Dogs of MechWar

MechWarrior 2 Weapons Info

Jump to the weapon you want to read about, or view the Weapons Chart or Battlemechs Chart (both good for printing).

Long Range Weapons: PPC, LLaser, LPlas, Gauss Rifle, Long Range Missiles (LRM), (GB) Arrow IV, AutoCannons (xAC and uAC)

Short-Range Weapons: MPlas, MLaser, SPlas, SLaser, (GB) Flamer, Short Range Missiles (SRM, SSRM), Machine Gun, (GB) Anti-Missile System (AMS), (GB) NARC Beacon

Equipment: Engine, Internals, Armor, Heat Sinks, Jump Jets, Equipment, Criticals

BattleMechs: How to read the BattleMechs Chart

Long Range

This info is for Mechwarrior 2 and Mechwarrior 2: Ghostbear's Legacy only. Weapons for Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries all have shorter ranges (detailed info is coming). Weapons marked with (GB) are available for Ghostbear only.

You must decide, when outfitting your mech, how to trade off the heat, damage & range characteristics of a weapon vs. the cost in mass and crits.

Remember that weapons that have ammo require at least 1 of that type of ammo, costing another 1T and 1 crit. For large ammo shooters, add additional ammo or you'll run out (each LRM20 ammo only gives you 6 shots, each AC20 ammo only gives you 5).

During play, the number show in the Ammo display will be the total number of bullets or missiles in stock. Divide this by the # of bullets per shot (e.g. AC20 uses 20 bullets per shot, SSRM4 uses 4 missiles per shot) to get the number of shots you have left. To get the starting number of missiles or bullets, multiple the # of bullets per shot by the Ammo (# shots) field in the Weapons Chart.

The total number of Missiles start at either 90 or 100, the total number of bullets star

For most weapons I summarize the mass, required criticals, and distance; e.g. 12T:6 1820m means Gauss Rifle takes 12T of mass, 6 critical spaces, and has a range of 1820 meters. Since the Gause Rifle requires ammo, at least one more critical space and 1 ton of mass are also required (all ammos weight 1T and take 1 crit each).

PPC - 6T:2 746m[really 1285m]

• Slow rate of fire, slow projectile is easily dodged with jumpjets.
• Powerful blue balls cause enemy heat build-up as well as damage.
• The actual range seems to be 1150, longer than the range of LLaser.
• In the opening MW2 video sequence, the good guy uses 4 of these to kill the jumpjetting enemy. I guess all his PPCs are damaged when the mech he's supposed to be saving gets destroyed; that's why he has nothing left but machine guns to fight the enemy Summoner.

LLaser - 4T:1 1019m

• Longest range of any laser.
• Hard to dodge, runs hot, but range makes it my second favorite weapon.
• It's nice to have at least one Large ER Laser or PPC to allow long-distance energy attack.
• Shoot at enemies from long distance while backing up at an angle. When the enemy approaches to within 450m, switch to MPlas & stop using the LLaser or you'll heat up.
• Remember to add lots of heat sinks for lasers!

LPlas - 6T:2 815m Actual range = 700.

• Expensive (same as PPC) but versatile, high rate of fire at short and long range.
• Not as hot as LLaser, but hotter than MPlas.

Gauss Rifle - 12T:6 1820m

• Very expensive, hard to aim at long distances, slow cycle time and requires bullets - but - very damaging, and has the longest range of any weapon (1820m).
• Use 1-3 extra ammos (8 shots each).

LRM5 - 1T:1 1000m
LRM10 - 2.5T:1
LRM15 - 3.5T:2
LRM20 - 5T:4

• Long-Range Guided Missiles. The number of missiles per shot is the type of the LRM (e.g. LRM10 shoots 10 missiles every shot).
• The ratios of mass and criticals appears to favor the LRM5, but if you factor in ammo the cost per missile is more efficient for the larger missile launchers (especially if you carry extra ammo).
• Use 1 extra ammo with LRM10 & 15, 2 extra ammos with LRM20. More than that and it's unlikely you'll actually use it up during the mission.
• Wait for missile-lock blip sound, long tone sound, and red reticle before firing. LRMs can lock on at 200 to 1000m. If you're closer than 200m, just aim and fire (you'll never get a missile lock). Of course, if you're confident you've aimed carefully or at ranges >1000m, you may fire without missile lock.
• Cycle-time is proportional to the # of missiles, so LRM20 has a slow rate of fire.
• Damage is 1 point per missile that hits, or splash damage from near misses.
• Hit F9 to see the missile-eye view.
• You here 3 nasty warning chimes when an enemy has missile lock on you. Dodge incoming missiles at the last second by jump-jetting sideways (Insert or PageUp in 6-key pad).
• Another trick is to lock LRMs onto an enemy on the other side of a hill then aim as high as you can while still maintaining lock (aim over the hill). Fire your missiles, and they'll curve up over the hill then down onto your enemy.

(GB) Arrow IV - 12T:12 1000m[wrong, really >1.4km]

• Powerful guided missile with large blast radius.
• Very slow rate of fire, but very damaging not only to the mech you hit, but to any mech near the explosion. For this reason, don't shoot anything too close (documents say 45m) to yourself or your starmates.
• This weapon is fun to use, but leaves little room for other weapons. Hit F9 before firing or F10 after firing to see missile-eye view!
• Use 1 extra ammo (5 shots each). Due to the long recharge time, you're unlikely to get off more than 10 shots in a mission. Also, be careful not to destroy your missile in flight with your own LLaser fire.

xAC2 - 5T:3 800m LBX AutoCannon
uAC2 - 5T:2 700m Ultra Autocannon
xAC5 - 7T:4 700m
uAC5 - 7T:3 600m
xAC10 - 10T:5 600m
uAC10 - 10T:4 500m
xAC20 - 12T:9 450m
uAC20 - 12T:8 400m

• Small cannons have long range & low heat. 
• xAC uses 1 more crit for slightly more range over same size uAC.
• Take extra ammo for large cannons (AC20 ammo only gives you 5 shots, which takes less than 1 second to use up).
• Guns are usually not my favorite, they are bulky, expensive, and run out of ammo quickly. I guess I like the idea of unlimited laser ammo. However, xAC20 with 4+ ammos will melt dangerous enemies at close range.

Short Range

You should usually include a balance of short-range and long-range weapons, since most enemies appear at a distance then close. Of course, some missions are inherently long-range or short-range, so customize appropriately.

MPlas - 2T:1 408m

• High machine-gun-like rate of sustained fire, my favorite weapon.
• Actual range is about 460m
• Continuously fire 2 MPlases as you circle an enemy at close range. The high rate of MPlas fire helps zero in for effective targeting.
• Add lots of heat sinks, and remember to hit O when you hear the "shutdown imminent" warning.

MLaser 1T:1 510m

• Longer range than MPlas, but slower rate of fire.
• I usually avoid having more than 2 of any laser. I don't see the point in having 4 MLasers and no heat sinks; you can only fire 2 or 3 times before you have to wait to cool off. Better to have 2 lasers and an extra heat sink, except in especially cold situations (in space).
• MPlas vs MLaser:
• MLaser and MPlas both show 7 for damage in the Weapons Chart, so hit-per-hit (within range) they are tied.
• MPlas has a higher rate of fire, so MPlas is able to transfer destructive energy to your enemy more quickly.
• MPlas runs cooler (heat is 4 vs 5 for MLaser), so is more efficient at sustained fire. During play the MLaser might falsely appear cooler, since it doesn't heat you up as much; actually, it's just firing more slowly.
• MLaser has a longer range (500m vs 400m)

SPlas - 1T:1 204m
SLaser 0.5T:1 255m
(GB) Flamer 0.5T:1 10m [really 100m]

• SLaser has the best heat/mass ratio of any weapon. Use 4 at close range.
• I'd rather have an MLaser than an SPlas (same cost).
• The Ghostbear Flamer builds up heat in the enemy (with negligible damage) at very close range, but it also builds up heat in your mech. Very effective at short range (only if you have low heat).

SRM2 - 0.5T:1 all 497m
InfSRM2 - 0.5T:1
SRM4 - 1T:1
SRM6 -1.5T:1
SSRM2 - 1T:1
InfSSRM2 - 1T:1
Torpedoes
SSRM4 - 2T:1
SSRM6 - 3T:2

• Short Range Missiles have faster recharge times and double the damage vs. LRMs.
• SRM6 (unguided) has the best damage / heat / crit / mass ratio of any missile.
• The streak versions are guided, just like LRMs, but lock on at 0 to 400m. Wait for missile-lock before firing.
• SSRMs cost more, but are very effective against hard-to-hit enemies, like the tiny Ghostbear or Mercenaries Elementals.
• The Ghostbear inferno missiles InfSRM2 and InfSSRM2 are similar to the standard SRM2 and SSRM2, but build up heat in the enemy. They appear to set the enemy on fire.
• You might consider giving a starmate guided missiles only (LRMs and SSRMs). This is because starmates seem very stupid when it comes to choosing weapons or leading a moving target. I have read that starmates will walk up to an enemy and attack with an SPLAS, never bothing to fire multiple SSRMs. With all guided missiles, your buddy can certainly do more than just get in your way.
• Torpedoes are only used in the Ghostbear mission on Thun, where you have a preconfigured Gargoyle under water. They fire 2 torpedoes each, lock on at 500m, and are slow to recharge.

xAC20 - 12T:9 450m
uAC20 - 12T:8 400m

• See description for all Autocannons listed above.

MGun - 0.25T:1 175m Machine Gun

• This is the only weapon with zero heat. High rate of fire, each ammo holds 200 shots.
• It's fun to watch pieces fly off your enemy when you shoot him with 2 to 4 MGuns from close range.

(GB) AMS - 0.5T:1 Anti-Missile System

• A machine gun that fires automatically to destroy incoming missiles.
• You are practically immune to enemy SRMs and LRMs as long as your ammo holds out.

(GB) NARC - 1T:6 450m Beacon for guided missiles

• If you shoot an enemy with one of these non-damaging missiles, guided missiles (from you or your starmates) will home in more accurately (he will not be able to dodge them). I almost never use it, it costs too much in crits.
• I can't seem to find anywhere if NARC is an acronym for something, I guess it's slang for narcotics agent.

Equipment

Engine

• XL halves the engine weight (see Battlemechs Chart for XL weight), and adds 4 crits. This is almost always worh it.
• All mechs use 10 crits for Engine that can not be removed. If you add XL to a mech that does not already have an XL engine, there will be 4 crits named Engine to be placed in the right & left torsos of your mech, and the engine weight will be reduced by the mass listed in the Battlemechs Chart XL Weight column.

Internals

• Endo-Steel trades 7 criticals for the weight listed in the Mechs Table (halves Internal weight).
• If you add Endo-S to a mech that does not already have it, there will be 7 crits named Endo-S to be placed anywhere in your mech, and the engine weight will be reduced by the mass listed in the Battlemechs Chart Endo-S Weight column.
• It's not clear what happens to Endo-Steel Internals stored in lost limbs. Since you don't suddenly have fewer crits available (that's what Endo-S does for you), I guess there's no reason not to just put all Endo-S in your arms.

Armor

• Ferro Fibrous trades 7 criticals for an increase in armor. Most (all?) mechs already include the maximum amount of armor they can hold.
• If you add Ferro-F to a mech that does not already have it, there will be 7 crits named Ferro-F to be placed anywhere in your mech. You also get a bunch more armor (15 to 20%) which you must allocate.
• From the ARMOR display, click on the section to modify, then click on the spinners on the right until you use up all your new Armor Factor. The 3 torso sections have a front and a back (just like the HTAL damage display - 1 Head, 6 Torso, 2 Arms, 2 Legs). Of course, you must also place the 7 new crits anywhere you can using the ASSIGN CRITICALS display.
• It doesn't seem to matter where you place the 7 Ferro-F crits. It's not clear what happens to Ferro-Fibrous Armor stored in lost limbs - do you suddenly have less effective armor for the battle? I don't think so, so I guess there's no reason not to just put all Ferro-F in your arms (same as Endo-S).

Heat Sinks

• All mechs have 10 heat sinks permanently in their frames. You can add additional heat sinks to increase the number under the NOTES column besides Heat Sinks in the Mech Lab. If Double is selected in the Heat Sink submenu, this number is show doubled in parenthesis.
• Always double your heat sinks when playing original & Ghostbear, this doubles the effectiveness (and size) of heat sinks at no cost. For Mercenaries, double heat sinks double the effectiveness for the same weight, but triple the size. You must decide if you can afford the crits before doubling heat sinks, otherwise you can save crits (but use up mass) by using many single heat sinks.
• Heat sinks are a personal favorite, since I like lasers. Give me 2 MPlas and fill me up with heat sinks!

Jump Jets

• Allows you to strafe sideways & turn quickly. Can only be placed in torso or legs.
• Jump Jets are not just for flying around in the air like a fairy. Their main benefit is to slide sideways to avoid enemy incoming fire, and to turn very quickly (e.g. while circling a quicker enemy). I keep meaning to buy a joystick with a hat control for easier jumpjetting, but for now I use the 6-key pad.
• Always include at least 1 jumpjet to slide sidewise (like strafe in Doom) and to turn on a dime. Heavier mechs will not be able to lift significantly off the ground, but they'll still be able to turn and slide just fine. You can also fly forward quickly by alternating between Home and J to hurry to your destination, or use the hat control on your joystick (if you can get it to work)..
• Hit Insert / Page Up to slide left / right (on the 6-key pad, above the 4 arrows)
• Delete / Page Down to quickly turn left / right
• Home / End to fly forward / backward
• J to fly straight up

Equipment

• It is unclear what Upper and Lower Arm Actuators are. They don't seem to do anything, and their removal (when allowed) frees up one critical each. Could they affect the accuracy of arm weapons? I always remove Lower Arm Actuators from mechs like Warhawk.
• CASE (Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment) lessens the effects of internal ammo explosions. For smaller mechs in the original Mechwarrior 2, identify which arm (if only one) has CASE and put your ammo there.
• MASC inconsistently increases your speed by 20% when enabled (hit V). For larger mechs, your speed will vary erratically between the normal speed and 20% more. This is standard only on the Firemoth. I prefer jump jets. MASC costs from 1T to 4T depending on mech (Firemoth to Dire Wolf).

Criticals

• All mechs have 47 spaces available for assignment of critical items (aka criticals or crits):
• 10 in each arm (20)
• 10 in each side torso (20)
• 2 in center torso
• 2 in each leg (4)
• 1 in head
• You must place everything you buy into available crits.
  From the Mech Lab, click on Assign Criticals.
  Now, for each item listed in the column on the right, click on a segment of your mech (e.g. the left arm), then click on Add to move the item into the first free crit in that segment.
• The number of available crits is effectively reduced for mechs whose Chassis Heat Sinks in the Battlemechs Chart is less than zero, and effectively increased (assuming you want the heat sinks) for mechs whose Chassis Heat Sinks is greater than zero.

BattleMechs

I don't like Nova or Kitfox, their turrets hardly turn. Nova is good for my 5-year old son, since he doesn't turn the turret anyway.

You must use a Firemoth in the original Mechwarrior 2's training levels and in some of the Trials for Position. This is by far the fastest mech available, especially if you use MASC (hit V) or jumpjets, and doubly so if you upgrade your engine.

For battling other humans in NetMech, I usually choose a customized Jenner IIC. With anything smaller I can't afford any long-range weapons; with anything bigger I beat lesser players too easily.

My friend asked me to describe the difference between Marauder IIC and Warhawk (both 85T).

• Others have written that Marauder's get their arms shot off too easily. Marauders appear to have arms that stick out, but it's not clear how much the Mechwarrior II simulation software actually considers this. It's easy to shoot the arms off of all mechs!-
• The default configurations for Marauders put most of their armament (4 PPCs) in their arms. This is bad - always avoid putting important weapons or ammo in the delicate arms of any mech.
• The numbers in the Battlemechs chart make them equal except for one area: the Warhawk has 13.5T armor vs. 11.5T for Marauder. Endo-S, XL engine and all other characteristics can be changed to match.

The answer: Warhawk uses up 2T for more armor, so he can take more damage than Marauder, but has slightly less firepower. I'd say Warhawk is the better choice for your personal mech, and Marauder IIC is better for starmates.

How to Read the BattleMechs Chart

You may change all these parameters (except Mass Limit) in the Mech Customization display. You may also add or remove weapons, ammo, jumpjets, heatsinks and MASC.

• Chassis - the name of the battlemech. Type a descriptive name when you customize from the Mech Lab.
• Mass Limit - the limit (in Tons) to how much stuff you can put in this mech. This total indicates the size of the mech, and includes engines, internals, armor, gyros, cockpit and all weapons and equipment.
• Endo-S Weight - the amount of mass saved by switching to Endo-Steel Internals (at a cost of 7 crits). ES in this column indicates that Endo-Steel internals are already included in the mech's primary configuration (but you can always add or remove it).
• Armor - the mass of armor (in Tons) included for this Mech. FF in the Armor column indicates that Ferro-Fibrous Armor is already included in the mech's primary configuration. You may add Ferro-F (for 7 crits) if not already present to increase your armor allocation. Since armor allocation is tedious, if I want Ferro-F I try to start with a base configuration that already includes Ferro-F before customizing.
• Engine / XL Weight - The Engine size determines the top speed for a given mech. The XL Weight is the amount of mass saved by switching to an XL Engine (at a cost of 4 crits) if not already present. XL in the Engine column indicates that an XL Engine is already included in the mech's primary configuration (but you can always add or remove it).
• Top Speed - Speed when you hit 0 (zero). The manuals often show a walking speed; mechs with the same top speed always have the same walking speed too, so I just left the walking speed out.
• Engine Score - I calculated the Engine Score as follows: 21.5 * XL Weight / Mass Limit / Top Speed. This gives a kind of normalized engine efficiency indicator for how different engines should affect the mech's speed. For higher numbers, you might want to consider an engine upgrade; for lower numbers, perhaps a downgrade.
• Chassis Heat Sinks - the number of heat sinks characteristic of the chassis.
  For positive numbers, the mech can have that many heat sinks for no cost in criticals. These heat sinks can deleted to reduce mass 1T, but not to reduce criticals. The primary configurations for Phantom and Stone Rhino are wasteful (they both could have 2 heat sinks added for no cost in crits).
  For negative numbers, that number of heat sinks will be added to your criticals for placement whether you like it or not.
• Gyro - Mass (in tons) used up by the Gyro. All cockpits take an additional 3T.