8 replies to this topic

[Veracin]

I'm just starting to get back into MWO because of CW, but I don't really know what the difference and the advantages of clan mechs are, and do players who align with a house get anything special?

Thanks!

[Tarogato]

Clan mechs are, according to weight class:

Light: Kitfox, Adder, Mist Lynx
Medium: Nova, Stormcrow, Ice Ferret
Heavy: Summoner, Timberwolf, Hellbringer, Maddog
Assault, Warhawk, Direwolf, Gargoyle

Any mech I didn't list above is an Innersphere mech. If you align with any of the Four clans, you must play the Clan omnimechs for CW, and if you align with any of the six Houses, you must play Innersphere battlemechs for CW.

Clan omnimechs allow you to change the hardpoints around by buying different omnipods, and Clan weapons are lighter and generally have longer range. They also have Clan XL engines, which means they can lose a single side torso and keep running. The downside is that they run a little hotter, they have many fixed pieces of equipment, and you can't change the engine.

IS battlemechs allow you to change the engines, but their XL engines are more easily destroyed (lose only one side torso and you blow up), and you get to add or lose Endo structure and Ferro armour upgrades for weight savings, unlike Clanners which are stuck with the setup they get. IS run cooler, do damage more efficiently, but have shorter range. They also don't have a few weapons that the Clanners get to have, like LBX2 and UAC20's, as well as Streak SRM6's.

Joining a Clan or IS faction in CW allows you to earn Loyalty points. You can take a longer contract with a faction and earn LP faster, or you can take shorter contracts and change factions more often (but you don't earn LP as fast). The LP rewards have not fully been implemented yet, but as you earn more LP, this is what you'll earn: https://static.mwome...ks_Rewards2.pdf

[IraqiWalker]

Right now nothing special comes out of alignment. However, if you align with an IS faction, you only play IS mechs in CW. If you ally with a clan faction, you only play clan mechs in CW.

As for differences:

IS mechs:

1-The ability to switch upgrades, and engine sizes, and types (might not seem like much, but this it our greatest advantage.

2- Our energy weapons have shorter range, but they are also faster firing, and colder.

3- Our ballistic weapons are superior though (except for the Gauss Rifle), we only fire one bullet to deal the full damage (clan mechs fire multiples totaling up to that damage rating. {Ex: IS AC 20 1 bullet 20 damage. Clan AC 20 5 bullets 4 damage each}

4- IS LRMs are a trade off, in that they are heavier and bigger, but they fire their missiles in 1 lump. While clan ones are much lighter, and smaller, but fire in a stream of missiles, one at a time (very rapid fire rate though)

5- Clan SRMs are generally better on account of being smaller and lighter, but deal less damage per missile than IS SRMs.

6- clan streaks are identical, but unlike IS SSRMs which only come as SSRM2s, clans have SSRM4s, and 6s.


Clan mechs:

They are made of an assortment of "pods" each section of the mech is one pod, and you can swap them between the alternate configurations. {EX: Kitfox S has ballistics in the STs, which the others don't have. So, if I'm running my KFX-Prime, and want to put Machine guns in the STs, I just go to the mech lab, remove the Prime STs, and put the KFX-S ST pods in there.

Each pod has it's own weapon and equipment hardpoints, and they can't be edited. For example the Timberwolf S has JJs in the STs, and so when you equip the S STs, you get the JJs in them whether you like it or not.

In general, the clan mechs are more flexible, and tend to be easier to level, on account of you being able to run the exact same loadout on all three configurations.

Bear in mind that you do not need to own a config, to use it's pods. Pods are like Heatsinks, or weapons, you can just buy them in the mechlab and slap them onto the config you want.


In addition, they cannot choose their upgrades, nor change their engines, and some come with hardwired equipment they can't remove. However, their Engines are XL, making them very light, and unlike IS XL engine, these ones don't kill you unless you lose BOTH Side torsos, or your CT, naturally.


EDIT:Go to http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ and see for yourself. All the mechs are there. Try experimenting.

EDIT 2: Do NOT get into CW right off the bat. Not unless you have a stable of good mechs that you've elited. In CW you have a drop deck of 4 mechs total (max tonnage is 240), and you need to be on the ball. Jump into the regular queue, and get back into the swing of things before taking on CW.

Edited by IraqiWalker, 28 December 2014 - 07:53 PM.

[mailin]

I agree with IraqiWalker, particularly EDIT 2. CW is challenging right now because it's technically "beta" and there are quite a few bugs to work out. Because of the bugs, there are often long wait times to drop in CW. Drop first in the regular games to refamiliarize yourself with MWO. PGI has frequently tweaked things, so there may be some differences since you've last played.

Edited by mailin, 28 December 2014 - 08:03 PM.

[luxebo]

Veracin, on 28 December 2014 - 07:26 PM, said:

I'm just starting to get back into MWO because of CW, but I don't really know what the difference and the advantages of clan mechs are, and do players who align with a house get anything special?

Simple as this: Blue interface for Clan mechs, yellow interface for IS mechs. Clan mechs for Clan factions (all the factions with the extension "Clan" by em) and IS mechs for IS factions (all the factions with the extension "House" by em and then there is the Free Rasalhague Republic.) Clan mechs are designated by symbol/variant by ONLY letters (and ones that sound like they can make a word or two, like TBR simplified for Timber Wolf). IS mechs have numbers AND letters. IS mechs are usually more rusty/basic while Clan mechs feel more shinier in armor/very detailed but this doesn't always apply and this game is stunning as heck anyway.

I highly suggest to go finish Cadet Bonus first and foremost, then figure which faction you choose to run with. Then you can figure things out on such.

Let's simplify things up: Clan mechs have lighter weight, more heat, waaaaay more range, lots more flexibility, less armor normally. IS mechs have more weight, less heat, less range, more specification/niche running, more armor normally. However the IS lose out on some things: This is not completely lore accurate and Clans don't run as stars like lore. Salvage is not in place (but has been tested via the Stocking Stuffers event and the Halloween event), therefore the evens and odds come out, and the IS mechs aren't that much cheaper than Clan mechs (but I say IS mechs are cheaper off the bat as you can run em, fit a basic loadout, and get away easy to the 2 other variants quickly).

Last but not least, sarna is good for lore-based info: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page

Hope I helped and yes smurfy is super good as a loadout helper and to see everything of MWO.

Edited by luxebo, 28 December 2014 - 08:12 PM.

[Skarlock]

Clan mechs have several advantages over IS mechs, but the actual results are complicated when comparing them because IS mechs are far more unique and focused than clan mechs. Keep in mind that the power of a mech lies in the total package, not in a single element that is available to it.

Clan mech advantages:

- Clan mechs that use endo steel structure or fero fibrous armor get the upgrade for half as many critical slots than their IS counterparts. Typically this means only IS laser boats can take both, but sacrifice so much space in doing so that they can't take a lot of heat sinks. Note you do NOT get to choose, the upgrade is either pre-installed, or not available depending on which clan mech we're talking about. This is one key attribute which separates the best clan mechs from the lower tier ones.

- Clan mechs double heat sinks occupy only 2 critical slots, making them able to cool down faster than their IS counterparts since they are much more space efficient.

- Clan mechs xl engines require both side torsos to cause engine failure killing the mech, IS mechs with xl engines die if one side torso is lost. Since all clan mechs use XL engines, they get a much lighter engine with a lot less risk of early death due to single side torso destruction.

- Clan mechs use er laser variants that are more diverse and feature superior total damage, lower weight, smaller space requirements, and better range, at the cost of more heat and longer laser duration making the damage easier to twist and distribute.

- Clan mech weapons in general are smaller and/or lighter than many IS counterparts.

- Clan mech ER ppc does 15 damage for the same amount of heat, the IS counterpart only does 10 for 15 heat per shot.

- Clan mechs use omnipods which give them some flexibility in their hard point layout that IS mechs don't have, allowing them for typically greater flexibility on one chassis.

IS mech advantages:

- IS mechs get to decide whether or not to take endo/ferro upgrades. While less efficient than their clan counterparts, they do give you greater flexibility in managing tonnage vs. space since they can both be toggled.

- IS mechs get significant quirk bonuses on *some* chassis. IS mechs are very much defined by the quirks. IS mechs that get huge quirk bonuses (thunderbolts and awesomes come to mind) are VASTLY stronger than mechs that do not get quirk bonuses for those weapons. They literally transform weaker weapons like the ER PPC into monstrous, sustainable damage dealers for the case of the Thunderbolt 9S. IS mechs that can boat weapons that fit their quirks can be stronger in many ways than clans naturally superior base weapons, but it's totally dependent on the individual chassis. This makes IS mechs more unique and with a much stronger defined identity, but with much less flexibility for optimal setups.

- IS mechs get flexibility in their engine choices, clan mechs don't. Again, the low tier clan mechs typically have issues with either having far too weak an engine for their light mechs, or far too large an engine to be ideal, such as the gargoyle.

- IS ballistic weapons have superior damage concentration, since clan ballistic weapons fire a short burst of bullets which can be torso twisted to distribute damage among many areas. IS ballistics fire a single round per shot, which maximizes damage concentration.

- IS lasers typically have shorter duration, concentrating the damage better than their Clan counterparts, even though they typically weigh more, take more space, and do less total damage.

- IS mechs are arguably cheaper to outfit, since you don't need to buy omnipods to kit out your mech the way you like it.

In conclusion, I would say that there are bad clan mechs and good ones, and bad IS mechs and good ones. Clan or IS isn't as much of a big deal as the individual mech. I think most people would agree the stormcrow and timberwolf are top tier clan mechs, perhaps even the best mechs overall in the game for their respective weight classes, and maybe go so far as to say they are the best two mechs in the game, period. The direwolf is strong as well due to its amazing firepower, but it is quite slow, maybe down just a notch from the timber and stormcrow. On the other hand, there are much fewer fans of the kitfox and the adder, and not many who would argue the gargoyle is a top tier assault mech.

On the IS side, I would say there are some strong standouts, with Thunderbolts, Griffins, Banshees, Centurions, and the Atlas DDC all being fairly competitive with clan mechs. The Firestarter IMO is unquestionably the king of light mechs but others may disagree. I'm not decided on the King Crab yet, but while I would favor that as an IS assault of choice, I don't know what the community overall thinks.

[IraqiWalker]

King Crab is best crab. Seriously I'm enjoying it more than some of my DWFs. It doesn't carry as much dakka as a DWF, but it has a much smaller profile. It does suffer from the CT is everywhere issue, but that's okay. It makes it very XL friendly, and that allows you to move like a real monster.

[Rogue Jedi]

Somethings that do not seem to have been mentioned yet, with an IS Mech if you are able to fit jumpjets you can chose how many and where they are positioned,

purchase cost
Clan Mechs have a high purchase cost compaired to equivelent IS mechs, this purchase cost already has all the upgrades, including a Clan XL engine, so while their is a high purchase price outfitting a Clan Mech is relatively cheep

IS Mechs usualy need a lot of upgrades to get them competitive, so while the purchase cost of an IS Mech will be low you will be looking at between 2 and 10 mllion to get it upgraded and combat ready.
the engine is the single most expensive part of a Mech, especialy if you are using an XL, you can share the engine from an IS mech between several varients,

so for example purchasing and outfitting your first Firestarter (arguably the best light Mech) will cost around 10 million cbills, or almost 4 times the initial purchase cost, the second and third will only cost around 5 million each because you can use the 4.8 million cbill XL engine you purchased for the first Firestarter.
where as the Kit Fox, arguably the best Clan Light will probably cost you 6 million initial purchase cost, 7.5 million total

Jumpjets
Some Clan Mechs (Mist Lynx, Nova, Summoner) have fixed jumpjets across all variants, so you will have the maximum number of jumpjets, in fixed locations on those Mechs regardless of if you want them,

Other Clan Mechs (Kit Fox, Timber Wolf) have jumpjets attached to a particular Omnipod based on a variants stock loadout, so if you take the Timber Wolf S side torsos, you have 2 fixed jumpjets per torso.

you mention you are getting back into MWO, this suggests you may already have a number of IS Mechs, for this reason it may be wise to stick with IS.

[Koniving]

Veracin, on 28 December 2014 - 07:26 PM, said:

1) What are the difference and the advantages of clan mechs?
2) Do players who align with a house get anything special?

Thanks!

1) In Battletech: the difference between the currently available IS Battlemechs and the currently available Clan Omnimechs within MWO is that Clan Omnimechs can have weapons customized and basic repairs done in minutes to hours and extreme repairs in little more than a week. IS Battlemechs, doing the same basic weapons customization, would take months, the repairs in weeks to months, and extreme repairs might never be possible.

In MWO, we defy all Battletech logic by making customizations instantly and instant repairs on all mechs. So instead...

Inner Sphere (and not yet available Clan) BattleMechs can customize Everything except hardpoints (a very non-Battletech thing; Customization rules are NOT the same as Building rules).
Clan (and not yet available Inner Sphere) OmniMechs can customize only hardpoints with a limited selection of OmniPods. They can't change heatsink type, structure/armor type, jumpjets are locked to omnipods, and they can't change engines. In addition they have a number of hardwired aspects that can't be changed regardless.

(Fun fact: Everything on a BattleMech is hard-wired, hence why it is supposed to be so difficult to change anything about the IS mechs.... but this has never been reflected in MWO.)

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2) At the moment there is financial incentives to be Liao and Smoke Jaguar (I believe some for Jade Falcon but it's barely noticeable). This is because these factions are short-handed at the moment.

The game intends to give, in addition to 'rewards' of titles and funds, camo schemes, ranks, and numerous other trinkets. The list included a key word that people noticed more than anything, "(MC)." Yes, it was said that MC is among the rewards to be given out in CW. o.O;

Edited by Koniving, 29 December 2014 - 04:25 AM.