As a Ghost Bear die hard, you have no idea how long I was patiently waiting for a Kodiak variant to be reviewed ever since you mentioned it at the end of last year. I’ve never clicked on a video so quickly lol
I’m so happy to see it so high. I was worried about the standard variant maybe not being as good as hoped, but this honestly surprised me. I thought for sure the Kodiak 5 with the Gauss rifle, 2 ER larges, and 9 er mediums would have been the play. I’m glad to see the standard variant doing this well!
Clan Ghost Bear "Scout Lance" runs into a House Steiner "Scout Lance" simulation would be brilliant. Thanks for the ever excellent Battletech content Aaron. I did see Thor in his Kodiak scenarios, great table cannon, and you were even kind enough to allow Thom a single shot after he jammed it speed shooting that cUAC-20, great table comradery.
One of the best things about the ER Large is that since it's in the CT the Kodiak can keep shooting until it eventually dies. If it weren't for the XL engine the Kodiak would qualify as a zombie Mech.
Every since the MW2 Gost Bear Legacy was released back I the day, when I finslly got it installed & running & watched the intro w/ the the Kodiak coming through the snow & ice I have lived this Mech & the Ghost Bears. That was so long ago I couldn't grow a full beard yet, & now its going grey.
I like the idea of holding off on all of the medium lasers on one hand and the large laser and point blanking a mech with everything else, this means you only overheat by 2 if both streak srms hit, and you have an arm free to swing with. I cannot bare to bring this mech without trying to punch someone with it.
I modded one for fun, and it ran great in the couple of games I used it in. Removed the AC (heresy I know) added a second ERL laser, 2 more SSRM6 and a single DHS.
Nah. It loses its spirit without the AC20. I remove the LL instead since it's there to fill the tonnage anyway. I get 1 more DHS so I can run and gun with the mediums. Get 2 more tons of ammo for the ac and more armor. Works like a charm.
Turkina D can get 144 damage with HE rounds on its ATM-12s if they all hit, a 158 if its two ERMLs hit. The Turkina Z goes all or nothing for that damage, but drops the ERMLs. Both can dissipate 34 heat, which is enough for the 32 heat generated by four ATM-12s.
In the novel "Roar of Honor" the Kodiak is featured as part of the protagonist's Ghost Bear Trinary. However, the author must have had it out for the Kodiak, because it is only described in combat once (long distance) where it is spoken of derisively as taking significant damage while contributing little. The one melee where it should have shone, it is simy described as "going down" on the radar. I was looking forward to some real bear action! Especially since it is the Ghost Bear totem.
Oh man I've been waiting for this since you have started these, and I know it's came up a couple times lol. Very excited to watch this a little later. Also a little jealous the top commenter icon is ghost bear.
Glad to hear that it did well. This has given me inspiration to pick back up and finish my Kodiak cso application... I remember my forst adepticon and we played a huge ghost bear vs comstar tukayyid game and we had a Kodiak and it just walked up the field and just tanked and did huge amounts of damage and just kept taking the hits. Was a champ for sure.
I've always liked the idea of the Kodiak, just like I do with UACs (especially 20s)...but on table they always come up short of hopes and even expectations for the BV. Theres plenty of other assaults or combo of mediums Id take over it for the same BV.
Ah, the ride of Thor Bekker. I think in a stand up fight, I'd still take the Bane 7, but this is a close second in terms of Clan beasts. Well, maybe 3rd behind Master Po's Jade Phoenix, but Battlytics doesn't account for plot armor. ;)
Did you pitch shift and speed up the intro music? Was literally just looking on your website for this mech last week, awesome of you to read my mind and cover it.
Least surprising role evaluation, lol. What a stone cold killer! This is opening my eyes to this mech, had ignored it becuase it was a silly bear mech.
Almost every clan uses the prime by the end of the clan invasion. If you are playing seafox, im guessing you play later eras. By 3100 even innersphere mercs use it.
My fellow Sphereoids: Good news! If your using BV to balance your forces the Kodiak's BV is SO high that you can afford to field multiple assaults or heavies to take it on. It's 3864 BV with the minimum 3/4 Clan pilot. Bad news! Chances are that most or all of those extra units that you send after it are going to die!
So it finally happened i was ask to redesign my Highlander IIC as they told me it deals too much damage. I have done the math yet but they told me it deals 585 damage if it doesn't move at 20 inches and just stand and shoots. It's armmament are 3 clan lager pulse lasers, 1 clan gauss and 1 artimis lrm 15 and 16 double sinks.
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming according to the guy that did the calculation it 3x60+9x45 damage, we play at a smal store that only use 24 inch maps from edge to edge so my mech has a 3/5 movement so everything that moves at all on the other side is in range for full 60 point alpha
It's interesting since Ghost Bear is my favorite clan, I'm not a big fan of the Kodiak. I prefer the Executioner over it design wise and it's philosophy on the battlefield. Maybe MWO is partially to blame.
Ruthlessly standing by my this mech isn't 9.8 for one main reason and it's going to be controversial ........... Get rid of the AC/20 Ultra , replace it with MASC some kind of LRM launcher to supplement the ER Large and give it a couple more doubles so it can fire the ER Mediums and Streaks plus run ........... Then I'd have less of a problem with the rating , but still better off with a Nova and Fire Falcon or Hunchback IIC and Nova or two other mechs you might like
I like your loadout! Don’t forget though the clan UAC20 has nice range, so it’s pretty useful with a good gunner… and 4/6 for a 100 tonner is definitely as good as it can get (without MASC!). UAC/20 *and* MASC would be terrifying haha
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming and yes people always forget UACs and LB 20Xs have good range ......... Personally I love to catch people out with the IS UAC/20s range of 10 or the LB 20 Xs range of 12 that never gets old 😅
I totally disagree with the Kodiaks efficency numbers which i knew where going to be high .......... Ive never ever seen a Kodiak live up to its reputation .......... It has one ploy run straight up the guts of the table trying to get a massively unreliable gun with no where near enough ammo into range and if youre using its other weapons like why didnt you just bring a Nova if you want ER mediums and im sure you can find another mech to bring the SRMs and ER large ....... Something like a Fire Falcon ? Like i love the Battlytics but on what planet is a Kodiak killing a Javelin in a million turns ? Because anyone bringing a Javelin is staying the F away from a Kodiak until said Kodiak is engaging something else and waiting to shoot it in the back . Same with the Aesome i feel yeh an Awesome is awesome but you should be getting like 2 Awesomes for a Kodiak .......... Like youre taking a Kodiak in a 15 to 16k BV match you aint seeing 3 PPCs youre looking at enough firepower to shred this in a couple of turns ......... Like love the series but think is overwieghted to favour the death dealers over something common sense like this is a 3000+ BV mech i smile when i see them because ive brought 2.5 mechs sure you might kill 1.5 but i still have 1
And how much fire did it soak up on the way in? This is a mech (and, ultimately an archetype of mech) that asked a question: "Can you kill me before I get into my optimal range?" And not every list that can answer yes to that can then *also* deal with the rest of the list. Especially when you *multiple* mechs asking that question at different ranges. A well built, well piloted list centered around the Kodiak is efficient- cause you still need to kill this damn thing or you *will* lose
I am not sure I agree - though you aren’t the only one who thinks the Kodiak is an over-costed paper weight. The er lasers provide tons of fire power and good range while closing - and this thing moves 4/6 and can take tons of punishment. I can see where this thing has a bit of the Carnifex syndrome, where everything on the table primes it to bring it down - but that doesn’t make it less of a monster. I will concede I am always a fan of bringing more units over one “big nasty” … but remember efficiency is basically output/BV… so a ratio. This Kodiak is pulling its weight for sure by the numbers.
@@Iruelthe11 i play Clanners all the time , the more Assaults I see the happier I am I could give you a list of Clan mechs half a Kodiaks weight that are more scary and harder to deal with ........... Youre not wrong you have to deal with the Kodiak but I can choose when most of the time , either early at range or later after I avoid it like the plague and kill everything else ........ Still claim a Nova and Fire Falcon or a Hunchback IIC and Nova do the same job but better and more flexibly
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I'm not saying you or your numbers are wrong , and I know you be taking realistic forces ........ I just wonder all my big losses/wins are when one side loads up on the death dealers and the other person just takes decent units or even worse junk ............. The game is weird we all know a Kodiak would get eaten in it BV of Savannah Masters but I bet a Savannah Master hardly rates
Haha this is true! The numbers are definitely guidelines - and the efficiency is based on BV which we all know is whacked to begin with. But I do agree with your overall assessment that there are better ways to spend BV. More units is always better - way more flexibility, etc. This is why I am #IS4lyfe
As a Ghost Bear die hard, you have no idea how long I was patiently waiting for a Kodiak variant to be reviewed ever since you mentioned it at the end of last year. I’ve never clicked on a video so quickly lol
I’m so happy to see it so high. I was worried about the standard variant maybe not being as good as hoped, but this honestly surprised me. I thought for sure the Kodiak 5 with the Gauss rifle, 2 ER larges, and 9 er mediums would have been the play. I’m glad to see the standard variant doing this well!
Haha excellent! This thing is an absolute monster!
Ha, typical Ghost Bear fan... Waiting! Obviously, the right and proper thing to do would be to demand the mech be reviewed immediately!
@@derekburge5294 The Bear waits and observes, and only strikes at the opportune time.
@@Xeno426 The bear snores too! Batchal! I bid one Thom.
Clan Ghost Bear "Scout Lance" runs into a House Steiner "Scout Lance" simulation would be brilliant. Thanks for the ever excellent Battletech content Aaron.
I did see Thor in his Kodiak scenarios, great table cannon, and you were even kind enough to allow Thom a single shot after he jammed it speed shooting that cUAC-20, great table comradery.
Wowza! Would luv to see Kodiaks tangling toe to toe with Clan equipped Atlas IIs.
Haha thanks guys! Atlas II should be coming soon.
One of the best things about the ER Large is that since it's in the CT the Kodiak can keep shooting until it eventually dies. If it weren't for the XL engine the Kodiak would qualify as a zombie Mech.
But the ER Large Laser is an afterthought on this Mech
When a clan erLLas is an afterthought, you may have too much firepower.
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming no such thing as too much firepower.
Every since the MW2 Gost Bear Legacy was released back I the day, when I finslly got it installed & running & watched the intro w/ the the Kodiak coming through the snow & ice I have lived this Mech & the Ghost Bears. That was so long ago I couldn't grow a full beard yet, & now its going grey.
You and me both brother!!!
As always great videos, Aaron. No guts no galaxy! Thank you.
Thank you for watching!
I like the idea of holding off on all of the medium lasers on one hand and the large laser and point blanking a mech with everything else, this means you only overheat by 2 if both streak srms hit, and you have an arm free to swing with.
I cannot bare to bring this mech without trying to punch someone with it.
Who doesn't love some Kodiak!
If I lived in 3062 I'd use one of these bad boys to drive my kids to soccer.
100%. Then you could use the giant mouth-grill-loudspeaker to scream at the ref/opposing parents.
I modded one for fun, and it ran great in the couple of games I used it in.
Removed the AC (heresy I know) added a second ERL laser, 2 more SSRM6 and a single DHS.
Nah. It loses its spirit without the AC20. I remove the LL instead since it's there to fill the tonnage anyway. I get 1 more DHS so I can run and gun with the mediums. Get 2 more tons of ammo for the ac and more armor. Works like a charm.
Just got my Ad Hoc Star in the Mail and before I unpack it there is the Battlytics. That is Timing 😂
Excellent!
Turkina D can get 144 damage with HE rounds on its ATM-12s if they all hit, a 158 if its two ERMLs hit. The Turkina Z goes all or nothing for that damage, but drops the ERMLs. Both can dissipate 34 heat, which is enough for the 32 heat generated by four ATM-12s.
Sounds like a future candidate for Battlytics!
That Turkina is a monster in Alpha Strike. It came to mind when thinking of the most damage.
In the novel "Roar of Honor" the Kodiak is featured as part of the protagonist's Ghost Bear Trinary.
However, the author must have had it out for the Kodiak, because it is only described in combat once (long distance) where it is spoken of derisively as taking significant damage while contributing little.
The one melee where it should have shone, it is simy described as "going down" on the radar. I was looking forward to some real bear action! Especially since it is the Ghost Bear totem.
Bleah. Meanwhile I am sure a single elemental managed to destroy the entire company of bad guy mechs. Sometimes the novels kill me haha
Oh man I've been waiting for this since you have started these, and I know it's came up a couple times lol. Very excited to watch this a little later. Also a little jealous the top commenter icon is ghost bear.
Enjoy! Thanks for watching & commenting as always!
Glad to hear that it did well. This has given me inspiration to pick back up and finish my Kodiak cso application... I remember my forst adepticon and we played a huge ghost bear vs comstar tukayyid game and we had a Kodiak and it just walked up the field and just tanked and did huge amounts of damage and just kept taking the hits. Was a champ for sure.
one of my favorite mechs.
I've always liked the idea of the Kodiak, just like I do with UACs (especially 20s)...but on table they always come up short of hopes and even expectations for the BV. Theres plenty of other assaults or combo of mediums Id take over it for the same BV.
Having faced off against this beast a number of times I can confirm that even when rolling around 50% successful hits, this thing is brutal
I only lasted against it because Thom jammed the UAC/20 😂
Ah, the ride of Thor Bekker. I think in a stand up fight, I'd still take the Bane 7, but this is a close second in terms of Clan beasts. Well, maybe 3rd behind Master Po's Jade Phoenix, but Battlytics doesn't account for plot armor. ;)
Haha we can do a Bane 7 / Kodiak cage match.
Did you pitch shift and speed up the intro music?
Was literally just looking on your website for this mech last week, awesome of you to read my mind and cover it.
Yes and awesome!! 🙂 I am a mind reader indeed. Haha
I'm always sad the claws are only decorative.
Titans tall
Will smash the walls
Still worthy of Valhalla's halls
Storm the land and raid the shore
A nation bred for war
Least surprising role evaluation, lol. What a stone cold killer! This is opening my eyes to this mech, had ignored it becuase it was a silly bear mech.
Embrace the bear!
All hail the mighty Kodiak. Would it be wrong to include one in my Clan Wolf or Clan Sea Fox forces? 😛
Almost every clan uses the prime by the end of the clan invasion. If you are playing seafox, im guessing you play later eras. By 3100 even innersphere mercs use it.
Agreed. I say go for it!
Yes, so wrong. But also no, gloriously no!
My fellow Sphereoids: Good news! If your using BV to balance your forces the Kodiak's BV
is SO high that you can afford to field multiple assaults or heavies to take it on.
It's 3864 BV with the minimum 3/4 Clan pilot.
Bad news!
Chances are that most or all of those extra units that you send after it are going to die!
Haha love it.
You want a protector mech in scary situations? Big bear here is ready to snuggle fools with a grip of death laser claws 😂
“I snuggle the fool” - Mr. T
So it finally happened i was ask to redesign my Highlander IIC as they told me it deals too much damage.
I have done the math yet but they told me it deals 585 damage if it doesn't move at 20 inches and just stand and shoots.
It's armmament are 3 clan lager pulse lasers, 1 clan gauss and 1 artimis lrm 15 and 16 double sinks.
Idk how they got to 585 but 3 clan large pulse is definitely “i hate my opponent” territory haha
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming according to the guy that did the calculation it 3x60+9x45 damage, we play at a smal store that only use 24 inch maps from edge to edge so my mech has a 3/5 movement so everything that moves at all on the other side is in range for full 60 point alpha
It's interesting since Ghost Bear is my favorite clan, I'm not a big fan of the Kodiak. I prefer the Executioner over it design wise and it's philosophy on the battlefield. Maybe MWO is partially to blame.
Not to mention the massive claws on it's hands... lol
Ruthlessly standing by my this mech isn't 9.8 for one main reason and it's going to be controversial ........... Get rid of the AC/20 Ultra , replace it with MASC some kind of LRM launcher to supplement the ER Large and give it a couple more doubles so it can fire the ER Mediums and Streaks plus run ........... Then I'd have less of a problem with the rating , but still better off with a Nova and Fire Falcon or Hunchback IIC and Nova or two other mechs you might like
I like your loadout! Don’t forget though the clan UAC20 has nice range, so it’s pretty useful with a good gunner… and 4/6 for a 100 tonner is definitely as good as it can get (without MASC!).
UAC/20 *and* MASC would be terrifying haha
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming or lean into the AC/20 Ultra more instead but deffo a MASC candidate
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming Clan ER mediums are effectively 1 ton Large lasers 😉
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming and yes people always forget UACs and LB 20Xs have good range ......... Personally I love to catch people out with the IS UAC/20s range of 10 or the LB 20 Xs range of 12 that never gets old 😅
Haha love it!! Vintage clanner move right there! 😄
Once again proving that clan ERML's are the most broken aspect of the game. I love them, but gods do they dominate a battlefield.
Agree - two of the most ruthless weapons are clan erMlas and clan large pulse!
I totally disagree with the Kodiaks efficency numbers which i knew where going to be high .......... Ive never ever seen a Kodiak live up to its reputation .......... It has one ploy run straight up the guts of the table trying to get a massively unreliable gun with no where near enough ammo into range and if youre using its other weapons like why didnt you just bring a Nova if you want ER mediums and im sure you can find another mech to bring the SRMs and ER large ....... Something like a Fire Falcon ?
Like i love the Battlytics but on what planet is a Kodiak killing a Javelin in a million turns ? Because anyone bringing a Javelin is staying the F away from a Kodiak until said Kodiak is engaging something else and waiting to shoot it in the back .
Same with the Aesome i feel yeh an Awesome is awesome but you should be getting like 2 Awesomes for a Kodiak .......... Like youre taking a Kodiak in a 15 to 16k BV match you aint seeing 3 PPCs youre looking at enough firepower to shred this in a couple of turns ......... Like love the series but think is overwieghted to favour the death dealers over something common sense like this is a 3000+ BV mech i smile when i see them because ive brought 2.5 mechs sure you might kill 1.5 but i still have 1
And how much fire did it soak up on the way in? This is a mech (and, ultimately an archetype of mech) that asked a question: "Can you kill me before I get into my optimal range?" And not every list that can answer yes to that can then *also* deal with the rest of the list. Especially when you *multiple* mechs asking that question at different ranges. A well built, well piloted list centered around the Kodiak is efficient- cause you still need to kill this damn thing or you *will* lose
I am not sure I agree - though you aren’t the only one who thinks the Kodiak is an over-costed paper weight.
The er lasers provide tons of fire power and good range while closing - and this thing moves 4/6 and can take tons of punishment.
I can see where this thing has a bit of the Carnifex syndrome, where everything on the table primes it to bring it down - but that doesn’t make it less of a monster.
I will concede I am always a fan of bringing more units over one “big nasty” … but remember efficiency is basically output/BV… so a ratio. This Kodiak is pulling its weight for sure by the numbers.
@@Iruelthe11 i play Clanners all the time , the more Assaults I see the happier I am I could give you a list of Clan mechs half a Kodiaks weight that are more scary and harder to deal with ........... Youre not wrong you have to deal with the Kodiak but I can choose when most of the time , either early at range or later after I avoid it like the plague and kill everything else ........ Still claim a Nova and Fire Falcon or a Hunchback IIC and Nova do the same job but better and more flexibly
@@DeathfromAboveWargaming I'm not saying you or your numbers are wrong , and I know you be taking realistic forces ........ I just wonder all my big losses/wins are when one side loads up on the death dealers and the other person just takes decent units or even worse junk ............. The game is weird we all know a Kodiak would get eaten in it BV of Savannah Masters but I bet a Savannah Master hardly rates
Haha this is true! The numbers are definitely guidelines - and the efficiency is based on BV which we all know is whacked to begin with.
But I do agree with your overall assessment that there are better ways to spend BV. More units is always better - way more flexibility, etc.
This is why I am #IS4lyfe