From Russ' Twitter feed today (Russ tweets in bold): So next quirk pass in a couple weeks...maybe new meta mechs incoming!
Strange comment as the one thing you can't accuse him is of being an overpaid sportsman that refuses to communicate. Even weirder the people that defend that sportsman.... sign a contract, earn insane money... fulfill your contractual duties.
Finally news, so I can actually hold off and don't buy anything until they make changes. My biggest hope is no nerf for wolverines as they are really fun but overall very balanced (low armor, xl, drop arm and you are useless). Of course it really looks like the date of the end of the TDR 9S supremacy, but we will see.
Thats my concern as it happens... well that and I'd still prefer they didn't kill the TDR's.... I notice how few Dragon's I'm now seeing as they may have great firepower but wow they're vulnerable.
A lot of people probably heard how incredible the Dragon 1N was, but then hopped in and realized the same thing, and never learned how to torso twist well enough to try and negate some of that vulnerability, or at least prolong their lives a bit. I still see a good number of them, and still do great with mine, but I see a lot of donkey Dragons who don't understand the limitations of the chassis. The biggest reason you see so many more 9S/5SS tbolts is because they can put out their damage while being able to absorb a lot more hate thanks to better hitboxes and a standard engine...so yeah, I think they are more in line to get hit with a nerf than WVR and DRG is. We'll see though...it's possible that this will focus more on the mechs they missed/ignored before. Either way, we could have a new meta in 2 weeks.
Well in my opinion the big difference between the mechs is really the insta damage of the ER PPC's - snap fire 30 pts to one panel and keep moving at full speed to a new position or back into cover as it hits - compared to the necessity of standing with your weapon arm in full view to repeatedly fire. The vulnerability just comes in because of the nature of the weapons as the DRG-1N NEEDS an XL to get enough ammo and speed to function well, while having all its primary weaponry in the one arm. That said I get far less big kill numbers with the TDR-9S, compared to the DRG-1N, its just so forgiving that in CW its a slam dunk if you can afford the 5 tons extra weight, which most can due to being able to fill with WVR's. I'm a bit leery of them tweaking the IS mechs atm as it just makes it easy dominance again for the TBR/SCR's.
*pleasedon`tnerfthewolvies* - They can do great and are much fun to play atm, but are still fragile which makes them not really OP. Edit: I mean WVR, not TBR ^^ (sry, Lan)
The TDR felt like, let's take one of the crappiest mech and boost it to the top, to place a counter to TBR/SCR...and it did work, but it's not like the TBR with 2 ERPPCs and 3 ERSLAS is that inferior. So the nerf is sure needed but something like 30% heat reduction instead of 50% (which is, being honest, silly). As for the WVR they are like dragons in pros and cons (but with slightly worse offensive quirks), and they don't even get the defensive quirks, so I see no reason to nerf them. But the dragon as well, I don't own it and I can kill them no problem, only the best pilots can make them fearsome, so even here, 50% to 40% cooldown is the most I'd do (or even leave them alone).
Don't worry, Russ stated in a Town Hall meeting this is pass 2 of phase one, phase one being IS mechs. They will be adding quirks to mechs that had none and some adjustments. Clan mechs will get their own quirk pass after IS is done. Ah, sorry, thought you meant the Timber Wolf. Wolverines, gotcha.
The TDR-9S is so much over the top atm that people I met used 3 of them plus a BJ-1X as their preferred drop deck in CW. It's hardly justifiable NOT to bring at least one of them in your drop deck because they are so much better in their role than any possible alternatives. This is nice on the one hand as I find Clan pilots bitching about the OPness of an IS heavy mech very amusing, but on the other hand tells a whole story by itself about the balancing of the various chassis and variants. I was considering rebuying the BJ-1X as well as the WVR-6K during the last faction sales, but was neither ready to shell out for even more mechbays nor to sell any of my current mechs. With LP rewards fully active now this isn't a concern for ne anymore, but the upcoming quirk pass means I will safe my CBills until it's done.
But why is this anything new. You're playing to win aren't you and if a mech or setup gives you 1% better performance you go for that. CW is twisted towards energy weapons which means clans have a HUGE advantage with two slot double heat sinks, xl engines without the vulnerabilty and lessened space requirements, targetting computers, smaller and lighter weaponry. To counter that you have a handful of IS mechs that can fit..... survivability .... energy... long range... minimal exposure... standard engine..... reasonably maneuvarable... fits in a 4 mech drop deck.... Ok the IS just have ONE which is the Thunderbolt-9S and maybe the LPL version (9SE?). Its not that one is insanely overpowered imo its that the IS need more competitive mechs. Provide that and then feel free to drop the 9S's bonuses slighly ......
Indeed. I don't want the TDR-9S to get worse with the upcoming quirk pass, just a little bit toned down with other mechs stepping up quite a bit as well. I haven't met many CTF-3D or CTFs in general lately, for example, and for good reason. Isn't ironic the latest mech to be won in a challenge was a CTF? Anyway, let's see if the quirk pass is able to create some more playable mechs or variants.
@Aylek, exactly. I found it quite hilarious that it was the 3D which used to be the most played heavy...which is now, almost, never seen. It's among the rarest on the field now I believe. It's not bad really, it's just a little underpowered at the moment. If I want a poptarting PPC IS mech I'd look at...oh, maybe the Vindicators thanks to the quirks and JJ mechanics for medium mechs.
Has to be said I was paired up fighting with Bodzan on Tuesday (I think it was) who was piloting a CTF-3D who got plenty of kills. He always does well in the tournaments though and is a good pilot so I suspect the difference just is that its no longer the easy mode weapon platform it was.
It should be noted that the 3D may have some new life soon as well, as it is almost certain to be getting some quirks this time. Still no word on exactly what mechs we are getting, but I'm hoping they will open the PTS for a looksie
