compiled overview of the 85
ton Stalker 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
but
imho,
STALKERS SUCK
A well-known
assault 'Mech, the
Stalker was first produced in 2594, just prior to the
Reunification War. To make it as effective as possible in all
kinds of combat, the
Stalker's designers gave it a varied
array of weapons with differing optimal ranges. Though the
Stalker ended up with far more
weapons than could safely be fired in a single
salvo, the variation in range and type gave the 'Mech's
pilots unprecedented choices of response to enemy
fire. The Stalker also had a
top of the line fire-control system; the advanced computer system determined a target's range and suggested the optimum mix
of weapons. The original
Stalker design represents
BattleMech technology at its height.
Few modern Stalkers retain the original computer equipment so vital to this 'Mech's proper operation in battle. The latter-day Stalker is still a
fearsome 'Mech, but without the advanced computer, pilots must be cautious not to overuse their 'Mech's tremendous firepower. Also, the immense
amounts of waste heat generated by the lasers often overwhelm the Stalker's twenty heat sinks.
Stalkers often lead major advances flanked by other heavy 'Mechs, using their superior firepower to blow holes in the enemy ranks. With a
maximum speed of 54 kilometers per hour, the Stalker is one of the slowest 'Mechs on the battlefield, making it perfectly suited for steady advances and
dogged firefights.
In urban battles, where most fighting occurs at close range, the Stalker is a particularly deadly opponent. It can use its lasers and SRM-6 to
demolish enemy 'Mechs at ranges from 30 to 270 meters, and can also be employed to clear a path through buildings and fortifications. The 'Mech's
heavy armor allows it to crash through hardened walls without taking serious damage. A favorite tactic of many Stalker pilots is to wait inside a building
until another 'Mech comes into range, then step through the wall and into the street behind it. Often, the Stalker appears behind its intended victim and
fires before the other 'Mech can turn.
The Stalker can absorb tremendous amounts of abuse before being forced to retreat, and most Stalker pilots prefer to take the fight to the enemy
rather than to adopt a defensive position. Because of its highly efficient short-range firepower, a Stalker usually attempts to close with the enemy and
concentrate its attack on the heaviest 'Mech.
All of the Successor State militaries build their heavy cavalry units around the Stalker. Most often the heavy cavalry appears in the first line of
battle, followed by medium lances. Light lances take up the rear to engage stragglers or dispatch damaged opponents.
When playing a defensive role, the Stalker is usually deployed with 'Mechs that carry long-range weapons, such as Archers.
At the Battle for Saffell in 2787, House Kurita used Stalkers to halt the Federated Suns advancing forces. The heavier Kurita units retreated under a
rain of long range fire from Davion Archers and Trebuchets, and the Davion 'Mechs advanced steadily despite a fierce bombardment from the Kurita
Stalkers' LRMs until the besiegers reached the fortification walls. There, they found most of the Stalkers waiting for them. The Stalkers' heavy
armor had allowed them to survive the Davion attacks, and they offered stiff resistance to the Davion main column.
During the Battle for Hoff in 3022, Wolf's Dragoons deployed several heavy lances led by Colonel J. Elliot Jameson in his Stalker. At Tarn Hill in
the Johnson Sector, Colonel Jameson's command lance was attacked by a full company of Eridani Light Horse 'Mechs. Outnumbered but not outgunned,
Jameson's lance began systematically destroying the heaviest of their opponents. Jameson's own first charge crushed an enemy Rifleman, and a
short-range salvo of medium lasers and SRMs stripped most of the armor from a nearby Griffin. The suddenness and brutality of the attack surprised the
Eridani, who fell back in confusion. Though Colonel Jameson's Stalker took heavy damage to its armor, it left the field reasonably intact.
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