10 replies to this topic

[J I N]

Hi,
i started playing some days ago... played all the other MW Games and tried the TT, so I have some basic knowledge.
I didn't know much about the Game... played with the Trebuchet and wanted something different. So i bought the Raven-3L without any knowledge (saw the ECM and BAP..^^) and it was the right choice for me.
I raised the Armor and changed the Weapons to 2x SSRM and an ER Large Laser. It worked out pretty good and I am able to face most Mechs (never killed an Atlas -,-), but now I'm not sure what is a good choice 4 the second Mech.

What i want:
I need some "speed", so Atlas, Stalker etc. are out... the Hero Cicade would be perfect, but I can't buy it and I have a light one, so basic Cicades are out too. In fact something around 65 Kph is enought... I simply don't want to walk alongside an Atlas ;-D
I don't like the Centurion (killing him seems too easy for my Raven^^), Catapult, Trebuchet and Awesome...

So let's see whats left:
1. Cataphract... don't know much about it, seems to be a good Sniper (or mid-range fighter?)
2. Dragon... I just don't understand the benefits of this mech, it got speed, so I'm interested in it and could need some information about useful builds
3. Hunchback... oldschool, i like the design and there is a Thread about "good" builds. Is it possible to raise his speed and getting it's armor/weapons balanced?
4. Jagermech.. kind of oldschool, but everybody playes him right now... there are many builds and some like 2x AC20 or 2x any AC + Laser or LRM + Lasers seem to be very nice. (2x AC20 idea: JM6-S )
5. Highlander... is slow, but I really love the design and it should be possible to be faster than an Atlas. But when will it be available?

I have got 9,500000 right now... so the equipment is limited
I'm thankful for every advice

Best regards
JIN

[Cifrer]

Hunchbacks are pretty nice. Yes it is possible to raise his speed and balance it's weapons/armor. I recommend a 4SP, but you'll want to elite them because they can be pretty speedy with the speed tweak.

[Mason Grimm]

Learn about the Cataphract

[Cifrer]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7c00f1f15dccc9d

I run something like this in my hunchie and does pretty good. Not the fastest, but 87.3 isn't bad at all.

Or if you want to try laserboating you could go for a 4P, personally I dislike them because they tend to run a tad hot and if your hunch gets shot out you're pretty well hosed.

Cataphracts are nice if you're a fan of ballistics or sniping.

EDIT: At only 8.5 mil that hunchie is well within your price range also.

Edited by Cifrer, 21 March 2013 - 10:18 AM.

[Duncan Longwood]

I avoided Centurions early, but found it to be a nice chassis if you like to zombie (run around with no arms but all your weapons). The Cent-D can be a very fast mech if you drop a lot of money on it. Drop a XL360 with 2Mlas and 2ASRM6 in it and you have a light hunter/capper. 128kph after speed tweak. This is a great mech to learn how to torso-roll to spread damage.

Cataphract is a very versatile chassis. Most builds need an XL engine to carry a full weapons load-out so they aren't the best in a brawl, but they can be absolutely punishing as fire-support. One of my favorite chassis.

I can't recommend the dragon to anyone new. It takes a huge investment just to be playable, much less competitive. I didn't really feel like any were good until I elited them, and even then, the Flame is the best model imo. When you are looking for a challenge, niche mech, or some other novelty; the dragon will still be there.

Hunchbacks are nice in that they will let you try all the weapon systems in the game on the cheap. No need for an XL engine and can carry decent firepower. SP, H, and P models would be my path to mastery. Very inexpensive to Master compared to other mechs.

I only have experience with the Jager-S, but it has been a blast so far. I have found both 4AC2's + 4Mlas and 2AC2's + 2LPL's to be very deadly. I use the XL300 and 5 tons of ammo with both builds. While I don't have many stats to cite, my K/D ratio has risen for the first time since ELO was introduced.Try to keep the engagement between 300 to 700 meters or risk getting headshot.

Highlander... I have been practicing my death from above with my spider, but the Atlases I keep landing on don't get smooshed. (though it is hilarious to have the Atlas take friendly-fire as his friends try to swat the spider on his head)

The AWS-9M can be fast... after you drop 22million on it. So file this one next to the dragon for when you have too much money and nothing to burn it on.

Good luck and good hunting!

Edited by Duncan Longwood, 21 March 2013 - 10:40 AM.

[J I N]

Thanks for the answeres!
I think the Hunchback is a solid choice for me... every model seems to be fun and i can practice different ways of playing.
Maybe i will get mastery there... the raven doesn't seem to be my choice for that... way too expensive for a light mech ^^

@Duncan
I understand your point about the centurion, but I didn't meet a Centurion i couldn't beat up to now... maybe I'm just lucky
Haha a highlander headjump would be fun ^^

One more Question:
Do i need an AMS on the Hunchback if possible? My raven got killed 3 times today by single Lrm-fire... the new map sucks sometimes -,-
I didn't think about AMS since the new patch... How many rockets does it stop?

[Cifrer]

AMS stops about 5 missiles give or take. LRMs are broken right now and doing insane damage.

Whether or not you need ams is really a personal preference question. I prefer to have it if I can fit it into a build, however playstyle does need to be taken into account.

Really the best thing about the hunchies is the versatility of the chassis. I can run a 4SP with 4 mlas, tag, and lrm10s, 5 mlas and 2 srm6s, 5 mlas, lrm15, srm6. You can do some decent ballistic setups with other variants too. Hunchies are pretty quick but not super fast and they carry decent firepower. The only real downside to them is their massive hunch, which the 4SP doesn't have. Hunchbacks are very well rounded and can be set up to run a wide variety of roles quite easily.

[J I N]

I bought a 4SP and only chaged it's structure... now I'm using 4x ML and 2x Srm6 (with more basic HS for heatmanagement)
It's fun to get close to Lrm boats or Jagermechs ;-P (and it's cheap^^)

The new map is hell for me... I'm slow for a 270m fighter and try to stick to my team, but it seems to be my special skill to move around a corner and run into an Atlas -,-
The only time I felt overwhelmed was when i faced 2 Jagermechs each with 2x AC20... I lasted for nearly 5 seconds^^

Question: Is the Artemis that good for Srm's? (I don't want to raise the costs for this mech, if i don't have to.)

[Roughneck45]

JIN1987, on 22 March 2013 - 06:43 AM, said:

Question: Is the Artemis that good for Srm's? (I don't want to raise the costs for this mech, if i don't have to.)

For SRMs its player preference.

If you are landing your shots consistenly and doing damage you are happy with I would not bother.

If you try to take near max range shots it can help quite a bit.

[J I N]

Thank you for the answer... i tried some "long range" shots, but most of the time I'm shooting at short range.
I think i won't change it... maybe raising the speed could fix some of my problems, but hitting works quite well.

[krl2811]

I would also recommend 4SP. Although it is a bit slow with stock engine but even with speed tweak it better. Now I'm not sure will I spend cca 3 mil on it to make it much better(almost 90km/h with speed tweak) or should I simply save for something new.

I also have CTF-1X and I love it. Hated it at first but with DHS and Endo steel is awesome. I carry 5LL or 3LL 1 ML and 2 ER PPC. I would like for it to be a bit faster than its stock speed(64.8) but hey, i cant have everything.