Wolfhound
The Wolfhound is considered one of the best light mechs in the game. It is a traditional fast light that boats pure energy. Each variant is extremely similar, mostly differentiated by minor quirks. This is a particularly forgiving chassis and simple to play, thus great for introducing newer players to lights mechs.
The Wolfhound lacks jumpjets, has rather low mounts, and some of the worst agility among the traditional light mechs. It makes up for this by being one of the outright tankiest lights in the game - it has substantial durability quirks on top of some of the best geometry for spreading damage, and most of its weapons are safely tucked away in the torsos where they can't be stripped off. This durability combined with ample energy hardpoints cement the Wolfhound at the top of the meta.
Despite its status as a "tanky" light, the Wolfhound should always run XL engines. It is simply not appropriate in general to put Light Engines in light mechs, as they need both the high speed and the tonnage to mount adequate heatsinks, and the Wolfhound's innate durability makes it all the more safe to run XL.
| Variants | LA | LT | CT | RT | RA | HD | JJs | MASC | MaxEng | Accel | Twist | Pitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 WLF-2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | FALSE | 295 | 54.6 kph/s | 110o @ 148.5o/s | 25o | ||
|
WLF-1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | FALSE | 315 | 54.6 kph/s | 110o @ 148.5o/s | 25o | ||
|
WLF-1A | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | FALSE | 295 | 54.6 kph/s | 110o @ 148.5o/s | 25o | ||
|
WLF-1B | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | FALSE | 295 | 54.6 kph/s | 110o @ 148.5o/s | 25o | ||
|
WLF-GRH | 1 | 2 | 1ECM | 1 | 0 | FALSE | 295 | 54.6 kph/s | 110o @ 148.5o/s | 25o |
WLF-1
The WLF-1 has only five energy, and a range quirk which is typically overshadowed by the heat quirk of the WLF-2. The return on investment for the range quirk is greater for longer ranged weapons.
Essentially functions as 6ERML and benefits nicely from the range quirk while having adequate cooling and speed.
This is like a 6ERML build, but slower and with less sustain in exchange for having more range. This is best used outside ~500m, otherwise it will be outperformed by ERML builds.
This is similar to a Panther, but without the arm problem; also similar to a Raven, but tanky instead of having higher mounts.
5MPL is a good fit for the WLF chassis and this variant is no different. The range quirk is not extremely significant, but it will boost your damage very slightly if you prefer to poke from a little further away and want to keep the short duration of the MPL instead of switching to MLs.
An extreme range specialist almost exclusively for comp play. The range quirk makes the WLF-1 by far the best variant for this build, even better than the WLF-2 with its heat quirk.
WLF-1A
WLF-1A has a total of six energy, with the most hardpoints in the torsos out of any variant. This comes with a duration quirk which helps improve your burn accuracy, but it is generally overshadowed by the utility of the WLF-2's heat quirk.
Take advantage of having five torso mounts and you don't have to worry about losing your right arm. Because this build is symmetrical, you can torso twist to spread damage however you please.
You also have the option of dropping a heatsink to armour up the arms because they will tend to soak a lot of damage for you if you are twisting well.
The WLF-1A comes with a duration quirk. MPLs already have a very short duration, so it makes the most sense to use this quirk to improve another weapon like ERML with their longer reach. The lighter loadout has some tonnage leftover, and only a TC1 will fit - its small bonuses are more worthwhile than spending the tonnage on maxing the armour.
WLF-1B
WLF-1B is exclusively useful for its dual AMS. The cooldown quirk, while improving burst DPS, is not terribly useful - if want more burst DPS, take six lasers on the WLF-2 or WLF-1A instead, as this variant can only carry five.
5ERML is underwhelming firepower for a 35-tonner, but it is serviceable. The range of ERML allows you to play more with your team, putting the AMS to good use. Don't try to play solo or flank with this build, because that would be giving up the utility of the AMS as team support equipment. If you want solo protection from missiles for your flanking endeavours, play an ECM mech instead.
If you'd just rather play a dual AMS Wolfhound with a more typical MPL build, then you're going to have to deal with being quite slow, and having lackluster cooling.
WLF-2
The WLF-2 is considered the best variant due to its heat quirk, which helps offset the main disadvantage of energy weapons and allows this mech to keep up in sustained engagements and even brawl with pinpoint weapons.
This is the premier Wolfhound build. 6MPL is a substantial alpha for a light mech, and with the heat quirk and maximum heat-related nodes in the skill tree, you have commendable sustain. Place your shots carefully because when heat is at a premium, every individual shot is important. Generally, don't chainfire when you are hot - take the time cooling off to be an evasive and unpredictable target, and then unleash another full alpha when you can. Be extra careful to protect your right arm, as it comprises one-third of your damage and it does tend to fall off.
This more forgiving build has slightly better speed and sustain than the 6MPL build. While the 6MPL build is considered superior in all respects due to its sheer burst damage, you might still prefer this version for hotter maps or more brawly scenarios, or if you just don't have the trigger discipline to manage the 6MPL.
While the extra durability of Light Engines is not worth it on light mechs, this build can be good for those players that struggle with survivability. Running a Light Engine saps away a lot of valuable tonnage, but dropping down from MPLs to MLs gives you back some tonnage, and the heat gen quirk here allows you to run ER's even with the fewer number of heatsinks. Avoid brawls, this is more of a poking skirmisher and can't be played as aggressively as MPL builds.
WLF-GR "GRINNER"
The Grinner is the ECM option, which allows it to keep itself and nearby units undetected until close range. It pays for this boon by only having five energy and no offensive quirks to speak of, not to mention the cost of mounting the ECM itself and accommodating for it in the skill tree, making the Grinner's damage output really quite underwhelming. Despite this, the ECM can make this mech very forgiving and fun to play - allowing you to pull off many flanking maneuvers that you couldn't in other Wolfhounds, and some players may even prefer it over the WLF-2 for this reason.
The Grinner takes the staple 5MPL Wolfhound build, and adds ECM to it. Dropping the engine a little doesn't hurt much, it's better than sacrificing more heatsinks. While it's slightly slower and hotter than a normal Wolfhound, the added sneak from the ECM allows you to flank with near-impunity.
Only having 5ERML is underwhelming for a 35-tonner, but the addition of ECM makes this rather serviceable. You have enough range to engage outside of detection range, so you can be very adventurous with your flanking maneuvers.
If you want even more protection than ECM, you must drop down to standard MLs, as ERML and MPL are too hot and heavy. This is a significant sacrifice, as 5ML is very underwhelming for a 35-tonner, but you get maximum engine and maximum sneak in return so it's easier to get out of unfavourable scenarios, making this a very forgiving, if underpowered, build.