MechDB Misadventures, Part 14: Mad Dog Sigma Revenant

MechDB Misadventures, Part 14: Mad Dog Sigma Revenant

The recent introduction of a new Mad Dog/Vulture variant (the Legendary MDD-SI "Sigma") to MechWarrior Online has raised a few questions - and eyebrows, given that no other variants have jump jets in their OmniPods. However, the Sigma's set of 8 is currently of dubious utility due to excessive screen shake when using jump jets (even with all applicable skill tree upgrades) and a lack of hardpoints outside of the side torsos (which have two jump jets and one energy hardpoint each). As such, it is best to combine the Sigma side torsos with other OmniPods and/or other center torso options (such as that of the MDD-RV "Revenant", which has two extra energy hardpoints) to make the resulting build more viable than anything with the Sigma's OmniPod set bonus.

One idea requires using the MDD-B right arm and MDD-H left arm OmniPods (which have three energy hardpoints each) with the Revenant center torso and Sigma side torsos, for a total of 10 across the 'Mech, placing a Clan Small Pulse Laser in each energy hardpoint, and filling the remaining unused space with Clan Double Heat Sinks (for a total of 24). The resulting loadout is an agile brawler with lots of spare heat capacity to keep blasting away at its foes constantly, even without skill tree upgrades.

Above: Turning the Mad Dog Revenant into a brawler requires fitting the B right arm, H left arm, and Sigma side torsos to give it four jump jets and 10 energy hardpoints - the latter of which all have Clan Small Pulse Lasers placed in them for maximum DPS - with 12 additional Double Heat Sinks occupying the leftover critical slots, ensuring that the 'Mech can easily cover its heat load.

Although it is possible to replace the torso-mounted Small Pulse Lasers with Clan Medium Pulse Lasers, you'd need to remove four Double Heat Sinks to free up the necessary weight for this modification, leading to a reduction in sustained DPS. However, if you instead keep all of the Revenant OmniPods and center torso (except for the side torsos, both of which will be replaced by those of the Sigma), you may get a more optimized setup out of it. Place a Clan Heavy Large Laser in the Sigma side torsos' hardpoints, then place a Clan ER Medium Laser in the Revenant arms' energy hardpoints (the Sigma side torsos and Revenant arms only have one such hardpoint each). Now put an additional Clan ER Medium Laser in both of the Revenant center torso energy hardpoints, and fit 10 Clan Double Heat Sinks to soak up the extra heat. 

The resulting Sigma/Revenant hybrid retains the agility of the former, but grants the extra flexibility of the latter, yielding some extra firepower and better quirks when compared to a stock Sigma. However, arming it with just a quartet of Clan ER Large Lasers instead is not recommended; even when fired two at a time (thus avoiding ghost heat), the 18 double heat sinks (20 if you swapped out three tons of armor to accommodate them along with a Mk1 Targeting Computer) may not be enough to soak up all the extra heat.

Above: With the stock Mad Dog MDD-SI "Sigma" not being as viable as hoped initially, a Sigma/Revenant hybrid setup such as the one shown here may be the best option for those who want a Mad Dog/Vulture with jump jets. Below: It is possible to configure the MDD-RV with the MDD-SI side torsos and turn it into a sniper with a quartet of Clan ER Large Lasers, but I wouldn't recommend it, since 18 double heat sinks (20 if you stripped back the arm and leg armor, as shown here) are insufficient to dissipate the high heat load, even when firing those lasers in pairs to avoid ghost heat.

In short, the MDD-SI side torso OmniPods have their place in MWO, but only when combined with other Mad Dog/Vulture center torsos and/or arm OmniPods for additional flexibility and effectiveness. With these changes, however, it can potentially become one of the best - and most enjoyable - variants to use if you like jump jet-assisted laser vomit.

Infinite Space Insights: Building the Ultimate Custom Capital Fleet

Infinite Space Insights: Building the Ultimate Custom Capital Ship Fleet

After thousands of playthroughs in Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars, there was one question above all others that puzzled me: What is the best fleet of four capital ships you can have in the game? It did not take me very long to realize that such a fleet would need a balance of speed, agility, firepower, and defenses. Eventually, I settled on having one each of a Terran corvette, a Zorg corvette, a Garthan frigate, and a Calatian destroyer as my capital ships - I never deploy fighters in combat during regular gameplay, but the two fighter slots in the fleet are free, so I could choose from any faction regarding those, although the Zorg and Garthan fighters are generally considered the most useful in custom battles.

Above, from top: This custom fleet contains one each of a Terran corvette, a Zorg corvette, a Garthan frigate, and a Calatian destroyer - all of which have been upgraded with the best weaponry and technology the game has to offer.

All four capital ships in this fleet are fitted with Temporal Flux Shields (for maximum defense), Reactionless Thrusters (to maximize agility and speed during combat), Plasma Coil Cloakers (for increased stealth), Sardion Maximizers (which provide the greatest increase in accuracy and fire rate), and Multibot Repair Drones (which are the most effective means of repairing hull and component damage). In addition, with the exception of the Calatian destroyer, each capital ship also carries a Signature Projector (the most advanced ECM system for deflecting incoming missiles) and a Tachyon Ray Gun (the best weapon to use against fighters). The first capital ship in this fleet will be a Terran corvette with a Nova Cannon for its primary weapon. This makes it a highly effective sniper at long range, especially against larger, slower-moving targets. A Zorg corvette armed with a Particle Vortex Cannon (the only primary weapon that is effective at long range at all ranges) will occupy the second capital ship spot, while a Garthan Frigate loaded with two Cobalt Torpedo Tubes (the best homing weapon by far, with its high muzzle velocity) takes up the third such slot. Finally, the last capital ship will be a Calatian destroyer carrying four Proton Blasters for shooting down fighters and missiles at short to medium range.

Usually the best way to use most of these vessels in these configurations is in a sniping role facing the target(s) head-on, with the Calatian destroyer positioned near any of the other three capital ships to act as an "iron dome" against fighters and missiles. However, it's also possible to trap the opposing fleet in a pincer movement with the force composition I've suggested, by having the Terran corvette and Garthan frigate lurk behind the target(s) with their cloaking devices (only decloaking to attack, before reactivating their Cloakers if they are targeted), while the Zorg corvette and Calatian destroyer lure them forward into a trap. Although this tactic can also be attempted with other capital ship types and loadouts, I've found this particular one to be the most effective of all for this approach. This strategy also works with just the Garthan frigate and Terran corvette positioned ahead of and behind the target, respectively.

Above, from top: My custom fleet taking on some Urluquai vessels in a custom battle. After taking out the Urluquai flagship (an Urluquai carrier), I ordered my capital ships to turn around and open fire on the Urluquai Deep Hunters that had just decloaked and opened fire on my fleet.

Against Yellow Kawangi Dreadnoughts, however, the Zorg corvette and Calatian destroyer lack the long-range punch (in terms of raw alpha strike damage at such extreme ranges, as opposed to damage per second at closer ranges) to take down these behemoths with sustained fire, even with cloaking devices installed, so the respective loadouts for the Terran corvette and Garthan frigate are the only viable options in this specific scenario, where the Dreadnought's Temporal Flux Shield and Multibot Repair Drone give it nigh-impregnable defenses, bolstered further by four Graviton Disintegrators (two on each side) and a rear-facing Proton Blaster. Those weapons, however, cannot outrange a Nova Cannon (which the Kawangi dreadnought has by default), to say nothing of the even longer-ranged Cobalt Torpedo Tube (the latter of which is standard equipment only on the Damocles, although you can't encounter that particular vessel and a Yellow Kawangi Dreadnought in the same playthrough, or even have them face each other in any custom scenario).

Above, from top: The customized Garthan frigate and upgraded Terran corvette (positioned in front of and behind the target, respectively) team up to destroy a Yellow Kawangi dreadnought by trapping it in a pincer movement.

Even so, the force composition I proposed in this post may turn out to be the most effective one there is in a custom battle. It is possible to create a similar set of loadouts with the same capital ship classes in a regular game, but there are a few necessary differences: replacing the Cobalt Torpedo Tubes with Multi-Missile Launchers (which do not require the presence of the capital ship Damocles on the map to obtain), downgrading the Sardion Maximizers to Sardion Optimizers at best on most or all of the capital ships, and even then, the Zorg, Calatian, and Garthan home systems must all be present on the map to get anywhere close to the loadout I have suggested.

In short, this fleet composition and loadout combination I have suggested may just be the most overpowered one (assuming no duplicates of any capital ship class are being used), although there are a few that come close. The most promising alternative combines a pair of Terran destroyers with the Kestrel and a Muktian destroyer, with the Terran destroyers carrying 3 Multi-Missile Launchers each while the other two capital ships have two such Launchers each - but even with Proton Blasters filling all the remaining hardpoints on those capital ships, this fleet still uses two of the same unit (in this case, a Terran destroyer) from the same faction. So if you absolutely must avoid using the same unit more than once in a custom fleet, this setup is off the table, but the one that's the primary subject of this post most definitely isn't.