Mechwarrior 3
Release v1.0
`It's Always A Work In Progress`
Last updated: 07/14/1999
Written by: Moises `Vulkan` Sanchez (vulkan4@hotmail.com)
Note:
This document will look a lot better if viewed with Microsoft Word using a `Normal` view.
Disclaimer:
This document is to aid in informing the public about the game Mechwarrior III. In no way should this
promote your killing of innocent people, or killing in any other fashion. Additionally, I claim NO
responsibility should it cause your computer to explode in a very violent fashion as if it's fusion reactor had
overheated, any questions regarding the content of this document should be sent to me and not FASA
Corporation, Zipper interactive or Hasbro entertainment.
Trademark Information:
All specific names included herein are trademarks of the FASA Corporation and are so acknowledged:
Mechwarrior, Battletech, Battlemech, Mechwarrior 2, Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries, Mech, Jade Falcon,
Thor, Madcat, Daishi and Owens, Any trademarks not mentioned here are still hypothetically
acknowledged by the author of this document.
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Contents:
Topics marked with a > are new for this version.
[a] Introduction
1.- Control Schemes
1a.- Necessary Commands
1b.- Example Configuration
2.- Battle Tactics for the Pilot
2a.- Feel of the Weapons
2b.- Aiming Modes
2c.- Fire Modes
2d.- Heat Management
2e.- Lancemates
2f.- Component Targeting
2g.- Weapons
2h.- The `Perfect` Mech
3.- Tactics for the Commander
3a.- MFB Management
3b.- Arming your Mech
3c.- Arming your Lancemates
3d.- Mech Statistics
4.- Preliminary Mission Walkthroughs
4a.- Mission 1 Op Zone 1
4b.- Mission 2 Op Zone 1
4c.- Mission 3 Op Zone 1
4d.- Mission 4 Op Zone 1
4e.- Mission 1 Op Zone 2
4f.- Mission 2 Op Zone 2
4g.- Mission 3 Op Zone 2
4h.- Mission 4 Op Zone 2
5.- Epilogue
a.- Introduction:
This document was originally written by myself with the intention of helping my fellow lancemates learn a
few things about how to master a Battlemech in combat, it eventually grew into something along the lines
of a contribution for the Mechwarrior 3 public and for those struggling pilots out there who are just
learning the inner-workings of a Mech, I've written a few texts on the world of Battletech and 2 of it's
games: Mechwarrior 2 and Mercenaries, unfortunately these were originally written for my lancemates and
are for the most part not very well laid out, so I'm afraid I can't release them for the public. Besides, if you,
the reader, were to ever face me in combat, I wouldn't stop firing to tell you `A few pointers` now would
I? This document is the first of 2, what you are reading now is intended as a `General Tips` text along with
quick walkthorughs for the first 2 Op Zones, the second will be something along the lines of a more
detailed walkthrough for each of the game's missions, this is how I've always done it, and it's how it'll be
done in the future.
Very well, with that in mind let Us proceed, first and foremost I highly recommend you to read the manual
that came with the game so you at least have an understanding of all the systems that comprise a
Battlemech, I won't delve too deeply into explaining all of the equipment and Mechs since that's covered
in the manual and would just be redundant, I will however, point out when a weapon requires some sort of
strategy to effectively employ and use in the battlefield.
For those who have played the previous Mechwarrior games, keep in mind that there are some important
changes, the Mobile Field Base has been introduced, Pulse Lasers behave a lot more like they should now,
the much anticipated `Swaying Arms` have been finally added for those who asked so much for them and
jumpjets have been made much less powerful now, but all in all, veteran Mechwarriors shouldn't feel
alienated playing this third installment, a few tries should be enough to get you acquainted with the new
systems and features.
1.- Control Schemes:
1a.- Necessary Commands
One of the elements of being a good pilot is mastering all of the controls available to you, you should take
the time remapping the default control configuration to something that more suits you, although you can
utilize a combination of Keyboard/Joystick, any Mechwarrior 2 veteran will tell you that the best
combination is the Keyboard/Mouse configuration, I will now list the controls that are absolutely required
for you to effectively utilize a Mech, along with a small description of the command:
Throttle up, down and Turn left, right commands: Pretty self-explanatory, these 4 commands will be your
basic movement commands, Throttle up will make your Mech walk forward, Throttle down will make your
Mech slow down or walk in reverse, Turn left and right make your Mech turn around.
Twist left/right, Pitch up/down: These 4 commands will make your Mechs' torso to rotate and pitch in the
direction applied, and are therefore, needed for aiming your weapons.
Center Torso to Legs: This command will make you torso align with the direction you are walking.
0% Throttle: This command will make your Mech come to a complete stop, you should have this key near
your basic movement keys, will be examined later in the document.
Jump Jet: This command fires your Mechs' jumpjets and will begin lifting you upwards, combine with
forward speed for a moving jump.
Get up: This is a very useful command, the game description states that long falls and explosions may
cause your Mech to topple over, but there are other things that can cause you to fall down which will be
examined later in the document, this command will cause your Mech to stand up after being knocked down.
Crouch: This command causes your Mech to crouch down, may not seem very useful but there are certain
tricks you can employ that depend on this feature, they will be examined later.
Startup/Shutdown: This command is basically the ignition key for your Mech, use it to turn your Mech off
and back on, tactics relying on this command will be examined later.
Enable MASC: This command activates your Masc system, giving you a burst of speed, but builds up heat
quickly, your Mech must be equipped with a Masc system for this to work.
Fire Weapon: This command fires the selected weapon.
Next weapon group: Self explanatory, certain combat tactics rely on this command so it will be brought up
later in the document.
Toggle Fire Mode: This command toggles between `Chain fire` `Single fire` and `Linked fire`, fire modes
will be examined later.
Rush Coolant: This command will cause all excess heat to dissipate instantly, the coolant is limited
however, so use wisely.
Alpha Strike: This command causes all of your weapons to fire at once, handy if you want to destroy a
Mech quickly, also useful for turning you Mech into a walking atomic bomb, will be looked at later.
Jettison Ammo: This command drops all of your ammunition, leaving you with only energy based weapon,
will be examined later.
Target Next Enemy: This command will target the next enemy in your Radar, press again to cycle through
targets.
Target Nearest Enemy: self-explanatory.
Target Center Torso: This command calls your Targeting computer and will provide you with a small green
reticule that is used to `Lead` a non-instant weapon, will be examined later.
Zoom: This command functions the same way as a scope in a sniper rifle, it will zoom in a small area in the
center of your HUD.
Freelook: This command enables you to turn your head instead of your Mechs' torso, enabling `Arm
swaying` will be examined later.
Lancemate Command Screen: This command brings up a window used to issue orders to your lancemates,
this feature is covered in the training sessions and should be mastered since lancemates are only useful if
you give them orders.
Order MFB: This commands tells your Mobile Field Base to deploy thereby allowing you to repair, this
command is also covered in the training sessions, but should be fully understood and mastered since you
will be making use of it a lot in the later stages of the game.
Next OP Point: This command cycles between points, which are used to find any objectives required to
finish the mission, also used in conjunction with the `Order MFB` command.
These commands are all mostly covered in the training sessions, and although you can succeed without
mastering them all, you will be a better pilot if you do take the time to familiarize yourself with all of them,
you should also configure your keys in a way that you have the more important keys near your basic
movement keys, that way you won't be fumbling around in the heat of combat.
1b.- Example Configuration
I will now provide you with an example custom configuration, note that this is the configuration I use
myself:
Throttle up: Numpad 8
Throttle down: Numpad 2
Twist Left/Right Mouse X Axis
Pitch Up/Down Mouse Y Axis
Center Torso to Legs Numpad 5
0% Throttle End
Jump Jet Numpad +
Get Up Numpad .
Crouch Numpad 0
Startup/Shutdown S
Enable MASC V
Fire Weapon Mouse Button 1
Next Weapon Group Numpad 9
Previous Weapon Group Numpad 7
Next Weapon in Group Numpad 3
Previous Weapon in Group Numpad 1
Fire Mode /
Rush Coolant F
Alpha Strike Numpad Enter
Jettison Ammunition Shift-J
Target Next Enemy Numlock
Target Previous Enemy Shift-Numlock
Target Nearest Enemy Numpad *
Target Enemy Reticule Numpad /
Zoom Mouse Button 3
Lock Zoom Pageup
Freelook Mouse Button 2
Lancemate Command Screen F11
Order MFB M
Next OP Point N
Previous OP Point Shift-N
2.- Battle Tactics for the Pilot:
2a.- Feel of the Weapons
One of the more important things to know is how all the weapons behave, start an `Instant Action` mission
and take a `Daishi` Mech, and for the enemy Mech, pick the `Owens` Mech and start the mission, in the
Mech Lab, arm your Mech with all of the various weapons and take it out into the field, get a `Feel` of how
each of the weapons behave, learn how fast the projectiles travel, how much kickback each weapon has,
how much ammunition each ammunition pack can hold, what the ranges of the weapons are, how much
heat they generate.
2b.- Aiming Modes
Now, go back to the Mech lab screen and equip your Mech with 4 medium Pulse Lasers, place 2 in the left
arm and the other 2 in the right arm and enter the mission, once the mission starts use your `Twist
left/right` keys and see how your Mech behaves, it's torso will rotate left and right depending on what
direction you move your mouse, this is called `Torso Aiming`, now center your torso and hit the `Free
look` key and move your mouse around, notice how now you are now turning your head but the Mechs'
torso is staying put, although the Mechs' torso does not move, your weapons are still following your aiming
reticule, this is called `Arm Swaying`
By using a combination of `Torso Aiming` and `Arm Swaying`, it is actually possible to fire backwards,
go into Torso Aiming mode and twist your Mechs' torso all the way to the left, once that's done press your
Free Look key and look all the way to your left, You are now basically aiming your left gun arm
backwards. Keep in mind that not all Mechs have to ability to sway their arms, and some Mechs don't have
the ability to twist their torsos, one particular Mech without the ability to twist it's torso is the `Cauldron
Born`, you must rely on Arm Swaying to aim when using it.
Also keep in mind that when Arm Swaying, you will be disabling some of your weapons, as an example go
to the Mech Lab screen and equip your Mech with 2 medium ER Lasers in your left arm, and 2 medium
Pulse Lasers in your right arm, once in your cockpit press your Free Look key, now try swaying your arm
left, you will notice in the small weapons window in the upper right corner of your screen that when you
sway your arm all the way to the left, the weapons in your right are incapable of turning that way and will
be temporarily unavailable, and if you sway all the way to the right the weapons in your left arm become
unavailable, remember this when deciding on how to organize your weapons in the Mech Lab screen.
2c.- Fire Modes
Now, face directly forward and press and hold fire, this will cause one of your Pulse Lasers to fire it's
energy charge, once the laser drains it will stop firing, your Mech will cycle to the next Pulse Laser, and the
drained Laser will begin recycling energy so it can fire again. Now find the Owens Mech that's prowling
about, take aim and press and hold fire to shoot it with one of your Lasers, it isn't very damaging, is it?
Well now press your Fire Mode key 2 times to select `Linked Fire` and wait for your Laser to recycle, now
aim at one of the legs of the Owens Mech and press and hold fireà 4 continuous streams of Laser fire will
strike the Mech, causing quite a lot of damage to it's leg and perhaps even knocking the Owens Mech of
it's feet, congratulations! You've just discovered the best way to use Pulse Lasers!
Pulse Lasers are best used in `Linked Fire` mode and fired at the enemies' legs, 4 medium Pulse Lasers
should be more than enough to knock a Mech off it's feet, even the heavy assault ones can't cope with the
damage the 4 lasers deal and will usually fall down, if they do fall you can use this opportunity to strike
their leg a second time, although a veteran Mechwarrior will wait for his foe to get on his feet before
attacking again, it isn't a rule, you can fire at your foe while he's down if you wish but many Mechwarriors
consider this a dishonorable tactic, of course if you are an Inner Sphere pilot like me, you can ignore this
`Dishonorable` deal and kick him while he's down, for an Inner Sphere pilot, any tactic that will get you
out alive from a battle is a perfectly valid tactic, so just ignore all those `You filthy dishonorable traitor`
comments in your radio and concentrate on what you're doing.
Something that should be mentioned about the `Alpha Strike` function, try hitting the key once now, you'll
notice that it won't fire the Pulse Lasers to their full potential and will only fire about 1/8 of their charges,
well to get around this problem simply press the Alpha Strike key repedeatly, this will cause the Pulse
Lasers to fire their entire charge.
2d.- Heat Management
When deciding whether to use Linked Fire or Chained Fire, there are 2 main factors, one of them is to
simply look at the amount of heat buildup the weapons in that group cause, if firing even a single gun in the
group causes a lot of heat, then don't even consider using Linked fire or you risk overheating your Mech
and damaging it, if they produce medium heat, You'll probably want to use them in Linked mode carefully
and perhaps shutting down between uses to let the heat dissipate, if they cause very little heat, then
definitely use them in Linked fire mode.
The other factor into deciding when to use Linked mode is water, before starting a mission, check if there's
any water in the scenario and lure enemy Mechs to the body of water, switch to Linked fire and jump in the
water, when your Mech is submerged in water heat buildup is almost nil so you can fire your weapons as
fast as their fire rate permits, if the body of water is too shallow, simply use the crouch function to
submerge your Mech even deeper, Keep in mind that only Lasers will work underwater. Also, consider
using Coolant when fighting a powerful Mech like an Annihilator, this Mech will tear you apart if you
pause even for a few seconds because your Mech overheated and shutdown.
Running also generates heat, so you may want to consider stopping for a few seconds to speed up cooling,
or at the very least, walk but don't run, learn how much heat each weapon generates so you are ready when
firing a weapon and deciding when to use Linked mode and when to use Chained mode.
Now if all your heat management efforts fail and your heat is off the scale, you have no Coolant left and
shutting down isn't an option, well I'm afraid you're going to have to bite the bullet and push your
`Jettison Ammo` key, by doing this you'll prevent your ammunition exploding inside of you because of the
extreme heat, if you don't jettison your ammo, you risk losing a limb or even having your entire Mech
explode in a rather spectacular way.
Now for a somewhat amusing demonstration, go to the instant action screen and choose an Owens for an
enemy, now go to the Mech lab screen and choose a Daishi Mech, now remove all of it's weapons and take
away all of the heatsinks in the arms and leave 2 in the left torso and 2 in the right torso, now load both
arms with as many Flamers as the Daishi can carry, these weapons are special in that they do very little
damage, but raise your opponents' heat level dramatically, now when the mission starts, go into Linked fire
mode, look for the Owens and get in close, now fire your Flamers at ità That's what happens when your
Fusion Reactor overloads, now press X to switch to the external view and start running at top speed, fire
your Flamers into the air and the second they recycle, fire them again in quick succession. Demonstration
over.
2e.- Lancemates
Alright, now let's look into how You can use Lancemates to improve your chances of survival, go to the
Instant Mission select screen and choose a Madcat for yourself, and assign another Madcat to one of your
Lancemates, pick a Daishi as the enemy Mech and enter the battle, once the mission starts press the `F11`
key to bring up your Lancemate command screen, now target the opposing Mech and press the `1` key,
this will select your first lancemate to assign orders, now press `F6` to tell your lancemate to attack the
opposing Daishi Mech, your Lancemate will comply and will start heading for the enemy.
Now take this time to analyze the situation, as you are heading to attack the enemy Mech think about how 2
Mechs could outsmart and outmaneuver a heavier and more powerful Mech, one tactic your could employ
is `Drawing Fire`, this is something equivalent of a Wild Weasel run and is done by telling your lancemate
to stay put and hide behind an obstacle, then head for the Daishi and take a few pot shots to get it's
attention, then lure it back to where your lancemate is and when He is within attacking range, tell your
Lancemate to attack the Daishi, thereby closing the trap, as the Daishi starts to turn it's attention towards
your fellow Lancemate, use this moment to get in close and fire at his legs, if luck is on your side and most
of your attack hits the Daishi Mech in one of his legs, you may knock it down to the ground and seize a
window of opportunity to destroy it.
Another tactic is a simple flanking maneuver, just tell your lancemate to attack the Daishi, and as He
attacks get in position behind the Daishi in a way so that if the Daishi turns it's attention towards you, your
lancemate will have an opportunity to attack it from behind, and if the Daishi turns to attack your
lancemate, you can shoot it from behind yourself, either way you have the upper hand because Mechs have
very little armor in their backs. To do this maneuver you have to pay attention to both the enemy and your
Lancemate, you have to keep tabs on where they both are and move accordingly.
To coordinate yourself better with your lancemates, you should use the Radar to keep tabs on the whole
battlefield, simply set yourself up so that the enemy gets caught in the middle, between you and your
lancemate, this is extra important when you have an full lance of Mechs at your disposal, coordinate
yourself and your lancemates so that you have the enemy `Boxed in`, You and your lancemates will make
very short work of any Mechs caught in the middle regardless of their weight classification.
When facing an Annihilator Mech, you should always have a lancemate, facing an Annihilator by yourself
almost always means an instant death, but don't let your lancemate do it all himself, take turns with your
lancemate getting a face full of lead and getting knocked on the ground, You can always use the MFB to
repair after you have beaten the Annihilator.
When facing more than 1 enemy Mech at a time, concentrate your Lances' firepower on a single enemy
Mech, it's better to quickly destroy one Mech at a time than attacking all of them at once.
2f.- Component Targeting
One of the important things to remember is that when you damage a Mech, you'll be damaging a specific
part of it, be it head, torso, arms or legs, you should learn what parts to target depending on the situation,
for example say you're facing a Thor Mech in combat, now, the Thor Mech has a rather nasty LB-10X
AutoCannon on it's left arm, this cannon does very high amounts of damage so it's in your best interests to
target and fire at the Thors' left arm to disable the AutoCannon, the same holds true to any Mech with
particularly potent weapons, if you're taking a beating from a Mech with a potent weapon, you should
probably try to disable said weapon before attempting to take the Mech down.
Now, say an enemy Mech has spotted your MFB and is currently running towards it in order to destroy it,
now it's in your best interests to stop this Mech before He reaches your Base, and the best way to do this is
to shoot at it's legs, Remember that a damaging attack directed at a Mechs' leg will make it fall down to the
ground, that should buy you enough time to destroy the Mech before it can cause any damage to your
valuable MFB.
You can equip your Mech with a `Targeting Computer` which will enable a new reticule in your HUD, this
reticule will tell you how much you have to `Lead` with your currently selected weapon in order to hit the
Mech in the area you specified, this is only applicable with non-instant hit weapons like Gauss Guns and
PPCs.
Remember the same hit location rules apply to your Mech also, so if your left arm is very damaged,
perhaps you should consider turning left and use Arm Sway aiming to protect your badly damaged left arm
from any further damage, an arm which has been destroyed can not be replaced by your MFB, so it's very
important to keep your arms safe.
2g.- Weapons
Now let's go over some of the weapon systems available for combat:
Flamers: As our little test proved earlier, you can see that Flamers are very good at raising your targets'
heat level, if used properly you can cause your opponents' auto-shutdown system to kick in, thereby giving
you a small window of opportunity to attack him with no interruptions, but you have to get in very close to
use these weapons.
Lasers: Regular Lasers, nothing very special about them, just aim and shoot, wait until they recycle and fire
again, use your judgement to decide what components to target, like any Laser, they can be fired from
underwater,
Extended Range Lasers or ER Lasers: These lasers are best used from long ranges in conjunction with the
zoom mode, the Large versions have a range of about 1000 meters, it's somewhat hard to hit anything with
them from close range however, and you should probably switch to Pulse Lasers.
Pulse Lasers: These are the staple of every Mechwarrior, You'll be using these most of the time since they
aren't very heat intensive even when they are fired in Linked mode, as stated earlier, they work best by
firing them at your opponents' legs, this will cause the enemy Mech to topple over giving you a chance for
a quick strike, you should equip at least 3 of these on any side of your Mech.
Machine Guns: These guns aren't very damaging to Mechs but can be used against tanks and other
vehicles, it chews through ammunition very quickly though, so you'll probably reloading on your MFB a
lot, they don't generate any heat whatsoever and are best used linked together.
AutoCannons and Ultra AutoCannons: These are basically improved versions of the Machine Gun, the 2
differences are that the Machine Guns fire continuously but the ACs have a delay between firing, and that
ACs are a lot more damaging, luckily the ammunition lasts a bit longer since you need less of it in order to
do heavy damage, they also tend to have a bit of kickback when you have them on one of your arms, so
either put them in your torso or place one in your left arm, and another in your right arm and fire them
linked to compensate.
LB-X AutoCannons: These can work a bit like shotguns by Linking 2 of them together, hitting an enemy
Mech from close range with both of them will probably blast him down into the ground, they have limited
ammunition however, so use them only when your shot is sure to hit it's mark, these also have kickback so
use one of the methods described above.
PPCs and Extended Range PPCs or ER PPCs: PPCs have quite a long range, but they aren't instant
weapons like lasers so you must `Lead` the target in order to hit them, use of a targeting computer is
recommended, these also have a high amount of kickback so place them in your torso since linking 2 of
them together would probably cause your Mech to shutdown.
Gauss or Rail Rifles: Gauss Guns carry all of the features of PPCs, but don't generate any heat since they
use ammunition instead of energy, the ammunition for Gauss Rifles is very limited however, so it should
not be wasted under any circumstances, the ammunition Gauss Rifles use are balls of aluminum so they
won't explode if hit by an enemy Mech, therefore no CASE system is required, they also have a lot of
kickback but can be fired together in linked mode to compensate since they generate no heat.
Short Range Missiles or SRMs: Like their name implies, these should only be used for short ranges, they
will track the enemy if you lock on to him, however their tracking mechanisms won't always follow the
enemy Mech so you can escape it's tracking by dodging generates some heat, but not enough for it to be a
concern.
Long Range Missiles or LRMs: These should only be used for long ranges, note the emphasis on the word
`Only`, their tracking systems are practically useless from a short range, the preferred range to fire them is
from 400 to 1000 meters, these generate more heat than SRMs so be careful and keep an eye on your Delta
Heat level.
2h.- The `Perfect` Mech
Now let's talk about a topic that I have been debating with my fellow ComStar pilots, the topic is `What is
the perfect Mech?`, now this is rather hard question to answer because there really isn't a perfect Mech that
everyone can agree on, for me it's always been the Madcat or Timberwolf as the savages from the Clan
Jade Falcon call it, I like to equip it with 4 Medium Pulse Lasers, 2 Large Pulse Lasers, 1 SRM and 1 LRM,
and 2 AMSs, one in the left torso and the other in the right torso, to me this is the perfect combination but
it's really up to you to dictate what your vision of `The perfect Mech` is, experiment with weapon
combinations, figure out if you like speed or pure power, try out your creations on Instant Actions mission,
the best thing about the Mechwarrior series is that you can customize your Mech in anyway you want so
work in the Mech lab until you find a Mech you are happy with.
But of course I'm one of those persons who likes to argue that a Mech is as deadly as the person who pilots
it, for example, what would be an easier thing to kill, a Daishi that's just standing there shooting at you, or
a Daishi that's moving and using both Torso aiming and Arm Swaying to hit you? I think We both know
the answer to that question, part of being a good pilot is outsmarting the other guy and beating his heavier
Mech with your lighter Mech.
3.- Tactics for the Commander:
3a.- MFB Management
Now, part of being successful when playing Mechwarrior 3 is knowing what salvage to take and what
salvage to leave behind, this is all a matter of deciding what weapons you are going to become most
proficient with and what Mechs you are going to become most attached to, with your 3 starting MFBs, you
can carry up to 900 tons of equipment and store up to 6 Mechs along with the ones you and your
Lancemates are piloting, so each MFB can carry 300 tons of equipment and 2 Mechs, you can continue the
game even if one of your MFBs is destroyed but you'll be highly limited with what you'll be able to carry.
I generally carry the following amounts of ammunition:
Machine Gun rounds: Between 2000 and 2400 rounds, but eventually ditch them all when I
replace Machine guns with AutoCannons.
AC2 Rounds: Between 1100 and 1400 rounds of ammunition.
AC5 Rounds: Between 1400 and 1600 rounds of ammunition
LB-10X AC Rounds: I usually take all the ones I find since I use this weapon a lot.
LRM20 Missiles: Between 1200 and 1400 rounds.
LRM5 Missiles: Between 500 and 700 rounds.
SRM6 Missiles: Between 500 and 700 rounds.
SRM4 Missiles: Between 400 and 600 rounds.
Streak SRM6: I will take all the ones I find.
Gauss Gun Ammo: This ammunition is rare, I always take all I find with me.
Any ammunition not mentioned is because I don't carry any of it, along with that I usually carry around
100 tons of each type of armor, I will carry the following amounts of weapons:
Machine Guns: From 6 to 10, for the early missions, will later ditch them for
AutoCannons when they become available.
AC2s: From 10 to 12, 3 per operational Mech, good for light/medium Mechs.
AC5s: Usually from 8 to 10, these cannons are quite useful when employed in
large numbers.
Medium Pulse Lasers: From 14 to 18, one of the weapons I use the most.
Large Pulse Lasers: From 6 to 10.
Large ER Lasers: From 4 to 6.
ER PPCs: From 2 to 4, 1 per Mech employed in battle.
Gauss Rifles: From 2 to 4, very heavy weapon to carry.
LRM20s: From 8 to 10, usually 2 per Mech.
LRM5s: From 8 to 10, when an LRM20 is too heavy to fit on a Mech, use
LRM5s, also 2 per Mech.
SRM6s: From 6 to 8, when 2 LRMs aren't an option, pair this up with an LRM.
SRM4s: From 4 to 6, when an SRM6 is too heavy for a lighter Mech.
Streak SRM6: From 6 to 8, SRM6 replacement, ammunition is rare however.
Any weapon system not mentioned is because I don't carry any of it.
Of course you should make a more personalized inventory of items to carry for yourself, depending of what
your preferred weapon systems are, but generally speaking, having more than 2000 rounds of any
ammunition type is too much, and having more than 120 tons of any type of armor is also too much, if you
find your available space to be too small, check how much armor you are carrying about, you're probably
carrying too much of it, if you find yourself carrying a weapon system and not using it for more than 3
missions, you should probably ditch it since it's just taking up space anyway.
3b.- Arming your Mechs
Now let's move on to arming your Mech, the game already includes Primary configurations and various
Alternate configurations for each of the Mechs, but the best way to get the most out of your Mech is by
arming it according to your needs and liking.
Here is where you must decide what weapon systems you are going to take on the field, for now, I'll create
an example configuration to use as a base for ideas, then you can go ahead and make one on your own
using the principles behind my decisions:
For this example I will use the Madcat chassis:
Head: Center Torso:
(None) AMS
Left Torso: Right Torso:
Streak SRM6 LRM20
Streak SRM6 Ammunition (90) LRM20 Ammunition (120)
CASE CASE
AMS AMS
Left Arm: Right Arm:
Double Heat Sink (3) Double Heat Sink (3)
Medium Pulse Laser (4) Large Pulse Laser (2)
Left Leg: Right Leg:
Double Heat Sink Double Heat Sink
Engine: 350 Rate Engine with a top speed of around 76 Kph.
Endo Steel Internal Structure.
12 Tons Ferro-Fibrous Armor. (Auto-Distributed)
Now with this configuration my Mech was at 74.5 Tons out of a maximum of 75 Tons so it came out pretty
well, now if you'll notice, I decide to nest the medium lasers in one arm and nest the large lasers in the
other arm when I could have balanced them out between the 2, well this decision was made because it's
easier to hit the very thin legs of an Owens when all of your lasers are grouped in the same side of the
Mech, try placing 2 medium pulse lasers in one side and the others on the opposing side and try to fire at
the legs of the Owens so you can see what I mean, it makes aiming a whole lot easier.
Of course with this configuration, I made Arm sway aiming more difficult for the beginner pilot since he'd
have to do a lot more footwork if he wanted to hit someone in his left side with the large pulse lasers, the
way I nested the weapons may seem rather impractical now but once you get used to arm sway aiming, it
becomes quite easy to have nested weapons and use arm sway aiming effectively.
The first weapon group contains the Medium Pulse Lasers, the second weapon group contains the Large
Pulse Lasers, the third group contains the SSRM6, and the fourth and last group contains the LRM10, I
then jumped into the scenario and tested for heat dissipation problems but did not find any, even when
using an Alpha strike, after testing the configuration and finding no problems whatsoever, I went back to
the Mech Lab and saved my new configuration with the name `Alternate E` so I could use it at a later time.
When creating new configurations, you need a little patience and a lot of common sense, for example if you
can't seem to fit all of the weapons you'd like, simply lower the engines' rating until you can fit everything
in, if you're going to equip your Mech with any non-instant hit weapons then make sure you equip your
Mech with a targeting computerà Etc. Etc. Just remember: Common sense, there are many more
combinations to try besides the one I just created, for example you can take an Annihilator chassis and turn
it into a walking shotgun by adding numerous LB-X AutoCannons, you'll be able to virtually obliterate
anything that gets in the way as long as you have enough ammunition in your MFB for reloads.
One last thing to keep in mind, light Mechs weren't designed to carry a lot of weapons, although you may
be able to fit 4 medium pulse lasers in a Bushwacker, it only has a very limited number of heat sinks
available so this many lasers will most likely overheat the Mech every time you try to fire in Linked mode,
you'll probably fare better by equipping light Mechs with few energy weapons, and combine them with
projectile based weapons for that added extra bit of damage.
3c.- Arming your Lancemates
Again, you should use common sense when deciding what to give your Lancemates, for example if your
Mech is a powerhouse that can pound any Mech from short ranges into dust, but has problems defending
against enemy Mechs that act like snipers or missile Mechs that pound you with missiles from a distance,
you should definitely give your Lancemate long range capabilities and let him handle those pesky sniper
Mechs, for this you will probably want to equip your Lancemates' Mech with PPCs, Large ER lasers,
LRM20s and Gauss Rifles, of course you will need to master the Lance Command Screen so your
Lancemates can function better and provide you the maximum amount of help possible.
So to recap, if your Mech lacks a certain something, then give your Lancemate a Mech that will
complement your Mech in battle, and perhaps assign a third Lancemate with a Mech with short to medium
range combat capabilities and assign him to defend your `Sniper` Lancemate in case you are distracted and
your Sniper Lancemate gets into a battle He's not equipped to deal with.
As a small reminder, remember that when a Mech is equipped with the Artemis IV Fire Control System, it
will enhance the tracking ability of any missiles it fires, so you should equip one of this if you are planning
on having your Lancemate do a lot of missile sniping.
3d.- Mech Statistics
Annihilator:
Inner Sphere Mech.
Formerly believed to be a design nearly exclusive to the enigmatic Wolf Dragoon's mercenary company
(now known to be a splinter group of Clan Wolf, which may make the design of Clan origin), the
Annihilator is a formidable, heavily armored, short- to medium-range powerhouse. One noted weakness is
that many of its various configurations rely too heavily on ammunition-based weapons, thereby making
them harder to support in the field.
Chassis:
Star League MN-01
Power Plant:
Nissan 200
Cruising Speed:
22 kph
Maximum Speed:
32 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Starshield Special-b
Communications System:
Garret T19-G
Targeting and Tracking System:
Wasat Aggressor Type 5
Weapons System:
4 LB 10-X Cannons
4 Medium Pulse Lasers
Avatar:
Inner Sphere Mech.
After repulsing a vicious Clan assault on their capital world of Luthien in 3051, Draconis Combine forces
were able to salvage numerous Clan OmniMechs. Study and evaluation of these captured units led to a
technological breakthrough: Inner Sphere OmniMechs. One of the first of this new breed to be developed
was the Avatar, based heavily on the Clan Vulture design. Heavily armed and armored, the new OmniMech
can stand toe to toe with many Clan and most Inner Sphere designs of similar size.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
280 XL
Cruising Speed:
43 kph
Maximum Speed:
65 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Luthien Armor Works
Armor Source:
Standard with case
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
2 Medium Lasers
2 Machine Guns
2 Medium Pulse lasers
LB 10-X AC
Autocannon
2 lrm 10s
Artemis IV fcs
Blackhawk:
Inner Sphere Mech.
The Black Hawk is capable of many tasks, but excels at none. Though versatile, powerful and
maneuverable, the Black Hawk cannot match the power of heavier 'Mechs or the maneuverability of lighter
Mechs.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
250 XL
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86 kph
Jump Jets:
150 Meters
Torso Twist:
no
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Standard
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
12 ER Medium Lasers
Bushwacker:
Inner Sphere Mech.
Work on the Bushwacker actually began before the Clan invasion, but was delayed and nearly canceled due
to problems caused by the chassis' unusual shape. The entrance of the Clans solved that problem, as
designers found the answers to their problems in captured Clan Vulture schematics. The revamped
Bushwacker began full production in 3053 and is already a common sight in Inner Sphere units guarding
the Clan border.
Chassis:
Earthwerks GRF
Power Plant:
Hermes
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
TharHes Industries
Armor Source:
Kallon Unity Weave
Ferro-Fibrous with case
Communications System:
TharHes euterpe HM-14
Targeting and Tracking System:
TharHes Ares-8a
Weapons System:
1 autocannon 10
2 lrm 5s
ER Large Laser
2 Machine Guns
Cauldron Born:
Clan Mech
Clan Name: Cauldron Born
A very new design first seen during the Clan assault on Luthien, the Cauldron-Born is generally seen only
among the Smoke Jaguars. Inner Sphere opponents named it after the unstoppable zombies of Irish myth,
because of its ability to sustain massive damage and still remain operational. The heavy OmniMech mounts
a veritable arsenal of weaponry as well, one of the major reasons for its success on Luthien.
Chassis:
Endo Steel
Power Plant:
325XL
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
no
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Ferro-fibrous
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
ER Medium Laser
Gauss Rifle
LB-5X AC Autocannon
SRM 2
Lrm 10
Champion:
Inner Sphere Mech.
The Champion is quite a venerable design, reaching peak production during the heyday of the original Star
League. Few examples of the once popular 'Mech survived the Succession Wars; most of those that did are
in the hands of ComStar or the Clans. The Champion's main assets are its speed and weapons payload ù
despite being as fast as many medium 'Mechs, the Champion mounts an impressive weapons selection. The
price of this was relatively poor armor protection, one of the major reasons that few of these designs
survive today.
Chassis:
Bergan xi
Power Plant:
Vlar 300
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
no
Arm Swing:
no
Version Manufacturer:
Bergan Industries
Armor Source:
2/Star Slab Ferro-
Fibrous
Communications System:
Garret T-11C
Targeting and Tracking System:
Mercury-IV with
Artemis IV FCS
Weapons System:
srm 6
2 medium lasers
2 small Lasers
LB 10-X Cannon
Artemis IVFCS
Daishi:
Clan Mech.
Clan Name: Dire Wolf.
Though supposedly named Daishi (Great Death) by a member of the Draconis Combine's criminal
underworld, the name seems particularly apt. No 'Mech is bigger or deadlier. Though the left shoulder
mount augments the firepower, it is the bundles of lasers, autocannon and other arm pod weapons that
make the Daishi most fearsome. In most configurations, the heat buildup is tremendous. The Daishi is,
nevertheless, an assault 'Mech in the purest sense, able to wade through almost any other defense.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
300 XL
Cruising Speed:
32.4 kph
Maximum Speed:
54 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Standard
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
2 Ultra-5 AC
Autocannons
4 Medium Pulse Lasers
4 ER Large lasers
LRM 10
Firefly:
Inner Sphere Mech.
Like the Annihilator, the Firefly is almost never found outside the Wolf's Dragoons. The Dragoons use it as
a scout 'Mech, utilizing its fair speed and jump capability to discover enemies and provide targeting
information for artillery. As a recon design, the Firefly carries few weapons, though it has enough to
protect itself if discovered performing its mission. To increase its survivability, designers gave it the most
armor a 'Mech of its size could carry, something that has saved more than one Firefly.
Chassis:
Earthwekrs
Power Plant:
GM 150
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86 kph
Jump Jets:
120 Meters
Torso Twist:
no
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Standard
Communications System:
Datcom 18
Targeting and Tracking
System:
Radcom TXX
Weapons System:
3 medium lasers
lrm 5
Anti-Missile System
Mad Cat:
Clan Mech.
Clan Name: Timber Wolf.
The Mad Cat was the first OmniMech to appear in the Inner Sphere. Though bearing a superficial
resemblance to the Inner Sphere Catapult, its advanced technology and superior weapons put an end to any
comparisons. Capable of laying down a punishing barrage of weapons fire at any range, the Mad Cat has
become all but synonymous with the Clans and their assault against the Inner Sphere.
Chassis:
Endo Steel
Power Plant:
375 XL
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86.4 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Standard
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
2 Machine Guns
2 ER medium lasers
medium pulse laser
2 ER large lasers
2 LRM 20s
Orion:
Inner Sphere Mech.
The Orion is an ancient BattleMech design. Created by the long gone Terran Hegemony as the first truly
heavy 'Mech, the Orion has acted as the brute force of major offensives for over 500 years. Even today, the
Orion is still a formidable 'Mech. The longevity of the Orion is due to the simple, yet efficient placement of
systems within the roomy chassis of the 'Mech. Techs enjoy working on Orions, marveling at the ease of
finding and replacing bad components.
Chassis:
Kali Yama
Power Plant:
VLAR 300 XL
Cruising Speed:
43.2 kph
Maximum Speed:
64.8 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
varies
Armor Source:
varies
Communications System:
Irian Orator 5ki-10j
Targeting and Tracking System:
Wasat Aggressor type 5
Weapons System:
LB 10-x Cannon
SRM 4
LRM 20
2 Medium Lasers
Narc Beacon
Owens:
Inner Sphere Mech.
With the development of OmniMech technology in the Inner Sphere, the Draconis Combine began
updating old designs. The aging Jenner, the Combine's perpetual scout 'Mech, was upgraded and refitted,
resulting in the Owens. Developers filled the new design with upgraded technology for scouting and
improved upon the old Jenner's already impressive speed. This makes the new OmniMech a formidable
recon unit, but leaves little space for weaponry; on its own, the Owens lacks combat effectiveness.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
280 XL
Cruising Speed:
86 kph
Maximum Speed:
130 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
no
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Luthien Armor Works
Armor Source:
standard
Communications System:
C3 Network
Targeting and Tracking System:
Beagle Active Probe
with Tag
Weapons System:
TAG
C3 Slave
Beagle Active Probe
Medium laser
2 small lasers
2 lrm 5s
Puma:
Clan Mech.
Clan Name: Adder.
With exceptional ferocity for a light 'Mech, this design was code-named `Puma` when first encountered in
the Inner Sphere. Though fast enough for scouting missions, the Puma can stand up to many Inner Sphere
medium 'Mechs. It has exceptional firepower for a light 'Mech, surprising many MechWarriors« in the
Inner Sphere the first time they face the design.
Chassis:
Endo Steel
Power Plant:
210 XL
Cruising Speed:
64.8 kph
Maximum Speed:
97.2 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
no
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Ferro-fibrous
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
Flamer
2 ER PPCs
Targeting Computer
Shadow Cat:
Clan Mech.
Clan Name: Shadow Cat.
Though nominally a recon unit, the Shadow Cat is deadly in any capacity. High speed and jump capability,
combined with speed boosting technology, make the OmniMech extremely maneuverable. In addition, it
mounts extensive armor protection and quite a bit of advanced Clan weaponry, making the Shadow Cat an
all-around solid design. Many Inner Sphere MechWarriors« have paid the price for underestimating this
deadly 'Mechùit is fully capable of destroying Inner Sphere 'Mechs twice its size.
Chassis:
Endo Steel
Power Plant:
270 XL
Cruising Speed:
65 kph
Maximum Speed:
97 kph
Jump Jets:
187 Meters
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Ferro-fibrous
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
Gauss Rifle
2 ER Medium lasers
Active Probe
Strider:
Inner Sphere Mech.
Drawing primarily on the aging Cicada design, this new OmniMech is solid, if uninspired. Utilizing a bulky
and heavy standard engine kept costs down, but gave the designers few options. They chose to generalize,
giving the Strider adequate armor protection, a decent speed for a medium 'Mech and a small array of
weaponry. By trying to do too many things, it stretches itself too thin: the Strider is truly a jack-of-all-
trades, but a master of none.
Chassis:
Endo Steel
Power Plant:
240 Standard
Cruising Speed:
65 kph
Maximum Speed:
97 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Luthien Armor Works
Armor Source:
Standard with Case
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
small laser
2 srm 6s
Beagle Active probe
Artemis IV FCS
Sunder:
Inner Sphere Mech.
The largest of the new Inner Sphere OmniMechs, the Sunder is loosely based on the Clan Loki and Thor
designs. Delays brought on by technological failures and stress problems with the chassis made this one of
the last OmniMechs to see full-scale production. Once it was put in service, though, it quickly became
evident that the new design compared favorably with most other Inner Sphere assault 'Mechs. The inferior
quality of its Inner Sphere weaponry, however, makes the Sunder no real match for Clan 'Mechs of
equivalent size.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
360 XL
Cruising Speed:
43 kph
Maximum Speed:
65 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Luthien Armor Works
Armor Source:
Standard
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
AC/20 Autocannon
2 medium lasers
2 large Lasers
3 SRM 4s
Supernova:
Clan Mech.
Clan Name: Supernova.
Known as the `big brother` of the Clan Black Hawk OmniMech, the Supernova is a frightening monument
to the Clans' range advantage. Mounted on a heavily armored chassis is a blistering array of extended-
range lasers, fully capable of destroying an Inner Sphere 'Mech before it can get close enough to fire its
weapons. It does have some heat-dissipation problems, however, which reduce its available firepower from
time to time. Though slow, the Supernova is jump-capable, making it maneuverable enough to easily find
good firing positions.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
270 Standard
Cruising Speed:
32 kph
Maximum Speed:
54 kph
Jump Jets:
90 Meters
Torso Twist:
no
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Standard
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
6 ER Large lasers
Thor:
Clan Mech.
Clan Name: Summoner
The Thor's main advantages over other heavy designs are its mobility and its devastating short- and
medium-range capability. This is true in virtually all configurations; though the Thor may be less powerful
than some designs and less quick than others, it is a successful blend of firepower and mobility.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
350 XL
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86.4 kph
Jump Jets:
150 Meters
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Ferro-Fibrous
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
lb 10-x autocannon
ER PPC
LRM 15
Vulture:
Clan Mech.
Clan Name: Mad Dog.
In its primary configuration, the Vulture serves mostly as a fire-support 'Mech. Many MechWarriors have
remarked at the sense of foreboding they felt upon looking up to see a Vulture perched on a ridge, firing its
long-range missile racks into the battle below. Should the Vulture injure an enemy at long range, it can use
its laser weapons to finish off its foe.
Chassis:
Standard
Power Plant:
300 XL
Cruising Speed:
54 kph
Maximum Speed:
86.4 kph
Jump Jets:
None
Torso Twist:
yes
Arm Swing:
yes
Version Manufacturer:
Unknown
Armor Source:
Ferro-Fibrous
Communications System:
Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System:
Unknown
Weapons System:
2 medium pulse lasers
2 large pulse lasers
2 lrm 20s
4.- Preliminary Mission Walkthroughs:
I will now walk you through the first 2 operation zones, please note that these are not intended to be used as
`Full Walkthroughs`, Full Walkthroughs will be written at a later time when this document is considered
`Finished` by the author, I will be providing even more detailed information such as maps, and step by step
indications for all of the operational zones and missions, it will be the second text released.
4a.- Mission 1 Op Zone 1
Enemies to look out for: Expect to see a number of APCs and a light Mech towards the
end of the mission, be on the look out for various missile
towers dotted along the landscape.
General Degree of Difficulty: Very Easy.
You start your campaign to escape from the planet in a Bushwacker Mech standing in the ocean looking
towards the shore and a small town, begin by walking towards the town until you come to a path, now turn
to bearing 240 and follow the path, you will come across 2 APCs eventually so select that ER Laser and
destroy the tanks, after the tanks are gone keep following the path until you get more red dots in your radar,
stop and target them, they are turrets so it'll be easy sniping them using the ER laser and your Zoom mode,
once the turrets have been eliminated proceed following the path until you come to a bridge, the bridge will
be destroyed, however there's a slope which you can use to climb up to the plateau, be wary for there is a
light enemy Mech up here, go for it's legs using the ER Laser, then switch to your Autocannon, repeat until
the Mech is defeated, there are more missile turrets here so destroy them before they can fire at you, once
the turrets and the enemy Mech are gone, point your weapons at the Comm Satellite here and destroy it,
once that is done follow the path to where your MFB is awaiting. This is the end of this mission.
4b.- Mission 2 Op Zone 1
Enemies to Look for: A Light Owens Mech, A Strider Light Mech, various Bulldogs
and APCs, and 2 heavy missiles towers.
General Degree of Difficulty: Easy.
At the start of the mission, go around the MFBs and go down the path in front of you, you will meet 2
APCs and an Owens along the way so watch yourself, now press Shift-R to call up your map display and
examine the map, in the upper left corner of the map are 2 heavy missile launchers that will pepper you
from the distance with missiles, what you must do is use the missile towers' blind spot, keep going along
the path until you come to a mountain range, this mountain will cover you from the missile towers, hug the
mountain and begin turning right until you are facing bearing 220, keep going until you come to another
mountain and turn to face West, keep going, you may be threatened by a number of APCs off to your far
right.. Ignore them for now and keep going, you will eventually be encountered with 2 Bulldog tanks,
destroy these, keep going until you come to another mountain, here turn to face North and keep going, you
should see a slope going up into a plateau and the first heavy missile tower, destroy it, once it has been
destroyed move on to the second and destroy it also, you may be harassed by a pair of Bulldogs by now so
watch out, once the towers have been destroyed head down the East road, across the bridge and into the
barracks, you must destroy all of the tanks and the Light Strider Mech to capture the barracks and complete
the mission.
4c.- Mission 3 Op Zone 1
Enemies to Look for: A Light Firefly Mech, A Light Strider Mech, A Medium
Bushwacker Mech, a number of missile turrets, a number of
Bulldogs.
General Degree of Difficulty: Medium.
At the start, begin by turning to bearing 303 and follow the road, there's an incoming Firefly Mech so be
wary, follow the winding road down but keep your eyes peeled for Bulldogs which you can take out from a
distance, keep moving along the road until you come to a cluster of buildings, there's a Light Strider Mech
prowling about, also there are a number of missile bunkers in range so switch to your ER Laser and make
short work of them, once you have taken care of the enemy threat look at the cluster of buildings and fire at
the support pillars to knock the buildings down, you will receive a confirmation after you have completely
totaled the building. After you have destroyed it, keep heading down the path, there are missile bunkers and
Bulldogs scattered about so destroy them from a distance while you have the chance, keep going down the
path until you come to a bridge, cross the bridge and prepare yourself for a difficult battle.
There is a Commander prowling about in a Bushwacker.
Here are the stats on the Bushwackers' Weapon systems:
Weapons System:
1 autocannon 10
2 lrm 5s
ER Large Laser
2 Machine Guns
you must use caution when engaging the enemy Mech, note that the Autocannon is quite deadly to you, so
you may want to try shooting the weapon off the enemy Mech before you attempt to destroy it, you should
try to disable one of it's legs so you can later salvage the Bushwacker chassis for later use, after you beat
the Commander, locate a cluster of buildings that is in the area and use the same tactic you used to destroy
the previous cluster, attack the support pillars, once you have received confirmation of the buildings'
destruction continue down the path and head to nav point Charlie, there are a few missile turrets so snipe
them before you arrive at nav point Charlie, once you arrive order your MFB to proceed to nav point
Charlie, once they arrive the mission will end in success.
4d.- Mission 4 Op Zone 1
Enemies to Look for: A Medium Blackhawk Mech, A Light Firefly Mech, A Owens
Light Mech, A Light Strider Mech, A Medium Orion Mech.
General Degree of Difficulty: Medium.
From the start, turn right and follow the path all the way to a bridge, cross the bridge and enter the town, be
ready for an encounter with a new Black Hawk Mech, weapon systems are as follows:
Weapons System:
12 ER Medium Lasers
The 12 ER lasers may seem intimidating, but fortunately for you, the Mech cannot fire all of it's lasers
without overheating, so just concentrate your fire on it's legs and you should have little or no problem
defeating it, there is also a Light Firefly Mech, try not to let the 2 Mechs gang up on you, use the buildings
in the town to separate the 2 Mechs so you can fight them one at a time, after you have defeated both
Mechs, target the `Greenhouse` buildings and destroy them, at this point Dominic Paine should be arriving,
Paine is one of your Lancemates and has a very capable Shadow Cat Mech, one thing to note is that
Dominic carries a Gauss Rifle on his Mech so leave sniper duties to him, now look around until you see a
large building in the water, this is the Power Station which you must destroy, when you have destroyed it,
locate the road and follow it to nav point Charlie, your last objective is located in an island which is
accessible either by crossing a large body of water, or by using 2 bridges protected by a few missile turrets,
either way you choose you will have to face an Owens, a Strider and a heavier Mech you have not faced
before, the Orion.
Weapons System:
LB 10-x Cannon
SRM 4
LRM 20
2 Medium Lasers
Narc Beacon
Be very wary of that LB 10X Autocannon, it will tear you to shreds if it hit you, you should probably try
taking the 3 enemy Mechs from a distance, or engage them while underwater, the LB10X cannon won't fire
underwater so you will have the advantage, if you must engage the Orion in ground combat, definitely try
to shoot the LB10X cannon off or you'll find yourself getting knocked down a lot, remember to use your
Lancemate, when you defeat the Orion, locate and destroy the 2 Laser towers and the Factory, destroy them
both to accomplish your mission.
4e.- Mission 1 Op Zone 2
Enemies to Look for: A Light Firefly Mech, 2 Light Owens Mechs, A Medium
Shadow Cat Mech, A Medium Thor Mech, 4 Elemental
Troops, Several Turrets and 4 tanks.
General Degree of Difficulty: Hard.
Be wary right from the start, You will be attacked by 4 tanks from the West and a Light Firefly Mech from
the South, order your Lancemate to go for the Firefly while you take care of the tanks, protect your MFBs
at all costs! After the threat has been eliminated, deploy your MFBs and repair your Mech in case you are
damaged, order your Lancemate also if He sustained damage, after repairs are done make your way South,
you should see a broken down wall with 2 turrets, one on either side, destroy these turrets and check your
radar because there is a Owens Light Mech approaching from the South, once the Owens is destroyed, go
through the broken down wall and snipe the 2 turrets in your front, you will soon be attacked by 4
Elemental troops, destroy them, then you will likely be attacked by an Owens Light Mech standing on one
of the ramps here, destroy the Mech and repair your Mech because you are about to face another
Commander piloting a Thor, here are the stats:
Weapons System:
lb 10-x autocannon
ER PPC
LRM 15
This is not going to be an easy fight, the Commander appears from an elevator on one of the structures
here, also note that you can get up there by destroying the support pillars in the ramps, this will cause the
ramp to break in half and allow you to walk up there, if you are able to lure the Thor to stand under the
ramp, you can shoot the pillars so the ramp falls on top of him, this will disable him instantly, if this fails
then you should concentrate on shooting his legs to make him fall down, then seize the opportunity and
attack him while he's recovering, also note that the Commander has a Lancemate, a Shadow Cat Light
Mech, you should take care of the Commander first, since He's too much of a danger to leave unchecked,
once you have beaten him, call your MFBs to nav point Baker, this will end the mission in success.
4f.- Mission 2 Op Zone 2
Enemies to Look for: 2 Medium Orion Mechs, A Light Shadow Cat Mech, A Light
Bushwacker Mech, A Firefly Light Mech, A Medium
Blackhawk Mech, 3 Elemental Troops, various Tanks, Trucks
and Turrets.
General Degree of Difficulty: Medium.
You will be attacked by a Medium Orion Mech and a Shadow Cat Light Mech right from the start, so get
ready with your Lancemate, tell him to attack the Orion so the 2 of you can finish it off quickly without
risking unrepairable damage from it's LB-10X Cannon, after the Orion is dusted, turn your guns to the
Shadow Cat, you and your Lancemate probably sustained damage so order your MFB to deploy and carry
out the repair procedure, once you are repaired, turn to heading 255 and follow the path going towards the
West exit, after you enter the West Exit you will be attacked by a Bushwacker Mech and a few tanks,
watch out for the Bushwackers' Autocannon when you engage it, after the Bushwacker is gone, turn your
fire to the trucks and tanks, then turn your guns towards the Docking Stations here, you will receive a
confirmation when they are destroyed, once you are done in this area, proceed through the exit here and
head towards the enemy Headquarters, there are 3 Elementals patrolling outside, and the HQ itself is
protected by turrets and a Firefly Mech so deal with them, once they are gone destroy the Access Elevator
to complete this area, now continue heading East, you will meet up with a Blackhawk and an Orion Mech,
use the same procedure as before, tell your Lancemate to engage the Orion so He'll draw it's fire while you
pummel it's legs, take care of it quickly and move on to the Blackhawk, you should have much problem
destroying it after the Orion is gone, now you must locate the elevator door, it's a big green hexagonal
door, once you find the door, shoot it to knock it down, go inside and locate the elevator, this will end the
mission successfully.
4g.- Mission 3 Op Zone 2
Enemies to Look for: 2 Firefly Light Mechs, A Light Strider Mech, Several Light
Puma Mechs, A Medium Champion Mech, Some Tanks and
APCs and 3 Helicopters.
General Degree of Difficulty Hard.
From the start, you will be attacked by 2 Firefly Light Mechs and a few tanks, they will attempt to destroy
your MFBs so stick close by in case any of the tanks slip by you, once the tanks are dead attack and destroy
the Firefly Mechs, locate and destroy the Cargo Lift building that is close by to complete one of your
objectives, locate a road and follow it heading towards nav point Baker, You will eventually encounter a
Strider Light Mech, dispatch it and proceed down the road until you reach a bridge, the area on the other
side of the bridge is populated by Light Puma Mechs, these are very weak when alone, but can be fierce
opponents when they are in numbers, beware of their PPCs, these weapons are quite damaging, fortunately
they are easy to dodge so simply run circles around the Puma and you should be relatively safe, if the
Pumas inflict too much damage, retreat towards your MFB for repairs, there are also 3 Helicopters roaming
the area, they shouldn't be too much of a problem with Large Pulse or ER Lasers, once you have taken care
of the Pumas make your way to the structures in this area, when you reach them a Champion Mech will
appear, here are the Stats:
Weapons System:
srm 6
2 medium lasers
2 small Lasers
LB 10-X Cannon
Artemis IVFCS
It may seem intimidating, but one important thing to note is that this Mech cannot rotate it's torso and
cannot use Arm swaying, so if you use your Lancemate, there shouldn't be too much of a problem dealing
with it, once the Champion has been taken care of, jump in the water and locate a tunnel, this tunnel will
lead you to nav point Charlie, follow the tunnel to Charlie and you will have completed this mission.
4h.- Mission 4 Op Zone 2
Enemies to Look for: A Light Owens Mech, 2 Thor Medium Mechs, A Puma Light
Mech, an Annihilator Heavy Mech and a single turret.
General Degree of Difficulty: Very Hard.
This mission is quite challenging to conquer on the first go, so it may take a couple of tries before you get
it, from the start proceed down the West tunnel and follow it, there is an Owens Mech guarding the exit of
the tunnel here, try to destroy it as it tries to escape because you'll encounter heavy opposition here, so the
less Mechs you have to worry about, the better, regardless of whether you destroyed it or not there are 2
Thor Mechs waiting for you when you exit the tunnel, fortunately they are separated from each other so
you can assign your Lancemate to attack one while you attack the other, deal heavy damage to incapacitate
it as quickly as possible, when you are done with him go help your Lancemate with the other Thor, when
you destroy the second Thor, turn your guns towards the support pillars that are holding a ramp up, this
ramp contains all of the machines you must destroy, you also need to destroy the ramp to go up into your
second objective, after you've destroyed the ramp conduct repairs first, once you are ready head up the
ramp and take out the turret guarding the entrance to the Mech factory, locate the door and fire your
weapons at it causing it to break, go inside and proceed down the corridor, the Mech factory is dead ahead,
you will need to engage a Puma here, and one of the most feared Mechs: An Annihilator, here are it's
weapon specs:
Weapons System:
4 LB 10-X Cannons
4 Medium Pulse Lasers
As you can see, the Annihilator is armed to the teeth with LB 10X Autocannons, you will need to order
your Lancemate to attack it, if the Annihilator manages to knock you down, it will most likely tear you
apart while you are recovering, so you must rely heavily on you Lancemate to draw it's fire while you
recover, you should try to cause him to fall by shooting at it's legs, that will give you the upper hand, if you
manage to survive this fierce battle you must then train your guns towards the Mech factory and destroy it,
thereby ending the mission and granting you a second Lancemate: Epona Rhi.
5.- Epilogue:
Well, this is all I can teach you with words, fellow Mechwarrior, and unless I carry you through each of the
missions by hand, the time has come for you to employ the knowledge I just provided and practice, no
amount of words will ever make you a great pilot, if you still have trouble finishing all of the campaign
missions, then head into Instant Action and practice, fight more and more powerful Mechs, in no time
You'll be able to take on an entire Lance of Mechs by yourself, with perseverance, anything can be
accomplished.
If you'd like more information on Battletech based games, point your browser to
www.dropshipcommand.com/default.htm, this page is an excellent resource for Mechwarrior news.
If You'd like to contact me, feel free to e-mail me at vulkan4@hotmail.com, but don't expect a quick reply
since I don't check my mail all that often, my regular e-mail address is currently down so I have to use this
Hotmail account, I'd say give it a few months and then you can start to get worried about me.
My regular e-mail address is vulkan@pixelnet.penguinpowered.com, feel free to try and send me a e-mail,
perhaps by the time you read this everything will be sorted out with the pop3 server.
