40 replies to this topic

[Timicon]

Would anyone have an idea as to what 'mechs are best to get (from the IS BattleMechs, not Clan Omni's, because other than that, I find IS 'Mechs to be one of the best,even if it is a little harder to get lock on an enemy (and keep it). Plus the energy and other weapons onboard, I was wondering, since I have 2 Centurians already, you need just one more but the pat will be difficult.

I was just wondering why, with the Veridian Bog map, IMO it should be removed, since it is too difficult in that map (as told by the majority of the people). [Redacted]

From I have seen, absolutely no one likes the Veridian Bog map, so that is why all MechWarriors (alright, players/pilots!) have so much trouble on the Bog map, too many thingsto catch you in dead trees, over-grown hedges and bushes etc.

[Virgil Greyson]

This is so alien to me. I think the bog is one of the best maps yet. Anyways, on what mechs to get. You have centurions, so I am assuming you like mediums. Give the hunchback a try, I suggest the 4P or the 4G, depending on if you like energy or ballistics.

Good luck out there.

[Anunknownlurker]

I am a new player too, well, been playing just over a month so that counts as new in my book! To be honest, I have found there is no such thing as "best mech", different chassis/builds suit different people. Having said that, there are probably mechs which are more forgiving for newer players. I have used the Hunchbacks to learn on, they are reasonably cheap to equip/improve and come with a lot of variations to try out. They are reasonably tough and, once upgraded, just about fast enough. I am currently having the most fun in the HBK-4G (lots of AC-20 goodness!).

My other fun ride for IS (I personally prefer clan) is the Raven RVN-3L; quick, nimble and annoying with ECM and AMS. This is another mech which can be equipped and used for a number of different roles.

I have no problem with Viridian Bog now although I hated it at first. Lots of flanking opportunities for fast movers; many different levels for sniping/spotting and a well-organised team can really boss the fight. Yes, it is annoying when 70 tons of clanking, laser-spewing metal death gets tripped up by a tree root but you can't have everything! One really useful bit of advise I got, and now use, is heat vision really helps on this map.

Best of luck and see you on the battlefield!

[Sandersson Jankins]

Leif, I believe you can de-select Viridian Bog in the solo queue if you don't wish to play it. Someone correct me if I am wrong; I play only CW unless it is barren or there is a ceasefire.

It would be very poor form indeed to simply DC or suicide just because you didn't like the map, especially if you are able to avoid it!

If you are using centurions, the best tactic is to use your empty arm as a "shield arm"

Let's say you're facing a bad guy, taking damage to your center torso. All you've got to do is calculate in your head when his cooldowns are up and he's about to fire; as he is about to, twist your torso all the way to the left. Much of the damage will be absorbed by your shield-arm!

Always try and torso twist so you can keep fighting. If you're getting killed at 70-80 percent, you've made a mistake, imo. I love getting my mechs to 40 percent with all weapons intact.

[Creag]

Sorry as far as I know you can not deselect any maps in pug drops. You can only select or deselect game mode.

[Sandersson Jankins]

Ah; that sucks. Shows how much I step foot outside of CW!

Still, even if you hate the map, it is very rude to your team to DC or suicide.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Thing with the Bog, is that many fight around D4/C4 areas where there's a bunch of obstructions and many ways where mechs can get focused down. The best things that I've seen work more often is a team holding the high grounds or if they keep moving and work to outflank their opponents, depending on what they carry.

So use Testing Grounds if you'd like to check the map out to check sight lines from different angles. Also, you can use this resource to see the map outside of the game.

[Siej]

I don't mind Viridian. It isn't my favorite, but by preference more than anything. It's supposed to be cluttered.

As for best mech, if you're going to master a mech, getting the third one is a good thing. As someone else said, everyone prefers different things, so "best mech" is a bit subjective, though there are some objective notes that can be made.

Having said that, some general recommendations for a new player: be aware of total cost. Smurfy is a great place to play around with mechs and see how much they'll cost once you've figured out your configuration. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de

Light mechs tend to be expensive because most people put XL engines in them. They're a bit tough to play as speed and agility are their main defense. It can be frustrating if you aren't into that method of play. They are also deceptively cheap until you start equipping them.

Medium mechs are nice, in a good price range, and are effective if a bit unforgiving. They are good at many things, are plenty of fun, but can be frustrating for some. Since you already have centurions, I would try a different weight class.

Heavy mechs tend to be the most popular because they have good armor, some have good speed, and they carry a good amount of weapons. Good bang for the buck area. Plenty of choices and styles here.

Assault mechs are neat because of heavy armor and weapons, typically, but they are slower and harder to maneuver well. When you're just starting out, the cbills they cost (plus weapons and other equipment) can be a bit daunting, however. I would recommend against these unless you just really want to go for it. I started out with an Atlas, which ended up being a mistake, but I eventually got the hang of it. =)

If I were you, I'd finish the centurions unless you're sick of them already, then pick a heavy chassis. Depending on your play style, you may want to consider Thunderbolts (pretty versatile and tough), jaegermechs (very shooty/lots of dakka, but tend to be more fragile due to typical build types with XLs), Catapults if you like lobbing LRMs or smashing things with SRMs, or Cataphract if you like ballistics and lasers mostly. Those seem to be the most popular, in any case. Besides the thunderbolt, I enjoy all of these.

YMMV (your mileage may vary).

[Timicon]

Sandersson Jankins, on 29 March 2015 - 11:34 PM, said:

Leif, I believe you can de-select Viridian Bog in the solo queue if you don't wish to play it. Someone correct me if I am wrong; I play only CW unless it is barren or there is a ceasefire.

It would be very poor form indeed to simply DC or suicide just because you didn't like the map, especially if you are able to avoid it!

If you are using centurions, the best tactic is to use your empty arm as a "shield arm"

Let's say you're facing a bad guy, taking damage to your center torso. All you've got to do is calculate in your head when his cooldowns are up and he's about to fire; as he is about to, twist your torso all the way to the left. Much of the damage will be absorbed by your shield-arm!

Always try and torso twist so you can keep fighting. If you're getting killed at 70-80 percent, you've made a mistake, imo. I love getting my mechs to 40 percent with all weapons intact.

Sandersson Jankins, on 29 March 2015 - 11:34 PM, said:

Leif, I believe you can de-select Viridian Bog in the solo queue if you don't wish to play it. Someone correct me if I am wrong; I play only CW unless it is barren or there is a ceasefire.

It would be very poor form indeed to simply DC or suicide just because you didn't like the map, especially if you are able to avoid it!

Leif Tanner::

Really? I had never heard of that nor how it could happen, but I suppose it interesting.

If you are using centurions, the best tactic is to use your empty arm as a "shield arm"

Let's say you're facing a bad guy, taking damage to your center torso. All you've got to do is calculate in your head when his cooldowns are up and he's about to fire; as he is about to, twist your torso all the way to the left. Much of the damage will be absorbed by your shield-arm!

Always try and torso twist so you can keep fighting. If you're getting killed at 70-80 percent, you've made a mistake, imo. I love getting my mechs to 40 percent with all weapons intact.

Leif Tanner::

Really? I had never heard of that nor how it could happen, but I suppose it interesting.

What do you mean by : If you are using centurions, the best tactic is to use your empty arm as a "shield arm"?
Yep, I indeed do that, when my front of rear torso get heavily damaged. I was always swivel my 'Mech so that any hits will hit less critical items.

And yeah, I get what you are saying, but still, being only on this game for now 2 weeks now (roughly) I am still learning to control torso and legs and weapons all at once,, so I might not very very good right now, but i am on-line a lot, so Another few weeks of playing and I can actually make a difference for you all.

Do not worry about torso twist - I do a lot a lot of, it is just that when moving, I preferring to walk in a straight line, nothing another direction unless i have an enemy sighting free to fry with my missles and lasers ^^

[Timicon]

Virgil Greyson, on 29 March 2015 - 11:25 PM, said:

This is so alien to me. I think the bog is one of the best maps yet. Anyways, on what mechs to get. You have centurions, so I am assuming you like mediums. Give the hunchback a try, I suggest the 4P or the 4G, depending on if you like energy or ballistics.

Good luck out there.

I like Medium and Heavy 'Mechs, truthfully, but my personal favourite is the Medium CRB - 27 Crab, which runs almost as fast as a Raven and other Light 'Mechs, but have enough enery lasers to defend it if strayed into an ambush.

Assault Mechs i have never favoured, truth to tell. I like speed and Assaults are slow slow, I just like to get in there than spend 10 minutes moving into position only to find everything closed.

[SethAbercromby]

Mediums are often among the cheapest builds as a most of them can perform well with STD engines. While lowering the maximum amount of firepower you can carry that way, it significantly cuts into your upgrade costs. If you had fun with the Centurions, the Hunchback will not dissapoint. Griffins or Shadowhawks will give you some more mobility options with Jump Jets.

If you really want a Light on the cheap, you might find some interest in the Locusts. Their stock STD160 accalerates them to a decent top-speed and you can squeeze in a few more weapons after installing Endo and Ferro upgrades to save weight. Total cost for that is somwhere in the 3-4 million area (less than most Medium 'Mechs stock). If you do find yourself to like them, I do reccomend to enventually move up to an XL190, though that one alone asks for 3.1 million up front, almost doubling the upgrade costs.

Heavies are often specialist 'Mechs that want to be played in a certain way, but they are also the workhorse 'Mechs of a team because of that. A well-equipped Heavy can provide powerful fire where it's needed most. For their firepower, they also have decent mobility, which gives them more flexibility. I'd reccomend starting with Thunderbolts or Orions for being less dependant on XL engines.

Assault 'Mechs are the biggest, but also slowest 'Mechs. They are the backbone of the team, protecting lighter 'Mechs and leading the charge. They make sure the heavies stay alive and are able to unleash hell on the enemy team with their combined firepower. For starting out, I'd reccomend picking the Stalker, which doesn't take too well to XL engines, but can take a lot of fire with its huge ST hitboxes, which makes it more forgiving to positioning errors. It's loadout options in lasers an Missiles also gives it options to stay in the second line and support indirectly with LRMs or engage enemies directly with Lasers and SRMs. If you find a configuration that you can do well with and that offers both direct and indirect options, you will likely see some decent performance in most matches.

Edited by SethAbercromby, 30 March 2015 - 12:33 AM.

[Elizander]

Best mechs are usually primarily defined with 1) High mounted weapon hardpoints and 2) Good hitboxes but for me #1 is the highest priority since all your weapons aren't worth much if you can't shoot over a rock or your low slung arms are making your shots eat dirt.

Some people will consider Engine Rating and other quirks, but good mechs are good because of their basic design/layout and you'll see Stalkers being very popular despite not getting any mind-blowing quirks.

If PGI would just move the Ballistic hardpoint of the Atlas from the stomach to the shoulder and put the energy hardpoints from the CT to the upper chest then you're gonna see it shoot up a few ranks in viability.

[Anunknownlurker]

Excellent point Elizander - this is what tempted me about the Thunderbolt. Nice, high shoulder mounted energy points. Sort of regretting not investing in this from the start. Still, once I have mastered the Cataphract (not got the hang of this slow moving brute yet) I will be looking closely at the Thunderbolt as my next investment.

[Elizander]

Jimmy DiGriz, on 30 March 2015 - 01:50 AM, said:

Excellent point Elizander - this is what tempted me about the Thunderbolt. Nice, high shoulder mounted energy points. Sort of regretting not investing in this from the start. Still, once I have mastered the Cataphract (not got the hang of this slow moving brute yet) I will be looking closely at the Thunderbolt as my next investment.

You can still use some Cataphracts to your advantage. Some have RT/LT energy hardpoints which are high mounted. Despite Cataphracts being sold as Dakkamechs, they really do well with two energy weapons on RT/LT. My brawling Ilya right now has an AC20 and two Large Pulse Lasers and nothing on the arms. You can do the same with the 1X and 2X I think or replace the AC20 with a Gauss and get 2 ERLL. Cataphract arms are cute but when you are playing whackamole relying on them will just get you killed from overexposure. If you're serious, just use the arms as shields and have all Torso mounted weaponry (except the 4X which is sadly outdone by a Jagermech even if it can pump out almost 20 dps).

Edited by Elizander, 30 March 2015 - 02:37 AM.

[B L O O D W I T C H]

Leif Tanner, on 29 March 2015 - 11:14 PM, said:

Would anyone have an idea as to what 'mechs are best to get (from the IS BattleMechs, not Clan Omni's, because other than that, I find IS 'Mechs to be one of the best,even if it is a little harder to get lock on an enemy (and keep it). Plus the energy and other weapons onboard, I was wondering, since I have 2 Centurians already, you need just one more but the pat will be difficult.

depends no what playstyle you like, but you can hardly go wrong with:

-Thunderbolts
-Dragons

-Hunchbacks
-Shadowhawks

-Firestarters (don't let them fool you, half their strength comes from broken hitboxes)
-Ravens

Leif Tanner, on 29 March 2015 - 11:14 PM, said:

I was just wondering why, with the Veridian Bog map, IMO it should be removed, since it is too difficult in that map (as told by the majority of the people). That is why whenever I find myself in the Bog map, I refuse to participate (and I hope many others will in me in helping to get rid of that once for and for all.

From I have seen, absolutely no one likes the Veridian Bog map, so that is why all MechWarriors (alright, players/pilots!) have so much trouble on the Bog map, too many thingsto catch you in dead trees, over-grown hedges and bushes etc.

I agree that it is a bad map (expect conquest, that's actually kinda fun there).

The map is in dire need of rework, heatvision causes framedrops, there are like 40 spots where you can get stuck, jumping over or on to the plateaus almost always causes the mech to glitch into the walls which then results into freaking high leg-damage. and so on...

..also, somebody @ PGI should explain to me: why is my autocannon, which is able to rip appart other mechs suddenly is way to weak to penetrate a treestump. yeah, yeah i know.. Battletech b*****!

But please, OP, please please play the map!
There are probably 11 people on your team which need all the help you can provide.
We all have to grapple with that map and it isn't very nice to let everybody wait for their mechs to return until the enemy team finally found your "disconnected" mech.

You could at least go on a suicide scout rampage and try to damage or even take an enemy with you to (elo)hell, that way you would contribute to the game at least.

Jimmy DiGriz, on 30 March 2015 - 01:50 AM, said:

Cataphract (not got the hang of this slow moving brute yet) I will be looking closely at the Thunderbolt as my next investment.

Got the 3D Champ (as everybody else, ofc) and couldn't get a hang of it (wayto squishy for my taste) until i found a recent Post here.

somebody called it speedphract and it was pretty much the only thing which worked for me, hope this helps you too.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b0a3efb1e48c439

Edited by LOADED, 30 March 2015 - 03:02 AM.

[TheCaptainJZ]

I just have to point out that NOT playing a map is considered griefing and against the Code of Conduct.

[Chaos Strike]

I just started working on Thunderbolts. While doing PUG drops for cbills, I am running this setup.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9c7bea352df4bd0
It works well for me, with the 2x LL in the upper shoulder.

I am used to waist/hand mounted weapons as my other Mechs are Novas. Having the upper shoulder mount is very nice.
I do miss having jump jets while in the Bog, but is it not a bad map. Prefer it to River City Night.

[B L O O D W I T C H]

TheCaptainJZ, on 30 March 2015 - 08:36 AM, said:

I just have to point out that NOT playing a map is considered griefing and against the Code of Conduct.

it's either griefing OR against the CoC.

[SethAbercromby]

LOADED, on 30 March 2015 - 09:05 AM, said:

it's either griefing OR against the CoC.

Is this silly hair-slitting really required for something that is defenitely considered to be punishable?

[Rogue Jedi]

LOADED, on 30 March 2015 - 09:05 AM, said:

it's either griefing OR against the CoC.

no, there is a passage in the COC specificly dealing with greifing, so it is both

Quote

Exploiting / Griefing / Non-Participation
Our definition of Exploiting / Griefing includes:

• Wilfully or repeatedly destroying Teammate or Lancemate 'Mechs.
  
• Wilfully or repeatedly self-destructing one's 'Mech by Overheating or going Out-of-Bounds
  
• Wilfully or repeatedly disconnecting during a match.
  
• Wilfully or repeatedly spamming in-game chat.
  
• Persistent non-participation in core game mechanics.
  
• Wilfully or repeatedly taking advantage of an issue for personal gain.