35 replies to this topic

[MoonShaman]

I've tried played and even bought (only to quickly sell) heavies and Assault (the King Crab).

I've tried both Clan and IS and I just well SUCK. Jags were too squishy and very often I was left alone ito be eaten while my team mates ran off to the four winds (also in heavies and other types of mechs).

I think I'm a good (some times I'm VERY good) light pilot, and a good ennough Medium to get by and pull my fair weight in battles.

But after all the Heavies and the King Crab, I'm beginning to think I'm not Heavy or for that matter Assault material.

I want to play faction REALLY bad, but I have ZERO heavy skills. Will my Medium and Light skills make up for this?

I've been eyeing up the Mad Dog calss though for Clan, as it has a nice LRM and pulse laser build, which I think I might be able to pull off. Should I try one more time? Or is there maybe something in the Mediums or a better Heavy to suit my play style? Or maybe there just ISN'T a Heavy in the game for me YET?

[Coralld]

MoonShaman, on 27 April 2016 - 02:56 PM, said:

I've tried played and even bought (only to quickly sell) heavies and Assault (the King Crab).

I've tried both Clan and IS and I just well SUCK. Jags were too squishy and very often I was left alone ito be eaten while my team mates ran off to the four winds (also in heavies and other types of mechs).

I think I'm a good (some times I'm VERY good) light pilot, and a good ennough Medium to get by and pull my fair weight in battles.

But after all the Heavies and the King Crab, I'm beginning to think I'm not Heavy or for that matter Assault material.

I want to play faction REALLY bad, but I have ZERO heavy skills. Will my Medium and Light skills make up for this?

I've been eyeing up the Mad Dog calss though for Clan, as it has a nice LRM and pulse laser build, which I think I might be able to pull off. Should I try one more time? Or is there maybe something in the Mediums or a better Heavy to suit my play style? Or maybe there just ISN'T a Heavy in the game for me YET?

Your right, some people are just not good with some class of mechs. Some are great with Assaults but suck with Mediums and vice versa, so don't feel bad about it.

Just out of curiosity, what did you have on that King Crab?

[MoonShaman]

Coralld, on 27 April 2016 - 03:23 PM, said:

Your right, some people are just not good with some class of mechs. Some are great with Assaults but suck with Mediums and vice versa, so don't feel bad about it.

Just out of curiosity, what did you have on that King Crab?

I tried a number of builds I found both online and wanted to try out. I had two AC/20s and ER Large Lasers. I tried it with ER PPCs and 2 Gauss Rifles. I mean, I TRIED. XD I might of even tried using LRMs but I don't think the one I bought actually had Missile hardpoints if I'm correct.

[John Stryker]

One thing i try to keep track of when i play an assault mech is my position in relation to my team. If i'm the leftmost mech on the field it means im about to be eaten by nascar. Try to keep up with the mediums if possible and dont get tunnel vision on a squirrel that is flanking. I always keep uav in my consumables and if my danger sense goes off i pop it immediately and pray for help. Or at least try to sponge best i can while my team lays unto whatever is firing on me. Often times on caustic if you keep pushing you can lead a charge in a 3/5 assault.

[Void Angel]

MoonShaman, on 27 April 2016 - 02:56 PM, said:

I've tried played and even bought (only to quickly sell) heavies and Assault (the King Crab).

I've tried both Clan and IS and I just well SUCK. Jags were too squishy and very often I was left alone ito be eaten while my team mates ran off to the four winds (also in heavies and other types of mechs).

I think I'm a good (some times I'm VERY good) light pilot, and a good ennough Medium to get by and pull my fair weight in battles.

But after all the Heavies and the King Crab, I'm beginning to think I'm not Heavy or for that matter Assault material.

I want to play faction REALLY bad, but I have ZERO heavy skills. Will my Medium and Light skills make up for this?

I've been eyeing up the Mad Dog calss though for Clan, as it has a nice LRM and pulse laser build, which I think I might be able to pull off. Should I try one more time? Or is there maybe something in the Mediums or a better Heavy to suit my play style? Or maybe there just ISN'T a Heavy in the game for me YET?

In short: no. Everyone has their preferences and aptitudes, but Battlemech piloting skills are fungible to a great degree.

However, you should remember that Heavy and Assault piloting is far different from Light and Medium piloting. You're going to have to use different techniques and tactics to make good use of them, and it may take some work if the changes don't come naturally - but you can learn to pilot those weight classes, and to do it well.

[Coralld]

MoonShaman, on 27 April 2016 - 03:37 PM, said:

I tried a number of builds I found both online and wanted to try out. I had two AC/20s and ER Large Lasers. I tried it with ER PPCs and 2 Gauss Rifles. I mean, I TRIED. XD I might of even tried using LRMs but I don't think the one I bought actually had Missile hardpoints if I'm correct.

You can try this guy.
http://KGC-000
Basic UAC5 Dakka Crab meta build.

Or you can use this guy.
http://KGC-0000
This one runs a little hot but with the use of the 3x ERLL up on its high energy mounts you can poke at people at range from relative safety, and 2x AC10s are always nasty.

That's of course if you decide to get the K Crab again. Now you said you do your best with Mediums and Lights so I recommend continuing with these two class of mechs.

Oh, also, if you are planning on going into FW make sure you focus on either Inner Sphere or Clan mechs depending on which side you wish to fight for.

Edited by Coralld, 27 April 2016 - 04:38 PM.

[Wedge Red Leader]

MoonShaman, on 27 April 2016 - 02:56 PM, said:

I've been eyeing up the Mad Dog calss though for Clan, as it has a nice LRM and pulse laser build, which I think I might be able to pull off. Should I try one more time? Or is there maybe something in the Mediums or a better Heavy to suit my play style? Or maybe there just ISN'T a Heavy in the game for me YET?

Finding the "right" mech is hit or miss with just about everyone in my experience. But I will say this, selling a mech doesn't make much sense to me. Lets say each match you make ~200k C-bills and it takes about ~15 minutes. I'll round it up to an even 1 million per hour. Basically you spend 10 hours of your life earning that King Crab, and then immediately sell it? Maybe because you don't have an etra mech bay that costs a buck fifty? Well, I guess you do get back 1/3. So that is only 7-8 hours sacrificed to the mech-gods. arrg.
To each his own, I just like to pay myself for effort.

Also, FWIW, you can't judge a chassis until it is elited. I doubt many would argue this point.

Anyway, I run a similar build on my Madcat, it is one of my favorite PuG builds.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...bcea90510defc10

Edited by Wedge Red Leader, 27 April 2016 - 07:22 PM.

[p4r4g0n]

It sounds like the KGC you used was not elited. If that is correct, your experience with the KGC may not have been really indicative because without all the tweaks you get from getting it basiced and elited, the KGC or any Heavy/Assault mech can be painfully slow and sluggish especially if you have not upgraded the mech.

Couple this with the fact that you are accustomed to lights and the perception of sluggishness seems worse than it is. Further compound this with the fact that the light playstyle is totally opposite to that of Heavies and Assaults and you have a total confluence of factors that make it seem Heavies and Assaults are unplayable for you.

If you really want to play FW in something other than lights and mediums, you will have to give it a more extensive test and adopt a different playstyle for these classes.

[avenger cannon]

I thought I had some sort of horrible luck in Assaults and Heavies, then I slapped 4 LBX10s on a neon purple and green Mauler and started to CHOW! people's mechs into tiny bits.

Then I caved and bought the Marauder pack and started to rock those too, a little slower than XL but with the STD engine and proper movement you can lose all your armor and deal 400-600 damage a match easy without dying with just a handful of big guns.

[Karl Streiger]

Before you continue reading - my style is unconventional - the common path is not the one i follow.

First of all: Skillz of your Mech - they are unimportant - i have mastered my Atlas Mechs several times (lots of resets during CB) but didn't have touched them for years - but i did start running the AS7-S ...while the first two battles were horrible I modified the loadout until it did fit like a glove - maybe my Atlas xp did help - anyhow i did not spend any XP for skillz - have lots of points on it but i won't use it

Second Qwoerks - can be important for the first step towards a new chassis... but it didn't help you to get familiar.
a good example the BLR-1D - i sucked hard with this "heavy" Mech until i got a loadout that was working. Soon afterwards they invited the Qwoerks and i did try to run it accordingly to the quirks and sucked again.
Back to my personal loadout and it was fine again.

The classes - you know light mediums heavys assault - but not everything >80t is an assault not everything <35t is a light.

You can play almost all Clan Mechs from 60-80t as Mediums with their set of roles on the field - the only difference is the movement archetyp (so a fence you may pass with the Nova could become impassable with the Gargoyle (you know because he has bigger legs - MWO inverse logic)

I count the BattleMaster, Zeus and Victor towards the heavys
Adder and Kitfox are mediums and should be played as paper tin armored mediums

so far the intro:

Assault Mechs need a calm pilot
You have to take your time to watch the map and plan your next move.
You should not cling to a Medium coat-tails. Consider your self as an anchor as a center of gravity - you control the tide of the battle.
When you do your thing your team is going to win.
That means on the other hand you have to make tactical decissions -and when you are wrong everything will go down hill. The error don't have to happen instant like on lights or mediums.
I have an example were I did an mistake:
it was on tourmaline....enemy was massed in E6, our team was at the valley entrace at F6...some heavys moved to the other entrance in E7, My mistake i know it was perfect terrain for my team - the enemy was in the open ready to be killed in the crossfire.... but i misjuged the behaviour of our team...and moved to the other entrance....an the team followed...( i may have communicated my ideas, in the end we charged like heros the E7 entrance - and like heros we got slaughtered)

Another advice - assaults stay with other assaults. Most of the time you drop in a lance with other assaults. Stay together - for example when you have to run Conquest on Terra (its the best Conquest Map) go the long route along the flanks and secure the points on your path.... mow everything down that appears... the typical flight pattern is a good option. 2 and 2

Heavys (fast Assaults) need the same basics as the assault.
But they trade sustained dps with speed (they should have the same alpha potential as most assault)
While assaults set the center of battle, Heavys change the battle. You are mobile use it. Don't sacrifice the one thing you have over assaults - the mobility for cover or protection. A aggressive play style is important - as usually try to get the enemy into crossfire.


The most common mistake I have seen so far - is stationary combat. Those are the guys that cry NASCAR and start swearing. They are oblivious to the fact that they may have voted Skirmish and on skirmish nascar is the thing... simple because the maps are small - you have limited movement - there is no objective.

The now nascar were the "attack" lanes of the assault modes valid since closed beta.

And peak - a boo - don't do it. Its complete nonsense.... a pitty we don't have the glancing blows of WoT...but i know that peakaboo was common with WoT.
Just because you deal damage on the front of an enemy Mech it doesn't means its a good idea.
Consider the tanks again - just for the image.
You are in a hm say T34 with its 76mm L30 gun - what happens when you platton with 3 tanks have to attack a Tiger or Panther... do you peak a boo front vs front or do you try the hell to get into his flank?

[Rogue Jedi]

there is a Mech for everyone,

if you do not like heavies and assaults that is fine, I myself usually prefer light or medium Mechs to heavies and assaults, but there are some heavy Mechs that I excel in and a few assaults which I do at least as well as my average Light Mechs in. for assaults my rides are Battlemaster and Warhawk, pretty fast and responsive for assault Mechs.
over the last 3 and a half years I have also tried Stalker, King Crab, Atlas, Dire wolf, Awesome, Mauler, Victor and Highlander, in my hands they were all useless, I usually outperformed them in terms of damage in the SDR-5V which is the most lightly armed Mech in the game ^{(max possible firepower is 2 MPLs)}.

For heavies my favourites are Warhammer, Timber Wolf, Mad Dog and Marauder, all run with the max possible engine and all will outperform any Assualt, Light or Medium Mech in my hands.

it is just the case of finding the right Mech for you.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

Some of us are mutants. It's okay. (First Professor Xavier remark gets perma-blocked, until they make a GOOD Xmen movie.)

My recent best mechs? Oxide (duh), Wolfhound -1A, Crab -27B. I like 'em small, quick, and tanky-ish. Took out a Centurion today for the first time since 2014, and managed 2K/600D or so (STD engine YLW). But here's what I WILL tell you, as to why you SHOULD keep at the big mechs:

By getting your junk pushed in in a heavy or assault, you learn what it is that light mechs do that terrorizes them. And you start learning how to deal with that. And THEN, once you go BACK to your lights, you know what does and does not work against you, and you're a better light pilot for having spent time in that KGC.

You start nibbling on the back of a Stalker, and what's he gonna do? If he's smart, he's gonna back up to something so that you HAVE to face his weapons (and if he's dumb, he's dead inside of 10 seconds to your SPL boat). So, light mech knife fighter, how DO you finish the kill when its back is to a wall and you can't get out of its torso twist range? HINT: Go be that Stalker pilot who does that, and see what some good light pilots do that makes you die looking foolish. Then do THAT in your own lights...

See what I'm getting at here?

At any rate, don't give up on the big ones. There are some quick heavies and assaults. BLR-2C with XL400 and a pretty standard IS laser vomit build? Runs over 82 km/h. AN 85-TON MECH WITH FULL TORSO ARMOR AND RIDICULOUS STRUCTURE BUFFS RUNNING AT OVER 82 KM/H!!! Actually, I think the Zeus can beat that speed. Hey, how about the ol' Quirkdraw? Dropped a XL350 into my -4G earlier today, for kicks. 95-ish km/h without speed tweak, and that'll tote 4x MPL and some SRMs/ASRMs at a 1.35 heat per mech lab (all without taking skills and quirks into account), and with a pair of JJs to round it out. There are some FAST big mechs out there, and you can play them pretty much like the next smaller/faster weight class if you build 'em right. Rather than focusing on huge alphas or major DPS, look at the strike/fade thing with the faster ones, and keep thinking like you're in a light. You might find that you like where that takes you. I did..

[PFC Carsten]

This might be for you:
http://mwomercs.com/...n-faction-play/

To each (pilot) his own (mech).

[Audacious Aubergine]

As mentioned already, heavies and especially assaults are entirely different beasts to lights and the faster mediums. In lights and mediums, if you find yourself in a bad spot you have agility and speed to get yourself back out of there. Anything heavier, if you're there at all then most times you're toast no matter what you're rolling in. I recently elited three Dire Wolves, and up until then I would often wonder exactly how people died with below 100 damage while using them. It didn't take long for me to realise just how badly you get punished if you accidentally walk into even three enemies by yourself.
Jagermechs are generally quite squishy - either you carry not a lot of armour, a STD engine and ballistics, or an XL engine, moderate armour and ballistics. What they are excellent as is second line potato shooters - sit behind a hill or building with your guns peeking over the top and shoot the biggest thing you can see as many times as you can.

[Guitar Czar]

Sister RAbbi, on 28 April 2016 - 12:12 AM, said:

At any rate, don't give up on the big ones. There are some quick heavies and assaults. BLR-2C with XL400 and a pretty standard IS laser vomit build? Runs over 82 km/h. AN 85-TON MECH WITH FULL TORSO ARMOR AND RIDICULOUS STRUCTURE BUFFS RUNNING AT OVER 82 KM/H!!! Actually, I think the Zeus can beat that speed. Hey, how about the ol' Quirkdraw? Dropped a XL350 into my -4G earlier today, for kicks. 95-ish km/h without speed tweak, and that'll tote 4x MPL and some SRMs/ASRMs at a 1.35 heat per mech lab (all without taking skills and quirks into account), and with a pair of JJs to round it out. There are some FAST big mechs out there, and you can play them pretty much like the next smaller/faster weight class if you build 'em right. Rather than focusing on huge alphas or major DPS, look at the strike/fade thing with the faster ones, and keep thinking like you're in a light. You might find that you like where that takes you. I did..

^That stuff. I was terrible in the slow movers at first too, the only way I could transition into them was to go into relatively fast heavies/assaults first. The Zeus was my first assault and as I got more used to the size and general inmaneuverability (this is definitely a word, don't look it up) I would lower the engine size and add more weapons. I still don't have a mech that runs under 61 kph, but that's atrociously slow compared to the speeds I used to be comfortable in.

Don't give up

Edit: If nothing else driving the fatties will absolutely make you a better medium/light pilot after being forced to upgrade your situational awareness

Edited by Guitar Czar, 28 April 2016 - 01:04 AM.

[invernomuto]

MoonShaman, on 27 April 2016 - 02:56 PM, said:

I've been eyeing up the Mad Dog calss though for Clan, as it has a nice LRM and pulse laser build, which I think I might be able to pull off. Should I try one more time? Or is there maybe something in the Mediums or a better Heavy to suit my play style? Or maybe there just ISN'T a Heavy in the game for me YET?

I also have some difficulties with Assault and Light, these are "extreme" class that require different skills to be successful. For lights, your best weapons are speed and positioning.
For assaults (and slow heavies) you need the skill to "read" the battle and know when to commit because you don't usually have the mobility to reposition if you do the wrong move and you get focus fired by 3-4 enemy battlemechs.
If you're used to piloting a light mech I am no surprised that you find difficulties with heavy and assault: you could try a fast heavy (like Clan Timberwolf or Ebon Jaguar. Mad Dog, as far as I know, it is not considered a "strong" clan heavy mech.

[Rhavin]

Black knight with a 320 to 340 xl engine moves at medium speeds, has great firepower and survivability. Really a standout mech.

I know a couple of really skilled players who run faction drop decks of mediums and lights with no disappointments to thier team. Generally its hunchback 2cs, stormcrows, centurions and blackjacks I see them in.

[Morggo]

For background, I'm primarily light and heavy as my sweet spots. Can swing a Stalker or Zeus decent, and lighter mediums I'm okay. (Jenners, Cicadas, Crabs, and Marauders are the mechs I do well in basically)
I agree with most of the advice above. My summary contribution and answers for the cause

- No, not everyone can drive all weights. My observation and experience, most pilots have one weight, maybe two they really excel in. The rest they eventually "do okay" in but few have I seen that truly excel in all four weights.
- Yes, you can be very contributing in just Mediums and Lights.
- Don't give up on a weight class after just a chassis or two. And don't give up on a chassis after one variant. I can swing a stalker or zeus, totally suck at the rest of the assaults. But I learned I can drive those two

Otherwise, follow all the good advice above to find your ride and niche and get out there and have some fun.

Edited by Morggo, 28 April 2016 - 04:56 AM.

[Spleenslitta]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I do my best work in something around 30 - 45 tons. My first match in an Executioner went really well...next matches was just outright abyssmal.
Can't do well in my heavy mechs either. The Quickdraw was supposed to be the perfect mech for me since it had all the stuff i like - good speed for it's weight, JJ's and a mix of different weapon hardpoints with swingable arms with energy hardpoints.

I can often do 3 or even 4 times more damage in my Kit Fox and Vindicator than my heavier mechs.
I haven't played in ages but i know if i return to the game things will still be the same - I don't do well in slow mechs.
Funny thing is that before MWO came i was a fan of the Summoner....now i get uncomfortable at the thought of something heavier than 50 tons and slower than 100 kph.

[p4r4g0n]

Spleenslitta, on 28 April 2016 - 08:55 AM, said:

-snip-
I haven't played in ages but i know if i return to the game things will still be the same
-snip-

Not necessarily. After an 11 month break and some initial re-familiarisation, I found I was playing better than before I left. Could be I forgot a lot of bad habits and picked up some new good ones.