Banshee, a mech left to rot in the dumpster of history that came back to life to hunt enemies of Lyrans as well as clanners not expecting a beast that can rush their pretty Mad Cats, tear out legs of one and beat a second one to death with it. A suitable name.
BNC has less speed, heat dissipation, and potential damage than the Prime while only having 10 more armor. Idk if I would say it "destroys" the Timber Wolf in a 1v1. Economically however, on the table top you can have 2 banshees for every prime which is a win in of itself.
@@davidandrew6235 Bro, better tonnage and melee with enough speed and armor to actually reach the Mad Cat before getting melted, contrary to average IS Assault at the time. Clanners have better range so knifefighting is where you win.
For 20 more tons you only get 10 points of armor distributed throughout the mech. The Timber Wolf walks the Banshee's Run so the Banshee is never going to be able to use the weight in melee. Not saying it's a bad mech I just don't agree the banshee wins in a 1v1. You can field 2 Banshees for the same BV which I think tips the scales in their favor as a mech made for full scale war. Just my two cents though :)
Claners) *Laughs at the Banshee pilot for using it and gloating about how good they are before going silent as music starts.* Banshee pilot) *The only thing they fear is you starts playing.*
The BNC-3S and its successors is my favourite mech in all of Battletech. A walking wall of metal and guns, rising from the gutter to stand proud and indomitable. It personifies the LCAF more than any other machine in the setting IMO.
I love the Banshee. Its terror can be applied to Fleas and Shadow Hawks aswell. Starts out like ABSOLUTE trash tier mechs but tech, time and love while avoiding scapegoating makes them a threat if underestimated. Let them be undersetimate them I say 😈
To be fair it is the 3rd oldest Battlemech design by age (2445). Being beaten by the mackie (2439) and the emperor (2442). Pretty much a era of throw it at the wall and see what sticks. So not bad considering the limited choice of mechs at the time just quickly made obsolete.
@@joshkellemen5931 they do being the one that made the video and looked up the lore he's giving. Gonna guess that you aren't popular with the ladies eh Joshy boy
Designed before its time, built in time to avoid the age of stagnation to follow, then upgraded to be one of the kings of the battlefield. Kind of like a malaise era musclecar. Everything was crap, engines, suspension, transmission, but has the bones to be great, which Hot Rodders and Tuners figured out in ensuing decades.
@@BigRed40TECH Back in late 1990/early '91, I purchased The Battletech Compendium before TRO 3050 and the GM at the time allowed me to design customizations of some of the mechs in the mercenary unit (within limits, and within c-bill budget). The end result was a configuration *very* similar to the BNC-5S, albeit with a Cyclops head/cockpit/computer/comms to make it a command mech roleplay wise (made no difference on the tabletop, obvs). It was the chariot of the oldest and best Mechwarrior in the unit, who also happened to be a fan of Lyran mech engineering and a former LCAF Mechwarrior during the late 3rd SW. Basically he'd been dreaming of something like this since 3028. Anyhoo, GM got TRO 3050 soon afterward, and we moved on to the Clan Invasion. First round of the first engagement with Jade Falcon, Old Mate in his Banshee took a Clan ER PPC to the face. His gauss rifle shot missed its target. Just another day in the life of a Spheroid. *Womp womp*
When I first got my 3025 TRO and was comparing assault mechs, I kept thinking, 'Well, at least it wasn't a Charger'. Like the Charger, the Banshee was one of those Mechs that I would modify ASAP. The extra heat sinks always stood out, making me think that some bean counter tweaked the original design, saving credits by cutting an energy weapon that it obviously was meant to field.
It's got 2 more heat sinks than it can even use, has 6 more than it needs to fire it's primary armament, and is 3.5 tons short of maximum armor. Converting 3 heat sinks to armor and dropping the small laser turns it into an extremely durable, heat neutral, command mech for a unit of line heavies. Matching their speed while carrying more armor than is possible for any smaller mech, while still providing a comparable level of sustained long range fire. (15 sustained damage matches the thunderbolt and the warhammer, while the archer and marauder can sustain 20) Depending on one's tolerance for overheating, up to 3 more tons of heat sinks can be dropped for other equipment. For example, a command console, or a battery of 3 medium lasers as a close range bracket to alternate with the PPC. (Or a compromise of 1 heat sink to overheat only on movement, and the 2 tons of additional communications equipment required for a satellite uplink & initiative bonus.)
@@Kieselmeister yeah, my Banshee in the BEX mod for the HBS game was a massive threat, knocking down mechs left and right. I only replaced it once I got my hands on a beserker
I think you knocked one out of the park with this one, Red, this was an absolutely great video, I would say your best mech video to date. You hit all the points, told a compelling story, and brought life to the mech. Great job. The Banshee was neverf one of my favorite mechs, but you make a good case for it here in the video.
What always struck me about the original 3025 TRO Banshee is that it was clearly an antique concept, developed before anyone understood Battlemech combat. It was the first mass produced model after the Mackie, and made a lot of mistakes. That it exists in this awkward form is part of what makes Battletech feel more realistic than other future combat games.
I love his videos too but I rather when he uses mechwarrior 2 musics. I like a lot the new Battletech game musics but Mechwarrior 2 (and mercenaries) are so cool.
I typically do use MW2 music and such, but I really felt that this video needed music that matched the theme, which was really strange, because as I did research and wrote the script, it very much made me feel like it had more of a heroes journey, despite not being a living person. I felt the BT video game's soundtrack better encompassed that. :)
My first use of the Banshee was the updated 3S model in MW5. And my word did I fall in love with the thing when I first used it. Standard drop mission. Drop in, destroy enemy facilities & bug out. I was in the Banshee with an Archer, an Orion I think and maybe a second or a Marauder, not sure. Anyways we dropped in and pushed to the base. I didn't have to use my lasers on the approach and when we got there. I think I destroyed around 200 to 250 tons worth of mech including an Atlas in the course of the mission. And my armour wasn't even in the red and I suffered very little heat management problems. It was glorious.
Sounds like someone in the design room insisted on making the original Banshee fast--they sacrificed weapons space on the altar of speed, and in doing so, they made that speed irrelevant. Defiance knew better than to try turning a 95-ton behemoth into a sprinter. The moment they decided to downgrade that engine, the mech design came into its own.
@@BigRed40TECH IS XL engine sucks ass they are not as durable unlike standard or even light engine also XL engine have more pod space taken in both chest area.
@@aker1993 IS XLs are a lot less bad in roleplaying campaigns, since mechs are a lot more likely to withdraw or surrender than go on until they can no longer fight, and usually a mission isn't worth winning if you lose a mech doing it. Preserving your fighting force and your C-Bills is usually a lot more important than winning any individual skirmish, so it becomes pretty rare to see the sort of risky play that results in losing a torso.
This is my favorite punching machine in BT. Upgrade it to a 400 series engine, give it some better arm actuators and jump Jets, and this thing will break the backs of anything.
the Orginal Banshee: so named for the scream of frustration from the pilots who got one one of these wastes of space. the REBORN BANSHEE: NAMED FOR THE HELLISH SCREAMS OF HEAVY METAL ROCKING PILOTS.
Because I am quite new to battletech I got to see the Banshee's evolution through MW5. I don't know if it still happens but even early on in the game you could find one of the 3Es in a shop alongside light mechs. At first I freaked out because I saw the tonnage then I looked at the weapons and realized why I could (barely) afford a 95 ton assault mech. Also the 3M is fantastic for ai because not having weapons in the arms means they break them far less often.
One thing I will say for the poor old BNC-3E: while it's incredibly disappointing on the battlefield, it's GREAT for Solaris VII games. A 95-ton melee mech for gladiators that constantly trick out their rides for melee? It's the one place the 3E truly belongs.
I have a weird sleep schedule so maybe I'm off here but... two videos in one day? Wow. Subbed. I didn't even realize I wasn't subbed before, but you deserve it.
Yeeeeeeeeeah, once the 3S came off the assembly line, the Banshee became one of my favorite assault mechs in the entire game! And prior to the Clan Invasion, it was easily in my top 3! Excellent coverage of this one, Red! Thanks for your incredible work!
I would've loved to see a Clanners face when invading the IS and then seeing (what you thought would've been) an ancient Mech now upgraded with ER-PPC's and a Gauss doing 64 kph
@@BigRed40TECH Some clanner scum on the radio-comms after getting cored out: "But the battle report said that the Banshee should only have 1 PPC and 1 AC5!"
I love the Banshee. Maybe I just have a thing for the underdog. The -3M is my favorite - it’s relatively cheap, retains the high top speed for a 95 tonner, and has better firepower. I do like to tinker with my mechs though, and I like to replace the PPCs with large lasers and add two additional medium lasers, one additional heat sink, and put the remaining ton into leg armor. Large lasers fit the Banshee’s run-up-and-maul play style a bit better IMO, with no minimum range and less heat do you can fairly reliably fire both off while closing the gap. Then, once you get in close, you can start throwing punches, kicks, and using the quartet of mediums to do real damage. Additionally I did tinker with the -3E at one point, taking a similar path - I replaced the PPC and AC-5 with a large laser and an AC-10 with the same idea - no minimum range and an auto cannon shot that will make mediums and lights reconsider their life choices. It’s similar to the Canopus BNC-3MC but with more ammo, a smidge less heat, and better mid and short range performance.
Fun fact: three centuries later the Imperator-A would become one of the Inner Sphere's most ubiquitous autocannons when it was mounted on both the Dragon and RFL-3N Rifleman. My headcanon is that in both cases it was chosen because the production lines to keep Banshees serviceable had deep stores of spare parts and surplus ammo nobody else wanted.
The close-assault (read, run up and beat enemies to death with metal fists) concept of the original Banshee isn't bad per se. . . but it inexplicably lacks the Battlefists quirk, letting it capitalize on being in melee. So even the one thing it's supposed to do well it doesn't do well. That said, it LOOKS plenty horrifying, and with the right upgrades, can be as dangerous as it looks.
I adore this mech, and its story. From a easily ignorable footnote, to a howling terror, able to put clanners in their place. It was also such a joy to find this mech's 3S variant for the first time in Mechwarrior 5. That thing shredded like nobody's business.
There is a sweet spot in each weight range where you can give an average speed without giving up too much weight to mount a decent offense and defense. In light mechs that turns out to be around 6/9 movement. Medium mechs range from 5/8 to 4/6 for that sweet spot as you get closer to 60 tons. Heavy mechs are solidly in the 4/6 movement bracket. 80 ton assaults can get away with 4/6 movement but as you get to 90 and above that the engine to maintain 4/6 movement swells in tonnage. Assault mechs are just better accepting 3/5 movement and using the tonnage saved to be what people expect: Hard hitting and really thick armor.
I think that 4/6 is possible at 90 tons, though I'd not say that this is ideal, but DEFINITELY not at 95. Once you hit 95, unless you've got a Light Engine or XL engine, it's just asking for trouble.
Looking at the original version and how close it was to the Mackie, it almost seems like they were trying to take that same armament profile of a PPC, lasers, and an autocannon and make it faster. The end result is certainly better than the early Mackie and the primitive mechs of the Age of War but I think that the military industrial complex of the Star League outpaced what it’s own internal R&D could produce.
It's such a tragedy that only Marik tried to do anything with it during the Star League era, and even then, the 3M just isn't enough. No one wanted to sacrifice that 380 standard engine.
@@BigRed40TECH agreed. I under stand why they wanted the bigger engine. Having assault that can keep up with line units is nice. Sadly it's to heavy and trying to emulate the Mackie.
@@BigRed40TECH The -3MC the Canopians tried in TRO 3039 is kind of a step in a better direction since it kept the GM 380 and armor but stripped five heat sinks out for an AC/10. It’s one of those designs where Endo Steel and XL Engine technology really started to make the concept of a fast assault more viable.
The banshee needs more love as it's often stuck living in the shadow of other assault mechs like the atlas. I myself often looked down on it as an under-gunned assault mech but its later variants helped me to appreciate the design.
I hated my Banshee when I first got it, but after sinking a few Million C-bills into it to get a Light Fusion Engine, Dual Heat Sinks, & Heavy Ferro, I was actually able to get the weapons mounted I wanted it on it while still maxing out on Armor. Ultra AC/20 (c) 4 tons of ammo Large Laser (c) 4x Magshots 2 tons of ammo The Banshee will always be in its element in melee engagements, but if it cant trade shoots with the enemy while it attempts to find an opening to exploit that advantage, its essentially just a damage sponge and while that can be useful in itself that's not what I would want filling my Assaults Mech slot, if I had other options.
Great video. What’s that old role playing game term? A bag of hit points? That pretty much sums up the original Banshee. A terrible mech for terrible pilots to use as a distraction/meat shield while you get other mechs into position.
Yes! my favorite assault mech gets some attention. I feel I must clarify, I play Clan and Inner Sphere. There are things that I like about both, but the Inner Sphere seems to have more of an underdog feel to them. Which makes it so much more satisfying when I can fry a clanner with them. This being said, I play solid House Steiner when I play Inner Sphere, and the Banshee is always the flagship of my Lance. Outfitted with 2 ERPPC's, an SRM-6, and a Gaus Rifle it snipes the enemies of the Lyran Commonwealth to great effect as it closes to tear them limb from limb! House Steiner forever! ✊
This Mech Overview series has been fantastic. I especially love the ones where you incorporate gameplay of the mech from MW5, brings the whole thing to life. Good stuff.
@@BigRed40TECH The missing CASE and that the 5S has only one ton of Gauss-Ammo. But if you change the Internal-Structure into Endo-Steel you have the weight to install CASE, one additional Ton of Gauss Ammo, 2 more Double Heatsinks and more Armor. This is the only think i would change for a Custom Banshee BNC-5S...and it is ironically not very expensive.
Favorite MW5 mech. A 380 XL makes it a monster in that game, even if you don't give it the obvious endo/DHS/TSM/ and Hardened armor, it's still really good. On top of that, it has a good look and its cockpit has an awesome view.
First Banshee model is BNC-1E. Primitive tech, slower, but with additional 2 Medium Lasers. Not a bad one compared to Mackie. Source: Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives Vol. 2. BNC-3E has its share of heroic tales. In one fan fiction BNC-3E uproots a tree and whacks Awesome on the head. Based on a played scenario. I have had personal success with BNC-3E myself: I have pretty much duplicated TRO3039 cover page on the table. In MegaMek game, I have forced a player with Atlas to throw the towel, and in another scenario I used two BNC-3E to corner a Griffin (inexperienced player, I guess). Variants predating BNC-3S have earned some love as well. MegaMek wiki descrbes one variant as: "BNC-3Q has AC/20 and a bad attitude." To paraphrase another player regarding Hellbringer: "BNC-3E is cool anyway. It isn't cool because it suck. It is cool because it suck WITH BALLS!"
To be fair - when it was first designed it was alright. It was one of the first battlemechs and all of it's contemporaries were primitive machines. It's only when the switchover from "primitive" tech to "standard" tech happened and the manufacturer tried to respond to the criticism of the unit's low speed is when it really started to fall behind. And I love that sometimes these otherwise unremarkable designs survive the Succession Wars precisely because they are unremarkable - being shunned from the front lines saved them. All the better that the Lyrans had the machine in numbers, the original plans, and the manufacturing facilities able to do a complete makeover of this magnitude - they ultimately produced an amazing machine.
In MW5 using YAML and whatnot I’ve created a jump jet melee banshee with 6 mp(c) lasers. Each punch is estimated to deal over 80 damage and its got two fists, and it’s slightly up armored. It also has an ECM and an AMS. I’ve been jumping at enemy assault mechs and coming out with no structure damage.
Although I'm commenting on this video particularly, I've been absolutely loving the content. Second only to the Black Pants Legion of Tex himself, your output is far more regular and I've been devouring it. Can you do the Centurion and Black Knight please? 😀
The Centurion is on the horizon. The Black Knight sadly, won't be covered for a while. I'm currently covering the original TRO: 3025. I'll be covering the revised 3025's mechs after this, which includes the Black KNight.
A decently modern Banshee is an amazing battlefield tool, especially if it has been refit for it's task. You want your cheap 95 tonner to be a melee brawler? Cool, slap three SNPPCs, and one AC 20. Go out there any keep pace with anything that isn't an Atlas in the squared circle. They just don't have the hard points to be good "all rounders." But if you specialize one, or purchase a specialized one, a Banshee is a beast. I'd take it over a Mauler any day of the week.
Great video! You've helped me to appreciate what makes stock mechs so special... In theory you could take all of the mechs that exist in the lore, strip them down to a couple of omnimechs and have a similar experience to MWO or Mechwarrior 5 mercs in terms of what you can field. Once you can start fiddling with all the components on a mech, it's no longer the unique thing that it was with each distinct variant bringing something a little different. Take for instance the 90KMPH Urbanmech.
It's why I ignore custom mechs for the most part. They're always going to be very samey, as people will typically make alterations that are the best for them.
I always compared the Banshee to the Charger in the fact that both of their early models kinda sucked but were replaced by better variants later. Thou the original Banshee is leagues better the the original Charger.
I think the Charger never really becomes a good mech, except in a few tactical variants like the 1A5. The BNC however, just runs away after 3026. What an amazing mech.
The Banshee at least had enough leeway for improvement as it's made for combat though it'll take technological advances and time for the mech to finally get the variant that actually does its intended role. The Charger meanwhile was just doomed since it was designed to be a scout...Nothing more. Some variants are a nice surprise but frankly there's nothing remarkable about the Charger when you're in a pinch.
The funniest thing is the star league variant was more or less how I outfitted my own banshee in mw5 using the yaml mod, especially a xl 380 engine. It is kinda terrifying how much an xl engine can do to open up the possibilities of a mech
I used a 5S to help tear apart a Clan Star at Owlcon back in '06. I always try to find some way of including either that or the 3S whenever I drop ever since. I need to try out the 12S.
I have the hero version of this mech in MW5 and man it is INSANE. Still havent found an atlas but even if I had 4 of them, i would still only run 3 and have my main character sit in my hero banshee. Its sporting over 125 dps and yeah its a BEAST
Great job! This was a fantastic video! As far as mechs go, the Banshee has always been a favorite of mine. Its profits have arguably been superior to the more well known Atlas.
I like that in this case lore perfectly fits tabletop. I would not take early banshees even if they paid me, but For 3S so on ... Lets just say it is 3rd assault (right after atlas and Gunslinger) I ever painted in Lyran colors of course.
Honestly, I've really learned to enjoy the Banshee. Sure, stacked against other Assaults, it's early models are lacking... but~ it's such a good harasser and Light/Medium hunter. The BNC-3M especially with a good pilot, can go up against entire swarms of Locusts and have a fighting chance. But~, well. For just 100K more... you get a dang Atlas. And every other mech seems piddly next to that monster. So I do get why most later models of the Banshee just went for MORE GUN in their entire design focus.
Back in the day, when you bought the lead mini, it came with both the regular arm and the PPC arm. The manufacturer (ral partha?) knew people would automatically upgrade to the 3S immediately. My favorite assault, period.
I absolutely love this beast. I was given a 3d printed 3e when I first started getting into the hobby, and didn't think much of it. But then I started looking at the 3S and onward, and routinely surprised the hell out of my gaming mates who misidentified it as the weak star league version. I just got my hands on an original 1986 lead model of the Jihad Era version, (6S I think?) and plan on painting it as the personal chariot of my Mercenary commander.
The other day I made an absolutely disguising Banshee in MW% with YAML. It was the Melee variant. I put a MASC and supercharger in it, plus an extra powerful engine, and it had a battleaxe. So this 95 ton mech would SPRINT at you at 140km and annihilate you with it's axe since it has quirks that give it extra melee damage
Banshee, a mech left to rot in the dumpster of history that came back to life to hunt enemies of Lyrans as well as clanners not expecting a beast that can rush their pretty Mad Cats, tear out legs of one and beat a second one to death with it.
A suitable name.
This thing is a genuine hero to the Lyrans. They owe this machine a great debt.
@@BigRed40TECH "There is still a place for lighter equipment like Banshee and Zeus."
BNC has less speed, heat dissipation, and potential damage than the Prime while only having 10 more armor. Idk if I would say it "destroys" the Timber Wolf in a 1v1. Economically however, on the table top you can have 2 banshees for every prime which is a win in of itself.
@@davidandrew6235 Bro, better tonnage and melee with enough speed and armor to actually reach the Mad Cat before getting melted, contrary to average IS Assault at the time.
Clanners have better range so knifefighting is where you win.
For 20 more tons you only get 10 points of armor distributed throughout the mech. The Timber Wolf walks the Banshee's Run so the Banshee is never going to be able to use the weight in melee. Not saying it's a bad mech I just don't agree the banshee wins in a 1v1. You can field 2 Banshees for the same BV which I think tips the scales in their favor as a mech made for full scale war. Just my two cents though :)
Claners) *Laughs at the Banshee pilot for using it and gloating about how good they are before going silent as music starts.*
Banshee pilot) *The only thing they fear is you starts playing.*
This is one of the best comments I've gotten in months, this made me smile, thank you, lol.
Couldn't have put it better myself. Best comment lol, I will now play only Doom music when I pilot my Banshee from now on.
Reminds me of a Porsche 911. If you keep engineering a Beetle long enough you might eventually get something worthwhile.
Or it just becomes a passat
The BNC-3S and its successors is my favourite mech in all of Battletech. A walking wall of metal and guns, rising from the gutter to stand proud and indomitable. It personifies the LCAF more than any other machine in the setting IMO.
Yea, this is one of my favourite videos I've produced for that reason. Helped inform how I'd do videos going forward to.
I love the Banshee. Its terror can be applied to Fleas and Shadow Hawks aswell. Starts out like ABSOLUTE trash tier mechs but tech, time and love while avoiding scapegoating makes them a threat if underestimated. Let them be undersetimate them I say 😈
To be fair it is the 3rd oldest Battlemech design by age (2445). Being beaten by the mackie (2439) and the emperor (2442). Pretty much a era of throw it at the wall and see what sticks. So not bad considering the limited choice of mechs at the time just quickly made obsolete.
It didn't really go into production though until a few decades after that, though it was designed then.
Was originally put to production around the same time as the Zeus
It's really good if you need a very large distraction.
@@joshkellemen5931 they do being the one that made the video and looked up the lore he's giving. Gonna guess that you aren't popular with the ladies eh Joshy boy
What about the Bellerophon?
Designed before its time, built in time to avoid the age of stagnation to follow, then upgraded to be one of the kings of the battlefield. Kind of like a malaise era musclecar. Everything was crap, engines, suspension, transmission, but has the bones to be great, which Hot Rodders and Tuners figured out in ensuing decades.
The Banshee is an appropriate name cause it haunts the dreams of clanners.
Imagine being the Timber Wolf that gets Gauss Rifled in the head because they think that it's just some old BNC-3E. lol
@@BigRed40TECH Every clanner be gangsta till the Banshee get's an upgrade.
I am a clanner and that was a good one! Banshee is best assault mech
@@BigRed40TECH Back in late 1990/early '91, I purchased The Battletech Compendium before TRO 3050 and the GM at the time allowed me to design customizations of some of the mechs in the mercenary unit (within limits, and within c-bill budget). The end result was a configuration *very* similar to the BNC-5S, albeit with a Cyclops head/cockpit/computer/comms to make it a command mech roleplay wise (made no difference on the tabletop, obvs). It was the chariot of the oldest and best Mechwarrior in the unit, who also happened to be a fan of Lyran mech engineering and a former LCAF Mechwarrior during the late 3rd SW. Basically he'd been dreaming of something like this since 3028.
Anyhoo, GM got TRO 3050 soon afterward, and we moved on to the Clan Invasion.
First round of the first engagement with Jade Falcon, Old Mate in his Banshee took a Clan ER PPC to the face. His gauss rifle shot missed its target. Just another day in the life of a Spheroid. *Womp womp*
When I first got my 3025 TRO and was comparing assault mechs, I kept thinking, 'Well, at least it wasn't a Charger'. Like the Charger, the Banshee was one of those Mechs that I would modify ASAP. The extra heat sinks always stood out, making me think that some bean counter tweaked the original design, saving credits by cutting an energy weapon that it obviously was meant to field.
It's got 2 more heat sinks than it can even use, has 6 more than it needs to fire it's primary armament, and is 3.5 tons short of maximum armor. Converting 3 heat sinks to armor and dropping the small laser turns it into an extremely durable, heat neutral, command mech for a unit of line heavies. Matching their speed while carrying more armor than is possible for any smaller mech, while still providing a comparable level of sustained long range fire. (15 sustained damage matches the thunderbolt and the warhammer, while the archer and marauder can sustain 20)
Depending on one's tolerance for overheating, up to 3 more tons of heat sinks can be dropped for other equipment. For example, a command console, or a battery of 3 medium lasers as a close range bracket to alternate with the PPC. (Or a compromise of 1 heat sink to overheat only on movement, and the 2 tons of additional communications equipment required for a satellite uplink & initiative bonus.)
@@Kieselmeister Awesome examples of the modification friendly Banshee.
@@Kieselmeister yeah, my Banshee in the BEX mod for the HBS game was a massive threat, knocking down mechs left and right. I only replaced it once I got my hands on a beserker
@@Kieselmeister sounds good to me. 👍
A mech that went through its own hero's journey. Brings a tear to the eye.
I think you knocked one out of the park with this one, Red, this was an absolutely great video, I would say your best mech video to date. You hit all the points, told a compelling story, and brought life to the mech. Great job. The Banshee was neverf one of my favorite mechs, but you make a good case for it here in the video.
Thanks! It took a long time to script, but also, it had the story really just waiting there to trace over and see all the connecting dots.
Agreed! Very pleased the Banshee is getting it's moment in the sun. Because it's so wonky so how I like it more.
Makes me want to look for the BNC-12S in MW5. Not sure there’s one but will look...LOL
What always struck me about the original 3025 TRO Banshee is that it was clearly an antique concept, developed before anyone understood Battlemech combat. It was the first mass produced model after the Mackie, and made a lot of mistakes. That it exists in this awkward form is part of what makes Battletech feel more realistic than other future combat games.
Your prolific rate of videos and your music choice make you one of my favorite Battletech creators
I do this full time. lol
I'm not making bank do this. But it's something I enjoy. :)
I love his videos too but I rather when he uses mechwarrior 2 musics. I like a lot the new Battletech game musics but Mechwarrior 2 (and mercenaries) are so cool.
I typically do use MW2 music and such, but I really felt that this video needed music that matched the theme, which was really strange, because as I did research and wrote the script, it very much made me feel like it had more of a heroes journey, despite not being a living person. I felt the BT video game's soundtrack better encompassed that. :)
@@BigRed40TECH It did feel right for this video for sure!
My first use of the Banshee was the updated 3S model in MW5. And my word did I fall in love with the thing when I first used it.
Standard drop mission. Drop in, destroy enemy facilities & bug out. I was in the Banshee with an Archer, an Orion I think and maybe a second or a Marauder, not sure. Anyways we dropped in and pushed to the base. I didn't have to use my lasers on the approach and when we got there. I think I destroyed around 200 to 250 tons worth of mech including an Atlas in the course of the mission. And my armour wasn't even in the red and I suffered very little heat management problems. It was glorious.
Sounds like someone in the design room insisted on making the original Banshee fast--they sacrificed weapons space on the altar of speed, and in doing so, they made that speed irrelevant. Defiance knew better than to try turning a 95-ton behemoth into a sprinter. The moment they decided to downgrade that engine, the mech design came into its own.
And once it got access to an XL engine, it's one of the few mechs that legitimately benefited from one.
@@BigRed40TECH IS XL engine sucks ass they are not as durable unlike standard or even light engine also XL engine have more pod space taken in both chest area.
@@aker1993 I am aware of the shortcomings of XL engines, but not all desigsn that have them are as negatively impacted as others.
@@aker1993 IS XLs are a lot less bad in roleplaying campaigns, since mechs are a lot more likely to withdraw or surrender than go on until they can no longer fight, and usually a mission isn't worth winning if you lose a mech doing it. Preserving your fighting force and your C-Bills is usually a lot more important than winning any individual skirmish, so it becomes pretty rare to see the sort of risky play that results in losing a torso.
This is my favorite punching machine in BT. Upgrade it to a 400 series engine, give it some better arm actuators and jump Jets, and this thing will break the backs of anything.
Really enjoyed this video! Truely the Banshees soul counterpart is the American M16!
This is a good length video. Enough to get the important points across about a mech.
The one mech that benefited the most from Lostech. And definitely a very scary one from the 3S models onwards.
the Orginal Banshee: so named for the scream of frustration from the pilots who got one one of these wastes of space.
the REBORN BANSHEE: NAMED FOR THE HELLISH SCREAMS OF HEAVY METAL ROCKING PILOTS.
Really well done. Gave the old Banshee the respect it finally earned with later models
Because I am quite new to battletech I got to see the Banshee's evolution through MW5. I don't know if it still happens but even early on in the game you could find one of the 3Es in a shop alongside light mechs. At first I freaked out because I saw the tonnage then I looked at the weapons and realized why I could (barely) afford a 95 ton assault mech. Also the 3M is fantastic for ai because not having weapons in the arms means they break them far less often.
I'd have gotten it immediately, regardless of weapons having an assault mech early on will let your lance punch well above its weight class
One thing I will say for the poor old BNC-3E: while it's incredibly disappointing on the battlefield, it's GREAT for Solaris VII games. A 95-ton melee mech for gladiators that constantly trick out their rides for melee? It's the one place the 3E truly belongs.
Ancient relics of past wars, revived and renovated to put fear into the fearless.
"They became the herald of house.."
Banshee : "My name's not Harold"
Nice! Been waiting for you to cover this rags to riches Mech!
Riches?
The Banshee is a god damn hero. lol
@@BigRed40TECH hear hear lol
I have a weird sleep schedule so maybe I'm off here but... two videos in one day? Wow. Subbed. I didn't even realize I wasn't subbed before, but you deserve it.
I'm working on another video that will go live tomorrow morning as well. :)
The backing track and your dialogue in this video are especially good
Yeeeeeeeeeah, once the 3S came off the assembly line, the Banshee became one of my favorite assault mechs in the entire game! And prior to the Clan Invasion, it was easily in my top 3! Excellent coverage of this one, Red! Thanks for your incredible work!
Every once in a while i return to this video, such good script and atmosphere with the ost, great job red, masterpiece
I would've loved to see a Clanners face when invading the IS and then seeing (what you thought would've been) an ancient Mech now upgraded with ER-PPC's and a Gauss doing 64 kph
Even the 3S could cause trouble to some clanners, but the 5S? That thing is a big "fuck off" mech. lol
@@BigRed40TECH Some clanner scum on the radio-comms after getting cored out: "But the battle report said that the Banshee should only have 1 PPC and 1 AC5!"
@@skyvipers Whose not sure what they're fighting now, clanner-scum! lol
I love the Banshee. Maybe I just have a thing for the underdog.
The -3M is my favorite - it’s relatively cheap, retains the high top speed for a 95 tonner, and has better firepower. I do like to tinker with my mechs though, and I like to replace the PPCs with large lasers and add two additional medium lasers, one additional heat sink, and put the remaining ton into leg armor. Large lasers fit the Banshee’s run-up-and-maul play style a bit better IMO, with no minimum range and less heat do you can fairly reliably fire both off while closing the gap. Then, once you get in close, you can start throwing punches, kicks, and using the quartet of mediums to do real damage.
Additionally I did tinker with the -3E at one point, taking a similar path - I replaced the PPC and AC-5 with a large laser and an AC-10 with the same idea - no minimum range and an auto cannon shot that will make mediums and lights reconsider their life choices. It’s similar to the Canopus BNC-3MC but with more ammo, a smidge less heat, and better mid and short range performance.
Fun fact: three centuries later the Imperator-A would become one of the Inner Sphere's most ubiquitous autocannons when it was mounted on both the Dragon and RFL-3N Rifleman.
My headcanon is that in both cases it was chosen because the production lines to keep Banshees serviceable had deep stores of spare parts and surplus ammo nobody else wanted.
Thanks!
Thank you Bob!
I love how when I listen to your videos I end up at the end thinking. "I want to buy some more of these."
Excellent review. Every time I see a BNC-3S, I know its going to be a long fight. The ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan.
It's a beautiful Canadian Goose. lol
The close-assault (read, run up and beat enemies to death with metal fists) concept of the original Banshee isn't bad per se. . . but it inexplicably lacks the Battlefists quirk, letting it capitalize on being in melee. So even the one thing it's supposed to do well it doesn't do well.
That said, it LOOKS plenty horrifying, and with the right upgrades, can be as dangerous as it looks.
Yooo, my favourite mech!
A worthy mech to be a favourite at that :D
Part of the Banshee's success in Lyran hands has to be taking advantage of its bad reputation.
Absolutely. Imagine being that clanner who thinks he's fighting a 3E, but he's really fighting for his own life. lol
Just painted one. Now I’m doing my research don’t know a lot about this mech. Thanks for the video.
Bloody fantastic video Red favourite so far plus I love how you say STEINER, such emphasis on the STEIN. From Zero to Hero indeed
I adore this mech, and its story. From a easily ignorable footnote, to a howling terror, able to put clanners in their place. It was also such a joy to find this mech's 3S variant for the first time in Mechwarrior 5. That thing shredded like nobody's business.
There is a sweet spot in each weight range where you can give an average speed without giving up too much weight to mount a decent offense and defense. In light mechs that turns out to be around 6/9 movement. Medium mechs range from 5/8 to 4/6 for that sweet spot as you get closer to 60 tons. Heavy mechs are solidly in the 4/6 movement bracket. 80 ton assaults can get away with 4/6 movement but as you get to 90 and above that the engine to maintain 4/6 movement swells in tonnage. Assault mechs are just better accepting 3/5 movement and using the tonnage saved to be what people expect: Hard hitting and really thick armor.
I think that 4/6 is possible at 90 tons, though I'd not say that this is ideal, but DEFINITELY not at 95. Once you hit 95, unless you've got a Light Engine or XL engine, it's just asking for trouble.
@@BigRed40TECH Put MASC or Triple Strength Myomer on an Atlas and watch it charge anything at 6 Movement.... OUCH!
The Banshee S was my first mech in my first 3025 campaign. Bundle of fun.
Great video! Love the Banshee design and art. Now it’s got a great story to go with both. Hero of the Inner Sphere.
Hero of Tharkad!... As if there is only one.
Looking at the original version and how close it was to the Mackie, it almost seems like they were trying to take that same armament profile of a PPC, lasers, and an autocannon and make it faster. The end result is certainly better than the early Mackie and the primitive mechs of the Age of War but I think that the military industrial complex of the Star League outpaced what it’s own internal R&D could produce.
It's such a tragedy that only Marik tried to do anything with it during the Star League era, and even then, the 3M just isn't enough. No one wanted to sacrifice that 380 standard engine.
@@BigRed40TECH agreed. I under stand why they wanted the bigger engine. Having assault that can keep up with line units is nice. Sadly it's to heavy and trying to emulate the Mackie.
@@BigRed40TECH The -3MC the Canopians tried in TRO 3039 is kind of a step in a better direction since it kept the GM 380 and armor but stripped five heat sinks out for an AC/10. It’s one of those designs where Endo Steel and XL Engine technology really started to make the concept of a fast assault more viable.
Awesome video. Never really cared for the Banshee but loved how it eventually became relevant. Liked the MW5 in the background too.
Just had to fill dead air. lol
Clearly your best review yet
The banshee needs more love as it's often stuck living in the shadow of other assault mechs like the atlas. I myself often looked down on it as an under-gunned assault mech but its later variants helped me to appreciate the design.
I haven't commented on any of your work until now, you sir have made me what to look at mechs I disregarded in the past. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Thatoneguy!
There are lots of hidden gems out there. :)
@@BigRed40TECH I'm curious about the Hollander if you get a few minutes I'd love to see it or maybe you already have and I missed it
The Hollander is fantastic, but I'll be covering it in 3055's TRO.
@@BigRed40TECH alright sounds good can't wait.
I hated my Banshee when I first got it, but after sinking a few Million C-bills into it to get a Light Fusion Engine, Dual Heat Sinks, & Heavy Ferro, I was actually able to get the weapons mounted I wanted it on it while still maxing out on Armor.
Ultra AC/20 (c) 4 tons of ammo
Large Laser (c)
4x Magshots 2 tons of ammo
The Banshee will always be in its element in melee engagements, but if it cant trade shoots with the enemy while it attempts to find an opening to exploit that advantage, its essentially just a damage sponge and while that can be useful in itself that's not what I would want filling my Assaults Mech slot, if I had other options.
I like this mechs story of starting from the bottom to being almost at the top. Absolutely menacing!
Clanners beware, you're in for a scare.
Great video. What’s that old role playing game term? A bag of hit points? That pretty much sums up the original Banshee. A terrible mech for terrible pilots to use as a distraction/meat shield while you get other mechs into position.
Yes! my favorite assault mech gets some attention. I feel I must clarify, I play Clan and Inner Sphere. There are things that I like about both, but the Inner Sphere seems to have more of an underdog feel to them. Which makes it so much more satisfying when I can fry a clanner with them. This being said, I play solid House Steiner when I play Inner Sphere, and the Banshee is always the flagship of my Lance. Outfitted with 2 ERPPC's, an SRM-6, and a Gaus Rifle it snipes the enemies of the Lyran Commonwealth to great effect as it closes to tear them limb from limb! House Steiner forever! ✊
This Mech Overview series has been fantastic. I especially love the ones where you incorporate gameplay of the mech from MW5, brings the whole thing to life. Good stuff.
Great video. I shared this with my friend who plays a Banshee in MWO. He loved the video.
Who doesn't like a heroes story? :)
The Banshee 3S and 5S are badass assault platforms. They're damn near perfect machines
The only weakness the 5S has, is for salvage purposes, it doesn't have a CASE. Which the 12S remedies.
@@BigRed40TECH The missing CASE and that the 5S has only one ton of Gauss-Ammo. But if you change the Internal-Structure into Endo-Steel you have the weight to install CASE, one additional Ton of Gauss Ammo, 2 more Double Heatsinks and more Armor.
This is the only think i would change for a Custom Banshee BNC-5S...and it is ironically not very expensive.
I'm an Orion driver from way back and have always wanted to get my hands on one of these
Nice update
Used to hate it, but now is one of my favorite mechs. As an energy weapon boat, it's a beast! And looks cool too.
Great video! Loved the story behind the mech
Thanks! It's one of my favourite videos I've put out honestly :D
Favorite MW5 mech. A 380 XL makes it a monster in that game, even if you don't give it the obvious endo/DHS/TSM/ and Hardened armor, it's still really good. On top of that, it has a good look and its cockpit has an awesome view.
First Banshee model is BNC-1E. Primitive tech, slower, but with additional 2 Medium Lasers. Not a bad one compared to Mackie. Source: Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives Vol. 2.
BNC-3E has its share of heroic tales. In one fan fiction BNC-3E uproots a tree and whacks Awesome on the head. Based on a played scenario. I have had personal success with BNC-3E myself: I have pretty much duplicated TRO3039 cover page on the table. In MegaMek game, I have forced a player with Atlas to throw the towel, and in another scenario I used two BNC-3E to corner a Griffin (inexperienced player, I guess). Variants predating BNC-3S have earned some love as well. MegaMek wiki descrbes one variant as: "BNC-3Q has AC/20 and a bad attitude." To paraphrase another player regarding Hellbringer: "BNC-3E is cool anyway. It isn't cool because it suck. It is cool because it suck WITH BALLS!"
Nothing a generous amount of medium lasers couldn't fix, even with the original engine 😎
Ahh, the joy of classic Battletech min-maxing.
Honestly my favorite mech of all time, and you totally get why.
To be fair - when it was first designed it was alright. It was one of the first battlemechs and all of it's contemporaries were primitive machines. It's only when the switchover from "primitive" tech to "standard" tech happened and the manufacturer tried to respond to the criticism of the unit's low speed is when it really started to fall behind. And I love that sometimes these otherwise unremarkable designs survive the Succession Wars precisely because they are unremarkable - being shunned from the front lines saved them. All the better that the Lyrans had the machine in numbers, the original plans, and the manufacturing facilities able to do a complete makeover of this magnitude - they ultimately produced an amazing machine.
In MW5 using YAML and whatnot I’ve created a jump jet melee banshee with 6 mp(c) lasers. Each punch is estimated to deal over 80 damage and its got two fists, and it’s slightly up armored. It also has an ECM and an AMS. I’ve been jumping at enemy assault mechs and coming out with no structure damage.
Although I'm commenting on this video particularly, I've been absolutely loving the content. Second only to the Black Pants Legion of Tex himself, your output is far more regular and I've been devouring it. Can you do the Centurion and Black Knight please? 😀
The Centurion is on the horizon. The Black Knight sadly, won't be covered for a while. I'm currently covering the original TRO: 3025. I'll be covering the revised 3025's mechs after this, which includes the Black KNight.
@@BigRed40TECH fantastic thanks!! Lookongnforward to it all and more!
The 12s is my Go to Battle Mech to fight Clanners on a even playing field
A decently modern Banshee is an amazing battlefield tool, especially if it has been refit for it's task. You want your cheap 95 tonner to be a melee brawler? Cool, slap three SNPPCs, and one AC 20. Go out there any keep pace with anything that isn't an Atlas in the squared circle. They just don't have the hard points to be good "all rounders." But if you specialize one, or purchase a specialized one, a Banshee is a beast. I'd take it over a Mauler any day of the week.
The 3S version is an absolute workhorse in mechwarrior 5. Nice video.
Awesome video about the lore of the Banshee. Thanks for making this! Cant wait for you to make a video about the Atlas!!!
It's coming very soon.
Great video!
You've helped me to appreciate what makes stock mechs so special...
In theory you could take all of the mechs that exist in the lore, strip them down to a couple of omnimechs and have a similar experience to MWO or Mechwarrior 5 mercs in terms of what you can field. Once you can start fiddling with all the components on a mech, it's no longer the unique thing that it was with each distinct variant bringing something a little different.
Take for instance the 90KMPH Urbanmech.
It's why I ignore custom mechs for the most part. They're always going to be very samey, as people will typically make alterations that are the best for them.
Solid work on this one
It's my personal favourite so far.
Love this video on the Banshee.
It's my personal favourite, maybe tied with the Atlas depending on how I feel. In terms of the video itself, that is.
I always compared the Banshee to the Charger in the fact that both of their early models kinda sucked but were replaced by better variants later. Thou the original Banshee is leagues better the the original Charger.
I think the Charger never really becomes a good mech, except in a few tactical variants like the 1A5. The BNC however, just runs away after 3026. What an amazing mech.
@@BigRed40TECH the Draconia Combine made some pretty decent Charger variants if we are counting the Hatomato series. 😂
@@rmcdudmk212 I don't count those as the same. lol
The Banshee at least had enough leeway for improvement as it's made for combat though it'll take technological advances and time for the mech to finally get the variant that actually does its intended role.
The Charger meanwhile was just doomed since it was designed to be a scout...Nothing more. Some variants are a nice surprise but frankly there's nothing remarkable about the Charger when you're in a pinch.
The Banshee was definitely the protagonist of an isekai anime when it was upgraded to the 5S variant. Before that it was a bad joke.
The funniest thing is the star league variant was more or less how I outfitted my own banshee in mw5 using the yaml mod, especially a xl 380 engine. It is kinda terrifying how much an xl engine can do to open up the possibilities of a mech
Really enjoying your videos. Very thorough and great overviews:)
I do my best! Thank you George :)
I used a 5S to help tear apart a Clan Star at Owlcon back in '06. I always try to find some way of including either that or the 3S whenever I drop ever since. I need to try out the 12S.
I have the hero version of this mech in MW5 and man it is INSANE. Still havent found an atlas but even if I had 4 of them, i would still only run 3 and have my main character sit in my hero banshee. Its sporting over 125 dps and yeah its a BEAST
Great job! This was a fantastic video!
As far as mechs go, the Banshee has always been a favorite of mine. Its profits have arguably been superior to the more well known Atlas.
I think the Atlas is better (barring in 3050, the AS7-K is an underperformer imo), but I do love the Banshee.
I like that in this case lore perfectly fits tabletop. I would not take early banshees even if they paid me, but For 3S so on ... Lets just say it is 3rd assault (right after atlas and Gunslinger) I ever painted in Lyran colors of course.
I'm glad you went into the various refits of the Banshee. I love this mech, but I think it gets overlooked because the initial rum sucks.
This is a great video. Banshee is king! Always preferred this bad boy over the atlas.
5 medium lasers
a PPC
a Rotary ac-2
and an SRM-6
using it is fun
and yet for whatever reason i cannot bring myself to queue with it :(
Honestly, I've really learned to enjoy the Banshee. Sure, stacked against other Assaults, it's early models are lacking... but~ it's such a good harasser and Light/Medium hunter. The BNC-3M especially with a good pilot, can go up against entire swarms of Locusts and have a fighting chance.
But~, well. For just 100K more... you get a dang Atlas. And every other mech seems piddly next to that monster. So I do get why most later models of the Banshee just went for MORE GUN in their entire design focus.
Red i love your channel ! thank you !
Thank you! :D
Back in the day, when you bought the lead mini, it came with both the regular arm and the PPC arm.
The manufacturer (ral partha?) knew people would automatically upgrade to the 3S immediately.
My favorite assault, period.
To be fair, in the old school BattleTech . You had to give up speed or weapons or armor or heat in the old success wars.
"To hear the howls is to confront death"
(Tank Commander)
Yep the 3 and 5 S best assault mech of era
Just reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from the novels: "Can't win. Can't lose."
The Banshee is the avatar of "Be Careful Who You Call Ugly in Middle School".
I absolutely love this beast. I was given a 3d printed 3e when I first started getting into the hobby, and didn't think much of it. But then I started looking at the 3S and onward, and routinely surprised the hell out of my gaming mates who misidentified it as the weak star league version. I just got my hands on an original 1986 lead model of the Jihad Era version, (6S I think?) and plan on painting it as the personal chariot of my Mercenary commander.
I absolutely love the Banshee, personally it is my Assault mech of choice, along with the Highlander
The Banshee is the Atlas' psychotic sister.
The other day I made an absolutely disguising Banshee in MW% with YAML. It was the Melee variant. I put a MASC and supercharger in it, plus an extra powerful engine, and it had a battleaxe. So this 95 ton mech would SPRINT at you at 140km and annihilate you with it's axe since it has quirks that give it extra melee damage
God I love the Banshee it fits my preferred combat style so well
And it's great at smashing clanners.
Bruh it looks like master cheif and is name the banshee cant be a coincidence
I love a good comeback story.
Great video! Banshee « Charger