LANCER Mech Frame Tier List 

My headcanon for Barbarossa's appearance is that it's a really large lumbering walker with three or four legs and a swivel turret. Glad to know I'm not alone with that sentiment, Zaktact.

He says he needs to go faster each time, while I'm here just enjoying him ramble. Also could you imagine setting your printer to spit you out another Everest and you hear your buddy go hey, got a new license? Nice what is it?

Tokugawa not only being D, but the ONLY D, hurts me on a spiritual level

Haven't watched yet, but 100% wouldn't be surprised if most things end up as S-tier given that the scale is based on lore and coolness.

16:02 the whole idea of the Zheng is cool, the origin being of a Raleigh being adapted to fight a group of pirates and a pilot making THIS. IPS-N seeing this and deciding to make a official line is also so in line with them and with a corporation It doesn't make me wanna play as one, but I have seem A LOT of builds that takes some licenses of him, and that makes him a high B for me

4:50 Goblin is one of those who has become a "face" for Lancer, I felt that. And he is THE Hacker Mech as well and have a fun design Hard not to put him in A, but if he fall the tier list, he may lost some structure damage from the fall

38:36 the white mage, the healer, the everyone's mom The whole universe of Lancer compels for the Lancaster being in S

You put Tokugawa in D citing “it just doesn’t feel Harrison enough” Yet you forgot about the think tank, which I am convinced is responsible for creating mechs based on things lancers do. Also, silently putting caliban in S with no hesitation is both funny and true. “I was made to solve a numbers problem, and right now that means making your 1 a 0

24:45 Raleigh is one of those that can be a High A or a low S, depending on the person He has the charisma, the gun on the chest, the lore, the iron on his hip

Okay, but hear me out, the Goblin has SOFTWARE that makes physical constructs, and that's paracausal af

29:32 I just can't with Kidd. I love it. The design? Being quadrupedal already makes me love it. The lore? Oh yeah, being a frame with a supposed treasure map hidden in its code (and that IPS-N makes everything it can to debunk and undermines this rumor). The idea of having this crew that makes fortnite constructions within rounds. The idea of getting the Level 2 License and while everyone gets a mech, YOU - my blue collar Lancer - receives a mech AND A SATTELITE? That can make orbital strikes?? How would I NOT love it and put it in S??

Hour-long Zaktact video, Let’s go!

59:59 the Lich left a mark so heavy in the Lancer mythos that some would argue that the mark was already there even before Lancer being created

44:23 the flavor and the whole lore that surrounds Gorgon, makes me wanting her on a High A The effects of her powers in enemies (and how doesn't affect allies), the text that comes with their NHP, the way that you are suppose to protect your friends while piloting a Gorgon, it's just too fun and cool

Raleigh in S but Nelson in B is criminal, my guy. Like damn, the Nelson disrespect is real.

For gorgon, I've always imagined it as having maternal instincts more or less. Very personal and protective, but not malicious

16:32 I can feel this sensation of "I'm a Sniper Mech and nothing more" with the Death's Head. And, by it's traits, core power and license, I would put it FAR LOW, but... That design It's so good, it's different, it's weird. And then I love it. All the mechs that ain't just a humanoid metal giant I love it way way more High B? I guess it deserves a High B

Yooooo, let's go! I bet goblin is S tier

We’ve talked about what a Minotaur’s cockpit looks like on the inside, but what the hell do you think piloting a Balor looks like? Me, I’ve always pictured it forming like almost an amniotic sac around the pilot and the rest of the mech is just… soup. Hungry, hungry nanite soup.

23:00 The Saladin is just a friend, he is just a bro. Fun design, fun role and the lore that, if people know you pilot a Saladin, probably you won't pay your bill at bars? For me it is a absolute A of a Mech And it is a HA Mech that wants to protect? He is just a winner over here

I counter your rambling thoughts with some of my own: -Zheng is a heavily modified Raleigh, not a Nelson. -The Sunzi wasn't a Harrison-Los Voladores collaboration. The Armory pretty clearly stole a bunch of tech from the Space Spaniards and tried to pass it off as their own breakthrough. (I think you could get an interesting story out of some Armory Legionnaires pulling off a heist or some Voladores hiring some Lancers to blow up the prototype to send a message.) -The Nelson not fitting the IPS-N theme is fine for me. It was made for the Albatross. -The Balor, Tortuga, and Sherman are, in fact, cool as hell. Maybe I just like big, chunky mechs. -Blackbeard is my favorite murder skeleton, and Caliban is my favorite shotgun gremlin.

"I need to go faster" my brother in RA, I don't have anything else to listen to while working on my computer. What would I do instead, load up an Hbomberguy rant I've already seen 5 times? There's a limit to how often I can rewatch Roblox Oof. I enjoy your shorter content, but feel free to upload longer rants like this from time to time and please don't be shy on the length.

12:35 I loved your take on Barbs Like, just like Goblin, I think he is one of the more iconic Lancer mechs. The one everybody will talk about it. He is the only (ignoring homebrews) Size 3 mech, and that's always makes me like him very much. But yeah, I can see how he can be a "and now you don't play for 4 turns" and I also feel the issue of don't always knowing how much of the illustration of each mech represents him. Like the Drake, the cannon with him is the one from licence 1 or 3? How each one look? It would be good to have MORE art of them hehe

cannot wait for this to be outdated within the next few months as Winter Scar comes out (Kutuzov my beloved)

I think something to consider with the tokugawa is that lore wise, HA didn't make it as unstable and risky as it is in the books. HA pilots were purposefully modifying the heck out of the tokugawa, essentially jailbreaking the limiters and safety features to get more juice. I love the idea of a cold, militant tool being turned into such a badass contraption by the user rather than by design.

51:15 Minotaur is one of those that aren't flashy, but I just impossible for me not to fall in love. Stands in all fours, going outside the humanoid designs for the mechs His lore? Really interesting, even so if you read his flavor text in the licenses (in the Comp/Con) and seeing that it glitches. It is RA talking to you?? And the powers are so COOL, is one of those I feel a Horus Weirdo, just deciding when and how you move, at which direction you move, how far can you move He may be shy and simple, not as glamorous, but I love the Minotaur

1:09:05 The Swallowtail variant and the Viceroy are one of those I really like that aren't CRAZY ASS OTHER DIMENSION MECHAS, but just *variants* The slim version SSC sells or the version typical in a world you are now playing

1:04:13 I like Viceroy opening the Variant conversation cause I really like it as one. He doesn't get SUPER DIFFERENT and I really feel like he is a different model of the Monarch. Still the Monarch, but with different specifications, and it feels like a "product" or a "car line"

42:13 the Sherman is just so fun. The laser eye, the flavor of him being so popular. And the ASURA NHP, of course. He deserve the Low S place

Sorry to correct this, but the original Zhang was a modified Raleigh, not Nelson. Witch is funny because it is the last mech you would give a melee weapon in a lot of cases. I think is was to actuate the desperate situation the Zhang was created in.

Chomolungma has crazy action economy, if it ends up below A tier i will be mad ! edit : ok, the GMS frames are missing so that's a shame...

OOooooh, the real one now!

bro did sunzi dirty (granted I'm biased as it is my personal favorite) But placing it in C just because "it dosn't fit HA" feels really dirty. Are people forgetting that war can't be thought with weapons alone, and that you need reliable platforms to deliver both your troops safetly in key positions on the battefield, aswell denying your enemies their own key positions that will give them a natural advantage. .

The Drake being first feels like it fits well enough to me. First one is an overengineered utility defender that uses a very conventional thinking payload of a rotary cannon. The second one is a more minimalist offensive platform that not only leans harder into direct combat, but feels out the IPSN unspoken niche of CQB and preference for melee similar to SSC's unspoken niches of long range and stealth. IPS-N tried the big bulky bells and whistles doing the expected, then they figured out what they could do without and what they personally wanted. And after selling something to hold the line and keep the riff raff at bay, they could sell something to seek and destroy.

Lets goooooo, been waiting for this!

... your videos are absolutely brilliant. Thank-you.

Hour-long Lancer video, ayeee, can't go wrong with that. Interestingly enough, just two days ago, there was a discussion on the Lancer Discord whether the gun in the Barbarossa artwork is the Siege Cannon or the Apoc Rail, and if I recall correctly, Kai Tave even confirmed that there was a relativly big timeframe between the artwork being finished and the liscence being written, hence the discrepancy between what is depicted and what is there mechanically

I’m a mad fanatic for the iskander. I’ve never felt more control of the battlefield than when I played a character who only ever made other characters save through grenade and grav shenanigans. I think the only time I made a real attack roll was when I was still piloting an Everest. But you’re right that lore wise, it’s a bit lacking. Also, since you’ve gotten flustered every time you’ve tried to say it, it sounds similar to “his can sir” (is can durr). It’s the ancient pronunciation of Alexander. As in Alexander the Great, conqueror of all worlds, which is how you’ll feel piloting this thing

58:16 Caliban: the only mecha that a Barbarossa pilot prays not to encounter

I love goblin because of the way it messes with things, I never play goblin because mech=big gun in my head. But I appreciate every goblin that has taken on the role of hacker man so I could Big GUN

about manticore destroying itself: it doesnt even need to castigate to do it, the electric spiles on its back generate so much heat that it SLAGS ITS OWN ARMOR (which the art shows on top). Also its to my knowledge the only mech for which we have art of the opened cockpit... and yep its definitely horus, what with the seat cushions looking like they are made of brain matter and the previously-mentioned amor-slagging spikes RIGHT above the pilot, EXPOSED, yet somehow not cooking off the pilot...

I'm sure its already been said but the sheer balls to the walls nature of the Toku actually does lend itself to the brutal Meritocracy of HA. Because if you don't know how to manage it a toku is a fucking death trap. However if you know what you are doing and are a capable pilot a Tokugawa is a nightmare. It is that thin red line of self destruction and glorious victory. You can kinda see it as a way more refined Enkidu.

There are two sides of Horus, paracausal weirdness made manifest, and the I downloaded a gun/weaponised what was on hand with files from the internet, used to arm insurgants/cultiwts/revolutionaries

52:06 I would say that, despite frames like Metalmark and Duskwing representing more the lore and gameplay of SSC, frames like Monarch and Death Head/Swallowtail that ressonates with me as the Smith-Shimano Frames. Being weirdly, with spider legs and not going for the simple and cliché humanoid design, but going FURTHER or, like Monarch, being the Ferrari. You feel like this is the sport-mecha of Lancer. AND it has missiles! A good mecha capable of bring the core anime mecha moment (some Itano Circus over here) to the table!!

47:14 The Manticore is a tricky one. Part of me would put it in C and other wants to embrace everything about him and put in S or A

41:11 I really like the concept of the Tortuga being this Overwatch Mech, the shotgun mecha, I like the Catalytic Hammer! But I just can't see him past B

5:30 Duskwing is a mech that I like the design (four arms? cool as hell), I like the license (becoming a Tron bike) and the lore is so so so good But I never think much about it, it never is THE MECH i will show to introduce Lancer to someone, what makes him being a B for me

My brain. It desires more lancer content. But also likes your other content too. But still desires more lancerrrrrr. Aaaaaaggggghhhhh.

Okay now do Smash or Pass.

The roller mine is good for the Barbarossa cause it allows you to attack within range 5 when you have siege stabilizers down. Also 1d6+3 is great nade damage.

The Enkidu is one of my favorites because it's so funny, when you make it fast and invisible when you take LL into death mark

The Tokugawa being based mostly on Torch lore hurts. The Torch is specifically the thing that is designed for officers. It's tied to Tokugawa in terms of mechanics, but it's more meant as an overall lore concept that doesn't specifically talk about frame lore. The Torch lore does not mean the Tokugawa is meant for officers, it's playing on the idea of having a high tech saber. It's playing off of history in a way that fits HA incredibly well. I could easily see a Napoleon holding its flaming saber aloft or a Genghis running around with a literal FIRE axe. The Tokugawa itself has some great lore to it though. It isn't built to be a ranged gunner like the rest of HA's kit because it is meant to fill that niche within the company's lines. HA has no good melee options (most of their frames aim to be as far away from the fight as possible or at a mid-range with cover) and Toku specifically says that it's built for ship-boarding and CQB. Why does it destroy itself to function? The answer is that it's an engine that is designed to work harder than any other among HA's projects. External Bats are the best batteries you can get, but they're volatile. The Tokugawa is the best performance you can get out of a HA frame, but it's volatile. It represents all of the weird experimental stuff that Harrison is doing right now. Plasma Gauntlets let you kill mechs with nothing but your hands, but that's volatile. The Lucifer NHP runs a million miles a second and pushes the machine to its limits, but it's volatile. External Batteries are the best on the market, but they're volatile. The Annihilator is a first time experiment on turning your reactor into a giant gun, but it's volatile. The Deep Well Heat Sink is specifically said to be experimental and volatile and that thing exists to try to prevent you from dying. Imo the Tokugawa is a perfect example of HA and what it does. These are the guys that made paracausal bullets a thing. The Toku is basically the Think Tank asking itself, "Just how far could we push our tech if we completely disregarded Human safety." The answer is that you can make melee weapons burn hotter, you can make your plasma and beam weapons reach farther, and you can kill your enemies even deader. Basing your opinion of the frame solely on the Torch's lore blurb feels unfair imo.

I love, LOVE Genghis mk1 easily my favorite. My character got his Mech from his great-Grandpappy who got it new off the line, he doesn't know what it was used for only that it kicks ass and melts them too. Lore wise S, damage S, role-playing factor S. Love this thing!

1 point that I'd put in Gorgon's favor (and it's a nitty-gritty one, but hear me out) is that it's solidly in contention as one of the best frames for an Iconoclast build. Most other Horus frames with an in-license NHP just aren't fit to operate at the required range. It still needs another NHP license to bring out the talent's full potential, but pretty much all of them do, and I don't think anything says "Horus" quite like shoving four different Cthulu AIs (including two homegrown ones- one of which is utterly cracked from the get-go) into one mech and then using them to strike your enemies with eldritch lightning bolts as you float around the battlefield.

49:12 the Swallowtail is one I find fantastic for the design, the gameplay seems fun and it's a part of the Lancer gameplay being explored, being the buff support, giving +1's... But I don't know. I will stick with you in this one. Low B High C for the Swallowtail

53:31 Blackbeard being in S is fair The boy is a face, a meme and a concept to Lancer If the Barbarian is the first class you see in the DnD book, Blackbeard being also the first is poetic Plus the lore, it just open the frames and licenses with just a cheff's kiss, they even have a NHP, just to bring you into what Lancer can offer

1:31 I confess that the Atlas is one that the memes are kinda always the same, but I get the hype. Just like Calliban, being the SMALL MAN WHO WILL TORN THEM TO SHREDS. I like the Karrakin marcial arts lore and how YOU NEED TO LEARN TO USE THIS MECH OR YOU ARE SCREWED! But... It never makes me WANTS to play it that much I would put it in the B section, because I like, there is good memes, all right the lore is cool and I always see here and there stuff from the license in some builds

When I got into lancer and was showing my gf the barbarossa, she said it looked like it was holding a lunch box, and that has permanently made the barbarossa feel like a giant toddler with a massive cannon

Atlas does one thing: die. Mourning Cloak: rated "F" for "Full action to leave the scene." Swallowtail: the most insanely aggressive striker that ultras have nightmares about. Gorgon: a defender in the way the outside of a wrecking ball defends the inside of a wrecking ball.

As an LL7 Barbarossa player, I have usefully fired the Apocalypse Rail twice. I have however forced my GM into horrible situations where I am too dangerous to ignore, I cause enemies to split up and be easily picked off, and due to 3 licences in Saladin I am incredibly annoying to shoot at. My job in combat isn't so much to kill enemies (though paracausal Siege Cannon still goes pew) but to support the team by being the biggest threat on the battlefield. I can't really disagree with the C rating considering how little of the Barb's kit I use, but I feel like how it's presented in the book and how you can use it usefully in a mission differ enough that it's more useful than you think.

I love that almost every IPS-N Chasis is in S Tier.

1:05:28 I really like the story of the real Stortebeker and the lore behind the Lancer one, an minor industry trying to give a new spin into the Raleigh only to be bought off by IPS-N Plus, it is the Bloodborne Mech

1:02:31 the White Witch has one of those Licenses that is really fun to read, cause you get a story. About a group of scientist freaking out about what they create and how the marketing sector of SSC still wants to be more "flashy" Sadly, they misspell it and ended up being "fleshy"

1:13:00 it's funny how both Genghis evoke much of the same energy, memes and love, but Enkidu and Tokugawa? I feel like they are different beast.

55:57 Genghis is one of those that "is emblematic" The list of memes about him is really long, and I like some flamethrower mecha. He is the burn mech, which is important to have one to play along a core mechanic/damage and it is REALLY important to the whole lore

Great video, just wanted to say, do that you think the fact HA has so many experimental pet project mechs along with the think tank is part of there identity as there manufacturer? Their wouldn't be so many if it wasn't.

An hour long video? You spoil us sir.

SMH on the Tokugawa take. Just because HA is the most militaristic doesn’t mean they don’t invest heavily in exotic and bespoke technologies to get an upper hand over their rivals. I personally see the Tokugawa as very fitting of how the HA runs its social hierarchy, which is a ruthless meritocracy. HA officers are the exact kinds of people who will take on the maximum amount of risk for the maximum potential gain. Like its namesake, it rides the razor’s edge between life and death to achieve total victory. Plus, only bad Tokugawa pilots die horribly. The ones who actually know how to manage their heat are the ones you should be terrified of.

I haven’t had a chance to play Lancer but the mechs that have my interest most are the Drake, Saladin, Monarch and the Pegasus. Though knowing my group I’ll be the DM for every session if I could convince them to play Lancer. 😅

I use the Barbarossa as a striker half the time. Size 3's with titanomachy mesh are really good. I have one that has 33 movent in a turn and can teleport.

I've seen a grand total of 1 (one) video about LANCER and had never heard about it until now but if the Drake doesn't get S tier I will *riot*

Let’s goooooooooo

Störtebecker the pirate who walked 15 meters whithout head

FYI, the Zheng is based on the Raleigh, not the Nelson

uh oh hes gotten into the tierlist industry

I feel so happy seeing so many ISPN designs in S tier.

I respect a vibes tierlist as the mechanics are alot more complicated to go into

32:47 the Morning Cloak and the Nelson are two that I enjoy the lore and I know how much Nelson is used, but I cannot give them something more than a high B. Maybe a Low A? I don't know, they just don't vibe that much with me

The only thing wrong with the blackbeard is that it's grappling hooks propel from its waist, and it's not a massive hook-hand

About the Barbarossa: look up the Prometheus from the SNES game Metal Warriors

35:44 Balor deserves an S, did you know how many other mechas and soldiers he consumed only to deserve this place?? Jokes aside, I still want for more art of Balor and other Hórus frames showing this "they don't look alike most of the time", or even showing the Balor "coming out" of a different frame

i would like to bring up how the ISKANDER should not be a size 2 it dosnt look like its big, it even has a skirt for some reason they make a giant skirt for this thing

I do want to point out that the Zheng doesn't have an integrated weapon. the D/D 288 (the fist) is just part of the license and can be put on any mech. If I am playing a mech that can carry a superheavy weapon (either by default or by taking Superheavy Mounting), it is my moral imperative to equip it with the D/D 288.

27:11 I share a lot of the feelings for the Sunzi. It never appeal for me, the design the play style. BUT I have seen how much builds have just "take one license from it", and this makes me put it on a Low B/High C

Looking at the mechs all lined up I now feel like there's a distinct lack of Zoids. Wolf/werewolf mech designed to work in tandem with other mechs themed all about coordinated assaults. Dragon mech a mobile gun platform all about venting heat in plasma and or fire bursts. Chimera that can flex into damage, heat and hacking to dispatch foes. Hybrid Generalist master of none. Identify your opponents least favourite way to fight and fo that. Dinosaur/mechagodzilla designed for 1v1 combat savage mid to close combat.

19:48 The Drake is one of those that ain't fabulous, but it is PRATICAL. It is what it is, and there is a charm to that. I like the weapons from that license, from the cannon to the shield (I like shields, and Drake is one of the only you actually HAS a shield and not just a deployable one) It's a STRONG B

Was Tortuga not in here? Nor were any of the GMS mechs

Isn't the Zheng based on the Raleigh, not the Nelson?

46:19 following the spirit of a true samurai, Tokugawa loves some guns And I get the D. I like their Core Power, the idea of LIVING IN THE DANZER ZONE, but if I would play "him", I would just pick an Enkidu

LETS FUCKINGGG GOOOO

unironically, i'd like to see a channel talking about and comparing the various frames, weapons etc...From a mechanical perspective. There are next to zero optimisation-related content on lancer out there, it's super annoying

So what you're saying is, the Barbarossa should be a mini Guntank? I like how you think

14:40 WHY NOT MECH TIES? Jokes aside, I really grew up to apreaciate Black Witch, thanks to your video. I really like the lore, the whole Karrakin idea of being the "most typical security mech" I would put in a high B

What I love about the Monarch is that it has the ability to carry ground-to-orbit missiles

I have this idea cooking in me head for an Atlas with synth muscles from BB and Vlad's nail gun. Probably a terrible idea but it could be hilarious

54:29 Napoleon is one I never gave too much attention, so I understand anyone who puts him in C Like... The Blinkspace stuff? Is cool. Being a 1/2 frame? Is cool. Haha short man jokes? Overused, but okay, it's cool. But I never managed to being interested on him, or wanted to figure him out I have heard there is a Variant of him coming out soon, so let's see whats that can generate

57:12 I have a player that always complains about some Lancer mechas don't looking like mechas and more like "there is someone using this armour" The Emperor fits really well into that. A part of me wishes I could justify by saying how slim (and fragile) this poor bastard is, but I don't know Like, he can become REALLY strong, but I never felt called to it, different from Calendula or the White Witch

21:15 what leaves me sad with Iskander is that I really like being the "grenades and explosives" guy in a lot of games and I never feel GREAT about Iskander. For the grenades mech, he can feel realy underwhelming. It feels like ordering a burger without the fries and the drink, you know? Like, I wish we gotta a HÓRUS frame around explosive or that Iskander went more HARD on the grenades. I wanted to feel like Junkrat! I would put in C just because of the disappointment

30:51 Theres what now, used as components for the morning cloak ??? God mfing damn, what in the five nights at freddies

18:32 Pegasus is just an S It's one of the iconic mech you will talk about to introduce Lancer, the weird mech with a gun that doesn't exist The concept and gameplay? Really cool, plus it really feels like a Hórus Frame, dealing if probability Design wise? DAMN! The Evangelion-like apareance, the hands, the head Pegasus is just an easy S, but I can see it being a Low S or a High A