Last Updated: 24-Jan-2015

Welcome back to Master Guides. This week is gonna be a first – the Kit Fox. I’m easing into lights by going through Clans because Clan lights aren’t real lights. Anyways, let’s get started.

Overview

The Kit Fox was the first Clan light mech introduced to MWO and it is known for being arguably the cutest mech in the game, inspiring the nickname “cute fox”. Personally, I think real fox kits are cuter, but to each their own. Aside from its appearance, it also is (again, arguably) the best Clan light mech to date, despite not actually playing as a real light mech.

All of the variants of Kit Fox share the same CT, and as such there are no real distinguishing characteristics between them. There are also only three variants, so you will have to buy all of them in order to master the chassis. If you would like, you can hold onto only one, but make sure that you don’t sell the omnipods.

Chassis-Wide Information

Strengths

Having endo and ferro, without any locked equipment and a horrendously low engine mean that there is plenty of pod space to mount a fearsome (for a 30-tonner) array of weapons.

Jumpjets also give it a sorely needed boost in mobility, allowing it to sort of poptart over low terrain when necessary, as well as letting it sometimes out-maneuver jumpjet-less mechs that could have otherwise ripped it limb from limb.

The Kit Fox can also mount ECM and triple AMS on its right arm with the KFX-C omnipod. While the triple AMS is not usually worth it, the ECM usually is and is part of what makes the Kit Fox the best Clan light to date.

A decent hardpoint spread also means that the Kit Fox has multiple builds that can all be run optimally, and many more that can be run, though less effectively.

Plus, Clan XL.

Weaknesses

The Kit Fox is a 30 ton mech with 30 ton mech armor, a relatively large profile, and pretty poor hitboxes for its tonnage, and it runs at less than 110 KPH. This all adds up to a very, very killable mech, even after considering the mitigating factors (ECM, jumpjets, etc.)

Weapons are practically all arm mounted, meaning that it is overwhelmingly easy to neuter you if the enemy somehow misses the already easy kill-shot. Plus, the hands are pretty low positioned, so they may be blocked by terrain if you’re not careful.

Generic Tips

Be very, very careful. Since you are very fragile and yet have the room for some serious guns, you’re not well suited for actual scouting and should rather play as a supportive mech regardless of your range.

This also means that most of your time should be spent near (though not necessarily with) your team, so that you can always return to them if you need help or if they yours.

Builds

For those of you who are not familiar with the general format, here’s how it goes (and it is different from the IS ones). We’re going to be identifying build archetypes (generally listed from long range to short) and customizing them to fit the variants, often coming up with a few separate versions of the same type of build which function differently in some way. Some Clan mechs (like the Summoner) share the same CT and so don’t need differentiation based on the variant, but others (like the Timber Wolf) have variants with very different center torsos and so a custom build for each of those variants must be made (if it’s getting a bit confusing, don’t worry it should all become clear momentarily). I will italicize the variant(s) that the archetypical build fits best in as well. In general, the builds will be labeled according to their armament, but occasionally I will name a build if it is particularly badass.

Also, the consumables I’ve listed are the ones that are best for normal play, but while leveling the mech you may want to swap the less important one out for a UAV, if you can afford to use consumables at all (they aren’t necessary, just nice).

Now then, on with it!

Laser Sniper

This is one of the best builds out there for the Kit Fox, but as you can see it is very much a niche build. The cERML is only even on there as a pure backup weapon so that you’re not entirely impotent if you lose your left side first (and also, it’s always nice to have a little extra pew). The weaponry is simple enough to understand, and the only thing that really makes me queasy is only having one jumpjet, but in my experience it’s all you need and you don’t even lose it all that often.

If you’ve played the ERaven before, then you already have some idea of how to play this mech. The key differences are that the Kit Fox has less speed and lower mounted arms, but it has jumpjets and more firepower. All in all, this mech will serve as a highly mobile and highly delicate sniper. Take shots from where the enemy isn’t looking, and if they start looking around for you move on. Don’t stray too far from your team because you likely won’t survive if you get caught out, and they may need your ECM. But don’t stay with them while you poke because you might get hit by stray fire and/or strikes, they’ll already be looking in that direction so you’ll be trading more than is healthy for a Kit Fox (you want free damage, not trades), and if a brawl breaks out you’re in trouble.

Mech Modules (In order of importance): Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cERLL Range, cERLL Cooldown

Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Artillery Strike

LRMs

This shit is particularly stupid to pull on a 30-tonner but if you’re gonna do it, just…do it right…

For the most part, you play as a normal LRM boat. You just have the bonus of being super-maneuverable, so try to take advantage of that by moving around a lot and getting super-extra-good angles on your enemy.

Mech Modules (In order of importance): Target Decay, Radar Deprivation

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cLRM10 Cooldown, cLRM5 Cooldown

Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Artillery Strike

TAG Version with Artemis

This one has a lot less damage potential and output, but it’s more focused and is an otherwise more useful mech in general.

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cLRM10 Cooldown, cLRM10 Range

TAG Version without Artemis

While this has more up-front damage, it runs through ammo quicker and the spread is worse, so I don’t really recommend it.

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cLRM15 Cooldown, cLRM15 Range

Laser Vomit

This is essentially the same as all the other laser vom builds, but it is a great deal weaker and not much cooler. In addition, the main reason that laser vom is powerful on other chassis is because they offer more firepower than most other mechs can mount, meaning that you’ll automatically win most trades. A Kit Fox really cannot trade. Still, the weapons are very powerful and are worth at least trying to see if you like them on this chassis.

Try to play this like a shorter-range version of the laser sniper; focus on shooting from places that the enemy isn’t looking and just generally getting in as much free damage as you can. You also will want to stay a bit closer to your team so that you can use them as sort of distractions and wait for the enemy to blow their load on your friends before you expose yourself. Idk about y’all but that sounds like a lot of fun to me… Anyways, stay mobile, stay shooting, and you should be ok. The build’s not bad, it’s just not optimal.

Mech Modules (In order of importance): Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cERML Range, cLPL Cooldown

Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Air Strike

Streak Boat

Again, these weapons should be pretty damn straightforward. You do encounter ghost heat when you alpha strike, but it’s really low so for the most part you’ll want to ignore it. When you do get hot, you can either fire one arm at a time for maximum usability, or just stick to your SSRM6s while you cool off.

For this build, you definitely want to stick by your bigs. Your number one job is to take enemy lights which are hounding your bigs and smash their faces in. Your number two job is to smash their faces in before they even get to your bigs. If you’ve got good shots on enemy bigs, feel free to take them, but be aware that this is less ammo-efficient than targeting light mechs, and you should also be trying to avoid enemy bigs in the first place.

Mech Modules (In order of importance): Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): SSRM6 Cooldown, SSRM4 Cooldown

Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Artillery Strike

Full Brawl

Normally, this is the range that you want to avoid as a squishy slow 30-ton mech, but some people just can’t be talked out of brawling and I don’t blame them. This is pretty much your maximum short-range DPS build, and it can take down enemy mechs pretty goddamn quick if it isn’t focused (which is a big if).

Well, it’s a brawler, but it is somehow still a support mech. Try to focus on getting good flanks from safe locations, and then just go crazy when there’s a full engagement. At this point it’s going to be a bit of a crapshoot – either the enemy team won’t bother shooting you and you’ll rack up some nice damage and kills, or they will and you’ll die really fast. To help with this, always have an escape route, which also usually means that you don’t want the enemy to be fully between you and your own team. Best of luck with this.

Mech Modules (In order of importance): Seismic Sensor, Radar Deprivation

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cSRM4 Cooldown, cSRM4 Range

Consumables (In order of importance): Cool Shot 9×9, Improved Artillery Strike

Hybrid Build

This build sacrifices a lot of short-range DPS to get ECM and a cERPPC so that it can contribute to the team in more varied ways.

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cERPPC Cooldown, cSRM6 Cooldown

Machine Gun Version

This build uses the large quantity of ballistic hardpoints from the C variant’s left arm to make something eerily similar to the ember, but slower and with ECM and Clan Tech.

Weapon Modules (In order of importance): cMPL Range, cMPL Cooldown

Other Interesting Builds

The light weight of the Kit Fox hinders its ability to effective run many sorts of loadouts, but there are various builds that I think are best described as “miscellaneous” but that I wanted to include anyways. So without further ado…

Wubs

This plays similar to the brawler, but with some extra range and less of a need to commit. Still very risky and will lose if you try to play a trading game.

NARC-Tart

This one plays like a poptart, but you can launch a NARC at the same time as you launch your cERPPC.

UAC10

This is pretty much the only build I could come up with that takes advantage of the high-mounted side torso ballistics. It’s not great, but it’s certainly workable.

Pilot Skills

I’ve figured that this is the best skill order for pretty much any mech, and so I’m just going to customize it for mechs that have to emphasize unusual pilot skills, but the Kit Fox is sadly not that special…

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

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

Then just master it. If you really want you can keep them all, but even in CW the most you’ll ever need to bring is two, so that’s the most I would hold onto unless you’ve got a thing for the mech.

_________

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

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