Ryoken

Bravely bold Ryoken rode forth form Camalot

Introduction

The Ryoken is one of the most well known medium mechs of the Mechwarrior games. At only 55 tons, it is not the largest, fastest, or most powerful, but what it lacks in stature and punch, it makes up for in tenacity and determination. However, many people dismiss the Ryoken because of a few chassis faults that they perceive to outweigh the strengths that this mech has to offer. This guide will explore the strengths and weaknesses of the Ryoken and help you to understand the intricacies of this underused medium.

 

Chassis Analysis

The Ryoken, or Stormcrow to the Clans, is certainly a strange looking battlemech. Almost as tall as a Vulture and nearly as wide as the torso of an Uziel, the Ryoken is by no means a small mech. Despite its size, there are many advantages that this chassis has to offer the experienced pilot who knows how to exploit these.

Components:

The Ryoken is a rather simple mech in terms of components. Only capable of mounting BAP, JumpJets, and Enhanced Optics, the Ryoken’s upgrades are geared considerably towards long-range combat and jump-sniping. Despite the limited variety of available components, this does not hamper the mech’s ability to slide between roles and fill any needs that may arise.

Armor:

A stock Ryoken comes equipped with just 8.5 tons of FF armor and maxes out at 11tons FF or 16.5 tons of specialty armor. While not the most armored by any means, the Ryoken is protected enough to combat almost anything below 65-70tons under normal situations.

Speed:

The Ryoken is, as typical for mediums, fast and nimble. Its stock speed is 85kph but can be reduced to 64kph to free up 3 tons, or maxed at 106kph for an additional 7.5tons. This allows the Ryoken to effectively choose when and where it wants to engage, giving the pilot considerable leverage against any larger mechs that would attempt to chase it down.

Weapons:

For a 55 ton mech, the Ryoken is a bit of an oddity in terms of weaponry. This chassis, at least in the Mechwarrior world, is unable to mount ANY 3+slot weapon systems…one of the few medium mechs incapable of mounting large guns. However, the Ryoken makes up for this deficiency through its basic KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle design. With a total of 12 slots, this mech does not mount many weapon systems, but in the right hands it does not need to. A Ryoken has a 2-slot omni and a 2-slot energy hard-point in each arm, and a 2-slot missile hard-point in each side torso. These adaptable slots and groupings give the Ryoken a deceptively high level of flexability…allowing it to fill almost any role.

 

Tactical Analysis

The abilities of the Ryoken can be summed up simply: this mech truly is a jack-of-all-trades. If there is a job that needs to be done, this mech can fill the position for low tonnage and good power, which makes it especially useful for matches where there is a tonnage limit or where mediums/lights are required. The two 2-slot omni hard-points let this mech take on any sort of additional weapons and are the main reason for this mech’s success.

A combination of the Ryoken’s component list and the capability to mount 4 erLGL, Light PPCs, or a pair of Light Gauss make this mech a strong long-range support mech or jump-sniper for its size. While a tad bit toasty mounting all of those long range energy weapons, it does not diminish the effectiveness of this sniper. Additional long-range support roles such as a missile boat are also possible and it is fairly common on open servers and in some matches to see Ryokens loaded up with LRMs, ATMs, or even streaks, depending on map size. Because of their speed and maneuverability, these distance fighters are able to stay out of range of many mechs while raining fire upon targets.

While the speed and power of the Ryoken may be suitable for long range combat, they can also be used to turn this mech into a quite effective brawler. The various 2-slot hard-points allow the chassis to mount good infighting weapons such as csSRM6, Heavy Medium Lasers, and even LBX 10s. Combinations of these systems have proven lethal, even to the heaviest of assault mechs. While a brawling Ryoken may require tweaks to the armor or additional tonnage, it is possible to survive in combat for prolonged fights against larger mechs…just be sure to protect the arms as they will house your major weapons and 2/3rds of your slots. Depending on your load-out, it may be possible to fit on JumpJets. These can be beneficial once range is closed to help throw off the enemy’s aim and to dance around heavy and assault mechs, particularly the ones with slow turning and twist. And remember, the Ryoken has great torso twist and one of the fastest twists in the game so use that to your advantage.

Conclusion:

The Ryoken is a flexible and powerful mech. While not always capable of direct confrontations, it can survive and thrive on them if given the chance and the right configuration. No matter what the combat role is, the Ryoken is able to pick up the slack and make sure the enemy knows it’s out there. With time, patience, and practice, this mech can be mastered by skilled pilots and turned into a graceful ballerina in the dance of death. If you are looking for a strong and flexible mech to use in your mechbay, don’t overlook this ungainly medium and don’t underestimate its capabilities…because the next time you take it out for a spin, your opponent might just make that mistake.