BATTLETECH: The Flea

[@derekburge5294]

My favorite feature of the Flea is the device that automatically prints out your last will and testament as soon as you take internal damage to a leg. Very convenient!

[@christianholzschuh6853]

Strangely enough, 3 out of 4 Fleas have the units mastertech as recipient.

[@derekburge5294]

@@christianholzschuh6853 What a strange coincidence! Probably just a software bug. It'll get fixed! Definitely!

[@seththompson3651]

Whoever worked logistics for Wolf's Dragoons was a strategic genius. By ordering variant Fleas in abundance, he 1) kept the Dragoons low-key supplied with a variety of standard weapons systems and generic spare parts while 2) convincing the rest of the Inner Sphere that this was TOTALLY a mech worth buying, because Wolf's Dragoons wouldn't have bought it if it weren't! "No, really, this one's actually speedy! And we doubled the parchment *cough* I mean armor! Well, maybe not doubled, but you don't really know! Buy a Flea! Buy five Fleas!"

[@christianholzschuh6853]

Shut up and take my money!

[@temp3608]

buy five fleas! why? because at least then you'll hopefully have enough fleas to overwhelm a single opponent, a very skill lacking opponent.... maybe a brand new pilot in a default charger....

[@shaider1982]

Yeah, a true Flea market.

[@accountname9506]

@@temp3608 i'm pretty sure a charger could just punch all the fleas and still win, honestly.

[@temp3608]

@@accountname9506 yeah

[@terrinils3165]

You can think of a hundred uses for the Flea and none of them are 'Mech combat.

[@ExeErdna]

All the war crimes until they wake the real Mech pilots up

[@45psi]

I disagree. I hereby issue you a Batchal!

[@terrinils3165]

@@45psi I accept, identify yourself and your force.

[@MoreEvilThanYahweh]

Unless we're talking MWO, then fast little guys like the Flea and Piranha are the death of assaults and some heavies caught alone.

[@MrFleem]

They're quite useful in Battle of Endor reenactments.

[@elchjol2777]

I remember headshoting a flea with my Marauder's heavy rifle while trying to hit a Demolisher in MW 5. I was rather lucky the Demolisher missed while I was waiting for my weapons to come off cool down.

[@LoliFoxQueen]

Flee: GET DOWN MR PRESIDENT!

[@namkha209]

Why were you using a rifle...?

[@elchjol2777]

@@namkha209 Very high damage for a medium slot weapon. I run two large lasers,two mediums and a heavy rifle on my Marauder in MW 5. It's a pretty solid load out for all ranges and runs a bit cooler than the double PPCs of the stock Marauder.

[@Original-Yellow]

I also run a heavy rifle. I like all the rifles over autocannons personally. But it's a good slam button on the marauder

[@samwilliamson278]

@@namkha209 heavy rifle is seriously underrated in mw5, anh with 4 heavy rifles is ridiculously good

[@FrostyThundertrod]

In mechwarrior 4 I used a Flea with one ER large laser in the Solaris grand Championship match. Duncan Fisher was very impressed

[@luminouswolf7117]

Nice

[@Johnpinckney98]

My dad played mechcommander 2 on brutal difficulty when I was young- never do that btw. And the finest story he ever told me was when he gave up the campaign because the fire ant killed his pristine atlas in a drawn out firefight. Of course, it being brutal difficulty, it was eating everything he threw at it, sounded like the funniest thing to me.

[@zsewqthewolf1194]

that there is a whole ass book waiting to be made of battletech of the killer flea that use weapons that over heat the mechs and pick them off slowly like a thoused cuts of death type deal.

[@jtjames79]

It's like the Tie Fighter of Battlemechs. If a recruit survives enough battles you promote them to a real Mech. Lives are cheap, Mechs are expensive.

[@michaelpenaso6385]

"Save the metal, meat is cheap"

[@GnarledStaff]

I just fogured out why the Wolf Dragoons used fleas. They probably had a lot of skilled pilots for every mech. The Flea is a way to have pilots prove a high level of skill before they got a good mech. And since they were clanners, its also batchall reasoning. They were giving their scouts a handicap in order to be more fair to the inner sphere scouts. ...it kinda makes sense.

[@kythebengzon8023]

We once ran had a special game event with Lights in story a bunch of mercs ended up finding a star league era caspar drone churner ala the harebrainedabd it controlled a metric shit ton of lights scheme. Fleas were a Majority and we were damaged from a past contract. Imagine a medium lance doing a fighting retreat whiek being chased by an army of fleas spiders and locusts. Our LRM boat ended up killed by a trio of lucky large laser fleas that ended up detonating his ammo. My Centurion was down an arm by the end of it and enough armor loss to make a mech tech cry. We never did it again the stress wasn't worth it.

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

That sounds like one epic fight! 😎 And a nightmare scenario for any Company commander.

[@trathanstargazer6421]

I'm gonna try this against a friend of mine in MegaMek. Should make for a good laugh if nothing else.

[@shukilevyandbrookesheildsl2638]

I've not ever used one, but it looks like it could be used as a mech to serve alongside or supplement the Urbanmech as part of a policing force.

[@jasonashman9534]

Too fast for city fighting. A slower, more heavily armored mech with a heavier load out would be more effective.

[@chrislewis8831]

It could work if it stayed out of the city itself. Let the enemy go in and start meeting the Urbies and other Urban fighters, get scared, start pulling out and have the Fleas there to hit them on the way out. I could see that working but it would take major coordination.

[@GnarledStaff]

Hmm. Maybe in rural areas expecting no more than a few lightly armored cars and infantry.

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

Maybe, but even then, a locust would have a better response time unless you’ve hired the Wolves.

[@temp3608]

@@jasonashman9534 a flea would do more damage to the surrounding buildings than than enemies

[@eduardor-o4884]

I was in my annihilator and the flea came at me and I'm laughing like bring it on, but when it started running around me I was like" stay still damn it!" Cause my mech was much slower and I was getting pissed off. You hit the nail on the head when you said it was a pest of the highest quality at the beginning of the video😂

[@Reverb154]

The saddest part of this tale is that if the FL-16 was updated with an XL engine and used the weight savings for armor and heat sinks, you COULD have made a light beat stick and pack hunter, because flea's are most dangerous in groups.

[@valor1omega]

IS XLFE are some of the worse things in the game, they turn everything into an egg shell of a mech right down to the Atlas. Never liked them, the weight savings was never worth the price nor egg shell effect. Fleas are definitely not worth it.

[@Reverb154]

@@valor1omega The Flea is already an egg shell of a mech, but this change will turn it into a usable scout and light trooper, instead of a fast deathtrap.

[@joebyrnes9254]

My favorite build for this in mechwarrior 5 was to remove the machine guns and replace all the lasers with small pulse lasers. Sure it’s easy to die in the thing but it’s an amazingly cheeky back stabber

[@shawnmcginnis2508]

Piloting it in VR is hair on fire type of adventure. Kinda fun honestly. Always moving,always maneuvering. I do the same with the small lasers.

[@joebyrnes9254]

@@shawnmcginnis2508 wait…THERE’S A VR MOD/PORT?!?!?

[@shawnmcginnis2508]

@Joe Byrnes for mw5? , yup. It's not perfect, and there is some compromise, but it's pretty cool. Only headset support. I use hotas so no big there. The main menu isn't supported, but as soon as you start a mission it switches to the headset. It's cray-z because some of the cockpit detail looks like it was made for VR. Adds a whole new dimension to the game,pardon the pun. I probably play better pancake mode, and the hud and thermal and everything is much better pancake mode. Still it is a cool experience in VR. If you already have a headset it is worth checking out, even if just for a couple instant actions. Mod is called VR warrior. You'll need an older version of the compatability mod(it is mentioned on the VR warrior page). It does work with YAML. Idk y but it was playing fine last night. Shut down MW5 to play some halo with a few friends. Came back a few hours later and now it's unplayable. Idk if my computer updated or what? It's been running great for the last week, then all the sudden crap. Idk. Anyway best of luck. The flea cockpit is pretty cool, roomy to boot lol. The Vindicator on the other hand, is well nicely put...."cozy"... kinda like a sardine can lol. The grasshopper is pretty cool too.

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

as an experienced/veteran Battletech miniatures player I have massive respect for the Flea I was playing a miniatures match last weekend and when players rolled for mechs I got a Blackjack while two others got Fleas so I took them aside and outlined a plan they would cover me while we flanked the enemy it worked perfectly as I remember rolling boxcars for the AC 2s and scoring hits on rear armor and the look on the GM when he rolled for the criticals and it was game over I was praised for encouraging sportsmanship it was a good day

[@valor1omega]

I been playing since the late eighties and I have more respect for a warrior who would be willing to moon an elemental then I do for a flea pilot.

[@odinulveson9101]

And I have more respect for someone not gripping opportunitt and potentiale of Fleas. Locusts and Fleas are my favs. Compliment each other. What should the Stinger be undermined, scapegoated because of the Wasps existance? Similar yet different. Hardpoints too is a factor if able to exploit it without compromising other areas

[@keeshuunedited5678]

I mainly play the newer MechWarrior games, so I'm used to people changing basically the Flea to make it this unhittable speedy mech, that will deal massive damage really fast when it gets close. Light mechs are scary enough to drive in the first place, I didn't think to leave it in it's default state. Nice to know that it really is just that bad of a mech. Does tempt me to make stock-only playthroughs because I love all this fluff lore. Whatever the case, Flea is very good for making my friends who never played MechWarrior before feel OP when they destroy them in MechWarrior 5 since the NPCs will use the stock loadout :3

[@rmcdudmk212]

The Flea is a great light Recon and Flanker. For the battle value it's hard to beat. 👍

[@valor1omega]

Any mech with rear facing weapons or no lower arm/hand actuators that are able to flip the arms backwards would ruin that strategy. Or if you keep units behind to protect other units would prevent that. Or are you talking strictly mw and not table top?

[@TomiTapio]

In turn-based, the heavy mech just turns and blasts the flea. In real time... Much harder to aim.

[@williamsova9313]

With how willing they are with keeping it around, I'm honestly surprised earthworks never tried to make a flea 2 to solve the biggest complaints

[@BigRed40TECH]

They're still foolish enough to buy the Flea I.

[@RyeFields]

Clan Sea Fox should capitalize on the Flea IIC

[@kazekamiha]

There is one. It's called the Locust. XD

[@ironboy3245]

i mean MWO proves that the flea can be a fucking menace when built properly

[@BigRed40TECH]

@@ironboy3245 MWO proves that its MWO. It never translates well into the tabletop.

[@Gillymonster18]

MW5, attacking a pirate base: Pirates call for reinforcements and a pirate in a Flea pops up behind some hills. My lance mate was in a Black Knight with 3 PPCs and was already looking in that general direction. The Flea made it about 50 feet out of cover and before I even had time to fully turn around, my lance mate gave it a single BLAP with all 3 PPCs. That pirate was not the main character.

[@arbhall7572]

I love light mechs. The Flea is one of my faves. I usually remove a med laser in favor of an ECM suite. Since they are so cheap, I usually had one that dropped both med lasers for a MASC unit if it was available. I loved these mechs, used them as the default defense for sooooo many worlds. I looked at them as if they were really expensive tanks, they were just as fragile. I used the cheap is easy to flood the field with doctrine. Urbanmechs, Locusts, Firestarters and Fleas were how I did it. Even against clans, sometimes especially it worked great if I had artillery support.

[@stewartthorpe2533]

I'm currently got my first flea in hbs battletech and am determined to keep it and use it out of stubbornness and adrenaline

[@andrewwalker9511]

Just started using the FLE-19 in MWO and being a pest has never been so much fun!

[@joebyrnes9254]

I recently saw some wacko using a flea with a snub nose ppc. The most annoying little knee capper I’ve ever seen

[@RyeFields]

Flea 20 is my go to, stealth armor and 5 small pulse lasers for fast disco death

[@jamilandretorres]

Give the 17 a shot with a 170 xl and 6 small pulses + er small. Hillarioous damage going 150+

[@kingflea]

@@jamilandretorres Do you mean going 150+ kmh or damage? Because you can do 1000+ dmg in a Flea 17! :D

[@valor1omega]

@@RyeFields Any mech with a ecm/BAP/C3i/s/m, and or targeting computer will ruin that build rather quickly.

[@RecklessInternetting]

I had a mate who played MW4, and his Flea strategy was "crank engine to maximum and strap a couple of lasers on it." Surprisingly effective when you can outrun a PPC round

[@steveharrison76]

Quite like the Flea. Mind you, I have a deep fondness for light mechs anyway. I just like the look, and the speed of them. Sure, they crumple when hit by a feather, but if they’re getting hit, I reckon they’re either doing it wrong, or the situation has become a losing one anyway. Used to dash in, make a quick alpha or two, and then leg it away again, they’re pretty good at turning the battle into an annoying attrition event for the other side. There are better lights out there, obviously. But this one isn’t quite as dire as a lot of people reckon. It’s about the right tool for the job. Sure, you can hammer a screw in, but it’s not taking advantage of the design of the screw. It’s like the Flea. Used right, it’s as useful as any Jenner, Locust or even a Firestarter. I do like the one with the extreme loadout of close-ranged weapons in MW5 and HBS. It’s pretty useful. It is, however, very much a walking warcrime.

[@jdmmike7225]

My light scout of choice. Run in, see what we're dealing with & maybe take a few pot shots then get out as the heavy hitters roll in. Speed is life to the Flea!!!

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

So, the Flea must flee in order to be successful?

[@jdmmike7225]

@@observationsfromthebunker9639 Without a doubt LMAO. In & out, shoot & scoot!!!

[@xengk]

Speed is life. You go slow, you die.

[@krissteel4074]

I guess in a way it was sort of mostly just made to shoot up annoyed civilians armed with ye olde huntin' rifles and the odd petrol bomb. But in the classic BT way of things they sort of eventually figured that it was a good idea to try and shoot actual mechs and armoured vehicles with it... which is really a very bad idea. It would also be a very bad idea to take one up against primitive space bears armed with sharp sticks and log traps

[@kegaran2365]

For all the Flea's problems, in MW5 and MWO the Flea quickly became one of my favorites, the thing is just exciting to drive, has the cute factor of the Urbanmech, and you have to imagine the look on the assaults face when they figure out what just kneecapped them. Need to figure out a way to make it work well in Battletech (2018)

[@kl0wnkiller912]

The Flea is one of my favorite mechs in MWO. Great leg locker. The FL20 is my weapon of choice for stalking missile boats. I do well with a stealth flea with 4 small lasers but you don't drive it like a regular mech. Speed is your armor and maneuverability is life. Running with stealth through a group of assaults on quick strikes is a lot of fun. If you get killed every time you get in a Flea then you aren't using it right.

[@Chris_Sizemore]

The Flea: It honestly makes the other 20 ton mechs look better. Even a Stinger can look down on the Flea. With as much love as the Flea received in later eras, it could of been upgraded better. Take the FLE-17, strip out the 6 tons of weapons it comes equipped with. Pay the extra to install Double Heatsinks. Throw on 1 ton of armor to make this Flea equal to a locust for armor. Invest the remaining 5 tons in standard medium lasers. Now you've got a Flea that scares medium mechs and will be a priority target. It runs as fast as a Locust till the MASC fails and cripples your survival chances. Live fast, die young.

[@tenchraven]

I love it when people call out the Flea for it's speed, but not the Thorn. Or the Steiner Locust. It's an infantry support mech. The LL model, like the Thorn, should only be used as a flanker, wolf packing other mechs with a death by a thousand (dozen) cuts. What can out run it usually doesn't have the range to close. But I think the Thorn the ride you assign to the Mechwarrior caught flirting with the Colonel's daughter, so don't mistake this for me calling it a good mech. Downengined, upgunned Locust knockoffs.

[@scars2k2]

My Annihilator literally doesn't even feel the squish accidentally stepping on it

[@georgesulea]

I'm surprised they didn't mention the FLE-Omega, that's the one with all standard equipment, 5 jump jets and it's only weapon is a 500 megaton nuke in the center torso. They call it "The Doom Speck". You can only pilot it ONCE.

[@aickavon]

The Flea in Battletech: Sub-par anti infantry mech The Flea in MW:O: Death incarnate and a fear-monger for both the pilot... and the enemy.

[@valor1omega]

It's been a while since I played MWO, I do remember someone taking a commando and more or less Turing it into a little speed demon with a Tag, medium lasers, and srms. I backed up and placed my mech against a wall and let it come to me in a narrow area. Let's just say the commando was dead moments it came into view. The flea would be no different. There is always a counter for every strategy, it's just surviving long enough to figure it out.

[@aickavon]

@@valor1omega The commando was in that case, either new to light mech-ing, or tunnel visioning poorly. That strategy isn't uncommon, and when a skilled light mech sees this occuring, they hunt for a new target. Repositioning is the best skill of a light mech. Of course, for many assaults/heavies, sometimes you're just NOT in a position to do so. For example, in My piranha, I have 8 MG's and 3 flamethrowers. I LOVE tag-teaming brawls and if I see two guys solo engaging, I'll engage in the rear and force an over-heat before MGing down the rear. Assaults are the most susceptible to this because they'll usually have to show their back to SOMEONE. Now the Flea in MW:O is really strong because it can have access to ECM, and if it has access to ECM, it has access to Stealth Armor. With Stealth armor it can slip through lines unmolested for the most part, and having a LOT of hardpoint slots, means it can deal some crazy damage to the rear without being spotted. On top of that, it's enginge can be upgraded so most fleas are running between 120 to 150 km/h, as opposed to the classic 90 km/h They're quite a menace.

[@odinulveson9101]

Thats because of avaiable tech. Mr red here try to shut down any constructive opportunity to bring the Flea up to its potentiale. XL/ LFE, higher up hardpoints, potentiale for more firepower than Locust, Endo Steel, Ferro Fibrous etc. You dont effing dizz the Flea or its Locust cousin! Again its a fault by writers and conceptors to make most of the Fleas look bad with dentheaded set-ups/ loadouts. They who hate Flea use it to max trying to ruin its image. I think they need therapy for a fictional bipedal tank, clearly gave them PTSD😂

[@theronin942]

I will say as someone who has only played BATTLETECH, Mechwarrior5 mercs, and MWO I have recently fallen in love with the flea-17 on MWO it is so much fun zooming around the enemy being a scout popping an UAV, and then going for the flank just to run away and fight somewhere else. Some of my best games are the in the FLEA-17. forgot to mention I changed the engine so I could make my speed 140/170 if I am using the speed boost.

[@millenniumf1138]

I remember having fun with the Flea in MW4. I'd load it up with lasers, then move in at full throttle and then circle bigger mechs rapidly, usually staying out of line of sight by getting in close and avoiding their return fire as I plinked away at their armor and systems. I'd usually get one-shotted at some point, but it was kinda fun hearing other pilots swear at me because I got good at taking out Medium and Heavy mechs.

[@mariankoncek4354]

Don't know about Battletech settings but in MW5 this is actually pretty decent mech for wimpy 20 tonner, especially FLE-17. Not as fast as Locust but 97kph is very suitable for brawling, anything faster just hurts accuracy. If needed FLE-17s M.A.S.C. can deliver short burst of speed - same as Locust has so no major weakness there. As for loadout: 2xMP laser, 3xSmall laser, 5xDHS with almost max mountable armor and 8 possible upgrade quirks - far better than Locust.

[@Unoriginal1deas]

Man I love the Flea In MW5, with 5 flamers and 2 machine guns it has some of the best dps in the game with the catch you gotta get close. So to actually play with it I used it co-op when playing with my friends, I was able to come up behind and kill even 100 ton mechs as long as we working as a team. The catch being it only ever made it to the end of the mission about 50% of the time…… sure went through a lot of pilots and I mean alooooot of pilots, which could be considered a pro if you like accuracy to the lore.

[@THEGRUMPTRUCK]

If the Flea is so good how come there isn't a 'Flea-IIC?' Checkmate, Spheroids.

[@MajorTymojo]

"So, when the lord returned from his gran' tour of earthworks he came home to our backwater world with his mule dropship fuller than we expected. Our militia commander started cursing and we were quite confused at first, given our planetary liege was normally very cleanly. We didn't find out until they unloaded the mule what 'He came back with fleas' meant. He had bought four of 'em mechs, without consulting with the commander at all, he was red in the face for a week! I didn't think they looked that bad. No worse than a stinger or locust I thought. Nice guns too. Finally brought our plucky two lances up to a full company for our militia, the councilmen loved that feather in their hat. Then on their first exercise sergeant Wilfred needed the recovery vehicle to stand up again when the first one tumbled during the first five minutes, and you could see the steam coming off the rest of the lance as they tried to occasionally shoot 'em stationary targets. The only good part, the commander says, is that our liege only blew a fourth of the budget rather than the whole expansion budget buying 'em."

[@thekkidd3d]

Great video. Thanks! You forgot to cover the actual best variant: FLE-20. With Stealth armor, upgraded XL Engine, and masc. It if actually a superb scout and recon mech. While also able to escape from most situations that get hairy...despite all having almost no armor.

[@AWholeLegionary]

The Trooper: You take my life but I- *CT explosion.*

[@TankHunter678]

So Mechwarrior 5... my buddy and I had completed the campaign several times and decided to freshen things up with silly mods. Like one that was cheat sinks, where standard heat sinks were 10x effective in cooling and more importantly reduced a mechs weight by 5 tons for putting weapons on. There was one side mission where normally you are limited to up to 50 tons as your objective is to aggro a group of mechs and drag them into a combine ambush. Well me and my friend brought in a pair of fleas loaded for bear cheat sink style: I had 3 LRM-20s with Artemis 4 and 2 SRM 6s, he had 4 AC-20s and a LRM-20. We discovered that the mission had an alternate win condition to prevent any soft locks as we setup on a hill where the AI had a hard time trying to hit us while we could still spot them and lock onto them. Que an entire medium/heavy lance being obliterated by a pair of light mechs carrying the firepower of assaults.

[@Gillymonster18]

Something as dirt cheap as the Flea would be ideally suited for inter-city police action (unlike the Urbie). Traffic interdiction, outfit it with teargas grenade launchers, maybe some sort of water cannon or pepper spray Dispersal, a net launcher or taser system. Give it mounting for a casualty litter and have it used for remote search and rescue. Attach it to internal security for military bases. Just don’t put it in a position to take fire from other mechs and military vehicles.

[@panoramatint]

It lives up to its name. A minor annoyance soon squished.

[@44R0Ndin]

To be honest, the best thing I can think of to do with the FLE-4 is to switch to an XL engine and invest the saved weight directly into more armor. Unlike most XL engine swaps, due to the paper-thin armor of the original FLE-4, the XL FLE-4 would actually be a lot more survivable. But the second best thing I can think of to do for it would be to swap out the large laser for 2 or 3 medium lasers, and then, like with the XL engine, invest the saved weight into more armor. Ferro Fibrous armor if you're being really generous (and again, with the saved weight being put right back into more armor). Combine those advancements (XL engine, dropping the LL and replacing it with either 2 or 3 ML's, and the FF armor with saved weight allowing for more points of armor), and you end up with a mech that still can't get up if it gets knocked over (or at least, not easily), but while it's on its feet it can take quite a bit of abuse and dish out more. If you wanted, you could take some of the saved weight from the XL engine and re-invest it in the engine instead, because 97kph for a light mech is just kinda... slow. Mediums moving at 97kph is "fine", but not lights. At least it's not the Hussar tho.

[@thomasrose4523]

I love the little added notes for the summaries, and my God you know it's a deathtrap if you gotta send your last words before a training mission lol

[@Goldhawk7]

You get assigned to a Flea after you pull a prank on the base commander.

[@yoloman3607]

Mech commander 2 vets are probably the reason fire ants went extinct

[@BigRed40TECH]

I know I did my part! :P

[@randomnetsurfer]

"Still a coffin. More sophisticated coffin" - that got me laughing!!

[@keithbainbridge8866]

Your voice helps me sleep. like a glass of warm milk

[@BigRed40TECH]

Thanks! lol

[@SeismicWolf]

Ever seen 4 Fleas fight a DireWolf? Funny stuff

[@MoreEvilThanYahweh]

Even a single Flea is enough to kill or cripple the DWF in MWO

[@YCCCm7]

Mang is out here on an assassination mission with 4 fleas. I tip my hat to you.

[@BigRed40TECH]

Oh yea, I set it to high difficulty too, for the memes. lol

[@fedupN]

I tend to be leery of most zippy light mechs, enjoying the ones like Kit Foxes, Urbanmechs, Panthers, Commandos, and Hollanders, ones with punch. But I loathed fleas, the epitome of cowards on legs next to a pheonix hawk. Until that little mercenary blob on KZbin mentioned you can fit two of them in a mech bay for one mech. My logistics loving heart appreciated that Also, new artwork makes it look way better. So I hate the thing less now.

[@anexistanthuman2435]

The locust also has that quirk so just take them instead.

[@fedupN]

@@anexistanthuman2435 Shite, now that you mention it, maybe he was talking about locusts. Well, hate them both, tiny little git mechs. :D

[@CRAZYUNCLE117]

20 likes, and the video hasn't even started... cool!

[@jdmmike7225]

And 100 likes before 30 minutes old 👍

[@thegreatbamboozler4837]

I still have a Flea... I paired it with two mobile medical trucks to provide coverage against enemy infantry or power armored targets looking to loot the medical resources and MASH units technology or personnel.

[@danmorgan3685]

In my Battletech head cannon when captured by infantry and armored personnel Mech Warriors in Firestarters are killed on the spot. I can't imagine what they would do to Flea driver.

[@thelordofcringe]

Probably given a coffee and a therapist because they're obviously suicidal if they're piloting a flea lmao

[@observationsfromthebunker9639]

They might just let him go as a fellow expendable grunt. And why not, because any pilot worth capturing wouldn't have been assigned a Flea.

[@Mrwednesday84]

One of my friends that plays MW5 with me refuses to pilot mechs over 50 tons. He loves the flea. I think he is crazy, but the stuff he does with his customized light mechs scares me, just glad he is on my side.

[@miemsliva4464]

Okay I know there's a lot of hate for this mech, but I do agree with the later half of seeing a little monster beneath the unimpressive outside. Even on console MW5, where I can't mod and as such, can't slap anything anywhere, or super-upgrade it. I made it into a deadly little laser boat, removing the medium lasers and flamer to replace then with Small Lasers, maxing out it's armor all over and giving it a shocking amount of damage it can deal even at it's maximal range. 5 small lasers is still 5 small lasers, and the 2 machineguns quickly chew through what armor remains on any light mech you just zapped, and keeping the pressure on mediums and even heavies that are only another 1 or 2 bursts away from losing a part wherever you're aiming. Of course, in lore issues aren't the same as in game. But for being as fast as a Javelin, thrice as armed as the most common Locust variant, it's only real drawback is how squishy it can be, which can be corrected. And if you want, you can easily get away with removing the flamer entirely and leaving the spot empty, or replacing it with a small laser, cutting the mg ammo down to half a ton, allowing you to add an extra ton of armor. This is about all it can really hold, and lets you keep the medium lasers on it. You can even strip the ballistics and just double down with an extra heatsink to make the laserboat approach infinitely sustainable. Of course, even adding as much armor as you can, it only gets a little above 120/130 armor in game in MW5(Mercs, btw). I have also been thinking about trying to rip the energy weapons all out and slapping one or two Light Rifles in the arms, though I should probably do that in a locust or something with more arm armor, like the Machinegun weilding spider variant.

[@paladinstar]

Flea in the video games is hella fun... nothin like being small and fast and annoying as hell

[@ArchangelG2000]

Why would one ever pick the flea when they could have a locust though?

[@paladinstar]

@@ArchangelG2000 so they can make the joke that they must Flea XD

[@GhostBear3067]

In Mechwarrior Online I "affectionately" call it STAND STILL YOU LITTLE SHIT SO I CAN SMASH YOU!!!

[@jakeroon]

@@ArchangelG2000 The flea is faster and has 1 more energy slot. To top it off, it is a smaller target making harder to hit. So to sum up, it's better than a locust in mobility, firepower , and defense. In other words, every category that matters. You can throw in the fact that it is cheaper , just to rub salt in the wound. No mechwarrior worth their cooling vest runs a stock config on most any mech. the flea is well known to have some very nasty and diabolical combos given it's abundant weapon hard-points and possible configurations.

[@lexington476]

Good video. Had not heard if the Fire Ant before today.

[@Arvyn992]

I think the FLE-4 might have benefited from swapping out the large laser for a medium laser and swap one of the small lasers for another medium laser and would it also benefit from using a MASC unit too

[@BigRed40TECH]

With Hard to Pilot and No Arms, I don't think a MASC is all that beneficial, even without those qualities MASCs run serious risks. I don't like them personally.

[@Arvyn992]

@@BigRed40TECH true

[@vali6717]

I remember backing one of these things into a corner with an Atlas that was customized to stalk through city streets and cut down enemy mechs at close range through firepower designed exclusively to crit seek. Can't say I have ever seen quite that level of overkill before or since.

[@kazekamiha]

Me Seeing a Flea in MW4: OH hey, free target practice.

[@eurocrusader1724]

Cheap , but dead meat when cornered , or a lucky strike hits it from afar... It needs far more armor or speed...

[@Daekar3]

I hate that HBS Battletech limited by Lance size and not BV or tonnage, I love the idea of swarms of cheap lights like this. The beautiful thing about the start of every MW5 campaign is that, for just a little while, the Flea and Locust are useful, because the alternative is an empty drop slot. I wish there were a way to make them more practical in that context, but without anachronistic technology it's just not in the cards. I might need to start a new campaign with the YAML settings turned to make all equipment available immediately and see how far I can get with a lance of 20 tonners. 😊

[@Salesman9001]

In RogueTech and BTA mods you can have your Locust swarms or endless Fleas if you want; complete with BA hanging from said pests ready to swarm bigger mechs. Light mechs are viable all the way into end in both mods, which is cool

[@Dirt1061]

I love watching the Flea jump for its melee attack in the Battletech video game. Back attacks against Assaults ftw!

[@andresmarrero8666]

So it is a Star Wars walker belonging to the empire. It is ment for power projection and police work not mech combat and I am just as confused as to why the Wolf Dragoons liked this mech. At the very least have it be controlled by a computer instead of a person.

[@BoisegangGaming]

Honestly, a lot of light designs feel like they could use stuff like XL engines, gyros, etc to save weight because, well, if they get hit by anything more than scratch damage, they would be inoperable anyways.

[@BigRed40TECH]

XL would not help the Flea. No sir. lol

[@odinulveson9101]

Yes it would LOL. Speed is its armor, sure more armor welcome from tonnage savings. And strap 2 x LL lasers or ERML, plus ECM etc and scout away

[@happywombat]

This is the mech I think of when I hear of the Combines light mech hoard tactic, dozens of Fleas charging enemy positions and overwhelming them via death by thousand cuts.

[@piratekingthaszar7912]

I use the flea as a rat unit in mw5. Stick the rest of my squad in decent mediums or cheap heavies, then use the flea to burrow through structures and walls to steal things while the AI pilots draw aggro.

[@madcat789]

3:10 The hell, I didn't know the Hatamoto-Chi had a Disco mode.

[@ix8750]

I just got my Locust in MW5 up to an XL 200 engine with a mobility gyro + Masc/supercharger combo and it can move up to 341 KPH next im trying for the cantina upgrade that gives 15% movement speed bonus. I havent checked but I dont think i can make it any faster after that without going below 4 lasers.

[@Elusivearth]

What game is in the background??

[@Puma1Sunfire1]

ROFLMFAO!!! I lost it after hearing "A pest of the highest quality"

[@luminouswolf7117]

Flea designer: what if we annoy them to death?

[@wellhello1575]

MW 4 lied to me. I thought the Flea was wicked fast but lightly armed and armored.

[@lexington476]

What tech readout does this one start?

[@BigRed40TECH]

Technical Readout 3039, Technical Readout Succession Wars. Technical Readout 3050.

[@HundredDaysMusic]

I remember blasting SO MANY Fire Ants in MechCommander 2.

[@AnchorJG]

My experience with the Flea is from the HBS game, where it has a special feature that grants it 3 extra evasion points to make it harder to hit. "Radar Baffles" or some-such. But this video suggests that it no more difficult to hit than any other pesky light mech. So I'm curious where they drew that quirk from.

[@BigRed40TECH]

The Flea predates Battletech 2017 by 25 years.

[@BigRed40TECH]

The Battletech videogame tries to make everything functional, they don't want mechs that are "bad" in thiem. Sorry, hit enter too early.

[@dehibler4811]

As much shit as the Flea gets, in the right hands it is a terrifying foe in it's own right. I love it!

[@Abb0able]

Hehe, it was not popular as a gamemode in MW4 but there were some hardcore ctf players in it and the flea as a runner was a gamechanger when it was introduced. imagine defending a flag from 2 or 3 full reflective/ reactive armoured fleas with the fastest engines zipping around trying to get to the flag and getting away from the no armour 6 erll 2 gaus daishi flag sitter and then the faster chasers.

[@thedocklighter]

When piloting a Flea on the modern battlefield, play to the strength in its name: stay out of an opponent's effective weapon range & run off the battlefield - quickly.

[@StreakedSilver]

Hey! It's my Companies Cosco running Mech. You can strap on a lot of groceries onto that thing.

[@B4umkuchen]

This is one of the most practical Mech design of the franchise (if one ignores the fusion engine and lasers). I'm pretty sure that we will have Flea like Battlemechs in a few decades.

[@BigRed40TECH]

I doubt Battlemechs will ever be a thing

[@Logicon1138]

Not been to Japan then? They have some interesting stuff already

[@FuelDropforthewin]

For my money, strip out all the weapons and use the 7 tons for 2 lrm-5s, 2 tons of LRM ammo, a AMS, and half a ton of AMS ammo. This mitigates the Flea's fragility by changing it to engaging at extreme range with at least some protection from counterfire, giving it much better options for disengaging than its Large Laser counterpart. This changes its role to being a mobile fire support vehicle, being faster and more competent on rough terrain than an LRM carrier while the AMS gives it at least some protection against return fire.

[@DaMasterPilot]

Had one in MW5 that I rebuilt with mods that could hit 220kph. Died in the most hilarious way I've ever seen too, had an A.I pilot in it on a mission and he hit the M.A.S.C and slammed face first into a wall and just utterly destroyed it and a building behind it killing himself.

[@odinulveson9101]

Undeserved for the Flea. Its a great mech potentially. Its reputation is harmed by the braindead configs. Not utilizing its better, higher hardpoint placement and greater firepower and armor opportunities over the Locust. 3 ML or 2 x Large lasers for scout harassing/ first strike/ baiting etc, Light Fusion Engine or XL, more armor ( Ferro Fibrous even ) more speed but dosent need to excel a Locusts.

[@maverickman6486]

The Flea may not be that good, but I've got four painted in my Wolf Dragoons and I have a smile when I get to use them.

[@TheRealBrotherLance]

Works great in mw5 as a nuisance flamer mech. With 2 machine guns.

[@JLH111176]

load it up with flamers run around enemy mechs overheat them then leave them for assault mechs to wipe up ?

[@sanguiniusonvacation1803]

Hmmm...this gave me idea. Ok comment section, you have been given the hull of a Cicada and told to build it into a new production mech prototype. What do you build?

[@andrewamann2821]

Equip it with firefighting equipment, and use it to augment one of the more heat-hungry designs.

[@sanguiniusonvacation1803]

@@andrewamann2821 a freezer mech! That's a new concept ! A faster version of that coolant tanker

[@andrewamann2821]

@@sanguiniusonvacation1803 everyone loves their dedicated fighting machines, but it seems like nobody gives any love to combat engineering and support vehicles. Keeping up a long range battery with a higher volume of fire seems like a useful tool.

[@marcogranados541]

Why not drop the small lasers and flamer, and switch them out for armor?

[@BigRed40TECH]

Because that would harm the Flea's reputation! :P

[@michaelkeha]

They are nimble little buggers but if they get hit they become a firework and that's the issue when you go cheep and cheerful when you are too cheap you just end up a scrap heap

[@Thalanox]

Mechs like the Flea are the reason the super heavy mechs need to have support. A good pilot in a speed demon mech like this is something to be feared.

[@BigRed40TECH]

In Mechwarrior Online, yes. In Battletech the tabletop game, it's not actually fast. It's moderate speed for a light, at best.

[@Thalanox]

@@BigRed40TECH My recent mechwarrior/battletech experience comes mostly from MWO and Living Legends. Prior experience is from the Mech Collection that had MW4 / Mech Commander 2, etc. I have the Turn-Based BATTLETECH game that I haven't installed yet. Since you seem more up to date with Battletech stuff, what's your opinion of MechWarrior 5? It's on sale now, and I had a friend asking about it. Would it be a good game to play online? How does it compare to MWO or LL? Those games are too complicated and technical for my friend there, but I like having something I can sink my teeth into.

[@BigRed40TECH]

@@Thalanox MW5 is okay for just shooting stuff. It's storyline is.. uhhh. Yea. It looks nice too. I use it for gameplay footage for certain mechs.

[@alyssinwilliams4570]

Ahh! I was wondering if the Trooper would be mentioned.

[@135forte]

The Fire Ant reminds me of the Celerity variant with the twin Flamers. Some designs you look at and k ow what they were meant to do.

[@foxdavion6865]

The Flea was one of the bad Age of War designs which somehow managed to survive into the modern setting.

[@nilswassem7209]

I remember this lil' bastard from mw4 mercenaries. You get two or three of them from the start and they are great. My favourite layou: Min speed (112kph) max armour (4.5 tons) 2 clan ER medium lasers 1 clan ultra ac 2 (120 shot) running rings around my friends in co op and pissing them of with ac hits and laser strikes. Priceless old times...

[@Papercut337]

If you play MWO, a Flea or a Locust will often be the last to die. Pair it with an ECM and they can be very useful scouts and super frustrating harassers. I even witnessed a Flea take down an Annihilator before being taken down as the last of our team. But on the tabletop, you can actually see them so there’s that

[@kingflea]

The Flea is also the cutest looking mech ever (as far as the one in MWO and MW5) lol

[@nobodyspecial9097]

The best conversion you can do for the Flea if you get stuck having to use one is remove the large laser (5T) and medium lasers (2T) and replace them with a PPC (7T). This turns it into a decent harassment mech on the cheap. I call it the "Bee". Swarms of these things in the successions wars would have been much harder to deal withs.