Heavy Mech Tier List (BATTLETECH 3025)

What is the best heavy mech a mercenary can use in the 3025 Succession Wars Battletech universe? Learn how to play Battletech tabletop in this entertaining lore accurate video!
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:16 Design Criteria
0:45 ROLE: BATTLE LINE
0:59 Thunderbolt
1:37 Orion
2:19 Cataphract
3:15 Black Knight
3:55 Flashman
4:14 ROLE: RANGED
4:23 Rifleman
5:03 Jagermech
5:33 Marauder
6:08 Archer
6:32 Bombardier
6:28 ROLE: RANGED + BATTLELINE HYBRID
7:42 Crusader
8:18 Warhammer
9:11 ROLE: CAVALRY
9:34 Exterminator
10:09 Champion
10:27 Quickdraw
10:54 ROLE: CAVALRY + BATTLELINE HYBRID
11:26 Ostsol
12:05 Ostroc
12:36 Grasshopper
12:55 Guillotine
13:43 ROLE: RANGED + BATTLELINE HYBRID
13:54 Merlin
14:24 Dragon
15:18 Catapult
15:56 ROLE: OTHERS (Stalker + Lancelot)
16:47 Tier List before Availability
17:14 Best Mechs for a Mercenary Company
CORRECTIONS
Catapult C1 weapons are: LRM-15 (2) and Medium Lasers (4).
Catapult K2 weapons are: PPC (2), Medium Lasers (2), Machine Guns (2)
FAQ
Why is the Stalker listed? The STK-4P is a standardized downgrade of the Stalker that comes in at 75 tons.
#battletech #battlemech #innersphere
The style of this video is similar to Big Red 40k and Auspex Tactics. Content creators like The Black Pants Legion and Baradul have had a large influence on this video.

[@roboconn4689]

I wish you would do this for every weight class. It's so good.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

I'll be getting to them!

[@aeronnelson8479]

Can't wait for assault class, I want to see where my AWS rates

[@mq5731]

I cried when I realized you weren’t going to be talking about the MadCat….

[@____________838]

I went from starting with the Light Tier… Only to realize he hadn’t made a Medium Tier list yet…

[@nicholassprenke3353]

Can't wait for the medium list. Though I understand it's a lot of work

[@EricVulgaris]

I constantly, constantly forget that the flashman is a mech that exists and is in fact pretty dang good

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

It is pretty good! Only really available to the Lyrans in 3025 tho. :)

[@gigastrike2]

Bug AP about it. Maybe he'll let you find one in a Brian Cache.

[@WeOnlyEatSoup]

I play comstar and use it pretty often, great machine

[@Wubbeyman]

I actually just got one today. I’m excited to use it in my ComStar lance!

[@nationalsocialism3504]

The 8k with its original targeting system using the quirks from Battletechnology issue #14 is unquestionably the best Heavy mech in 3025/3039... even a downgraded 7k with an original 8k targeting system is better than the rest. The quirks are just that strong... +2 To Hit with lasers (makes them pulses for hitting purposes) & produces less heat when firing lasers. The SLDF really did a great job with that one... the Marauder gets all the glory from the Gunslinger program but the Flashman was the Mechwarrior mech of choice composing entire Battalions of them by the end of the civil war.

[@AAX11111]

>He got banished from the Combine for shit talking the Dragon. I literally died laughing. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@barondiamondo6676]

Not only him, but many, many DC samurai

[@jasonsternburgh8363]

The longer I am in the DC, the harder it is to keep quiet.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

hue hue hue

[@piprdakota]

These tier list do such a good job of filtering down an overwhelming amount of info into something manageable. Thanks!!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

You're welcome! Glad they're of use!

[@sim.frischh9781]

And gets rid of a lot of bias from the lore writers, they often hype up one mech even though it´s barely passable by Otto´s analyzis. On the other hands, Otto recommends mech that, in lore, get little to no love, the entire set of Ost mechs rarely gets mentioned at all. Though to be fair, that´s also a copyright issue...

[@Ahrone1586]

​@@sim.frischh9781otto?

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed When you DO get to the assaults maybe bend 3025 a tiiiny bit to slip in 3026's 3S Banshee.

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@sim.frischh9781 Which is weird because the OSTs with their arms look nothing like the glaug pods.

[@dakkath414]

One thing I didn't see mentioned in the Exterminator and Crusader segments is the fact they only carry 10 heat sinks. That *really* limits their offensive output.

[@1nONLY_DRock]

Crusader's going to either use short range or long range weaponry, but not both at the same time. Should be able to help with heat management. As for the Exterminator it's an ambush mech. It's only really capable of short bursts of activity.

[@Kingofdragons117]

There is always the CRD-3D.

[@MoreEvilThanYahweh]

@@1nONLY_DRock Although really, the 3025 Exterminator shouldn't have any of the stealth systems and lostech that actually made it work for ambushes. It ends up just being crap or working outside its intended role when stuck using introtech.

[@gbprime2353]

The Crusader would rate more highly if it had better heat management... especially when you add in how common replacement parts are.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yes, the damage output due to heat sinks was baked into the offense category!

[@miss_bec]

The Black Knight is my favourite battlemech, period. No ammo for cookoffs, great weapon distribution that makes it more like Monty Python's black knight, plus the Command quirk and flexible manoeuvrability just makes it my personal love. The Ian hero 'mech is probably my favourite variant of the single-digit Black Knight variants, since it trades survivability (those damn caustic heat sinks) for absurd speed and strength (TSM turning it from 4/6 to 6/8 and letting it deal 30 damage with its hatchet is INCREDIBLY funny). The BL-7-KNT is the first model I've ever bought, and I'm in the process of painting it right now with a bold black and yellow take on a House Davion livery. Its vibe really exemplifies what I love about Battletech compared to other mech IPs like Lancer or Gundam: the absurd and fantastical, grounded by historical feudalistic parallels.

[@typhoon1575]

Still gonna bring a rifleman at every possible opportunity

[@solidshot7849]

Always loved the 6D warhammer, the base mech is pretty good and the 6D just refines it into a really solid mech that’ll almost always perform to an acceptable level

[@retrosquadchannel2.050]

Better yet - "Warhammer is good enough, at war it means "Perfect"". (c) Mr Tex of Black Pants Legion.

[@solidshot7849]

@@retrosquadchannel2.050 aye that it is, the 6D is the warhammer that takes it to a whole extra level of good enough

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

It's really really good. Almost like a mini-Awesome

[@taemien9219]

Very good catch on the CPLT-C1 not being just another fire support mech. I've played this mech in both table top and in various games (MC, MW4, MWLL, and MWO) and its very common for people to mistake it as just another missile boat. When in reality those 4 medium lasers allow it to trade devastating hits until it or its target is dead. My favorite is when someone sends a lightmech to ambush it and with a jump it instantly puts itself into an advantageous shooting position and can cripple anything lighter with a well placed shot from those lasers. I like to remind people that another popular mech has 4x Medium Lasers... the Atlas. Very well done. 👍

[@sim.frischh9781]

In MWO, my Butterbee got several kills with the mlas, mostly because i play it as a real, proper support mech, staying with the biggest group of teammates which i buff with several support systems, weapons are only two LRM10 with Artemis IV and the quartett of mlas. Though i haven´t played in quite a while...

[@Usersunited]

Medium lasers had to be one of the best bang for your buck weapons pre-clan invasion, so it makes sense.

[@nymalous3428]

@@Usersunited A few years ago I did the math, made a bunch of spreadsheets, and I came to the conclusion... that you're right, medium lasers are the best weapon overall (considering their tonnage, critical slots, and heat generation... and ammo usage, or lack thereof).

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yeah, the Catapult is a beast. Quickly becoming one of my favorites. Glad you enjoyed Commander! o7

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@nymalous3428 It is, but it's also right in the sour spot of penetration/spread, probably by design. It's great for shredding lighter Mechs, but I find Medium Lasers kinda struggle to really deal with anything heavier, and I feel like have the most "wasted" shots. Disco Hunchback need not respond to this. But for the Catapult this is exactly fine, 4 medium lasers are great for getting smaller Mechs off, or to do pretty well in messy, late game cleanup.

[@polaris30000]

I love the Stalker on the tabletop. Even though my dice rolls aren't very lucky, it generally hits like an absolute truck and becomes a priority for my opponents, leaving my more fragile mechs unmolested.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

I'd have to test it more but it looks like a beast! Glad you're enjoying!

[@miss_bec]

The Stalker is such an absolute menace. You don't want to leave it alive because it's got so much firepower, but you don't want to waste shots on it because its so damn tanky. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[@anexistanthuman2435]

I love seeing the Guillotine get some love, it's my favorite mech of all time, so much so that I will always use it as my command mech, even if there are assaults available.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

It's really good!

[@willdavis3802]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed Really wish you had pronounced the name correctly though.

[@falkwulf3842]

6:25 ......In my 36 years of Battletech, I have NEVER heard someone say the Archer does not have the legendary history of the Marauder. This could be argued especially when the Archer and Warhammer both were participants in one of the IS most infamous Duels in 3016 on Mallory's World.. Morgan Kell, In his Beloved Archer VS Yorinaga Kurita piloting his tried and True Warhammer. This infamous duel boosted both Mech Chassis and Both Mech Pilots to the vaunted LEGENDARY status.... Very interesting watch and a very good layout. I personally disagree with some of your conclusions on your tier rating list but as a whole it is a good list and a GREAT starting point.

[@gigastrike2]

The Grasshopper is so surprisingly good. I don't entirely understand it myself, but whenever I use a Grasshopper, it does really well.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

It's got near perfect armor, excellent weapon placement, and a really good armament. It's good for nearly everything!

[@S810_Jr]

And can get out of trouble too with the jump jets.

[@zachklopfleisch8501]

It's easy to overlook because it doesn't have any eye catching weapons like AC20s or PPCs, just one LLaser. But it's max armored and is heat neutral, which is basically a cheat code in 3025 tech.

[@nexusofice9135]

​@@nerdyOveranalyzed and jumps!

[@RincetheWind]

I love the GRH and the GLTs. In my current MekHQ campain I have 1 GHR and 4 GLTs, one of which is the Star League version. It is 3068, but I would still take them against almost everything the IS has to offer in the same weightclass. With their mobility they can often get behind enemies as well.

[@Ken_wah]

These tier list videos are incredibly useful for the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries game. I just spent 10M C-Bills on an old Catapult and a Black Knight.

[@TheColonialMarshal]

Great list, Otto! This makes things a lot easier to look up on the fly. 👍 Can't wait for the Medium Mech rundown. Keep up the good work.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks! Hopefully I can get it out soon!

[@nemamiah7832]

Things to note. Black Knight: oven of a mech even in the FWL variant. The amount of heat sinks nowhere near enough to cool off even it's primary armament. For instance -L variant will gain 2 Heat by firing all 3 Large Lasers, while standing still. And you probably don't want to stand still. The standard variant gains whooping 6 heat heat, by doing the same thing (standing still and firing long range). Maybe it has a lot of gun, but unlike Flashman it can't reliably put all of that gun to use. MAD is legendary not just because of it's style or stories associated with it. It has the grand combo of "Command Mech", "Hyper Extending Actuators" and "Narrow/Low Profile" quirks. Which don't kick in normally, unless you are using advanced rules, but if you do use those advanced rules (Quirks, Direct Blows, Glancing Blows) it allows MAD eat some hilarious amounts of damage, if it sticks behind cover, in the woods and far enough. A stray shot from AC/20 reduced to 5 damage? Yes, please! AC/2 doing literally nothing? Thank you very much! So if you want really hard to hit Heavy, you'll have to turn to Ostroc or Ostsol. While being 5/8 is nice, they have real problems with taking a punch and heat dissipation.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Heya! Net Heat +2 is actually what you want! It's a great heat gain to have. You get 3 turns of 3 large lasers and then use a different combo to cool down. MAD I only use the "Narrow/Low Profile" quirk rules in my games. Maybe that's why it's so low? The quirk is very good but the armor on the Marauder's side torsos isn't high enough to take advantage of it properly. "Command Mech" can be gotten on the more stable Archer, and "Hyper Extending Actuators" doesn't come into play too often to be of too much use imo. Hope that helps!

[@nemamiah7832]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed Note that +2 Heat is while standing still. Which is very unlikely to happen on a brawler like Black Knight. So you are in +3 on walking or +4 on running, which is less than ideal. And that's only shooting 3 guns out of 8 Black Knight has. A severely overgunned machine that could use a little bit more HS and/or armour. And that's FWL variant. Standard variant has 20 HS for a PPC and two LLs, which you kind of want to shoot in a go. But that would be 26 heat standing, 28 heat running. Which is pretty terrible. Again, the rest of the armament isn't included into this. Even if you plan on shooting PPC and LLs and then just LLs, you will still be at 4 heat after the 2 LLs round, meaning you need either 2 turns of that to cool off, or switch to MLs. Or just one LL. Machines like AWS-8Q can easily afford standing still and shooting, because they were built like a barn door and can take a punishment. Black Knight, for all it's armament, kind of doesn't do that very well.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

@@nemamiah7832 idk Commander. It works for me! D:

[@nemamiah7832]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed And that's great. It would very very boring if we had agreed on everything. Then I wouldn't have to argue with people that Whitworth is a good mech actually :D

[@dakkath414]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed Agreed. 3-2-3-2 while running into brawl range has worked out pretty well for me.

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

Great stuff as always, nice to have you back!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks! Good to see you again Spamurai!

[@TreyaTheKobold]

this channel always delivering Thanks for getting me into the MRC. I had one of the hardest lineups in the tournament and still went 2-2: first time playing battletech competitively like that. Your videos make me wanna get better at the game

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ah ha! So that is you in the MRC channel I see sometimes lol. Grats on your wins!

[@michaelyang1848]

Love that you explained the logic behind the ratings, way better than tier-style comparisons from other creators. Thanks for putting this together.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

You're welcome Commander! Glad it helped clarify things. Hope you're enjoying the game!

[@xensoldier]

Fantastic video condensing all that complex information into much easier understandable display of data and lists!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thank you! I'm happy it clears things up!

[@alexandermarquardt597]

The video is fun to watch and I can imagine it was even more fun to make :D Good job.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Glad you had fun watching Commander! It was a lot of fun to make. It answered quite a few of my questions.

[@DIEGhostfish]

12:50 Via retcons made after the RAT, the Guillotine's actually MORE common than the Grasshopper as it NEVER went out of production the way the Hopper did.

[@jacobfisher7625]

I just found your channel and wanted to say I appreciate what you did with it, detailed short descriptions without bias go a long way to spreading cbills out! Thank you sir, uhh, gelatinous blob, dude? Also I will still be taking my Marauder 2R lol. Got lucky enough to salvage one during a job.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

You can call me Otto or Nerdy! Welcome aboard Commander! o7

[@darkgravystains]

I have never been happier than hearing a quickdraw being called a waste of money

[@MrTudenom]

Another great video, well done!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thank you!

[@WeOnlyEatSoup]

Great video! Im doing Tukkayid mini campaign here soon and this video is a big help thanks again!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

You're welcome! Best of luck defending the Inner Sphere Commander ! o7

[@kylesprenkel680]

thank you, i have been writing a "A Time of total warfare" campaign for my friends for a couple years now (one day our schedules will align lol) and have been struggling to pick the mechs i want to show up in the campaign. this really does help

[@nocomment3294]

thanks so much for this and your other videos. having only played the battle tech base game and extended mod to date, learning how to really play the game helps so much when playing the BTA 3062 mod that kicks my ass^^.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

You're welcome Commander! Glad you enjoyed!

[@mechastophiles2118]

The evaluation for the Exterminator somehow manages to get worse when you really start digging into it. First up, all versions have the Difficult to Maintain quirk. Second, the -4A variant? Only 25 were confirmed produced. Lastly, being designed as a "headhunter" Mech, all the Great Houses formed task groups specifically to hunt it down when the Succession Wars broke out. The Exterminator is functionally extinct in the Inner Sphere, unless a certain interstellar telecom company has a few stashed away somewhere.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ye, it has a really cool name, but he heat issues really gimped it for my friend when were were playing in a campaign. D:

[@stephenknizek2651]

I like how the Thunderbolt rated higher than the Marauder.

[@murgel2006]

Good video, fun to watch and solid analysis.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks Commander I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@johntaylor8095]

Loved the video!

[@ALECOS44]

Amazing video! Largely agree with most of what you said, but even where I disagree it is a great overview of their roles and general performance and a great guide! Really excited about any future tier lists and analyses!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks a bunch glad you enjoyed! We don't always need to see eye to eye!

[@nobleinexile4296]

Wow this is great attention to detail. I don't even play the game but subscribed!

[@nicccandussi865]

I have been longing for that video. ❤

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

UwU

[@amw5288]

Great list. Convinced me to refit my Marauder. Can't wait for the medium and assault ones.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks! Glad they helped. Medium and assault are on their way!

[@jameswright2623]

Yoooo it's my favorite jelly man! Thanks for the tips! I'll be sure to use them in the campaign with my dad! Honestly can't wait to get a catapult though. Such a venerable design. Although it saddens me you would place the Marauder so low I respect your choice. (Even if it's wrong.lol) In all seriousness great video and thanks for arming us with this knowledge!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

ayyy! Hope your games with your dad are going well! The Catapult is an all around monster if you use it well. We don't have to agree with everything Commander! Feel free to disregard and go with what you like!

[@Linkous12]

Enjoyed the video! Glad the Merlin was on the list. One of my favorite heavies, along with the Flashman.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ayyyy! Glad you enjoyed. The Merlin isn't quite used as much but I do think it has potential.

[@camsterdam3896]

Great video

[@scuttlefish4667]

Fantastic video

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

[@Puls3evo]

I find it fascinating that before finding your channel, I evaluated every mech listed (except the Merlin, which is not available) the same way in MW5 except for the Quickdraw. Though it may need a small refit to bring the rear-facing medium lasers forward, it's ability to reposition to head off enemy flankers makes it, IMO, a solid Battleline/Bodyguard unit. I do think, however, it would be a 5th/6th 'mech, instead of a main Lance inclusion, unless you are able to make more extensive refits.

[@brettwerdesheim9767]

THOUGH I understand your gripe about the eridani thunderbolt, pairs very well with grasshoppers in direct assault and flanking pairs. While not as heat efficient still has more addded HS to help after a jump assault. Still feel its a less is more mech like some other while being a brick wall that flies.

[@willdavis3802]

He should have picked the Steiner Thunderbolt. Far better in battle than the jumpy waste of money version.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Very true. I might have underrated the Eridani thunderbolt? I dunno. You make a good point.

[@SupermarketZombies]

Great video. Glad your channel is picking up steam

[@spotH3D]

Watched it once, then later came back to pause at certain points. Have my merc unit excel spreadsheet open on the other monitor, making notes!

[@SalamiTactical]

Fantastic as always! As someone who doesn't play with quirks or rarity/availability factoring into our games, I really appreciate how you break out each metric and weighted category so its easy to filter out what info is pertinent for your table vs. another's. totally seperate food for thought - i personally did a spreadsheet comparison of all the (succession wars era) heavy mechs and variants with x2 PPCs as their main weapon as i noticed how many go for that loadout, just comparing their armor, other weapons, heatsinking, etc. to see how they stack against each other. Noticed some interesting properties in the minutia of differences. Curious if an idea like that ever crossed your plans, such as comparing all mechs with a singular similarity. Like all with an AC10, or every one with x4 medium lasers. Like if those weapons are your goal, which package is best/best suits you?

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Hmm, I think I have some other plans for content but I did notice some common patterns in design. Ex. Double PPCs, LRM+Medium Laser+Speed, PPC+SRM, SRM Boat, LRM Boat. I think it will be sufficient to cover all the 3025 mechs in tier lists and then move onto adding to those ideas.

[@ChrisZestyJesty]

I think you're omitting or forgetting some mechs that have important quirks, like the black knight and the marauder being command mechs, and the marauder having narrow/low profile, which is very good defensively. Other than that, its a good analysis of the capabilities of the succession wars mechs.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Command Mechs were given a bump up in utility!

[@ChrisZestyJesty]

@Nerdy Overanalyzed oh OK. Have you gone over your mech rating system yet? I'd like to see how you're getting these numbers and grades.

[@mouselurker7219]

Another great list! As commander of the Red Sashes mercenary group (est. 3010), I would like to share my experience. When the Red Sashes were first formed I could only scrape together a couple lances worth of mechs. Shortly afterwards, I found a couple Warhammers for dirt cheap at an auction. The backbone of my mercenary company was built around those Warhammers. They were so effective, we incorporated the silhouette of a Warhammer into our company logo. Since then, the Red Sashes have grown in size and we have a wide assortment of heavy mechs, but the Warhammer will always be remembered as the mech that built the Sashes. The only variant used within our forces that I think is worth mentioning, is one used by one of my lance commanders. It is a variant of the standard Grasshopper. The LRM 5 is removed and in its place a medium laser is installed, in either side torso a small laser is added, and finally, to help with the extra heat of the additional weapons, a single heatsink is also added. This both removes the chance of an ammo explosion, adding to the already formidable survivability of the mech, and makes the Grasshopper a strong brawler. Look forward to your discussion of medium mechs. Stay safe fellow mercenaries.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Sounds like an epic little story. Removing the Grasshopper's LRM is a pretty good move imo. Glad you're enjoying the game!

[@Rendclaw]

I thought something had happened to you, your Discord went poof. Excellent breakdown. I admit that I am drawn to Marauders more than any other mech, but when I played dice and paper BT/MW, my character drove an Archer 5R, with two LRM-15s and two ER Large Lasers. I wish I had known about how to properly run an Archer then. I'm just glad I still have my original Fasa 1990 readouts

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

I'm here! These videos just take a while to make lol and I wanted to experiment with some other ideas. Hope you're enjoying the new content!

[@hideshisface1886]

As far as frontliners go, I must say, I love the good old Orion. The mini-Atlas. It was Kerensky's favourite for a good reason. It is a solid "everymech" machine in my eyes. Something you take when you do not know what to expect. Ranged mechs and range hybrids - I like the Marauder, but it is too expensive and runs horribly hot and I feel like it is very vulnerable to being swarmed. For lurms, I like the Archer - it is objectively a fantastic machine if you can prevent it from running hot. But I do have a soft spot for a good old CAT - low ammunition counts hamper it, though. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Warhammer if you need a PPC sniper - especially a D variant. Basically, a more manageable, if less glamorous Marauder. Heavy cav mechs and line hybrids - I find most of them disappointing, especially on the lighter side. Many faster heavies rely on too big engines and sacrifice too much - it is usually either armour, armament, or heat management. I do have a soft spot for a Dragon, even if it is horrible and I find it may work decently enough in numbers. The one thing it has going for it is that it is an "everymech" - so if you have ton of them and you lose one, your overall utility won't be diminished much as if you lost a specialised mech. The only problem is that better "everymechs" exist - like an Orion. I do like a Grasshopper though. It is a decent medium and light killer. Fast and protected enough, same with Guillotine. I already mentioned I do love myself a Catapult - but it is deceptive. It looks like a lurm boat, but most variants have suspiciously heavy secondary armament. And K2 makes for a deceptively good alternative for other dedicated PPC boats - if you were to choose a series of mechs to build a lance of - you could easily go with various versions of a CAT and will pretty much every possible role.

[@cavalryscout9519]

I always like that your reviews include things relevant to mercenaries, like dropship slots, cost, availability, etc., as well as how a mech will function in a unit. You can tell this is a good tier list because there aren't too many "S" tier, "A" and "B" tiers are still great mechs, and an example company would include down to B tier. In my unit we tend to focus a bit more on "battleline" heavies, with ranged and cavalry heavies being picked based on their ability to either support or fill-in for that role. We don't run many assault mechs (just a Victor and a Battlemaster in the whole Battalion right now), so we lean on the heavies to fill-in to typical assault roles. We will run as many Orions, Thunderbolts, Flashmen (Flashmans?), Grasshoppers, and Black Knights as we can get out hands on, with Warhammers and Crusaders in our ranged slots. Since so many of the line mechs also have fair firepower at long range, we prefer the more hybrid ranged mechs over specialists. At any given time, the Battalion is usually about 70% heavy mechs (with the rest being mostly mediums) since the weight class has a lot of value and versatility for mercenary missions. We can afford assault mechs, but aside from a few pilots' personal mechs we don't field them. Assault mechs are rarely the best use of dropship space.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Hey Cav Scout glad to see you again! Happy you're enjoying the videos. I do try to be a bit more strict on the ratings in order to filter out the good mechs.

[@matty2cat486]

This is a really solid video

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

[@jake120007]

neat video, i love the black knight, and the catapult, my favorite mech of all time has to be the Goshawk/Vapor Eagle, though i always wanted to outfit it with stealth capabilities ECM and whatnot, it just had that stealthy alien mech vibe to me, its design always looked....well, alien, it doesn't look like most other mechs, and i really like it. my most common loadout for it in MWO was a PPC in the right arm, 2 SRM 6 or 4s i don't remember, and 3 machine guns with an enhanced targeting computer for the extra crits, and of course jump jets.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks glad you enjoyed! I am quite curious about the Clan mechs as well!

[@EdmondHiggins]

This is great information. I look forward to more videos like this one. Are you eventually going to get to post 3025 technology?

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks glad you're enjoying! I will be once I finish up with 3025!

[@zenmastermtl]

The FWL Marauder MAD-3M is my favorite variant, swapping the 2 PPCs for 2 Large Lasers and 4 extra heat sinks, while the range and damage are slightly reduced, the MADs troublesome heat issues are totally corrected and actually it will probably put out more overall damage as a result.

[@1nONLY_DRock]

Good job, as per usual! Definitely giving me ideas on what to shop for in my own mercenary company. Though I still can't resist some of those fancy classic Star League designs that cost way too much. ;-) Are you going to feature Royal Variants at some point? I hear some mercs bump into them from time to time!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Glad you're enjoying Commander! I'm happy it's giving you more ideas. I might go through a few Star Leauge things in a future video.

[@DSzaks]

This is really cool. I am not hardcore into Battletech but have played a few of the video games, in which custom loadouts for you mech is always one of the main facets. I'm not sure if this is true for other aspects of the franchise. All these mech seem to be evaluated w/ a particular preset loadout, but wonder if it would be possible to do an analysis like this but of only the frames/chassis as a baseline. That would be very helpful for people like me trying to understand how to build their squad up from the ground lvl, but it might have to much variability to be a viable task.

[@lkmdude8094]

On his individual mech videos he usually has one 'suggested' custom load out that doesn't cost much to retrofit from a base model. In tabletop any mech of any tonnage could theoretically be converted into any other mech of the same tonnage. So while deep analysis of custom load outs is common for the videogame it isn't a major factor on the tabletop.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Heya Commander! The analysis was done on the baseline chassis. If there were other variants I picked the most notable and did an analysis on that one as well. Hope that clears things up!

[@roboconn4689]

Love this stuff

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks!

[@goawayihavecommentstomake1488]

I just pledged for the BattleTech Mercenaries box set, so seeing this is good timing! I will sub for more. Please help me determine full company chassis types, XO!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

On it Commander!

[@america-san]

Dude, yes! I was wondering what the usefulness of certain mechs are, but i fomt have the time to run them in games to figure it out

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Now the only thing we need is an Assault Mech tier list!

[@zahreel3103]

Great content as always. I'm gonna be selfish here, but upload more if you can!

[@Arxkhero]

Gotta love the stalker being marked as a assault mech... She really is a beast.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

She's a monster! D:

[@fedupN]

Love the Guillotine and the Grasshopper. Love those bully mechs, showing up in unwanted places or pushing out zones of control. Lights and mediums? TRY AND RUN, COWARDS! ... I mean...yes they can...but I can zone em out and even protect vulnerable bits by jump jetting around and twisting to face faster things.

[@aonghuslane6246]

OK. Not a Battletech player, but I LOVE the lore and world building. Got almost All of the PC games (I'm old and can't sink as much cash into a new PC). The level of detail here is amazing. Auto subed. Really impressed.

[@aonghuslane6246]

Fricken autocorrect on subed!

[@Lieutenant_Dude]

It is remarkable that the thud is one of the oldest mechs of all, yet it still puts in the work.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yeah, it's a really good work horse. Quite solid!

[@Ledabot]

I've never even heard of the guillotine somehow. That thing is amazing.

[@gammafighter]

Same here. I found it by looking up mechs on Sarna, but I haven't heard it mentioned anywhere (almost). It gets my vote for the most underrated Heavy mech.

[@Ledabot]

@@gammafighter yea it's wild because not only is it actually a famous mech in universe, it's old in our world too. It's strange it's never really been put into games. Was it unseen, or unlucky lol

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

It's a beast!

[@SheyD78]

Very cool to see, with a lot of hard work to make choices look easy. As someone who mostly just watches MWO for battletech based entertainment though, seeing the loadouts of sucession era mechs hurts a little. Plus dealing with all the things that the game glosses over, like ammo explosions, parts availability, repair costs and the like shows flaws not apparent in MWO.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Glad you're enjoying the content. It's always nice that people who come from other games enjoy it too. :)

[@matthewpena3932]

Fantastic! Did you ever do the Vindicator as I don't see a video of it posted but I think you referenced a video on it before.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Nuh, never did the Vindicator. It's a pretty decent bodyguard mech though!

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

Grasshopper is better than the Guillotine due to weapon placement. The slightly better armor, and the Large Laser in the CT makes it a true zombie alongside the Flashman. Use the LRM-5 to scatter mine fields, all while running and jumping straight at your enemy (use terrain to your advantage). Once you close, dump the LRM ammo and start wading into the enemy. You can take hits and even lose both torso's all while always having a LL to poke at the enemy.

[@AkselGAL]

The solution for a problem is a Vindicator. The solution for a bigger problem are more Vindicators. Xin Sheng! Seriously, you would be surprised how nasty a company of them is.

[@Igloo254]

I know it's not 3025, but man do I love the Thunderbolt 10SE. Such a good heavy

[@moderatelymediocreviolist7484]

Would it be possible for us to have access to the excel that you're using to make these calculations? It looks really in-depth, and I'd like to look through it.

[@Sugar_K]

Marauder is S in our hearts every day.. best looking mech in the universe

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Forever in our hearts

[@SvenVanDerPlank]

Good to see a new video from you again. Hope you've been keeping well. Looking forward to you covering the Mediums/Assaults when you reach that point.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ayyy Sven! Good to see you! I've been doing well. Grats on your 2 movie releases! Looks like the first one came out to a really good premiere!

[@Olorin323]

Why did the RFL-3N make it on the "Core" list at the end? Was this a typo? Love these by the way. Can't wait for the assaults!

[@HouseDavieMerc]

Good video! That's a LOT of info packed in under 19 minutes. That said-I wonder where the Rifleman 4D and 3N would rank on this list? Also opinions vary of course but I would rate the Marauder MAD-3D slightly higher while considering rating the MAD-3R lower. Players tend to focus on it's PPCs and not consider rotating the large in and out of use to stay cool while moving or to fire all 3 big weapons when the time is right. Run it hot and players are often surprised at how much it can deliver. I like teaming up a MAD-3D with an Archer ARC-2R to get the best of both worlds.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks glad you enjoyed. And yeah we can diagree!

[@IanBurns]

I am sending this to all my Mechwarrior Destiny RPG players, mainly cause they are all new to Battletech(I'm not) and I can only help so much. :) I look forward to more of your vids.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ayyy! Thanks for spreading it around!

[@IanBurns]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed Your very welcome, keep posting the amazing content.

[@codieandrews4359]

Hey, is there some way of learning how you rate these mechs so I'm able to do it for my custom mechs?

[@keeshuunedited5678]

A lot of my favorite mechs are heavies. So excuse me while I nerd out about the various mechs since I have a moment. It's kind of interesting to see the perspective coming from tabletop, since I haven't messed with tabletop nearly as much as I want to. So my experience is early MWO (before everything got all crazy min-maxed), and MechWarrior 5, with a smidge of early BattleTech the video game (since I actually failed the one campaign I played and haven't had a chance to go back to it yet). So of the notable mechs that stand out for me: Dragon: One of the two mechs that got me warmed up to the Inner Sphere (I practically came from MechWarrior 2 where it's all clan mechs, where I didn't know the IS even existed). However, I could never get the mech to work, and even when I did do decently, I felt like I had to work significantly harder than using any other heavy mech. Interesting to see how much it struggles in Tabletop as well. I just always assumed it was all about going in and meleeing enemies due to it's speed, armor and being narrow/low profile & stable, but I don't quite know how effective that kind of strategy is in Tabletop. Can't imagine it being anywhere near hilariously strong as the "dragon bowling" in extremely early MWO though (oh my god, that was 10 years ago!?). Catapult: The other mech that warmed me up to the IS. The catapult has everything I want in an LRM boat. Decent armor, 4 medium lasers for backup that always shock the enemy with how much they hurt, jumpjets for aditional mobility, and everything else into the biggest pair of LRMs you can fit on the thing. Also, the MWO version of the Catapult is one of my favorite IS designs. It just surprises me to see that it does amazing in tabletop as well. I dunno how much the lack of arms effects how well it does things, but even then, it's more of a support mech so I feel like it wouldn't even matter. I remember hearing something about salvage bonuses and stuff, but I dunno if that's optional rules or whatever. ... On a side note, Kurita removing the LRMs and jumpjets makes me so mad with them that when I was deciding what faction I'd want to pick, that was one of the biggest things going against Kurita. You just can't do that to my favorite IS mech! It doesn't even function like a catapult anymore! Funny that it's lower in the tier list. Crusader: Ever since the expansion, I was basically forced into the mech because it was the only mech added, but no one else wanted to pilot it but thought it was cool. Then the more we use it, the funnier the mech is, since they repainted my mech so it looks like they have pink thigh high socks & arm wraps, and it just sticks out like crazy among the rest of the paint jobs the rest of the squad uses. Then we make jokes about how the horn thing on top makes it look like a unicorn, and then there's just various other funny things about the mech that makes us love it and it's hard to imagine us playing missions with heavy mechs where I'm not a crusader nowadays. Then it comes to gameplay, holy crud, it's now one of my go-tos. LRMs like catapult, but has more missile fun by replaced 2 lasers with SRMS, and it has machineguns so you can pew pew while you're overheating. Liao variant sacrifices a bit too much firepower for the jumpjets, but it's still fun! Also unlike the catapult, I can actually punch things with the Crusader in MW5, which is an interesting difference between MW5 and tabletop since I'm pretty sure catapult can still kick people's shins. All that said, it's nothing spectacular, and I can only imagine how poorly it'd work in tabletop, so I see why it was rated so low. Archer: Everyone "mains" the archer at some point, except for the one person that doesn't understand LRMs and prefers simple cheese by slapping 4 large lasers on a rifleman. The archer got long range firepower, mediums for back up, it's got armor, it's got big swole arms to punch things. It's just such a nice mech that anyone can use, and it's so reliable to get it. Nice to see it does well in Tabletop as well, I just didn't think it would do that well. Marauder: Another favorite of the people that gathered to play MW5 with me. However, no one likes to stay with it for very long. Not a single person keeps the PPCs and swaps them out for large lasers asap... except for me since I love the instant damage, and PPCs look cool. That said, PPCs are outright inferior to large lasers in MW5. Gets the job done, but leaves people wanting more from the mech, so it doesn't keep people's attention forever. Funny how tabletop seems to be the same way. Grasshopper/Guillotine: I didn't hear people talk about Grasshopper much, but my god actually using it.... It's just so dang good! In one of my runs for MW5 it was one of my only heavies early on and I wanted to get some extra c-bills so friends could buy stuff. It just shocked me how ridiculously strong it was because being tanky and dealing damage with jumpjets allowing repositioning to be easy. I'm surprised that it being ridiculously good transferred back into tabletop so well. This makes me want the Guillotine to get into the games at some point because the Guillotine looks so cool, but I prefer a SRM 6 over a LRM 5. I never take LRM 5s for any mech...... Unless I'm playing a very weak mech in MWO to make people take cover when they don't need to :3 Orion: I used to view it as a boring mech, but my view changed after a while. After looking into the different factions to see which one I like to stick with, Marik seems to be the one, and they love the Orion. Also me loving the clans a bunch, I love saying that it's "Kerensky's mech". Then gameplay-wise, it seems to be very reliable actually. Tons of armor by default, with a very nicely balanced loadout to do a little bit of everything. It's actually becoming one of my go-tos (well, if I wasn't "forced" into the crusader nowadays), even if none of my friends want to pilot this thing. I figured it'd do decently in tabletop, but I didn't think it'd do that well.

[@MichaelJCaboose013]

Top-tier content (pun intended) :D

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

S+++!

[@wowerdude38]

Where do you get the rats table from? Been looking for a link or file but can't seem to find it.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

you should be able to find it by searching for Xotl RATs on Sarna!

[@vandalnoire3844]

Where do you find these percentage charts for who has what? I'd love to have access to that. I know you can use the MUL to tell if someone would have something and when but I'd love to know the raw percentage of that?

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pajLkIaYi550msk number 1 :)

[@steveknight8001]

I think the Marauder is missing rarity percentages in the video? Not expecting you to re-edit the video, but can you add those to the description? (building a RAT for an upcoming campaign based on your rarity figures)

[@S810_Jr]

Idea for you, an URL in the description to some info graphic(s) like the final slide with some extra info, like their roles in the lance. That people can download and use for quick reference. Maybe have your profile pic in a corner along with a QR code that links directly to this video. Handy for people to use on the fly, and get to the video that it is in reference to as well as sharing online to friends or randos who also play. Also they could double as kind of a business card for you that everyone else would be handing out to people on your behalf to spread the word of slime (sure as Hell better that spreading the word of Blake, am I right?!)

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Maybe! KZbin tends to like people staying on the platform. I do think it would make for a good ref-sheet though. I'll keep it in mind.

[@KenshiImmortalWolf]

So an over all well done video, a couple things that sliped by like the K2 you audiably mention twin ppcs but the fast stats say LRM 10 and 1 ppc. One thing i will say and I don't know if anyone else brought it up is the Rifleman 2N is a medium mech. The original 1N and upgraded 2N Riflemen are both 50 tons, and then when the 3N comes along the chassis is shifted into the 60 ton heavy. I would of gone with the 4D as even through it is fairly recent it is the same base heavy chassis as the 3N and is a reasonable field refit with a similar kit to the 2N

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yeah there are a few typos D: Glad you enjoyed!

[@KenshiImmortalWolf]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed i just saw you dropped the medium mech tier list, expect a comment there later.

[@TheGreystroke]

Dude the T bolt SE version is light horse only no one else uses it one should have it as a foot note

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Makes me happy to see 3025 is still going on.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

It's alive and well!

[@stormstrike1769]

Just getting started with the table top game and digging in, what does salvage or aviable mean. Are the rules for that in the " complete " rulebook? We just played some games by tonnage

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Try looking into Xotl Rats tables! That should clear things up

[@stormstrike1769]

​@@nerdyOveranalyzed Ty for the answer, beeing new in this hobby i have to say: i get more and more confused every day

[@TreyaTheKobold]

Me: "i am learning wisdom as though at the forum of Socrates" Also me: "i watch until the end because i like when the slime wiggles :)"

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

lol!

[@eddon1281]

Nice job. I was just wondering about your choice of variants. Like, how about the RFL-3C, TDR-5SS, ON1-VA, etc.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

I pretty much picked the ones that I felt were the most notable.

[@sim.frischh9781]

Umh, Otto? Doesn´t Tier List expand when you place more pics in it? I have seen this with others using it... Kudos for adding the respective artists to each mech drawing/photo, they deserve some attention as well. Bashing the Dragon certainly would get you the ire of House Kurita, but given their general stance on Mercenaries, i think they did you a favor with this XD Fascinatingly, your way to analyze has led to some usually supposedly powerful mechs to be surprisingly low on the list, while others are rated way higher than in-universe lore suggests. And you say nice things about the Guillotine, which i personally like! Though the "ll" is silent, because it´s french, don´t ask, i don´t understand it either.

[@EliseTheBloody]

Where do you get the Rarity Percentages from? Love this series.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

xotl rats

[@jasonsternburgh8363]

Where did you get the % available for the different factions? Is that a stat on masterunitlist?

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

xotl rats!

[@Agentporpoise]

Any plan for weighing up the other big name heavies that aren't on this; king crab, annihilator, turkina

[@Fer-De-Lance]

The Cataput-C1, Grasshopper and Guillotine are wonderful mechs.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

They are!

[@chaoscommentary2179]

I normally use the warhammer and marauder I like PPC sniping as my play style

[@theghostinthemachine]

The only reason my group has Dragons, is because we stumbled on a very old Drac base with two lances of em mothballed there... Bad mech, but they were free, and we have yet to have to find any more parts. I still want more Thunderbolts though.

[@ThatSlowTypingGuy]

Bombardier: I'm a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude. Archer: What?

[@dallassukerkin6878]

I have been playing BattleTech in one form or another for a long, long time ... and seeing some of the truly terrible standard designs get their well deserved F ratings gilled me with joy :lol: These days I ride a Marauder II but for a long part of my career I was a Marauder jockey ... that AC5 came off in very short order I can tell you :D The 'classic' models were clearly designed to a picture rather than to performance as some of the modifications required to make them actually work are often quite simple in concept. For example, for a missile boat, as I am sure we all know but this is just to illustrate, have a pair of the biggest batteries you can fit in with four (three at a major pinch) tons of ammo and back that up with three or four Medium Lasers and enough heat sinks to fire continuously on the move. Count on most fights being over in about twelve minutes but *never* run a pure ammo-fed boat ... unless it is the absolutely insane MG-only Firestarter I have seen :) Captain Dallas Sukerkin, Merchant Adventurer's Company, Thackstones Battalion, Third Crucis Lancers RCT, Armed Forces of the Federated Suns {Federated Commonwealth? What's that? :p}

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Lol, glad you enjoyed Commander! And yeah you do seem to be correct in the early designs. :)

[@lexington476]

14:55 don't hold back, tell us how you really feel 🙂. Watching one of your older videos.