MechWarrior Online: Community Warfare Beta

Piranha Games (PGI) gave us an early Christmas present and released the Community Warfare Beta five days early on December 11, 2014. Match making on the planets was a little rough around the edges because there was no way to see how many other people were queuing up, but that was resolved on December 18 when they added the number of attackers and defenders to the search planet window and allowed us to see how many people were actually preparing to drop on a planet for your faction. These small changes have really decreased wait times.

The new game mode, Invasion, is really fun thanks to Drop Ship mode where each player is able to bring four mechs between 140 and 240 tons total. Currently Clan drop decks are somewhat limited due to there only being eight Clan mechs available to the whole community. However, Inner Sphere drop decks have been surprisingly fun in trying to find the "perfect" combination of mechs.

The Invasion maps have been modified since December 11 because it was very easy to rush and eliminate the enemy cannon without much mech on mech combat being needed. PGI came up with a quick solution by adding three small generators that need to be eliminated before the main objective can be attacked. The generators are a little too easy to destroy, but PGI is aware of the issue and has commented on the issue and may be increasing the damage a generator can take before being destroyed.

Overall, Community Warfare in MechWarrior Online is very fun and is close to being what many of us have been waiting for since the game was announced. I cannot wait for more maps and additional features. Good job, PGI!

Below are some videos of a few matches I have played.

Death's Hand Brigade's first real win in Community Warfare on the planet Wing against House Marik. I had an issue with the Twitch recording at about minute 8, but it clears up around minute 13. I know that sounds like a long time, but the match was almost 30 minutes long!


Gimpy's First 2000 damage match in Community Warfare


In the below video, Death's Hand Brigade's 3rd Battalion defends the planet Waldorff from Marik aggression. It turns into a very close game and flying spiders are squashed at about 20 minutes in. :D

MechWarrior Online: King Crab, KGC-000, Video Series

Here is a series of videos where I run the King Crab, KGC-000, assault mech.

Builds I have run are:
Two AC20 and two PPC
Four UAC5 and two Medium Lasers
Two Gauss Rifle and two PPC


The video below is the first match I ran the two AC20 and two PPC build while in Terra Therma. I get 6 kills and 1 assist on 433 damage.

MechWarrior Online: Mech Quirks

The November 4 patch brought probably one of the bigger updates to MechWarrior Online... Mech Quirks for Inner Sphere mechs. Although a handful of Inner Sphere mechs were given quirks (some positive, some negative) a while back, the list was fairly short or the quirks were not very effective.

The MWO community was not impressed and generally ignored quirks unless they effected one of their favorite mechs in a negative way (e.g. negative torso twisting and chassis turning on Victors). Not a big deal until the Clans arrived back in June. Clan mechs have been dominating the battlefield since then and most Inner Sphere mechs have been viewed as being sub-par or lacking. Piranha Games took these views to heart and stepped up their introduction of quirks to all of the existing Inner Sphere mechs.

The results so far have been impressive. Not everyone is happy with which mechs got which quirks, but overall, I feel they have made a positive difference in the game play by bringing some Inner Sphere mechs up to a similar damage potential as the Clan mechs. In the past week, I have noticed more variation in the Inner Sphere mechs being played and not quite so many Clan mechs on the battlefield.

Of course, it is still early and Clan mechs will be getting their quirks adjusted soon. But, if you haven't played MechWarrior Online recently, I suggest you do and take one of your old Inner Sphere mechs out for a spin. There are some nice changes and you might be surprised.

Be sure to check out this site that, as far as I can tell, has all of the quirks for all of the Inner Sphere mechs, It's very useful and easy to use.

MechWarrior Online: Resistance Collection

A few weeks back during a town hall meeting Russ Bullock, President of PGI, mentioned their biggest money makers have been the mech packs they have released in the past (Founders, Phoenix, Clans Wave 1 and 2) and they would continue to release mech packs as a result. A sound business decision.

So, the newest mech pack is the Resistance Collection. A collection of four Inner Sphere chassis (three variants each)... Panther (35 tons), Enforcer (50 tons), Grasshopper (70 tons), and Zeus (80 tons). Not a bad collection of fairly well know Inner Sphere mechs. How they will hold up in today's MechWarrior Online is unknown though.

However, with quirks being added to existing Inner Sphere mechs on November 4 to make them more competitive with Clan mechs, it is a good assumption these new Inner Sphere mechs will have quirks to make them competitive as well.

The Resistance Collection looks to be another great value and lets people who were not around for the Founders or Phoenix programs or who could not afford the Clan packs to purchase a somewhat reasonably priced top tier Inner Sphere mech package ($80) to qualify for a special King Crab assault mech being released in mid-December.

Be sure to visit the The Resistance Collection page for more information. And, yes, I have the top tier Wrath pack already.

(click image to enlarge)

Extra Life 2014 Aftermath

Please check out my Extra Life 2014 Aftermath post on the MechWarrior Online forums when you get the chance. Thanks!

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/173521-extra-life-24-hour-charity-event/

Also, below is a match that took place in the 23rd hour of the 24 hour MechWarrior marathon to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

MechWarrior Online: Banshee, BNC-3E, Video Series

This is a series of videos were I pilot various builds of the Banshee, BNC-3E.

In the below video I pilot the BNC-3E with three AC5, two PPC, and one Flamer in a Caustic Valley Assault match. I get 6 kills 3 assists on 889 damage.

MechWarrior Online: Battlemaster, BLR-1S, Video Series

Here are a series of videos where I pilot the Battlemaster, BLR-1S. The build I usually run is two LRM15, two LRM10, three Medium Laser, and one TAG.

In the below video, I get 3 kills and 7 assists on 968 damage during a Skirmish match in Canyon Network.

MechWarrior Online: Mad Dog (Vulture) Video Series

Here is a video series of various Mad Dog, aka Vulture, builds I have been using.

In the below match on Alpine Peaks, I am using the MDD-B with two LRM20 with Artemis, four ER Medium Lasers, and a TAG. I get 4 kills and 8 assists on 879 damage.

Playing MechWarrior Online for Charity: Extra Life 2014

On October 25, 2014, I and other members of Death's Hand Brigade will be playing MechWarrior Online for 24 hours straight in order to help raise money for the Children's Miracle Hospital Network during Extra Life's National Day of Gaming.

If you would like to make a donation, please visit DHB's Extra Life team page. Each member will be playing for a different hospital, so be sure to check them all for the hospital nearest you.

I will also be broadcasting the entire 24 hours I will be playing on Twitch.tv. Be sure to stop by. Thanks!

MechWarrior Online: Clan Collection Wave 2

I am a sucker for mechs with C-Bill bonuses and I HAD to buy the Man-O-War collection in order to get the Vulture / Mad Dog Prime Invasion mech (I own the Masakari collection too). The typical bonuses like Premium Time and two variants per chassis are nice, but the four Faction Content packages are a great bonus.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out the lower half of the Clan Collection Wave 2 page and click on each of the Clan Wolf, Clan Ghost Bear, Clan Jade Falcon, and Clan Smoke Jaguar links. Skins for these pre-ordered Clan mechs, four more war horns, the colors for all mechs, and cockpit coffee cups was too much to pass up.

And for the record, I am not a dirty "clammer". The mercenary unit I belong to, Death's Hand Brigade, is an Inner Sphere unit and, based on what we have told, will be restricted to Inner Sphere mechs during Community Warfare. But, we will still be able to use our Clan mechs in non-Community Warfare matches. So, I am covering all of my bases by owning whatever Clan mechs I can get my hands on. :D

---

Update: November 19, 2014

The first two mechs of the Clan Wave 2 pack are now in the game and I figured I would take the time to talk about each of them.

Mist Lynx / Koshi (25 ton light mech)

I am not a big fan of light mechs in general mostly because the quick bouncing movements of the cockpit while going 130+ kph give me a headache after about 15 minutes. The base speed of the Mist Lynx is 113 kph and I played one for over two hours without problem.

I know 113 kph (about 124 kph with Speed Tweak) is not very fast for a light, but based on the time I have spent in a Mist Lynx, I think they will be alright. I say that because all three variants come with six permanent jump jets and these things practically fly. They are very maneuverable and make great "peek and poke" mechs.

Their major upsides are:
-Small profile
-ECM
-Plenty of jump jets

Their major downsides are:
-Permanent Clan Active Probe (would be nice to be able to remove this when running ECM)
-Do not have a lot of space of weapons (about 7.5 tons)
-Do not have a lot of armor
-Hit boxes are not messed up (you can hit them) like the Spider and Firestarter

Overall, the Mist Lynx has been fun and I look forward to playing it more often.


Ice Ferret / Fenris (45 ton medium mech)

The Ice Ferret is a fast medium mech with not a lot of space for weapons. A lot of people complain about the lack of weapon space, but I am finding their speed and armor very useful. Combine their base speed at 129 kph (142 kph with Speed Tweak) and the near max armor in the stock builds, and you can focus on putting in the right weapons to match the hit and run tactics they are meant to use.

So far, my favorite builds are:
-2 Medium ER Lasers and 2 SRM 6 for brawling support
-3 Streak SRM 4 and 1 Small ER Laser for light mech hunting

Their major upsides are:
-Speed
-Armor

Their major downsides are:
-No jump jets
-Not a lot of space for weapons

Overall, I have been happy with my Ferrets. They are fast, pack a solid punch for their weight, and are typically ignored when bigger mechs are around.

MechWarrior Online: 1 Year Customer Appreciation Program

September 17, 2014 will mark the one year anniversary of the MechWarrior Online launch event in San Francisco, California. It's hard to believe it has only been one year. It seems like it has been longer than only one year and, despite what some naysayers have said, a lot has happened since then.

For example:

• Four new maps (Tourmaline Desert, Crimson Strait, HPG Manifold, and Terra Therma)
• UI 2.0
• Private Lobbies
• Many new Inner Sphere mechs and 8 Clan Invasion mechs
• Community Warfare Part 1: Unit creation
• Numerous bugs squashed
• Numerous weapon and equipment adjustments
• Mech Modules of various types. Weapon modules being the most notable.
• Quirks for Clan mechs and some Inner Sphere mechs

And I'm sure there are some things I have forgotten.

The best part of this anniversary is Piranha Games's Customer Appreciation Program

As a long time player and customer, I stand to get quite a few nice toys. The most notable being:

• Exclusive Centurion variant: CN9-AH with a 30% C-Bill bonus
• Exclusive Atlas variant: AS7-S with a 30% C-Bill bonus
• Exclusive King Crab: KGC-000 (my guess at the model) with a 30% C-Bill bonus
• Founders mechs C-Bill bonus increased from 25% to 30%
• Exclusive Mad Dog/Vulture Clan Invasion mech with 30% C-Bill bonus and two variants when I buy the Wave 2 Man-O-War package

 All in all, some very nice and much appreciated rewards for being a loyal customer.

Thank you Piranha Games

MechWarrior Online: I Have Officially Played Over 10,000 Matches

According to my profile at MechWarrior Online, here are my significant statistics while playing MechWarrior Online through September 10, 2014.

Matches Played	Wins	Losses	Ratio	Kills	Deaths	Ratio	Damage Done	XP Earned	C-Bills Earned
10,076	5,676	4,379	1.30	6,981	5,452	1.28	2,124,329	8,408,064	1,194,674,999

Not the most impressive stats, but they are mine and you can't have them. :P

As you can see, I have also earned over 1 billion C-Bills which happened back in late May, 2014. I haven't played the most matches or have the most C-Bills in MechWarrior Online, but I have to admit I smile every time someone notices how many C-Bills I have or how much experience I have on my Atlases when I am broadcasting on Twitch.tv. :D

Yeah, I play this game a little too much, but I enjoy it and it keeps me home at night where The Wife can keep an eye on me. That's what I tell her at least. ;)

And for the record, I am not a disgruntled player. I am a Legendary Founder, Project Phoenix Overlord, and own the Clan Invasion Masakari package. Call me a sucker or tell me I don't know how to manage my money (ha!), but despite the game's flaws, I am still having fun after more than two years (started Closed Beta in May 2012).

No game has kept my attention as much as MechWarrior Online has since I played EverQuest from 1999 to 2003 and World of Warcraft from 2004 to 2010. And, I took multiple month long breaks from playing both of those games during those time periods. My longest break from MechWwarrior Online in the past 28 months? One week during Christmas in 2012 and another week during Christmas 2013.

So, having said all that... I am looking forward to the things coming in MechWarrior Online later this year and beyond.

Back Up and Running After a Little Downtime

A little over two weeks ago my computer decided it didn't want to work for me any longer and after negotiations with its replacement, I now have a new computer (with some cannibalized parts from its predecessor) that is bigger, stronger, and faster. :D

So, now I can get back to playing and broadcasting MechWarrior Online.

MechWarrior Online: Warhawk (Masakari) Prime, WHK-PRIME, Video Series

Here are a series of video where I pilot the Warhawk Prime, WHK-PRIME, also known as the Masakari. My favorite build so far is four Clan Large Pulse Lasers and a Mark VI Targeting Computer. Between the variant being built to support four Clan ER PPCs and the increased range of the lasers (641 meters) thanks to the Targeting Computer, this build is very heat efficient and can be quite deadly.

In the video below, I pilot the Warhawk Prime with four Clan Large Pulse Lasers in a Frozen City Night Assault match. A perfect place for this heat intensive build. I get 5 kills and 4 assists on 622

damage.

MechWarrior Online: Stormcrow (Ryoken) Video Series

Here are a series of videos of the Stormcrow, aka Ryoken,, a 55 ton medium Clan mech. The Omnipods allow for many different builds across the three variants.

In the video below I pilot the Stormcrow Prime variant with two Clan ER Large Lasers and three Clan ER Medium Lasers in a Frozen City Night Assault match. I get 4 kills and 6 assists on 582 damage.

MechWarrior Online: Nova (Black Hawk) Video Series

Here are a series of videos of the Nova, a 50 ton medium Clan mech. The Nova is also known as the Black Hawk. The Omnipods allow for many different builds across the three variants.

The video below is an Assault match that took place in HPG Manifold. I am piloting the Nova Prime with 4 Clan ER Medium Lasers, 6 Clan ER Small Lasers, and 4 Machine Guns. I get 2 kills and 7 assists on 649 damage.

 

In this Assault match in Tourmaline Desert, we are an eight man Death's Hand Brigade group and come back from being down 1-6 to win the match. I get 3 kills and 5 assists on 916 damage.

MechWarrior Online: Timber Wolf (Mad Cat) Video Series

Here are a collection of videos of the Timber Wolf Clan Mech, also known as the Mad Cat. The builds of each variant can be very diverse thanks to Omnipods.

Below is a match where I pilot a Timber Wolf Prime I modified to resemble an "Unseen" fan favorite mech, the Marauder (MAD-2R in this case). It has two Clan ERPPC, two Clan ER Medium Lasers, and a Clan Ultra AC 5. I have lovingly dubbed it the Marauder Cat. :) I get 6 kills and 3 assists on 943 damage.

This match took place during hour 23 of Extra Life 2014. Somehow I manage to get 4 kills and 5 assists on 735 damage. I am piloting a Timber Wolf C, TBR-C, with two ER Large Lasers, two ER Medium Lasers, and two LRM15 with Artemis.

MechWarrior Online: Clan Invasion Preview on Public Test Server

After a rocky start when the Test Server hamster couldn't handle everyone trying to log in and redeem their Clan Mechs, the fun began. A lot of fun. Clan mechs are different and powerful, but they are not over powered as many people, including myself, feared they would be.

Of course, the real test is going to be on Tuesday, June 17 when everything goes live and a few weeks have passed. Even though most of the mechs I ran into yesterday were Clanners, the Inner Sphere mechs did not seem to be overwhelmed or lacking at all when fighting them.

PGI has done an excellent job modeling the mechs and the changes to the Clan weapons are great with the Clan machine guns probably taking the best sound effects award and the Clan missiles taking the visual effects award.Of course, the best thing is perhaps the way we can customize the Clan mechs via Omnipods. The possibilities are exciting.

I'm really looking forward to Tuesday when we can play and build the Clan mechs for real. If you would like to see some actual game footage, check out my five hour Twitch recording here.

MechWarrior Online: Personal Achievement - 1 Billion C-Bills Earned

I knew I was getting close to 1 Billion C-Bills earned in MechWarrior Online because I was sitting at 398 million C-Bills when I started last night and I've been tracking my C-Bill earnings since December 2012.

So, when I broke 400 million C-Bills I went to my stats page and added my combined wins and losses and my Accumulative C-Bills Per Match to my C-Bills Analysis spreadsheet. I knew it was going to be close, but when I plugged the numbers in, I had actually broken 1 Billion C-Bills earned about a week ago (I only update the total earned number once or twice a month). :)

To put things into perspective, here are some stats on my journey to 1 Billion C-Bills earned in MechWarrior Online:
Matches played: 8,708
Average C-Bills Per Match: 116,567
Days Played with Premium Time: 227 of 448
Mechs with +25% or +30% C-Bill Bonus Owned: 15

You can also see my Mech Stats here. I own 63 mechs, but all are not shown due to owning a few duplicates or not ever playing some (I'm looking at you, Locusts) or since the stats reset a few months ago. The numbers don't match up perfectly with the numbers in the C-Bills spreadsheet because PGI started the Mech Stats section of our Profiles a few months after the Base Stats.

Multiple Sclerosis Fund Raising Event Thank You

I was going to duplicate my post from the MechWarrior Online message boards, but it's much too long for a blog post. So, here's the link: http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/155774-multiple-sclerosis-fund-raising-event/

Short and sweet version:
Thank you all who supported me and made donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society this past weekend. It is very much appreciated.

$4230 has been raised as of June 1, 2014. I'm done for this year, but next year the fund raising goal bar has been set much higher as I always try to raise more money than the year before. :D

Check Out MechWarrior Online Lobby

If you haven't heard about it yet, be sure to check out the player created MechWarrior Online Lobby. You only need to supply an email address to create an account. Since there hasn't been any news about an actual lobby for finding games when the Launch Module comes out at the end of the month, this site is going to be the place to go when you want to find other people looking for private matches in MechWarrior Online.

MechWarrior Online Lobby is still in development, but it's looking really good.

MechWarrior Online: Banshee, BCN-3S, with AC20 and 2 Large Laser In Action

Here are a series of videos where I pilot the Banshee, BCN-3S, with an AC20, two Large Lasers, and a Medium Laser. This isn't a super fantastic build, but it is a decent tanking mech because the weapon cool downs give you time to fire and torso twist as needed. Basically, it gets the job done.

The below video is a come from behind win during a Forest Colony Assault match. We end up ambushing some of the enemy at the arch/tunnel exit and then push through to crush their attempted ambush at the other end. I end up with 2 kills and 8 assist on 632 damage.

 

MechWarrior Online: Centurion, CN9-A, with 2 Medium Laser and 3 SRM6

Here are a series of videos were I pilot the Centurion, CN9-A, with 2 Medium Lasers and 3 SRM6. This build is affectionately known as the "zombie centurion" or "zombie cent" because it can lose both arms, both side torsos and continue to fight due to the medium lasers being in the center torso.

The below Assault match takes place in Alpine Peaks where I get 2 kills and 10 assists on 253 damage. My damage output is so low because of the very hectic fur ball that takes place and SRMs are not the ideal weapons for that situation.

MechWarrior Online: Atlas AS7-D with 2 Large Laser, 2 LRM10, and 2 Medium Laser In Action

This is a series of videos where I pilot my Founder's Atlas, AS7-D (F), with 2 Large Lasers, 2 LRM10 with Artemis, and 2 Medium Lasers. It's not a LRM boat or a typical high damage output build, but it can do some serious damage over the course of a match. The LRMs can be used to engage at long range while taking little damage in return. Once you get in the 180 to 500 meters range, the LRMs perform more like Streak SRMs and you get to add in your lasers for pinpoint damage to strip off  heavily damaged parts of your enemy.

The below Assault match took place in River City where I got 4 kills and 8 assists on 674 damage. 

MechWarrior Online: JagerMech, JM6-DD, with 2 PPC and 6 Machine Gun In Action

Here are a series of videos where I pilot the JagerMech, JM6-DD, with 2 PPCs and 6 Machine Guns. It's not a great build, but it can be effective and it is fun.

The video below is a Crimson Strait Assault match where I get 5 kills and 5 assists on 534 damage. I also get the Johnny Five achievement for getting 5 kills in one match. I thought I had gotten 5 kills in a match since the achievement system went live before this match, but I guess not. :D

MechWarrior Online: Banshee, BCN-3M, with 2 Large Pulse Laser and 4 Medium Pulse Laser In Action

Here are a series of videos where I pilot the Banshee, BCN-3M, with two Large Pulse Lasers and four Medium Pulse Lasers. It's a fun build with a "little" secret inside. :D

The video below is a comeback win in an Alpine Peaks Assault match. I don't do much, but it had to be shared.

This Assault match took place in HPG Manifold where I got 2 kills and 5 assists on 537 damage.

MechWarrior Online: Are Hero Mechs Pay to Win?

As of March 19, 2014, I have bought five hero mechs (not including Founder and Phoenix mechs). I will speak about each one's strengths, weaknesses, and whether or not it is "Pay To Win". Keep in mind that as the mechs go up in weight, they cost more MC and that means they cost more real world money. For the record, I bought all of my Hero mechs on sale for 30% to 50% off their normal prices.

---

Yen Lo Wang - Centurion - 50 ton medium - 3750 MC

 I have only had this mech for about a week and I am having OK success with it. Its biggest drawback is the primary weapon hard points, 2 ballistic, are in the right arm. Why is this a drawback? Because there is only 32 points of armor maximum for the arm and it gets blown off fairly quickly unless you are very good at protecting it.

Most people usually place an AC20 in the right arm because it gives the most bang for the buck while constantly torso twisting to protect the arm.. You can put two AC5 in the arm, but because you can lose the arm so easily, it is not really worth it due to the lost damage done due to the constant torso twisting.

The general consensus on the Yen Lo Wang is it is Not Pay to Win because of the limited weapon load out and general fragility of the Centurion chassis. I have been having fun with it though. An arm mounted AC20 is always fun.

---

Firebrand - Jagermech - 65 ton heavy - 4875 MC

The Firebrand is one of my favorite mechs to play. Not because it is Pay to Win, but because basically build a mech that resembles in look and load out one of my favorite Unseen mechs, the Rifleman. I made a slight adjustment to the base weapon load out of the Rifleman and replaced the two Large Lasers with two ER Large Lasers due to the normally long range engagements found in MechWarrior Online.

As a result of the long range weapons on the build I use, I typically do very well and make a lot of money with the Firebrand. Some people will disagree, but I don't consider the Firebrand Pay to Win though because it is still a Jagermech and they are known for their light armor. As a result, the Firebrand is somewhat easy to kill with a few well placed shots to the side torsos (they typically run XL engines).

---

Ilya Muromets - Cataphract - 70 ton heavy - 5250 MC

The Ilya Muromets is arguably the best Hero mech in MechWarrior Online due to its weapon hard points. Currently, it is one of a handful of mechs that can mount three Ultra AC5. It is the only one that can use them effectively due to its weight.

To be fair, using three Ultra AC5 basically requires the Ilya to use an XL engine (or it is way too slow) and thereby makes it somewhat fragile. However, it is still extremely deadly and the triple Ultra AC5 build has been given the nickname "Buzzsaw" within Death's Hand Brigade.

This mech could be considered Pay to Win when used by the right person.

---

Dragon Slayer - Victor - 80 ton assault - 6000 MC

The Dragon Slayer is currently one of the better Hero mechs due to its weapon hard points and jump jets. It is one of my favorites to play because it is pretty mobile and has the potential to do a lot of damage. In fact, I scored my highest damage output of 1370 damage with 5 kills and 6 assists in this mech. You can watch the video here if you don't believe me. :)

The Dragon Slayer's biggest weakness is its ability, or lack thereof, to deal with light mechs up close. You are dependent on the arm mounted ballistics or energy weapons and light mechs can be very difficult to hit when they are in your face.

Now, you can call the Dragon Slayer Pay to Win, if you want, but keep in mind you still have to be a decent pilot and have decent aim to consistently get high damage and kills. And, the Dragon Slayer is not cheap due to it being 80 tons and you must pay 6000 MC to purchase if it is not on sale. That's roughly $25 USD.

---

The Boar's Head - Atlas - 100 ton assault - 7500 MC

 The Boar's Head is a good money maker for me. The six energy hard points in the arms allow for a lot of different energy configurations. The stock build with a 400 XL engine is fun because you get to run around at 72 kph in an Atlas, but it also makes for an easy kill. My personal favorite is six Medium Lasers in the arms and an AC20 in the right torso with a 375 standard engine. It is quick (for an Atlas) and it is dangerous. 

The Boar's Head's main weakness is the typical Atlas weakness... Take out the right torso and it loses most of its weapons. Not too big of a deal if you are used to piloting an Atlas and know how to protect your side torso.

Is The Boar's Head Pay to Win? I honestly can't say. At 7500 MC or almost $40 USD, is that really "winning"? I just know I really enjoy using it.

---

Don't want to buy any Hero mechs? Well, you can buy many other mechs with C-Bills you earn while playing the game that are much closer to being Pay to Win than these Hero mechs. :)

MechWarrior Online: Griffin, GFN-1N, with ER PPC and 3 Streak SRM2 In Action

Here are a series of videos where I pilot the Griffin, GFN-1N, with an ER PPC and 3 Streak SRM2. It's not a high damage alpha strike build, but it puts out a good amount of damage each match and is an efficient light and medium hunter.

In the below match I get 1 kill and 10 assists on 581 damage in a Frozen City Night Assault match.

MechWarrior Online: Maelstrom238 Gets Educated by The One And Only Batwing

First time MechWarrior Online player, Maelstrom238, joins us (Gimpy, Batwing, and Malagoth) for some training on how to play MWO. Gimpy's mic is broken, but Batwing and Malagoth take over and do an amazing job of educating Maelstrom. It was a fun experience listening to a first time player deal with UI 2.0, piloting the mechs, and oh so many questions. :)

Before Maelstrom joins us, Batwing and I discuss which mech Batwing should get next. Unfortunately, you can't see what I'm typing in TeamSpeak. :(

 Due to the length of the video (over 2 hours), I can't export it to YouTube. But, you can watch it on Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/gimpy21/c/3792248

Maelstrom tells us his gaming history at approximately 00:10:00
Maelstrom tries to add Batwing to his Friend list at approximately 00:20:00

Gimpy's Mechs

Lately, people have been asking me about how many mechs do I have, what are my favorites, etc., I finally created a little spreadsheet and copied all of my Mech Stats from my MechWarrior Online Profile. It doesn't completely sync up with the numbers in my Base Stats page, but that's PGI's fault. Not mine. :D

You can view the spreadsheet by clicking "Gimpy's Mechs" above. Try not to laugh too hard. :P

MechWarrior Online: Victor Hero Mech, Dragon Slayer VTR-DS, In Action

I will be putting a series of videos here where I pilot the Victor Hero Mech, Dragon Slayer VTR-DS, with two AC5 and two PPC. It's "meta" build and makes me feel dirty, but it is fun. :D

The below video takes place in Terra Therma where I get 5 kills and 1 assist on 416 damage.

In the below video I get my highest damage output to date in any mech while in a Canyon Network match. I get 5 kills and 6 assists on 1370 damage. Oh, and my mic was broken so I don't worry about talking to my teammates. I need to be off mic more often. :D

MechWarrior Online: Ilya Muromets, CTF-IM, In Action

This is my version of a popular build of the Cataphract Hero mech, Ilya Muromets CTF-IM. It has three Ultra AC5 and two medium lasers.

In the video below I get 1 kill and 8 assists on 703 damage in Canyon Network.

MechWarrior Online: Highlander HGN-733 In Action

In an effort to not be sucked in to the current meta builds of 2 PPCs and 1-2 ACs on a jumpjet equipped mech, I built this Highlander HGN-733 with 1 LB-10X, 2 Large Lasers, and 4 SSRM2 (with a Beagle Active Probe too). It turns out to be a pretty decent brawler that can deal with any size mech thanks to the mixed weapon package.

In the below video I get 2 kills and 8 assists on 503 damage in Forest Colony.

MechWarrior Online: Atlas AS7-D with 2 AC5 and 2 ER Large Lasers In Crimson Stait Assault

A Death's Hand Brigade group of 3 assault mechs and 1 medium mech assault the enemy base while our PUGs hold off the enemy at our base. We eliminate the defensive turrets and capture the enemy base to win the match.

I am piloting an Atlas AS7-D (one of my Founder's mechs) with two AC5, two ER Large Lasers, and two Medium Lasers.

 

MechWarrior Online: Suicide Fail Turned Into Victory in a Griffin, GRF-1N(P)

My MWO had locked up before a match started and instead of sitting around waiting for my DHB teammates to finish the match, I decided to do a quick PUG match in my Phoenix Griffin, GRF-1N(P). A few minutes in to the PUG match my DHB teammates were done with their match. So, I try to do as much damage as possible while trying to get myself killed in order to get out of the match without totally screwing over my PUG team. Below is the video of what happened...

 

MechWarrior Online: Atlas AS7-BH, The Boar's Head, Video Series

Here are a series of videos where I pilot the Atlas Hero mech, The Boar's Head. The current weapon load outs I am using are:

• AC20, two ER Large Lasers, and four Medium Lasers with a Standard 375 engine 
• Six Large Lasers with a Standard 350 engine. 
• AC20 and six Medium Pulse Lasers with a Standard 350 engine

The builds are a little warm on the hotter maps, but do really well on the cooler maps.

Below is a match in Canyon Network where I get 3 kills and 4 assists on 494 damage.

Below is my best match to date in The Boar's Head where I get 3 kills and 3 assists on 738 damage in HPG Manifold.

In the below match I get 4 kills and 4 assists on 446 damage with the 6 Large Lasers build.

Here is a match where I am using the 6 Large Laser build and get 6 kills and 2 assists on 584 damage in an HPG Manifold assault match.

I dust off The Boar's Head, with 6 Large Lasers after not playing it for a while because of the Clan mechs for a match in Frozen City Night. I get 5 kills and 2 assists on 566 damage.

In the video below, I pilot the Boar's Head with an AC20 and 6 Medium Pulse Lasers in Tourmaline Desert. I get 2 kills and 5 kills on 686 damage.

MechWarrior Online: Batwing Rides a Boar's Head Atlas

A quick video of fellow Death's Hand Brigade member, Batwing, unintentionally landing on top of an enemy Boar's Head Atlas and riding it to it's death!