Difference between revisions of "Thunderbolt"

Latest revision as of 19:11, 28 July 2022

The Thunderbolt, or TBolt, is a powerful, direct-fire Missile used by Inner Sphere units.

Overview

Thunderbolt launchers fire single heavy damage missile causing intense screenshake and splash damage. Tbolts can lock onto targets within 750 meters, and having no minimum arming range means that they can also be used in close combat, with or without a lock. When dumb firing, pilots should make sure to give enough lead ahead of the target as Tbolts are not fast projectiles. Tbolts can also be fired to marked (TAG, NARC) targets, or dumb fired, from nearly 2000 meter distance. Tbolt turning speed is quite low so hitting fast moving units can prove challenging and flicking should only be done at medium or long range.

Air Thunderbolts are quite different from their ground-based siblings in that they are primarily meant for AA, and deal reduced damage against ground assets.

Only Inner Sphere units use Thunderbolt launchers.

Weapon Stats

Gameplay & Hints

• Upon impact, TBolts create large explosions, causing intense cockpit shake, and an intense flash, which can be blinding in Night Vision.

• One possible way to use TBolts is to fire them at Tagged Heavy or Assault Mechs from beyond 1000 meters, allowing the TBolter to avoid most enemy fire. These units are too slow to effectively dodge the TBolt, thus increasing the chance of a hit. One can also unleash a sneak attack by performing a dumb-fire of a TBolt barrage while in passive radar mode, as long as your target is either stationary or moving slowly and can't see the missiles coming.

Canon

First developed by the Federated Commonwealth in the mid-3050s for the Solaris arenas, the Thunderbolt launcher is an offshoot of standard LRM technology. Instead of firing a group of missiles, the Thunderbolt launchers fire a single missile that inflicts as much damage as an Autocannon/5, an Autocannon/10, a Gauss rifle or an Autocannon/20, respectively. This increased damage is made up for by the slightly reduced range and increases to the weapon's heat and weight. The Thunderbolt missile is also more vulnerable to anti-missile systems.

In CBT, Thunderbolt missile launchers cannot use Artemis IV or Narc guidance systems, but operate like LRMs in every other way.
BattleTech reference

Usage

The following Inner Sphere assets equip Thunderbolts: