Why do we love the Wolfhound? Because it just works. It does what it claims to do, with little muss or fuss. It's an excellent blend of speed, protection and weaponry and as such, one of the best light 'mechs of its generation.
It's one of the reasons why light mechs are so underwhelming in the Dark Age and IlKahn era. Scout hunters like Wolfhounds just murder them. The Wolfhound is more heavily armed than a 45-ton Phoenix Hawk, just as fast, and only a half-ton (eight points) of armor lighter - it just can't jump. And that's BEFORE all the tech upgrades start making those lasers even longer ranged or more powerful or you drop in a light or XL engine and get some jump jets.
Remember kids, the 6S has that Large Re-engineneered Laser. it does 9 damage across ALL armor types. In a period where Hardened, refelctive and Ferro-Llamor. Its a giant killer.
Absolutely. Jump capable mechs can also be very effective in the right circumstances. In an urban environment, the Capellans have long known that a lance of light, jump-capable mechs can ruin an assault mech's day. There are lots of historical events where a small group of mechs like the Urbanmech have totally annihilated mech forces several times their combined tonnage due to their being able to out-maneuver the larger machines without skidding into buildings like runners tend to do.
I'm looking to push this to the extreme against a buddy of mine. Alpha Strike, 400 or 500 points, he can't bring anything UNDER 100 tons (up to 200 super heavys) and u can't bring anything OVER 54 tons.
The Wolfhound, a mech you have to love, especially with the lore around it. Lyran generals being sick of light Combine mechs that 'didn't know their place' and humiliating the slow war machine like the LCAF. The Wolfhound does well against both of the lights produced by the Combine alone, outranging the Jenner by just over 50% with the Large Laser and outpacing the Panther by exactly 50%, and being better protected than both. Its all energy loadout makes it a solid raider or extended scout.
I've never had the pleasure to field a Wolfhound but deploying a Panther with a large laser, medium laser, and SRM6 has been close enough in output to make me appriciate what the Wolfhound can achive.
A 3025 panther is bad offering 1/2 a marauder w less toughness and fire power than 1/2 of one. Once past that a 35 ton "heavy" is pure dumb. Replace it with a trashcan as atleast its free to buy. I like the panther vs equally shit 3025 designs as a ppc is effective against scouts which at this time liked machineguns and other trivial things, but 4/6 is asking to get murdered by better designs. Remind me about clans not giving a shit, as 5/8 means even 75tons provides a better scout mech. A single madcat can run over a panther lance too if a fight ensues.
Point is this is the best of IS light mechs and one of the best 35ton "heavies" around as despite the mobility the wolfhound can slug it out. Only thing it really needs is dhs as this is still relatively cheap and heat is an issue.
I'm not sure why I never took the Wolfhound seriously before. I am a Light Mech specialist, but always saw it as a Davion thing and not a Lyran unit. I will not make that mistake again. I fully intend to give this unit a shot in the future. Thanks MF for all you do. Keep it coming!
I got a shelf displaying my tabletop merch force, one of its lances is a Wolverine (Lance leader), A Wolfhound, a Panther and a Jenner. They look pretty good together.
There's something particularly appealing about a light 'Mech that's designed for the hunter-killer role. The Wolfhound is a rare improvement on Star League 'Mechs like the Mongoose prior to the Clan invasion and Lostech renaissance.
In MW 4 this was one of my favorites, tho the base model of that game had some weirdness not seen many other places, and may have been canon to that game only. Out of the box, came with a large x pulse, two medium x pulses, and reflective armor. Now, MW 4 is low on detailing in some points, so criticals were hugely simplified in this game, and all heatsinks were doubles I think. Was at least easy to do. I do like them, and of the shelf they could have a 118kph peak. so, I have no idea where the came from. i would use them for some of later dedicated light mech preferred action, and often I went with a clan er ppc, a few mediums, and ran and sniped. Worked well in the solaris coliseum light matches.
A refit that I like of the wolfhound that I do is to remove the rear facing ML and the LL for a triad of MPL in the arm and upgrading all the ML to ERMLs, ofc this includes a upgrade to double heat sinks. ER's for range and the MPLs for light mech hunting. a good command lance escort or part of a hunter killer lance.
In open country, the Wolfhound is very good despite it's chronic heat issues prior to the recovery of DHS. While crippling, the heat issues are also endemic to the era. But once you're out of prairies, flat deserts and empty parking lots, I've found the Panther's jump jets have always given mobility parity if not superiority in urban and mountain terrain. And it doesn't overheat as badly in 3025. Years ago, I had a regular dance partner who brought Wolfhounds to the table, I've fought the Puppy vs Kitty duel many times. So to pick one is "better" depends on terrain, lancemates, and pilot skill. In the 3040s, that really doesn't change. Take the one have, not the one you want, and ride it hard.
This is hands down my favorite light mech. The Wolfhound is such a solid design that is, in my opinion, *made* to ride the red line. Also, I appreciate your restraint in *not* giving the poor thing a Plasma Cannon.
one of those fun mechs where lostech actually makes it functionally better. the original 3028 wlf-1 was a hotbox but a very dangerous one with a pilot that could manage the heat ok (10 single sinks it would almost always run hot just how hot was the question)............plus who doesn't love butt lasers unless you do the 1B refit which means not you apparently
I had a character in a Wolfhound in one campaign, with double heat sinks. Eventually, the poor thing got shot out from under me, but the group managed to convince our employer to replace it with another... with SINGLE heat sinks. I forgot this had been done (out of character) and first turn in the first battle after that... I fired everything. I was like "wait, no...!" but the other players all laughed and said my character had forgotten too... which was actually fair, given the circumstances. The next turn, spent red-hot, was an excellent 'learning opportunity' haha! Still, I dearly love the Wolfhound. Good speed, all energy weapons, that's my thing. I'm not a super adherent to jump jets, so I differ with most on that, but that's fine. Something for everyone, right?? Love y'all!
My favorite Inner Sphere light mech. It's a light mech, but it sometimes feels like it punches above its weight with the medium mechs. It's also piloted by Phelan Kell, my favorite Battletech character and my Khan. Was always surprised the Wolves didn't adopt the Wolfhound IIC as a regular amongst their forces.
@bthsr7113 Eh, I'm a Clan Wolf in Exile/Warden faction Wolf, so I suppose I'm kinda stuck with the Wolf Empire these days, so I'm not particularly worried about what they role out.
Because the name is exponentially better than something silly, like "crab", for example. It's a decent mix of speed, firepower, and durability for a light mech. It's not a "powerhouse", but it's reliable. Very solid for its weight and cost. The only thing missing is a hatchet to use when it's running hot, but we can't have everything, can we? ...and that's just talking about Level 1 play, once we add advanced tech into the mix all bets are off.
While the Commando will always be my favorite Stiner mech, once I discovered its scary younger brother I couldn't help but love this one almost as much
Man i love the wolfhound. Such a balanced mech. Just fast enough for an IS light mech but hit hard enough for its weight. Also full head ejection saves the meat
my favorite bit about the Wolfhound is the Draconis Combine developing the Wolf Trap to hunt it and making a 'Mech that is more than 40% more expensive while being immensely more vulnerable and it isn't even good at hunting Wolfhounds it's sorta like a repeat of the Cicada being developed to hunt Locusts
the wolf trap has the fire power of a centurion and somehow managed to be almost two times more expensive to make than the centurion, how do you even manage that?
For all of their reputation for throwing Assault 'mechs at every problem in front of them, the Lyran Commonwealth has a surprisingly consistent track record for turning out excellent Light 'mechs.
Between the jump jets and PPC of the Panther, or the mobility and lasers of the Wolfhound; it's a tough choice of trade-offs! For me, it's the Wolfhound every time (lasers are nice).
And if you get lucky, you can replace the HPPC + cap with an ERPPC (C) +c cap from via loot/salvage. And save yourself a cool 4 tons, along with 2 critical slots.
KitFox is my goto Light mech especially when its got the Long Tom in the right arm and uses the left hand to strip rounds off the crossed bandoleros to breach load it as if it were a Mech Sized Bloop Gun (M-79 Grenade launcher)
Quickly becoming a favorite of mine in Mechwarrior 5. I salvaged some endosteel, double sinks, and an XL engine. 4 Medium lasers, a PPC-X in the right arm (all tier 4 or 5), max armor, extra armor on the right arm, all the rest of the crit space filled with double sinks, a supercharger, and the biggest engine core I could cram in. It regularly and easily shits on even smaller Heavies in the arena.
For a long time the panther was perhaps my second favorite light mech behind a commando with 4 srm4’s but I had the chance to field a wolfhound once. And now it is firmly in that coveted second favorite spot
one of my lancemates swears by the wolfhound, and he puts in work with it. That said, I look forward to when you get my chariot of choice--the Black Knight. Godspeed Professor Frog.
I do enjoy the Wolfhound. It's a fun, fleet machine that I though would be fun to pair with a panther. I really enjoy mechs like this that lean into their themes visually like the Wolfhound, Centurion, Panther, and the Bird Mechs.
@bthsr7113 They all have their merits. Quad mechs are a huge niche as far as mechs go so seeing a good variety is fun. Look at what CJF did with the Bird mechs after all! The Mandrill, on the other hand is just goofy, the extreme of the spectrum.
Honestly, because it’s the only light mech I can consistently keep in action and doing its job. The fact that it does great is just a bonus at that point. 🤣
Great...another of my favourite little guys :-) has a bit of a heat issue but packs a real punch for its size :-) a great scout hunter and swarmer of the larger opponents :-)
“Ammunition load fail?! This is a Wolfhound!” Namesake of the bestest, most RNG-est, hilariousness that is the 'Gremlins' de-buff. For that alone I love this mech.
I created a 3025 variant that utilizes a captured Jenner engine., so 7/11 speed. to make room for the engine the medium lasers were replaced with small lasers and a ton of armor was shaved off the machine. I found the extra mobility to be worth the cost in armor and firepower.
A medium mech in a light mechs body, the product of some one who really knew what they were doing. A mech that is a must in my hunter lances and often a lead or member of scout lances. Proof that the Lyrans can make a mech that makes sense when they want to.
The Wolfhound is just nasty. The lack of jump jets is a thing, sure, but it more than makes up for it in.. basically every other way. It's probably my favorite light Mech, and I love all-energy loadouts.
as a die hard jenner fan, I have a lot of respect for the wolfhound. It has proven to be more of a threat to a jenner than a mech 2 or 3 times the size
I didnt know of the Wolfhound until Mechwarrior 4 Black Knight(the expansion pack). There it was odd because it was a showcase for the expansion's new X-Pulse Lasers. While I like the *idea* of the Panther, but the Panther is slow for a light mech and its short range missile launcher is kind of an emergency defense weapon because it requires ammunition. When people talk about it to talk about it positively they disregard its weight classification and instead talk about how its vague role a "Trooper". The Wolfhound is just good. It lacks serious flaws that most 3025-designs do. Its fast, armored, has a decent mixture of short and medium range weapons. While it not as good as the classic Phoenix Hawk, that design is a 45ton machine so can afford better equipment like Jump Jets. Its a light zombie and scout in 3025, which is great. Upgrading it is really simple. Double-Heat Sinks, Endo-Steel, and update the lasers to Extended Range models. If desired adding some electronics or jump jets are also an option.
I use a WLF-5 in our ongoing Chaos Campaign as the light Mech in my frontline combat lance. It's done good work, and I have run it well with a 2/3 Elite and a 3/4 Veteran pilot.
The Wolfhound is one of the best light hunter-killer designs of the 3025-era. It can take on any other light Mech and is likely to win. It is a hard counter gainst the Panther and and the Jenner. The Panther can´t escape from the Wolfhound the Jenner doesn´t have the firepower tho take out a Wolfhound before it gets shreded by the large laser. The drawback ist that the wolfbound is quite expensive and it not well suited to fight infantry or significantly heavier Mechs. I like to say that a speed of 6/9/0 is great for getting into trouble fast but not fast enough to get out of trouble. When fighting alongside heavier units the Wolfhound pilot must be careful to outrun his team mates. While 6/9/0 isn´t slow it does only provide a +3 to-hit modifier. In this scenario the Wolfhound can either be used as a flanker or as a rear-guard against enemy flankers.
i really need to start going through your videos in full, the catapult was my first one that i watched of this series (I saw your audiobook explorer core series awhile back) but i never got nito the mech videos, i need to watch them specially of units i love like the marauder
We love the Wolfhound because it's effective, especially if you have decent heat management skills. We'll just have to forgive it being the 'mech of one of the biggest Mary Sues in the fiction.
I haven't considered what my idea light lance would look like, but it probably has a jenner and a wolf hound leading the way, scaring off any other light mechs, with a raven for electronic warfare and sensors. Not sure what to fill that last slot with though... maybe a javelin chucking LRMS just to be annoying?
The wolfhound is a great mech, prefect for mercenaries who conduct fast paced raids and are pressed for mechbay slots. Overall I don't think it beats out the 1-2 punch of a Panther Jenner combo, It's certainly a mech that will keep the paychecks rolling in and your precious mechwarriors out of the medbay/ being jackson pollocked all over the battlefield. I've gotta say though, that Heavy PPC version looks vicious a great option if you are being out tonned.
I love the wolfhound because it has enough firepower to actually be a threat while still outrunning most mechs , unlike the panther, with the snubnosed ppc later on it gets even more lethal
Its one of my favorite lights of any tonnage in class...now if only the rear facing weapon idea would stay on far less maneuverable mechs, if any, as standard designs and not popular refits.
I've never been a fan of them, but considering what I've had done to my mechs with them, I definitely have a healthy respect for them. The wolfhound is overall a very solid package.
Wolfhound my favorite light mech, in MWO it was the mech i would get the best scores with, 7 medium lasers an LAMS and max armor and downgrade the engine to get 95kph, deceptively resilient and still maneuverable enough for people to miss shots, alternatively i used one with 2 ER PPCs, firing both at the same time would make it so i would have to wait a bit longer then the re-fire cicle of the PPCs to shoot again, in lava map it was a near immediate shutdown, so i fired one wait for half recharge an fire the other making heat manageable
@@MechanicalFrog Even as a replacement for things like Dragons and Centurions, it really needed its first variant to be good. And as an answer to the Wolfhoud, it was abysmal.
At 8:34 on Wolfhound IIC, I think U forgot the additional weapon system on Grinner, there was a LAMS system added, if U check that part, where Ranna show the Grinner , I think that one's mentioned... Nice video all in all. WBR.
It's cheap, durable, fast, and does solid damage. Taking a Wolf Pack will literally never disappoint, as they're hard to fully kill and can get where they need to go fast.
Light mech with a nasty punch that carries more firepower then some mediums (looking at you cicada and vulcan!) Not the fastest light, but still faster then a panther, its intended target. Thanks to its all energy loadout it also works great as a raider, harassing enemy supply lines and disrupting enemy formations with guerillia attacks and durable enough to survive a hit or two. Though its still a light mech so dont expect it to tank more then that. The WLF-1 struggles a bit with running hot, with only 10 single heatsinks you cant really run and fire all your weapons, so youll have to choose between the large laser or the medium lasers. Usually i dont talk about variants in my posts but i have to comment about the WLF-2. That ER-large should not be there. Its way to much heat for very little gain. As a light mech the Wolfhound has no problem closing distance, so the extended range does very little for it. Infact if they had just left it as a large laser the Wolfhound 2 could project much more firepower thanks to its double heatsinks. So honestly the ER-large unnecesarily weakens the WLF-2 (I really dislike IS ER larges because they are a questionable upgrade) for very little gain since the wolfhound will have to close up anyways to use its medium lasers wich are the bulk of its firepower. By "downgrading" the ER large to a normal large laser you could fire ALL of the forward facing lasers AND run at full speed without going over the heatlimit Anyways the wolfhound is a solid pick if you want a light mech that can hunt down other light mechs and dont want to splurge on some fancy expensive and difficult to replace tech. Pair it up with a commando for some critseeking action and you have a really deadly pair, just beware those pulse lasers cause neither the wolfhound or the commando are fast enough to negate that to hit bonus
the Wolfhound always has a spot in my Davion recon/spotter lances or bodyguarding a Raven as the spotter element of an Indirect Fire lance with a LRM mech and it's bodyguard
Why do we love the Wolfhound?
Because it just works. It does what it claims to do, with little muss or fuss. It's an excellent blend of speed, protection and weaponry and as such, one of the best light 'mechs of its generation.
Well put. It just works.
It's one of the reasons why light mechs are so underwhelming in the Dark Age and IlKahn era. Scout hunters like Wolfhounds just murder them. The Wolfhound is more heavily armed than a 45-ton Phoenix Hawk, just as fast, and only a half-ton (eight points) of armor lighter - it just can't jump. And that's BEFORE all the tech upgrades start making those lasers even longer ranged or more powerful or you drop in a light or XL engine and get some jump jets.
It's an absurdly good light mech.
Remember kids, the 6S has that Large Re-engineneered Laser. it does 9 damage across ALL armor types. In a period where Hardened, refelctive and Ferro-Llamor. Its a giant killer.
Don’t ever make the mistake of assuming your 100 ton machine is safe. A lance of fast movers like this will humble you.
Absolutely.
Venom is bae
Absolutely. Jump capable mechs can also be very effective in the right circumstances. In an urban environment, the Capellans have long known that a lance of light, jump-capable mechs can ruin an assault mech's day. There are lots of historical events where a small group of mechs like the Urbanmech have totally annihilated mech forces several times their combined tonnage due to their being able to out-maneuver the larger machines without skidding into buildings like runners tend to do.
I'm looking to push this to the extreme against a buddy of mine. Alpha Strike, 400 or 500 points, he can't bring anything UNDER 100 tons (up to 200 super heavys) and u can't bring anything OVER 54 tons.
*flashback of a locust soloing my Madcat mkII*
The Wolfhound, a mech you have to love, especially with the lore around it. Lyran generals being sick of light Combine mechs that 'didn't know their place' and humiliating the slow war machine like the LCAF. The Wolfhound does well against both of the lights produced by the Combine alone, outranging the Jenner by just over 50% with the Large Laser and outpacing the Panther by exactly 50%, and being better protected than both. Its all energy loadout makes it a solid raider or extended scout.
I've never had the pleasure to field a Wolfhound but deploying a Panther with a large laser, medium laser, and SRM6 has been close enough in output to make me appriciate what the Wolfhound can achive.
Give it a try some time.
I highly recommend the WLF-2H. Just know that the supercharger will betray you at some point.
A 3025 panther is bad offering 1/2 a marauder w less toughness and fire power than 1/2 of one. Once past that a 35 ton "heavy" is pure dumb. Replace it with a trashcan as atleast its free to buy. I like the panther vs equally shit 3025 designs as a ppc is effective against scouts which at this time liked machineguns and other trivial things, but 4/6 is asking to get murdered by better designs. Remind me about clans not giving a shit, as 5/8 means even 75tons provides a better scout mech. A single madcat can run over a panther lance too if a fight ensues.
Point is this is the best of IS light mechs and one of the best 35ton "heavies" around as despite the mobility the wolfhound can slug it out. Only thing it really needs is dhs as this is still relatively cheap and heat is an issue.
@@xt6wagoneach to their own, but I have taken out more fast heavys and assaults with lances it Panthers.
Ahh, the Wolfhound. Arguably the best damn light mech ever made. WLF-2 cockpit is my place of zen and happy mayhem.
I'm a Firestarter / Jenner main myself. But I totally get the Wolfhound being as loved as it is.
I'm not sure why I never took the Wolfhound seriously before. I am a Light Mech specialist, but always saw it as a Davion thing and not a Lyran unit. I will not make that mistake again. I fully intend to give this unit a shot in the future. Thanks MF for all you do. Keep it coming!
I got a shelf displaying my tabletop merch force, one of its lances is a Wolverine (Lance leader), A Wolfhound, a Panther and a Jenner. They look pretty good together.
The WLF-1MF: when you have finally had enough of those darn squirrels.
Because the Wolfhound is a nasty killer. A lance of WLFs is a tough opponent even for Clan designs.
There's something particularly appealing about a light 'Mech that's designed for the hunter-killer role. The Wolfhound is a rare improvement on Star League 'Mechs like the Mongoose prior to the Clan invasion and Lostech renaissance.
Definitely.
In MW 4 this was one of my favorites, tho the base model of that game had some weirdness not seen many other places, and may have been canon to that game only. Out of the box, came with a large x pulse, two medium x pulses, and reflective armor. Now, MW 4 is low on detailing in some points, so criticals were hugely simplified in this game, and all heatsinks were doubles I think. Was at least easy to do. I do like them, and of the shelf they could have a 118kph peak. so, I have no idea where the came from. i would use them for some of later dedicated light mech preferred action, and often I went with a clan er ppc, a few mediums, and ran and sniped. Worked well in the solaris coliseum light matches.
A refit that I like of the wolfhound that I do is to remove the rear facing ML and the LL for a triad of MPL in the arm and upgrading all the ML to ERMLs, ofc this includes a upgrade to double heat sinks. ER's for range and the MPLs for light mech hunting. a good command lance escort or part of a hunter killer lance.
Love a good death by disco mech.
In open country, the Wolfhound is very good despite it's chronic heat issues prior to the recovery of DHS. While crippling, the heat issues are also endemic to the era. But once you're out of prairies, flat deserts and empty parking lots, I've found the Panther's jump jets have always given mobility parity if not superiority in urban and mountain terrain. And it doesn't overheat as badly in 3025. Years ago, I had a regular dance partner who brought Wolfhounds to the table, I've fought the Puppy vs Kitty duel many times. So to pick one is "better" depends on terrain, lancemates, and pilot skill. In the 3040s, that really doesn't change. Take the one have, not the one you want, and ride it hard.
Wolfhound. For when resupply isn't guaranteed.
Return to Crab.
I actually have the Wolfhound paired with a Panther in two different lances. They go pretty well together.
Quite true.
This is hands down my favorite light mech. The Wolfhound is such a solid design that is, in my opinion, *made* to ride the red line.
Also, I appreciate your restraint in *not* giving the poor thing a Plasma Cannon.
*having started the video* He didn't? Guess his wife or minion is finally giving him grief about that... :D
one of those fun mechs where lostech actually makes it functionally better. the original 3028 wlf-1 was a hotbox but a very dangerous one with a pilot that could manage the heat ok (10 single sinks it would almost always run hot just how hot was the question)............plus who doesn't love butt lasers unless you do the 1B refit which means not you apparently
Fantastic video, cept for that sacrilege DCMS wolfhound, one of my favorites of all time!
I had a character in a Wolfhound in one campaign, with double heat sinks. Eventually, the poor thing got shot out from under me, but the group managed to convince our employer to replace it with another... with SINGLE heat sinks. I forgot this had been done (out of character) and first turn in the first battle after that... I fired everything. I was like "wait, no...!" but the other players all laughed and said my character had forgotten too... which was actually fair, given the circumstances. The next turn, spent red-hot, was an excellent 'learning opportunity' haha!
Still, I dearly love the Wolfhound. Good speed, all energy weapons, that's my thing. I'm not a super adherent to jump jets, so I differ with most on that, but that's fine. Something for everyone, right?? Love y'all!
My favorite Inner Sphere light mech. It's a light mech, but it sometimes feels like it punches above its weight with the medium mechs.
It's also piloted by Phelan Kell, my favorite Battletech character and my Khan. Was always surprised the Wolves didn't adopt the Wolfhound IIC as a regular amongst their forces.
I mean, that would be smart, but would you want the Wolf Empire to be cranking those babies out? I know I wouldn't.
@bthsr7113 Eh, I'm a Clan Wolf in Exile/Warden faction Wolf, so I suppose I'm kinda stuck with the Wolf Empire these days, so I'm not particularly worried about what they role out.
Because the name is exponentially better than something silly, like "crab", for example.
It's a decent mix of speed, firepower, and durability for a light mech. It's not a "powerhouse", but it's reliable. Very solid for its weight and cost. The only thing missing is a hatchet to use when it's running hot, but we can't have everything, can we? ...and that's just talking about Level 1 play, once we add advanced tech into the mix all bets are off.
The wolfhound is like a slasher movie killer to light mechs and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I approve of this characterization.
While the Commando will always be my favorite Stiner mech, once I discovered its scary younger brother I couldn't help but love this one almost as much
Man i love the wolfhound. Such a balanced mech. Just fast enough for an IS light mech but hit hard enough for its weight. Also full head ejection saves the meat
my favorite bit about the Wolfhound is the Draconis Combine developing the Wolf Trap to hunt it and making a 'Mech that is more than 40% more expensive while being immensely more vulnerable and it isn't even good at hunting Wolfhounds
it's sorta like a repeat of the Cicada being developed to hunt Locusts
the wolf trap has the fire power of a centurion and somehow managed to be almost two times more expensive to make than the centurion, how do you even manage that?
@@ShadrackMeduson ineptitude?
@@ShadrackMeduson Graft funded endless sake nights?
For all of their reputation for throwing Assault 'mechs at every problem in front of them, the Lyran Commonwealth has a surprisingly consistent track record for turning out excellent Light 'mechs.
They've also made some darn good vehicles. The Warrior Helicopter is a superb harasser/scout.
Between the jump jets and PPC of the Panther, or the mobility and lasers of the Wolfhound; it's a tough choice of trade-offs! For me, it's the Wolfhound every time (lasers are nice).
Never underestimate the take down power of HPPC +capacitor. It's hard to do recon if your bug mech has a giant hole in it.
And if you get lucky, you can replace the HPPC + cap with an ERPPC (C) +c cap from via loot/salvage. And save yourself a cool 4 tons, along with 2 critical slots.
KitFox is my goto Light mech especially when its got the Long Tom in the right arm and uses the left hand to strip rounds off the crossed bandoleros to breach load it as if it were a Mech Sized Bloop Gun (M-79 Grenade launcher)
Another great vid on a solid Mech. I love the Lance of minis at 6:32 in red, white and blue. A very striking scheme. Lovely work by Top Cate there!
Quickly becoming a favorite of mine in Mechwarrior 5. I salvaged some endosteel, double sinks, and an XL engine. 4 Medium lasers, a PPC-X in the right arm (all tier 4 or 5), max armor, extra armor on the right arm, all the rest of the crit space filled with double sinks, a supercharger, and the biggest engine core I could cram in. It regularly and easily shits on even smaller Heavies in the arena.
Leave it to the Lyrans, Assault memelords extraordinaire, to produce one of the finest light mechs of the pre-invasion era.
This and the Commander
For a long time the panther was perhaps my second favorite light mech behind a commando with 4 srm4’s but I had the chance to field a wolfhound once. And now it is firmly in that coveted second favorite spot
one of my lancemates swears by the wolfhound, and he puts in work with it. That said, I look forward to when you get my chariot of choice--the Black Knight. Godspeed Professor Frog.
I do enjoy the Wolfhound. It's a fun, fleet machine that I though would be fun to pair with a panther.
I really enjoy mechs like this that lean into their themes visually like the Wolfhound, Centurion, Panther, and the Bird Mechs.
How do you feel about Hell's Horses' quad mechs leaning into their names? Or the Mandrill?
@bthsr7113 They all have their merits. Quad mechs are a huge niche as far as mechs go so seeing a good variety is fun. Look at what CJF did with the Bird mechs after all! The Mandrill, on the other hand is just goofy, the extreme of the spectrum.
Honestly, because it’s the only light mech I can consistently keep in action and doing its job. The fact that it does great is just a bonus at that point. 🤣
I'll take a WLF-2H please. That head replacement looks so kick ass!
It does have a rather Egyptian look to it.
I've loved the wolfhound since the cartoon and I believe it was piloted by Andrew Steiner.
Great...another of my favourite little guys :-) has a bit of a heat issue but packs a real punch for its size :-) a great scout hunter and swarmer of the larger opponents :-)
You have done me the great service to covered my favorite mech. Thanks man.
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching!
“Ammunition load fail?! This is a Wolfhound!”
Namesake of the bestest, most RNG-est, hilariousness that is the 'Gremlins' de-buff. For that alone I love this mech.
I created a 3025 variant that utilizes a captured Jenner engine., so 7/11 speed. to make room for the engine the medium lasers were replaced with small lasers and a ton of armor was shaved off the machine. I found the extra mobility to be worth the cost in armor and firepower.
A medium mech in a light mechs body, the product of some one who really knew what they were doing. A mech that is a must in my hunter lances and often a lead or member of scout lances. Proof that the Lyrans can make a mech that makes sense when they want to.
The Wolfhound is just nasty. The lack of jump jets is a thing, sure, but it more than makes up for it in.. basically every other way. It's probably my favorite light Mech, and I love all-energy loadouts.
as a die hard jenner fan, I have a lot of respect for the wolfhound. It has proven to be more of a threat to a jenner than a mech 2 or 3 times the size
I didnt know of the Wolfhound until Mechwarrior 4 Black Knight(the expansion pack). There it was odd because it was a showcase for the expansion's new X-Pulse Lasers.
While I like the *idea* of the Panther, but the Panther is slow for a light mech and its short range missile launcher is kind of an emergency defense weapon because it requires ammunition. When people talk about it to talk about it positively they disregard its weight classification and instead talk about how its vague role a "Trooper".
The Wolfhound is just good. It lacks serious flaws that most 3025-designs do. Its fast, armored, has a decent mixture of short and medium range weapons. While it not as good as the classic Phoenix Hawk, that design is a 45ton machine so can afford better equipment like Jump Jets.
Its a light zombie and scout in 3025, which is great. Upgrading it is really simple. Double-Heat Sinks, Endo-Steel, and update the lasers to Extended Range models. If desired adding some electronics or jump jets are also an option.
I need a whole company of Wolfhounds and Marauder-Ds. Screw buying ammo.
I use a WLF-5 in our ongoing Chaos Campaign as the light Mech in my frontline combat lance.
It's done good work, and I have run it well with a 2/3 Elite and a 3/4 Veteran pilot.
As a Kell Hound enthusiast, it’s one of my often used mech fora light or scout lance ❤
The Wolfhound is one of the best light hunter-killer designs of the 3025-era. It can take on any other light Mech and is likely to win. It is a hard counter gainst the Panther and and the Jenner.
The Panther can´t escape from the Wolfhound the Jenner doesn´t have the firepower tho take out a Wolfhound before it gets shreded by the large laser.
The drawback ist that the wolfbound is quite expensive and it not well suited to fight infantry or significantly heavier Mechs.
I like to say that a speed of 6/9/0 is great for getting into trouble fast but not fast enough to get out of trouble.
When fighting alongside heavier units the Wolfhound pilot must be careful to outrun his team mates. While 6/9/0 isn´t slow it does only provide a +3 to-hit modifier.
In this scenario the Wolfhound can either be used as a flanker or as a rear-guard against enemy flankers.
i really need to start going through your videos in full, the catapult was my first one that i watched of this series (I saw your audiobook explorer core series awhile back) but i never got nito the mech videos, i need to watch them specially of units i love like the marauder
Wolfhound is the best light mech which you can have, especially with clan tech.
The Wolfhound: Countermeta in pure mech form. Thanks for the video.
I have said it before and I will say it again. This is the predator. A near perfect light mech hunter that can fight above its weight comfortably.
It's hungry.
"A rear-facing Clan ER Small Laser-" Because the Emotional Support Small Laser is inevitable.
We love the Wolfhound because it's effective, especially if you have decent heat management skills.
We'll just have to forgive it being the 'mech of one of the biggest Mary Sues in the fiction.
Even I, in my limited Battletech exposure, have seen the artistic version
Sweet.
One of my most favorite facts of the wolf hound is kurita failed wolf trap so good they couldn't beat it. Wolfhound is my #1 fav for lights
A solid pick. Poor Wolftrap...
I haven't considered what my idea light lance would look like, but it probably has a jenner and a wolf hound leading the way, scaring off any other light mechs, with a raven for electronic warfare and sensors.
Not sure what to fill that last slot with though... maybe a javelin chucking LRMS just to be annoying?
I like the Wolfhound in almost all specs, but that Allard load out is nasty and I'm here for it.
The wolfhound is a great mech, prefect for mercenaries who conduct fast paced raids and are pressed for mechbay slots. Overall I don't think it beats out the 1-2 punch of a Panther Jenner combo, It's certainly a mech that will keep the paychecks rolling in and your precious mechwarriors out of the medbay/ being jackson pollocked all over the battlefield.
I've gotta say though, that Heavy PPC version looks vicious a great option if you are being out tonned.
I just picked up a wolfhound in tabletop today for some rasahague action. Might find another vindicator to make an AA to paint up to go with it
Nice!
My second favorite light, right behind the Commando.
I love the wolfhound because it has enough firepower to actually be a threat while still outrunning most mechs , unlike the panther, with the snubnosed ppc later on it gets even more lethal
Definitely a fan of the Snub Nosed on Lighter mechs.
Totally different roles, the snub works with extra speed, but the PPC has no need to risk getting close.
Its one of my favorite lights of any tonnage in class...now if only the rear facing weapon idea would stay on far less maneuverable mechs, if any, as standard designs and not popular refits.
I've never been a fan of them, but considering what I've had done to my mechs with them, I definitely have a healthy respect for them. The wolfhound is overall a very solid package.
Oh, you have a 100 ton assault mech? Well it's too bad that its legs are about to break!
Wolfhound my favorite light mech, in MWO it was the mech i would get the best scores with, 7 medium lasers an LAMS and max armor and downgrade the engine to get 95kph, deceptively resilient and still maneuverable enough for people to miss shots, alternatively i used one with 2 ER PPCs, firing both at the same time would make it so i would have to wait a bit longer then the re-fire cicle of the PPCs to shoot again, in lava map it was a near immediate shutdown, so i fired one wait for half recharge an fire the other making heat manageable
Effective, distinct style, rear gun for those who like that, and it humiliated Kurita when they started making the so called "Wolf Trap."
Oh, poor poor Wolftrap...
@@MechanicalFrog Even as a replacement for things like Dragons and Centurions, it really needed its first variant to be good. And as an answer to the Wolfhoud, it was abysmal.
Lazer vomit lights will never get old. Any mech will be threatened by this thing, best not to ignore it.
to one's peril.
Best Lyran striker mech ever I love this mech so much I almost always take one in game
I’ve never used a Wolfhound. But you say it’s Lyran? There for, I like it. I shall rectify my error of non use post haste!
Very easy to slot into a lance. I actually fielded one in two separate games today without really thinking about it. It just fits
"Popped like corn" made me laugh a bit.
3050 Full Clan Tech Rebuild of the WLF-3A Wolfhound. 6/9 movement, 1.75t endosteel, 4.5t XL + DHS, 6t standard cockpit and gyro, 6t max Fero-Fiberous armor, 16.75t pod space.
PRIME config: ERPPC (ra), 4 ERML (r/lt), 2 ERML (ctr), MG + 0.5t ammo (la)
Alt A "Classic Build": ERLL (ra), TAG, AP, ECM (h,r/lt), 3 ERML (r/lt), ERML (ctr), mg + 0.5t ammo (la), 5 DHS
Altconfig B: LPL (ra), 3 MPL (r/l/ct) mg + 0.5t ammo (la)
Solid, fast, "plucky" and effective. Love it:)
It just works.
So we're in the middle of the Blakest Kerfuffle, Frog heads down to Discount Dan's... which variant of the Wolfhound is he shopping for?
The 3S is solid.
At 8:34 on Wolfhound IIC, I think U forgot the additional weapon system on Grinner, there was a LAMS system added, if U check that part, where Ranna show the Grinner , I think that one's mentioned... Nice video all in all. WBR.
My favorite light mech in the game. I use the WLF-1A in a lot of my Succession War Era games.
If you're hunting Panthers, wouldn't you want glazed armor and a Laser AMS?
It's cheap, durable, fast, and does solid damage. Taking a Wolf Pack will literally never disappoint, as they're hard to fully kill and can get where they need to go fast.
It seems rather interesting that mech frog is a jade falcon fan and always seems to create war crime variants......how curious
Because it is one of the best mechs out there.
For the tech level the original it might be the best light mech (for me).
I LOVE this mech! So glad you got this video out.
Because it's the best damn hunter-killer Mech in the game
Light mech with a nasty punch that carries more firepower then some mediums (looking at you cicada and vulcan!)
Not the fastest light, but still faster then a panther, its intended target. Thanks to its all energy loadout it also works great as a raider, harassing enemy supply lines and disrupting enemy formations with guerillia attacks and durable enough to survive a hit or two. Though its still a light mech so dont expect it to tank more then that.
The WLF-1 struggles a bit with running hot, with only 10 single heatsinks you cant really run and fire all your weapons, so youll have to choose between the large laser or the medium lasers. Usually i dont talk about variants in my posts but i have to comment about the WLF-2. That ER-large should not be there. Its way to much heat for very little gain. As a light mech the Wolfhound has no problem closing distance, so the extended range does very little for it. Infact if they had just left it as a large laser the Wolfhound 2 could project much more firepower thanks to its double heatsinks. So honestly the ER-large unnecesarily weakens the WLF-2 (I really dislike IS ER larges because they are a questionable upgrade) for very little gain since the wolfhound will have to close up anyways to use its medium lasers wich are the bulk of its firepower. By "downgrading" the ER large to a normal large laser you could fire ALL of the forward facing lasers AND run at full speed without going over the heatlimit
Anyways the wolfhound is a solid pick if you want a light mech that can hunt down other light mechs and dont want to splurge on some fancy expensive and difficult to replace tech. Pair it up with a commando for some critseeking action and you have a really deadly pair, just beware those pulse lasers cause neither the wolfhound or the commando are fast enough to negate that to hit bonus
The wolf hound is a good mech.
Good at pealing armor off of medium and light class mechs.
Very true.
I enjoy all of Mechanical Frog videos 😊
Thank you!
Great video! I always liked the wolfhound. Looking forward to more videos.
Thank you very much!
Pure, simple, precisely focused in role, yet adaptable - what's not to love?
the Wolfhound always has a spot in my Davion recon/spotter lances or bodyguarding a Raven as the spotter element of an Indirect Fire lance with a LRM mech and it's bodyguard
Quite good at that job.
If in doubt, release the hounds! 🐺🐺🐺
Ahem.... awoo...
The Wolfhound is the definition of a lightweight boxer.
I cant believe he didnt put a plasma rifle on that right arm.
I'll add that if playing with the PPC Overcharge rules, a Heavy PPC with Cap can achieve truly ludicrous damage outputs.
Although likely not for long.
Glory is fleeting...
Throw in the technical readout with MG allowing a 6d roll for them. You could put out even more damage with those MGs.
Another excellent video!
I like the Wolfhound, I used one the other day in a tabletop game, to bring down a Panther...
Cool, thanks! I hope it worked out well.
Wolfhound- Because the Red Menace has a very good light mech, and we don't like them having nice things.