eye on the heat bar. Either using less weapons per turn for a bit or even giving it a full turn inactive so that it can cool off. Adjsuting its armour and loadout to let you get more heat sinks also helps.

Note that it's also pretty slow moving, so you want to give it as much long range weaponary as you can. It can do well in close combat and has a strong hit there, but its a slower mech. That said if you work with that and don't rush the other mechs forward (ergo slow advance your group) then medium range becomes more practical.

[BoydofZINJ]

i would get rid of both AC/2s and replace with a single AC/5 buff up the armor and add heat sink(s) with the remaining tonnage - and dont forget 1 ton of ammo for the new AC/5.

[Rex]

Great advice and a few different approaches it sounds like. Thanks everyone!

[Phoenix-Mojo]

Never hit on 17. :)

[nilus]

Originally posted by Muskrat:

I reconfigured it to a BJ-1DB and have been much happier.

Remove the ac/2’s, ammo, and arm mounted M-lasers.

Add 2 L-lasers, and 6 heat sinks.

Gives it a bit more punch from range, and a powerful alphastrike up close. Runs hot however, so manage your heat. I give it to Dekker when I don’t want him in a light mech like a firestarter. This way he can still sensor lock if he needs a cool down turn.

Why would anyone actually use a large laser?

I have a hold full of the ones I strip off every mech I get that has one

[Veritas]

Originally posted by nilus:

Originally posted by Muskrat:

I reconfigured it to a BJ-1DB and have been much happier.

Remove the ac/2’s, ammo, and arm mounted M-lasers.

Add 2 L-lasers, and 6 heat sinks.

Gives it a bit more punch from range, and a powerful alphastrike up close. Runs hot however, so manage your heat. I give it to Dekker when I don’t want him in a light mech like a firestarter. This way he can still sensor lock if he needs a cool down turn.

Why would anyone actually use a large laser?

I have a hold full of the ones I strip off every mech I get that has one

The range is nice and early on your pilots have crap gunnery and recoil control. Lasers are also more accurate. They get bad at mid to late game though for sure.

[artygame]

4 med laser + jump jets + max armor

jump in the back fun :)

[Mudpony]

Originally posted by Snazzy Dragon:

The range is nice and early on your pilots have crap gunnery and recoil control. Lasers are also more accurate. They get bad at mid to late game though for sure.

They're not that good early on either, sadly. Too many planets/moons that hinder your heatsinks.

[nobrien]

my BJ got sold for scrap, it was taking pilot dmg nearly every round and my MC was spending weeks in sickbay and when i switch to the vindy and put darius in the BJ he spending most of early game hurt lol, selling it made sence because most missions dont work well with only 3 starter mechs lol.

[The Pollie]

I removed the medium lasers, added one Large laser alongside the two AC/2s, and upped its armour. It runs fairly cool, except on hotter maps where it can alpha maybe twice before toggling the laser off. 40, 25, and 25 damage in volleys, it does work on people. A pilot using Bulwark with jumpjets to get somewhere high and with clear sight lines becomes damn hard to dislodge, especially with forward operators to spot for it.

[Ishan451]

Originally posted by Strider:

I'm restarting my campaign for a few different reasons, namely, I understand how everything works better now and would like to take a fresh approach.

However, I always found the BlackJack completely underwhelming in every mission I brought it on and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on how to get more out of it?

Put your character into a light mech, give the BJ to glitch... use her multi target ability to spread the BJs damage around to multiple enemies. You can engage one close one far.

Once you get two large lasers, remove the ACs and two medium lasers, replace them with Heatsinks and the Large Lasers.. and you can keep Glitch in it until you get a better mech.