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The B-class Mech known as the Bruiser is currently shunned as one of the least effective Mechs in this current build of the beta. Say what you will about its design and current implementation, but I clearly remember a pre-closed beta stage when the bruiser was second only to the infiltrator in sheer effectiveness. In between that time and this closed beta 3, the bruiser has been hit quite viciously with the nerf bat, an experience not entirely unwarranted.
The problem, however, lies in its underwhelming current package as a sum of its smaller parts. It deserved a nerf, but was nerfed too dramatically as a result. Incremental balancing changes to the Medium mech chassis, hellfire missiles, and point-d Vulcan and the later inclusion of level 20 prestige unlocks have made the bruiser a much less potent rival against the extremely well balanced assault B mech.
"Why should I choose the bruiser_", you may ask. Right now, it's a difficult question to answer. It simply does not compete in the traditional sense against other Mechs in its category, and may have difficulty against Mechs across the board. For the sake of deconstructing the problems of the bruiser in its current state, I intend to cover each of its individual components in turn.
Changes to Medium B-class Mech Chassis Behavior: Acceptable nerf, consistent to all B mechs
The B class Mechs have been slowed considerably since the last beta build. This nerf to maneuverability is a consistent nerf which affects all B-mechs in general, making them less prone to dodge incoming projectiles and rendering A class matchups much more challenging. Not a deal breaker in itself, but only the first piece of the puzzle.
Hellfire missile changes: Acceptable nerf, makes weapon situational
Hellfire missiles (prior to the seeker's introduction) where the only aim-assisted projectile weapon in the game. Their ability to do massive amounts of homing damage were offset by a need to take precious seconds to lock onto a target (about two seconds instead of being instantaneous like before) and they always gave the opponent fair warning on the heads up display. Reduced damage and longer lock-on time were offset by smarter locked on projectile behavior, so the missiles track much more consistently. The main weakness of this weapon is inconsistent burst damage: a tow or grenade launcher can deliver predictable damage to an enemy at close to medium range by firing a burst and ducking behind cover immediately. To do the same sort of damage, Hellfires need a timed lock (with no burst potential), or can by dry fired for instant burst damage with unpredictable weapons spread (useless at medium range, unlike tows or grenades).
Point D-Vulcan changes: Unacceptable nerf, guts Bruiser's capabilities dramatically
This is by far the most damning feature of the bruiser at the moment. One of two major distinguishing factors that sets it apart from other mechs, the vulcan as a primary, is a terribly underpowered weapon due to overheat. Seven seconds of sustained firing time cause weapons overheat, and this effect cannot be reliably offset by the addition of internals or the impotence of the skill tree. Because the Vulcan has spin up time, it is difficult in a firefight to choose a moment to cool the weapon. The assault rifle and submachine gun do not have spin up time before reignition, and are therefore better for heat management. Bruisers currently are prone to overheat before taking down a single C class mech, making solo combat extremely difficult even in ideal situations. This weapon may improve with the slated nine seconds of sustained fire promised by the recent patch, but as of now, the devs have yet to deliver.
Level 20 prestige unlocks: Simply unacceptable
There are entire forum discussions about this point. Within context of the Bruiser, the appearance of level twenty unlocks begs the question: "why should I ever pick the bruiser, when I can get a level twenty assault with Vulcan and tow and heat venting_" Not only does the Vulcan get a whopping fourteen seconds of sustained firing time on the assault chassis, it gets burst damage from the tow. In every respect, the Vulcan assault Mech has all of the strengths of the bruiser with none of the weaknesses.
After heavy play testing, all signs point to the devs designing the bruiser to fit the role of sustained suppression fire and damage output in open spaces, I get that. Their special ability supports this methodology, with damage reduction mitigating the need to stay fairly exposed when using both the Vulcan and the Hellfires. It's a well designed Mech conceptually, but in practice it falls flat on its face due to the aforementioned points. I've had some success operating under a machine gun turret which makes up for my lack of sustained damage, but this is a cheesy solution and there are balance problems with the turrets I can't even begin to get into.
Now, how to fix it in three simple steps:
- Remove the vulcan from the list of level 20 prestige unlocks. Giving Vulcan to the assault Mech and berserker Mech are inexcusable. (It may be tolerated on a c-class Mech like the brawler but that's about it.) Giving the assault and berserker classes access to this weapon is a big reason not to ever play the bruiser. It takes away a defining feature that makes the class unique as a designated damage dealer in open terrain. (Better yet, spare us the trouble with balance and get rid of level 20 unlocks altogether.)
- Buff the Vulcan by fixing its overheat or increasing its damage thoroughput. Either-or, not both. I recommend nine seconds of sustained firing time (just like the devs promised) or more damage per shot. Just enough to kill a C-class Mech when used in conjunction with the missiles. The bruiser should do enough damage to matter, and right now it doesn't.
- Buff the bruiser's special ability to tangible levels. Currently, it's difficult to really feel if the bruiser's ability is working or not, due to lack of visible cues and the fact multiple sources of overlapping enemy fire make it hard to quantify. Buffing the bruiser's special ability is a consideration that would keep the class on par with enemy mechs in open terrain.
- Optional step 4: provide the bruiser with a burst damage primary, like the HEAT or flak cannon. I've listed this as optional because it would involve a lot of testing to get right and doesn't sit with the sustained damage concept of the current bruiser. (Though the mini flak with its hybrid nature between burst and persistent sustained damage would definitely suit this role.)
The Bruiser must be unchained before open beta 2 goes live to stay relevant. I have my fingers crossed.
Edited by Conquistador, November 27 2012 - 11:22 PM.
