Mech Spotlight: Highlander

[RasaNova]

Sorry it's been a couple days since putting up a new one... Let's jump now to one of the later game mechs, the Highlander, which I believe is the 1st assault mech we get. (was for me, anyway.)

Overall, the stock loadout seems well balanced. It's slow as dirt, but jumpjet equipped for positioning and has powerful melee punch plus a good mix of weapons including that precious gauss rifle on the HGN-732B we get. All in all, a great all-around stomper.

But what else can it do? Please share your successful Highlander-specific builds, strategies, screenshots, videos, and stories!

All Mech Spotlights:

Centurion
BlackJack
Thunderbolt
Quickdraw
Shadow Hawk
JagerMech
Highlander
Grasshopper
Vindicator
Wolverine
Locust
Catapult
Orion

[L37]

Originally posted by Travis:

Could you get more highlander, I wonder? Since it's based from Lostech castle in storyline, I'm not sure you could get more anywhere?

732B is unique, you cannot get more.
733 and 733P are common, you start seeing them a lot in random missions at some point.

[RasaNova]

Originally posted by Zloth:

Not much to say on this besides the fact that the Highlander you get for free has more heat sinks than it needs. Unless you're planning on doing lunar missions, toss a couple of those things over to your other mechs!

P.S. Hurry up and do the Grasshopper! ;)

Hah believe it or not it was a tossup between this and Grasshopper, since I had just gotten my 1st GH and wanted ideas. That'll be up shortly!

[Kel'Ithra]

Originally posted by Travis:

Could you get more highlander, I wonder? Since it's based from Lostech castle in storyline, I'm not sure you could get more anywhere?

Highlanders are not LostTech, just the SLDF one you loot is.

Haven't gotten there but I have a few ideas for the sldf one since I think it has extra room.

[Humble]

oh, well, I love that SLDF Highlanders, I love it, SlDF highlanders, doing great job, and great blow up all kind of mech quicker. Grasshopper petty good for killing light to heavy, but not asst., it's basic grasshopper upgrade, of sort, and it's do good job taken out king crab in final story mission, headshot without damage any body, but I don't get king crab for some reaon? :( I don't see any king crab in many, many long side mission, I think I do that over 100 side mission that are not part of storyline mission.

[Strayed]

Originally posted by Travis:

Could you get more highlander, I wonder? Since it's based from Lostech castle in storyline, I'm not sure you could get more anywhere?

I think I know which battletech book you're referring to there; that would be Highlander Gambit?

732s didn't go back into production until FedCom civil war, although from memory the Dragons had some for the clan invasion - much to the chagrine of ComStar

I'd check Sarna but I'm a bit busy at the moment; someone correct me if I'm wrong please

[Twelvefield]

I do like the Highlander! It's not super fast, but I like its durability when I max its armor and I max its jump jets as well. Then it's quite good at scoot-and-shoot tactics. I made mine into a missile boat that pairs very well with the Orion K, also as a missile boat. I parked the gauss gun. When I miss with the gauss, I feel like I should just save scum. Same for the AC20.

I look forward to the Orion spotlight: love the K variant, hate the V.

[Strayed]

Highlander video for shiz and wiz

The build I used in it:
HGN-733 - The Gambler
1x AC20 with 3t ammo
2x SRM6
2x SRM4
3t of SRM ammo
9x HS
Max armour with sliced RRT & LRT 85, CRT 115

Notes: I dropped the JJs for more HS to enable more "going all in" (SRM spam followed up with melee attacks). I was a bit more reserved in the video than I usually am when I want to melee stuff - I wanted to show the two mechs working together as a team to show an ambush tactic and a sniper using high ground advantage. I was a bit upset that the catapult leeroyed as I wanted to show how the highlander can rush firesupport mechs.. sigh.. stupid AI.. If only it played a bit more cautiously I could've shown the things I wanted to show

Edit: video..
Edit 2: youtube and my net connection is kicking my tailpipe; I'll upload the video again.

Edit: finally.. video
https://youtu.be/QFZOrGk45tY

[Strayed]

Shameless bump

[Pyro]

The gauss rifle is a weapon that can single-shot the head of a healthy mech from a range generally reserved for LRMs. And it causes almost negligible heat buildup. The AC/20 may do more damage, but only up close.

[Mr. Nobody]

Once you get AC10++ (+10dam) forget the gauss rifle
2 AC10++ and 2 SRM6++ is all you need

[mes_latoth]

Due to the Atlas' rarity, i tended to run a 4x Highlander lance for a long time (then 1 Atlas, +3 Highlanders).

They're solid mechs, and the Jump jets help a LOT (especially causing a TONNE of stability damage on even a re-inforced target).

Got nothing to sing but praises on them - the Gauss rifle is still awesome on account of not risking ammo explosions & the coolness of the weapon (1 heat) ... AND ... if you hit the head (same with an AC20), it's an instant decapitation, and thus 3 salvage parts.

That's how I got my first Awesome (by pure luck, rather than an aimed shot) :).

[C4Warr10r]

I guess I missed this spotlight while at work.

The HGN-732 Highlander is easily one of the best assault mechs in the Inner Sphere, both in Tabletop and in this game.

Solid armor, a great mix of weaponry and hardpoints, looks pretty cool, and it can fly. Not, you know, very well, but it is jump-capable. Some players begrudge it the 6 tons needed for those jets, but imo, whatever extra damage or armor you could pack in is nothing compared to an AC/20 shot in the back, or the cover of a ridge.

Highlanders tend to run pretty cool, given their firepower, and I'm not even counting the one you get in the game - that's Lostech. Over time, they can out-gun an Atlas, out-maneuver a Banshee, and in a neat little piece of lore, literally stomp light mechs into the ground with the DFA maneuver known as "The Highlander Burial."

Its only weakness is that it's comparatively slow, but the jump jets help make up for that during non-combat moves. During combat, it can and will be outflanked by speedier leaping death machines like the VTR-9b Victor. To its credit, the Highlander has just as much rear armor as the Victor, and a slight edge in short-range firepower, but then it has to be able to hit the faster brawler.

I don't know how many TT games I played where 3/5/3 assault mechs like the HGN had to deal with a 4/6/4 like the Victor jumping behind them every turn. The extra move point makes it impossible to jump into the rear arc if your opponent moves obliquely, so basically, it's one mech's rear armor against another mech's front armor. Not so good for the Highlander.

But then that's only in 1v1 combat where something like a Victor can get close. Supported well, or at medium to long range, the HGN tears mechs like that apart. It's a great mech, one of my favorites.

[Pherdnut]

733 is great until you have King Crabs which can do all the same things only better for the most part. There is nothing special about Highlanders and Jumpjets or managing heat. They have more space than mechs before them so they can have JJs without totally sucking. 733P is a great mech to sell unti you start finding better heat management options, IMO.

Overall, highlanders are great, but same speed/JJs as atlases/crab, less space than both, not counting the unique one you get, and nothing uniquely powerful about the stuff they can equip from what I've seen. The 733 is a great early find though. Capture it if you can. But don't trade a crab or an atlas for it without careful consideration.

[wesnef]

I pulled the gauss from my 732B and replaced it with an AC20.... mostly because the gauss's high minimum range clashed with the other weapons.

Haven't seen any other Highlanders yet (I've got 2 King Crabs and an Atlas), but I'm saving up -DFA Dmg leg mods, because I want to set one up for Highlander Burials. :D


(The Gauss ended up going on a King Crab along with two LRM20's and a rangefinder.)