MechDB Misadventures, Part 3: The Ultimate Zombie Lance?

MechDB Misadventures, Part 3: The Ultimate Zombie Lance?

Having previously determined what the ultimate zombie 'Mech configurations were in MechWarrior Online, I decided to take the idea one step further. What would be the best force composition for a pure zombie 'Mech lance? This time, it didn't take me very long to come up with a suitable answer: at least one quad Large Laser/dual Binary Laser Stalker STK-7D, and at least one quad ER PPC Awesome AWS-8Q, as shown in these MechDB custom loadouts.

Above, from top: Two of my ideas for assault 'Mechs that could be part of a full zombie lance (in which every 'Mech has an all-energy loadout, standard engines, and at least one weapon in the head or center torso, all encased in as much armor as the chassis can carry). The Stalker STK-7D can have all of its side torso-mounted Large Lasers replaced with one each of a Binary Laser Cannon and an additional Medium Laser, if desired. Alternatively, the Stalker can have all of its Medium Lasers upgraded to Pulse variants, with the structure upgraded to Endo Steel, and one ton of armor removed to accommodate this; for the resulting alternate configuration, if one of the Medium Pulse Lasers is downgraded to a Small Pulse Laser, the lost ton of armor can be restored.

While the Awesome bombards its foes with ER PPC fire at long range, the Stalker is meant to engage targets at short to medium range. This should be enough coverage for most range brackets, but I could suggest a few other 'Mechs that could fulfill the same purpose. One of these could be a customized Charger CGR-1A1 armed with six ER Large Lasers for sniping, and a Medium Laser as a backup weapon:

Above: A custom configuration for the Charger CGR-1A1 that turns it into a zombie sniper 'Mech, with six ER Large Lasers, 17 Double Heat Sinks, and a Medium Laser for backup. It's similar to the Challenger custom configuration, but with a 285-rated standard engine to help it keep pace with its lancemates.

For short- to medium-range DPS and the heat capacity to absorb it, a BattleMaster BLR-1Gb (here simulated using the BLR-1S variant, since the -1Gb has not yet been introduced to MWO) could be useful:

This quad Large Pulse Laser BattleMaster BLR-1S may appear undergunned, but with 20 Double Heat Sinks, it can keep pumping out laser barrages for a very long time. If this build were based on the BLR-1Gb (which has not yet been featured in MWO), it would have a medium laser in place of the Inner Sphere Mk1 Targeting Computer, thus turning it into a true zombie 'Mech, but everything else would remain unchanged. For more DPS, upgrading the Large Pulse Lasers to X-Pulse variants could be a viable option, although the resulting build will run hotter.

And there you have it - 330 tons of zombie 'Mechs, in an assault lance that can more than hold its own at most ranges, and is especially effective at medium to long range.