BATTLETECH: Hermes II HER-5Sr Battlytics | Mech Review | Mercenaries Kickstarter

[@matthewneuendorf5763]

My impression of the Hermes II is that it was intended as a kind of light trooper to counter enemy scout and raider units. In that role, the MPL makes sense, as it fills in the minimum range of the HPPC and lets it tag those 'Mechs which are fast enough to get closer than it'd like (at point blank range the pulse bonus is great for high-TMM runners, and 6 damage is nothing to sneeze at for a 20-tonner.

[@davidboatwright8688]

A Marik staple the only gets better with time. I love them and they perform well on field in pretty much any era

[@rbmore3]

Hermies pilots are Firestarter pilots who havent blossomed yet.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

*slaps firestarter* “son, when you hit puberty, you can pilot a man’s ‘mech.”

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

Heavy PPC and ER ML plus an extra double HS. Sold.

[@sebastiang.5032]

Heavy PPCs make me happy. 😊

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Big, beautiful PPCs. Some say the best PPCs.

[@theangryMD]

i dig it, tend to ignore the 40s. i also have a sarna tab open at all times either on my laptop or on my phone.

[@rotwang2000]

The Classic Hermes II is an OK scout and sniper especially against lighter mechs. This upgrade makes it a useful secondary support mech and light mech killer.

[@kenhodge9046]

Oh YEAH! Working on my two Hermes Mechs this week. Love them especially the variety with that Heavy PPC.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Alright alright no need to brag about your KS 😂😁

[@Heckibrd]

Hermes is a favorite of mine, love the look of it with its helmet head and wing tipped shoes. In my experience it performs the best of the 40 tonners.

[@misterbeeps]

My doctor prescribed penicillin for my Hermes.

[@misterbeeps]

3:23 and a shampoo for that problem.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Lmao well done as always!

[@williamtanner2166]

Love the humor! Watch out for the friends that want to pilot a Hermes, they could be pyromaniacs!

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Haha you never know!!

[@Slightlylyons1]

The Medium Pulse Laser is there to fend off light fast mechs that might get inside the minimum range of the HPPC.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Maybe. Unless you are literally losing initiative every turn and running straight at your target, how often does that happen on a ‘mech that already can run 9 hexes? Idk I think IS pulse weapons suck. They need their range updated. I’d take twin MLas any day of the week for the same tonnage. Dice casino is in your favor and unless the target is 2 hexes away you aren’t really cashing in on the pulse bonus.

[@Magermh]

Good review. As requested my thoughts. I started to like the Hermes II after playing it in a 3025 AC-5 lineup of Rifleman, Shadowhawk, Wolverine, and Herme II. It was just fine despite the AC-5s lack of damage but fair range for the era. The Hrermes II HER-5S fits the 3050s with a similar lineup with upgrading the ACs to UAC. The HER-5Sr is a wonderful linear upgrade to the mech as it removed the autocannon with a jam chance to better sustained energy loadout. I would keep the Medium Pulse Laser as many pilots are going to be a 4/5 and anything with a jump of 7 maybe immune to your weapons fire unless taking a vet pilot of ¾ or 3/5. But this is a matter of do you want that higher skilled pilot as the improved pilot would help the main weapon of heavy PPC. The flamer is useful in setting smoke screens but not every player will dare to play with fire or stand in it as a mechwarrior for smoke cover. Because pyro titles stick better than soot on battlemech paint. I am positive a company of infantry look at mechs that lack anti-infantry weapons as targets. So, I am keeping the flamer for my moral. Just for the after-action BBQ or steel beach picknick.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

lol after-action BBQ. Love it!!!

[@Boseeinsteinshake]

Nice! I always enjoy your Battlytics videos. I kind of like the Medium pulse laser, it helps to hit stuff that needs to get very close to be effective and is nimble enough to do so- like the Heavy Small Laser variants of Clan Omnimechs. This is however one of the rare cases where I would maybe switch to a Medium X-Pulse Laser.

[@HouseMasterPoDing]

I suppose if I were being forced to play Marik mechs, this is definitely one I would play. I do love the Heavy PPC, and as you say, not the Medium Pulse so much. The Hermes II was always one of those mechs I would scoff at, mostly due to its weak armament. This variant certainly solves that problem.

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

“Never scoff at a gift hermes in the mouth.” - old marik saying

[@gavincross2902]

I would be swapping out the MPL and upgrading the HPPC for a Clan RISC Heavy ER PPC w/capacitor ftw! :P

[@lukedudley5030]

Another great analysis :-) I like the earlier hermes 2 if im honest though

[@CarlosEduardo-sm6cy]

Well, now I have to buy a Hermes II.

[@fmailaender]

If you want to use it as Sniper or annoyance I would personally go even more extrem and put all eggs in one Basket. Remove the Medium Pulse and put a Capacitor on the heavy PPC. Opening up with 20 Damage really grabs attention

[@Ruggedtoaster]

The heavy ppc and IS pulse is such a bad combo, the pulse is still at medium range at 3 hex’s and the PPC hits minimum range. And it defense of the flamer, it preforms better if you think of it as an anti battle armor too. As a light sniper/skirmisher the Hermes doesn’t have many options if a faster (I.e. clan) mech dumps some battle armor at its feet. It can make that other player consider a different target or make the decision to swarm the Hermes more expensive than your opponents ready to pay for.

[@Andrewlik]

Now you gotta followup with the Icarus II, the one with 2 TSEMPs, and try and fill content as battlelytics fails to rate TSEMPs

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Hah TSEMPs are so broken. Every ‘mech should have one by 3100 and battlefields would be swarming with TSEMP turrets.

[@DevianID]

I will always sing the praises of the IS medium pulse laser. Its a fantastic weapon. With the wide arc from the arm mounting, the pulse can actually hit things that get behind you, and in 3080+ you are worried about things like 7+ jump units everywhere, so the accuracy of the mpulse is the only thing that can connect. BV wise, its about the same as a medium laser, which is a steal as it does more damage. I agree an ER medium+HPPC+DHS would make this mech a better skirmisher as part of a team, and also make it more expensive, but the MPulse is super needed for this mech to operate solo and fight off backstabbers. Since this mech has an ECM, I see it operating solo to be the forward element to disrupt electronics, making the mpulse more valuable as the ecm is, what, range 6?

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Man haha I just have to disagree! MLas is better all around unless your target is 1, 2 or 4 hexes away. Think about a target at 6 hexes… both weapons are at +2. At 3 hexes… both at zero. There are 3 exact ranges where the mplas gets a better mod - but also 3 hexes where the mlas can hit things and the mplas can’t. I just don’t see the value! Half the weight too.

[@Magermh]

Spoken like a Mechwarrior that knows that the Ostscout OTT-7J is a major threat when it has hands. Should there be a game to fork IS pulse lasers as discouraged or is really a players preference. Has anyone counted the hits on Ion Sparrow without a pulse laser?

[@aristideswade2046]

Field Refit? Endo Steel. I get so much heartburn everytime I hear it. Hey let's take that car and replace the chasis.....

[@DeathfromAboveWargaming]

Lmao me and Thom were having the same convo - imagine the refit manual: “Step 1: Take the entire ‘mech apart” haha