29 replies to this topic

[Macbrea]

So, a friend of mine told me about Mechwarrior Online. I figured I would go ahead and try it. I didn't read up on the system as I did have an understanding of the game but not of the Cadet system.

The Cadet day is suppose to get it you to the point that you can buy your first mech. This is how mine went:

Day 1: I played a bunch of games made about 8 million or so in CBs: I bought a Catapult, Tossed in an XL engine played around with the builds.
Day 2: I decided to switch to a different mech as a Catapult wasn't my style of Mech. I sold my catapult and apparently all components on it for half price. Effectively reducing my cash to 4 million CBs. Staring at my sum of money, I also didn't research well enough and bought myself a Raven-4X, and started running it for about 40-60k per match now. I have finally figured out that I will need to purchase all three varients of the Raven to get my skills up. At the rate I am going, It should take awhile, nothing like being the 60kph Light mech in a world were everyone is moving 130+. Using the weakest variant of a mech.

In Conclusion: there probably needs to be some instruction for new players. I realize I have training mechs I can play, but I am unable to spend experience on those pilots. I really should be able to at least spend the pilot experience on them.

[Hammerfinn]

Yeah, you've run into the main problem with the new player experience for now: lack of tutorial and information outside of the forums. They're working on it, though, and the newest "ask the devs" gives a little information. But yeah--realizing that the cadet bonus is a limited-time thing can make a BIG difference!

[Macbrea]

Had I realized it, as a very experienced online player, I would have simply planned ahead. I still haven't figured out MC yet. With the Launch coming in September are we all going to be reset to starting point? Or does MC now, stay MC later? And if I buy a mech, will that stay in my bay at launch? These seem like items that should be in the FAQ.

Edited by Macbrea, 23 August 2013 - 12:44 PM.

[Cybermech]

nothing to my knowledge is getting reset.
MC should not be, what you have and buy with you keep it.

[Hammerfinn]

In a couple of official posts, they've said there will be no further resets; so what you have will be kept.

[Ertur]

Even without the bonus you can get 70-90k per win. In a month (or a bit less) I've been able to buy 4 mechs for C-Bills (I sold one, and felt dumb after). The expensive part isn't getting the mech, it's getting the upgrades. I've spent about 20million cbills on just Jenner upgrades, about 7million for the mechs themselves.
That's with no premium time.
Spend MC on hero/champ mechs, maybe turning MXP into GXP. The hero mech usually come with pretty good builds that don't require a bunch of upgrades.
Note that mech bays past the first 4 need cbills MC to buy.

Edited by Ertur, 23 August 2013 - 01:05 PM.

[Dawnstealer]

Tell me about it. When I first started this game, I didn't quite get the whole cadet bonus and the way the c-bills worked or how they were earned.

I purchased a Cicada 3C because I wanted to try out a quick mech with a PPC. The amount of time it took me to grind out enough c-bills to afford my next mech while piloting that abomination? A LOT.

[Redshift2k5]

Assuming you have yet to spend any real cash on the game, you can make a new gmail account, make a new mwo account, and go earn a fresh 8 mil cadet bonus on a new account.

The sale cost for mechs is really unfortunately low, but it does say quite clearly how much you are getting back when you sell a mech.

[Mechwarrior413183]

If it's 2 days maybe it'd be worth making a new account for Cadet bonus again to get a good mech, look in battlemech guides section for a tier list http://mwomercs.com/...mech-tier-list/ and there's another tier + general mech advice thread http://mwomercs.com/...petitive-level/ that's in this section. Just pick something that's tier 1 or 2 and cheapish with a playstyle you'd probably like, such as sniping/brawling/recon/harassing.

It'll suck having to make a new name though.

Edit: Also here's a website to plain builds http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab

Edited by Mockeryangel, 23 August 2013 - 01:18 PM.

[Macbrea]

Well, at this point I am sitting on the following two Mechs RVN-4X (All basic skills unlocked) and RVN-2X (all the 1500 and lower unlocks for basic done)

I am not too worried about the fact I am behind the curve. Obviously, It's possible to catch up. It's just a factor of other lights utterly destroy me.

[Ertur]

That's because you picked the wrong lights. (see sig)

Save your cbills and get one XL engine as big as will fit in all ravens, and get that (XL295 4.8M cbills). Just swap it between them. If you pull the engine out, it goes into your inventory, it isn't automatically sold.
Then save up for the third raven. Ditch NARC and the big engine will fit. Or you can play around with the mechlab; if you think an XL280 would give you better loadouts and be fast enough, then get one of those. Just keep in mind that speed is life for lights. But I'd suggest getting the engine before getting the final Raven in any case.

[Redshift2k5]

Ertur, on 23 August 2013 - 01:35 PM, said:

That's because you picked the wrong lights. (see sig)

Save your cbills and get one XL engine as big as will fit in all ravens, and get that (XL295 4.8M cbills). Just swap it between them. If you pull the engine out, it goes into your inventory, it isn't automatically sold.
Then save up for the third raven. Ditch NARC and the big engine will fit. Or you can play around with the mechlab; if you think an XL280 would give you better loadouts and be fast enough, then get one of those. Just keep in mind that speed is life for lights. But I'd suggest getting the engine before getting the final Raven in any case.

The 2x and 4x can only go as high as 245, so advising him to buy "one engine" and a "xl295" isn't going to work out very well for him. You're right about the NARC being junk, though

[Macbrea]

Well, I am currently sitting at 845k CB. My current plan is to play the 2X until I have finished up opening up all Basics for it. Then hopefully by then I can afford the 3L. My first goal after getting the 3L will be to get upto a 280XL engine. This will free up the 210 XL engine that comes with the 3L stock. That engine can move over to the 4X.

That should give me a working 4X and a working 3L for xp grinding. I will figure out what to do with the 2X when I get back to needing to do that grind.

[Macbrea]

If I understand correctly. My 4X will end up looking something like:
RVN-4X

Edited by Macbrea, 23 August 2013 - 02:18 PM.

[John MatriX82]

Macbrea, on 23 August 2013 - 01:17 PM, said:

Well, at this point I am sitting on the following two Mechs RVN-4X (All basic skills unlocked) and RVN-2X (all the 1500 and lower unlocks for basic done)

I am not too worried about the fact I am behind the curve. Obviously, It's possible to catch up. It's just a factor of other lights utterly destroy me.

You should go around with something like this RVN-4X to get more speed and behave as a striker/flanker, and with something like this in the RVN-2X, trying to hammer down or self-light/tag enemy targets with some point defense.

The above builds are for saving some money in xl engines, the only worth XL engine is a 295 or a 280 for the 3L. Don't buy for now any sub-250 xl engine, unless you wish to go with the commandoes, otherwise any xl engine above or on par a 255xl is good.

Edited by John MatriX82, 23 August 2013 - 02:26 PM.

[Mogney]

If you havent bought any MC's yet. Just start over. Make a new email address and then create a new account in the game and start over. Get your newbie cbill bonus and buy the mech you want.

That's my 2 cents.

[Macbrea]

The 210XL engine wouldn't be an expendature. It comes stock in the 3L. And at this point I am fine with were I am at, I will deal with the false start. I just mostly did the topic to warn new players or at least to inform the admins that there should be some kind of warninjg that makes sense to the players. I definitely am not the first one to do this.

[Johnny Marek Summers]

Well since you are making the most of what you have done, you might want to go over to the Guides and Strategies portion on the forums. There are a few guides for piloting Ravens and a bunch more threads for building the 2x and 4x.

I like Bad 'Mechs Anonymous : Raven 2x. It's funny and informative.

[RLBell]

Macbrea, on 23 August 2013 - 02:01 PM, said:

Well, I am currently sitting at 845k CB. My current plan is to play the 2X until I have finished up opening up all Basics for it. Then hopefully by then I can afford the 3L. My first goal after getting the 3L will be to get upto a 280XL engine. This will free up the 210 XL engine that comes with the 3L stock. That engine can move over to the 4X.

That should give me a working 4X and a working 3L for xp grinding. I will figure out what to do with the 2X when I get back to needing to do that grind.

That is the funny thing about lights. Because they really need an XL engine, Endo-steel, and possibly ferro-fibrous armor, they are not that much cheaper than a heavy mech, which often needs only endo-steel (both are getting DHS).

Ravens are fun, if you do get a -3L, putting the 210XL in the -4X leaves enough tonnage for an AC/20, and the 245XL equipped -4X can mount dual ERPPC's. The -2X seems bad, but my -2X shares a 245XL with my -4X and has 4 medium lasers, an SRM6, maxed armor, and as many DHS as I cram into it. It takes time to overheat and its last battle (only the third time I used it) had it take down an Atlas in Frozen City

[MoonUnitBeta]

This is why I tell new players never to sell anything... They'll figure it out on their own down the road when a good time to sell stuff is...