44 replies to this topic

[zaibitsu]

Hello,

I don't own any light mechs, but I played with some trial ones and really had a blast.

What I like to do is simply harass the enemy on long range or close range depending on the opportunity. I really had a blast with this trial mech http://s27.postimg.o...Iliked_This.png but what chassis do you recommend?

I want to buy 3 variants of a light mech chasis, have 1 variant with 2 PPC, 2nd variant with long and close range capability (similar to the one in the pic) and 3rd idk for now will see.

So, any recommendations?

Edited by zaibitsu, 18 March 2015 - 09:38 PM.

[Void Angel]

If you're enjoying the Spiders, by all means keep them up. That K build will do quite well; the D has ECM, and the V... We don't talk about the V. Just put a large pulse in its sole hardpoint and get it skilled out. =) The Raven is an excellent chassis, and able to fulfill a variety of roles.

Another very strong the Firestarter, who can put an insane number of small beam weapons on their tiny frame - and whose hitboxes may well be a bit broken. However, it has no ECM, so you might want to make them your second choice.

The Jenner is another strong choice, but it's not as flexible, and has a huge center torso. I would advise against getting a Locust or a Commando until you are an expert light pilot.

PS: Make sure throttle decay is on in your options - it starts on by default. If you don't, you wont be able to accelerate or decelerate as fast as your machine is actually capable of doing.

[Omi_]

Given the current state of the meta, I would advise against Locust, Commando or Jenner. Locusts and Commandos can be super punishing to play, and Jenners have a unique learning curve due to their hitboxes (though make no mistake - they do not suck).

Spiders are indeed fun! For a first Light I would strongly recommend that you don't go any lighter on tonnage than that.

I concur with Void Angel that the Raven and Firestarter would be your other 2 best first/second choices.

The Firestarter would be closest in terms to the Spider in terms of hitbox performance, though it tends to be a bit brawny and excels at a closer range. Ravens comparatively need to pay attention to protecting their legs from getting taken out, but can play a lot of neat scout roles such as NARC/TAG/ECM while also sporting heavier loadouts.

[SnagaDance]

I do want to state that equipping 2 PPC's on a Light will have serious effects on a build. Them being 14 tons in total, which takes a huge chunk out of your available tonnage. This while you need all the armour you can get and often the fastest engine there is and some jumpjets if you're capable of equipping them. In addition 2 PPC would also require some extra heatsinks to make sure you don't overheat too soon.

That said I've seen veteran Spider pilots use that ECM spider with a a single ERPPC to devastating effect. You don't know frustration until you've been harassed by one of those.

[Rogue Jedi]

Void Angel, on 18 March 2015 - 09:45 PM, said:

Make sure throttle decay is on in your options - it starts on by default. If you don't, you wont be able to accelerate or decelerate as fast as your machine is actually capable of doing.

I run with throttle decay off because it is far easier to set a speed, however I also use the 100% and 0% throttle presets which I remapped to E and Q respectively, this gives you the fast acceleration/deceleration of a light and the advantage of being able to quickly and easily set your speed to something other than 100% or 0%.

[skorpionet]

You like to brawl? FIRESTARTER

You like strategy? RAVEN or SPIDER

You like impossible challenges? LOCUST

[YCSLiesmith]

the firestarter is a great mech with a fantastic future for a new mechwarrior. it's a lot of work to play it well but there are a number of great models, making it a real pleasure to elite/master. the FS-A is a small pulse laser brawler/flanker, I think of it like a baby atlas. the S and H class are more midrange, and will wreck people from the sides and back. buy one, soup it up, get tons of mech xp with it and then buy the next one + transfer the engine. you'll have it elited in no time.

the Raven is a longer range mech. the Huginn is one of the better mechs int he game but costs irl dollars, the 3L is a sick sniper/harasser at range, and the other ravens are not terrible. it's not as much of a joy to elite as the firestarter but it's a solid mech with a solid role.

You like the spider, you can stick with it. I'd dump the machine guns since machine guns dont actually do any damage but you are your own man. I don't love the spider but some people do.

The only good locust is the Pirate's Bane. that thing is sick though.

I dont really recommend other light mechs.

tl;dr: I recommend you get a firestarter or raven depending on whether you want short or long range, elite it, and then get the other one. you'll have two great mechs with dramatically different roles that perfectly fit what you asked for.

last thing: I don't recommend the PPCs. you can have them but they have a minimum range and tremendous ghost heat and for that reason are inferior to long range lasers.

[Tarogato]

Quote

... have 1 variant with 2 PPC,
2nd variant with long and close range capability (similar to the one in the pic)
3rd idk for now will see.

You're really not going to find any light mech that will work well with 2 PPCs except the Panther, which isn't available until May 5th this year.

But, you can put two Large Pulse Lasers on a Raven 2X and do more damage than PPCs with 30% extra range and 30% shorter burn time.

---

Crash course on light chassis:

Locusts:
The most fun to play mech in the game, bar none. Incredibly difficult to play, very unforgiving. Would never recommend to new players. The 1E currently is the best, followed by the hero.

Commandos:
Similar to the Locust in that they are underarmoured and undergunned, but are some of the fastest mechs in the game. Not recommended.

Spiders:
Also among the fastest mechs in the game, and also the hardest to hit. They can mount a single PPC, or a pair of ER Large Lasers, or Machine Guns and a laser, or in the case of the 5V, a LOT of jumpjets. Best jumper in the game, and extraordinarily fun. Difficult to use, generally undergunned and not a very recommended chassis.

Jenner:
The big daddy of the Locust. Very nimble, very small profile and great hull-down capabilities. Decent firepower, and ideal mix of speed and durability. The F mounts six lasers, the K mounts four Medium Pulse Lasers, and the D mounts a pair of SRM4. All three and the hero variant are brawlers, not a lot of variety. Has a huge CT hitbox, but it's tenable by frontloading armour. Recommended chassis.

Firestarter:
Mounts more weapons than the Jenner, but it's larger and not as nimble. Has favourable hitboxes so it's very durable. Right now, because of overzealous quirks, it's the strongest light mech in the game (and one of the strongest mechs in the game period). All variants mount medium to short range lasers, and some carry Machine Guns. The hero is... okay. Recommended chassis.

Raven:
The most versatile chassis, by far. The 3L has ECM and makes for a great SRM+laser brawler. You can also put two ER Large Lasers on it and snipe with it which is how most people use it. The 4X doesn't have the ECM, but it can carry a little more punch as a ranger. The 2X is basically a bad version of the Jenner D. The hero variant is one of the strongest light mechs in the game - incredibly strong SRM brawler. Recommended.

Panther:
Not available for C-Bills until May 5th. Slow engine, but very favourable hitboxes. Carries very decent firepower, but is challenging to use effectively. Can snipe with PPCs, or even zombie with SRMs. Once it's available for purchase, I might recommend it.

Mist Lynx:
Clan mech, so it's rather slow for a light mech. Incredible jumping capability, somewhat favourable hitboxes. Limited tonnage so it doesn't carry much firepower and it runs hot. Challenging and fun mech to play, but not recommended.

Kitfox:
Another clan mech, so it's slow. Can carry ECM and triple AMS and okay firepower, or if you don't take the ECM arm it can actually mount a very impressive loadout. Hitboxes are ... okay, but it feels underarmoured. Only somewhat recommended.

Adder:
Also clan, so also slow. Can carry decent firepower... an all-SRM loadout in particular is actually VERY strong. It can also do two Large Pulse Lasers and makes a decent ranger. The stock two ERPPC is okay, but very hot. Hitboxes are okay, but like the Kitfox it's somewhat large and slow so it feels underarmoured and therefore tricky to play well. Also somewhat recommended.

Arctic Cheetah:
Not in the game yet at all, but I'm mentioning it for the sake of completion. It's a clan mech, but it will be fast and will bring firepower equivalent to the Firestarter. Will likely become one of the strongest mechs in the game. Comes out at the end of July and won't be for C-Bills until late October.

Urbanmech:
Also included for completion's sake, as it's not in the game until April 7. It will be very slow for an IS mech (more so than the Panther), but will carry the heaviest weapons in the game. Not intended to be a serious mech, it's more for the lolfactor.

Edited by Tarogato, 19 March 2015 - 07:32 AM.

[Metus regem]

Well as someone that is a Locust Pilot, yes they are very hard to get used too, but they teach some good skills, like situational awareness, as well as how to dodge getting hit, and in a pinch how to roll damage across your mech with out eating it in the butt.

That being said, I do recommend using them, but only after getting some basic avoidance skills down, as they do not enjoy questionable hit boxes of Firestarters and Spiders, nor do they enjoy the lag shields of those two....

[Void Angel]

I pulled out seven kills in my un-mastered Pirates' Bane yesterday. I was inordinately pleased with myself - so much that I got distracted talking to people asking how I did it and forgot the screen shot!

Rogue Jedi, on 19 March 2015 - 01:54 AM, said:

I run with throttle decay off because it is far easier to set a speed, however I also use the 100% and 0% throttle presets which I remapped to E and Q respectively, this gives you the fast acceleration/deceleration of a light and the advantage of being able to quickly and easily set your speed to something other than 100% or 0%.

Well, that's an option - it avoids the total impracticality of setting throttle speeds via the numpad. Personally, I find using the movement keys to be more ergonomic; having the stop/go keys separate, even if nearby, effectively adds another order of control (which is bad,) and is less ergonomic, unless your hands are shaped much differently than mine. Different strokes for different folks, though. However, I'm reliably advised by a guildie (he's a physicist and his game testing is... rigorous) that for some reason not using Throttle Decay still reduces your 'mech's accel/decel response times even if you use the full, stop, and reverse throttle presets. By all means don't just take my word (or his) for it, but you might want to test.

Edited by Void Angel, 19 March 2015 - 10:28 AM.

[YCSLiesmith]

i took some good advice from a much better player and rebound the w and s keys to increase/decrease speed in 10% increments, it gives me a lot more control than the (slow) gradual throttling the game defaults to.

[vamrat]

I am primarily a light player. You have gotten pretty good advice. I have played the Firestarter, Spider, and Locust. On those three chasses (chassises???) I second what Tarogato says.

I fell in love with the Spider on the K(C) and like so many previous girlfriends the relationship soured. The Anansi and the D, I still like to take out some times. If you wanna spend some cash you can try the Anansi. I run it with SRM4+A and 2x MPLas. The D with ECM (because why wouldn't you) and 3x MPLas. That thing looks kind of meh, but she flies and she murders. I want the V very badly because I am a masochist.

On the Firestarted, I started on the A (my first non-trial mech), dumped her, and have been regretting it ever since. I currently have the H and K. The H doesn't keep the same loadout for more than a month, but I have been running 8 MLas on the K for a while and like it. When I use this on Terra Therma I fire two salvoes of 4 lasers each then run away and use my tears to cool down the heat sinks.

Use the biggets engine you can initially. Later on when you have your roles down you can play with it, but speed is your life 99.2% of the time when you are new, and still at leat 80% when you get skilled. On the Firestarter H I run an XL 255 so I can fit a bit more firepower and accept the hit on kph. On the Spiders I I run below max due to weight, but they are maneuverable enough that you can get away with it. JJ's help on both the Spider and Starter, especially the Spider.

[Repasy Cooper]

zaibitsu, on 18 March 2015 - 09:37 PM, said:

Hello,

I don't own any light mechs, but I played with some trial ones and really had a blast.

What I like to do is simply harass the enemy on long range or close range depending on the opportunity. I really had a blast with this trial mech http://s27.postimg.o...Iliked_This.png but what chassis do you recommend?

I want to buy 3 variants of a light mech chasis, have 1 variant with 2 PPC, 2nd variant with long and close range capability (similar to the one in the pic) and 3rd idk for now will see.

So, any recommendations?

Based on what you're looking for out of your light mechs, I'd highly recommend the Raven. It works very well as a long-range sniper, and you can equip double ERPPC after purchasing a lower-powered engine (but personally I would stick to ER Large Lasers for sniping with this guy). There's also a variant that already comes stock loaded with an ideal close-range harasser build, a little upgrading can make it a fearsome mech. Lastly, the 3L has the most potential, being able to equip all sorts of information combat equipment, including ECM. It might be the perfect mech for you!

Alternately, for a Clan mech you might like the Adder. Prime variant has exactly what you're looking for, and the other two can be customized for close-range streaks & pulse lasers, or long-range ultras and large beam lasers, or a mix of both. Kit Fox also has the same capability, just a lighter mech so you might have less to work with.

Edited by Repasy, 19 March 2015 - 12:19 PM.

[YCSLiesmith]

kit fox is hard to recommend due to its ridiculous hitbox and low speed.

[DrSlamastika]

Hello there

I own all lights in the game, except Jenners and Comandos.

I think the best overall are Firestarters. The real fighting lights

If you want adrenaline and you are a speed addict, take Locust, best mech to learn all about the lights, but will not forgive any mistakes of pilot.

And if you need ECM take Spider - 5D or Raven-3L, or again Locust - Pirates bane

GL with your choice.

Edited by DrSlamastika, 19 March 2015 - 02:32 PM.

[Flak Kannon]

It sounds like the Raven line is best suited to your wants.



Go Raven, and don't look back.

A Raven 3L with ECM, and 2 ERLL is lethal.

A Raven 2X is a pretty good support Brawler, 4 ML and 1 SRM6.

A Raven 4X with 2 LPL is still fun despite the de-quirking. It will be slower, but that's ok.


And if you want to spend real money, nothing in MWO has a higher DPS than a Mastered SRM 4, Raven-Huggin with the SRM 4 Cooldown module. This mech will CARVE up anything.

I rather like the Raven line.

[zaibitsu]

So I guess I'm saving up for the Raven 3L.

As a noob, I have to ask though: how is RVN-3L better then SPR-5D? They both have ECM, 3 energy hardpoints, the quirks are very similar regarding lasers. I'm missing something when comparing mechs because I dont see what makes 3L better choice than SPR-5D.

Edited by zaibitsu, 19 March 2015 - 08:50 PM.

[stealthraccoon]

I live and die by my Locusts and Commandos - you will rarely survive a match, but you will die with a smile on your face. You count your armament in half-ton increments, and shaving a point or two of armor is noticeable in game.


...but with all seriousness, the Locust 1E is the cheapest thrill ride out there!


Nothing wrong with Spiders, and they really are a better mech than the current 20 or 25 ton choices.

As for the Urbanmech, well in comparison to Locust pilots, it's a different class of crazy

Edited by stealthraccoon, 19 March 2015 - 09:09 PM.

[Richter Kerensky]

zaibitsu, on 19 March 2015 - 08:49 PM, said:

So I guess I'm saving up for the Raven 3L.

As a noob, I have to ask though: how is RVN-3L better then SPR-5D? They both have ECM, 3 energy hardpoints, the quirks are very similar regarding lasers. I'm missing something when comparing mechs because I dont see what makes 3L better choice than SPR-5D.

Easy. The Raven 3L can mount ECM, which makes it more difficult to target by enemy LRMs and every mech within a 120m radius equally difficult to target with LRMs, and it can mount 2 ER Large Lasers and still move at around 150 kph, whereas the spider can only mount 1 ER Large Laser at best and cannot mount ECM/.

You can technically mount 3 ER Large Lasers on a Raven 3L, but you limit yourself to traveling around 100 KPH and are very much easier to hit because of this. This is mostly useful for sniping and poking in an organized group.

Edited by Richter Kerensky, 20 March 2015 - 12:16 AM.

[mailin]

Honestly, if you liked the trial Spider, I'd go with them. Get all 3 variants and you can use any experience earned in the trial version to level it up when you buy. Also, note that to fully level up you need all 3 Spiders at some point.

Once you get really good in the Spiders, put 3 mplas in the 5D and have fun.