Hear that sizzle? Something's cooking. Odds are, it's either a Nova Cat or the
current object of its affections. But let's cover the basics before we go into that.
The Nova Cat is a decently fast mech, has three component options, and has tolerable
acceleration, deceleration, and torso statistics. It also represents an oddity in
that it and the Thor together represent the only case in MechWarrior 4 where two mechs of
the same tech type (Clan vs. Inner Sphere) have the same tonnage. Any particular strengths or weaknesses on the Nova Cat? Yes,
and we can cover them together easily enough. The Nova Cat is singular of purpose,
especially for a Clan mech. It has fifteen weapons slots, a good number for its size, and
a respectable four omni slots. The other eleven slots are devoted solely to beam weapons.
You don't like beam weapons? Get another mech. The slots are conveniently arranged in
groups of at least three, with the exception of the group of two beam slots on the torso,
so just fitting in those three-slot ERPPCs is not a problem. The only real problem
with the large weapon groupings is that all but the aforementioned group of two are
located in the mech's arms. Take off a Nova Cat's arms and you remove virtually all of its
offensive capability. Compounding that weakness is that the arms are larger and easier to
shoot off than those of most mechs.
The Nova Cat also has the fourth-best
available-tons-to-weight ratio of any mech, so there are plenty of points to spend on
those beam weapons. Heat, then, becomes a major concern. Do not skimp on the
heat sinks with this mech. Nova Cats have been known to shudder upon seeing the Dustbowl
map loading. Also, don't be afraid to drop a nice big ballistic weapon or two into
the omni slots. The low heat buildup can really help.
The Nova Cat is capable of mounting up to seven large
lasers, a record for MW4. That creates an absolutely nasty mech, though one simply
incapable of managing its heat output. Shutdowns and explosions from overheat will occur.
The Nova Cat also makes for a good Capture the Flag mech; with enough points put into its
engine, it can reach speeds fast enough to allow it to function as a good linebacker, fast
enough to run with the flag carriers for a while, and even carry the flag in a pinch. The
'Cat isn't quite as good at this as the Loki is, though.
If you're attracted by the concept of annoying your fellow
gamers, fill a Nova Cat up with flamers and heat up your enemies until they shut
down. Heat, then repeat.
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Loki
