Mech Quirks
The following is a list of quirks and their effects that can be found in BTA. Quirks are a feature of BTA that serves to further differentiate 'mechs from one another. These act as multipliers, positive or negative, to the effectiveness and usability of 'mechs.
Mech Quirk: 360 Degree Field Of Fire
Fire in any direction regardless of facing
Mech Quirk: Avionics
Enables AirMech mode. While in AirMech mode: take 10% more damage, stability threshold -40, 100% faster walk speed, +0.2 sprint, ignore terrain and landmines for movement, 360 degree firing arc
Avionics enables the extreme mobility of LAM 'mechs through the AirMech mode at the expense of increased vulnerability. Generally speaking this is a highly effective quirk, enabling LAMs to maneuver freely around the battlefield.
Mech Quirk: Battlefists
Punches do +X% more stability damage, punches do +X% more damage, punch attacks have +X accuracy. +1 accuracy with ranged weapons.
This quirk is as simple as it gets. Your punches connect more often and hit harder. The usefulness of this quirk is affected by several factors - the tonnage of the mech, the hardpoints it has available, and the location of those hardpoints on the mech.
As an example: with a medium mech like the Hunchback, having a punch doing the equivalent of an AC/5 is not to be underestimated. Additionally, the Hunchback can get up to impressive speeds in order to close in with its fists. Most Hunchbacks also have the majority of their weapons loaded in their torso, allowing them to punch AND alpha-strike a target as most if not all their weapons can fire in melee.
Conversely, on the Atlas this quirk can be a little harder to get good use out of. The additional punch damage on the Atlas is quite nice as it allows them to get one-hit-kills if they hit the cockpit, however it is very costly to configure an Atlas to move fast enough to be able to get use out of the fists. Yes, when an Atlas connects with its fists, it will hurt, but for about the same weight commitment you might as well put more ranged weapons on it giving more consistent damage at longer ranges.
So generally speaking, the lower the tonnage of the mech which has this quirk, the more it can build around it.
This does not mean the quirk is useless on assault mechs however, for the quirk is in effect a free Lower Arm and Hand Actuator with additional bonuses, at the cost of an additional critical slot, so a mech with this quirk is also more accurate with arm-mounted weapons.
Overall this quirk is a good one on mechs. It gives more than it takes away and allows for flexible mech building.
Mech Quirk: Clan Mech
+10% walking distance, +10% sprinting distance, +10% jump distance, +1 accuracy with ranged weapons, -6 heat at the end of the turn, -30 melee accuracy
With only a few exceptions, all Clan 'mechs come with this quirk, and it is a significant factor in why Clanners are a dangerous foe. Assuming equal tonnage, Clan mechs can move faster, jump further and are more accurate with their ranged weapons. This is somewhat counterbalanced by Clan 'mechs having lower total armour values than IS 'mechs.
This quirk is a major game changer if you are looking to use high heat, low accuracy weapons such asHeavy Lasers, Bombast Lasers, or [Weapons#Variable_MRMs|VMRMs]].
The -30 melee accuracy associated with the quirk is a downer for those who like to get in the face of their opponents, but in reality Clan 'mechs can survive in a brawl by utilising their support weapons to knife-fight instead of getting the paint on their (mostly) non-existent knuckles scratched.
In summary: this quirk is great. It gives you almost everything you want in a mech with a mostly negligible drawback.
Mech Quirk: Combat Computer
-6 heat per turn
Nothing much to say about this quirk except that it's a free DHS. The only downside is that it takes up the slot where you might want to put a Rangefinder which isn't a great loss.
Mech Quirk: Command Mech
+1 initiative
This quirk is the equivalent of half of the Master Tactician ability. Both strategically and tactically it is a wonderful quirk as it allows a 'mech to act faster, bringing better firepower into its initiative phase. This might make the difference between an enemy getting a turn to shoot its scary payload at you or being a smoking wreck before its turn comes.
The quirk does carry with it one drawback: it takes up the same sensor slot that TTS modules are installed in. This makes the 'mech's accuracy unscaleable and limits your options if you ever find yourself with free tonnage but no extra critical slots for more gear. Overall this is not a significant issue though, as the benefits can be seen to outweight the cost.
This is an excellent quirk to have. It pales in comparision to its [[Pilot Affinities|Affinity} counterpart which doesn't take up a useful slot on the mech, but in combination with the Pilot Master Tactician ability and the Mech Affinity which also gives + initiative, you get 40 additional tons of payload to use at its initiative phase. Nothing to turn up your nose at.
Mech Quirk: Cowl
Adds X structure and armor to the head
Well, it's free HP for your mech. The major issue with it is that it's insurance for an unlucky headshot and provides nothing else except in that one situation. Realistically you'd want something that provides a more consistent benefit. At least it does not hog up a critical slot on your mech, so it's totally a boon. Just that competitively with other quirks, it brings very little.
Mech Quirk: Easy To Pilot
+10% walking distance
This quirk is always welcome for the weight savings it can bring. You do not need as big of an engine on the 'mech with this quirk in order to gain the same movement range. On assault 'mechs this weight savings can be huge. On smaller 'mechs, think of it as a alternative MASC/Supercharger without the tonnage requirement nor the heat malus. It does take up the gyro slot so there's a downside to it, but arguably unless the gyro you want to put in is a melee or stability one, you can usually get the same benefits as a lower end defense gyro with the additional evasion you can get by moving farther.
Tangentially, there's also the benefit that better movement allows your mech to get better range brackets which in turn helps hit percentages.
In summary: it's great stuff. Getting extra movement is usually a costly investment in 'mechs, so this gives many more benefits than it appears to at first glance.
Mech Quirk: Easy To Maintain
Fast Refits. Mech variants can be assembled with only 1 part as long as you have sufficient parts from other variants to complete it.
This quirk is especially useful in the early stages of the game when you are still collecting equipment and mechs and allows for easier upgrading of your lance. It allows you to assemble mechs, change loadouts, and repair the 'mech in question quicker and for less C-bills. The downside is that it takes up the gyro slot so defensively the 'mech will suffer not being able to mount a gyro.
In short, the advantages outweigh any disadvantages it may have.
Mech Quirk: Hardened Cockpit
+3 injuries resisted, 45 extra armor added to the head
Hardened cockpit is unique to the Monster and serves to make it even tankier.
Mech Quirk: Hero Mech
+1 accuracy with ranged weapons, -6 heat at the end of the turn, +2 increased resolve gain
The hero mech quirk is unique to the Category:Hero Mechs and serves to make them even more dangerous, similar to how the Clan mech functions.
Mech Quirk: Improved Cooling
-3 heat per turn
At first glance this seems a worse version of the Combat Computer, which gives -6 heat per turn, but then again, it does not take up a slot which you might want to reserve for something else. So it's a free SHS saving you 1 ton and/or a critical slot.
In short, nothing to complain about except for those who just have a need to complain.
Mech Quirk: Improved Communications
+1/+2/+3/+4 increased resolve gain for all lance members
Another relatively free quirk as it only takes up the Rangefinder slot. This is one of the quirks that dispenses its value the moment you deploy on the battlefield and is active throughout the battle. Compare this effect with that of the Cowl and it looks really really good, but then most quirks look good in that light. Easier resolve gain equates to faster access to the Inspired accuracy modifiers and more liberal use of morale abilities which is always good.
It's a great quirk. It does not sacrifice the flexibility nor the modularity of the mech in any significant way.
Mech Quirk: Improved Life Support
+1/+2 bonus pilot health, immune to pilot bleedouts
Just like the Cowl, this is a quirk that does nothing until it does something. Well, at least it does not take away anything since it does not interfere with any hardpoint slot.
In short, yes, it's totally free, and situationally useful.
Mech Quirk: Improved Sensors
+10%/+15% increased sensor range, +15%/+20% increased sight range
A quirk that combines a Rangefinder and the passive benefits of an Active Probe. The slot it takes up is the Rangefinder slot, which it replaces with a Rangefinder-ish effect which is only inferior to the high-end Rangefinders.
This quirk gives you gives a lot and asks for nothing in return. What more could you ask for? More direct benefits? Sheesh.
Mech Quirk: Improved Targeting
+1 accuracy with ranged weapons
This quirk looks pretty great at first glance. On the second glance it's still great. It doesn't take up a critical slot on the 'mech and is the equivalent of a standard TTS, so it gives savings of 1 ton which can be stacked with an additional TTS, reducing RNGesus' chance to ruin your shots.
It's good enough. Just kidding, it's great.
Mech Quirk: LAM
+20% jump distance, +1 evasion pips gained from movement
Goes hand-in-hand with the Avionics quirk. The jump boost is really only beneficial when you're in the standard 'mech mode as jump distance is irrelevant when you're in AirMech mode, though the bonus evasion is always useful.
Mech Quirk: Melee Weapon
This mech has a melee weapon
This used to make players swoon. It has since suffered somewhat with the new Brawler ability and the melee changes. This provides the 'mech with a hard-hitting melee blow allowing for increased tactical flexibility when in melee range. It costs nothing except the tonnage and slots (dependent on melee weapon type) needed in the respective arm. The damage is usually nothing to sneeze at, particularly if used on targets of the same weight class or lower.
This is a cool quirk to have, more so than Battlefists. It somewhat predisposes the 'mech with the quirk to being built around the use of the weapon.
Mech Quirk: Multitrac
Grants the multishot pilot ability to pilots that do not already have the ability
This quirk effectively frees up pilots to take up another ability in their skill trees. For pilots specialising in Gunnery this allows them to take Battlelord which gives a significant offensive boost when activated. However, the quirk takes up the slot needed for FCS modules, so it cannot combine FCS ADV TC to get an additional free Precision Shot perk. Regardless, it is wonderful just by virtue of being a free pilot ability.
This quirk is quite special in that it allows the player to play with a more varied Pilot ability selection and by extension unit role in the lance.
Mech Quirk: Narrow Profile
+1/+2 defense against being hit
or
+1 defense against being hit and +1 evasion pips gained from movement
This is one of those quirks which give a free benefit but limits the 'mech from scaling in the late game. In this case, the quirk is equivalent to a Defense Gyro but as it takes up the gyro slot the 'mech in question cannot install advanced Gyros which offer better perks. It's free though
In short, it's good. With the downside being that it demands a monogamous relationship with your Gyro slot.
Mech Quirk: Nimble Jumper
+15% jump distance
The backstabber quirk. Movement enhancing quirks are always good and this, like the Easy to Pilot quirk gives you more than it might appear to. That said, this obviously requires jump jets to use but arguably allows for greater flexibility compared to Easy to Pilot in regards to the ability to backstab. It takes the Gyro slot, but this is not a big deal, as the additional mobility it provides will mitigate the lack of a Defensive Gyro somewhat.
This is a great quirk adding to the tactical flexibility of a mech.
Mech Quirk: OmniMech
Fast Refits - Mech variants can be assembled with only 1 part as long as you have sufficient parts from other variants to complete it. BA can mount on OmniMechs
This has the same effect as the Easy To Maintain quirk with some additional qualities. Firstly, OmniMechs come with several fixed compoonents which don't need to be replaced with new components if damaged or destroyed. Secondly, they mount omni hardpoints which allow the 'mech to fit any weapon type on it and is only limited by weight and number of critical slots in that location. This means an OmniMech, if you are playing on 100% recovery, can always be repaired and brought back to service, since you do not need an engine core to replace if it is cored. The downside though is you cannot adjust the 'mech's movement rate. On some mechs this combination of qualities is a boon, while on others it makes them lacklustre.
Note also that on Clan Mechs, they can have both the Clan Mech quirk as well as the OmniMech quirk. This inherently makes Clan Omnimechs superior to IS Omnimechs.
In short, this quirk sacrifices a mech's movement modularity for weapons modularity. The usefulness of this varies.
Mech Quirk: Primitive
+50% structure points, 50% resistance to critical hits, -40% sensor range, -20% sight range, +20% engine weight
This quirk is great. Great in the sense that it sacrifices all respectability to make the other quirks look really really good. Primitive 'mechs are slightly harder to kill but the cost is far too high.
Primitive 'mechs suck. Only use them if you've got absolutely nothing else or you enjoy a challenge.
Mech Quirk: Reinforcement
50% resistance against critical hits
Another one of those quirks that is situationally useful. It's good in that you when you do take structure damage you want to avoid being crit but generally speaking you should really avoid taking as much structure damage as possible.
This is mostly useless. There's almost always a better option. At least it's not as bad as the Primitive 'mech quirk.
Mech Quirk: Royal
-12 heat at the end of the turn
It's a free Improved Heat Bank on top of whatever other quirk the 'mech has. It's great.
Mech Quirk: Rugged
+X extra structure points, +X bonus stability threshold. Changes based on mech tonnage.
Another freeloader. When this quirk is being useful your 'mech is usually already in a bad place. It does not save you repair costs, but at least it might save the mech itself from complete destruction. The kicker is that this takes up the Gyro slot, meaning the 'mech is deprived of defensive equipment such as a Defense Gyro. So, in effect, you exchange a shield which can protect you from damage for a skeleton that takes more damage to die. Not a good trade off.
Mech Quirk: Stabilized Weapon - X
-X recoil with X weapons
This is like Improved Targeting, except it is not active all the time and is only relevant to ballistics or artillery platforms. It only kicks in after you fire the first shot, usually allowing your subsequent weapons fire to be as accurate as the initial shot. However, it takes up the Gyro slot which on artillery mechs is not such a big deal, but on skirmishing or brawling ballistic 'mech can be more of an issue. What's nice about this quirk is that you can combine it with a TTS to make the 'mech really accurate.
In short, a rather unique quirk that often pigeonholes the 'mech into a fire support role as it won't have the benefits of Defensive Gyros to brawl well, but with it, the 'mech can fire consistenyl accurate shots.
Mech Quirk: Super Sensors
30% boost to sensor and sight range, +1 accuracy against enemies w/in 150m of the Ostscout
Super Sensors is an up-sized version of the affinity Keen Eyed. It makes scout mechs scout harder which can be quite handy.
Mech Quirk: Torso Turret
+2 accuracy with ranged weapons in the same location as the turret, fire in any direction regardless of facing
On Quad Mechs it's a generally excellent quirk. On the Phoenix we rate it as bad, because it is located on the left side torso which has limited hardpoints on it: only a missile slot and a couple of support slots. As it is, it is definitely a more niche quirk than Improved Targeting. Furthermore, it takes up a slot on the side torso which could be used for something else.