MechDB Misadventures, Part 17: Black Knight as Penetrator

MechDB Misadventures, Part 17: Black Knight as Penetrator

In BattleTech, the Penetrator is one of the most durable post-Clan Invasion era Inner Sphere BattleMechs due to having a standard engine and an all-energy loadout comprised of two ER Large Lasers and six Medium Pulse Lasers, plus an Anti-Missile System for countering incoming missile salvos and four Jump Jets to provide improved mobility. However, since MechWarrior Online has yet to introduce the Penetrator to its ever-growing list of 'Mech chassis, I decided to replicate the standard PTR-4D's loadout in MechDB using the closest chassis to that variant: the Black Knight BL-6B-KNT, which has nine energy hardpoints and an AMS hardpoint, thus making it almost a perfect match for the PTR-4D. The result was as follows:

Above: This is the closest you can get to replicating the Penetrator PTR-4D in MechWarrior Online - a Black Knight BL-6B-KNT carrying a pair of ER Large Lasers, three pairs of Medium Pulse Lasers, an Anti-Missile System with a ton of ammo, and four additional tons of AMS ammo to simulate each jump jet, all concealed within 13 tons of standard armor (out of a maximum possible amount of 14.5 tons). However, the Black Knight has a hand actuator on both of its arms, whereas the Penetrator lacks such items in each of its arms, so the PTR-4D's stock loadout actually uses only 45 of a possible 78 critical slots, two fewer than the similar loadout on the BL-6B-KNT shown here.

Obviously, this loadout isn't very heavily optimized due to its lack of heat sinks (only 12 double-strength items, but it can be improved further. One suggestion is as follows:

Above: This idea for a more optimized loadout for the Penetrator PNT-4D (not valid on the Black Knight BL-6B-KNT shown here due to occupying one more critical slot than the maximum limit of 78) downgrades the Medium Pulse Lasers to regular Medium Lasers, saving six tons, and swaps the ER Large Lasers for ER PPCs, while adding an Endo-Steel structure to allow fitment of six additional Double Heat Sinks. The quartet of AMS ammo bins (which simulate jump jets) remain in place, though.

Although this custom configuration for the Penetrator PNT-4D sacrifices some raw firepower (50 in the new configuration, whereas the original could deliver 54 damage per alpha strike), its heat sinking capacity has increased by 50%, and this allows for much more staying power in a tabletop battle, especially since it carries an additional 0.5 tons of armor. The lack of AMS makes it more vulnerable to missile barrages, but on the other hand, it removes whatever little probability of an ammunition explosion that can occur. Crucially, with both of its arms having upper and lower arm actuators but no hand actuators, the resulting Penetrator setup still has one critical slot in total left over, and would thus be valid for tabletop use.

In short, this modified Penetrator is a much better tool than the original for, erm, penetrating a defensive line without risking catastrophic ammo depletion or detonation.