Nothing fancy, just a fast SRM striker. Race round the battlefield, close in, hit hard with a 38 point alpha and escape. Use the MGs to take advantage of any holes you make with the SRMs and panic your opponent. Best used around the brawl where you can get into good flanking positions fast. Not ideally suited to chasing lights as it can be hard to score direct hits with the SRMs. Drop AMS for an XL350 if you prefer a touch more speed. For max speed on an XL360, drop a ton of MG ammo and some armour (or one of the MGs) as well. Edit: Evidence of its capabilities can be seen here. After that round I'm thinking more SRMs might be needed. Maybe at the expense of the AMS... Alternate "balanced" version sacrificing some SRM power for a LL (build by Aylek):
I feel it's lacking long range weaponry. What do you think of a LL? (by removing the AMS and shaving the armor you can mount one without downgrading the engine - it becomes a different build though)
Close range wide area weapons (as in: not able to deliver a killing blow to an injured part) and an XL engine, hm. What is your experience with this build ?
Some quick adjustments: -> -1t SRM ammo -> -2 SRM6, +2 SRM4, -> -MPL, + LL -> armor re-allocation And this is the result: Pros in comparison to the OP's build: - added limited long range capabilities - less SRM-spread Cons in comparison - Alpha strike lowered - slightly worse cooling efficiency
That's definitely one way to go if you want a bit more balance. I don't find range to be too much of an issue though - at 110 kph you can generally dictate range pretty well. Aylek's suggestion pretty much nails that concept. [quote author=Marec link=topic=4517.msg27692#msg27692 date=1383570898] Close range wide area weapons (as in: not able to deliver a killing blow to an injured part) and an XL engine, hm. What is your experience with this build ? [/quote] Haven't had any issues 'finishing' really. The MGs + MPLas give you some precision plus crit power, and the spread on the SRMs is pretty good, so you can generally get enough of them on target. In terms of the XL - I got down to 15% in one game today. Wish I had a screenshot of it. I didn't notice myself but someone on the enemy team said "respect for getting down to 15% before dying". I lost both arms and had no armour on anything but my head by the end. So it can be pretty survivable if you take full advantage of the speed and torso twist. On the other hand, the XL means things can go bad quickly. The weapons are light enough that you could do a Standard build if you wanted to, but I prefer the speed. Edit: Hmmm, looks like you can get up to a Std 300 quite easily without sacrificing too much, which gives a respectable 97 kph, but I think I'll be sticking with the XL. For example:
This build is pretty fun! The SRMs were surprisingly decent for me... Although I was cored out in the shoulder a couple of times (*shakes fist at boom-Jagers*). I played only 3 rounds, but here's the best of them: I preferred Aylek's Large Laser version in the end, with some armor exchanged for more SRM ammo. The Mpulse just doesn't cut it for me, and I often find myself with an open shot but no range to follow through. 5-stars for an effective build that can adapt to the user's preferences, and makes full use of the three ballistic slots on the SHD-2H.
I'm playing something with a similar load out. Engine is a bit smaller but it trades that and the AMS for a PPC so that I can contribute at longer range. These SRM Shadowhawk builds have been really awesome! May eventually go with a LLas instead of the PPC though.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us Gave it a try, found it very nice. I use a 275xl and an ERLL instead but the smaller engine gives room for ammo too. edit: ALSO FerroFib armor instead of endo structure love the armor.
I would run it with 12 DHS.. because: don't believe only in a high Smurfy C.E. Value. 10 Heatsinks mean that if you get high Heatlevel (e.g. on hot maps), you have to wait ages for Cooling down. The triple SRM.Pods can run hot very fast, especially if you add the MPLas to the fire. I would replace the MPlas by a regular MLas, drop some Armor and 1ton of Missiles for the extra Cooling, plus Engine Upgrade:
Personally, I wouldn't run with less than the 4 tons of SRMs (for close-range versions) - they're the main weapons, and you can get through 400 rounds quite easily. I've been trying it with 5 tons lately at the expense of the AMS - seems to be plenty, but you become a bit of a walking bomb Also, I wouldn't shave that much armour from the legs. Using JJs to spread damage up close you take a lot of hits to the legs, and I've noticed a tendency for SHD legs to come off. With all the ammo in them getting used last, you don't want this to happen. For this kind of build I would suggest keeping leg armour close to max. If you feel the need for the extra heat sinks Blagg, I'd drop the engine back to the 340 in your build for another ton of SRMs and 0.5 tons of leg armour. [quote author=Napes339 link=topic=4517.msg28070#msg28070 date=1383844012] I'm playing something with a similar load out. Engine is a bit smaller but it trades that and the AMS for a PPC so that I can contribute at longer range. These SRM Shadowhawk builds have been really awesome! [/quote] Looks like a fun option for those wanting a more balanced build!
Honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with this mech but I've finally reverted back to the build after another week of trying to get an AC combination that I liked. When SRMs register properly that 32 point volley of missiles coupled with the critting power of the triple MGs is awesome... however, when the hit reg gets all wonky its just depressing. It especially suffers against lights since its often difficult to land concentrated missile fire on them.
I run mine with an ER Large Laser with Adv. Sensor and Adv. Zoom modules. The mobility combined with a long-range poke nets me plenty of assists, suppression, and focused damage to crack armor. In my third match with this setup this happened: Five stars!