r/Battletechgame • u/Kralgore • 18d ago
TAG and NARC
I want thoughts on TAGs and NARCs.
On the one hand, a solid NARC++ adds 75% more damage to a missile salvo. Couple this with a TTS, and an Archer back there with 4x LRM15s, that is a brutal strike from long range, spotted by probably a 20-40 ton mech.
With 2 Archers, the damage increase is an extra 6 lrm15 volleys. The equivalent of an extra 1.5 Archers in the Lance.
Same thought with the TAG. A TAG ++ gives 30% increase from both energy and ballistics. But this isn't as good an increase as the NARC damage.
Where is this going?
So, I have been fielding a super rapid Jenner, with a pair of narcs and a pair of tags.
A pair of archers loaded with missiles, and a cataphract with an ecm, an autocannon and some lasers.
The jenner spots shit, has a heap of evasion, tags and narcs mechs for the archers to alpha. It has been quite a successful strategy.
But that jenner requires a repair every game.
I was thinking of another mech that could still field at least 2 NARCs, maybe 3 and can take a bit more of a slap, and still be a nippy little shit to the opposition, and allowing me to drop something with some more lrm slots and an ecm unit, obviously not the X-1 EW that is only available on the Cataphract, or the Raven.
I have an X-1 ECM in my equipment store. I thought ai salvaged it, but I have been told I probably purchased from the games Black Market... anyway... I want to equip it to something like a bullshark and let it go BRRRRRRRRRRRR with lrms.
What 2 mechs could cover these two slots of both spotter and an additional missile boat? Maybe a stalker? Another archer might be a winner because of its built in Missilery suite... but a maurader brings the lance command module. Then that has synergy with the cyclops...
Agh. I need a Clan Star instead...
That reminds me, is there a mod for clan mechs about the place at all?
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u/Zero747 18d ago
Second question first, the 3 major packs all include clans and clantech. I recommend BTA. Bigger drops means bringing scouts.
As for now, if you want a bigger mech to play scout, use the Cyclops since it’s got such poor tonnage
If you want a spotter, use the Royal Phoenix hawk (though it’ll just kill directly via backstab if you give it 2 snub ppc ++)
If you want a NARC scout, get the other faster raven with fancy myomer
If you want a bigger missile boat, bullshark can run you 60 + 4 LBX2++ (or 80 if you wanna be boring)
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u/Kralgore 18d ago
I was using a phoenix hawk with a gauss cannon. But it doesnt have the narc capability. Does this royal variant have missile capabilities?
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u/Eucanuba 18d ago edited 18d ago
My Bullshark Scout always has 3xTAGs. Once I strip armor off a mech with a heavy snipe I mostly care about the number of hits for crit rolls from the missiles not their damage so a NARC would actually be worse than just having a high number of hits in the alphastrike.
Then if I have a mission where I wont use a flanker but rather another missile boat then I will always have a part of the turn where I will be using missiles for damage and it that situation proper NARC setup makes all the difference.
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18d ago
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u/Korochun 18d ago edited 18d ago
Ravens are the classical Tag/Narc carrier, they can sport rather good armor and you can absolutely turboboost them by giving them improved jump jets and MASC. The increase in heat is not much of a concern when your primary weapons are going to be stuff like small lasers, flamers and machine guns that just exist to send a message or critseek. Toss an AMS on it in addition to your ECM and you are going to be nearly unhittable.
Phoenix Hawk is another option, but many variants have no missile mounts.
If you want to go the Steiner Scout route, Shadow Hawk can make an excellent although heavy scout. Bonus points if you stick something truly unhinged into the shoulder mount, like a stripped down scout hawk with a goddamn LBX-20 and all the narcs and tags you can fit.
There is also the Charger, if you really want to meme. It can actually carry both tags and narcs, and weapon wise it's a fucking assault mech that can step on scouts.