MechDB Misadventures, Part 6: The Berserker-Like Stone Rhino

MechDB Misadventures, Part 6: The Berserker-Like Stone Rhino

In BattleTech, one of the most formidable 100-ton BattleMechs introduced after the Clan Invasion era (3050-3052 AD) is the Berserker, a hulking monstrosity with a 400-rated extralight engine and provision for MASC (an acronym for Myomer Accelerator Signal Circuitry). This gives it a maximum running speed of 64 km/h (or 86 km/h when using MASC) - a boon for when it has to close in on its target, as its melee-focused design dictates. Extrapolated to MechWarrior Online, this equates to a normal maximum speed of 64.8 km/h without MASC, and 81 km/h with it in use. However, the Berserker has not yet been introduced to MWO, since that game does not support functional melee weapons; even if it were, its enormous price (over 32 million C-bills) would make it one of the more expensive offerings, even by Clan standards. Moreover, its Inner Sphere XL engine can be disabled if even one of the Berserker's side torsos are blown off. Still, the possibilities that could arise from having the Berserker in MWO are intriguing, to say the least.

But what if you could combine the movement profile of a Berserker with the superior miniaturization of Clan tech, stick them in a standard BattleMech of identical mass, and add a quartet of jump jets for good measure? The result would be the nimblest and fastest 100-ton BattleMech known to man (outside of experimental designs). What, then, should we use as the basis for such a build? The most promising example is the Stone Rhino SR-K "Koloss", the hero variant, and the only one to have provision for MASC and four jump jets (whereas all other variants can mount only two or three each). Here's the starting point:

Above: This loadout for the Stone Rhino Koloss is the starting point for our quad jump jet, MASC-boosted 400 XL-engined build. To simulate the mass and space requirements of two Clan ER Medium Lasers, a Mk2 Targeting Computer weighing two tons has been fitted to the center torso. If I wanted to put more of my eggs in the offense basket, I could replace the AMS hardpoint with a pair of extra energy hardpoints and stick a Clan ER Medium Laser in each one, trading heat efficiency (and a half-ton of armor) for even more firepower. Swapping the Active Probe for yet another ER medium laser would raise the damage potential to a staggering 74, but reduces the heat efficiency even further.

As you can see, the Koloss' engine cap is the same 350 rating as most other variants, but for the sake of this post, we're raising it to the maximum of 400, as shared with the SR-6. The Clan XL 350 engine weighs 26 tons with all four of its heat sink slots filled; replacing it with a Clan XL 400 engine (which has provision for six extra heat sinks) would add 13.5 tons to the 'Mech if all heat sink expansion slots are filled, which ensures that it would now be on (rather than under) the maximum tonnage limit for the chassis. With the two extra double heat sinks fitted, it should not have too many problems with heat management, even with two Clan ER Medium Lasers installed in the center torso in place of the TC I fitted as a placeholder (although for this change to be possible, the center torso would have its pair of missile hardpoints replaced by a pair of energy hardpoints) And while we're at it, we're filling the remaining two critical slots with lower arm actuators, thus bringing back the original variant's Barrel Fist quirk (which applies only to the tabletop). Even so, it still carries maximum armor for its mass (16 tons of Clan Ferro-Fibrous armor), which would make it an extremely tough nut to crack, especially with its AMS system and Active Probe guarding against missile salvos and hidden threats, respectively.

I'm calling this new variant of the Stone Rhino the SR-B "Berzerk" for its ability to reach unprecedented speeds for a 100-ton 'Mech, in addition to its unrivaled agility. Considering its potential for being overpowered, the Berzerk should either be a Hero or Legendary 'Mech - but it may just be worth the price. At present, the only 100-ton 'Mech in MWO with an engine cap of 400 and provision for MASC is the Kodiak KDK-SB "Spirit Bear", but since that particular chassis lacks provision for Jump Jets, the Berzerk could yet fill that void. OK, so it may seem undergunned on paper, but its all-energy loadout, full load of armor, and surprisingly rapid performance make it more formidable than you think. As for the ramifications of bringing it to the tabletop, everyone would freak out over the idea of something with firepower rivalling a Hellstar 3 and the movement profile of a Berserker, augmented with the jump jet capability of a Kodiak KDK-2. 

Taking the idea further,  I could replace the AMS hardpoint in the right torso with an additional energy hardpoint in each side torso, and stick an extra Clan ER Medium Laser in each one (or better still, have all the Clan ER Large Lasers in the side torsos instead, with each arm having a Clan ER Medium Laser), to further emphasize offense at the expense of less heat efficiency. This increases the alpha strike damage from 56 to 68, and a half-ton of armor removed to avoid going over the tonnage limit. An especially brave MechWarrior could swap the head-mounted Active Probe for a fifth ER medium laser, yielding a whopping 74 alpha strike damage, but making it even more prone to overheating.

Just to show another way to configure the chassis, a possible basis for an adaptation of the Stone Rhino Berzerk with a quartet of Clan ER PPCs instead of the original laser-based loadout is shown below.

Above: This alternate loadout could be a sound basis for a variant of the Stone Rhino Berzerk - upgrading the engine to an XL 390 engine and removing a heat sink would be necessary to reach the tonnage and critical slot limits. It may run hotter, but it hits harder, and crucially, it can jump just as far.

The resulting 'Mech, with a Clan XL 390 engine, and one Double Heat Sink removed to accommodate a lower arm actuator in each arm, would be essentially a slightly slower Hellstar 1, but with the ability to jump over obstacles and temporarily increase its speed, at the cost of requiring more careful heat management - as with the original Berzerk variant, it's meant as a faster, more agile, and wholly ammunition alternative to most other 100-tonners, which are less likely to (be able to) use speed as armor (and firepower). In short, these two hypothetical build suggestions show that there is a strong case to be made for a 100-ton Assault-class 'Mech with a strong focus on mobility to counter any potential shortfalls in raw firepower and armor... up to a point.

Update (September 21st, 2024, 7:35pm UTC+7): After revisiting MechDB, I found out that this configuration for the Stone Rhino SR-6 was the closest match I could find (in terms of tonnage and internal structural configuration) to the Berzerk:

Above: This is as close to my proposed Berzerk variant of the Stone Rhino/Behemoth as MechDB currently allows in terms of tonnage and internal structure configuration.

As approximations to the Stone Rhino SR-B "Berzerk" go, this one comes closest, with dual Clan Medium Pulse Lasers and a Mk IV Targeting Computer to simulate the mass and space requirements of two extra Jump Jets and Clan MASC Mk IV, respectively - but this time, I've replaced the head-mounted Clan ER Medium Laser with a Clan ER Small Laser to regain that missing half-ton of armor. Also, with its entire loadout tucked away in its side torso, its effective profile is now somewhat narrower - although you still have to be careful with your heat management, since it only has 23 heat sinks. And if you actually replaced the MASC, head-mounted ER Small Laser, and a half-ton of armor with a Mk IV Targeting Computer and Clan Active Probe, you'd essentially trade its sprinting ability for better accuracy and the ability to detect hidden targets, which is an equally effective combination. The Berzerk's firepower without the Clan Medium Pulse Lasers, however, would be as follows:

Above: 73 alpha strike damage from a full rainbow of Clan ER Lasers - not bad for a mobility-focused 100-tonner, eh? It still runs hot, though, and deserves some more heat-related quirks (and/or associated Skill Tree upgrades) to be a more viable option - unless you're skilled enough with your laser fire.

With the quirks from the SR-7 variant (another energy boat), its firepower breakdown would be as follows:

Above: This is more like it. The SR-7's heat and range quirks (which I feel should be shared with the Berzerk) are welcome, and help offset the heat penalty of the cooldown reduction quirk (which the Berzerk should not retain). However, when the heat/range quirks are combined with the SR-7's armor quirks, it becomes even tougher still. Whether or not the Berzerk should also have these, I do not know, but I think they would still be helpful for any 100-ton assault 'Mech that places a high emphasis on mobility, as the Berzerk would.

In any case, it'll still be the fastest and most agile 100-ton assault 'Mech of them all (an, even though it runs very hot (unless you stagger your shots) - but it will still be very deadly in the right hands.