Another 4 skull nightmare

So...after finally reading and paying attention to a few forums, it seems that the skulls don't mean that much, except maybe tonnage.

Don't care how good you are, when you have EIGHT (8) heavies and assaults ; 4 to your front and 4 to your rear, coming at you at once, you are in for a bit of excitement.

After flying around the known universe I have ONE new module. A Heat Exchanger, never had seen that before.

Oh, and be seriously afraid of getting in front of Nix and Behomath. AC 20+++ hell for you.

POP!.. goes the Weasel.

Someone on here (RK?) did say that the skulls seem to be a rough estimate of expected forces so sometimes you'll have a difficult 2-skull and an easy 4-skull.

Would love to see screenshots of such missions, Nixer. Maybe an AAR? Would be awesome to "be there" and see how things turn out!

Will work on that.

Seems like the payout is more an indicator of the difficulty.

Saw a 4 skull with a 1.3M payout and passed.

Did a 3 skull with an 800k payout and it was hard, but not deadly.

dropped in a 4.5 skull yesterday, took 400K payout plus 3 priority salvage picks

first wave was 3 stalkers and an LRM awesome

...then the reinforcements showed up.

ouch.

Yeah, the 4.5's with a good payout are scary.

Anybody else think the AI making headshots has gotten worse?

So I got brave and tried another 5 skull fun fest.

I was gonna take my time and try to do a proper After Action report but it didn't work out that way.\

A simple Assassination, that was even the name of the mission. Lowlands so I figured there would be water around if I overheated anybody and usually plenty of cover. I set it up for low payout and max salvage, hoping for some +++ mods weapons or equipment. I definately need some more of those +3 damage cockpit mods. They are truly lifesavers in these scary tough missions.

400 Ton Lance, My Atlas II, 2 other Atlas's and our King Crab LRM missile mech. Myself and my original 3 mech warriors, all 10's across the board in skills. The mission notes seemed to emphasize a "hit and run", like don't fight all the others, just get the "War Criminal" target. As we dropped again Darius emphasized a hit and run. So, at start I looked at the terrain hoping I could make a speed run...lol 3 Atlas and a King Crab... around the left towards the target mech.

That plan went to crap in Turn 1 ! Here's a screenshot right after our first move to the left.



Yeah, our first move and the ambush is already sprung! I consider my options and, since the mech to our rear is a 40T unknown light mech, I decide to advance to the rear and try to kill the ambushers before the War Criminal and his support get to us.

Bottom line, that light was scout for a heavy and two assaults, we maneuvered and pounded our way thru them, killing the last Stalker as the first LRM's from the other group started hitting Behemoth's Atlas in the back! Kept moving (advancing to the rear) to the next high ground and killed 2 more Heavies, 2 80T PPC and Demolisher pain in the butt carriers and got the War Criminal's Stalker as he was trying to run away after taking damage! I was just too involved in staying alive against 3 Assault mechs, 3 heavies and, a light mech with the 2 60T carriers thrown in, to take any other screenies. No Elite level bad guys or it would have been a totally different ballgame, like lots of death on my team. The bad guys weren't rookie but all vet level no doubt. The Elites blow LOTS of holes in your mechs and take incredible punishment.

These 5 skullers can get DEADLY! Did good this time, lucky too.



I use the +3 Morale Comms System++, in the Crab LRM mech to try to speed up my morale build up in combat. It does help but I have to keep that Crab out of line of sight or bye bye Glitch to a headshot. Fire support needs to stay out of sight anyway. Squat Crab is good for that, low profile. I also switched Nix back to a AC 10 from a AC 20. More sniping with that and the Gauss and now he has a LRM 20 +++ instead of a LRM 15+++.

May have bit off a bit more than I can chew on this next 5 skull extravaganza, but that's where the +++ equipment and weapons are.

Again, within 2 rounds of drop they are on scan, 4 rounds and here come the bad guys! All Elites this time! Oh boy

Nice hill I am on and, they are coming at me from two sides of this big assed hill. Tactical error, I might have a chance...

Gonna try and take out the right side first.

First customer, coming right up the spine and headed for the peak is a Catapult K2 Heavy mech.



His back up is kinda scary, an Atlas II!



Gonna try and kill the CAT quick and then gang up on the Atlas.

TOTALLY bailed on a 5 Skuller Destroy the Base Mission a couple of days ago. Had never seen this map before, Arctic so I am thinking "YAY, less heat problems"

Think Eagles Dare Castle with lots of futuristic turrets, and SS Death Robots.

When I bailed, after killing a light scout, a heavy mech, and two "elite" demolishers the fun really started. You see they weren't really the base guards. Now comes FOUR(4) ELITE Banshees, Highlanders and a Crab. As soon as we engage them ole Mr Happy sitting up in the Argo says, "See, here comes the serious reinforcements...or some such nonsense."

SIX (yep 6) Bad assed turrets, Eight (8) ELITE Assault mechs... they blow all kinds of parts off your mech ass.

Nahhhhhh!

I bailed. I don't see that as doable. No matter how many times somebody keeps reloading it.

edit: The view "attacking" the base was seriously "Where Eagles Dare". No chance of sneaking my AC20, SRM6 short range killer into range before my arms are almost shot off, and, well life as an expendable Mech is starting to SUCK! Jump Jets yielded little baby steps.

Bottom Line: Sometimes you have to get the Hell out of dodge when you can.

Other times...well avoid the fat girls. Am good at that thank goodness.