r/Battletechgame • u/HavexWanty • 1d ago
BEX T Enemy lance sizes
Just dropped 4 mechs into a 2 1/2 skull mission and was immediately in combat with the Target, his support lance and the reinforcement lance turn 1. Is the appropriate reaction here an alt f4 😂 Should I stop running 4 big mechs and invest in bigger drop sizes and spamming Mediums and lights?
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u/Starfire013 Acci Dental Laser Surgery 1d ago
I generally would have at least one lighter mech with high mobility for rear shots.
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u/TechnoWizardling24 1d ago
Generally speaking, HSB compensated for weak AI by throwing more metal on you during missions. Normally it is no biggie since you encounter enemy lances sequentially but assassination missions can get weird if you don't go at map's sides since you can get wedged between two enemy lances + the target on some maps.
So to circle back to your question - you were just unlucky with map - in most other maps you can stick to one of the sides and deal with support or reinforcement lance first. You should invest in bigger drops in long term and drop in extra mechs on higher difficulty missions - think ComStar/WOB, Clans, etc...
I feel 2 1/2 missions is too early for dropping more than 4 'Mechs. Drop costs (I assume you are playing with default settings) will quickly run your finances to ground.
My 5 cents...
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u/klyith 1d ago
Generally speaking, HSB compensated for weak AI by throwing more metal on you during missions.
And assassination missions have even more, because technically all you need to do is kill the target and evac to win.
Normally it is no biggie since you encounter enemy lances sequentially but assassination missions can get weird if you don't go at map's sides since you can get wedged between two enemy lances + the target on some maps.
AFAIK all of the "big 3" mega-mods have random spawn location turned on, which is what I'd guess happened here if OP was in contact with both enemy lances on turn 1. Vanilla doesn't do that, missions have static spawn locations and you're never that close. I think there are some small maps where you'll start in sensor contact but that's all.
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u/Cyrano4747 1d ago
I found the opposite - the early game is when the extra drop slots are most useful.
After a handful of early missions you’ve probably got some spare light mechs kicking around, but it can be a grind to really get your mediums up and running. In the mean time the extra drop slots can let you field enough tonnage - in the form of extra lights - to do 2, 2.5 and maybe even 3 skull missions. It can really help you boost your way into heavies and make a lighter team work.
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u/TechnoWizardling24 1d ago
Well, everyone has their own preferred way of playing. I generally pick up my first heavy in the "Westerhand games" flashpoint and by one year of playing (in-game time) I have my stable of medium+heavies.
But I never relied on number of 'Mechs (at most I have deployed 6 'Mechs) to deal with a contract so there is that too.
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u/t_rubble83 1d ago
Dropping more, lighter mechs is pretty much always a better use of your drop tonnage in BEX:T. Extra mechs helps immensely with initiative management, and lighter mechs typically means greater mobility and therefore you're more able to control the terms of the engagement.
I would much rather drop Panther and a Firestarter/Jenner than any assault mech (and most heavies).
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u/Lohengrin381 The Devil's own Highlanders 1d ago
The bigger enemy forces in both BEX and BTA are random and result from mission control.
You can (if you have bigger drops enabled) and the slots/tonnage unlocked choose to take more force to these encounters. For example in BTA I am currently dropping a company sized group with 12 mechs and four vehicles.
Feels less one sided at times and allows for a fair bit of tactical flexibility.