17 replies to this topic

[HotDoggin]

I'm so indecisive and I plan on buying most of them anyways.

Keep i'm mind I'm new and Still getting the hang of this game.

I have the Cat-K2 and the Raven-3L and using cookie cutter builds. I'm pretty good fulfilling my mechs role and I'm not concerned with my K/D.

I was thinking about getting an Assault mech but given my skill level I feel I may not be up to it at this point. I've been in games where people have got upset over a "Noob atlas"

I enjoy supporting the Assault mechs, whether that be me keeping lights off their butt or by drawing enemy fire. I find I enjoy the game more in a support role.

So now that you know a little about me perhaps a suggestion?

As a support role player I like to see the communities input and see what players want to see on the battlefield.

[Slayder645]

Catapult A-1 for a streak cat, or the C-4 for a good LRM boat. Plus you can then Elite the those mechs and master them.

[CmdrPoopyPants]

Personally, I'd need to know more about your long term intents.. meaning, how many mech bays do you have? How many do you plan on having? (that is, you have to buy MC to buy more bays).. Do you plan on getting Elite/Master for variants you like? That matters because if you only have 4 bays, you want to get 2 more of a variant you already have so grinding is cheaper (cbill wise) in the long run.

That said, my splatcat is one of my favorite rides at present. I don't have jump jets on it, lots of people do.. just depends on how you want to load it out. My next favorite is my Stalker 3F which runs 4xSRM6s and 2xLLs. It bascially has the same Alpha as the splat, but is slower and has more armor. Both tend to rip through enemies and do very well if you can avoid charging into battle (I have a small problem with that, and often end up dead first ).

When I was at "just 2 mechs", I had a Raven 3L and a Hunchback 4SP. My next purchases were several mech bays, then another HBK to grind basic/elite.. then another Raven.. then I stepped into the Commando line, then finished out all 3 of those chasis until I worked up elite on all of them. In that vein, you'd either want to run another Cat or Raven so you can work XP/basics, etc.

And I'd warn against a "streak cat".. 15 point alpha and only works when there's no ECM around.. can't kill ECM lights or ECM Atlai and you just plink stuff anyway. Whereas my 4xSRM6 + 2xSRM4 splatcat is doing an 80 point alhpa and rips the head off any light I can get a good lead on and never has issues with ECM.

Edited by CmdrPoopyPants, 28 February 2013 - 10:39 AM.

[mailin]

I currently have a hybrid streak/splat cat. It has 4 streaks and 2 srm 6. It may not have as many points in an alpha as an all splat cat, but if the enemy isn't covered under ECM all the streaks hit on the torso, rather than scatter like the the regular srms do. Also, once locked and in range there is no need to lead lights. Just fire the streaks and enjoy. I typically use the srm6 for ECM mechs and when I'm up close and personal. Otherwise the streaks are my main weapon.

[mailin]

The problem that I have with assaults in general is they're soooo slow. One that you may want to try is a Hunchback SP. I have mine loaded with the largest standard engine possible, 5 mlas and 2 streaks. It goes 84.2 kph before the speed tweak and if I can get behind the enemy, even assaults, I can typically core them pretty quickly.

[Gothbloodman]

Hunchback 4SP. There are a ton of forum posts explaining how effective it is for beginners. It will work wonders to support those assault mechs!

Otherwise, look at Poopy's suggestions regarding long term plans.

@mailin, I do the same, but 4 - SRM6's and 2 - Streak. Same philosophy, but ups the Alpha and doesn't get me annoyed when they have ECM! Now I wonder how 3/3 would work!

[wickwire]

Hunchback 4P with biggest engine and 9 Medium Lasers, it's fast and deadly, especially when mastered, and it teaches you to manage your heat. Great for running with Assaults, too.

[CmdrPoopyPants]

Streaks are 2.5 damage each. That might be enough damage to -eventually- do something to a light, but it will do almost nothing to an Atlas.. not before they turn and shred you to bits. Sure, they always hit instead of possibly miss like SRMs.. but that just means you need to learn to aim better. 15 damage versus 80 damage.. which do you think does your team more good?

[HotDoggin]

So many helpful folk on this forum! I'll have to digest this when I get home from work.

Thank you for all the replies

[Inveramsay]

Hunchbacks are great because they are pretty cheap to buy and equip (no expensive XL engines needed or wanted). The SP version is probably the most versatile

[HighTest]

Some very good suggesitons here. I also recommend the Hunchback 4SP for newer players. Second mech I ever bought. It's a good all-around brawling mech at almost any weight class.

But while we're on the topic of mediums, and since I see you don't yet have one so a medium would be good, let me add the Centurion. It's funny - there seems to be a love/hate thing going on in the forums for it, but it's definitely in my Top 2. The loadouts are very versatile, and you can easily equip one to be useful at any range.

Stick with the CNT-A or AL. Choose the A if you want to mess around with ballistics, and the AL if you want to work on your heat management but want to be more ammo-independent. The 9D is nice, but expensive, and the YenLo is a real-cash-only option. Either the A or AL would do the trick.

Or stick with the 4SP -- you can't go wrong there either.

Edit: Fixed stuff

Edited by HighTest, 28 February 2013 - 11:48 AM.

[Phoenix Gray]

You can't go wrong with the HeroMech Mackie.

[Ceesa]

Go for another catapult so you can experiment with LRMs. It'll take your one step closer to unlocking elites for catapults too, should you buy another. I would suggest the C1 or C4 since they're both flexible chassis's, but perhaps not the A1. Sure, the A1 can be fun at first, but it doesn't feel as "sim-like" as the others to me. I'm not sure how to explain it. I guess I just don't like the stupidly powerful alpha of 6 srm6. A mixture of long and short range weaponry is more fun for me to play. Right now I have a C1 with 2 large pulse, 2 ML, and 2 srm4. It's a good time.

[Marvyn Dodgers]

Phoenix Gray, on 28 February 2013 - 11:55 AM, said:

You can't go wrong with the HeroMech Mackie.

Roffles

[Nash]

Best you take one of the same mech types you already have...so either Catapult or Raven.

You may ask why?

1.) you already know what are the disadvantages of these types
2.) you already know how to pilot them

3.) you could increase you pilot tree at these mechs further as soon as you did level 3 of them

[Ewigan]

What Nash said.

At least Eliting one of the chassis will do wonders for your game experience, as your mechs get better and better.
and so do your skills with the chassis

[Gothbloodman]

CmdrPoopyPants, on 28 February 2013 - 11:11 AM, said:

Streaks are 2.5 damage each. That might be enough damage to -eventually- do something to a light, but it will do almost nothing to an Atlas.. not before they turn and shred you to bits. Sure, they always hit instead of possibly miss like SRMs.. but that just means you need to learn to aim better. 15 damage versus 80 damage.. which do you think does your team more good?

Wasn't Steak-cat the bane of everyone's existance before ECM?

[SPencil]

If you like running them, work on getting your cats and ravens to elite. The added bonuses will make them even more fun to run. There are people here that can give you much better advice then me on which ones to get and how to build them. I don't run either. But if you're looking for a new chassis that's good for a support role, I gotta recommend the Stalker.

I will admit I'm kinda biased (I love my Stalkers ^.^), imo it's probably the best mech you could have for support. It really depends on the build, though. DHS is an absolute must, and never drop an XL into it unless you're doing long range support but even then it's dicey.

The reduced turning/walking speed, limited torso twist range, and massive side torsos means you don't want to bring it into a brawl, but with the right loadout it can be devastating. It takes some getting used to, and positioning is critical to survival. It has a nice amount of armour so it wont immediately crumble when shot at, but concentrated fire on your flank can bring it down fast. Keep your enemies in front of you as much as you can.

The nice thing about the design is that if one side torso is cored, you don't have to twist too far to completely block it (or make it a very hard shot) with the other side torso.

TL;DR: Stalkers are very good when built properly and used effectively.