Howdy everyone and welcome back to Mech Overview, where this week we will be covering a mech that was intended to replace the Loki, the Ebon Jaguar. Also known as the Cauldron Born, which is the more common name in-universe, the Ebon Jaguar is a multi-role Omni-Mech with a pretty slick appearance. This thing looks like a fighter jet with legs and it absolutely kills it. A+ appearance.
Genuinely looks sleek, high tech, and dangerous. Huge glowup from the original art. It is also just a very fun name to say, Ebon Jaguar. That has some value in and of itself.
Chassis
The Ebon Jaguar is an omni-mech, so all the variants are chained to the same base internals and core attributes. The Ebon Jaguar weighs 65 tons, moves 5/8/0 stock, mounts adequate but not incredible armor for its weight, and it is very light on the limbs while the torsos are more or less maxed out. The legs in particular are a bit of a weak point of the Ebon Jaguar, with only 19 points of armor meaning that an AC/20 shell will blow in and threaten to snap a hip off. 17 on the arms also isn’t great but at least going internal there won’t kill you, usually.
The sheer comedy of this mech compared to the Loki, which it is replacing, is that it both has much better armor and a significantly higher amount of pod space with 30 tons. This is more than the 28.5 tons of the Loki, made possible by using more weight saving equipment. This can be a bad thing, as it means that the Ebon Jaguar has the full tonnage of a Spider to fill with guns, but there is so much room for fun and activities in here. The improvement over the Loki is immediately apparent in every conceivable way. It is no surprise that this mech canonically replaced the Loki in almost all militaries, it is just vastly better at the exact same job.
Liberty: I agree, this thing is hilarious, damned good looking and slick as shit. It also pisses me the fuck off because of that armor profile. I know I’m the local cheap periphery shit bucket enjoyer and come off as cost adverse a lot but I like a lot of clan ‘mechs and want to love the Ebon Jag because it just looks so good.
I just wish I could like it more.
For the price, with 11/13 of them being over 2,000 BV, I cannot justify a heavy that has a reasonable chance of getting its legs, or main armament, genuinely fucked by a Victor that costs a thousand BV less. All I’m asking is for them to have shifted the armor. That’s all, Clanners, an appeal to reason. An appeal to sense. An appeal to not having a distinct chance of falling on your face or experiencing an arm related ammo/weapon explosion the moment anything packing an AC/UAC 20 gets near you. Or god forbid a double tap from a pair of IS PPCs
That said a lot of Ebon Jags are cool and worth it… they just make me sad.
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 and our general methodology).
Prime
Costing 1,952 BV, the Prime is a hell of a lot cheaper than the majority of Hellbringers, which isn’t saying much but is nice. It carries a gauss rifle, an LB/5X with two tons of ammo for cluster reasons, an LRM-10, an SRM-2 for fun I guess, and an ER medium laser. This is okay for theoretical max damage but is a bit unfocused. You get one of everything here but it doesn’t really commit anywhere, leading to a mech that is a bit of a let down for 1,952 BV. Usable, but mid. The biggest issue actually might be the gauss rifle and LBX ammo being in the arms. Any big hit to those arms is going to go internal, and you are probably going to take some pilot hits.
Peri’s Rating: C-
Liberty’s Rating: C-. Starting out with one of the cheapest Jags we find explosive arm components and a craving for explosions. At least its sub-2,000, I suppose.
A
Significantly more expensive than the Prime at 2,429 BV, the Cauldron Born A is extremely funny. It carries an ultra AC/20, two ER large lasers, three ER medium lasers, two of them backwards for comedy, a medium pulse laser, a flamer, and two machine guns. This is another do-everything mech and I kinda fuck with it, but it is too expensive for what it is. The ERLLs are heat neutral at a run, and the MPL, ERML, and UAC/20 are also heat neutral at a run. UAC/20s and CERLLs are really good weapons, but the overall package here is a bit pricy. I love a 5/8/0 AC/20 of any variety, but I can do it much cheaper with other mechs. Still, not a horrible variant, very usable, and extremely funny.
Peri’s Rating: C
Liberty’s Rating: C-. Love fast UAC/20s but man this thing is fuckin’ expensive. The Argus 6F is a 5/8 IS Heavy that has more armor, although still sub-20 on the arms, an AC/20 with enough ammo space to feed it precision, a pair of IS ERMLs, and an SRM 6 for about a thousand less. Also the fact that the A’s ERMLs face backwards is hyper stupid on a ‘mech that has flippy arms… WHY?
B
We are entering what I like to call the “Loki Zone”. Ebon Jaguars in the Loki Zone are for the most part over gunned nightmares. The B costs 2,535 BV and carries two ER PPCs, two large pulse lasers, two medium pulse lasers, a TAG, and an active probe. It does, however, only mount the 13 heat sinks it came with, leaving it 6 heat undersinked when running and firing the ER PPCs. It almost makes it work because if it is standing still it can alternate the ER PPCs and the LPLs to stay neutral, but it would be much better ditching the LPLs for more heat sinks and MPLs. It has very high damage potential but it will struggle to consistently use it.
Peri’s Rating: D+ish
Liberty’s Rating: D.
C
Much cheaper at 1,831, the C is actually the cheapest Ebon Jaguar. Once you look at the weapons, it is easy to understand why. It carries two LRM-15s, two UAC/2s, and two SRM 6s. This is a very funny amount of gun for a 65 ton Clan heavy, and you know what, I think it might actually be decent. It is pretty cheap, Clan LRMs are insanely good weapons, the SRMs are nice for crit hunting, and you can basically treat the UAC/2s as a free, long range SRM 4 that came bolted to the side of your missile mech. It has too much ammo but this does mean it can easily mount Infernos, and you will have a difficult time overheating this mech. I actually kind of like this for the price; the damage is okay, the UACs suck really bad but the rest of the mech is fine.
Peri’s Rating: C+, somehow
Liberty’s Rating: C+. At a price I’m actually willing to pay while still packing in some funny choices I quite like the C a fair bit more despite my penchant for big guns. This would make a good friend to a big bruiser that can open holes for it to exploit at nearly any range.
D
At 2,228 BV the D sits on the lower end of Cauldron Born pricing. This is good, because the D is a fantastic mech. It carries two UAC/10s, a fantastic weapon system, an ER large laser, and two ER medium lasers. It is heat neutral firing the UAC/10s on full blast with the ER large, and puts out a pretty impressive amount of damage when it does so. The points are maybe a hair high, but 50 damage is 50 damage and it is hard to fault it too much. It isn’t a particularly flashy Clan heavy, but UAC/10s are such good weapons when you have a bunch of pod space to fill. For sure on the higher end of Ebon Jaguar quality.
Peri’s Rating: B
Liberty’s Rating: B-. I can only be so angry at twin 5/8 UAC/10s. This would be genuinely funny to run and is probably how I will use my long Ebon Jaguar, goes hard and easily one of the top-tier variants of the Jag’s platform.
E
For 2,391 BV the E is another one of everything mech, but with one of a different set of everything. It carries a large pulse laser, ER medium laser, HAG/20, and an ATM/12. There is a lot to like here; ATM/12s are fantastic, LPLs are great, and the HAG/20, while disappointing, is at lease long ranged and reasonably good damage. The E really wants to be three hexes away from your enemy, where it can put out some pretty respectable damage, but it is still fairly good at medium range. Due to the mechanics of HAGs, with them getting worse cluster rolls the further away you are, you really want to be at 8 or less hexes, or at the very least less that 16. With 5/8/0 movement speed the E should usually be able to get to the range it wants. I like this, but it doesn’t seem as reliable as a D for a significantly higher price.
Peri’s Rating: B-
Liberty’s Rating: C+
F
The F is pricy, but hear me out. At 2,681 BV I would normally be raking it over the coals on raw price alone, but there is something interesting going on here. It carries two ER PPCs, two ATM/6s, and a targeting computer. It has enough heat sinks to fire both PPCs and one of the ATMs while running, and it can fire everything up close and only build 4 heat, which is basically perfect, putting you just under the first heat penalty. You have good point blank damage and a pair of -1 to hit ER PPCs on a mobile, reasonably durable chassis with flippable arms. The only real issue here is the weedy arm armor.
I feel like I sometimes give off the wrong energy. While expensive Clan mechs tend to be bad, it is really important to note that for most of them, they are expensive for a reason. If you have never played against a pair of TComp’d heat neutral headchoppers, this can be insanely hard to deal with. At 5/8/0 you can often get a +3 TMM if you plan your moves out ahead of time, or at least get a +2 and end up in woods or partial cover. This can be a very frustrating and powerful thing to deal with, but it isn’t world-endingly broken like it was when we didn’t have BV to put a limit on it.
As is, the F is fairly good actually, but you do pay for that power. I would personally take a Kingfisher C over it, but when the first thing that comes to mind as being better at your role is an S tier mech, you are not doing too bad.
Peri’s Rating: B
Liberty’s Rating: B-. Bordering on C+ for me but good god, twin tarcomped head choppers backed by a pair of ATM-6s? I can understand the price and I want to use this at some point but I know the legs are going to get whacked with an AC/20, exploding my hips, if I do it and it’ll just make me very sad.
G
The G is another one that is extremely funny. For 2,849 BV you get an improved heavy large laser, a HAG/40, and a targeting computer. That is literally it. This is insanely funny; it hits very hard and only builds movement heat, but like, that is so much BV. It is funny, it has a ton of damage, it isn’t really great because good lord the price, but if you get close to someone you will usually knock them over. HAG/40s are the most expensive guns in the game for a reason and they are insanely funny to use. I can’t really recommend this from a power standpoint, it is too fragile for that BV, but it is funny.
Peri’s Rating: C-/D+, but easily an A for comedy and fun
Liberty’s Rating: D+. I am fighting myself from giving this an A+ solely because I think both of these guns are fucking hilarious. Unfortunately at 2849 BV I think a Kodiak is way funnier for the price.
H
Hey guess what, instead of being the bad heavy laser one this is instead the extremely funny heavy laser one. For 2,359 BV it carries an Ultra AC/20, a large heavy laser, two medium heavy lasers, a medium pulse laser, and a targeting computer. While the TComp’d heavy lasers are something we have seen before and are nice for making them usable weapons, a TComp’d UAC/20 is extremely and dangerously funny. Hear me out, I think this might be good. It can fire the UAC and the large heavy while only building movement heat, and once it fires all of its UAC ammo it can shoot all the heavies with the same to hits. It is also on movement heat firing the medium heavies, UAC, and MPL. This is pretty scary; it is decently fast and can make okay use of its short ranged payload, and it doesn’t have explosives in those fragile arms. Overall a fan of this variant.
Peri’s Rating: B
Liberty’s Rating: B+. I love this. I want this. I will be using this. Damn the price I crave the seratonin hit of a UAC/20 and a Large Heavy Laser carving gigantic swathes of armor away from something…
And then exploding, probably.
T
The T is an odd one. For 2,219 BV you get a mix of IS and Clan equipment. The main guns are an ER PPC and an Ultra AC/5, with a heavy missile payload in the form of a Streak LRM/10 and two Thunderbolt 5s. This is a very funny missile load that only exists to let this variant match the original art, but replacing an SRM/2 with a pair of Thunderbolts is insanely funny. For backup it has a single medium improved heavy laser. Nothing explosive is in the arms, and it even has CASE II to protect the ammo bins, so it is unlikely that you flame out and die. In all honesty this does all the same things as the Prime, but better. It is more expensive, but it will serve you better and be much funnier to use. SLRMS and Thunderbolts are just innately fun weapons to use.
Peri’s Rating: B-
U
I mean its a U variant. It has some UMUs, some pulse lasers, and a pair of LRT-15s. This is a very funnily heavily armed mech for a U variant, but I don’t play underwater and have no clue if it is good.
Peri’s Rating: N/A
Liberty’s Rating: U is for UNDA’ DA SEA
X
The X is an odd one. For 2,435 BV it carries what was, at the time of its introduction, a fully experimental payload. It has a rotary AC/5, three ER medium pulse lasers, an ER small pulse laser, an Angel ECM (the cool one that turns off streaks), and a targeting computer. The ER MPL and ER SPL are a lot better than the ER LPL for a few reasons, and having a TComp to get them up to the normal pulse laser level of accuracy is extremely nice actually. The Clan RAC/5 is a genuinely nuts gun, dealing up to 30 damage with the same ranges as a Clan ER PPC. It also has plenty of ammo and plenty of heat sinks, so it can lay down some incredibly serious fire. CASE II protects the ammo, and the Angel ECM really fucks with your opponents ECM and Streak missiles. Overall this is a good package, if a pricy one, and it will do good work for you if you can position it correctly and let it lay on the DPS.
Peri’s Rating: B
Liberty’s Rating: B-. I go FERAL for Rotary AC/5s and am their strongest soldier. As such I want to use this because of that but at 2435 BV it would hurt me quit a bit to put it to table. Might not stop me though.
Samantha
The one named character version of the Cauldron Born, the Samantha costs 2,373 BV. For weapons we have an Ultra AC/20, an ER PPC, three LRM/10s, and an ER small laser for some fucking reason. I mean, it isn’t horrible, but it isn’t doing anything super interesting either. LRM/10s are vaguely mediocre weapons, even if being Clan makes them much more usable, and we have a bit of a lack of focus here. It does have one funny trick, which is being on movement heat when it fires the UAC and all the LRMs, so you could potentially shoot the UAC to open up some holes and then try to crit seek with the LRMs, but there are other mechs that do that much cheaper, usually by carrying SRMs. I am unimpressed but it isn’t unusable, nothing fast with a UAC/20 is really unusable.
Peri’s Rating: C
Liberty’s Rating: C
Conclusion
The Ebon Jaguar is a high damage, mediocre durability heavy mech that tends to be pricy but has some murderously well designed configurations. In a world where we played by Tonnage I would take a ton of them, but in this world of points and BV I am way less excited. There are very usable variants here, and it won’t let you down nearly as hard as something like a Linebacker, but you do have to remember that this thing is meant to be a replacement for the Loki, and it carries a small piece of the Loki’s soul in it like a child of dark.
Looks kickass though!
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