Category:Mechs

What's it?
Battlemech or 'Mech: take a tank and a huge exoskeleton, wrap it around a single soldier of the 30th century and get a fierce combat vehicle for a skilled pilot, that's a 'Mech.

Construction, Cockpit & Controls
Mech Manual

Classification
With an unclear amount of different models, types and specifications 'Mechs fall into several distinguishable classes. These are not scientific based but grounded on many pilots experience, giving nevertheless the seeking pilot an orientation.

Design

 * Trial-Mechs - First four free 'Mechs in MWO.
 * Biped - 'Mech with two legs
 * Quad - Quadruped 'Mech (Not expected to be included in MWO at this time)
 * Aerial - airborne 'Mech (Not expected to be included in MWO at this time)

Production Model

 * Battlemech manufacturers express their technological development and advancement in new 'Mech designs, giving each series a unique designation and a specific name (i.e.: Centurion). Within a series there are different models available, mostly being different in their equipment (i.e. Centurion: CN9-A, CN9-AL, CN9-D).


 * The following is a complete (alphabetical) list of all confirmed 'Mech-series (if known), leading to the appropriate list of 'Mech-models:
 * Annihilator | Atlas | Awesome | Blackjack
 * Catapult | Cataphract | Centurion | Cicada | Commando
 * Daboku | Daishi | Devastator | Dragon
 * Firefly | Grand Dragon | Highlander | Hunchback
 * Jagermech | Jenner
 * King Crab | Mad Dog | Mauler
 * Orion | Raven
 * Schrek | Shadow Hawk | Spector | Spider | Stalker | Summoner
 * Tempest | Thor | Trebuchet
 * Urbanmech | Vulture | Warhammer | Zeus

Hero Edition

 * Sometimes manufacturers offer a special series 'Mech, based off a design used by a historic, prominent, or even legendary character. Made from a production model 'Mech, these so-called Hero-'Mechs stand apart from their standard or base model BattleMechs (i.e. Centurion Yen-Lo-Wang: CN9-YLW).

Weight/Tonnage

 * Each type of BattleMech falls into one of the following weight categories:
 * Light 'Mechs (20 / 25 / 30 / 35 tons) are generally fast and have light weapon payloads or electronics.
 * Medium 'Mechs (40 / 45 / 50 / 55 tons) are very versatile, the workhorses of most armies.
 * Heavy 'Mechs (60 / 65 / 70 tons) are still versatile, but generally with bigger and heavier weapon payloads. Many of the most famous and popular designs are heavy 'Mechs.
 * Assault 'Mechs (80 / 85 / 90 / 100 tons) are huge. They trade speed and maneuverability for firepower and armor. They are generally very slow but pack a heavy punch.

Assignment

 * 'Mechs are built for the battlefield and must suit different tasks; as this is the case, not every 'Mech will fit into every role. Some are designed (or more or less favored for) the role of a multipurpose 'Mech, others are specifically designed for certain situations, like very heavy 'Mechs (80-100 tons) being classed as Assault 'Mechs. Since their weight is the only qualification, "Assault" is the most problematic classification, as it is subjective and relies greatly on a pilot's experience - or common sense:
 * "I shouldn't scout with that 100-tonner?"
 * "Really?"
 * This is discussed in more detail under Role Warfare.

Availability

 * Information on anticipated 'Mech availability is limited. Despite the fact that so much information about different 'Mechs is rumored out there, only some are officially advertised and even fewer are really available.

Available
The following is a complete list of all playable 'Mech chassis, categorized and sorted by tonnage. The Hero 'Mechs are classed separately:

Light Medium Heavy Assault Hero

Role Warfare
Role Warfare - Playing With Friends, Groups, and Teams: Know Your Role


 * Scout - Sometimes incorrectly used to label Light-'Mechs, but generally any 'Mech designed for recon duty.
 * Striker
 * Support
 * Missile Boat / Boat
 * Sniper
 * Battle / Assault
 * Frontline / Brawler
 * Skirmisher
 * Juggernaut

Strategy & Tactics

 * Poptart - Pilot using 'Mechs Jump Jets to leap up, fire then retreat back to cover.
 * Boat - 'Mechs that use pretty much only one class of same grouped weapons, for example all PPC or MG's.
 * Goat - (Recently introduced term) to describe pilots who hang near hill tops using Boat-'Mechs to snipe.

Defense

 * AMS - Anti-Missile System: Defensive system targeting incoming missiles, that approach the AMS-equipped 'Mech.
 * CASE - Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment: Ammunition storage compartment protects the 'Mech in the event of a direct hit on ammunition stores.
 * ECM - Electronic Countermeasures (ECM)

Offense

 * Alpha Strike - Firing all 'Mech weapons at once.
 * DFA - Death From Above
 * A form of attack whereby one 'Mech uses its Jump Jets to jump up and then land on top of another 'Mech. Can be a devastating attack if the 'Mech performing it is of a heavier weight class than the 'Mech on the receiving end.


 * Higlander Burial - DFA conducted by a Highlander.
 * NARC
 * TAG - Target Acquisition Gear
 * Equipped in place of a weapon, this is a targeting laser that enables a MechWarrior to paint targets for attack by the Artemis IV artillery system.


 * encirclething
 * Legging - shooting out a 'Mech’s leg/s
 * In order to make it fall down and go boom. In some previous MechWarrior games, a 'Mech could be destroyed by simply taking out one leg. In single-player games this also resulted in a tremendous salvage boon in addition to a quick kill. The team at MWO has balanced legs so that they are somewhat more difficult to destroy in the first place, but they have also made it that 'Mechs do not simply fall over when a leg is destroyed. Instead, the leg becomes a useless peg, severely limiting mobility. Taking out both legs will actually kill the 'Mech.


 * kill - 4 ways to render a 'Mech useless:
 * Destroy the Head
 * Destroy the Center Torso
 * Destroy the Engine
 * Destroy both legs

Terms & Slang

 * AOE - Area of Effect
 * Boom- - Boom followed by chassis type indicating duel [AC20] carrier.
 * C3 - Command, Control & Communications
 * In BattleTech terms it is the name of a computer system which aids this function by allowing 'Mechs equipped with C3 computers to communicate additional information with one another.


 * DropShip - Interplanetary spacecraft, capable of take-off and landing on planets, which aboard JumpShips and travel between star systems.
 * ER - Extended Range: Found at the start of other weapons such as "ER Large Laser" or "ER PPC."
 * Fattie - Slang term for large cumbersome Assault Class 'Mechs.
 * Friendly Fire - Well, hitting your comrades - is possible!
 * HUD - Heads-up Display
 * IDF - Indirect Fire
 * JumpShip - Interstellar spacecraft which perform hyperspace jumps between star-systems. JumpShips can only function at points minimal gravity on the outer limits of a system, thus the requirement for DropShips to transport people and material in-system.
 * LOF - Line Of Fire
 * LOSD - Line of Sight/Detection
 * PPC - Particle Projection Cannon
 * Reseen - 'Mechs that were taken from other franchises that have been redesigned in order to avoid copyright infringement.
 * Splat- - Splat followed by chassis type indicating heavy or exclusive SRM carrier.
 * Stick- - Mech with both side torsi destroyed commonly unarmed.
 * UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
 * Unseen - Used to describe 'Mechs or equipment that was used from other 'Mech or mecha franchises that was removed following complaints from Harmony Gold.
 * Zombie - 'Mech with no weapon systems operational. Alternatively a chassis that can loose arms and side torsi and continue to fight (commonly Centurions).

Military Units

 * Lance - A standard squad of 'Mechs (normally consisting of 4 'Mechs).
 * Company - A standard military unit (usually consisting of 3 Lances).
 * Battalion - Military unit usually consisting of 3 Companies).
 * Regiment - Military unit (usually consisting of 3 Battalions).
 * Army - Military unit (usually consisting of 6 Regiments).