The Awesome was designed to create an area of denial at range, the Stalker was designed to bring more of its firepower to bare as it advances, the Atlas was designed to be as survivable as possible with tools to remail useful across all ranges. The King Crab was made to end problems.
I have a amazing MWO clip of a Spider accidentally running around a corner right into me in a dual UAC/20 king crab and just freezing in terror for half a second before I reduce him to atoms in a single salvo
Mechwarrior 1: "Everything is evolving into crabs!" Mechwarrior 2: "Good thing we're in Atlases!" Mechwarrior 1: Yeah, the best 100 to-," *Looks over to see the other Atlas is, in fact, a King Crab. " Gahhh!" King Crab 1, now voiced by a tachikoma: "What, we're in King Crabs! The best 100 ton Mech *EVER*!" Camera pans back to Mechwarrior 1, now also a King Crab voiced by a tachikoma: "Ok, let's show them! Lock claws in attack formation!" Camera pans out to the two crabs now waddling off into the battlefield . King Crabs 1&2, deadpan: "Waddle, waddle, waddle."
On the Atlas design: "A 'Mech as powerful as possible, as impenetrable as possible, and as ugly and foreboding as conceivable, so that fear itself will be our ally." On the King Crab design: "Ehh, I got hungry for crab dinner, especially the claws. They're always stingy with the claws, for some reason."
Atlas: "This is the heaviest, most armored, best armed mech in the Inner Sphere. Fear will be our ally, and we cannot be touched within one." King Crab: "Wanna bet?" Atlas: "... Ehhh, Nah I'm good"
The King Crab, I’ve never had to face one in battle, a fact which I am supremely thankful for. Your not wrong about it’s flaws and I’ll add that I’ve always thought assault mechs in general are a flawed concept, at some point the law of diminishing returns kicks in. You can only make a mech so heavy with so much weapons and army before the cost balloons and you begin to lose combat effectiveness. But that’s just my person opinion and I’m heavily biased by life as a periphery merc so I’ll stop there. But with all that said I’ve seen what a King Crab in its element can do and it’s awe inspiring. Back when the Free World League Civil Wars we’re still burning hot before all this clan insanity. My Merc unit got permission from House Cantrella to jump into FWL space and take contracts with several of the factions for c-bills, salvage, and upgrades. Those were hot times and you learned real quick that you couldn’t trust anyone especially your own employer. Honestly, I’d trust some deep periphery bandit kings more than those FLW nobles and business magnates. Anyway, we were contracted to support a unit of Marik Militia loyal to some local warlord or other in a invasion of a planet that been setting itself up as a local trade and industrial hub and had decided it didn’t like seeing its taxes going to said warlords campaigns of ‘regional stabilization’. So the decided to swear allegiance to some other warlord which our employer took personally. Anyway, none of this is really important. Just life in the Free Worlds League and all that. So to get to the point our employers Marik Militia mechs were the ones who assaulted one of this worlds primary industrial hub cities, they wanted the glory and the salvage. We were contracted to be the clean up crew and garrison. And what we saw as we moved in is the point of all this. During the battle for the city the enemy forces had a King Crab with a skilled pilot who’d lead the street fighting efforts. And this Mechwarrior had left broken and destroyed mechs littered through the streets of the city. It was totally in its own environment and was able to use its strengths to their maximum while minimizing ammunition use. In the end the Marik Militia managed to force it out into one of the cities green belts and hammer it until it stopped moving but I’ll never forget the sight of it. That Mechwarrior and their King Crab had slaughtered seven mechs mostly medium and heavy class. They’d damaged another dozen mechs and they’d stalled the Militia for hours. And in the end the King Crabs corpse still stood there in the middle of this bombed out park, it’s engine had been destroyed when it’s ammo finally brewed up and killed the pilot. But the armour had contained the explosion so the mech didn’t blow up completely. It was a smoking blackened corpse of a machine but it still on its own two feet looming over broken and destroyed enemy mechs. And all I could think of was stories from my childhood of a warrior who fought alone holding off many enemies to defend a banner. Only to eventually die standing up still clutching the banner in his hand and his enemies were so afraid of him that they refused to step forward to take the banner for days afterwords, fearing he was still alive. Anyway, a bit of sentimental from a slightly jaded mercenary. Also always remember… a Marik will always pay you to shoot another Marik, and Marik money is always good, so Glory to Marik. :p
The King Crab feels like an urban warfare Mech to me. The sheer amount of close range firepower means that anyone hoping to dig one out can expect to suffer heavy losses.
@@paladinslash4721 I feel like the switch removed some of the character. Between Gauss, Clan ER PPCs, and Heavy PPCs there's a decent spread of good range, 15 damage attacks. It's a crowded niche, with multiple Mechs running a pair of these guns in the arms to smite from afar. But the dual AC20, delivering truly nightmarish levels of point blank damage? That is special. Few Mechs try this. I would much rather have seen an attempt at up-gunning the King Crab to UAC20s or LB-X 20s
@@thestabbybrit4798 I run 2 UAC 20s, 4 SRB 6s, and 4 small lazers (need to upgrade to pulse). With heat banks it can shoot everything all at once... every 5 turns.
I look at the 50 ton Crab and think that this thing should also be an all energy platform. Then, I remember how much fun it is to leg Warhammers in one blast, and I start screaming at the techs, Don't touch those auto cannons!!!
The PGI/modern design of the KGC is just so awesome. As soon as I saw one for the first time in HBS BT, I immediately went "what is that?" and zoomed in as close as possible, trying to make sense of every detail. It really is a scary, intimidating design. The underslung cockpit just gives it a menacing appearance I can't fully articulate.
To me it looks like someone too their Marauder design (also awesome IMO) and went 'that, but 100 tons and wanting to take your milk-money. Oh, and put claws on it, it's supposed to have claws'. In both cases excellent designs, but I also appreciate how it seems they share some common design principles.
This was my favorite mech when playing the early PC games, so it was my first mech purchase when I started playing MWO some years ago. When I'm having a bad night with other mechs, I bring out my KGCs. I love it with 6xA/C 2s.
The original 000 design of the King Crab is a specialized anti-assault mech design. Against a slow, lumbering opponent the AC-20s are lethal. An actual Atlas killer. That said, the real bane of this design is fast, agile mechs. If light and medium mechs are willing to take the risk and engage the King Crab they can peck it to death. The AC20 ammo won't last long. The LRM ammo will quickly deplete as well. The large laser isn't enough firepower to scare off a lance of light mechs. As long as you can avoid melee and getting within the short range of the AC20s it should be possible to wear the king out. Considering the battlefield of the Succession Wars, the Atlas is the superior design. Medium and light mechs all dream of swarming an Atlas and taking it down. With a King Crab you can do more than dream. With the Atlas? Those mechs are in for a rude awakening as the medium ranged weapons of an Atlas have enough endurance to wear down the swarm one mech at a time. The battlefields of the Succession Wars are mostly medium mechs. Assault mechs are a very small percentage of the mechs a typical regiment would deploy. Production for light and medium mechs are dozens to hundreds of each design produced each year. Assault mechs are measured in the single digits per year across the entire inner sphere. When you consider this, the reason the Atlas is considered the King of the Battlefield becomes clear.
Sounds like the perfect lancemates for it are three Scarabii. Fast enough to run down light mechs, and with a hatchet to pound them into scrap. Just have them screen the King Crab on the sides and rear.
@@Tallus_ap_Mordren In my humble opinion, being someone who plays BT classic (the table top game), A King Crab, with the back up of a 50 ton crab (or two) is a hellish combination, especially if it's a C3 Lance (Or C3i since I usually play ComStar), King Crabs are among the best assault mechs for the Sphere, their only drawback is the need of a sort of escort, something to back them up after the ammo runs dry.
Base variants, I may agree. As soon as you bring in the 001 "Clanbuster" variant, the Atlas becomes outclassed. An armored sniper capable of trading with any Clan 'Mech, the 001 is an executioner.
I love the King Crab in Battletech. It's the centrepoint of my lance. It might run out of ammunition quickly but not as fast as the enemy runs out of mechs.
King Crab looked so goofy for most of it´s time in BattleTech, but the redesign for MWO did it really good. Giving it a proper hip made the mech not just better looking, it also made it look more menacing IMO. With the legs going straight into the shoulders, it looked so clumsy. Same with other designs.
I remember being initially skeptical that PGI was going to redesign the Nova and Kit Fox the same way, because change is scary. But the change was so needed and both designs look so much better for it. Same with the CGL designs. A mech that can’t torso twist is like a main battle tank with no turret: it doesn’t really make sense.
@@MonteKowalsky Well not for a main battle tank, however there WERE tanks, successful ones in fact, that had no turret at all. Most famously the Sturmgeschütz III as well as the Jagdpanzer 38(T) Hetzer or the swedish experimantal Stridsvagen. But the whole ideal of the humanoid form of the mech is to allow for a near-human movement, and, well, we CAN twist our hips.
My absolute favorite mech and the most powerful mech in any close quarters environment. That is mostly because all an enemy cares about are those AC20s, while completely ignoring the fact that unlike with a fafnir that is pretty much just torso the king crab got arms and pincers. It happened very often that a light mech dodges the first salvo of shots, gets cocky and tries to get to my back just to end up with a squashed cockpit because like I said they thought they were out of harms way after the salvo. While the mech isn't in good long term fights, I usually am quick enough at doing what I am supposed to be doing to prevent it from becoming an issue.
My sons favorite mech. This thing is an absolute nightmare to go up against unless you’re raining Death on it from a very long range. I personally love it. It has an intimidation factor that really commands the attention of anyone you’re up against. Plus it looks like something evil aliens would use to invade a world.
@@BigRed40TECH LMAO. Can't wait for the Black Knight extended vid with how good the Highlander & King Crab ones have turned out. I know the assaults get alot of attention & rightly so but the Black Knight is no.1 to me.
Now this, this is my baby. Flaws and all, this is far and away my FAVORITE Battlemech. There is no close second. There are many 'mechs that I like, but this is the one that I love. Of all the official variants, the Clanbuster is my favorite despite some... questionable ammunition amount choices. It's nevertheless the version that I based my personal customized version off of. Swapping out the XL engine for its standard variant, giving it the ferro-fibrous of the original to regain the weight, and swapping out the dodgy two streak SRM-2s and the LRM-15 for a single standard SRM-6 with a ton of ammo protected by CASE. It's meant to keep the spirit of the Clanbuster while being cheaper with more readily available replacement systems in-universe for a mercenary who refuses to part with it. Regardless, in most of its forms, this is the assault 'mech you bring to kill other assaults or heavies. The one who carves the breakthrough and slinks back to rearm. Not just the hammer in a hammer and anvil assault, but a sledgehammer to smash the opposition as quickly as possible. Regardless of the variant, or one's preferences involving customized mechs, it's nevertheless an imposing monster. When I was being introduced to the setting through HBS Battletech back in 2018, I was enjoying my time but I really fell in love when I first saw a King Crab, and knew that I had to have one. Thanks for giving this one the extended treatment.
Such a good review of the King Crab. You forgot one of its most important accomplishments though. In the book Exodus Road, a Comstar King Crab is pivotal in rescuing mechwarrior Trent before the Jaguars can kill him. Thus, handing the "Exodus Road" to Comstar and allowing Task Force Serpent to assault Huntress. Such a good book, such a good mech.
For Tukkayd and gauss rifles it's important to note that the crusader Sakhan of clan Wolf died to a gauss headshot. Albiet from a highlander rather than a King Crab.
When the King Crab was designed i bet money Kerensky has a Hunchback pilot whispering in his ear the entire time. "No it needs 2 big guns. Naw dont sweat the ammo, here for a good time not a long time."
I have a huge nostalgic fondness for this mech. The 3025 revised book (i think, the one with the Atlas on the front, zapping some poor ground pounder) adores the thing for its double boom. Yeahhh, all that ammo dependency and overfocus does some immense pigeon holing...but you can core out and obliterate the heaviest of enemy mechs. Also, twin gauss variant. Warms my heart.
Loved this Mech when HBS BT came out. With two AC20++, you could 1shot an Atlas. Then the Urban Warfare DLC dropped, and my favorite mech from MW3 came into play, the Annihalator! After properly equiping it with better armor, twin guass++, and a TTS Ballastic FCS, nothing but King Crab on the menu!
The King crab is a ferocious urban combatant; twin AC20's will smash anything, the LRM15 kicks out good indirect fire and the Large laser is a not inconsiderable support weapon. True, it's extremely ammo reliant and it's armor isn't as protective as an atlas but the reality is that in a close in brawl nothing can stand up to the sheer volume of firepower it can vomit out.
@@guitarhausdoesntknowwhatac3285 maybe, but it already has heat issues with the base configuration and a second laser seems like it would be unused more often then not.
@@shadogiant The second laser's role would be as a back up weapon system to ensure that the crab can credibly continue to fight and also ensure it has a little more reach to engage enemies at intermediate range.
The 010 is my favorite of the KGCs, those LBXs and PPCs pound at range for point damage, and the LBX with cluster and srms crit seek, it's a very good combo, combined with its armor, and sinking ability 🤩 Though the clan buster with dual gauss is good too
I like PGI's Kaiju and CAR, though I ripped the quad UAC5s and misc gear for 2 gauss and 5 SRM6 onoy viable beacuse of how much ammo the game gives you.
@@combativeThinker You using YAML or Clan Invasion mods? cause I don't remember clan SRM8s being a thing in game. I for the love of me don't know what a LGMC is either.
My favorite mech alongside the Bushwacker. My 000 with 6 ac/2s and 10 tons of ammo has been a very fun build to use as long as I don't get focused on early for being in an assault.
This is my favorite mech by far. Does it have problems? Yes. Is it a gamble to use? Sometimes, yes. Is it the best assault mech? Probably not, a lot of people would say other assaults outclass it... But does it look cool? Yeah. Does it do its job? Also yeah, in most cases... Is it fun to use? Hell yeah it is. And I am, and will forever remain eternally heartbroken that It technically cannot melee with its "claws" But hey... hail to the king, baby. Long live the King Crab.
King Crab was my intro to Battletech and my all time favourite design. I made a custom variant once, mostly to see if it was viable, with an LBX-20, twin UAC 5s, Guardian ECM and BEagle Probe, Streak-SRM6 and two Medium Pulse Lasers, twin AMS, Light Engine and Endo Steel with 19.5 tons of armour. It was a tight fit and I needed a lot of Clan tech (I figure the pilot rips the tech off defeated Clan mechs and integrates it to his King Crab) but it did work, and its scary. The Atlas is the meathead mech. Throw it at things and forget it. The King Crab feels more intelligent, like a brooding ambush predator that strikes so suddenly and viciously you almost don't register it. People are anxious at squaring up to an Atlas, Mechwarriors *fear* fighting a King Crab.
The biggest thing missing from MW5 - usable Crab claws. How satisfying would it be to crumch your way through artillery barrels with those monster claws, and not even have to use heat? As an aside, while its torso does twist in MW5, its arms only articulate up and down, not left to right - so there is still definitely some reduced lateral mobility there.
Rumors say that the outer casing of the KGC-001's gauss slugs have a single sentence engraved on them: "Get Focht'd" (This is a joke, I don't think there's anything in-universe that would support this lol)
Probably some merc that found a KGC fixed it up though it would be funny to do that with billions of humans and story's in the inter sphear anything could happen
At the very least, 1 Comstar MechWarrior who served with Anastasia Fohct, and also piloted a King Crab. The Com Guards had a lot of pilots there at Tukkayid.
An original, gorgeous design like its little brother and very much hitting a soft spot for me due to my love of the thrill of rolling dice for that AC20.
The King Crab (edit thank you for mentioning my fav varient the 010!) was the first assault mech I ever saw when getting into Battletech. It was the most awe inspiring thing I’d ever seen and I immediately fell in love. I will stupidly choose a KC over an Atlas in my assault mech even to my detriment. All so that I can hear the Wheatley Crab song in my head as it waddles into battle.
I am picture someone encountering a 010 thinking it's a 000, knowing those autocannons only reach out to 270 meters, but BOOM there it is at 540 meters 🙂.
This is exactly why i mod my KGC's with smaller, longer range UAC's and an enhanced auxilery armament. At the cost of a little armor, but who cares when i can core you from 3x the original effective range of the 000
Massive head area and torso makes it extremely vulnerable to LRMS raining down on it. It arms are also mounted very low making it unable to fire over simple obstacles, or hills without having to crest over it and expose itself. It's side profile is also massive making it easy to hit at all ranges. The King Crab has to hide within the confines of a urban setting to survive.
Won the side tournament at the English nationals this year with a king crab variant packing two plasma rifles. People panic and get cautious when they might gain surprise heat.
The King Crab is probably my favorite mech in BattleTech, it is what I consider a "cannibal mech", a mech that preys on mechs of its own size category, but that is actually a major drawback for an assault mech, the King Crab needs an escort, smaller faster mechs to hound foes that are "beneath" the mighty King. A good lance formation that I run on the Table Top (classic BattleTech) is a King Crab (usually the 001), a Crab (50 ton energy boat), a Blackjack (usually the BJ-3 for the PPC's, but also for the fact that it can hit as hard as the King Crab... once), and a Phoenix Hawk with an ER PPC for chasing runners and lights. The Crabs are reasonably tough mechs and can take a beating (any crab not getting shot at is a crab that isn't in the fight, you payed for armor, use it.), the BJ and Hawk are snipers to pick off stragglers and runners, as well as either open up holes for the Crabs, or finish what the Crabs started, and Kerensky knows, the Crabs will start a lot.
My first experience with the King Crab was blowing off the cockpit at engagement range before it could act, meaning until I confronted one in an urban battle I was quite dismissive of it as a lumbering mech that lacked versatility or tools to engage effectively in most situations. I appreciate the concept of it but I have never found it to serve as well as it does on paper though that's mostly true for all assault mechs in my experience.
I love this machine in MW5: LLas and LRM15 are ideal for anti-air and indirect fire lance support; no need to fire the AC20s until you can find the enemy cockpit. The 000's light ammo load matches the Bombardier... I guess SLDF relied on numerical superiority and supply train to the point where their mechs just don't need to fire for longer than a minute at a time.
I fitted dual Level-5 Heavy Rifles on my KC. The damage of AC/20s, the weight of AC/5s and the range and shell velocity of AC/2s. Frees up enough weight to load all the ammo you would ever need, max out the armor and fill it up with heat-sinks to deal with the additional heat of the HRs (not that bad, actually, since the ROF is much slower than the AC/20s - which is, of course, the main drawback) and _still_ enough tonnage left to upgrade the LRM to an LRM-20.
@@DIEGhostfish In contrast to ACs, Rifles are the other way around. The larger they are, the higher the shell velocity and the larger the range. Those Level-5 HRs have: 23.4 damage, 825m range, 1500 m/s projectile speed and a ROF of 8 RPM
Ohhh yeah, god I love this thing. I upgunned mine to U-AC20s, tossed on a laser AMS, and case for my 4 tons of ammo. Pairing that with double heat sinks, and upgraded targeting computer and ferro fibrous armor and I still come up 5 tons light
This ‘Mech shares a lot of the same qualities as the Annihilators. You don’t field such machines because you want to survive, or because you need a combat role fulfilled. No, you field these mechanical kaiju because your opponent dropped something big, mean, and slow, and you want it dead, *NOW.*
Possibly the ultimate urban brawler. Still, I generally prefer other 100 tonners, the KC is fearsome, but it's lack of speed and limited ammo for it's primary weapons (not to mention it's short range) are serious liabilities.
@@malusignatius with the clan buster, I would have ditched lasers and lrms as they are no longer needed as the gauss easily compensates. Instead, I would bracket 3 srm6 launchers in their place because once in that range their should be plenty of holes for those missles to find.
Easily my favorite Assault. The combo of paired AC/20, plus armor, a useful LRM and Laser to back up and soften the target for the King Crab's claws. That and as a Mech... Damn does it look intimidating and cool.
This guy just looks the absolute part. It’s something that I find is often more loved for the weapons it bears by default than for the mech itself, but I think if you pop a couple UAC/10s on it, with a scattering of medium lasers and SRM systems (say, three medium lasers and four SRM2 systems - I’m talking HBS here, more than anything as my copy of the TTG still has not arrived from the states) it will PROBABLY eat a mech a turn. Or, you can swap out those lasers and missiles for a long range package - I’ve had a lot of joy with 2 UAC5s, four LRM5s and two large lasers. I just don’t like the idea of something that slow being so short-ranged and with so little ammo, but that’s personal preference. What I’m trying to say is, look at the mech, rather than those dual AC/20s and there’s a *lot* to love there. It is probably my favourite assault from an aesthetic position - it just looks unbelievably intimidating - and it’s flexible loadout options mean that you don’t have to just run with a couple of AC/20 shots - you can make it a viable and effective troublemaker at any range. There is one you can obtain in MW5 that has FOUR UAC5s! It’s like having an “I win!” Button! King Crab: accept no substitute. And if you like the gunslinger AC/20 loadout, just know that I love you, you goddamn maniac. CRAB PEOPLE CRAB PEOPLE
Swapping the AC/20s with Gauss Rifles can be a *nasty* surprise expecting a close range brawler. The King Crab is a great design when you need something heavily armored to just plow forwards. The downside is it's not a very flexible mech and a lighter mech could wear it down at range; as long as it had enough cover. I did use one in the HBS game; twin UAC/20s, SRMs and quad Small Lasers. It's job was to run up close as everything else fired and then *maul* whatever it met in close range. Useless at range, but once in close there was no question; you were dead.
Funny thing is i dint even know about the KGC-011 but basically made it on Battletech 3062. It was a clan king crab with 2 lbx 20s and 2 er clan ppcs a 380 xl clan engine and clan ferro with a supercharger and the pilot was full piloting. The beast could solo most missions since it could 1 shot any mech by fishing for back attacks with its super speed.
@@mechzilla569 The massive engine made it so i dint have a huge amount of weight to work with (not to mention 2 lbx 20s being super heavy), i also had max armor. If i did fit in clans srm 6s i would have to get rid of lbx ammo. It was a compromise between more sustained firepower or higher alpha strike, i try for my mechs to have at least 10 rounds worth of ammo so i couldnt fit in the srms. I could shave armor but usually when you back attack it leaves you exposed to being back attacked too, so you need every shred of armor you can specially with how expensive all the components were.
I converted the two AC20s into two Gauss Rifles and added two tons of ammo per weapon. These give it long range along with a better ballistic targeting and tracking system. For short range combat, I equipped it with Inferno rockets and four Flamers. Along with some arm mods, these give it enough short range punch to demolish any heavy, medium, or light mech that can't avoid its weapons.
Remembering back to my first complete run of Battletech unmodded, I remember getting a 000 and thinking "Crab pincers go brrr" as I slapped 2 Melee Damage mod+++ into the mech. Had to say goodbye to the AC-20s, but I think I can live with that. It was a sight to behold seeing my King Crab lumber up to an Atlas and cleave off several components with a single hit on multiple occasions. I think the total melee damage number was around 220 physical, although I will likely be off since it's been so long.
I turned my 0000 into a double heat sink enahnced, somewhat lighter armor long range annihilation platform. UAC5's, 2 ER large lasers, 2 LRM 10 or 15s (i dont remember which) It laid out comfortable damage every, single, round.
I personally prefer to replace the torso mounted large laser with 4 medium lasers (ER medium lasers if later era) and an additional heatsink. Shorter range and probably a slightly higher heat level, but it definitely increases the short range lethality. Downgrade the the LRM20 to an LRM10, upgrade the AC20s to UAC20s, and add a pair of either SRM4s or 6s and and watch as you basically turn the entire front arc of your machine into a kill zone.
Now if only I could take the ECM of the 008 variant, and the Gauss Rifles of the Clanbuster Variant. Luv me King Crab, simple as. Also, May the blessed peace of Blake be upon thee.
The king crab is the concept of a combined arms force in action. The mech is meant to close combat arm to any lance. It's the Mr. T of the assault lance with the atlas as Hannibal, the striker as faceman and the banshee as Murdock, because he's funny like that. My point is that the king crab does not need to be an all around fighting machine, it just needs to be able cover the deficiencies of its teammates.
I was a noob at MWO and took the free to play King Crab into frozen city. So anyway I started blasting. I started my assault at E5 and basically fired my AC5s non-stop for what only felt like a minute wrecking anything that stood in my way while the rest of the team mopped up (and presumably watched my back, but all I could see were the enemies) I don't remember how many kills but It was a 1025 dmg game. I felt like a god.
I have decided to watch my favorite TH-camr during school hours. 1 hour into school 🤣 king crab is a badass mech Watching on the school iPads are fun :) I always die playing the king crab, i can never understand how to use it without dying. It’s why I prefer the atlas over it, though its medium counterpart, the crab. I prefer more than the king crab, i only use it to feel amazing like an unstoppable force
Earlier it was the Kintaro (my favorite medium) and now a 45 min video of my favorite assault?! Is it my birthday? Will the Il Clan finally taste inner sphere 'hospitality'? Will the Capelans finally get squashed like the bugs that they are? Im not sure what's happening but meet me at Canopus boys! My treat!
I've been running mine with 2x Gauss, 1x Artemis IV SRM6, 1x ER PPC. No need for LRM with the ER laser, and with how much ammo the SRM can carry by comparison - far more useful. Pilot sniping really simplifies everything, and I end up with 130 rounds of ammo for the gauss. In MW5 I've been able to salvage multiple mechs, only needing to replace the cockpit and repair the armour.
@@BigRed40TECH I figured, I have one of the King Crab Clix mechs and it's definitely the old design. The new design is so much more predatory than the kinda goofy 2nd design. We shall not mention the original art.
Look, there is no way we'll run into an ambush and if we do they won't have the firepower to do anything to your mech. - How to summon one of the rare mechs. The chances to find one are low, but there will be always the chance. As clanners did find out, a really big cannon will punch through a lot of fancy tech.
in battletech i give mine two ac10 an lrm15 and two medium lasers. this lets me max out the armour and with five tons of ammo it has all the endurance it needs. two of these make perfect backup for my atlas.
Even as a King. The King Crab still can't do the Crab Dance or Crab Walk. What is next? Emperor Crab? God Crab? H4X0R Crab? Oh, wait, that one is a build.
My all time favourite Battlemech! It may not posses the near invulnerability of an Atlas, the reach of an Awesome, or the mobility of a Victor or Highlander, but the sheer firepower in its pincers alone will make any of them think twice before engaging it, especially up close. The clan buster is possibly the most dangerous as it can give even clan omnimechs a run for their c-bills. It also has one of the best cockpits in terms of room and peripheral vision. All in all an excellent briefing on this crustaceous colossus. P.S perhaps you may look into Defiance Industries Fafnir in future. It is another fearsome 100 ton monster with a colourful history.
I remember when I still played MWO, I used to field a KGC with six Rotary AC2s. That was one mean BRRRT!-dispenser. Even more so since you could hide one half of the mech in cover and fire three RAC-2s at a time without ghost-heat penalty.
Whenever I look at the designs given in the books it's obvious they are dueling machines, not vehicles designed for war. Personally I think the extra cost of double heat sinks is nothing compared to replacing a whole mech (especially an assault mech) or it's even more valuable pilot. I prefer to use 12 2xHS and use the freed tonnage to double the ammunition for the AC's and increase the armour to max. This allows the King Crab to fire both ACs and the large laser AND run without a glance at the heat scale. This is not a mech to send out on it's own but one to be a part of a lance where the other mechs have energy weapons so they can cover each other's weaknesses.
Ah the King Crab I have found memories of this mech. I remember someone stepping on a disabled elemental with it and this was during my light lance phase. Revenge for my Wasp! 8 just had it repaired! Fucking dice.
I had to fight one of these in battlemech.. it was scary.. I used little mechs to get behind it and keep dodging.. it worked eventually .. if it’s escort had survived I would have gotten thrashed
I like that picture chosen for the clan invasion part. Just a King Crab bitch slapping a Mad Cat, while two regular dudes with pistols dog pile a Elemental in full armor.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
The Awesome was designed to create an area of denial at range, the Stalker was designed to bring more of its firepower to bare as it advances, the Atlas was designed to be as survivable as possible with tools to remail useful across all ranges.
The King Crab was made to end problems.
...and end them quickly. yes.
King Crab is a Crab!
@@BigRed40TECH As if there ever was any doubt about that...
Nah, it was made to be an LRM washboard. And oh boy do LRMs ever wash over it :D
Indeed crabs are the true final form.
I have a amazing MWO clip of a Spider accidentally running around a corner right into me in a dual UAC/20 king crab and just freezing in terror for half a second before I reduce him to atoms in a single salvo
Too good not to be posted imo
And it was at this moment he realized, he f@%#ked up
The 2 UAC/20 King Crab is the best King Crab.
I pictured this in my mind and instantly starting hearing Morgan Freeman narration.
was their gamer tag "Dekker"??
The mech so wide that it can shoot around both sides of a building. At the same time
😂
🤣
"I'm trying to sneak. But I'm dummy thicc and the clap from my servos keeps alerting the Com Guard."
That sounds like a yo mama joke
Hahahahaha fucking true story.
Mechwarrior 1: "Everything is evolving into crabs!"
Mechwarrior 2: "Good thing we're in Atlases!"
Mechwarrior 1: Yeah, the best 100 to-," *Looks over to see the other Atlas is, in fact, a King Crab. " Gahhh!"
King Crab 1, now voiced by a tachikoma: "What, we're in King Crabs! The best 100 ton Mech *EVER*!"
Camera pans back to Mechwarrior 1, now also a King Crab voiced by a tachikoma: "Ok, let's show them! Lock claws in attack formation!"
Camera pans out to the two crabs now waddling off into the battlefield .
King Crabs 1&2, deadpan: "Waddle, waddle, waddle."
I laughed very, very hard at this.
Then I imagined the Atlas pilots being Steiner Scouts.
Made it so much better!
did not expect ghost in the shell
The King Crab is the 'mech I cut my teeth on in MWO. Driving it is like throwing on a warm blanket, even though it tends to get focused and die early.
I ran an AC2 King Crab in MWO. loved it. lol
On the Atlas design:
"A 'Mech as powerful as possible, as impenetrable as possible, and as ugly and foreboding as conceivable, so that fear itself will be our ally."
On the King Crab design:
"Ehh, I got hungry for crab dinner, especially the claws. They're always stingy with the claws, for some reason."
Make the claws a weapon! And they did.
That sounds like what would be the case if Amaris designed it... I mean, he's got his lobster bib on and everything.
@@malusignatius he is the reason why "unlimited crab legs" is a theory, not a fact.
@@eddapultstab2078 I cannot fault your logic.
Atlas: "This is the heaviest, most armored, best armed mech in the Inner Sphere. Fear will be our ally, and we cannot be touched within one."
King Crab: "Wanna bet?"
Atlas: "... Ehhh, Nah I'm good"
The King Crab, I’ve never had to face one in battle, a fact which I am supremely thankful for. Your not wrong about it’s flaws and I’ll add that I’ve always thought assault mechs in general are a flawed concept, at some point the law of diminishing returns kicks in. You can only make a mech so heavy with so much weapons and army before the cost balloons and you begin to lose combat effectiveness. But that’s just my person opinion and I’m heavily biased by life as a periphery merc so I’ll stop there. But with all that said I’ve seen what a King Crab in its element can do and it’s awe inspiring.
Back when the Free World League Civil Wars we’re still burning hot before all this clan insanity. My Merc unit got permission from House Cantrella to jump into FWL space and take contracts with several of the factions for c-bills, salvage, and upgrades. Those were hot times and you learned real quick that you couldn’t trust anyone especially your own employer. Honestly, I’d trust some deep periphery bandit kings more than those FLW nobles and business magnates.
Anyway, we were contracted to support a unit of Marik Militia loyal to some local warlord or other in a invasion of a planet that been setting itself up as a local trade and industrial hub and had decided it didn’t like seeing its taxes going to said warlords campaigns of ‘regional stabilization’. So the decided to swear allegiance to some other warlord which our employer took personally.
Anyway, none of this is really important. Just life in the Free Worlds League and all that. So to get to the point our employers Marik Militia mechs were the ones who assaulted one of this worlds primary industrial hub cities, they wanted the glory and the salvage. We were contracted to be the clean up crew and garrison. And what we saw as we moved in is the point of all this.
During the battle for the city the enemy forces had a King Crab with a skilled pilot who’d lead the street fighting efforts. And this Mechwarrior had left broken and destroyed mechs littered through the streets of the city. It was totally in its own environment and was able to use its strengths to their maximum while minimizing ammunition use. In the end the Marik Militia managed to force it out into one of the cities green belts and hammer it until it stopped moving but I’ll never forget the sight of it.
That Mechwarrior and their King Crab had slaughtered seven mechs mostly medium and heavy class. They’d damaged another dozen mechs and they’d stalled the Militia for hours. And in the end the King Crabs corpse still stood there in the middle of this bombed out park, it’s engine had been destroyed when it’s ammo finally brewed up and killed the pilot. But the armour had contained the explosion so the mech didn’t blow up completely. It was a smoking blackened corpse of a machine but it still on its own two feet looming over broken and destroyed enemy mechs.
And all I could think of was stories from my childhood of a warrior who fought alone holding off many enemies to defend a banner. Only to eventually die standing up still clutching the banner in his hand and his enemies were so afraid of him that they refused to step forward to take the banner for days afterwords, fearing he was still alive.
Anyway, a bit of sentimental from a slightly jaded mercenary. Also always remember… a Marik will always pay you to shoot another Marik, and Marik money is always good, so Glory to Marik. :p
(Thank you for all the work you put into this long episode!)
Incredible Vibe
Good write
The King Crab feels like an urban warfare Mech to me. The sheer amount of close range firepower means that anyone hoping to dig one out can expect to suffer heavy losses.
Yeah it should hide and dump LRM's while hidden, then when an unwary enemy shows up the KC gives it a true "Surprise Mother****er!"
it's the same idea as an urbie tbh
Once the King Crab switched out the AC20s for gauss rifles it really came into it’s own.
@@paladinslash4721 I feel like the switch removed some of the character. Between Gauss, Clan ER PPCs, and Heavy PPCs there's a decent spread of good range, 15 damage attacks. It's a crowded niche, with multiple Mechs running a pair of these guns in the arms to smite from afar.
But the dual AC20, delivering truly nightmarish levels of point blank damage? That is special. Few Mechs try this. I would much rather have seen an attempt at up-gunning the King Crab to UAC20s or LB-X 20s
@@thestabbybrit4798 I run 2 UAC 20s, 4 SRB 6s, and 4 small lazers (need to upgrade to pulse).
With heat banks it can shoot everything all at once... every 5 turns.
I look at the 50 ton Crab and think that this thing should also be an all energy platform. Then, I remember how much fun it is to leg Warhammers in one blast, and I start screaming at the techs, Don't touch those auto cannons!!!
KC brings the thunder!
@@BigRed40TECH Indeed it does, but we can't deny that the WOB abomination could rain lightning.
Yeah but you could put 4 PPCs in those arms instead
You want a laser King Crab, go pry a Supernova from clan ownership.
@@bthsr7113 Yeah but supernova no have claw!!! Crab claw go crunch
"Carcinization" takes on a new definition in Webster-Merriam (ComStar Edition 2744)
As it should.
Long live the King!
The PGI/modern design of the KGC is just so awesome. As soon as I saw one for the first time in HBS BT, I immediately went "what is that?" and zoomed in as close as possible, trying to make sense of every detail.
It really is a scary, intimidating design. The underslung cockpit just gives it a menacing appearance I can't fully articulate.
To me it looks like someone too their Marauder design (also awesome IMO) and went 'that, but 100 tons and wanting to take your milk-money. Oh, and put claws on it, it's supposed to have claws'. In both cases excellent designs, but I also appreciate how it seems they share some common design principles.
King Crab approves these comments
I agree about the design, however when i saw the picture used from 2:48 onwards all I can see is a ^.^ face on that particular crab
This was my favorite mech when playing the early PC games, so it was my first mech purchase when I started playing MWO some years ago. When I'm having a bad night with other mechs, I bring out my KGCs. I love it with 6xA/C 2s.
king crab went from that goofy ass 80 design into a metal crustacean beast with double AC20
The original 000 design of the King Crab is a specialized anti-assault mech design. Against a slow, lumbering opponent the AC-20s are lethal. An actual Atlas killer.
That said, the real bane of this design is fast, agile mechs. If light and medium mechs are willing to take the risk and engage the King Crab they can peck it to death. The AC20 ammo won't last long. The LRM ammo will quickly deplete as well. The large laser isn't enough firepower to scare off a lance of light mechs. As long as you can avoid melee and getting within the short range of the AC20s it should be possible to wear the king out.
Considering the battlefield of the Succession Wars, the Atlas is the superior design. Medium and light mechs all dream of swarming an Atlas and taking it down. With a King Crab you can do more than dream. With the Atlas? Those mechs are in for a rude awakening as the medium ranged weapons of an Atlas have enough endurance to wear down the swarm one mech at a time. The battlefields of the Succession Wars are mostly medium mechs. Assault mechs are a very small percentage of the mechs a typical regiment would deploy. Production for light and medium mechs are dozens to hundreds of each design produced each year. Assault mechs are measured in the single digits per year across the entire inner sphere. When you consider this, the reason the Atlas is considered the King of the Battlefield becomes clear.
On top of that, the Atlas has a mean right hook.
Sounds like the perfect lancemates for it are three Scarabii. Fast enough to run down light mechs, and with a hatchet to pound them into scrap. Just have them screen the King Crab on the sides and rear.
I added 4 RAC5s to my king crab, in my modded MW5 run.
It's scary.
@@Tallus_ap_Mordren In my humble opinion, being someone who plays BT classic (the table top game), A King Crab, with the back up of a 50 ton crab (or two) is a hellish combination, especially if it's a C3 Lance (Or C3i since I usually play ComStar), King Crabs are among the best assault mechs for the Sphere, their only drawback is the need of a sort of escort, something to back them up after the ammo runs dry.
Base variants, I may agree. As soon as you bring in the 001 "Clanbuster" variant, the Atlas becomes outclassed. An armored sniper capable of trading with any Clan 'Mech, the 001 is an executioner.
I love the King Crab in Battletech. It's the centrepoint of my lance. It might run out of ammunition quickly but not as fast as the enemy runs out of mechs.
King Crab looked so goofy for most of it´s time in BattleTech, but the redesign for MWO did it really good.
Giving it a proper hip made the mech not just better looking, it also made it look more menacing IMO.
With the legs going straight into the shoulders, it looked so clumsy. Same with other designs.
Yeah, the PGI design is practically perfect. It's iconic, it's intimidating, and it's just plain mean.
The old one looked cartoonish. The new one... Geez. It could scare an Atlas
I remember being initially skeptical that PGI was going to redesign the Nova and Kit Fox the same way, because change is scary. But the change was so needed and both designs look so much better for it. Same with the CGL designs.
A mech that can’t torso twist is like a main battle tank with no turret: it doesn’t really make sense.
@@MonteKowalsky Well not for a main battle tank, however there WERE tanks, successful ones in fact, that had no turret at all.
Most famously the Sturmgeschütz III as well as the Jagdpanzer 38(T) Hetzer or the swedish experimantal Stridsvagen.
But the whole ideal of the humanoid form of the mech is to allow for a near-human movement, and, well, we CAN twist our hips.
mini's had that design from 2000's ish
The King Crab, turning light mechs into crabby patties since 2750.
I always liked the ability to “hull down” and pretty much disappear. Pop up and core an enemy.
My absolute favorite mech and the most powerful mech in any close quarters environment.
That is mostly because all an enemy cares about are those AC20s, while completely ignoring the fact that unlike with a fafnir that is pretty much just torso the king crab got arms and pincers. It happened very often that a light mech dodges the first salvo of shots, gets cocky and tries to get to my back just to end up with a squashed cockpit because like I said they thought they were out of harms way after the salvo.
While the mech isn't in good long term fights, I usually am quick enough at doing what I am supposed to be doing to prevent it from becoming an issue.
My sons favorite mech. This thing is an absolute nightmare to go up against unless you’re raining Death on it from a very long range. I personally love it. It has an intimidation factor that really commands the attention of anyone you’re up against. Plus it looks like something evil aliens would use to invade a world.
Up close the King Crab is always to be feared. It just packs the punch.
Clanbuster is just feared, always. lol
@@BigRed40TECH LMAO. Can't wait for the Black Knight extended vid with how good the Highlander & King Crab ones have turned out. I know the assaults get alot of attention & rightly so but the Black Knight is no.1 to me.
Now this, this is my baby. Flaws and all, this is far and away my FAVORITE Battlemech. There is no close second. There are many 'mechs that I like, but this is the one that I love. Of all the official variants, the Clanbuster is my favorite despite some... questionable ammunition amount choices. It's nevertheless the version that I based my personal customized version off of.
Swapping out the XL engine for its standard variant, giving it the ferro-fibrous of the original to regain the weight, and swapping out the dodgy two streak SRM-2s and the LRM-15 for a single standard SRM-6 with a ton of ammo protected by CASE. It's meant to keep the spirit of the Clanbuster while being cheaper with more readily available replacement systems in-universe for a mercenary who refuses to part with it.
Regardless, in most of its forms, this is the assault 'mech you bring to kill other assaults or heavies. The one who carves the breakthrough and slinks back to rearm. Not just the hammer in a hammer and anvil assault, but a sledgehammer to smash the opposition as quickly as possible.
Regardless of the variant, or one's preferences involving customized mechs, it's nevertheless an imposing monster. When I was being introduced to the setting through HBS Battletech back in 2018, I was enjoying my time but I really fell in love when I first saw a King Crab, and knew that I had to have one.
Thanks for giving this one the extended treatment.
Such a good review of the King Crab. You forgot one of its most important accomplishments though.
In the book Exodus Road, a Comstar King Crab is pivotal in rescuing mechwarrior Trent before the Jaguars can kill him. Thus, handing the "Exodus Road" to Comstar and allowing Task Force Serpent to assault Huntress.
Such a good book, such a good mech.
For Tukkayd and gauss rifles it's important to note that the crusader Sakhan of clan Wolf died to a gauss headshot. Albiet from a highlander rather than a King Crab.
When the King Crab was designed i bet money Kerensky has a Hunchback pilot whispering in his ear the entire time.
"No it needs 2 big guns. Naw dont sweat the ammo, here for a good time not a long time."
I have a huge nostalgic fondness for this mech. The 3025 revised book (i think, the one with the Atlas on the front, zapping some poor ground pounder) adores the thing for its double boom. Yeahhh, all that ammo dependency and overfocus does some immense pigeon holing...but you can core out and obliterate the heaviest of enemy mechs.
Also, twin gauss variant. Warms my heart.
Loved this Mech when HBS BT came out. With two AC20++, you could 1shot an Atlas. Then the Urban Warfare DLC dropped, and my favorite mech from MW3 came into play, the Annihalator! After properly equiping it with better armor, twin guass++, and a TTS Ballastic FCS, nothing but King Crab on the menu!
I liked it with twin uac 20s because there is no kill like overkill.
I adore the Carapace. 4 Light Rifles, and 2 LRM-20s. Was a king of long range. A ton of fun.
The King crab is a ferocious urban combatant; twin AC20's will smash anything, the LRM15 kicks out good indirect fire and the Large laser is a not inconsiderable support weapon. True, it's extremely ammo reliant and it's armor isn't as protective as an atlas but the reality is that in a close in brawl nothing can stand up to the sheer volume of firepower it can vomit out.
Always thought the LRM 15 ought to be replaced with a SRM 6 to exploit the armor torn off by the AC20s. Could fit more ammo too.
@@shadogiant Better option imho would be to put a second large laser, double the ammo and then put whatever's left into armor.
The Annihilator and Direwolf want a word with you
@@guitarhausdoesntknowwhatac3285 maybe, but it already has heat issues with the base configuration and a second laser seems like it would be unused more often then not.
@@shadogiant The second laser's role would be as a back up weapon system to ensure that the crab can credibly continue to fight and also ensure it has a little more reach to engage enemies at intermediate range.
My favorite mech I think.
The 010 is my favorite of the KGCs, those LBXs and PPCs pound at range for point damage, and the LBX with cluster and srms crit seek, it's a very good combo, combined with its armor, and sinking ability 🤩
Though the clan buster with dual gauss is good too
I really like the 010 as well.
Those crazy Terrans. lol
I was got really big brain and put 3 AC2/BF and 3 LBX2s in mine. Backed up with 2 Medium pulse lasers and 12 tons of ammo.
I like PGI's Kaiju and CAR, though I ripped the quad UAC5s and misc gear for 2 gauss and 5 SRM6 onoy viable beacuse of how much ammo the game gives you.
I outfitted mine in MW5 with 2 LGMC, 2 LB/10-X, and 2 C-SRM 8.
The DPS is insane. It never stops firing and tears whatever it’s aimed at to pieces.
@@combativeThinker You using YAML or Clan Invasion mods? cause I don't remember clan SRM8s being a thing in game. I for the love of me don't know what a LGMC is either.
A badass mech in MechWarrior 5. What I imagine Amaris wanted the "Matar" to be.
My favorite mech alongside the Bushwacker. My 000 with 6 ac/2s and 10 tons of ammo has been a very fun build to use as long as I don't get focused on early for being in an assault.
Love the MEchCommander 2 Steiner theme, glad it's being honored here. As for the rest, the main subject of the video, flawless
This is my favorite mech by far. Does it have problems? Yes. Is it a gamble to use? Sometimes, yes. Is it the best assault mech? Probably not, a lot of people would say other assaults outclass it...
But does it look cool? Yeah. Does it do its job? Also yeah, in most cases... Is it fun to use? Hell yeah it is. And I am, and will forever remain eternally heartbroken that It technically cannot melee with its "claws"
But hey... hail to the king, baby. Long live the King Crab.
King Crab was my intro to Battletech and my all time favourite design. I made a custom variant once, mostly to see if it was viable, with an LBX-20, twin UAC 5s, Guardian ECM and BEagle Probe, Streak-SRM6 and two Medium Pulse Lasers, twin AMS, Light Engine and Endo Steel with 19.5 tons of armour. It was a tight fit and I needed a lot of Clan tech (I figure the pilot rips the tech off defeated Clan mechs and integrates it to his King Crab) but it did work, and its scary.
The Atlas is the meathead mech. Throw it at things and forget it. The King Crab feels more intelligent, like a brooding ambush predator that strikes so suddenly and viciously you almost don't register it. People are anxious at squaring up to an Atlas, Mechwarriors *fear* fighting a King Crab.
The biggest thing missing from MW5 - usable Crab claws. How satisfying would it be to crumch your way through artillery barrels with those monster claws, and not even have to use heat?
As an aside, while its torso does twist in MW5, its arms only articulate up and down, not left to right - so there is still definitely some reduced lateral mobility there.
Rumors say that the outer casing of the KGC-001's gauss slugs have a single sentence engraved on them:
"Get Focht'd"
(This is a joke, I don't think there's anything in-universe that would support this lol)
Probably some merc that found a KGC fixed it up though it would be funny to do that with billions of humans and story's in the inter sphear anything could happen
At the very least, 1 Comstar MechWarrior who served with Anastasia Fohct, and also piloted a King Crab. The Com Guards had a lot of pilots there at Tukkayid.
bit of comment necromancy but I can totally see a bandit kingdom/merc pilot doing this if they had to deal with them often enough
An original, gorgeous design like its little brother and very much hitting a soft spot for me due to my love of the thrill of rolling dice for that AC20.
The King Crab (edit thank you for mentioning my fav varient the 010!) was the first assault mech I ever saw when getting into Battletech. It was the most awe inspiring thing I’d ever seen and I immediately fell in love. I will stupidly choose a KC over an Atlas in my assault mech even to my detriment. All so that I can hear the Wheatley Crab song in my head as it waddles into battle.
I am picture someone encountering a 010 thinking it's a 000, knowing those autocannons only reach out to 270 meters, but BOOM there it is at 540 meters 🙂.
This is exactly why i mod my KGC's with smaller, longer range UAC's and an enhanced auxilery armament. At the cost of a little armor, but who cares when i can core you from 3x the original effective range of the 000
Massive head area and torso makes it extremely vulnerable to LRMS raining down on it. It arms are also mounted very low making it unable to fire over simple obstacles, or hills without having to crest over it and expose itself. It's side profile is also massive making it easy to hit at all ranges. The King Crab has to hide within the confines of a urban setting to survive.
Won the side tournament at the English nationals this year with a king crab variant packing two plasma rifles. People panic and get cautious when they might gain surprise heat.
The King Crab is the closest physical representation of pure murder that exists. If Satan was a mechwarrior, this would be his ride.
The King Crab is probably my favorite mech in BattleTech, it is what I consider a "cannibal mech", a mech that preys on mechs of its own size category, but that is actually a major drawback for an assault mech, the King Crab needs an escort, smaller faster mechs to hound foes that are "beneath" the mighty King.
A good lance formation that I run on the Table Top (classic BattleTech) is a King Crab (usually the 001), a Crab (50 ton energy boat), a Blackjack (usually the BJ-3 for the PPC's, but also for the fact that it can hit as hard as the King Crab... once), and a Phoenix Hawk with an ER PPC for chasing runners and lights.
The Crabs are reasonably tough mechs and can take a beating (any crab not getting shot at is a crab that isn't in the fight, you payed for armor, use it.), the BJ and Hawk are snipers to pick off stragglers and runners, as well as either open up holes for the Crabs, or finish what the Crabs started, and Kerensky knows, the Crabs will start a lot.
My first experience with the King Crab was blowing off the cockpit at engagement range before it could act, meaning until I confronted one in an urban battle I was quite dismissive of it as a lumbering mech that lacked versatility or tools to engage effectively in most situations.
I appreciate the concept of it but I have never found it to serve as well as it does on paper though that's mostly true for all assault mechs in my experience.
I love this machine in MW5: LLas and LRM15 are ideal for anti-air and indirect fire lance support; no need to fire the AC20s until you can find the enemy cockpit.
The 000's light ammo load matches the Bombardier... I guess SLDF relied on numerical superiority and supply train to the point where their mechs just don't need to fire for longer than a minute at a time.
I fitted dual Level-5 Heavy Rifles on my KC. The damage of AC/20s, the weight of AC/5s and the range and shell velocity of AC/2s.
Frees up enough weight to load all the ammo you would ever need, max out the armor and fill it up with heat-sinks to deal with the additional heat of the HRs (not that bad, actually, since the ROF is much slower than the AC/20s - which is, of course, the main drawback) and _still_ enough tonnage left to upgrade the LRM to an LRM-20.
@@EllenbergW Rifles seemed pretty slow and lobby for my tastes. Are they really AC2 tier?
@@DIEGhostfish In contrast to ACs, Rifles are the other way around.
The larger they are, the higher the shell velocity and the larger the range.
Those Level-5 HRs have:
23.4 damage, 825m range, 1500 m/s projectile speed and a ROF of 8 RPM
Ohhh yeah, god I love this thing. I upgunned mine to U-AC20s, tossed on a laser AMS, and case for my 4 tons of ammo. Pairing that with double heat sinks, and upgraded targeting computer and ferro fibrous armor and I still come up 5 tons light
This ‘Mech shares a lot of the same qualities as the Annihilators. You don’t field such machines because you want to survive, or because you need a combat role fulfilled.
No, you field these mechanical kaiju because your opponent dropped something big, mean, and slow, and you want it dead, *NOW.*
Possibly the ultimate urban brawler. Still, I generally prefer other 100 tonners, the KC is fearsome, but it's lack of speed and limited ammo for it's primary weapons (not to mention it's short range) are serious liabilities.
It's variants are horrifying. lol
@@BigRed40TECH Oh yeah.
The Clanbuster in particular is a fearsome mech. I'd go as far as to say it's the pinnacle of King Crab design.
what if we had slaved a pair of AC20 urbies to it as a variant?
@@malusignatius with the clan buster, I would have ditched lasers and lrms as they are no longer needed as the gauss easily compensates. Instead, I would bracket 3 srm6 launchers in their place because once in that range their should be plenty of holes for those missles to find.
@@eddapultstab2078 Fair.
I was avoiding custom builds, but yeah, that would be a totally viable strategy.
Crabcrab is good friend in all lands.
Easily my favorite Assault. The combo of paired AC/20, plus armor, a useful LRM and Laser to back up and soften the target for the King Crab's claws.
That and as a Mech... Damn does it look intimidating and cool.
This guy just looks the absolute part. It’s something that I find is often more loved for the weapons it bears by default than for the mech itself, but I think if you pop a couple UAC/10s on it, with a scattering of medium lasers and SRM systems (say, three medium lasers and four SRM2 systems - I’m talking HBS here, more than anything as my copy of the TTG still has not arrived from the states) it will PROBABLY eat a mech a turn. Or, you can swap out those lasers and missiles for a long range package - I’ve had a lot of joy with 2 UAC5s, four LRM5s and two large lasers. I just don’t like the idea of something that slow being so short-ranged and with so little ammo, but that’s personal preference.
What I’m trying to say is, look at the mech, rather than those dual AC/20s and there’s a *lot* to love there. It is probably my favourite assault from an aesthetic position - it just looks unbelievably intimidating - and it’s flexible loadout options mean that you don’t have to just run with a couple of AC/20 shots - you can make it a viable and effective troublemaker at any range.
There is one you can obtain in MW5 that has FOUR UAC5s! It’s like having an “I win!” Button!
King Crab: accept no substitute. And if you like the gunslinger AC/20 loadout, just know that I love you, you goddamn maniac.
CRAB PEOPLE CRAB PEOPLE
I turn the 4Uac5 into a 2 gaus 5 SRM6 monster.
I remember when FASA released the Clans, this was the beginning of the end of FASA BattleTech.
I think the real beginning of the end was the Fedcom Civil War tbh. What a trainwreck that was. :\
@@BigRed40TECH I remember FASA saying the Fedcom Civil War had to happen so the Clans could invade.
Swapping the AC/20s with Gauss Rifles can be a *nasty* surprise expecting a close range brawler.
The King Crab is a great design when you need something heavily armored to just plow forwards. The downside is it's not a very flexible mech and a lighter mech could wear it down at range; as long as it had enough cover.
I did use one in the HBS game; twin UAC/20s, SRMs and quad Small Lasers. It's job was to run up close as everything else fired and then *maul* whatever it met in close range. Useless at range, but once in close there was no question; you were dead.
Funny thing is i dint even know about the KGC-011 but basically made it on Battletech 3062. It was a clan king crab with 2 lbx 20s and 2 er clan ppcs a 380 xl clan engine and clan ferro with a supercharger and the pilot was full piloting. The beast could solo most missions since it could 1 shot any mech by fishing for back attacks with its super speed.
All it needs is missles and this would be unstoppable
@@mechzilla569 The massive engine made it so i dint have a huge amount of weight to work with (not to mention 2 lbx 20s being super heavy), i also had max armor. If i did fit in clans srm 6s i would have to get rid of lbx ammo. It was a compromise between more sustained firepower or higher alpha strike, i try for my mechs to have at least 10 rounds worth of ammo so i couldnt fit in the srms. I could shave armor but usually when you back attack it leaves you exposed to being back attacked too, so you need every shred of armor you can specially with how expensive all the components were.
@@frking100 understandable but it definitely has a higher shot at reality going full on clan tech (usually smaller and lighter for the same effect)
I converted the two AC20s into two Gauss Rifles and added two tons of ammo per weapon. These give it long range along with a better ballistic targeting and tracking system. For short range combat, I equipped it with Inferno rockets and four Flamers. Along with some arm mods, these give it enough short range punch to demolish any heavy, medium, or light mech that can't avoid its weapons.
What mods?
Remembering back to my first complete run of Battletech unmodded, I remember getting a 000 and thinking "Crab pincers go brrr" as I slapped 2 Melee Damage mod+++ into the mech. Had to say goodbye to the AC-20s, but I think I can live with that.
It was a sight to behold seeing my King Crab lumber up to an Atlas and cleave off several components with a single hit on multiple occasions. I think the total melee damage number was around 220 physical, although I will likely be off since it's been so long.
I turned my 0000 into a double heat sink enahnced, somewhat lighter armor long range annihilation platform. UAC5's, 2 ER large lasers, 2 LRM 10 or 15s (i dont remember which)
It laid out comfortable damage every, single, round.
"...once this mech came out of its shell..." omg the crab puns... >_
This was quite possibly your best episode yet. I've always been a huge fan of the King Crab.
Took the longest to do, that's for sure. lol
Delivering clamps with extreme prejudice since the SLDF days.
The Marauder was my all time favorite. Watching this video..I think that has changed....I'm gonna watch the video again..um anyone got a cigarette?
I personally prefer to replace the torso mounted large laser with 4 medium lasers (ER medium lasers if later era) and an additional heatsink. Shorter range and probably a slightly higher heat level, but it definitely increases the short range lethality. Downgrade the the LRM20 to an LRM10, upgrade the AC20s to UAC20s, and add a pair of either SRM4s or 6s and and watch as you basically turn the entire front arc of your machine into a kill zone.
Now if only I could take the ECM of the 008 variant, and the Gauss Rifles of the Clanbuster Variant. Luv me King Crab, simple as.
Also, May the blessed peace of Blake be upon thee.
The king crab is the concept of a combined arms force in action. The mech is meant to close combat arm to any lance. It's the Mr. T of the assault lance with the atlas as Hannibal, the striker as faceman and the banshee as Murdock, because he's funny like that.
My point is that the king crab does not need to be an all around fighting machine, it just needs to be able cover the deficiencies of its teammates.
I see it like an ambusher. Hide in the sand. When something comes attack and then hide again, like a real crab.
King. Good. Even the people that think it's a bad mech aren't too keen to face it's AC20 pincers.
*snaps pinchers in approval*
I was a noob at MWO and took the free to play King Crab into frozen city.
So anyway I started blasting.
I started my assault at E5 and basically fired my AC5s non-stop for what only felt like a minute wrecking anything that stood in my way while the rest of the team mopped up (and presumably watched my back, but all I could see were the enemies)
I don't remember how many kills but It was a 1025 dmg game. I felt like a god.
I’m still loving the use of mw4 music, that whole album is epic and fits your videos very well 🙌🏼🙌🏼
I have decided to watch my favorite TH-camr during school hours. 1 hour into school 🤣 king crab is a badass mech
Watching on the school iPads are fun :)
I always die playing the king crab, i can never understand how to use it without dying. It’s why I prefer the atlas over it, though its medium counterpart, the crab. I prefer more than the king crab, i only use it to feel amazing like an unstoppable force
The 000 really should have used Double Heat Sinks, if only to free up five tons for more AC ammo.
Yep- but cost-savings came from somewhere lol
@@BigRed40TECH DHS are cheap
@@zarthemad8386 FASAnomics have neever been accurate.
Earlier it was the Kintaro (my favorite medium) and now a 45 min video of my favorite assault?!
Is it my birthday?
Will the Il Clan finally taste inner sphere 'hospitality'?
Will the Capelans finally get squashed like the bugs that they are?
Im not sure what's happening but meet me at Canopus boys!
My treat!
Definitely one of the coolest looking mechs
"...the bleeding edge of carsinization!"
What a turn of phrase!
Hail to the king, Baby.
The 009 is my favorite variant. Those dual plasma rifles are evil and if anything gets close, two MML7s will wreck your day!
Mess with the King Crabbo, get the blammo.
GIANT ENEMY CRAB. ATTACK ITS HARDPOINTS FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE.
No! Embrace Crab!
I've been running mine with 2x Gauss, 1x Artemis IV SRM6, 1x ER PPC. No need for LRM with the ER laser, and with how much ammo the SRM can carry by comparison - far more useful.
Pilot sniping really simplifies everything, and I end up with 130 rounds of ammo for the gauss.
In MW5 I've been able to salvage multiple mechs, only needing to replace the cockpit and repair the armour.
Love the King Crab!! Terrifying having two AC/20s.
When I destroy a mech with a King crab, I play the crab rave song in celebration.
Favorite bit was its effects on the history of the setting. The clan part was fantastic.
I'm just happy to be here
I love the King Crab KGC-010, it's truly a monster of a 'Mech.
This mech is amazing. Its a straight up killer. I love piloting one, makes me feel like queen bee on the field.
The Redesign is SO DAMN GOOD. Did PGI start the new look before Catalyst? I've never been too clear on that.
PGI did it first.
@@BigRed40TECH I figured, I have one of the King Crab Clix mechs and it's definitely the old design. The new design is so much more predatory than the kinda goofy 2nd design. We shall not mention the original art.
Brilliant
Big take on a big hitter
Look, there is no way we'll run into an ambush and if we do they won't have the firepower to do anything to your mech. - How to summon one of the rare mechs. The chances to find one are low, but there will be always the chance. As clanners did find out, a really big cannon will punch through a lot of fancy tech.
I love this thing so much, idk why. But I really like it.
the snap of the king crab pincers is heard twice
once when they snap closed
and once when the ac-20s fire
in battletech i give mine two ac10 an lrm15 and two medium lasers. this lets me max out the armour and with five tons of ammo it has all the endurance it needs. two of these make perfect backup for my atlas.
Thanks for the shout, homie!
No! Thank you for letting me use that wonderful art piece. :)
My most favorite Mech!
30 years ago when I first got into Battletech, I fell in love with the Atlas.
Now, I'm a crab man. Twin AC/20's will do that.
Even as a King. The King Crab still can't do the Crab Dance or Crab Walk. What is next? Emperor Crab? God Crab? H4X0R Crab? Oh, wait, that one is a build.
The God Crab will descend upon us one day. All will be crab!
My all time favourite Battlemech! It may not posses the near invulnerability of an Atlas, the reach of an Awesome, or the mobility of a Victor or Highlander, but the sheer firepower in its pincers alone will make any of them think twice before engaging it, especially up close. The clan buster is possibly the most dangerous as it can give even clan omnimechs a run for their c-bills. It also has one of the best cockpits in terms of room and peripheral vision. All in all an excellent briefing on this crustaceous colossus.
P.S perhaps you may look into Defiance Industries Fafnir in future. It is another fearsome 100 ton monster with a colourful history.
I'm going to cover everything at some point, or at least that's the plan.
Definitely my favourite assault mech, I’m curious what the Clanners will do when they eventually decide to retrofit these bad boys.
dual rotary AC20s. and a quad of medium lasers for long range.
In Mechwarrior 5 a King Crab with 6 heavy rifles leaves every mech it shoots as a smoking pair of boots
I remember when I still played MWO, I used to field a KGC with six Rotary AC2s. That was one mean BRRRT!-dispenser. Even more so since you could hide one half of the mech in cover and fire three RAC-2s at a time without ghost-heat penalty.
@@ranekeisenkralle8265 King Crab 000-A10 lmao
@@quicksilver-vv768 Pretty much. yes.
Now this a large chonker of a mech. Give 'em all the Big Peeench.
Whenever I look at the designs given in the books it's obvious they are dueling machines, not vehicles designed for war.
Personally I think the extra cost of double heat sinks is nothing compared to replacing a whole mech (especially an assault mech) or it's even more valuable pilot.
I prefer to use 12 2xHS and use the freed tonnage to double the ammunition for the AC's and increase the armour to max. This allows the King Crab to fire both ACs and the large laser AND run without a glance at the heat scale.
This is not a mech to send out on it's own but one to be a part of a lance where the other mechs have energy weapons so they can cover each other's weaknesses.
Ah the King Crab I have found memories of this mech. I remember someone stepping on a disabled elemental with it and this was during my light lance phase. Revenge for my Wasp! 8 just had it repaired! Fucking dice.
I had to fight one of these in battlemech.. it was scary.. I used little mechs to get behind it and keep dodging.. it worked eventually .. if it’s escort had survived I would have gotten thrashed
I like that picture chosen for the clan invasion part. Just a King Crab bitch slapping a Mad Cat, while two regular dudes with pistols dog pile a Elemental in full armor.
How I've waited for this moment....