Your favourite mech builds for each weight class?

[Swanky]

Been going through the game with mods and with lore abiding citizen option. Currently 3044, so still a few years until the clan invasion hits and the clan tech becomes available in warzones. Until then, I'm goofing off trying to find out different builds that I like for each class.

Light
RV- 1X
2 M-Las, 2 SRM4 (2 tons ammo), jump jets, masc, bap, stealth
240 Core, XL, Endo, Gyro Agility, Sensors Powered
Never really warmed up to lights, just not my playstyle, but I wanted a scout for infiltration missions. It's fast, stealthy and has enough punch to get through the odd turret or tank. Not running inf missions beyond 300t because they tend to get badly designed with mechs starting to follow you.

Medium
CN9-YLW2
3 Medium Rifles (5 tons of ammo), 2 M-Las, Hatchet, ECM
225 Core, XL, Endo, Triple Strength Myomer, Modular Ferro on the shield arm, FCS Ballistic, 1 Heat Sink
The first time I used this to its full extend I laughed my arse off. 3 Medium Rifles will light up everything short of a heavy mech and the don't sneeze at it either. But better yet, the hotter this thing runs, the faster it'll go until you can chase light mechs and slap them. 1 hit from the hatchet is usually enough. It'll run hot constantly but it's so much fun zapping around the different mechs and slice them in half. ...Still want a supercharger for this one.
The base loadout with the AC20 is great as well.

Heavy
ARC-AGC
4 SRM6, 2 SRM4 (7 tons of ammo), 4M-Las, AMS, BAP
280 Core, XL, FCS Missile
My go-to mech for when I just want something dead. Really dead. This build can easily be done in vanilla as well and it's almost as deadly. This thing punches well above its weight class and can relatively easily clear out 100 difficulty missions as well.

Assault
...I don't have favourite build for this weight class yet. VTR-BSK with double LBX Slug comes close (and is really versatile) but same as lights, I never really warmed up to them. Too slow, too bulky. The damage potential is awesome, though.

So... share your favourite mechs and builds? :>

[Reality]

Light
RVN-3L
SRM6(2) Medium Chemical Laser(2)

Not enough tonnage for heat sinks but this can run around lone Assault Mechs until they die without overheating, ECM makes them inaccurate enough for Assassination missions.

I've tried hero ECM wolfhound with 5 chemical lasers in instant action but it's less fun and my career mode hasn't got him to show up.

Medium
GRF-1S
Large Laser, Medium Laser(2), LRM 5
Just for being easy to use out of the box... I feel like meds kinda get skipped over in this game.

Heavy
ONI-V
AC 5, LRM 15, Medium Laser(2) SRM4(2)
I definitely prefer AC10 in tabletop, but in MW5 I think the range on AC5 keeps my health intact for missions with lots of waves of enemies.

Assault
CP-11-A
Gauss, SRM 4(2), Medium Laser(2)
I like Gauss but hate moving so slow as the highlander/atlas. The hero cyclops would be better ofc.

Honorable mention to Grasshopper H

[Stalectos]

don't have builds I use frequently enough to specifically recommend offhand but I do have some advice for assaults. if you are having issues with how slow they are I'd recommend using an 80 or 85 tonner instead of something heavier. especially once you get XL engines something like a Charger or a Battlemaster can actually go reasonably fast (something like 80 kph without MASC) without skimping too much on armor or firepower. the Battlemaster is a personal favorite of mine with YAML installed because it can carry a bunch of medium or small lasers and still fit a big ballistic weapon like an AC/20 or an LBX (at least the standard variant can other variants have other hardpoints ofc).

[Swanky]

Originally posted by Stalectos:

don't have builds I use frequently enough to specifically recommend offhand but I do have some advice for assaults. if you are having issues with how slow they are I'd recommend using an 80 or 85 tonner instead of something heavier. especially once you get XL engines something like a Charger or a Battlemaster can actually go reasonably fast (something like 80 kph without MASC) without skimping too much on armor or firepower. the Battlemaster is a personal favorite of mine with YAML installed because it can carry a bunch of medium or small lasers and still fit a big ballistic weapon like an AC/20 or an LBX (at least the standard variant can other variants have other hardpoints ofc).

Good idea actually. I have a few builds for assaults, just no favourites so far, nothing that stands above the rest for me.
Examples that I have is a Nightstar, 3 M-Las, Dual Gaus, rest is engine and ammo. Then I have the VTR-BSK, dual LBX Slug, dual M-Las, 3 SRM4s with 2 tons of ammo. The last one is a Highlander with an assault Claymore, Triple Myomer Strength, Dual PPC, dual MP-Las. 2 SRM 6 Infernos (1 ton ammo). Not sure which core I have in it, but this thing runs 70 without Myomer. Or walks very menacingly, at least.

Originally posted by Reality:

Light
RVN-3L
SRM6(2) Medium Chemical Laser(2)

Not enough tonnage for heat sinks but this can run around lone Assault Mechs until they die without overheating, ECM makes them inaccurate enough for Assassination missions.

I've tried hero ECM wolfhound with 5 chemical lasers in instant action but it's less fun and my career mode hasn't got him to show up.

I always sleep on the ChemLasers. My brain always goes that the extra tonnage for ammo isn't worth it, but that's wrong.

[George W. Kush]

ON! - YAJ: 2 ppc's or 2 LP lasers + 2 lrm 10's in the torso and 1 srm6 on the arm you can max out the armor minus .5 tons on the legs & carry enough DHS to hit over 2.0 heat drain per sec & a heat bank 1 or 2.
Blood Asp/Star Adder: max armor except on legs 2 B lasers, 4 MP lasers, 1 srm6, 2 Gauss
Atlas D: max armor except on legs, 1 Gauss (C) or LBX 20 (C) or UAC/20 (C), 1 LRM 20-ST (C), 4 ER M lasers (C), 1 ASRM 6 (C), heat bank III & enough DHS to hit 3.0-3.36 heat drained per sec.

i tend to base my builds on what my lance AI can be most effective with, idk if its a bug from a mod (i dont really care it makes things more challenging) but if i tend to deviate from a default mech load out too much my ai lance mates act really stupid in them eg: like how a person mentioned above about how they like to drop the ac/10 for an ac/5 on the on1-v if i do that in my game and give it to an ai they miss 90% of the shots they fire at any range its funny.
here is my on1-v: max armor, remove 0.5 tons from the legs, AC/10 or LBX/10, LRM 10, SRM 4, 2 M lasers. can fit enough single heat sinks to hit 1.3-1.4 heat/sec or few DHS to hit 1.6 heat/sec. 48/16 L/R Torso, 72/20 C Torso, 48 L/R Arms, 30 Head, 59 L/R legs (i think for the legs gonna have to go back to the mech lab and check later)

[Swanky]

Originally posted by Narthan Dume:

Snip!

Interesting layout to give the YAJ a close ranged option, but I guess you can't afford a third LRM 10 with PPCs in the arms.
Haven't found a Blood Asp yet. While I am in 3050 by now I'm mostly getting Kit Foxes and Jenner IICs, maybe a lone Battlemaster IIC even on 100 difficulty / 400t missions, but I'm still running around Terra. Very likely a mod issue, compatibility or setting issue but not a topic for this thread.

If you're having problems with AI lancemates, I feel that. I've lately upgraded to TTrulez with both the Easy Aim and Lancemate Orders (need to get the latter from Nexus) and they do so much better. Easy aim just to keep original aiming values for enemies, so they don't have god aim. It feels so much better and gives more fine control over your team. Also plays nice with Pilot Overhaul (buggy as that one is) and Battle Grid Orders.

[justfaded]

You have to turn ammo off if you want this to work but for medium, enforcer with the two medium ballistics hard points on each arm is very fun with lbx-sld. Just love the idea of a hard-hitting small mech. Wirh ammo on, you get 40 shots and no jump jets.

Also best cockpit visibility in the game imo. Actually I take that back. Assassin has the best cockpit visibility. Ecm assassin with lbx sld is also a favorite of mine. There is a torso variant for teammates. 4 assassins with lbx sld can take on surprising odds.

[George W. Kush]

i put 2 light rifle BF & 4 micro lasers on the locust PB xD not practical at all but very amusing

[PlasmaWaagh]

For assaults, try a banshee 3P, XL prototype engine, sm or sm advanced cockpit, 9x Large Chem Laser. Set L torso + head weapons to chain fire, R torso to group fire, and a third weapon group to alpha strike.

I know it is just an energy boat and it is plainly obvious to do this, but it leaves you with enough tonnage to carry enough ammo to suit your playstyle, and then more than enough space/tonnage to up-engine, go for speedy legs, shoehorn something like TSM... basically whatever you want and it can carry you from just breaking into assault mechs up and through clan invasion. 3P is a fairly common variant, fairly easy to get, and Large Chem lasers are common enough that you can buy them and, depending on your mod options, upgrade them.

That, and I've found that the AI does exceptionally well with the build, so I find myself keeping it around even after I've moved past playing it. It is cool enough that the AI actually shoots, even with the XL prototype engine, and it does enough damage to actually be effective.

[Swanky]

Originally posted by PlasmaWaagh:

Snip!

Worth the idea. I think I still have a 3P lying around somewhere, enough L-Chems and also still some time before the Blood Asp hits the field in 3060...

Meanwhile I finally got a Timberwolf,
3 M-Las, 2 LP-Las, 3SRM6(c), 2SRM4(c), runs at 80+ with speed upgrades... still not fully happy with it, runs a bit hot even with cooling but I can't cram anything more into this as I already have an XL(c) and Endo(c) integrated, and I don't have space for Ferro (nor do I want to with how long repair times take with it).

[hilburnashua]

I love the Hero Firestarter with the ballistic mounts in the arms. Small hitbox, good speed, and enough firepower to be a threat to big mechs. Plus it makes most Demolition missions easy.

The Agincourt is just a brutal mech when built from SRMs.

Always found the stock Awesome to be really good. Even better with some tech upgrades like double heat sinks. But the Hero Cyclops can be made as a brutal long range mech with gauss rifles or short range with AC-20s.

Don't really care for most of the medium mechs. Although Vulcan that can carry 4 ML is a pretty solid one.

[Swanky]

Hero Cyclops is the Sleipnir isn't it? Great Gauss quirks.
Agreed on the Agincourt. That thing destroys some of the 250 difficulty missions from Coyotes. Had it restructured a bit lately so I could fit in a supercharger.

Heard good things about the Firestarter hero. Hard to believe you can fit in this much firepower on something that small and it still have decent all around stats.

As for medium mechs, kinda agree? The free Wolverine from Valentina is pretty dope though, UAC5 and dual SRM6 in the base loadout. Hunchies are great laser batteries if you can protect the side torso - which is pretty hard.
Hero Phoenix Hawk is decent. Vulcans seem pretty tanky.

[Eagle_of_Fire]

Kobold is a Phoenix Hawk at 45t. That's a medium mech, right?

I don't need anything else than this mech. I can upgrade and use it up to late mid game and it will always outperform mechs which are way higher tonnage than it. It is even more effective with mods like YAML as I can tweek the engine to get a tad more space and one of my preferred upgrade is to add an AMS on it when it become available. It can easily be used for any kind of mission, including infiltration, and really shine in missions where you have to jet somewhere fast to destroy specific objectives (like artillery) as it is fast, pack a good punch and can easily handle itself without backup.

I usually remove all jumpjets (I seldomly use jumpjets at all on any mech in MW5 anyways) to max armour and keep the weapon loadout, increasing the quality of its components as time go on.

What really make the difference for me is the increased armor on the arms. It allow the Phoenix Hawk to be more than a throwaway mech which always get disarmed (both literally and figuratively) on the battlefield.

[PlasmaWaagh]

Originally posted by Swanky:

Originally posted by PlasmaWaagh:

Snip!

Worth the idea. I think I still have a 3P lying around somewhere, enough L-Chems and also still some time before the Blood Asp hits the field in 3060...

Meanwhile I finally got a Timberwolf,
3 M-Las, 2 LP-Las, 3SRM6(c), 2SRM4(c), runs at 80+ with speed upgrades... still not fully happy with it, runs a bit hot even with cooling but I can't cram anything more into this as I already have an XL(c) and Endo(c) integrated, and I don't have space for Ferro (nor do I want to with how long repair times take with it).

My current fav heavy is the MAD-BH, 4x erml(c), 2 lxpl (turret mount in RT), ppc-x, 2x I JJ, Ferro-Carbide(c), TAG, Active Probe(c), Angel ECM, XL Engine(c), endo(c), 2x cooling jackets, LAMS(c), sm. adv cockpit, mobility gyro, modular fc (bc heat+energy) patchwork 1 x4, speedy legs x2, RPDHS kit, TSM, 340 core, everything else into armor.

98 kph with upgrade. On most planets the 2 lxpl will lock you at current heat until you hit the point that the heat sinks will start hurting you, making TSM easy to manage.
Overbuilt? Yes. But really fun.

* Edit, forgot I had switched it up from its last explosion and listed wrong parts

[Swanky]

Don't have the tech yet, also running loreabiding citizen so I don't get access to all the parts, but I run the BH with 2 LP-Las, 2 ER-PPCs, a number of MLas (not sure if 3 or 5 offhand), XL, lots of cooling. Barely gets hot and is a sniper machine. Just did a 250 duel with that one.
Standard BH with just 48kph is just... not it. :D

[Explore]

Originally posted by Eagle_of_Fire:

Kobold is a Phoenix Hawk at 45t. That's a medium mech, right?

I don't need anything else than this mech. I can upgrade and use it up to late mid game and it will always outperform mechs which are way higher tonnage than it. It is even more effective with mods like YAML as I can tweek the engine to get a tad more space and one of my preferred upgrade is to add an AMS on it when it become available. It can easily be used for any kind of mission, including infiltration, and really shine in missions where you have to jet somewhere fast to destroy specific objectives (like artillery) as it is fast, pack a good punch and can easily handle itself without backup.

I usually remove all jumpjets (I seldomly use jumpjets at all on any mech in MW5 anyways) to max armour and keep the weapon loadout, increasing the quality of its components as time go on.

What really make the difference for me is the increased armor on the arms. It allow the Phoenix Hawk to be more than a throwaway mech which always get disarmed (both literally and figuratively) on the battlefield.

40t is the lightest medium. (edit: changed that from 45, my mistake)

I agree it's a really useful mech. At the start I set it up exactly as you describe. When I get an XL engine and a 325 core I put those in, max jump jets, and even out the armour between front and back. Then I use it to solo raid missions for the rest of the game.