Disgusting Bugs

[BlueFlames]

PGI's recent take-all-the-C-Bills event gave me incentive to start leveling my Grasshoppers. That meant I had to come up with configurations for my Grasshoppers. There was a lot of trial and tribulation, because in my text file of mech configs, I've got at least half-a-dozen for each of the three Grasshopper variants that I own. I'll try to stick to highlights.

First, a universal note about Grasshoppers: The side torso hitboxes are very narrow, when viewed from the front or rear. Besides a couple of light chassis, this is the only mech I regularly equip with an XL engine. With a lot of effort and torso twisting, I can spread damage fairly well, but when I die, it's usually to a CT shot, or I had literally no armored components left with which to shield the squishy bits. Remember: I hate XL engines. I use them in the Grasshoppers anyway.

• GHR-5J (R)
If you pumped real money into buying Grasshoppers, you'll be disappointed to find that the C-bill bonus variant is the weakest of the pack. It's got a rate-of-fire quirk for ER Large Lasers and no high-mounted energy hardpoints appropriate for hull-down sniping. What it does have going for it, though, are dual-AMS hardpoints and a higher engine cap than its cousins, so let's see what we can do with that.

The first configuration that came to mind (and the current configuration that I'm using) is a classic laser brawler. The large pulse lasers and medium lasers have similar range profiles, allowing you to dish out a heavy punch at mid-range, while the XL350 engine and jump jets help you get in and out of trouble with relative ease. The large pulse lasers are stacked up on the right arm, so that you can shield with your left side (until the left torso is at risk of popping), without risk of losing the biggest part of your firepower.

As a variation of the above theme, I also wanted to see what I could do with a triple large pulse configuration. This runs a little cooler, allowing you to provide more continuous fire, but I prefer the higher-damage alpha strike of the previous configuration, which allows me to fire, twist, and back off. The BAP in this configuration can easily be dropped in favor of a single jump jet and an additional half ton of armor for the shield arm.

I did try coming up with configurations that used a Standard 350 engine, but all of them wound up with weapon loadouts equivilant to an up-armored Centurion 9-AL. Seriously, when I say, two large pulse and two medium lasers or three large lasers, the first chassis that should pop to mind is the CN9-AL. That said, given that its a heavy mech that would be able to torso twist quickly and give up both its side torsos without falling, you'd be able to soak damage for days.


• GHR-5N
Again, we've got pretty forgettable weapon quirks for this variant. A PPC heat generation quirk sounds nice, but with only one high-mounted energy hardpoint capable of mounting a PPC, that quirk goes to waste on this variant. With a lower engine cap, less incentive to carry AMS, and more energy hardpoints, though, this variant of the Grasshopper stands to be a more muscle-y variation of the brawler above.

And more muscle is what I've gone with. Losing the AMS, dropping the engine size from an XL350 to an XL325, the loss of two jump jets, and some careful shaving of armor from the arms make room for an additional large pulse laser (with all of the LPLs relocated to the torso) and an additional medium laser. Without any additional heat sinks, this configuration will run hot. Set your weapon groups up carefully, so that you can ride the line, once you reach it, without shutting down. My solution is to group the large pulse lasers, split the medium lasers across two groups, and have a final group set to chain fire the pulse lasers, when the mech gets really toasty. Don't forget that, when you shut down, you can't torso twist to spread damage, and you've still got a fragile XL engine.

I've tried other variations of the above, but I always seem to lose range or gain heat or lose peak damage output for nothing in return. The only other thing I can think to do with the 5N is to try to turn it into a PPC sniper, despite the low-mounted hardpoints, but there's better variants of the Grasshopper for that role. I also wasn't even really looking at standard engine configurations, when I got around to building out 5N's, so I have little insight to offer, if you dislike the fragility of the XL engine even more than I.


• GHR-5H
Alright, now we've got something with dual high mounts in the shoulders appropriate for sniping! Let's have a look at those quirks for the.....medium lasers. Guys, I think PGI is trolling us. That said, this variant has the best general energy heat generation quirk, so the hotter, long range energy weapons are a little more sensible on this variant.

My current configuration runs two PPCs and a significant close-range defense of five medium pulse lasers. At first glance, this looks like it would run really hot, like the 5N, but because there is so little overlap in the effective ranges of the medium pulse lasers and the PPCs, you'll find the heat quite managable. I've even toyed with the idea of upgrading the PPCs to ERPPCs, but losing the minimum range would encourage firing everything at close range, which I suspect would end poorly. The two jump jets enable you to pop over a hill, fire, and drop quickly, and the BAP allows you to pick targets quicker at long range and quickly identify soft spots on anything that gets in close.

I was still experimenting with standard engine bulids, when building out the 5H, and there is a reasonable configuration to be had. Like the standard engine configurations of the 5J, we're trading firepower for durability, but two ER large lasers backed up by three medium pulse lasers feels a little more reasonable. Despite giving up heat sinks to clear crit slots for ferro fibrous armor, the lighter weapons load helps the mech run cooler. I still prefer the focused punch of the PPC configuration, but this could be made to work as well.


• GHR-5P
I don't own a 5P, though it looks like one of the better variants. If you're going to purchase Grasshoppers with C-Bills, get this instead of the 5J. It has an energy range and laser duration quirk, and the additional torso energy hardpoints are located just below the shoulder mounts. My first thought is to build these out with four ER large lasers or four large lasers in the high energy mounts and volley fire them in pairs from long range. The task of actually building a 5P out, though, I leave as a task for the reader.

[BlueFlames]

Okay, I'll give the GHR-5J this: With a 350-rated engine and speed tweak, it flies. I still can't recommend buying one, when a better option is clearly available, but if you already own one, it's worth unlocking the elite-tier skills, just so you can take your 70-ton mech out onto the field and leave medium mechs in the dust.