Last Updated: 10-Nov-2015
Welcome to the Warhawk Master Guide!
Overview
The Warhawk can be an annoying mech to play with, and to play against. On the one hand, it can mount a devastating array of missiles, lasers, and ballistics. On the other, it’s very easy to cripple and is pretty goddamn difficult to build for. All in all, it finds itself halfway between a Timber Wolf and a Dire Wolf in terms of maneuverability, firepower, and durability, but its spot is more bitter than sweet.
The best and most valuable Warhawk is easily the WHK-C, as it carries a CT energy hardpoint which enables some pretty devastating builds. Following that is the WHK-B; its missile hardpoint in the CT isn’t as useful as an energy hardpoint by a long shot, but it’s better than no hardpoint at all. The WHK-A comes in third, as it has acceleration quirks on it as opposed to the reverse speed quirk of the WHK-Prime, though the difference between the two is miniscule.
Chassis-Wide Information
Strengths
- Plenty of free tonnage to play with (32.5 tons with max armor), plus it comes with 20 DHS stock so you often don’t need to add more
- It can do a lot of different things with its range of hardpoints…but it can only do a few of them well.
- Missile hardpoint quantity and locations make it the best clan missile boat of any sort.
- Clan mech, with all that entails (faster with stronger weapons and a less vulnerable engine).
Weaknesses
- Has ferro and not endo, making it inefficient right off the bat and leading to a few problems.
- Locked equipment and ferro slots really hold the mech back. First of all there’s the left torso, which is completely filled by locked ferro slots and DHS. And more importantly (in my view) is the right torso, which is half-locked by XL slots, ferro slots, and a DHS, limiting the size of missiles you can put in there.
- In addition, you often run into a problem where all these locked slots result in you having more tonnage than slots, or awkward slots left open, or having to put stuff in weird places. Just gets in the way when building.
- Another problem caused by locked slots is ammo-related. Since you can’t use your left torso at all for ammo storage and your right torso is severely crit-limited, you usually end up having to put most of your ammo in the arms, so if you lose the wrong one you can find yourself quickly out of ammo.
- Arms aren’t great for shielding, can catch some shells with them but competent players will be able to shoot past them to your exposed side torsos without too much of a problem. Wouldn’t be such a big deal, but the hitboxes themselves are large and easy to isolate, making the mech effectively quite squishy.
- What this adds up to is a chassis which is great on paper but doesn’t perform as great in the battle itself.
Generic Tips
- Don’t try to solo anything, a few lucky shots can leave you stripped and you really don’t want to be the primary tank. You are also not a mech that does well on its own and it functions best in a support role.
- But don’t be a pussy either – you are an assault mech and you should be mixing it up especially if you’re in a brawler. Take some hits for your team if they’re having a hard time, just don’t take them unnecessarily and don’t get killed.
- Your ammo on the Warhawk will be pulled from the right torso first, then the left arm, then the right arm. Plan accordingly if you make builds for yourself.
Builds
For those of you who are not familiar with the general format, here’s how it goes (and it is different from the IS ones). We’re going to be identifying build archetypes that the mech can do, and list them in order of how awesome they are (previously I’ve sorted by range, but I’m phasing that out). I tend to either label the archetype by what their weapons and playstyle is or occasionally by name.
We’ll look at a central build or builds to fit each archetype; generally either one which can be built out on all variants, or a specific one for each variant if the variants have distinct Center Torsos. Oftentimes, there will also be alternative versions of the same sort of build which function differently in some way.
In general, the variants which can run a build will be listed in order of which does it better (obviously the best one comes first). If they’re all the same, I’ll put the Prime variant first and then list the others alphabetically.
Each archetype has one paragraph about the build itself – going over anything I feel is relevant to understanding it such as quirks, tonnage issues, how it fits the meta, my general feeling about it…just whatever. And then there’s a paragraph about using the build, going over tactics, tips, and again whatever I feel is relevant to that stuff, including links to L2P guides, on occasion.
The modules are listed in order of which one is most important and the consumables I’ve listed are the ones that are generally the best, but while leveling the mech you may want to swap the less important consumable out for a UAV. That is, if you can afford to use consumables at all (they aren’t necessary, just nice, and if you’re low on C-Bills they’re not necessarily worth it).
On with it!
Gauss Vomit
This essentially takes a Dire Wolf and removes a Gauss Rifle (and maybe a cERML). But it feels more like a scaled up Gauss Vomit Timber Wolf or Stormcrow. It has a really sick pinpoint alpha strike, and can out-trade most things short of a Dire Wolf if it can only get its weapons on target. The main failing is that getting shot back really sucks, but if you can avoid return fire it does amazingly well.
The play is very similar to a Laser Vomit mech, except that you have more options when your heat threshold starts going. Once you start reaching heat critical levels, you can limit yourself to just the Gauss Rifle and the cLPLs and last a few alphas before having to limit yourself further. The main key to mastering this build is getting the timing down for the Gauss charge mixed with setting the beams off at the right time mixed with leading the Gauss the right amount. It can be tough, but once you get into the groove, it works nicely. For detailed Gauss Vomit information, check out the guide I did!
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: Gauss Cooldown, cLPL Cooldown if WHK-Prime/A/B but cERML Range if WHK-C
Consumables: Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
Gauss & PPC
A relic of the old meta, this build uses a Gauss Rifle and 2 cERPPCs to become a poor facsimile of a Dire Wolf. With that said, though, it is a pretty decent build. The left-side poke can get you some favorable trades if you play it right, and the alpha strike is pretty good too. Not to mention that it can do some pretty good sniping, particularly against slow targets.
You definitely want to be more pokey in this build than in most, if not all, of the others. If the enemy is in a firing-line style of position, mainly focus on poking out your left arm just long enough to get off your Gauss/PPC combo before pulling it back into cover. If, on the other hand, you’re free to poke…target a critical location and let loose with all you’ve got (well, all you got that’s in range). A 35 pinpoint front-loaded alpha may not be what it once was, but it’s still pretty good for opening people up. Don’t leave yourself exposed and don’t overheat, and you should have some fun pissing off the enemy team with your incessant poking. Check out the PPFLD guide for more on playing this sort of build.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: Gauss Rifle Cooldown, cERPPC Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
Hybrid LRMs
So what you’re looking at is a mech with a very similar build to the traditional Laser Vomit Timber Wolf (maybe with 1 less cERML depending on how you play it), plus 20 or so LRMs as a supporting armament. Seems pretty cool to me. The location of hardpoints and lack of jumpjets means that it won’t quite match the Timber Wolf in a vom-off, but it sure as hell can be more annoying. Ghost heat is only an issue on the WHK-B build, but it should barely even be noticeable.
The way I look at this is as a Laser Vomit build that, when it gets crit, can sit back and LRM like a bitch for a long time. If you have the opportunity, always prioritize shooting your lasers over your LRMs, since they have more damage potential and it’s more focused, but if you really have the opportunity, you can just alpha strike them. This should mainly be for when you’re on resting heat or poking with a chance to cool down, rather than in the middle of a full engagement, where you should rely on your lasers (especially the cLPLs, which are your most heat-efficient weapon).
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cERML Range, LRM Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
Laser Vomit Hybrid
These builds follow the same philosophy as the (non-artemis) LRM Hybrid builds do. Take a Timber Wolf Laser Vomit, and slap on some missiles. In this case though, the missiles are Streaks which I feel just work so much better! It’s a bit hot, but it has all these extra guns, and isn’t that what life is all about?
Basically, just play like a Laser Vomit. And then, when the enemy gets close enough, wreck ‘em with a face full of streaks. In general, for heat issues, your best weapon is the cLPLs, and then the cERMLs and streaks are roughly even because one has precision and the other has damage. At any rate, try to focus fire your lasers on the squishy bits of the bigger mechs, and just wreck the lights with your streaks.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cERML Range, cLPL Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
LRM Boat
The Warhawk (specifically the WHK-B) is the most brutal LRM boat in the game, and the only place where it loses out to other LRM boats is tonnage efficiency. It’s got mad deeps, a stupid alpha, and even a backup weapon or two! The LRMs do have ghost heat, but there are times to alpha strike and times to fire in 2 groups of 2. If you think you’re only gonna get one shot off on an enemy before you lose lock or they get behind cover, or if the enemy team has multiple AMS, or if you’re on resting heat, alpha strike so that you have the best chance of getting as many missiles in as possible as quickly as possible and as reliably as possible.
Otherwise, just play it as a typical LRM boat – sit back and click every once in a while as your team does all the actual work for you…no but seriously, you can actual spot your own targets every once in a while, and particularly when you’re on resting heat so that you can throw in some backup weapons too and make their day even worse. Also, keep in mind that you’re an assault mech and your LRMs do reasonable damage at reasonably short ranges, so if everyone else on your team is hurt except for you, you can take a few hits for friendlies for purposes such as leading a push.
Mech Modules (In order of importance): Target Decay, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules (In order of importance): LRM 20 Cooldown, LRM 15 Cooldown
Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
Laser Vomit
This is the best you can do for a Warhawk Laser Vomit build, and it ain’t bad. The alpha strike won’t shut you down, despite ghost heat, but it is rarely a good idea. I’d opt instead for simply dividing it up between your arms so that you don’t exceed the ghost heat limit and still get off the nasty damage. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the inherent disadvantages that the Warhawk chassis has to the Timber Wolf, I’d much rather use this build than the usual Timber Wolf Laser Vomit. It wins on range, firepower, DPS, cooling efficiency, and the only downsides being the ease of use (managing ghost heat) and the obvious advantages that the Timber Wolf has (jumpjets, size, hitboxes, etc.)
Well, you’ll want to play this like a typical Laser Vomit build – sit with your team and melt off enemy armor until they die. You also have the bonus of having favorable trades against almost everything short of a Dire Wolf from about 400-800 meters, so don’t be afraid to trade. Like I said earlier, alpha striking is almost always a terrible idea but you can get away with it if you know that you’re not going to need your guns for the next 10 seconds or so, and it will fuck the enemy up. I don’t really recommend going for it though, you can almost always afford to wait the half second between weapon groups. Also, keep in mind that with the right module setup, your cLPLs have an optimal range of about 675 meters, meaning that you can shoot them and do pretty good damage out to 1000 without a problem. For more detailed info on laser vomit, check out the guide I wrote.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cLPL Cooldown, cLPL Range if WHK-Prime/A/B but cMPL Range if WHK-C
Consumables: Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
Full Brawl
I really do love these builds. The absolute brutality of the WHK-B build cannot be denied. Look at the alpha, the DPS, the cooling efficiency, all pretty much the best for a brawler. The weakness is survivability (huge weakness), but offensively the Warhawk is one kick-ass brawler. I prefer the LB-20X but if you like you can use the UAC/20 instead. It is important that you put the ammo into the places I’ve specified, and that you shield with your right side with the WHK-B build and your left side with the WHK-Prime/A build. This will ensure your best chance of keeping as many guns and as much ammo as possible when a side gets torn off.
Be patient for the first bit of the match, so that when you can finally get in range you’re fresh and you can just knock them out in a couple of alphas easy peasy. In general, you’ll want to follow an Atlas or Dire Wolf in, but if nobody is available you can lead a push yourself. Other than that, just jump in there and have a blast.
Mech Modules (In order of importance): Seismic Sensor, Radar Deprivation
Weapon Modules (In order of importance): SRM6 Cooldown, LB-20X Cooldown
Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
ER Large Boat
5 cERLLs is nothing to scoff at, as you can see from that brutal alpha strike. But then again, you really can’t alpha strike in this mech – a single alpha will shut you down. What you can do is when poking, fire one arm at a time and swallow the ghost heat from firing the 3 on the right arm together. In the midst of a full engagement, of course you want to avoid the ghost heat and go with a 2+2+1 combo, but if you’ve got time to cool down you don’t need to worry about that so much since the ghost heat isn’t that abhorrent on just 3 cERLLs.
You’re a very long range mech (cERLL + TC5 + range module? Forgetaboutit), and so you’ll want to use that range to its fullest potential. Poke from the farthest away as you can while maintaining a line of sight, always stick towards the back of the group, and don’t be scared of trading in the open when you’re at extreme ranges (just look out for strikes, and shield with your left side when you gotta). This is a brutal long-range mech, with sheer power second only to the Dire Wolf. Play it slow and cautious, and you’ll find that you come up with great damage numbers and win often. Oh, and if you don’t know a mech’s condition (i.e. don’t have targeting data on them), just aim CT.
Mech Modules (In order of importance): Seismic Sensor, Radar Deprivation
Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cERLL Range, cERLL Cooldown
Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike
Pilot Skills
I’ve figured that this is the best skill order for pretty much any mech, and so I’m just going to customize it for mechs that have to emphasize unusual pilot skills, but the Warhawk is pretty standard with these.
Basics: Cool Run – Heat Containment – Hard Brake – Kinetic Burst – Twist Speed – Twist X – Anchor Turn – Arm Reflex
Elites: Speed Tweak – Fast Fire – Quick Ignition – Pinpoint
Then just master it. Since the Prime and A variant CT’s are identical, there’s really no point to holding onto both unless you just want to keep all the chassis. I like having the Prime variant of all the Clans so I’d hold onto that, but you can sell the A (or do it the other way around, fuck me, right?). Definitely hold onto the B.
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And that’s that. I hope you enjoy your mech, let me know if you have any questions, and as always glhf