50 replies to this topic

[Troa Barton]

So after training a few new pilots and getting asked about certain mechs a lot i decided to go ahead and make it a video.
So for all you new pilots here's something to check out before you make that big purchase.



Obviously i can't please everyone and personal preferences will come into play none the less i hope this can be of resource to someone looking to buy their first or next mech.

Also if you guys could help me out with that like and subscribe button that would be cool too.
Just saying, this took a good chunk of time to make.

Thanks guys

[sneeking]

my first was a spider

[MadCat02]

My first mech was Atlas XD.

New players should buy Jagger as its the most versetile mech in the game .

[Heavenly Angel]

I'd recommend getting the biggest and most expensive mech you can afford because you're never really going to see that kind of money again. If you want to be really smart, get something with an xl engine you can share across other mechs.

[Troa Barton]

MadCat02, on 09 November 2013 - 07:37 AM, said:

My first mech was Atlas XD.

New players should buy Jagger as its the most versetile mech in the game .

lol so was mine AS7-D I hated it when i first got it, love them now. I also didn't know ECM was only for certain mechs and actually bought it thinking i could equip it. frankly that horrible experience was the reason behind the video in the first place.

[Arnold J Rimmer]

My first was the Centurion-AL. Still got that bad boy in the hangar.

[Troa Barton]

Arnold J Rimmer, on 09 November 2013 - 07:40 PM, said:

My first was the Centurion-AL. Still got that bad boy in the hangar.

lucky lol now that i like Atlas i wish i had my first mech back of course its one of the most expensive..

[Sephlock]

Troa Barton, on 09 November 2013 - 01:02 AM, said:

So after training a few new pilots and getting asked about certain mechs a lot i decided to go ahead and make it a video.
So for all you new pilots here's something to check out before you make that big purchase.



Obviously i can't please everyone and personal preferences will come into play none the less i hope this can be of resource to someone looking to buy their first or next mech.

Also if you guys could help me out with that like and subscribe button that would be cool too.
Just saying, this took a good chunk of time to make.

Thanks guys

Ilya Muromets. It most clearly resembles Heavy Arms.

[Troa Barton]

Sephlock, on 12 November 2013 - 04:43 PM, said:

Ilya Muromets. It most clearly resembles Heavy Arms.

lol gotta disagree there
Highlander 733C with two Ultra AC 5's

[Fang01]

I tried a commando and then a k2 and neither really stuck. Wasnt until I got to my Spider that I started really enjoying myself. You're wrong about the 5V though, it may not be capable of stupendous damage numbers but it can mount TWELVE jump jets. Thing is a freaking rocket and a ton of fun. Ever die from out of bounds due to altitude in anything else? nope

[Troa Barton]

Khajja nar Jatargk, on 12 November 2013 - 07:11 PM, said:

I tried a commando and then a k2 and neither really stuck. Wasnt until I got to my Spider that I started really enjoying myself. You're wrong about the 5V though, it may not be capable of stupendous damage numbers but it can mount TWELVE jump jets. Thing is a freaking rocket and a ton of fun. Ever die from out of bounds due to altitude in anything else? nope

oh i agree the 5V is a lot of fun. effective and noob friendly? oh no nononono. objectively speaking there are better options that will yield better long term results across all chassis for most players. the restriction of not being able to move up and down wont appeal to the majority. no matter how fun the thing is. spiders arent known for being mechs that rake in the dow, at least not for most players. personally i think the 5K is the most fun you can have in a light. but not for a new player just off his cadet bonus trying to make c-bills.

Edited by Troa Barton, 13 November 2013 - 12:07 AM.

[Deathz Jester]

Well back in closed beta before I even had my founders mechs my first was a commando (didn't have to deal with ballistics, just energy and missiles), any of them are pretty good but the problem was when i went to use my assault, as i expected getting used to the drop in speed and increase in size took a bit of time. Then again the last time I used a commando was when they had nock-downs and mechs could fall, ecm wasn't functional, and there were no double heatsinks, and i think even ferro fibrous armor and endo-steel werent in either. So..... yea. there's my suggestion lol

[Xtrekker]

I think on the low end the best mech I ran that could consistently produce numbers was the Jenner-D. I didn't have the experience of just starting out since I got the Founder's pack, but that mech kitted out was a little beast. I don't run it much anymore, but I do dust it off on occasion and it still rocks.

I do agree, however, that you should consider the economy in your purchase. It's unbelievably slow now, so keep in mind that you may need 3 chassis and maybe a couple of engines and modules. On the other hand, it may be a while before you get something you really want, so getting it now might be a good thing too.

Other than that, I enjoyed my Phracts, bought an Ilya, and actually that Yen-lo has remained one of my favorite rides too (although many will disagree). I <3 ballistics though, so I'm partial to the boom cannons.

New pilots, good luck on whatever you decide!

Edited by Xtrekker, 13 November 2013 - 09:19 AM.

[HarlekinEO]

Buy a medium Mech. Its best to learn to play. Also they are more manoverable, so they compensate a bit lack of navigation...

Just dont buy a Atlas! They are heavy weights and have a high battle value. If you have a bad Assault player it is very hard to compensate it for the other players...

[Rascula]

My first mech.. an Awesome, and no I dont recommend them to new players.

[Training Instructor]

Jenner with a 300xl, because you can use it in a ton of other mechs.

Alternatively, you could use your newbie money to buy something like a CN-9D, because it comes with a 300xl engine out of the box, which is possibly the most versatile engine in the game, given the number of Heavy/medium/jenner builds it works great with. It also comes with Endo Steel already equipped, and an expensive ballistic (LB10X), all for a little over 8 million cbills. And centurions are just generally pretty good, in my opinion.

Oh, and if you want to kick out a modest amount of MC, you can buy the Yen Lo Wang hero mech that can also use that same 300xl and be a pretty freaking fast AC20 platform. Lots of people can tell you about their love for the Yen Lo Wang.

That would leave you with only one more mech to buy with actual cbills, since you need three variants of the same chassis to progress mech skills beyond basics. Most people would suggest the CN-9A as your third variant.

With those three mechs you can learn a ton about positioning and piloting in a chassis that is tougher than it's weight. Also, you can learn a lot about ballistics and firing while on the move, which are useful lessons to learn.

Edited by Training Instructor, 13 November 2013 - 06:17 AM.

[Jakob Knight]

Great to see people making videos to help new players! If only the Devs did that much....

My own opinions:

For the first mech, I'd probably go with a Medium or a Heavy, depending on if you like speed or fighting.

With the Medium, you don't have to rely as much on knowing how to steer and dodge to survive as in a Light mech, have enough firepower to contribute to the fighting, and it won't cost as much to Master three models. You won't dominate through firepower, but you'll survive mistakes as you learn better than in a Light, and can see if you want to go heavier or lighter in your next mech choice once you understand the kind of battles you'll be facing.

With the Heavy, you get enough firepower to be a force on the battlefield and the reaction speed/manueverability to adapt to combat conditions better than an Assault mech. You also get a pretty wide range of weapons options to explore what you like in customization, and can again decide if you want to go heavier or lighter for your next mech.

Both of these offer a wide range of abilities, and you probably won't get into a situtation where you will consider your mech something you'll outgrow. Light and Assault mechs are extremes on the mech scale, and for a first mech, you may find yourself discovering disadvantages inherent in each that will make them unusable to your preferred playstyle. They are really more for more experienced players who decide they want to sacrifice everything for speed, or for armor/firepower.

Ultimately, if you have a mech you know you -really- want to pilot, then go with that. A good pilot can make any mech a factor on the battlefield if they love the design, but even an elite pilot can't overcome a mech they hate to be in. If you don't have a mech you absolutely know you -must- be the pilot of, then my recommendations are above.

My two cents.

Edited by Jakob Knight, 13 November 2013 - 07:12 AM.

[Bront]

First mechs are best when they're new player friendly. By class, here's how I'd rate them:

Mediums - Probably the best starter mechs for a combination of price (they're not too expensive nor are they expensive to trick out), general performance (reasonable speed and more armor than lights), variety (plenty of reasonable options), and play (easy to get down the play basics in). Sadly, they're generally hard to be great in in the current meta, but they're easy for starters.

Lights - Good starter mechs. Fragile, but the light playstyles (Capping, dodging, harrassment) are straight forward enough that they're fairly easy to pickup. The only reason mediums are better is due to the cost of an XL engine in Lights, as well as the difficulty of quick twitch and decision making being very unforgiving in a light.

Heavy - OK starter mech. Tough, durrable, and usually not super slow, they are more complex to drive due to usually having more weapon systems. Mistakes aren't always deadly, but the amount of firepower that may not be running optimally on a Heavy means you're possibly hurting your team.

Assault - Slow speeds are difficult to pilot to start, as positioning becomes ultra-important and is likely a skill not quite honed yet in a new pilot. Lots of weapon systems makes for a complex mech to manage, and the mechs are weapons are expensive, making access to them difficult, and a stretch for resources when you're still learning the ropes.

Again, that's a general overview. Per mech it may change a bit, and it depends on the pilot and preference. Mechs that sit at the edge of their weight class (the 35-40 tonners, 55-60 tonners, and 75-80 tonners) often are good places to start as they usually mix some of what's best about both classes.

[Troa Barton]

Jakob Knight, on 13 November 2013 - 07:10 AM, said:

Great to see people making videos to help new players! If only the Devs did that much....

My own opinions:

For the first mech, I'd probably go with a Medium or a Heavy, depending on if you like speed or fighting.

With the Medium, you don't have to rely as much on knowing how to steer and dodge to survive as in a Light mech, have enough firepower to contribute to the fighting, and it won't cost as much to Master three models. You won't dominate through firepower, but you'll survive mistakes as you learn better than in a Light, and can see if you want to go heavier or lighter in your next mech choice once you understand the kind of battles you'll be facing.

With the Heavy, you get enough firepower to be a force on the battlefield and the reaction speed/manueverability to adapt to combat conditions better than an Assault mech. You also get a pretty wide range of weapons options to explore what you like in customization, and can again decide if you want to go heavier or lighter for your next mech.

Both of these offer a wide range of abilities, and you probably won't get into a situtation where you will consider your mech something you'll outgrow. Light and Assault mechs are extremes on the mech scale, and for a first mech, you may find yourself discovering disadvantages inherent in each that will make them unusable to your preferred playstyle. They are really more for more experienced players who decide they want to sacrifice everything for speed, or for armor/firepower.

Ultimately, if you have a mech you know you -really- want to pilot, then go with that. A good pilot can make any mech a factor on the battlefield if they love the design, but even an elite pilot can't overcome a mech they hate to be in. If you don't have a mech you absolutely know you -must- be the pilot of, then my recommendations are above.

My two cents.

thanks man and i agree with what you've said a medium and a heavy are both solid choices. Also if you dont like the mech you're in give it a little time, find something you like in the trial mechs before buying one. if you really liked using the AC20 get something that can mount it. if you like missiles get something that uses them, again this is a game so the fun factor is something i cant advise on. if you have fun doing something certain mechs that aren't the first choice might be the mech for you if you have fun in it.

[Victor Morson]

I have a rather in depth guide here:

http://mwomercs.com/...ete-mech-guide/

However, off the cuff, the answer is: Jenner, Shadow Hawk, Cataphract, Victor, Highlander as your top priority 'mechs, with the JaggerMech, Centurion, Blackjack and a few others coming in just behind them for early recommendations.

Cataphract 3D, Victor 9S, Any Highlander & Any Jenner will do well for you right now. Every single Shadow Hawk rocks, with the 2D2 and 5M being favorites.

Edited by Victor Morson, 09 December 2013 - 12:50 AM.