Brawler of the Week - "The unusual S"

A brawler with LRM's as its main weapon? Yep! This is the abomination that I came up with while eliting my Thunderbolts two months ago. I didn't just want to slap 2xAC5's+PPC's and be done with it, I really wanted to use that missile hardpoint that give this mech its distinctive look and come up with something unique. Luckily, 5S is also the only TDR with 20 tube missile hunch so it made perfect sense to use it. The result is this E+M mech that is both capable at long range and close range.

Take a look:

So what do we have here? 3xML, 1xLPL an ALRM20(3T ammo) supported by 15 DHS and a STD260 engine. It does an acceptable 71.3 KPH while still not feeling sluggish and it is fully armored except the legs. Your left arm is a shield arm and believe me it will get shot off a lot.

What makes or breaks this build is the unique playstyle needed because of the mounted LRM. ALRM20 is nothing to scoff at, with the tighter spread thanks to Artemis, it hits the CT area hard, severely weakening the enemy mech. Artemis also speeds up your lock speed and if you hang around 180m your enemy only has about 1-2 seconds to react. This makes this build perfect for the initial phases of the combat, where you can hang out near the "no-man's land" and whack anything that dares to take a potshot or poptart. This is not an LRM support mech though, majority of your firepower comes from the LPL+3xML combo and it lets you go in and take out weakened mechs. 16xDHS does a good job of cooling and gives you the heat capacity for a few alphas.

To sum it up, do's and don'ts of this build:

Do

• Be at the frontline, as close as you can get to your minimum 180m range.
• Spam your LRM's at poptarts and enemy assaults. Your LRM's are mounted at cockpit height so they're perfect for "hull down" shots.
• If possible, pop out of cover and bring those lasers to bear around 180m again. An ALRM20 shot followed by your laser alpha will severely cripple any mech.
• After your LRM's are exhausted, or the enemy rushes, forget your LRM and join the brawl. With decent twisting skills, the TDR will suck in a lot of damage before going down.

Don't

• Stay at the back, pretending to be an LRM support mech.
• Stay out in the open, this mech is perfect for hull down shots! Don't forget that your high mounted LRM's and chest mounted lasers allow you to damage with less risk of retaliation.

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About Rak

I'm an engineer who likes to write extremely long articles about games that border simulation and mainstream.