Last Updated: 16-May-2016

Many thanks to /u/levitas for purchasing an Urbanmech for me so I could write about it <3

Overview

This mech is a joke. Literally, it was an April Fool’s joke a few years ago and something that the community has joked about since the game came out. BUT it was released, and thanks to things like quirks and hitboxes and stuffs, it’s not actually trash. It just happens to look like a trash can, is all.

The variants all have ballistics in their right arm and energy in the left arm & sometimes torso, so the main differences between them come up when you look at quirks, with the main other concern being the number of energy hardpoints (as unless you are using machine guns, you’re…unlikely to use more than one ballistic hardpoint). The best variant in my experience, as a result, is the UM-R60L, thanks to the 4 energy hardpoints and the energy quirks it gets. After that, the UM-R60 has the best energy quirks in addition to having the most ballistics for machine gun boating, and the UM-R63 ends up as the ballistic specialist which can’t mount much in the way of ballistics.

Chassis-Wide Information

Strengths

Decently high mounts and a high cockpit make poptarting or hill peaking an option a lot of the time. However, they are not Raven height, and you will have to show a significant mount of your lid if you want to shoot anything.

Torso hitboxes are pretty great – due to the trash can shape, it can be hard to isolate side torsos and, using them along with your arms, you can shield pretty effectively for a “light” mech.

Weaknesses

It is an IS light mech (so no clan tech) with a top speed of 104.5 KPH, with very limited hardpoints. This means both your offensive and defensive power are weakened right off the bat, and a lack of the extreme quirks of mechs like Hunchbacks means you can’t compete very well.

It can mount a STD60 which is just the worst thing ever. Not really a con since you don’t have to, but it’s worth mentioning.

Generic Tips

Don’t use the STD60. The way that MWO’s aiming system is set up, it takes a while for the targeting reticle to catch up to where you’ve moved your mouse, and the real problem is that it decelerates as it approaches your mouse. You can fix this by holding down shift (for arm lock), but that’s annoying too. Oh yeah and you go 35.6 KPH.

Play like a slow Clan light instead of an IS light and use hit and run tactics over just brawling or sniping. You can’t stand up in a true firefight as you don’t have the armor nor speed of a real mech, so try to maneuver to the enemy’s flanks and blind spots and hit them from there.

The 360 torso twist isn’t such a huge deal as to make a bad mech viable, but it can be useful. For a while, it can be like you’re fighting instinct, but eventually you’ll be used to the ability to turn your legs either way when you’re fleeing or encircling an enemy mech. On a related note…

Builds

If you’re not familiar with my Inner Sphere Master Guides, each pretty much follows the same formula. Each variant gets its own section; within that section I try to include at least two main builds, each with a few variations on the core principle (if applicable).

Each build has one paragraph about the build itself – going over anything I feel is relevant to understanding it such as quirks, tonnage issues, how it fits the meta, my general feeling about it…just whatever. And then there’s a paragraph about using the build, going over tactics, tips, and whatever I feel is relevant to that, including links to L2P guides, on occasion.

I may miss a build that you like, or my builds may differ slightly from what you find works best for you because our philosophies may differ – I strongly encourage that you experiment for yourself to see what works best for you.

The modules are listed in order of which one is most important and the consumables I’ve listed are the ones that are generally the best, but while leveling the mech you may want to swap the less important consumable out for a UAV. That is, if you can afford to use consumables at all (they aren’t necessary, just nice, and if you’re low on C-Bills they’re not necessarily worth it).

On with it!

UM-R60L

This is the energy boat, which makes it easily the best variant. Its most useful quirks are the 10% energy range and 5% laser duration, but it also has 20% to ballistic range and velocity, and 10+10% AC/20 Cooldown. On top of all that, it gets a bonus 18% heat dissipation, and 5 extra structure pretty much across the board.

Build 1:

This is one of the several laser spewing builds that work best on this variant. Your firepower, DPS, and pretty much everything else definitely leave something to be desired, but it’s pretty much as good as it gets for an Urbanmech.

Ideally you want to find a bunch of places you can poke over and to the left of in order to minimize your exposure profile and time. A good strategy for this is to rotate out a bit to the left of your team (so long as there’s solid cover for you to retreat through) and hit the enemy from there, as they’re less likely to be able to return fire.

Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

Weapon Modules: Medium Laser Range, LPL Range

Consumables: Cool Shot, Artillery Strike

Wubs Version

This is definitely a shorter-range style of build, though you still don’t want to be brawling it up. You just get to focus down the enemy from a shorter range.

Weapon Modules: MPL Range, MPL Cooldown

Larger Lasery Version

This swaps out your LPL from the original build for 2 Large Lasers, giving you a bit extra range but way more heat.

Weapon Modules: Medium Laser Range, Large Laser Cooldown

STD Version

You lose some heatsinks, but this’ll let you hard shield with your right side. The same rough build works for 1 LL & 3 ML and the LPL version as well.

Weapon Modules: MPL Range, MPL Cooldown

Build 2:

Don’t do it. Just…don’t. But if you’re gonna do it, this is the build. You can do a few things to get more speed out of it, but it’s just gonna be shit pretty much no matter what. And you can do this on all variants but, it sucks just a little bit more on the others.

This AC/20 build plays less like a traditional brawler and more like a short range hill-humper. You kind of need to stick with your big mechs (because that’s the speed you go at, too), but you can sometimes get shots off without being noticed. Just, try not to get caught out. It’s not a forgiving build.

Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

Weapon Modules: AC/20 Cooldown, AC/20 Range

Consumables: Cool Shot, Artillery Strike

XL Version

Even less ammo, slightly more speed. Probably more useful but…that doesn’t make it good.

UM-R60

This variant’s really just good for its quantity of ballistic hardpoints and its slightly improved defensive quirks. Besides that, it’s just a worse version of the UM-R60L. Its quirks give it an extra 10% to ballistic cooldown, range, and velocity, as well as energy cooldown and laser duration. On top of that, it has the extra 18% heat dissipation and 10 structure across the board.

Build 1:

Obviously you never want to be in Machine Gun range, but you’re only going 100 KPH, so sometimes you can’t help it. Should worst come to worst, at least it means you won’t be completely screwed.

Stay at range and poke with your lasers for 95% of the game. As with the other laser poke builds, you want to just expose your upper-left side, and only for brief moments at that. Your machine guns are great for short-range defensive support if the enemy closes on you, and they can finish off cored enemies in a jiffy, but it is still far too risky to play at that range intentionally.

Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

Weapon Modules: ERLL Range, ERLL Cooldown

Consumables: Cool Shot, Artillery Strike

STD Version

This one lacks any backup weapons (and doesn’t have much ranged power in the first place), but it is durable as hell.

Large Pulse Version

Sure it’s a little wimpy, but it’s not bad. The cooldown and duration make it pretty sweet really, but the lack of range definitely holds you back. Still better than any of the AC/20 builds.

Weapon Modules: Large Pulse Range, Large Pulse Cooldown

Brawler Version

This version mounts a STD engine to increase its short-range survivability, but its firepower is paltry at best. Still, by the numbers it has good enough DPS thanks to its quirks, and its loadout isn’t any worse than that of a Spider.

Weapon Modules: Machine Gun Range, MPL Range

UM-R63

This variant is the only one to mount torso hardpoints at all, and it has the best (generic) ballistic quirks. That means 15% ballistic cooldown, 20% to range and velocity, and 15% to energy cooldown too. After that, you have 18% extra heat dissipation, 15% torso twist speed, and 5 structure across the board.

Build 1:

This is your best bet for mid-range firepower. Your medium lasers will do damage out to over 500 meters, and your UAC/5 has a pretty decent cooldown quirk to increase its DPS. All that being said, its firepower is still thoroughly unimpressive, so be careful when you trade.

Try to get harass in with your UAC/5 for a while before you close range to use your Mediums, but in order to do serious damage you have to be using all of your weapons for a while. When you’re jammed, make sure you fall into cover so you don’t take unnecessary heat, and if possible use that as an opportunity to reposition. Keep your guns firing full time without getting shot back and you’ll do great! Yeah, good luck with that.

Mech Modules: Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

Weapon Modules: UAC/5 Cooldown, Medium Laser Range

Consumables: Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Artillery Strike

AC/5 Version

This gives up the double-tap potential and a bit of ammo to add in a laser. Bit less bursty but more sustained damage.

Weapon Modules: AC/5 Cooldown, Medium Laser Range

AC/10 Version

This is sort of like a stock+ version of the UM-R60L, but it’s much better here. The lack of ammo and use of small lasers really suck, but the AC/10 does not.

Weapon Modules: AC/10 Cooldown, Small Laser Range

Pilot Skills

The Urbanmech is one of the few mechs that requires a unique skill order – in part due to the limits of its mobility and in part due to it having 360° torso twist and not needing Twist X

Basics: Cool Run – Heat Containment –Twist Speed – Hard Brake – Kinetic Burst – Anchor Turn – Arm Reflex – Twist X

Elites: Speed Tweak – Fast Fire – Quick Ignition – Pinpoint

Then just master it. None of these variants are worth playing at all, let alone mastering, for any reason other than for the fun of it, so just stick with whatever you like.

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And that’s that. I hope you enjoy your mech, let me know if you have any questions, and as always glhf