Battletech: Using The Warhammer Effectively

[@jordansimpkins8784]

Great video

[@Philzila702]

Thanks for the BattleTech content Fritz!

[@Beatnik59]

The WHM-6R is not the kind of mech that I like to use for serious anti-mech work in the center of the scrum. Yes, it has the twin PPCs, and pilots not familiar with the mech will often rely on those PPCs. But this is not a mech that likes to hang back in that midrange band, like the Marauder or the Black Knight. It doesn't have the staying power to play that game; it's armor is too light and its heat dissipation is too inadequate. This is, for me, a short range mech; the PPCs are just a bonus. What the Warhammer DOES do, and does exceptionally well, is "taking out the trash", ie, infantry, light vehicles, tanks, harassers, light mechs, battered belligerents in forced withdrawal, and so on with its huge arsenal of secondary weapons. It is the king of janitors. And utilizing those short range weapons (the SRM/6, the small lasers, the machine guns, and the medium lasers) seems to be the key to getting the most out of this mech. Send it after infantry. Send it after hovertanks. Send it after light mechs, light tanks, Hetzers, hovertanks, light mids, and those raider mids like the Wolverine and Shadow Hawk. Wahammer likes beating up on those kinds of targets, and it can take them out quickly and ruthlessly with its multitude of weapons systems. Where it gets into trouble is against stout trooper mids, fast heavies, and vicious frontliners like the Orion and Thunderbolt. It just isn't designed to stand toe to toe with those kinds of machines.

[@fullgreys0n738]

Best advice man, thank you.

[@rotwang2000]

The fluff in the game makes it appear the Warhammer was meant to take on anything you can throw at it, it's not, it's meant to prey on the weak and vulnerable, going into the middle of the fight is a job for assault mechs and any heavy that has 13-14 tons of plate.

[@stopmotiongarage220]

I'm new to battletech and haven't gotten any games under my belt, but looking around I'm considering running a wolverine as a body guard with the warhammer. Maybe provide the needed oomph to handle or get out of trouble with heftier mechs.

[@rotwang2000]

A stationary Warhammer can do three twin blasts before getting into heat territory. If it moves that's usually two twin blasts. At this point you have to start to figure out where you want to go, do you want to start building up heat or stay cool ? Also turn four means that usually something may have moved in the 9-hex bracket of the SRM and lasers. So time to switch to a single PPC+medium range weapon combo to conserve heat. Also people tend to use it as an assault or brawler mech, but if you realize it has only half a ton more armour than say a Wolverine and one ton up on a Phoenix Hawk, you quickly realize that in a shooting match you grab any advantage you have and that many mechs out there that have you outgunned and outarmoured, like the Archer, Orion or even the Marauder, even the Thunderbolt can be a serious threat because it is easier on heat management. The Warhammer is best against something you want to murder quick and easy, it's not a 70-ton Atlas buster, it's there to blow a leg off a light mech or core it, it's there to make sure that medium suddenly moves way back or dies on its feet. It's for mopping up the mechs that are too damaged to waste the precious ammo of your assault mech on. It's a killer, but not in the way it's often described in the TR like this "invincible, all conquering mech destroyer." That it aint !

[@Dangen9]

I think the WHM-6R is good for cityfights because it has machineguns for infatry and SRMs for vehicles and loves to stay in cover (behind lvl 1 buildings) and not exposed much to enemy fire. PPCs are for supporting other mechs from distance or shooting in large avenues. If I am not taking part in a city fight I'll use a Marauder

[@taurianurbie453]

Warhammer is definitely not a point blank engagement mech, love it when it comes to mid-range support or flanking though. I once took one out with what my opponent called the "Table Top Tango", where I just kept my Hunchback nose to nose with his Warhammer. He wasn't able to fight back much seeing as his heat was almost always at the red-line, plus I was too close for his PPCs anyway. Granted, if he had been running a Hot Hammer, I would've been cooked in my own cockpit.

[@Beatnik59]

Sounds like a rookie Warhammer pilot. Because the smart Warhammer pilot would have had a cool enough heat gauge by the time he got within short range to unload with the lasers, MGs, and SRM/6. The Warhammer packs a serious short range punch if the heat gauge is low.

[@taurianurbie453]

@@Beatnik59 He did fire his PPCs constantly on approach, that might have had something to do with it :)

[@Anaris10]

Haven't played in years but this was my very favorite, had many fights with a friend who swore by the Marauder...

[@AnimeSunglasses]

Heee liiikes biiig GUNS AND HE CANNOT LIE!

[@patrickcoyle5469]

So many amazing mechs... and so many amazing variants of them! I haven't seen it written anywhere, but I like to think that the stock Star League Warhammer was one of those designed when the SLDF expected to deal mostly with insurgents, which is why it was okay devoting several tons to both small lasers AND machine guns. (It was supposedly designed to have "enough firepower to destroy or severely damage any mech of the same weight class or lower," which implies that mech-on-mech combat was outside the norm at the time.) It'd be no surprise then that the Houses, gearing up for the total warfare of the Succession Wars, would almost all strip out the MGs for more armor, heat sinks, or flamers.

[@Apollo-js8rn]

If you want a good mental picture of what a Warhammer does best, think of that "Gallagher" guy who smashed watermelons onstage. You're in a warHAMMER. You can squash mech heads maybe, but you make your name by HAMMERING smaller, squishier fruit. Enemy has infantry? You have MGs (maybe even flamers). Vees? Crit 'em out with SRMs & lasers. Enemy at range retreating? Snipe 'em down with the PPCs. (That being said though, my favorite SW-era Whammy is the 6D, which is functionally the exact opposite of a stock Whammy, so take my .02 for what it's worth.)

[@Magermh]

I try to use the Warhammer as an anchor or brawler for medium or heavy lances. In combined armors it works well with all types of armo; additionally heavy to assault armor. I have only fired the machine guns once. So I end up running with the variants that never carry MGs. Brawlers in battletech stay at medium to long range. At medium range to short range of 5-6 use dual PPC. When the target gets closer, there is a switch to the ML and SRM. FYI, the short-range weapons normally miss for me. The best position for the Warhammer is the middle of the map or in an area where is may project the range of the PPC’s. The leg armor is weak. A partial cover place is a nice spot if it covers the requirements of position. I love the Warhammer.

[@Haldrahir]

I do indeed love the Warhammer BattleMech.

[@Wraithcannon]

The Warhammer is one of my favorite designs to spam in a list. It can handle almost any situation, and can cover it's fellows as well. Bring a lance of Warhammers and watch your opponent crumble. Do you need to flank? No. Do you need to brawl? No. Do you need to worry about your opponent doing either to you? No. Lights coming rushing in? Stop. Cover each other's backs in a firing line. blow them away, then continue. Got a brawler rushing your line? 8 PPC's will make him see the error of his ways. As soon as one of their armor starts to get weak, he pulls back and gives more support while the fresh units move in.

[@Dmorris556]

9+ hexes plink with dual PPCs - 6-9 hexes start to volley 2 ppc/1pccML - 4-6 hexes crit seek with PPC +2xML + SRM. (D/K/M)

[@hermes7587]

The 6R Warhammer is a fire support Mech, not a brawler. It works best on flat open terrain an wants to stay at 11 to 12 hexes from the enemy to make best use of the PPCs. It does not have the armor and heat sinks to go into close range combat. It´s short range weapons are intended for self-defence if the enemy closes in or to finish of crippled targets. The Warhammer has two major weak points: 1. The leg armor of most Warhmmer models (except the 6D) is very weak for it´s class. When fighting a Warhammer I will always try to target the legs. It is the fastest way to bring this Mech down. 2. The Warhammer is very weak against attacks to it´s rear. All the short range weapons are torso mounted. It could fire one PPC to the rear but with minimum range penalties. This makes the back of a Warhammer a prime traget for Mechs like the Jenner, Javelin or Spider. For this reason the Warhammer should always operate in pairs with other heavy Mechs that can cover these weaknesses. I like to use the Warhammer together with Thunderbolts, Orions and Stalkers.