The Mercenary Guide to BattleTech - BattleMaster

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Hey there Commander! There's another vote for our upcoming BattleTech campaign! Be sure to check the "Community Tab" if you want to influence what happens next in the story!

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

An assault mech for fiery commanders!

[@kalixascsi66]

The ultimate commander's ride! If you find one with a Command Console, that thing is worth it's weight in gold. It also doesn't die to a stiff breeze. A great idea is to drop the MG's and ammo and add more heat sinks. It sorely need them.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Aight, hopefully the audio is coming into both your ear holes. :^)

[@Sharkie-0w0]

Look, ma! My art is in this video! Your daughter is famous on the internets! Also, love the battlemaster. One of my favorite designs in battletech! Slap a TSM on that experimental build and it's basically the one I run all the time!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Lol. Thank you for the art! I quite enjoyed it!

[@matthewneuendorf5763]

As fast as the Battlemaster is for its weight and roll, the biggest threats to its rear are fast-moving head-hunter units. Many of those do find a pair of MLs to be a serious threat. I also like giving it some kind of anti-infantry defense on the principle that infantry teams may well look to find and eliminate enemy command staff and being able to fight its way out of an ambush or a surprise attack can be invaluable. Newtown Industries provides a very basic refit package that swaps the MG ammo bin for a half-ton replacement and removes one ton of SRMs entirely, with all of the weight saved going toward an additional armor package. They try to follow the core design principle of a versatile command 'Mech that is capable of serving a mobile reserve role if the tactical situation calls for it, and to defend itself against a wide threat profile if pressed, while following NI's preferred emphasis on survivability and battlefield endurance. The loss of some ammunition and the addition of a ton and a half of armor should help keep the commander in the field longer while discouraging overly aggressive behavior that might distract the pilot - who should have better things to do than spend thirty volleys of SRMs.

[@Papercut337]

I’d replace the hatchet with a sword, but that’s just because I’m obsessed with swords. If you couldn’t guess, the Clan Buster Black Knight is one of my favorite mechs for this reason lol

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Heh heh heh, swords sound nice!

[@mattblom3990]

I'm a simple player, I like to smash things. Battlemaster lets me do that, it's a staple when I play Battletech and is only edged out once I replace it with my 100 ton Mechs. I find it well balanced and as you say, easy to use.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Heh heh heh. I too enjoy smashing things in glorious close combat! :)

[@MKmaki6094]

Oh man the guide I didn't know I needed! I got an Operation this weekend against some pesky mercs and have my commander at the helm of a Battlemaster. Hopefully I can use her to great effect and show them who the true master of the battlefield is.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Good luck Commander! Play around your composition and look for the glorious charge!

[@matthewmarek1467]

Ok, I'll admit, I never saw the hatchet coming! A very inspired bit of mech teching there. With the LRM in place of the SRM (I might go with a smaller 10 pack), it feels a lot like an 85 ton Thunderbolt, which isn't a bad thing.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ye the LRM isn't bad! Actually will probably be more stable overall. But I feel the hatchet is more exciting and built it more as a "fun" mech for the upcoming campaign.

[@drmcweazel]

YOOOOOO I did NOT expect to see my BattleMaster here! That's radical, man!

[@Nostroman_Praetor]

I *love* the Battle Master. Its a blunt war machine that consistently delivers on its combat role. I use a full lance of them in Mechwarrior 5 and while they stay in repair for some time after whatever I throw them at, what I throw them at gets mauled. I think my problem now is making a diverse lineup to cover their weaknesses if I can't just use four of them since its ability to deal with aircraft and sustain damage like other assaults isn't exactly the best. Edit: The Steiner varient is one of the units I have and is strangely the one that has the least amount of damage after every drop despite replacing all of its LRMs with SRMs, which baffles me as to why it doesn't just blow up at least once.

[@MechanicalFrog]

Loving these mech videos. Keep up the great work.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Thanks will do! Looks like your channel's doing pretty good with the "Why do we love series" too!

[@warhammertrash1626]

Playing the Battletech RPG with my friends, and we were told we would get our Merc unit randomly assigned to us. As the commander, I ended up getting the Battlemaster, and really look forward to using it. The Battlemaster, as far as I can see in our practice games, is excellent for holding ground and forcing enemies into bad engagements. I managed to ward off two Black Knights and a King Crab, while they all tore each other apart, leaving me only minimally damaged and with no disabled components, and after destroying one of the Black Knights, the other two both decided to concede. I can only imagine how scary this thing will be once I have the chance to optimize the loadout!

[@Orcimedes]

I quite like the Arminius refit, it turns an all-rounder into a more focussed mech with only a little tinkering. The big melee threat makes good use of the speed of the mech without falling into the charger pitfall. Personally I would go for the sword though. It 'only' does 10 points of damage but it's more accurate and frees up another 1,5 tonnes for heatsinks and/or armor). Either way it turns from good to monstrous once Triple Strength Myomer becomes available.

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

10 points doesn't cave in a cockpit in single blow.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ye, it's not bad! The increased accuracy with the sword does sound nice!

[@1337w0n]

The battlemaster was the first assault mech I piloted in mw5, as an upgrade to my Thunderbolt. I will never not love it. The first thing I did was swap the PPC for a LLaser, and the SRM for a Lrm 10.

[@anexistanthuman2435]

The Battlemaster is a very fun mech, one of the most fun assaults to pilot for sure!

[@kennendo8922]

The Arminius is a great variant but be prepared for it to get focused if you use it playing table top. Mechs with melee weapons are priority targets for a lot of players because nobody wants to get hit with that damn hatchet!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ye for sure lol. Both my friend and I have run the original variant a few times. It blows up quite a bit. xD

[@louistetrault6729]

Another alternative is to drop the PPC & SRM6 (with ammo) to mount 2 large lasers, a heat sink & a ton of armor instead. 18 heat dissipation = 2x large laser shots while running. It also allows to flip the rear facing madium laser forward, since they generate together... 18 heat. It makes for a great brawler with 3 hexe less reach than its initial configuration, but 16 damage instead of 10.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yep! I did consider that! You cold do it for sure and it wouldn't be bad! Sort of a melee black knight

[@thedango6890]

I switched my battlemasters ppc out for a large laser with more damage and higher rate of fire, it also weighed less so i strapped more armor on. I love 'jousting' enemies. The turning heel and bladting them in the back or side

[@franksmedley7372]

Another excellent video, Nerdy. A lot of players 'hate' the Battlemaster, but depending upon the situation, the Battlemaster can do 'good work' in battle. Your 'upgrades' are pretty good overall, and I especially like the Hatchet version.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Hey Frank! Good to hear from you. Yeah! Hopefully the Hatchet version will do well!

[@cavalryscout9519]

I'd probably bump the Battlemaster up to A tier for mercenaries, but not specifically as an assault mech. If you're looking for an assault mech for assault mech roles, it's not on par with the Awesome, Stalker, or Atlas, but it's solid for heavy mech roles, and heavy mechs are generally more useful to mercenaries than assault mechs. It's huge engine is what keeps it from matching the armor or firepower of other assault mechs, but it moves like a heavy, has great armor for a heavy, and has good firepower for a heavy when you consider that those heavy mechs which outgun it also have more heat problems. A Battlemaster will function with any heavy lance, and like heavy mechs, you can even put a single one with most lighter lances and still accomplish the mission. I tend to like the machine guns on the Battlemaster, but not in the arm. I never load more than ½ ton of ammo for them, and in campaigns set after 3036 it's wise to use that extra ½ ton for CASE. CASE is one of those LosTech items which was widely manufactured, so it's available anywhere, even in the Periphery states. Even without CASE, 100 MG shots is more reasonable than 200, and there's no reason to even fully load that ½ ton on most missions. Since the Battlemaster is likely to play brawler at some point on the mission, the MGs are useful, just not on the arm. You might want to punch with the arms, and MGs are mostly only useful at punch range. Better is to move them to the torsos. The rear-mounted lasers are less useful than the MGs in my opinion. 4/6 mechs just don't get outflanked that often, and (like you said) 2 medium lasers aren't much disincentive. Swapping them to the front is an option, as is just replacing them with armor. Overall though, I'd consider it A tier by heavy mech standards, with it's only real limitation being cost. It's similar in armor, speed, and capability to something like the Orion, but costs about 2 million more due to the massive engine, so it's just harder for mercenaries to purchase.

[@eopatcjo]

Thanks for this, homie!

[@kereminde]

I first picked the BLR-1G BattleMaster as a command 'Mech because it seemed to get "not enough love" compared to the more common choices. My brother decided to go with an Atlas for his, so I felt utterly justified in taking this one... and I liked the look of the design, so that was a bonus. Once I got to using it on the field, however, I found it was remarkably decent. I think it might need more long-range options for a 'Mech which may hang back. Thus it might be interesting to replace the SRM 6 with an LRM 10, after pulling the Rear-facing lasers and Machine Guns. Install two more Heat Sinks, and armor up with the rest. It's still not as well-armed as another 85-ton 'Mech (the Stalker) but that's a high watermark. (And it pays for it in heat management...) It would, however, be a decent command 'Mech to be able to stand back and be a threat, while also being something you don't want to close with. Then again, the BLR-1D is *right there* too.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ayyy yeah! I agree that the Battlemaster is underloved as a Command mech. I do think it needs a bit more long range punch to balance, but I'm not sure if I'd ditch the SRM-6. I do remember playing around with 2 Large Lasers at one point but I can't remember the exact build.

[@kevinjheath]

OK, gotta say, that Arminius refit is a beast!

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

It's a bit overtuned tbh D:

[@Brendan1259]

If you do the Highlander at some point the name of the customer one should be a reference to the Highlander Franchise.

[@canderoussnurd4265]

A Battlemaster with a Hatchet….you’ve peeled my curiosity.

[@thedango6890]

I just started playing mechwarrior 5, but the tabletop looks pretty good. Might try it out

[@claytonhollowell4488]

If you're closing to melee, kicks are often more efficient, especially if a light mech strays into melee range.

[@deathwatch1169]

Another lovely video and a Battlemaster is quite the fav indeed even for me. I actually gut the machine guns and ammo to either raise the defense or turn the Battlemaster into a true laserboat. Though im unsure how it would work on tabletop hehe. I also got the stats for my Ancestral Nightstar. I showed off what it will be like fresh from its ancient mechbay but I now have a build of how it would look with clan tech as a rehaul It's still got 18.5 tons of armour, now clan ferrous fiberous. Clan Endo Steel 2 Clan Gauss Rifles A small command console Clan ECM 1 Clan ER Large Laser 2 Inner Sphere Light PPCs 14 Clan Double Heat Sinks

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Laser boat Battlemaster wouldn't be to shabby I think! The six lasers would be neat

[@deathwatch1169]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed Yeah I remember, at least for Mechwarrior 5, stripping the machineguns and either upgrading the armor, the lasers across the board, or both haha while keeping the SRMs but reduced ammo i think

[@warlok363]

The Battlemaster is an ideal command mech from a campaign standpoint as it would be good enough in most situations to keep up with the other mechs, keep the Commander alive, and not be useless in a fight. The Capellan BLR-4L with the stealth and the better long range and jump jets is a great one.

[@weaselwolf]

I like the hatchet. Reminds me of when I gave one to an awesome and added TSM. Nothing like being able to chop any mech 55t or less clean in half with one CT hit. And the awesome had no trouble keeping the heat up. Later gave the pilot Melee Master. Not much can take two hits from something like that. Can't wait to see what you get up to in the later periods

[@EricVulgaris]

Great video! I've always been disappointed when fielding it but maybe this was what I need to field it again

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

You could give it a shot if you wanted Commander! It's not the best mech in the world and is a bit risky to use, but it's not the worst option!

[@Spartaner251]

changing the SRM and a few other things to a LRM-15 makes this the bigger Thunderbolt lol. the hatchet makes a whole lot of sense, even with a higher class refit. changing the MGs to a flammer and adding 1t armor would be a quick way too and keeping the anti inf utility

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ye, I did consider doing an LRM-15, but did notice it was essentially an up tonnned T-bolt at that point. The LRM-15 will probably make it more stable but also more boring. And I want something exciting for my tabletop campaign.

[@allanhanson6616]

Adding a Hatchet... Genius!

[@CanadianFabe]

I'm planning on making my own mech company for alpha strike and was thinking of making my command mech a battlemaster. looks like I made the right choice.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

May it serve you well Commander!

[@kazekamiha]

Funny enough; the first Assault I got in MW5. Got me through a though mission; I think mine had an SRM6, a large laser and six(?) medium lasers. Worked rather well.

[@XanderDraft]

A good mech overall although I dislike it for personal preferences. Id definitely swap the machine guns for flamers (less ammo explosion risk and better anti infantry plus heat problems on enemy mechs.) Rear facing lasers come to the front so you have more forward bite. Id drop a ton of srm ammo and get extra armor. The hatchet is an interesting choice that I could see being viable in a blocker (for long range lances) or for lances assigned in cities where the reduced sight lines makes the hatchet more dangerous. Honestly this mech screams trainer - try out a bunch of weapons and see what you like. TLDR flamers for machine guns. Rear lasers go forward. Less ammo more armor.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yep! That definitely sounds viable! The 6 medium lasers are no joke!

[@Moritat-XIX]

Loving these videos. Really dig your approach.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Glad you like them! More on the way!

[@adventwolfbane]

Would love to get a Victor and Battlemaster tag team going. Two incredible beasts of the battlefield working to clear out enemies. Just for fun throw in a pair of Cataphracts to round out the Lance.

[@retrosquadchannel2.050]

Also one ore thing that BLR-1G - he can throw away PPC, so at that moment enemy mechs realise, that they are frakkked. Or better yet - why use hatchet, when you can get brand new (relatively) club, disguised as enemy mech's arm! Comstar in 3029 didn't complain, when BLR-1G played baseball with 12 mechs in front of NAIS, although it turned into full fledged wrestling. Hanse "Sly Fox" Davion really had time of his life.

[@landenmorton4543]

This adorable headbanging slime is giving sound tactical advice.

[@BazztheBazz]

I'm a big fan of swapping the SRM-6 for an LRM-15, since it makes the Battlemaster more versatile, but man, that hatchet build is pretty sweet. If you're gonna go all-in on brawling, go *all the way in* on brawling.

[@ero9841]

Right? I honestly dident think of throwing an axe on battlemaster. Makes it more aggressive. Probley my favorite rework form our orange slime.

[@ApsalusSigma]

If anyone knows about the Elder Scrolls, the 'Arminius' seems like the perfect Battlemaster for a True Nord and/or Dragonborn; I really can't help giving this Hatchet-wielding Battlemaster a viking warrior theme in my brain.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yeyeye, I do like the Viking look and I'll do one eventually! But Arminius was a Germanic hero!

[@bbsamik1999]

I love the Battlemaster in the same way i love the Cyclops both are my top picks if asked what my favourite mech is in the lore sense i love the command mechs

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yeah the command mechs are great! The AC/20 cyclops looks neat but a bit risky lol

[@richardstephens3327]

A BLR with a hatchet, now there is an idea. When the BLR first came out there were no hatchets, but having a new design with on could be a good idea. I shall have to try that out.

[@Wolfblade094]

A fun little guide. I am not sold on the hatchet for your custom build, though I see how it feeds into the brawling concept with piercing melee additions. I do wonder if going with the latter suggestion of removing the hatchet and downgrading or even removing the SRM to add in an LRM system would make for a more versatile mech, or one that is simply trying to do too much. A shame the double mechwarrior thing can't let you target one enemy up close, and then barrage another at range without penalties.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ye, the Hatchet build is not a "good" one. It's just a fun one I came up with to make things interesting in the campaign I'm playing. A better build would be replacing the removed weapon systems for LRM-15. But then you get something that plays like a Thunderbolt. It would be solid but sort of meh on film. I think I and other people would have more fun watching the all in Hatchet build.

[@Wolfblade094]

Oh its definitely more FUN yeah. And it looks cool to see that free hand wielding a hatchet no doubt. Excited to see how it all plays out

[@RattlerNxt]

Whenever I read BLR-1G I think it says Balrog. Which is also a rad name for a mech.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Bruh, I need to use that on some Assault I put flamethrowers on now.... Good God that is a good name.

[@HeadHunterSix]

That's how I've _always_ read it, myself. I wonder if it was intentional. But yeah, definitely pull the MGs for flamers in that case. You shall not pass! 🧙‍♂

[@NonApplicable1983]

I still think this one should have gotten battlefists. This one and the Banshee. Still a solid platform. The initiative bonus is invaluable.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Heh heh I wish~

[@HeadHunterSix]

The original intent and write-up was that it could drop its main gun to free up its hand for brawling.

[@rotwang2000]

The Battlemaster is an OK mech, but I kinda laugh when people say it has unmatched close range firepower, when in fact it has a little bit more punch than a Jenner ... In later eras, I like to drop the SRM and replace it with a MML9 for that extra spicy SRM crit seeking. Dropping the speed to add something like an AC/10 or a large laser or even make that a double-barrel PPC in the right arm for some real ranged fighting.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Very true! It does -technically- do slightly more because of the fists and head hunting punching but.. eh? The Jenner can flank. I do agree it needs more piercing.

[@lexington476]

1:28 the PPC is mounted in the right arm.

[@derekburge5294]

Best quality: he jiggles. And helps pad out critical slots.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

D:

[@derekburge5294]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed I've been workshopping names for marketing. Leaning towards Gelatinous Obstruction Organic Protection system. How's that strike ya?

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

@@derekburge5294 lol. I do enjoy acronyms. Fans ended up voting for SLIME as our mercenary company so I think to not confuse things I should stick with that for a while. Could happen for origin story. But for now it's a myyyyystterrryyyy~

[@derekburge5294]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed Love the mystery!

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

An assault mech for fiery commanders!

[@gruberjens4354]

A hatchet? Meele mech-combat is so barbaric already. And than adding to this with a dedicated meele weapon? 😱

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

I wanna slap!

[@ero9841]

Good mech one few assualt I bring to pick up games. Fast enough and armored enough to stay in the fight. Also you slipping on rear medium. Most light will avoid you and won't risk hugging you butt.

[@lexington476]

1:12 where do you get the information for the availability chart?

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Xtol RATs tables should be a link on sarna!

[@darkspire91]

Have you considered using inferno missiles since the fight would be so close? I've seen it done with the Dervish very well, I wouldn't be surprised if it worked here as well.

[@joshuamidgette4846]

Switch the rear mounted medium lasers to forward, remove machineguns for 1 flamer and an extra heatsink. Good to go until you get DHS.

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Yep, not bad!

[@lexington476]

The 1S is a version i would like to try but have not.

[@joeblack5393]

Its not "secession wars" its "succession wars" :P Similar, but different word :P

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Mmh!

[@quanghuynguyenang8455]

That one pistol boi

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

pew pew!

[@MilitaryStyx]

Not a huge fan of the battlemaster personally, but I use it every time I give a demo and just face roll the weapons to show the new player why its so important to manage your heat

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Ye fair! It isn't the best. But it isn't the worst!

[@MilitaryStyx]

@@nerdyOveranalyzed for sure, but I find that I prefer mediums or fast heavies that can support my vehicles and infantry

[@lexington476]

What is the closing song?

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Retribution by NEEFEX!

[@ruludos1977]

imagine how great the banshee would be if it followed the battlemaster's example instead of wasting tonnage on autocannons

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

yeeee :(

[@alex434343]

According to Nerdy, ammunition is always bad and all 'Mechs should be all-energy 'Mechs 😉

[@logan-9900]

...you just made it into a berserker

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

Pretty much :) I wanna smash!

[@vernonchristian3840]

Promo sm

[@nerdyOveranalyzed]

SM