17 replies to this topic

[Grey Black]

Okay, so. I got some MC recently because I've been looking for a new chassis to master/play. With 6630MC in my account, I'm looking at a couple options. The chassis I'm looking at is getting a bundle of either the Blackjack, Quickdraw, or Dragon. I already have the Cent, Griffin, Cicada, etc. and I really don't want the Kintaros back (I actually sold them because they were so little fun). So, as a medium/light heavy pilot, my question is: which of those three mechs should I master next?

The first mech I mastered was the Centurion, specifically the CN9-A. After that, I've enjoyed fast striker mechs that hit hard and GTFO before things get rough. Any suggestions for me?

Alternatively, any other suggestions would be welcome. I'm not above just buying a single hero mech and buying the rest for cbills if it comes to it. So, suggestions?

[STEF_]

You can have them with c-bills.
Or do you want to buy the master pack?

[Nyuuu]

Up front, buying any hero mech right now is quite dangerous with the balance pass coming up.
The excellent machine you buy right now might be made obsolete in a month.

If you want a striker I would certainly suggest going with the Blackjack pack. The 1x is just a beast, dumping 42dmg alphas in a 0,6s burn time. You are back in cover before the enemy even knows what truck just hit him. For me the best striker in the game right now. Very nice scaling on it, excellent high hard points and more than sufficient speed.

The dragon pack only has the 1N as useful, though that is much more a fire support mech.
And the Quickdraws are pretty much all just bad....

For lone heroes the Huginn comes to mind, though it is very dependent on its quirks, that might change in the near future.

[Grey Black]

Stefka Kerensky, on 14 October 2015 - 11:31 AM, said:

You can have them with c-bills.
Or do you want to buy the master pack?

Looking at a mastery pack, so I can get the premium time and mechbays to go with them.

[Jody Von Jedi]

BJ is a great mech. Of the 3 you mention, it's the one I'd go with. Most have JJs and unless you have to have missile hardpoints, they're hard to beat. The high mounted weapons are a real plus. It's been described as a "walking side torso" because it has such a small frontal profile. Much narrower than some of the other medium mechs. The arms are so small I rarely lose one. It definitely fits the style you like to play. Get in, deal your damage, and get out.

The QKD is one of those mechs you either love it or hate it. I personally love it, but I'm in the minority. The 5K, IMHO, is the best variant. Six medium pulse lasers ain't no joke on a mech that's as fast as some light mechs (with a 360XL and speed tweek, it runs 106 kph), but has the armor of a heavy, plus JJs. They don't tank well, so you have to use your speed and maneuverability to your advantage. But some players do quite well in them.

I don't have an opinion on the Dragon, never owned one.

[STEF_]

Grey Black, on 14 October 2015 - 11:38 AM, said:

Looking at a mastery pack, so I can get the premium time and mechbays to go with them.

Then BJ.
Those heroes are "not so amazing" , but maybe the Arrow is the best of those.
BJ variants are very fun and effective.
BJ-1X, classic 6ml+2mpl, has speed and range.
BJ-3, erppc poptarter, not so hot.
Then it is possible to do a good 1gauss+ various ml, very high mounted.
For the Arrow I can recommend the 3LPL build, since the mg is pretty nerfed at the moment.

[Kaylos Thex]

Of the three types you listed, I like the Blackjack the most.

The Quickdraw is not a tanky mech, but the 5K does well for me.

The Dragon is a bit more of a tough choice.
Generally I did really well with the Flame. The hardpoints are good. Quad arm lasers, and AC20 LEFT torse mount, and a CT missile. Hull down, big bore gun shooting at its best.

The Flame has been somewhat obsoleted by the "Grey Death" Shadow Hawk. Smaller machine, less armor, but it has jump jets and an extra missile hardpoint in the RT and head instead of the CT. They are both hero mechs but the GD has more customization options.

Edited by Kaylos Thex, 14 October 2015 - 06:15 PM.

[WonderSparks]

I just recently bought the Blackjacks, myself. Haven't had much time to use them (medium queue is just too full and my computer nearly melted last time I ran the client) but I enjoyed what little time I had with them. They're comical (just look at the way they walk!) and not too shabby when it comes to firepower, when set up correctly.

Of course, I'd also be willing to vote for either the Dragon or the Quickdraw, having enjoyed both of those as well. (But you can't build a fast, flamer-boating little 'Mech and run around yelling "FUEGO" with either of those two, so y'know. Decisions.)


So yeah, guess I'd recommend the BJ's myself, though Dragons and Quickdraws would be something to consider later.

[Bud Crue]

Hard choices. For the typical player I would say Black Jack. Reasons mentioned above are accurate. Good mech. Great variety of builds and a lot of fun.

I don't yet run Dragons but I have seen some incredible performances lately in them. Yes, everyone talks about the CT being a damage magnet but that means you can run XLs fairly safely I would think.

Quickdraws are my best mechs. Most people I know consider them a joke though so beware. FYI, with the tonnage increase in CW atm, I don't run them as often (cuz Thunderbolts), but in the 240t days, I would often run 3 5ks (2 w/ standard 280 with JJ and 6 MPL...speed is perfect to keep up with a fast heavy push, and 1 w/ standard 330 with jj and 6 ML for more of a flanker) and 1 G (XL300, JJ and 4 large lasers). Lots of fun, especially when other side ignores you because your "just" a Quickdraw.

For most people though, gotta say the Black Jacks are pretty excellent all around.

[Creovex]

IMO:

• BlackJacks are fun with a narrow profile then what you may be used to.
  
• Quickdraws are to be played as a medium with a tad more armor (Take big engines and keep their speed up and you can do some damage, however the firepower level is quite depressing) - Also the Hero is quite unimpressive...
  
• Dragons are a solid choice but the CT is not forgiving so you have to really perfect twisting... however they do have a similar play style to a Centurion with a little more weight...

If you have MC burning a hole in your pocket and you state you are a medium/heavy pilot, may I recommend the Enforcer? Hands down the best new mech I have seen for the IS since maybe the Thunderbolt itself?

[jper4]

I vote blackjack of those too. as a bonus when it comes time to try out the Jagermechs it's basically a bigger blackjack that can pack more oomph (and no JJs) so the learning curve isn't so bad with them. though admittedly I had the jagers first because the blackjack hadn't been released yet

edit- oh and i'll second creovex on the enforcers. they're becoming a favorite of mine

Edited by Tanar, 15 October 2015 - 05:32 AM.

[DelRico]

In my case I mastered Dragons, and I harldly bother playing with anything else..

With max Xl engine and boost, they run at 107 K-ph and they can still carry decent weapons. The XL makes them brittle but the fat CT protects the sides and the speed do the actual twisting for me...

Right now I play a UAC5, SRM4, 2 MPL and 2 MG, champion (1N?) with instant hiding module, 360 target renention and super-zoom.

Its really fun to brawl with that thing

I like the Quickdraw, but then again I was planning to master them and use max XL to use them as flygin Dragons, but I bought the IV4 creature and it just killed my interest in the plan... And their legs are so darn easy to kill its annoying :/

Never played a BlackJack, but its my brother's favorite...

[Danjo San]

Blackjacks ... no question.
The 1X is by far one of the best IS Mechs in the game ... I tend to average around 400 DMG per Match in it. occasionaly spiking to 900+ in PUG matches... also find it very valuable in CW.
Will see what rebalance will do to Laserboats in the future tho...

[cSand]

QKD

best mech around

[Grey Black]

Creovex, on 15 October 2015 - 05:10 AM, said:

IMO:

• BlackJacks are fun with a narrow profile then what you may be used to.
  
• Quickdraws are to be played as a medium with a tad more armor (Take big engines and keep their speed up and you can do some damage, however the firepower level is quite depressing) - Also the Hero is quite unimpressive...
  
• Dragons are a solid choice but the CT is not forgiving so you have to really perfect twisting... however they do have a similar play style to a Centurion with a little more weight...

If you have MC burning a hole in your pocket and you state you are a medium/heavy pilot, may I recommend the Enforcer? Hands down the best new mech I have seen for the IS since maybe the Thunderbolt itself?

Already have the Enforcer - I'll be honest, not terribly impressed, having elited them. I prefer my Cicada, Centurion, and (now) Blackjack. Reason I was asking on those 3 was because I have a good chunk of the medium mech population IS side (and Clan side, at that!), so I was looking for the next one to go with.

[Hammerhai]

Even when I mastered them Dragons were a tough choice. I enjoyed and enjoy the Flame.
Quickdraws make nice energy boats and have JJ's plus at least one has the two high shoulder mounts of the DRG 1C (QKD 4G?), which the Flame lacks, but stay away from the QKD hero. Useless.
For me at least the high shoulder mount increases the survival rate. My 1C has better stats than the Flame because it can Hillhump. (4LL cannot run a high mounted AC on the Flame, otherwise use 4ML plus an AC10)

If I may be so bold have a serious look at the Griffin Sparky if you specifically want an energy boat hero with high mounted PPC's Jump Jets and the speed of the DRG with a better CT.

(XL 330, 2 ER PPC, 4 ML as close range backup on Mouse 3 in Group Fire mode. For brawling all 4 ML's on Wpn Grp 4 in chainfire mode. Trust me, it makes guys nervous and keeps your heat nicely in check when those ML just keep on coming in.)

The DRG and QKD are out and out striker mechs for the fast driveby ambush, I drive the Griffins pretty much the same.

I cannot comment on the Blackjack too much but having faced them - nasty.

Edited by Hammerhai, 15 October 2015 - 11:37 AM.

[STEF_]

Grey Black, on 15 October 2015 - 11:29 AM, said:

Already have the Enforcer - I'll be honest, not terribly impressed, having elited them. I prefer my Cicada, Centurion, and (now) Blackjack. Reason I was asking on those 3 was because I have a good chunk of the medium mech population IS side (and Clan side, at that!), so I was looking for the next one to go with.

So, you chose BJ!
Good! I'm sure you are going to have a lot of fun!

Good hunting o/

[Hammerhai]

Missed Nyuuu's post at first glance but yes, with the balance pass it is anyone's guess as to what will happen. However, it is very unlikely the QKD hero will be in any way competitive. The engine cap completely destroys the St IVes as a striker

Purely as a Hero I rate the Sparky the best, but the other Griffins being missile mechs may not be your thing.
Good luck though