If there is one thing I know about clanners, you shouldn't worry about clanners who think the Timberwolf/Summoner is a suitable mech for brawling. It's the clanners who think the Fire Moth or Viper are for brawling you should worry about.
If you see a Falcon in a Summoner or a Kit Fox, you're probably in trouble. If you see one in something else, you're about to die, make peace with Kerensky.
Brawling is the clan way, since the establishment of clan culture fighting in a "the brawl" has always been the clan way. This is also how disputes and ranks are figured, you call it brawling, we Jade Falcons call it simply "trials".
@@impressiveprogressive7343 'Brawling' in this case refers to melee combat (at least with Battlemechs). The Clans find that sort of thing dishonourable, preferring to duel instead (as it typically results in less damage to the surviving mech, is shorter in duration and typically requires more skill to kill at range then up close). Comstar, whom the Clans initially viewed as the only honourable people in the Inner Sphere quickly changed their minds after Tukyaidd. Comstar laid traps, engaged in siege warfare, and loved closing the distance with their Clan enemies. But don't take my word for it; ask your troughkin how Comstar responded to your famous 'hoverdrop.'
You are so right about Clan mediums: IS mediums TEND to be "under-powered", because they are right on the threshold where space and tonnage is at a particular premium. They are often "so close" to being viable, but a matter of just a few tons and a few critical spaces makes all the difference. But the CLAN mediums... they get the lighter, longer-range equipment which is just enough to tip the balance, and make them capable of being more than just "Big, slow, Light mechs", and allows them to go toe-to-toe with IS Heavies and be IS-Light-Mech killers. This is a bottleneck that has always been a kink in the Battletech universe.
In campaigns where we literally had to bid against other players to play the clan side on the tabletop. This was my favorite mech as I would field this mech with 5 ride along elementals. So a lance of 5 of these would come with 25 elementals. They would move under cover till they were close, then jump across or over the enemy allowing the elementals to drop onto the enemy mech or in or near its hex. Then it would shoot and scoot at full movement. It was unbelievably effective. Great video, thanks for sharing. Chris
This is a logistical masterpiece. I can imagine this mech would be instrumental in a long, drawn-out campaign where you don't have to constantly replace expensive components due to its survivability. I'd love to salvage these from the battlefield!
It is, I have 3 of them on TT, and they make a great light strike mech for if you need to complete an objective with combined arms units and leave. They make great cavalry too! Use it in a star with a pair of Firemoths and it is threatening, my opponent had a slow lumbering LRM assault mech and I killed it death by 1,000 cuts style and the AMS pretty much cut its ability to 1 tap my vipers in half. Light attack roles, this mech works like a dream, in a slugging match I would say a stormcrow would be the better way to go.
Have to hand it to the Burning Monkeys--they may have been completely nuts, divided into a dozen mini-Clans with their Kindraa, but they knew how to make decent OmniMechs. Pity it's about the only good thing we can say about them...
This is why I like the Ghost Bears over the other Clans. The way they make use of designs other Clanners considered failures make them a bit more flexible in some ways more than Wolf at times. Also, the entire story Fire Mandrill made me laugh. It's basically the backstab shenanigans of the Free Worlds League taken up to an 11 but unlike the Mariks, the Mandrills just went extinct. There goes my theory that the Mandrills probably descended from the Mariks.
And, unfortunately, for the Fire Mandrills, they have far more true threats than just other Fire Mandrills. Whereas the only threat to a Marik is another Marik. Long live Marik!
What's really interesting is how the Viper is better suited to long term, sustained campaigns as opposed to the quick, blitzkrieg fighting styles favored by Clanners. It really embodies everything that is potentially smart about the Clans. So naturally, it was looked down on by them. As a dedicated IS player, if I had the chance to salvage a few, they'd be invaluable as long range scouts and strikers. Sure, they're expensive like all Clan stuff, but unlike their larger counterparts, it's a cost that's worth the investment.
Extremely dangerous mech, the combination of speed, armor and close range weapons make this snake a feared opponent. Be very careful when you see a viper in the radar, there's always more than one.
25:37 I have a frankly unhealthy obsession with Medium mechs, and will field them even when heavier options would be better, no matter the era. I just think they're neat.
In my experience, the Stormcrow, Viper, Mongrel, Nova and Conjurer are excellent in being the vicious little beasts that will gut your foe while they think your big mechs are the threat. Use them well and they will be your MVPs or should I say Most Valued Mechs
Great video. For Alt Config C, I never got why it had so many tons of ammo until I played against it in BattleTroops. I’ve seen ‘mechs with a half ton of MG ammo go dry in that system, but the Dragonfly C….that’s just the textbook definition of eternal hopelessness to face as infantry-even battle armor. Those MG’s never stop…
Vipers are my favorite clan mechs to run. They hit the perfect triangle of armor, firepower and speed. Even in MWO they can be a menace when running in packs especially the F variant where i can rip apart back armor like nothing.
One of my favorite mechs in BTA 3062, I usually take two in the role of scout/battle armor delivery. A couple heavy medium lasers, backed by a half dozen magshots gave it enough firepower to shred the back side of most mechs and the -3 evasion from the magshots made it great for hunting down enemy lights or jetting dusty contact in round 1 when everyone has max evasion
Active probe, clan ECM, laser ams and a location designator fill out the electronics suite. C3 if I'm gearing everyone else up with it too. Location designator isn't as good as a targeting computer and you can't land a headshot with it, but it's more than enough to direct a shocking amount of firepower into a rear torso location, or rip a leg clean off
Back in the 90s I gave my Locust (Plastic) from the Battletech A Game of amored Combat Box to a Friend. He is a huge Fan of the Design and back in the Day there was no Supply of anything unseen. A couple of weeks later he gifted me the Dragonfly (Viper) that we still could buy in the local game store. (It wasn't a deal, he just decided he wanted to replace it for me) The Dragonfly is an awesome Mech.
Ah yes, one of my favorite medium mechs from the Clans. On the table, whenever I play Clan I always try to fit a Viper on my roster. I usually play a more unusual spin on the Wolves where my mediums and lights are geared towards speed and knife fight tactics. I'll move them like a pack to hit and cripple enemy units from behind and be out of their range before they can fire, while my heaviest units come in to finish them off with their firepower.
Many medium mechs are overlooked compared to their heavier cousins as they're forced in to a role they aren't suited for. However, when permitted to do their jobs they are often the superior choice. This one is a case in point :) It's definitely not the daftest 40 tonner out there, I think that award goes to the Phantom. Plenty of armour but the engine leaves little room for ordnance. Basically a Cicada that didn't skip the gym.
The Viper is one of my favorites, fast, maneuverable good armor, and ok weapons. The plan with this one is to choose your target/s wisely as it simple don't carry enough fire power to go toe to toe with most heavies and assaults. The Vipers favorite target is unexpecting lights and mediums, heavies and assaults need to be moderately to heavily wounded to survive the encounter.
I normally have nothing but disdain and contempt for clan mechs but I've learned through experience to respect the Viper. It's become my favorite mech for hunting lights and harassing heavies and assaults in MWO
These are a much more forgiving mech than the Adder, which is quite an 'over-gunned' machine which tended to just kamikaze itself if you were not careful- you might take out your target but you're probably so busted its not going to happen a 2nd time. The Viper A-variant deals out a respectable chunk of damage, round after round... after round and probably for the era it came out packing the (in my opinion) best parts of clan weapon tech. Hurty long range lasers and endless missile pain. They are sort of tough but you don't really want to do a lot of face time, brawling range if you're not particularly lucky :) I mean, it'll soak up a few bad life choices but not something you want to keep repeating if it didn't go well the first or second time round
Having one of these in a campaign I was expecting it to be useless but was quite surprised at how good it really is. The one I have has a PPC, so is a faster pack hunter essentially.
I'm going to have to take this thing for a spin in my next Clan game and see what I can do with it. I have the model, but haven't put it to much use yet.
This was my favorite mech back in the 90’s when my friends and I would 8 man FFA at the local Qzar that had 8 battle pod cockpits. I absolutely wrecked with this mech, my friends hated this machine.
Some of the versions of the viper are great little mechs with a very good value for their weight. Its just that standard prime loadout that gives it a reputaion of being hard to love.
I kind of like the Viper. Its horrible in terms of design with no waist(changed later), light weaponry, low armor, high cost, and generally trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, but it kind of works. Compared to an Inner Sphere battlemechs the Viper is exceptionally fast and mobile . Its easily able to exploit Battletechs rules by jumping far to maximize the penalty it causes against anything targeting it, and can use Clan Pulse Lasers to offset that same penalty. The Viper's use of Clan weapons grants it a decent level of firepower compared to the much worse Assassin, Cicada, Hermes II, Vulcan, and other 40ton failures. While a Locust is annoying, a Viper is dangerous.
Low armor? That thing is three points below max for the chassis. It's quite tough for it's size and while it's 8.5 tons of pod space are somewhat limiting, it can still fit in some impressively annoying weapons due to clan technology. It's what the Assassin always wanted to be.
@@ChaosTicket Comprisons outside of it's own weght category never made much sense. Otherwise everything under 60 tons is light on weapons and armor compared to 20 tons of steel and 40ish tons of weapons on the assault 'Mechs.
I'm a firm believer that the Clan mech names are more fun than the Inner Sphere, but got'danngit, Dragonfly suits this thing so well! Terrifying jumpah, Viper just sounds ground-bound by comparison. Also had no clue this was a Mandrill design, why isn't it called Star Gibbon or somesuch?
Carrying something like 30 tons of weaponry means little if you can't land a single shot or just get a glancing blow when you do, and going against a Medium unit that can effectively 'tank' more damage than the biggest Assault mechs can be a very frustrating opponent indeed.
I'm still salty that fire mandril has a better insignia then Jade Falcon, for how prominent it is you'd think the people running the plot forward would try and make the one with better aesthetic be the one to be so prominent. yes, I meant to not capitalize their name, because I have never heard of them before hearing about a Ghost Bear mech and I feel that is how relevant they are to the plot. Edit: but I do love that little ball at the nose, I think the only time I've seen something like that was a camera from a spy plane from the cold war. Can't remember which side or what plane it is though.
I could imagine removing 8 jump jets and putting that tonnage to weapons/heatsinks/armor. Have a feeling that it’ll destroy any inner-sphere mech they had before clan invasion
personaly i like the Nova/Blackhawk. ermedlasers, ermedlasers, ermedlasers and guess what? MORE ermedlasers! in the hands of a competent pilot and with a bit of intel this thing is a real danger even to asault class mechs!
Because I was introduced to Battletech by Mechwarrior 3 and that game's salvage mechanics the Nova/Blackhawk became my all time favorite mech. And from one Nova/Blackhawk pilot to another: LIVE AND DIE BY THE SHUTDOWN OVERRIDE!!!!
i would think especialy for hit and run, aswell as for extended fights, this baby should excell quite hard, considering its narrow profile, aswell as the amount of armor that keeps it in the fight when other Mechs are inoperable or rightout destroyed ^^ atleast when it doesnt has its arms tied behind its back by clan fighting doctrine lol. i like it ^^
It's no secret that I HATE the clans but this is due to the game breaking mechs and pilots till people were forced to follow zelbriging. But I did like the dragonfly mech. I have always loved medium mechs especially fast ones
Aww I thought this was going to be about the 70 ton Viper Battlemech, a recently created design I'm sure I'll love if I'll ever get to use it in a table top game or PC game, which includes a variant that is my favorite official mid to late Succession Wars design so far. :( It makes sense the Clans would have a separate Viper Mech though because the Heavy type Viper was first created after the Star League Defense Force left the Inner Sphere I didn't play the Clans often so I had actually forgotten about this. Looking over the variants the M is my favorite though I think a B modded by swapping the flamer for an ER Small laser might be fun.
Hey Big Red I know you primarily do the personal history and statistics of battlemechs with a few offshoots with weaponry, power armor and even some dropships but what about covering some vehicles like the various tanks that mechwarriors end up facing off against, some which are actually feared by mech jockies especially the lights and mediums.
Making me reconsider my stance on the viper a bit. I'm not sure it is worth it's price but I can see how there might be instances when it could be worth it.
@@BigRed40TECH that hitting power is what sticks for me. It just doesn't have enough. However, in the right circumstances or with the right mix of other units I think it can be viable (previously didn't give it enough credit). I'm really thinking that it could be good in some objective based games. Getting to an objective quickly and being able to weather a bit of fire once you get to it isnt a common combo. A situation like that de-emphasizes it's shortcomings while still allowing it to act as support or harasser if necessary 🤔
@@BigRed40TECH fair lol....and it has the movement to get them in range often enough. It's like a smaller awesome designed for hit and run tactics in knife fighting ranges
I feel that the Viper would fit in perfectly in the Capellan Confederation's military considering how heavily the Capellan military invested in ease-of-use, ease-of-swapping pods with off-the-shelf weapons and components, and ease-of-maintenance. Why is this mech not paired up with the Gun and Cataphracts yet?
I like to farm these guys in Roguetech, the AI still hasn't figured out how to use them effectively. I will even occasionally use one for a while, depending on the playthrough.
I dont mind the viper , it's not that bad at all really I don't know why it's so maligned , even the Prime with its 8/12/8 134 armour an SRM 4 , 2 Medium pulse , an AMS and MG is dream territory for IS especially when you could argue that the med pulse is better than an IS lpl
Militarily, they accidentally, and sometimes purposely, made some great moves. Some of their most commonly used mechs are all inherited by factions that didn't know what they had.
See I called it! I put a comment in the last video asking for the dragonfly, and boom here it is! See I thought he was going to go and wait order, having the Koshi (sp?) be next 🙂. (insert Jedi mind trick here 😎)
That L variant would be SUCH a pain to deal with. Also, your outro "...and you'll be happy with the content, I think"; you normally say that with (much deserved) confidence; this time seemed rather querulous or hopeful. I get where you're going with it, but I preferred the 'normal' version (see above: "much deserved"). Just a thought for you.
Ive been meaning to ask you this question for a while because of your review series on the Battletech books. But what is the most Battletech Battletech book in your opinion? (Not necessarily the best, but the one that is the most true to what battletech is and tells a story in that framework.)
I honestly think the Viper is a case of missed opportunities. Jump Jets can be equipped in omnipod space. The jump jets should of been optional, not part of the base model. Even with an XL engine, too much tonnage goes into the engine. A 280 XL engine would give this mech a 7/11 movement, and give an additional 4.5 tons to use for pod space. Since this would limit the mech to a jump of 7 it also saves an extra half ton. With just the engine downgrade, the modified Viper would have an omnipod space of 12.5 tons which would allow it to comfortably mount heavy energy weapons. If the jump jets were also moved to omnipod space that would give a grand total of 16 tons of omnipod space on a heavily armored 40 ton mech with what would still be considered extreme speed. The Viper as is, is a good mech. It just isn't a great mech.
I'm looking though your videos. I haven't seen a video for the Uziel. Have you done this one yet? Did is miss it? Also Have you covered the Bushwacker yet? BTW the Viper is extremely fun to play in MWO. Good video.
I'm covering mechs in order of their original TRO's from FASA. the Uziel is a long way aways unfortunately. Bushwacker is 3058, again, a long way away. This is done this way for a few reasons, but one of the bigger ones is it just prevents me from speedrunning the most popular mechs.
Wouldn't the Streak LRMs in the L variant be better swapped for one Streak LRM15? I don't know how the weight increases with the Streak LRMs, but usually the Streak system behaves like the Artemis, adding a fixed amount. That would make one large launcher the more weight-efficient choice. Viper is a mech with a lot of potential, i don't really like its look but it has its charms.
I'm tired n fed up with the crap of saying armor takes up internal crits...that says its deeper inside then its IS.... Remember, u armor OUT not inside. Your limited only by how much armor u wanna spend in weight...
The Corvis isn't an omni-mech, and it is exceptionally derided. It was more or less entirely out of service in all Clans barring Hell's Horses long before the invasion.
@@BigRed40TECH still makes it inaccurate to claim first 40t clan mech ever recorded. Not to mention there was another one, clan wolverine design mercury i believe, which was one of the earliest clan designs, its weapons were interim tech too. Anyways, either case, thought i should mention that. Being common enough doesnt make a design first.
@@fistan5447 The first 40-ton Clan mech being recorded is meant to be IRL. Like, IRL, the Dragonfly appeared in TRO:3050, in 1991. There were no other Clan mechs referenced prior to this.
@@BigRed40TECH honestly, I was hoping you had an affiliate link so I could give myself an excuse 😂(can viewers promote affiliation via email? Is that a thing?)
If there is one thing I know about clanners, you shouldn't worry about clanners who think the Timberwolf/Summoner is a suitable mech for brawling. It's the clanners who think the Fire Moth or Viper are for brawling you should worry about.
If you see a Falcon in a Summoner or a Kit Fox, you're probably in trouble. If you see one in something else, you're about to die, make peace with Kerensky.
And those are Clan Ghost Bear favorites, do not poke a sleeping bear...
Given the Clans' views on brawling, finding a Clan Mechwarrior who is willing to brawl is worrisome on its own.
Brawling is the clan way, since the establishment of clan culture fighting in a "the brawl" has always been the clan way. This is also how disputes and ranks are figured, you call it brawling, we Jade Falcons call it simply "trials".
@@impressiveprogressive7343 'Brawling' in this case refers to melee combat (at least with Battlemechs). The Clans find that sort of thing dishonourable, preferring to duel instead (as it typically results in less damage to the surviving mech, is shorter in duration and typically requires more skill to kill at range then up close).
Comstar, whom the Clans initially viewed as the only honourable people in the Inner Sphere quickly changed their minds after Tukyaidd. Comstar laid traps, engaged in siege warfare, and loved closing the distance with their Clan enemies. But don't take my word for it; ask your troughkin how Comstar responded to your famous 'hoverdrop.'
The one thing the Mandrills did right. And it looks so much better now that it has a proper torso.
You are so right about Clan mediums: IS mediums TEND to be "under-powered", because they are right on the threshold where space and tonnage is at a particular premium. They are often "so close" to being viable, but a matter of just a few tons and a few critical spaces makes all the difference. But the CLAN mediums... they get the lighter, longer-range equipment which is just enough to tip the balance, and make them capable of being more than just "Big, slow, Light mechs", and allows them to go toe-to-toe with IS Heavies and be IS-Light-Mech killers. This is a bottleneck that has always been a kink in the Battletech universe.
In campaigns where we literally had to bid against other players to play the clan side on the tabletop. This was my favorite mech as I would field this mech with 5 ride along elementals. So a lance of 5 of these would come with 25 elementals. They would move under cover till they were close, then jump across or over the enemy allowing the elementals to drop onto the enemy mech or in or near its hex. Then it would shoot and scoot at full movement. It was unbelievably effective. Great video, thanks for sharing. Chris
This is a logistical masterpiece. I can imagine this mech would be instrumental in a long, drawn-out campaign where you don't have to constantly replace expensive components due to its survivability. I'd love to salvage these from the battlefield!
Hard agreed. If I had a merc outfit with some money, I'd want a pair of these in my recon and bug-hunting lance, definitely.
It is, I have 3 of them on TT, and they make a great light strike mech for if you need to complete an objective with combined arms units and leave. They make great cavalry too! Use it in a star with a pair of Firemoths and it is threatening, my opponent had a slow lumbering LRM assault mech and I killed it death by 1,000 cuts style and the AMS pretty much cut its ability to 1 tap my vipers in half. Light attack roles, this mech works like a dream, in a slugging match I would say a stormcrow would be the better way to go.
Have to hand it to the Burning Monkeys--they may have been completely nuts, divided into a dozen mini-Clans with their Kindraa, but they knew how to make decent OmniMechs. Pity it's about the only good thing we can say about them...
This is why I like the Ghost Bears over the other Clans. The way they make use of designs other Clanners considered failures make them a bit more flexible in some ways more than Wolf at times.
Also, the entire story Fire Mandrill made me laugh. It's basically the backstab shenanigans of the Free Worlds League taken up to an 11 but unlike the Mariks, the Mandrills just went extinct.
There goes my theory that the Mandrills probably descended from the Mariks.
The Marik's aren't nearly as hostile or stupid as the Mandrills. They politik with one another more than they openly fight.
@@BigRed40TECH but there is always a chance for a good fist fight in the Free Worlds League Parliament, of course.
Nope, first Chan of Mandrills has been Drak.
And that even more sense
And, unfortunately, for the Fire Mandrills, they have far more true threats than just other Fire Mandrills. Whereas the only threat to a Marik is another Marik.
Long live Marik!
I watched a horrible T-Mobile John Travolta commercial to see this. You’re welcome Red😅
John Travolta's love of T-mobile is what made this video possible.
What's really interesting is how the Viper is better suited to long term, sustained campaigns as opposed to the quick, blitzkrieg fighting styles favored by Clanners. It really embodies everything that is potentially smart about the Clans. So naturally, it was looked down on by them.
As a dedicated IS player, if I had the chance to salvage a few, they'd be invaluable as long range scouts and strikers. Sure, they're expensive like all Clan stuff, but unlike their larger counterparts, it's a cost that's worth the investment.
Cannot wait for you to do the Nova/Blackhawk, my all time favorite mech.
Extremely dangerous mech, the combination of speed, armor and close range weapons make this snake a feared opponent.
Be very careful when you see a viper in the radar, there's always more than one.
Fire Mandrill: "It is like a Stormcrow, but it does not have tiny, stupid hand actuators."
Snow Raven: "You take that back!"
25:37 I have a frankly unhealthy obsession with Medium mechs, and will field them even when heavier options would be better, no matter the era. I just think they're neat.
Hello fellow man of culture.
A good 40 ton mech, truly a sign of my outdated game knowledge that I didn't know such a thing existed. Very fun.
LOL Fire Mandril's insignia with derpy eyes LOL....
still better then clan katana bird
In my experience, the Stormcrow, Viper, Mongrel, Nova and Conjurer are excellent in being the vicious little beasts that will gut your foe while they think your big mechs are the threat. Use them well and they will be your MVPs or should I say Most Valued Mechs
i really like the aestethics of the viper it looks great in my opinion also i have a miniature of it
Very much agreed. One of the units that got the best upgrade from CGL imo.
Great video. For Alt Config C, I never got why it had so many tons of ammo until I played against it in BattleTroops. I’ve seen ‘mechs with a half ton of MG ammo go dry in that system, but the Dragonfly C….that’s just the textbook definition of eternal hopelessness to face as infantry-even battle armor. Those MG’s never stop…
Vipers are my favorite clan mechs to run. They hit the perfect triangle of armor, firepower and speed. Even in MWO they can be a menace when running in packs especially the F variant where i can rip apart back armor like nothing.
One of my favorite mechs in BTA 3062, I usually take two in the role of scout/battle armor delivery. A couple heavy medium lasers, backed by a half dozen magshots gave it enough firepower to shred the back side of most mechs and the -3 evasion from the magshots made it great for hunting down enemy lights or jetting dusty contact in round 1 when everyone has max evasion
Active probe, clan ECM, laser ams and a location designator fill out the electronics suite. C3 if I'm gearing everyone else up with it too. Location designator isn't as good as a targeting computer and you can't land a headshot with it, but it's more than enough to direct a shocking amount of firepower into a rear torso location, or rip a leg clean off
Fantastic. Your video for the Viper and Hired Steel Part 3 dropping today. Such a fulfiling Saturday.
Back in the 90s I gave my Locust (Plastic) from the Battletech A Game of amored Combat Box to a Friend. He is a huge Fan of the Design and back in the Day there was no Supply of anything unseen.
A couple of weeks later he gifted me the Dragonfly (Viper) that we still could buy in the local game store.
(It wasn't a deal, he just decided he wanted to replace it for me)
The Dragonfly is an awesome Mech.
The Viper A is alot of fun to use when harassing heavier mechs. Armor stripping for the next mech to annihilate
Yeah it's probably become my favorite Clan medium of all time, after the 800+ hours I put into that MWO game
Ah yes, one of my favorite medium mechs from the Clans. On the table, whenever I play Clan I always try to fit a Viper on my roster. I usually play a more unusual spin on the Wolves where my mediums and lights are geared towards speed and knife fight tactics. I'll move them like a pack to hit and cripple enemy units from behind and be out of their range before they can fire, while my heaviest units come in to finish them off with their firepower.
If nothing else, it's a really cool-looking mech. That nose and cockpit remind me of a fighter jet.
Never heard of this mech before. It looks interesting.
Many medium mechs are overlooked compared to their heavier cousins as they're forced in to a role they aren't suited for. However, when permitted to do their jobs they are often the superior choice. This one is a case in point :)
It's definitely not the daftest 40 tonner out there, I think that award goes to the Phantom. Plenty of armour but the engine leaves little room for ordnance. Basically a Cicada that didn't skip the gym.
The Viper is one of my favorites, fast, maneuverable good armor, and ok weapons. The plan with this one is to choose your target/s wisely as it simple don't carry enough fire power to go toe to toe with most heavies and assaults. The Vipers favorite target is unexpecting lights and mediums, heavies and assaults need to be moderately to heavily wounded to survive the encounter.
Haven't quite figured out how to use the Viper/Dragonfly on the tabletop yet. For now all I've done is use it to fill a slot in my lists.
Great synopsis Sir. An interesting Mech👍
Ah, the Viper, it'll vipe your vindows quite well.
I normally have nothing but disdain and contempt for clan mechs but I've learned through experience to respect the Viper. It's become my favorite mech for hunting lights and harassing heavies and assaults in MWO
Don't sleep on Snek.
I play one in my /force regularly. Love the dragonfly.
One of my favorite mechs in MWO. That thing cn fly..
These are a much more forgiving mech than the Adder, which is quite an 'over-gunned' machine which tended to just kamikaze itself if you were not careful- you might take out your target but you're probably so busted its not going to happen a 2nd time. The Viper A-variant deals out a respectable chunk of damage, round after round... after round and probably for the era it came out packing the (in my opinion) best parts of clan weapon tech. Hurty long range lasers and endless missile pain.
They are sort of tough but you don't really want to do a lot of face time, brawling range if you're not particularly lucky :)
I mean, it'll soak up a few bad life choices but not something you want to keep repeating if it didn't go well the first or second time round
One of my favorite mechs. This thing is an insane mixture of speed and firepower with enough jump jets to carry it in good positions.
40k: medium clan 'mechs tend to be looked over by the fans.
Me: patiently waiting for the shadowcat, my muse.
The Viper is like Micheal Myers to most light mechs. It can walk faster than it can run.
Having one of these in a campaign I was expecting it to be useless but was quite surprised at how good it really is. The one I have has a PPC, so is a faster pack hunter essentially.
Excellent video once again, perfect balance of length and info.
The bane of inner sphere mechs and dishonorable players.
I'm going to have to take this thing for a spin in my next Clan game and see what I can do with it. I have the model, but haven't put it to much use yet.
I have all mechs I want for an IS Merc company. I now want to make a Clan force and call it "Clan Honey Badger".
Probably the one mech I would have said helped develop the bushwhacker instead of the vulture.
Nice viper video. I love the viper when I can use it. I like that you give both names of the clan mechs.
This was my favorite mech back in the 90’s when my friends and I would 8 man FFA at the local Qzar that had 8 battle pod cockpits. I absolutely wrecked with this mech, my friends hated this machine.
Some of the versions of the viper are great little mechs with a very good value for their weight. Its just that standard prime loadout that gives it a reputaion of being hard to love.
Nice to see a CGB favorite.
Another great vid, Red. Keep them coming!!!
I kind of like the Viper. Its horrible in terms of design with no waist(changed later), light weaponry, low armor, high cost, and generally trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, but it kind of works.
Compared to an Inner Sphere battlemechs the Viper is exceptionally fast and mobile . Its easily able to exploit Battletechs rules by jumping far to maximize the penalty it causes against anything targeting it, and can use Clan Pulse Lasers to offset that same penalty.
The Viper's use of Clan weapons grants it a decent level of firepower compared to the much worse Assassin, Cicada, Hermes II, Vulcan, and other 40ton failures.
While a Locust is annoying, a Viper is dangerous.
Low armor? That thing is three points below max for the chassis. It's quite tough for it's size and while it's 8.5 tons of pod space are somewhat limiting, it can still fit in some impressively annoying weapons due to clan technology. It's what the Assassin always wanted to be.
@@vojtechpribyl7386 why are you repeating what I already said?
@@ChaosTicket Because you said the opposite in case of the armor and the weapons aren't exactly light either for a 40 ton design?
@@vojtechpribyl7386 Theyre light for battlemechs in general. A Viper isnt exactly a Timber Wolf or Dire Wolf now is it?
@@ChaosTicket Comprisons outside of it's own weght category never made much sense. Otherwise everything under 60 tons is light on weapons and armor compared to 20 tons of steel and 40ish tons of weapons on the assault 'Mechs.
The Viper is a cicada on crack. Its the same 320 engine on a 40T. But in true clan fashion it has room for proper weapons AND jumpjets
I'm a firm believer that the Clan mech names are more fun than the Inner Sphere, but got'danngit, Dragonfly suits this thing so well! Terrifying jumpah, Viper just sounds ground-bound by comparison. Also had no clue this was a Mandrill design, why isn't it called Star Gibbon or somesuch?
Carrying something like 30 tons of weaponry means little if you can't land a single shot or just get a glancing blow when you do, and going against a Medium unit that can effectively 'tank' more damage than the biggest Assault mechs can be a very frustrating opponent indeed.
Great video man
I'm still salty that fire mandril has a better insignia then Jade Falcon, for how prominent it is you'd think the people running the plot forward would try and make the one with better aesthetic be the one to be so prominent.
yes, I meant to not capitalize their name, because I have never heard of them before hearing about a Ghost Bear mech and I feel that is how relevant they are to the plot.
Edit: but I do love that little ball at the nose, I think the only time I've seen something like that was a camera from a spy plane from the cold war. Can't remember which side or what plane it is though.
big subscribe from me, my fav mech after the Timberwolf
It like an upsized spider! Sticking with the fight rather than knock out blows.
The Viper has definitely benefited from the newer artwork. The old art was going to drive most players off without even trying the mech out first.
I could imagine removing 8 jump jets and putting that tonnage to weapons/heatsinks/armor. Have a feeling that it’ll destroy any inner-sphere mech they had before clan invasion
It does that pretty well without removing the Jump Jets, it just requires patience ;)
@@BigRed40TECH but how much these jump jets weight on medium mech? 4 or 8 tons in total?
@@denys-p 4
You know, I'd been looking for a Jihad Era lighter asset, for a Ghost Bear force, in the 1500-1700 BV bracket. A Viper-I might fit that bill.
personaly i like the Nova/Blackhawk. ermedlasers, ermedlasers, ermedlasers and guess what? MORE ermedlasers! in the hands of a competent pilot and with a bit of intel this thing is a real danger even to asault class mechs!
Because I was introduced to Battletech by Mechwarrior 3 and that game's salvage mechanics the Nova/Blackhawk became my all time favorite mech.
And from one Nova/Blackhawk pilot to another: LIVE AND DIE BY THE SHUTDOWN OVERRIDE!!!!
Great video! Love your work!
Thank you!
Always beware the Clan medium mechs!
i would think especialy for hit and run, aswell as for extended fights, this baby should excell quite hard, considering its narrow profile, aswell as the amount of armor that keeps it in the fight when other Mechs are inoperable or rightout destroyed ^^ atleast when it doesnt has its arms tied behind its back by clan fighting doctrine lol. i like it ^^
It's no secret that I HATE the clans but this is due to the game breaking mechs and pilots till people were forced to follow zelbriging. But I did like the dragonfly mech. I have always loved medium mechs especially fast ones
My favorite MW:O build will always be the Viper B "Noisy Cricket".
Do the Nova, one of the biggest "surprise" mediums out there :)
The Nova will get covered as the 10th mech basically.
Aww I thought this was going to be about the 70 ton Viper Battlemech, a recently created design I'm sure I'll love if I'll ever get to use it in a table top game or PC game, which includes a variant that is my favorite official mid to late Succession Wars design so far. :(
It makes sense the Clans would have a separate Viper Mech though because the Heavy type Viper was first created after the Star League Defense Force left the Inner Sphere I didn't play the Clans often so I had actually forgotten about this.
Looking over the variants the M is my favorite though I think a B modded by swapping the flamer for an ER Small laser might be fun.
The heavier Viper is not a Viper. That's what the Inner Sphere called it.
Hey Big Red I know you primarily do the personal history and statistics of battlemechs with a few offshoots with weaponry, power armor and even some dropships but what about covering some vehicles like the various tanks that mechwarriors end up facing off against, some which are actually feared by mech jockies especially the lights and mediums.
Yea, but closer to the kickstarter.
Wait, wait, wait, the A variant has pretty much as the equivalent of 5 IS large lasers and a SRM6?! What the Focht?!
EDITED to add what kind of lasers
Making me reconsider my stance on the viper a bit. I'm not sure it is worth it's price but I can see how there might be instances when it could be worth it.
Super Fast + super jumpy + durable? It's actually pretty lethal.
@@BigRed40TECH that hitting power is what sticks for me. It just doesn't have enough. However, in the right circumstances or with the right mix of other units I think it can be viable (previously didn't give it enough credit). I'm really thinking that it could be good in some objective based games. Getting to an objective quickly and being able to weather a bit of fire once you get to it isnt a common combo. A situation like that de-emphasizes it's shortcomings while still allowing it to act as support or harasser if necessary 🤔
@@lesjames2478 TBH, the variant with 3 Heavy Medium Lasers hits pretty hard.
@@BigRed40TECH fair lol....and it has the movement to get them in range often enough. It's like a smaller awesome designed for hit and run tactics in knife fighting ranges
@@lesjames2478 Yea, and even funnier yet, it has a reasonable chance at hitting at long range XD
It would be amusing if you eventually also covered the Black Python, which happens to sometimes be called Viper too.
That will be covered in 3058 I think.
I feel that the Viper would fit in perfectly in the Capellan Confederation's military considering how heavily the Capellan military invested in ease-of-use, ease-of-swapping pods with off-the-shelf weapons and components, and ease-of-maintenance. Why is this mech not paired up with the Gun and Cataphracts yet?
I like to farm these guys in Roguetech, the AI still hasn't figured out how to use them effectively. I will even occasionally use one for a while, depending on the playthrough.
I dont mind the viper , it's not that bad at all really I don't know why it's so maligned , even the Prime with its 8/12/8 134 armour an SRM 4 , 2 Medium pulse , an AMS and MG is dream territory for IS especially when you could argue that the med pulse is better than an IS lpl
Once again a video about Clan mechs that talk about how intelligent and far-sighted the GBs are. A theme perhaps (that's not a complaint)?
Militarily, they accidentally, and sometimes purposely, made some great moves.
Some of their most commonly used mechs are all inherited by factions that didn't know what they had.
Good~
See I called it! I put a comment in the last video asking for the dragonfly, and boom here it is! See I thought he was going to go and wait order, having the Koshi (sp?) be next 🙂. (insert Jedi mind trick here 😎)
No. These are being covered in order.
1 light
1 medium
1 heavy
1 assault
until the original 16 are done.
@@BigRed40TECH ah got it. But I still going yo day my Jedi mind trick made the Viper the second one 😎.
That L variant would be SUCH a pain to deal with.
Also, your outro "...and you'll be happy with the content, I think"; you normally say that with (much deserved) confidence; this time seemed rather querulous or hopeful. I get where you're going with it, but I preferred the 'normal' version (see above: "much deserved"). Just a thought for you.
Ive been meaning to ask you this question for a while because of your review series on the Battletech books. But what is the most Battletech Battletech book in your opinion? (Not necessarily the best, but the one that is the most true to what battletech is and tells a story in that framework.)
Honestly, I dunno, I've never really thought of that before.
The way to a Clanner's genetics. Design a Mech they will use.
Hm?
I honestly think the Viper is a case of missed opportunities. Jump Jets can be equipped in omnipod space. The jump jets should of been optional, not part of the base model. Even with an XL engine, too much tonnage goes into the engine. A 280 XL engine would give this mech a 7/11 movement, and give an additional 4.5 tons to use for pod space. Since this would limit the mech to a jump of 7 it also saves an extra half ton. With just the engine downgrade, the modified Viper would have an omnipod space of 12.5 tons which would allow it to comfortably mount heavy energy weapons. If the jump jets were also moved to omnipod space that would give a grand total of 16 tons of omnipod space on a heavily armored 40 ton mech with what would still be considered extreme speed.
The Viper as is, is a good mech. It just isn't a great mech.
Viper is great, 130kph jump jeting back melting mf. Love this mech as I love my Hunchie.
Best clan light mech (it's not a light mech)
And imo in top 3 (out of 5 usable at all lol) tabletop mediums
Okay let's try the Jedi mind trick again, for the next video can you do the Man O' War 🙂?
Gargoyle is coming after the Mad Dog.
Why do mechs without melee weapons bother with mechanical hands?
Securing objectives.
I'm looking though your videos. I haven't seen a video for the Uziel. Have you done this one yet? Did is miss it?
Also Have you covered the Bushwacker yet?
BTW the Viper is extremely fun to play in MWO. Good video.
I'm covering mechs in order of their original TRO's from FASA. the Uziel is a long way aways unfortunately. Bushwacker is 3058, again, a long way away.
This is done this way for a few reasons, but one of the bigger ones is it just prevents me from speedrunning the most popular mechs.
@@BigRed40TECH Gotcha, that makes good sense. You're doing great work by the way. Keep it up!
Do the Stormcrow Red. It's the greatest mech design ever made.
Stormcrow is going to be the 14th mech covered.
Kind of wondering when we shall see the humble Warhawk?
Couples weeks.
Wouldn't the Streak LRMs in the L variant be better swapped for one Streak LRM15?
I don't know how the weight increases with the Streak LRMs, but usually the Streak system behaves like the Artemis, adding a fixed amount.
That would make one large launcher the more weight-efficient choice.
Viper is a mech with a lot of potential, i don't really like its look but it has its charms.
3 rolls = 3 chances to hit.
What book and page is the new Narrow/Low Profile on?
page 85 of the Battletech Manual. It's the version with the Kell Hounds Crusader on the front of it.
What is the mech shown at 03:20?
Hellbringer
Clan MPLs have more range than IS MLs? or is it clan ER-MPLs u mean maybe?
Nope, normal Clan Medium Pulse Lasers.
Clan ER mediums go as far as Inner Sphere Large Lasers, and hit about as hard.
It needs MASC
It can have a supercharger installed as an omnimech.
I'm tired n fed up with the crap of saying armor takes up internal crits...that says its deeper inside then its IS.... Remember, u armor OUT not inside. Your limited only by how much armor u wanna spend in weight...
Just the way the rules work l.
8:20 Wait, didnt Corvis came out like a century earlier? A mech that looks suprisingly similar to Stormcrow, yet was a slow 40 tonner?
The Corvis isn't an omni-mech, and it is exceptionally derided. It was more or less entirely out of service in all Clans barring Hell's Horses long before the invasion.
@@BigRed40TECH still makes it inaccurate to claim first 40t clan mech ever recorded. Not to mention there was another one, clan wolverine design mercury i believe, which was one of the earliest clan designs, its weapons were interim tech too. Anyways, either case, thought i should mention that. Being common enough doesnt make a design first.
@@fistan5447 The first 40-ton Clan mech being recorded is meant to be IRL.
Like, IRL, the Dragonfly appeared in TRO:3050, in 1991. There were no other Clan mechs referenced prior to this.
@@BigRed40TECH ah i see i see, not from PoV of clans but IS. Makes sense.
Sorry but the very faint sound of an alarm klaxon going off the whole time in the background drove me mad...
Oh... Don't start posting links to packs... I promised myself I wouldn't by more plastic for games I have no one to play with... 😂😭
It just made sense to me to actually say and post where these mechs are found. lol
I feel you. I'm in the same boat. Got all these mechs and no one to battle with.
@@BigRed40TECH honestly, I was hoping you had an affiliate link so I could give myself an excuse 😂(can viewers promote affiliation via email? Is that a thing?)
@@onerimeuse Nah, I don't do affiliate links on purpose. I don't think its right to have a financial relationship with the company I review often.
@@BigRed40TECH I have loads of respect for that level of integrity, man. That's awesome.
Eh... they melt easy to binarys :D
What doesn't get melted by 10 clan mechs concentrating fire? lmao
@@BigRed40TECH No no.. i mean i melted those thing with binary lasers. They died before they fired once :)
@@AB-ln2py Them letting you hit them so easily plays a role in that success.
@@BigRed40TECH Yes im sure the salvage i got was tagged :D