MechWarrior: Online - Victor Thoughts (July BattleMech?)

Update 1: Screw the Victor, I'm getting my beloved Unseen Mechs and the Battlemaster is a clear replacement for the Victor.

Image courtesy of mwomercs.com

Epic story [Here].

If I'm not mistaken, I believe PGI have confirmed that the Victor will be July's BattleMech (confirmed via the NGNG team on a podcast or in those Dev Questions). Least it had better be July's BattleMech. I don't care much for the Orion and the "Orion/Quickdraw Controversy", but I do care if they pull another "Quickdraw" next month.

Now why am I so obsessed with the Victor? Well, because it's AWESOME!! No not the ironically shit Awesome; but because the Victor is actually a rather fantastic Mech.

As far as I'm concerned, PGI have not revealed any of the Victor variants, but we can guess what they are. My guesses are:

The VTR-9B, VTR-9A, VTR-9D and some (hopefully) unique HeroMech Victor.

With the VTR-9B; I truly believe, without a doubt, that variant will be playable. It's the Victor featured in the original TRO (Technical Readout 3025). The VTR-9A is merely a calculated guess. It too is featured in the original TRO, but only in text under the "Variants" paragraph. The VTR-9D is the Victor featured in PGI's little story that came with the Victor Concept Art. In addition, PGI always release a variant that is fitted with Star League Technology.

The HeroMech Victor (I think) will be released along with the other 3 variants. It'll be like what they did with the Heavy Metal. It'll be released about 1 or 2 weeks earlier than the other Victors. Oddly enough, I support them releasing new Mechs this way. They earn more money, which keeps the game going and we don't have to wait a bloody long time for a HeroMech to come out (like the Misery or the Firebrand).

I have a hunch; the HeroMech Victor might be the Victor Li (piloted by Tai-sho Li Dok To). It has 10 Medium Lasers in the Right Arm and 1 LRM15 in the Left Torso. I really, really hope it's not this Victor, but I feel it will be. It is super unique in comparison to the other Victors, but it feels like a one-trick pony. It can boat a whopping 10 Medium Lasers (which is 50 Damage) but it's all in the 1 arm. Destroy the Right Torso or the Right Arm, and there goes 90% of your firepower. Though that Variant would be damn fun to pilot! I'd be cackling madly as I fire 10 Medium Pulse Lasers from 1 arm!!

The Victor is classed as an Assault BattleMech; but (IMO) would actually play like a Heavy BattleMech. It's like a Cicada for lack of a better analogy. The Cicada is basically a bigger and fatter Jenner (it's a Medium BattleMech that fills the role/plays like a Light BattleMech). In this case, the Victor moves at around 64kph (like any Heavy BattleMech) and would have similar, if not slightly better firepower than a Heavy BattleMech.

I've already worked out the perfect "Base" for my modified Victor VTR-9B.

As you can see, I've taken a perfectly stock standard VTR-9B but removed all its weapons, gave it Endo Steel, Double Heat Sinks and increase the armour to 15 Tons (which is 480 points of armour). In addition I gave it an AMS. Current total is 50 Tons, which means I get 30 Tons to play around with.

Note: Since the VTR-9B is armed with 1 AC20, 2 Medium Lasers and 1 SRM4, I assume the minimum Hardpoints it'll have are: 1 Ballistic, 2 Energy and 1 Missile.

Using a Highlander and Atlas in the MechLab; I can easily work out how much Heat would be generated by my loadouts and how many Heat Sinks I'd need. If I went with 1 AC20 with 3 Tons of Ammo and 2 Large Lasers, 10 Double Heat Sinks will suffice, and that'll give me 3 Tons leftover to play around with. If I put in 1 SRM4 (with 1 Ton of Ammo), I'd have Heat Issues.

If the VTR-9B came with 3 Energy Hardpoints, I'd probably go for: 1 AC20 with 3 Tons of Ammo, 1 Large Pulse Laser, 2 Medium Lasers and 14 Double Heat Sinks, which would give me 1 Ton leftover to play around with (maybe 1 Jump Jet too assuming it uses a Jump Jet III).

Anyway, I hope the Victor doesn't come with the Highlander HGN-733C arm quick. Yes you read that right. I would actually prefer it if the Victor can only move it's Arms up and down (like it should). This means I can actually use it without Arm Lock on. I play with a Joystick, and controlling a Mech with Lower Arm Actuators using a Joystick is bloody damn difficult. I can easily control a Jagermech's arms (somehow Joystick control with arms going up and down only is really easy).