The Jenner IIC is here!
Overview
The Jenner IIC is the first IIC mech available for C-Bills. It is based heavily off the existing Jenner IS mech, with some usual clan aesthetic tweaks, most notably the big nub on its top and its chicken-walker legs. Much like the HBK-IIC (for that matter, much like all of the IIC mechs), it is an absolute glass cannon – its firepower only matched by its fragility. But it can still be a hell of a lot of fun. There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve to it (it took me a while to actually start liking it), but once you get the hang of it, the Jenner IIC can be quite rewarding.
The best two variants are the base JR7-IIC (missile boat) and the JR7-IIC-A (energy boat). Usually, I rate the greater reliability of energy boat variants higher than the missile devestation, but in this case the missiles are devastating enough often enough to be the superior variant, even if by only a slight margin. The JR7-IIC-3 has an extra missile hardpoint over the JR7-IIC-2, sacrificing 3 of the IIC-2’s 10 max jumpjets for that bonus. Which makes the JR7-IIC-2 pretty much useless, and the JR7-IIC-3 the natural third place mech.
Chassis-Wide Information
Strengths
- Lots of firepower. It can do more damage than any other light in the game, with the Oxide being the exception that proves the rule (and even with the Oxide, it’s real close).
- Jumpjets and a huge engine cap make it particularly maneuverable; more so than any other mech with comparable firepower.
- As a clan nomnimech, it has all the customizable bits that the IS gets, and it isn’t lacking in hardpoints. This makes it terribly flexible, and it can run all sorts of crazy things.
- Also as a clan nomnimech, it gets all the advantages of clan tech, like a cXL, super-ferro and endo, and superior weapons.
Weaknesses
- It dies, very quickly, for many reasons.
- In terms of hitboxes, it seems that every single component of the JR7-IIC is a bit larger than the JR7 (even its arms are huge in comparison)
- Then, the JR7’s CT launcher assembly bit was expanded by a fair amount in the creation of the JR7-IIC, and another rack was added atop that, and a further nub was put on that extra bit, with antennas waving around the emphasize the additions, which collectively make it the easiest light mech to hit.
- And unlike the JR7, it has no mobility or durability quirks to help brute force some survivability, making it one of the least forgiving mechs to play in the game.
- And to round off all these things, people absolutely love to focus it, because they know it can do a lot of damage and they know how quickly it dies.
- Other than the survivability issues, there’s not a whole lot of bad about this mech. It’s worth pointing out that the lack of agility when compared to some IS lights is notable in areas outside of survivability issues, but that’s really it.
Generic Tips
- As tempting as it can be to go for a 280 (or even a 255) engine, I have to warn against dropping below 295 – it doesn’t seem like it should make much of a difference, but I had a much easier time of this mech after upping most of my builds’ engines to a 300. Since survivability is this mechs main downfall, it only makes sense to do everything you can to minimize that, even if it means compromising in other areas.
- Avoid trading at all costs. In-close brawling or poptarting can be valuable (as long as you have team support) because you generally will come out ahead in such situations, but in one-to-one trades, you will almost always get cored in one shot, two if you’re lucky.
- On a related note, stay mobile. It’s your only defense against being one-shot, since you can’t see in all directions at once. Sometimes you are forced to stay in relatively the same spot, but try to at least keep your feet moving so you don’t have to do as much acceleration if you need to leave in a hurry.
Builds
The IIC Master Guides follow the format of the IS Guides rather than the Clans, as they don’t use omnipods (might have to re-orient my vernacular around omni-status rather than tech base…for the record, I use the term “nomnimech” to refer to clan mechs that don’t use omnipods). Each variant gets its own section and within that section I try to include at least two main builds, each with a few variations on the core principle (if applicable).
Each build 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 whatever I feel is relevant to that, including links to L2P guides, on occasion.
I may miss a build that you like, or my builds may differ slightly from what you find works best for you because our philosophies may differ – I strongly encourage that you experiment for yourself to see what works best for you.
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!
JR7-IIC
This is the base variant, and it is an absolute badass. With 2 missile hardpoints in each arm and 2 in the CT, it makes a better missile boat than even most medium mechs in the game.
Build 1:
This is the configuration of SRMs that I’ve had the most success with. At first I was resistant to the idea of dropping two of my 4s to 2s, but it ended up being pretty much necessary in order to get away with an XL300 (that extra heat sink is important). This build’s firepower and DPS are only rivaled by the Oxide in the light class, and it has a significant advantage in the form of a larger engine and jumpjet.
There are a couple of key elements to playing this mech. First off, you need to not get shot. This is the trickiest bit, in my experience. Good targets to focus include: mechs on the enemy team’s “tail”, isolated mechs, mechs on the edges of the enemy formation, crit stuff you can one-shot, and generic targets of opportunity. When attacking these guys, you can do it as part of a wolf-pack, or even a one-man swarm, or maybe poptart them at short range! The most important thing is that you can’t really afford to engage when the enemy team might be looking your way. So focus on heading out to the flanks of your team and the enemy team, and strike from hiding. Practice makes perfect!
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: SRM4 Cooldown, SRM4 Range
Consumables: Cool Shot, Artillery Strike
For those of us that love jumpjets In my opinion, the heat and extra ups aren’t worth it, but you’re welcome to disagree!
This is my first iteration of this style of this build, notable for its extra damage in both alpha strikes and corner-peeks. I gave it up when I realized that it was just too slow.
This one’s more than a little silly, but goddamn you don’t expect 72 damage to come out of a 35-ton mechs. I do not recommend it, but follow your heart.
Weapon Modules: SRM6 Cooldown, SRM6 Range
Honorable Mentions
Really, only the one build is even worth running, but there’s a couple alternatives if you want something different.
It’s short on ammo and slow, but I found the SSRM2 version to be simply inadequate. This mech specializes in hunting down enemy lights (and that’s about it), so focus on protecting your larger mechs from getting devastated by people running the SRM version of this variant! Scout out as much as you can early on, but stay out of big mechs’ lines of fire; you’ll only get yourself hurt.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: SSRM4 Cooldown, SSRM2 Cooldown
Consumables: Artillery Strike, UAV
I would never advocate the boating of LRMs…but if I’m being honest, the JR7-IIC is a better choice for it than almost any other mech in the game. Mediums tend to be too weak at it, heavies are too good at other stuff, and as for assaults…that’s just a waste of tonnage. But this guy is fast enough to re-position to bypass cover, to pop his own UAVs, and avoid getting picked off. And 6 LRM5s is only a bit weaker than many builds you’d see on a heavy mech, with great DPS and spread. Compared to other builds on this variant, it’s shit, but compared to other LRM boats…it’s not a bad choice.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Target Decay
Weapon Modules: LRM5 Cooldown, LRM5 Range
Consumables: Artillery Strike, UAV
JR7-IIC-A
This variant harkens back to the classic JR7-F with its 3 energy hardpoints on each arm, but it plays a little differently.
Build 1:
This is the sort of build that I was most excited for with the release of this chassis. Even after my first few rounds with it were disappointing, I still figured it was just because I hadn’t elited it yet. And while doing so helped, it didn’t help enough. It is a solid build to be sure, but it is not OP and it has enough drawbacks to keep me from putting it at the top of any lists.
The biggest trap in this build is to trade with it. You can’t win trades with this thing. Your beam duration is too long, your mech is too large, and your armor is too thin for your outgoing damage to be worth the incoming damage. However, if you can focus on getting odd angles and burning away vulnerable targets such as short-range mechs or people who are already getting hit, you can really make it work. Stay mobile as much as possible, be wary of hill-humping (I’d say almost never poke from the same place twice), and kid, don’t get cocky.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cERML Range, cERML Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot, Air Strike
You may pick up an extra laser, but you lose a fat chunk of speed, and you’ll be able to shoot even less frequently. Not worth it, in my experience, but try it for yourself.
More on this in the JR7-IIC-3’s section, but this is actually my favorite build for this variant (and for the other two variants that can run it, too).
Weapon Modules: cMPL Range, cMPL Cooldown
Build 2:
This build fits the archetype established by light mechs over the last few years much better than any of the ranged offerings do, but the natural fragility of the chassis makes me less eager to run it in that way. Still, I’d say that this build is on par with the cERML one in terms of viability. You can also take a TC1, but I feel that losing a heat sink compromises its damage too much.
When playing this mech, it functions much more like other light mechs. Focus more on the scout, and then on getting in close for poking, prodding, and picking off vulnerable mechs. While it is more vulnerable than the Cheeter, it is more capable of taking down enemy mechs quickly, so be sure to take full advantage of that edge, striking hard and fast before escaping. This also means that it excels at light fights, where its ability to spread damage (every hitbox is huge) and the importance of precision play huge roles.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cSPL Range, cSPL Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot, Artillery Strike
I expected to really hate this build, as I am not a fan of long-duration weapons at close range, and on the Cheeter I’ve always preferred small pulse to ER smalls. But after playing it…the extra speed matters. A lot. It’s the most survivable build I’ve found for this mech, and it ain’t a wimp neither. I still think the SPL version is a bit better, but this one really does merit a try.
Weapon Modules: cERSL Range, cERSL Cooldown
JR7-IIC-3
Much as the JR7-IIC-A was the advancement of the JR7-F, this is the advancement of the JR7-D. With 2 missile hardpoints in the CT and 2 energy in each arm, it presents itself as an interesting hybrid option…though when possible, boating is almost always a better option in this game.
Build 1:
This build is kind of a guilty pleasure for me when it comes to brawling in this chassis. While I recognize that it is not the equal of the brawling options you find on either the JR7-IIC or IIC-A, I have had some really good times in it. Your weapons have a similar optimal range, and you can tear mechs apart with this mix of precise lasers and devastating missiles. It may not be the best build for the variant (more on that later), but it’s certainly the most appropriate.
This plays much like any of the other brawling Jenner IICs we’ve already looked at, and most of those tactics can be replicated here (though it is a bit less adept at poptarting than the JR7-IIC and a bit worse of a light-fighter than the JR7-IIC-A). But if you can catch a mech at short range, you can absolutely demolish it.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cSPL Range, SRM4 Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot, Artillery Strike
I sincerely hope that there is a patch to address the wackiness that is flamers (and I’m trying to avoid using that gimmick in this guide), but in the meantime, it’s the most flamer-compatible variant of this mech so is worth noting.
Build 2:
This is, in my opinion, the best build for the JR7-IIC-A, JR7-IIC-3, and JR7-IIC-2. I love doing direct comparisons between this and the JR7-F’s 6 Medium Laser build: they have the same heat with their alpha strike, pretty much the same number of heatsinks and jumpjets with the same engine rating, and almost the same beam duration (.85 vs. .81) and damage (32 vs. 30). The differences come into play when weighing the mobility and hitboxes of the JR7-F against the range of the JR7-IIC-A. All in all, I think it’s pretty damn even, and if the Jenner IIC hadn’t been physically gimped, I would call it the easy winner. What this means for this build, is that you get a lot of concentrated damage at a pretty good range without stressing your heat sinks too hard.
This plays more like the cERML spam builds than anything else, focusing on getting odd angles to force good (or free) trades against unaware enemies. The low duration also means that it’s more viable to do more typical tactics like hill-humping and 145KPH “poptarting”. Don’t stray too far out of your ~370m optimal range because the damage falls off pretty quickly, but this mech’s speed makes it a relatively safe range on most maps.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cMPL Range, cMPL Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot, Air Strike
JR7-IIC-2
Coming from the JR7-IIC-3, this variant loses a missile hardpoint to pick up…3 more jumpjets. To put the total maximum up to 10. God, that’s so sad. This is legitimately the most obsolete variant in the game. It doesn’t even have an extra AMS hardpoint!
Build 1:
This is just here as a reminder that this build is the best for this variant, hands down. I wrote about it in the section about the JR7-IIC-3, if you missed that.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cMPL Range, cMPL Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot, Air Strike
Might as well take advantage of the one special thing about this variant.
Weapon Modules: cERML Range, cERML Cooldown
Dishonorable Mentions
It’s got…good range…I guess…but it’s so much worse than mechs like the Raven and and Adder and Shadow Cat. Plays a lot like the cERML spam on the JR7-IIC-A, but at a longer range and with more of a corner-peek focus.
Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor
Weapon Modules: cLPL Range, cLPL Cooldown
Consumables: Cool Shot, Air Strike
There’s not much point to it, but it’s as close as you can get to the cERML spam build for the JR7-IIC-A, with various bonuses and drawbacks. If you find that you love it a lot, you can run this on the other variants with energy arms, but I don’t think it’s all that good.
Weapon Modules: cERML Range, cLPL Cooldown
Trololololol. It’s too bad that 10 jumpjet cERML build is already so perfect.
Weapon Modules: cERPPC Cooldown, cERPPC Range
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. For this mech, I moved the priority of Twist X up a bit, as I find myself running into the limit more than I find myself wanting to twist faster.
Basics: Cool Run – Heat Containment – Hard Brake – Kinetic Burst – Twist X – Twist Speed – Anchor Turn – Arm Reflex
Elites: Speed Tweak – Fast Fire – Quick Ignition – Pinpoint
Then just master it. The JR7-IIC-3 isn’t all that great so if you’re not enjoying it, I wouldn’t force it. But if you have the JR7-IIC-2, I recommend you never even touch it. Maybe don’t sell it, because if any of these mechs get good quirks it’ll be that one, but don’t bother leveling just yet.
_________
And that’s that. I hope you enjoy your mech, let me know if you have any questions, and as always glhf