41 replies to this topic

[Woodsquirrel37]

What would be a good starter mech... i like to be able to hit from a distance but im not afraid to mix it up close either... for the most part pretty curious i played a quick game last night lots of assists but no kills and most importantly i survived the match LMAO!!! any answer would be nice

[bossclan]

Shadowhawk ,Centurion,Hunchback,Griffon,or if you want clan do Stormcrow.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Welcome, I suggest take your time, try out all of the trials available and earn that Cadet Bonus which should set around ~9,000,000 C-Bills or so?

There are plenty of good options but costs can add up, to get your first mech ready depending on first choice, and then you will also need another two to be able to unlock Elite Efficiencies that can be found in the Skills tab.

Here is an excellent resource you can use outside the game to take a look at mechs and different builds.

So for mechs, if you'd like to go Clans, one solid option is the Stormcrow, since you can buy one mech and try out different Omnipods on it for different builds.

But there are plenty more mechs to choose from though.

Edited by Praetor Knight, 02 March 2015 - 11:45 PM.

[Tilakkam]

"Hunchback is the only true answer." Cheap, can run in stock (but i think double sinks worth to buy) and have 23t for gear just like Stormcrow.

[mailin]

Notice that the early responses were all mediums. This is because overall mediums give the best mix of firepower vs. speed while typically not requiring the more expensive XL engines.

As a new pilot the general rule is to use your first drops in trial mechs to figure out which mechs you may be interested in before spending your hard earned c-bills. Then, by the time you get the cadet bonus you'll be in a much better spot to determine which mechs suit your playstyle.

Edited by mailin, 03 March 2015 - 01:01 AM.

[Rogue Jedi]

depending on what you are interested in,

the Hunchback has specialist variants, each variant is good at something different, the 4g is AC20 + ML making it great at short range Mech slaying, the 4p has lots of lasers, giving it a lot of damage potential but it will run hot, the 4SP is one of the best SRM carriers, the 4H fires the AC10 like it is an AC5, and I cannot remember the designation for the LRM boat
never use an XL engine in a hunchback because with the exception of the SP most of your firepower is in the large and easy to hit Hunch, people will target that so if you are using an XL you will go down fast (because with an XL loosing a side will kill you), the Hunchback has one of the best torso twist ranges of any Mech.

the Shadow Hawk has jump jets but most variants have all 3 types of hardpoint, it has a comparatively small torso twist range compared to the HBK and has minimal quirks (while the HBKs have excellent quirks)however the Shadow Hawk does have a high engine cap, due to the fact that you will likely want at least 1 ballistic you will probably need an XL engine (about half the weight of a standard engine but you die to loosing a side torso, and rather expensive) the 5M comes with an XL 275 engine so buying that first may be a good idea if you decide on Shadow Hawks.

the Griffin has the extreme torso twist of the HBK and jump jets as well as a high engine cap, but it only has missiles and lasers, no variant can carry a ballistic. however it is the best IS SRM boat, use a standard engine and you have an extremely durable Mech (most of your weapons are on the Right side so you can sacrifice your left and loose few or no weapons), or use an XL for higher speed and payload as the expense of a bit of durability

the Centurion is a great Mech for spreading damage, especially of you are using a Standard engine, most variants have energy, ballistic and missile hardpoints, some of them have great quirks (unfortunately I cannot remember what)

look up Mech Quirks here:
http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/
before deciding on what to buy, because the quirks can give you a great advantage on some Mechs.

before buying anything I suggest you try building the Mech here:
http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab
this way you will know what it will cost to get the Mech outfitted properly,
my best advise here is if you take one of the Mechs I suggested try to put in at least a 250 engine, bigger engine not only makes the Mech run faster but also increases twist speed and general agility, also the 250 engine has 10 internal heatsinks which will all be true double heat Sinks (dissipate twice as much heat as a standard heat sink) when you add the Double Heat Sink upgrade (extra DHS only dissipate 1.4x the heat that standard heatsinks would)

edit: spelling

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 03 March 2015 - 01:24 AM.

[GamerLevelAsian]

Try all the trial Mech's and see which one you like the best (play your full 25) then pick the storm crow as its easily the best IMO lol

[dragnier1]

I would say Shadow Hawk is a good starter mech. The Centurion, Hunchback and Catafract can be considered too.

[Koniving]

Surprised about the lack of love for Wolverines. They're shorter than all the other 55 tonners in this game, come stock with nearly full armor (where Shadowhawks come stock with sometimes 1 to 3 tons of armor compared to the Wolverine's 10+ tons). Wolverines have the tightest, smallest hitboxes of the 55 tonners, and typically come with a disposable side and arm.

Though admittedly, that is also the problem many see about Wolverines, their one side is typically disposable, so enemies might target the good side and new players won't know to throw their disposable body parts into enemy fire to protect their good side.
But c'mon, who doesn't want to lift tanks off their tracks?


Heh. Of course with MWO's scale of these mechs, they could pick up and throw tanks one-handed. 7.7;

Back on topic!
If you can forgive the mech-riding in the beginning, here's a Wolverine. You may want to use an AC/10 rather than an LBX if you want to mimic the build and fight long range, I use the LBX for close range typically but the early match didn't allow for that.

And that's mainly screwing around and before quirks (which have since boasted its survivability).

Now that I've made a case for the Wolverine...
I bring us back to what I recommend if you're just starting out.
Hunchback 4P. I'm serious. Consider the loadout and armor you see built here, for the reasons you will see here.

It runs much cooler now than it did then, and it was perfectly manageable despite the lack of speed. The final build after all the tweaks gives it the default engine, default amount of armor (but reallocated, pay close attention to where it goes), and heads out to take names.

What's interesting is the Hunchbacks has also been enhanced in its armor/structure, too, so it's also far more survivable than it is there and you can see it could take a ~LOT~ of abuse already.

[Chaos Strike]

I am a new player like the OP.
After running alot of differant trial mechs, I bought a Clan Nova NVA-S and also run the NVA-PRIME from the trial list. Got a ER PPC to give the -S some reach. I am enjoying both models, but am having a bit of regret with having gone Clan because of the cost!

I am thinking about getting a long range support IS mech in hopes of surviving more of my matches or at least contributing more to the team. All in the quest for larger C-bill payouts per match. Currently average 40-60k per match with the occasional 130k for having survived by luck more than skill.

Should I have gone IS instead of Clan for a first set of mechs?

Thank you.

[Fobhopper]

Chaos Strike, on 03 March 2015 - 03:26 PM, said:

I am a new player like the OP.
After running alot of differant trial mechs, I bought a Clan Nova NVA-S and also run the NVA-PRIME from the trial list. Got a ER PPC to give the -S some reach. I am enjoying both models, but am having a bit of regret with having gone Clan because of the cost!

I am thinking about getting a long range support IS mech in hopes of surviving more of my matches or at least contributing more to the team. All in the quest for larger C-bill payouts per match. Currently average 40-60k per match with the occasional 130k for having survived by luck more than skill.

Should I have gone IS instead of Clan for a first set of mechs?

Thank you.

Dont feel bad for going one way or another. Both have their pro's and cons. If you want a long range option for either faction, either to Catapult for IS, or go Timberwolf for clans. Both are primarily designed to be missile boats.
If you want a heavier and more durable option, the Direwolf or the King Crab are the best choices for each right now. But I still recommend waiting until you have gotten all your Cadet rewards (25) and you have played around more with the mechs.

[Koniving]

Chaos Strike, on 03 March 2015 - 03:26 PM, said:

I am a new player like the OP.
After running alot of differant trial mechs, I bought a Clan Nova NVA-S and also run the NVA-PRIME from the trial list. Got a ER PPC to give the -S some reach. I am enjoying both models, but am having a bit of regret with having gone Clan because of the cost!

I am thinking about getting a long range support IS mech in hopes of surviving more of my matches or at least contributing more to the team. All in the quest for larger C-bill payouts per match. Currently average 40-60k per match with the occasional 130k for having survived by luck more than skill.

Should I have gone IS instead of Clan for a first set of mechs?

Thank you.

In the long run, IS and Clan costs sort of balance out. Clan Omnimechs start out with all the upgrades and such so they are ready to go almost out of the gate. IS mechs need to acquire the upgrades, which can include 1.5 million cbills for double heatsinks, 3 to 7 million for the XL engine... 750,000 or so for the Endo Steel skeleton. That's usually the minimum.

Its more of a case of which way you plan on going. Clan mechs are hotter, require more face time (looking at the enemy and soaking damage in order to shoot and deal damage to them), and have an interesting set of rules and flexibility about them.

The Inner Sphere mechs work entirely differently. Many of them hit hard and fast, run a lot colder, but can be a bit more fragile and pay for their devastating and cold firepower by having a lack of range. In the end the most effective IS mechs are those that can close the distance and blow the enemy to smithereens.

Now, an IS 50 to 55 tonner would have been the best initial investment since most of them do not require XL engines and many have a variant that comes with DHS, saving you a fair bit.

But in general, that Clan mech isn't that much more expensive than most IS mechs. The issue is rather than spreading that out over time, spending a bit, earning funds, spending more... you've spent a lot of it all at once.

[Anassi]

Chaos Strike, on 03 March 2015 - 03:26 PM, said:

I am a new player like the OP.
After running alot of differant trial mechs, I bought a Clan Nova NVA-S and also run the NVA-PRIME from the trial list. Got a ER PPC to give the -S some reach. I am enjoying both models, but am having a bit of regret with having gone Clan because of the cost!

I am thinking about getting a long range support IS mech in hopes of surviving more of my matches or at least contributing more to the team. All in the quest for larger C-bill payouts per match. Currently average 40-60k per match with the occasional 130k for having survived by luck more than skill.

Should I have gone IS instead of Clan for a first set of mechs?

Thank you.

Inner Sphere mechs are cheaper, but not by as much as you think. Clan mechs come preinstalled with pretty much everything you need. Clan XL-engines, omnipods, double heatsinks, lots of weaponry and depending on the mech Endo Steel Structure and / or Ferro Fibrous Armor. IS mechs on the other hand are cheaper to buy by themselves but you'll be forking over a lot of additional cash for the upgrades and XL-engines if the build calls for it.

Still, the Clanners do have the omnipod expense that the IS does not have so they'll be more expensive after all. But not by as much as you think.

[William Warriors]

Urbanmech! Highly recommended for newbies.. in fact I had petition it to be free.. for any new joiners to learn how to pilot a mech!

[Sylonce]

William Conrad, on 04 March 2015 - 08:06 AM, said:

Urbanmech! Highly recommended for newbies.. in fact I had petition it to be free.. for any new joiners to learn how to pilot a mech!

Aye, slow and steady.

[Jody Von Jedi]

Anassi, on 03 March 2015 - 03:44 PM, said:

Inner Sphere mechs are cheaper, but not by as much as you think. Clan mechs come preinstalled with pretty much everything you need. Clan XL-engines, omnipods, double heatsinks, lots of weaponry and depending on the mech Endo Steel Structure and / or Ferro Fibrous Armor. IS mechs on the other hand are cheaper to buy by themselves but you'll be forking over a lot of additional cash for the upgrades and XL-engines if the build calls for it.

Still, the Clanners do have the omnipod expense that the IS does not have so they'll be more expensive after all. But not by as much as you think.

Good advice. I'm a dedicated IS only pilot. I recently spent over 20 mil C-bills just upgrading the first 6 Resistance mechs released last month, Panther and Enforcer. Just think, those were light and medium chassis, respectively. Imagine how much the Grasshopper and Zeus are going to cost to get them up to specs!

So don't sweat the cost of the clan mechs. They cost more up front, but you spend less on upgrades.

Jody

[Koniving]

William Conrad, on 04 March 2015 - 08:06 AM, said:

Urbanmech! Highly recommended for newbies.. in fact I had petition it to be free.. for any new joiners to learn how to pilot a mech!

In a way, I actually like that idea. But I dunno if I could ask a new player to fork over 20 bucks to get 3 Urbanmechs just yet.
Though... *Grabs his trash can.* You can't deny it's riding in style.

[mogs01gt]

Anassi, on 03 March 2015 - 03:44 PM, said:

Inner Sphere mechs are cheaper, but not by as much as you think. Clan mechs come preinstalled with pretty much everything you need. Clan XL-engines, omnipods, double heatsinks, lots of weaponry and depending on the mech Endo Steel Structure and / or Ferro Fibrous Armor. IS mechs on the other hand are cheaper to buy by themselves but you'll be forking over a lot of additional cash for the upgrades and XL-engines if the build calls for it.

Still, the Clanners do have the omnipod expense that the IS does not have so they'll be more expensive after all. But not by as much as you think.

This x 100

Its really not worth it as a new player to invest in IS mechs unless its a Hero mech. You spend most of your cbills in upgrading your new mech instead of using the money towards your next mech. IMO the key to enjoying MWO is finding a mech that suits your play style. Then once you get good at the game, you can adjust your play style to the mech.

I would never recommend any mech under a 55t for a new player. I fell into that trap as a new player and it was hell getting out!

Edited by mogs01gt, 04 March 2015 - 01:17 PM.

[Alaskan Nobody]

mogs01gt, on 04 March 2015 - 01:15 PM, said:

I would never recommend any mech under a 55t for a new player. I fell into that trap as a new player and it was hell getting out!

I would say more under 50 tons.

Hunchback and Centurion being the two mechs I tend to recommend the most for learning core mechanics though, I may be biased.

Beyond that though - those two mechs can function very well without XL engines - which all of the 55 ton mechs more or less call for them. (Which saves the new player a lot with the 50 ton mechs)

[AkoolPopTart]

I was thinking of the Catapult with PPC's with heavy lasers because, FEAR MY ENERGIZE PROTONS OF DEATH! That, or the Cougar.

BTW: There are Gauss guns in this game right?

Edited by AkoolPopTart, 04 March 2015 - 02:48 PM.