I am a Harbinger.

One of the Clan’s honored few recognized for their skill in the arts. For their skill in depicting the glory our beloved Seekers bring back upon our lands with their endeavors. One of the honored few who get to bear witness to such important Great Works as the Seeker Galaxy oft undertakes.

I am a Harbinger; and this is the stupidest ‘endeavor’ I have ever recorded.

Gentle dusk-time rays and drifting clouds filled the skies of Castile, casting long meandering shadows across the peaks of the Detente mountains around us. The light framed the ongoing bout, idiotic as it may have been, in resplendent gold, blues, and purple setting long contrast upon the pair of gold and brown Night Gyr’s that circled each other like Goliath Scorpions locked in a mating dance. It was routine now, these bouts of combat and trials over what seemed trivial disagreements upon reflection, between Seeker Holman and Seeker Kaleen.

The venom spat between the two was much the same.

“It is pronounced GEER, Holman. That you would imagine otherwise is an insult to your line.” My seeker roared, her ‘Mech stomping angrily around the edge of the circle of equals as she gestured wildly with its cannon arms.

“This is not up for debate, Kaleen, JER is correct and that you would think otherwise is an insult all the more!” Seeker Holman laughed, I could all but see the mountain of a man guffawing in his command couch as his Night Gyr matched my Seeker’s pace. “I will not be harassed by someone who can not even pronounce the name of their own ‘Mech let alone properly pilo-”

“THAT IS E-NOUGH!” Seeker Kaleen howled, stamping her Night Gyr’s right foot forward and raising her guns. “I am calling you to account, Holman. Do you stand ready?”

“I would have thought you had learned this lesson before.” He grumbled, a note of amusement in his voice as his own Night Gyr slowed and turned to stare across the field at Seeker Kaleen. “Though it seems someone must once again teach it to you.”

“You still believe you are capable of teaching me anything, Holman?” Kaleen hissed, her voice low and roiling like the chittering of a scorpion’s plates.

“Aff.” Holman affirmed, stepping forward and hefting his ‘Mechs cannon forward. “Your education will be well and thorough this time.”

“Well bargained and done, Seeker.” Kaleen cackled before sending a twin lance of sparking particles screaming just past Holman’s left shoulder, leaving a trail of scorched paint in their wake as a chatter of autocannon shells spattered against the man’s paint and knocked his ‘Mech back a step. The fight drove on with sudden vigor as Holman charged forward, his ‘Mech vomiting forth a deluge of oscillating beams into my Seeker’s own Night Gyr as she back peddaled to keep her distance.

“Your insults mean nothing, Holman. Back them with act-” Holman followed on the Seeker’s invitation with an eager hammer. The freight train roar of his class 20 autocannon echoed off the canyon walls, a deafening statement of his intent that sent a trail of shells skipping off of Kaleen’s shoulders.

The pair danced like that for fifteen dragging minutes, searing rivers and shattering valleys into each other’s armor as their machines broke and faltered beneath them. Before long both warriors piloted heaps of ruined endo and myomer that guttered and shook from underneath of them as they inched all the closer for what would surely be their final pass. Both ‘Mechs screamed as they advanced, their backs glowing white hot from the load they’d been forced under as their pilots matched their howling with their own until one last peal of thunder silenced the pass’ golden air.

A trail of shells and laser hits traced up both machines, chopping away parts and pieces of what remained of each ‘Mech until finally one buckled and fell. Seeker Kaleen’s Night Gyr hit the rocky soil with a groaning crash and a cacophonous explosion as its munitions kicked off. The fireball grew, sending a roiling pillar of smoke and dust billowing into the air as the flash of her ejection system burst to life and tossed her to the wind.

The speakers on Holman’s Night Gyr crackled to life, his voice marred by the damage Kaleen had unloaded upon him in their trial as he turned his attention up to the descending puff of Kaleen’s parachute. “Seeker Kaleen, this informal trial is done. Do you finally see my way?”

The black dot beneath the parachute was still and silent for a few long breaths, a posture of worry seeping into the posture of Holman’s Night Gyr as he watched her. Then it shifted, angrily thrashing in the air’s grasp as she howled back at the man. The muffled sound of Kaleen’s voice could not be heard over the demise of her machine, the continued smolder of its ammunition masking the sound of her retort.

It did little to obscure the rude gestures she eagerly dispensed upon the man as she drifted down.

— Harbinger Esimae, Scorpion Empire, Seeker Galaxy Attached Harbinger. Castile, Scorpion Empire, February 11th 3148.

—

Howdy ‘Mechwarriors and welcome back to another ‘Mech Overview! My Great Work is not yet done and I must unfortunately continue to slave in the Omni-Mines lest my Clan advisor call me Dezgra again for deciding to go review cool Clan Battlemechs instead, whatever that means.

This week we’ve got one that I am actually already a fan of due to some time spent out in the distant Scorpion Empire working with a few Seekers a couple years back: The Night Gyr. 75 tons of Clan excess and firepower that saunters forth like the weird off-color Nova Cat that it is!

I love the Night Gyr, one for its giant hockey goalie physique and two for the absolute hate they are usually liable to lay down on the field. It’s one of those mid invasion tag-alongs that was built to fill out the Clan Toumans after they had gone on their tear tour through the core-ward sphere. It had been meant to be a big test bed, originally mounting laser heat sinks apparently, that simmered down into the hateful machine we have before us today!

What a glorious machine it is. I should talk to the Field Marshal about hitting up the Falcons to buy a few… Wonder if they’d trade ‘em for a shitload of Herrotitan Whiskey.

Jade Falcon Night Gyr. Credit: Jack Hunter

Chassis

Mr. Night Gyr here is, of course, an Omni-Mech so of course we need to run through what makes a Night Gyr a Night Gyr!

75 tons
4/6/4 movement profile courtesy of the 4 hard mounted JJs in the feet
12 Double Heat Sinks, all in the engine
Endo Steel Structure and Ferro-Fibrous armor
95.2% total armor load (220 Points)
Armor: 24 arms, 22 torsos, 33 CT, 28 legs, and 9 head, with a 10/10/10 band across the back
38 Tons of Podspace
None of them have Lower Arm Actuators, oops all flippy arms!
A 300 rated XL Engine

That is a damned good clip of podspace for a ‘Mech to tote, the same as a Nova Cat actually, which gives it plenty of room to get into BV trouble with. Every location has something in it, even if I’m not a fan of hard mounted Jump Jets, which is good. I’d really rather this didn’t have the hard mounts but the inherent flexibility for movement options isn’t terrible but it certainly can be restricting.

Without the Jump Jets or hard mounted sinks we’d have 44 total tons of podspace which is… a lot. Honestly though it doesn’t need that much and the presence of the jump jets in the legs isn’t that restrictive nor does it bump the price up too much more than the extra 4 tons of guns would.

Variants

These mechs have all been reviewed based on a standard F through S scale, which you can find described on our landing page here (along with all of our other ‘Mech reviews, the name of the box you can buy to get any of the mechs we have covered, and our general methodology).

Prime

Hey kid, wanna see a dead body?

The Prime is a ruler of the wastes. A certified Machine That Hates™ and something that can make IS pilots scared of the things that go bump in the night. I know it came along a bit late in the invasion but things like this make you realize why that dumb asshole who was driving his family’s old MAD-3R shit himself so hard when the clans showed up and started hammering his shit apart without end. So, what’ve we got?

- 2 ERPPCs in the Left Arm.
- 1(One) Ultra AC/10 in the Right Arm.
- 3 Medium pulse lasers spread across the Head and both side torsos.

Twenty Double Heat Sinks.

That’s right, it can stand still and ripple off most of that load every fucking turn and not care. It’s up 8+movement on an alpha which is easily corrected by either dropping the UAC or one of the PPCs, whichever you prefer, and hammering away anyhow. This is an incredibly usable heat profile that lets you ripple off a UAC/10, two ERPPCs and an MPL every turn and only build movement heat. Drop the MPL and you’re -2.

Now, all that gun does come at a cost, a whole 2,830BV worth of cost. That’s Kodiak price and this thing probably won’t outfight a Kodiak.

But that ain’t it’s job.

This is a ‘Mech meant to sit just behind the main line, pick a target, and then hammer something apart as it closes before getting in the weeds with a UAC/10, an ERPPC, and 3 MPLs. It’s a lot of hate in a pretty familiar Clan shaped package that, if I’m honest, goes pretty hard.

Liberty’s Rating: B. Look I’ve come around a fair bit on big expensive Clan Hell bots and I’ve used the Night Gyr Prime a fair bit, thing fucks.

A

And here we have… actually most of a Kodiak???

For 2,680 BV you can have the Pulsiak! This is a Ultra AC/20 with 3 tons of ammo, 4 medium pulse lasers, a large pulse laser, and 2 Streak SRM 6s with 1 ton of ammo total. Heat wise we have some minor problems as 16 DHS isn’t quite enough to properly cool the ‘Mech off but it quite literally cannot fit anymore of them in. This thing is full to the gills with crit slots and 3 of those sinks are outside of the Engine at this point.

An alpha strike sends you up 12+ movement but that means you can meander around firing blinky lasers and trying for bad locks all day without the UAC and once you get in close drop the LPL to only go up 4 heat if both streaks lock! This makes the A’s efficiency set nearly the exact same as the Standard Kodiaks: a UAC/20, 3 MPLs, and 2 Streak 6s!

Now, one less laser is unfortunate but the -2 from the pulse portion will help push that effectiveness out a little bit. Honestly this config seems awesome and is calling terrible things in my ear… I might need to run this thing.

Dawn Guard Night Gyr. Credit: Jack Hunter

Liberty’s Rating: A-. Look, as my recent Tournament Reports have indicated, the Kodiak fucks and this is genuinely most of the good shit from a Kodiak and it’s pulse with more movement options. I love it.

B

BEHOLD, THE DUALITY OF MAN!!!

Ok… so this is the cheapest Night Gyr and there’s a reason. It’s the guns. It’s because the guns are strange.

2 gauss rifles with 3 total tons of ammo and 2 LB 2-X ACs with one ton of ammo. This is 2,140 BV and that’s… Cool? I guess?

It has no heat problems but does have a lot of explodey bits. It also has its own can open and long range crit peppering that is a bit of help at the very least. That said I really wish those were like LB-5s or something instead for the extra individual hits. Not sure what you’d do to get the tonnage for that but it’d be way cooler. I’m sure some Warrior thought they were really cooking with this one when they put it together so they could do trials from waaaaay over there but it kinda stops mattering when you have to engage from somewhere the other guy can actually respond from.

Liberty’s Rating: C-. I mean it’s fine but there are plenty of other things that do this more competently and for around the same price so… pass I guess?

C

Thunder and lightning, very very frightening indeed!

Ok, hear me out:

3 UAC/2s with 2 tons of ammo.
2 ER large lasers
2 ER medium lasers
18 DHS
A Targeting computer
2,468 BV.

Hey look, a better version of that last one!

It goes up 4+movement with an alpha strike which is easily solved by dropping one of the ERMLs and only going up 1 on the run. This thing will roar and hail on something from across the map with a pretty alright amount of accurate hits. Can’t guarantee that that TC will prevent you from locking some UACs up but it’ll at least help get them on target until you do!

Seems like a discount Nova Cat C for about 500 extra BV if I’m honest?

Liberty’s Rating: C-. Workable and honestly probably quite nasty, just kinda milktoast and sad given the platform’s highs.

Hastati Sentinels Night Gyr D. Credit: Jack Hunter

D

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is almost certainly no longer snoring.

The Night Gyr D is the answer to a simple question that the Nova Cat B is also trying to solve: how do I get more warheads on foreheads?

Well, the Night Gyr D’s solution is simple: 4 LRM20s with Artemis IV and 6 tons of ammo, 3 in each arm. Also an LPL and MPL along for the ride to tell light ‘Mechs that they’re dumb and stupid. Heat wise the LRM pile is only movement heat which is workable enough. The Lasers are really only there for once the bins are dry, which in total will take 9 rounds, or if you’ve got a pesky light to try and swat down given the chance. If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck out of them without building heat I’d say dump the LPL, MPL, and two LRM boxes for 2+movement heat as your ‘little bastard defense’ measure set.

Your lasers are mounted centerline so if something gets behind you you’re gonna have to bathe it in missiles rather than accurate pulse fire. This might make dealing with some issues a bit beyond the D’s ken so hopefully you’ve got good support for it!

So what will this config run you? 2,889. Kinda expensive but I can see paying it to get 4 Artemis equipped 20 boxes at the very least.

Liberty’s Rating: B. Kinda expensive for the job when the Nova Cat B does a similar job with about the same armor load and movement profile for nearly 400 less. That said there is a difference between some extra LRM-15s and an Artemis equipped LRM-20 bin, both in output and in psychological effect.

E

Oh boy! ATM Time! Looks inside. Where’re my ATMs?

So the E is technically an ATM variant… In that it has an ATM 6 in it.

1(One) ATM 6 with 2 tons of ammo
1(One) SRM 6(???) in the head(???) with 1(One) ton of ammo
2 LPLs, one in each arm
6 MPLs, two in each arm and two in the CT
18 DHS

This is 2,717 BV for a machine with three bespoke firing patterns:

A guy is way over there: 2 LPLs, -16 heat+movement
A guy is not quite way over there: 2 LPLs, 3 MPLs and an ATM or 4 MPLs and no ATM, movement heat
There is a guy right here: Drop the LPLs and rip everything else off the rail, -4+movement

So this thing is a woodchipper. It wants you to get near it so it can turn you into a steaming heap of slag from the absolute hammer blow it drops on you when you fuck up and give it what you want. This thing will shear a shitload of armor off the front of anything that gets in its face and then do its level best to crit hunt the target afterwards anyhow.

Liberty’s Rating: A-. Genuinely this many pulse lasers in fire lanes like this is a crime and a machine that simply tells light ‘Mechs or cav heavies that try to aggress the force it's in that they’re stupid, and that means they’re dead.

F

Hey man I think you uh… need to change up your arm workout?

So the F is a HAG variant, in that it has a Targeting Computer supporting a pair of ERMLs, an ECM suite and… a HAG 20 with 3 tons of ammo in the Left Arm and a HAG 30 with 4 tons of ammo in the Right Arm? I’m not sure why they’re different sizes. If I’m honest they could have just dropped the lasers, the HAG/20 and its ammo to get a HAG/30 and an extra ton of ammo to give each gun 10 salvos. Granted then you’ve gotta find a spot for the TC… I’ll stop. It is what it is in the end.

With what we have we’re paying 2,958 BV and for all of my love for the ridiculousness of the HAG I cannot bring myself to love this thing for that price. Heat is not a problem, an alpha is at -4 +movement so it’s heat neutral on a jumping alpha which is fine enough.

Liberty’s Rating: C-. God that’s expensive for what kinda feels like a support piece. HAGs can be nasty but they need something to crack plates with otherwise this thing is essentially just a worse version of the D config.

Kell Hounds Night Gyr. Credit: Jack Hunter

G

G is for GO!

The G is the most expensive Night Gyr and for a reason I’m sure we all already know: it mounts a Supercharger. This Supercharger stands as a testament to sin as it modifies a pair of LB-5s, in each arm with one ton of ammo each, a pair of capacitored ERPPCs, also in each arm, and a trio of ER Flamers up to 3,069 BV.

Note: without the super charger and directly using its tonnage to buy heat sinks this ‘Mech would cost 2,656 BV.

Secondary Note: I still would not run this, Capacitors are lame and make me incredibly sad.

Heat wise you’re at movement heat firing off the four long range guns in the LB-5s and ERPPCs. If you intend to use those capacitors then you’ll be at 10+movement the next turn which isn’t good but you will sink out all that heat next turn as the PPCs are turned off while the capacitors are recharging. Also the ER Flamers are here… Anyways.

I don’t like this config. You shouldn’t either.

Liberty’s Rating: D-. Begone, foul parallel line device.

H

Heavy laser time? HEAVY LASER TIME!!! Oh, no Targeting computer? Heavy laser time…

Ok, I will give this H variant this: The Heat is actually good. 17 double heat sinks work in support of a Gauss Rifle with 2 tons of ammo, a UAC/10 also with 2 tons of ammo, an HLL, an MPL, and an ECM suite. This is at -5 + movement heat so the most this config can build is -1 heat on a jump.

Honestly, malus from the HLL aside, this config really isn’t that bad, especially with a price like 2,428 BV. It’s a steep run to pay on a Gauss rifle, UAC/10, and MPL but on those turns that the HLL does connect then you’re gonna probably be pretty happy with it! On a turn where everything connects the H is going to absolutely savage its opponent and as a frontline advancement machine it really isn’t terribly unlikely to get some damned good hits in with it!

Go forth and whiff the glorious beam of god, I believe in you and lend you my powers of idiocy. Kill ‘em all.

Liberty’s Rating: B-. I am a softie for Heavy lasers and having one where the HLL’s malus doesn’t fully ruin the machine is quite pleasant!

Clan Snow Raven Alpha Galaxy Night Gyr. Credit: Lynn C

T

Listen up, you primitive screwheads, THIS IS MY BOOM STICK!

The T is a rec-guide variant and as such matches the art, and largely the original config! So how did they do it this time? Simple, don’t change much at all anyhow:

2 ERPPCs in the left arm
3 MPLs in the side torsos and head
17 DHS
1(One) LB-20 with 3 tons of ammo.

Note that this is the only Night Gyr that can’t arm flip because the LB-20 extends ONE crit slot into the right torso due to the fixed Endo Steel in the arm. How unfortunate. Now, this is trading off 3 heat sinks to bump the Prime’s UAC/10 into an LB-20 so how does that actually change things for the T?

Honestly not that much. It’s got about 2 bands it operates in at this point. Either they’re way over there and you chuck the PPCs at them for -4+movement heat, maybe add an MPL in there if it’s an alright shot and only go up movement. Or you could drop one PPC and dump everything else onto someone for -1+Movement at short range.

Honestly for 2,767 BV this thing sounds like it hurts. I might have to start running this thing for my Scorpions because it also sounds quite fun.

Liberty’s Rating: B+. Seems like a good value for what you’re getting and a heavy hammer to support a force with!

X

THE WORLD ENGINE CALLS ME ONCE MORE!!! CAN YOU HEAR IT? THE SONOROUS WARCRY OF THE ANGRIEST FROG TO EVER CLAMBER ACROSS THE DESERT ROCKS RINGS THIS NIGHT TRUE! THE HEAVY BELLS OF WAR SHATTER THE SILENCE AND THE BLINDING REPORT OF MY BARRELS SEAR THE EYES OF THOSE WHO WOULD DARE LIVE IN THE NIGHT OF THE PAST!!! I AM THE RAC MACHINE AND I BRING DEATH AND BRASS WITH ME EVERYWHERE THAT I GO!!!

Ok, look, this thing is 2,781 BV for a micro pulse laser, a pair of Streak LRM-10s with one ton of CASE II ammo in the CT(???), and a pair of RAC/5s with 3 tons of ammo in each side torso. That’s not that much damage but it is 16 possible five pointers down range at any time while being at -4+movement, -3 if you fire the micro as well.

Obviously you shouldn’t fire the RACs at 6 shots to avoid jams but with the range Clan RACs have you can kinda afford to. This is a real weird sniper that wants to hang back, find a target some hole maker has decided to beat on before absolutely bathing it in shells and missiles. It wants to get a good bead on someone and just let the hailstorm commence. There are other Night Gyrs that do this better between the F and the D but neither of them are nearly as funny as the image of this damned goalie setting up on a hill and turning a molehill into a god-damned mountain of brass.

He’s Him. He’s the Machine. He’s the World Engine that drives the line forward as he leaves a trail of brass and curling smoke in his wake. This is the machine that gets defeated by Ballistic Reinforced Armor and despite this it will continue to try and drill its way through the guy standing in his way.

I fucking love it.

Liberty’s Rating: C. Good, Bad, or inbetween I’m gonna run the fuck out of this thing.

Night Gyr. Credit: Rockfish

Final Thoughts

God Night Gyrs are fucking funny.

I love these things, aesthetically, play wise, and from a standpoint of use paths. They’re just so cool.

The only one I can think of that isn’t here is an incredibly funny IS/mixed-tech weapons load. Gimmie some snub PPCs mixed with clan PPCs and TCs or some shit. Get weird and whacky with it. I want a funny oddball toy.

Until next time! Fair weather, good seas, and happy arguing-about-pronunciation-ing!

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