40 replies to this topic

[FEK315]

So I am pretty much a Hunchy / Raven / Locust pilot who needs a C-bill earner.
I read that the YWL, Flame and Fang might be a good choice for me. What I am looking for is a high C-bill earner that has a chance of surviving, delivers a punch and takes me to the next level of piloting.

My fave Hunch build is AC20, 2 MLs 93mph.
I was also thinking of the Jenner Oxide.

Yes, I could go with the Gridiron but I want to branch out. At some point I want an Orion Stormcrow and or Nova. Should I wait?

Mechbro...I ask...what say you.


TNX!

[TercieI]

I own nine heroes. Oxide is the high earner because it does piles of damage with 4 streaks (and often racks up spotting and C-ECM assists, too). Not always the most useful damage, admittedly, but if what you want is c-bills, it's a monster for that.

[N a p e s]

The Yen Lo Wang sounds like a great starting point for you.

Same mobility (unless you strap in an XL300) as you're used to but on another chassis with its own pros and cons. The other Centurions should also be good fun since you're into mediums in general.

On the other hand if you want something different (and I see you want to eventually get into Orions) the Protector may be a good choice. It is a little pricier than the Yen Lo but Orions in general are pretty good mechs. Be warned, they'll feel slow and unwieldy until you get the efficiencies unlocked.

Edit: Just wanted to add that I can't wholeheartedly recommend the Grid Iron. Its fun and it can do the standard BFG Striker build but with only 1 missile hardpoint (and 2 ballistics) its difficult to justify filling up all the hardpoints to do something more unique.

Edited by Napes339, 23 January 2014 - 11:16 AM.

[jper4]

streak oxide was my first hero mech i got and it's turned out to be one of my best chassis. i hadn;t even played a light other than locusts and the sarah's mech (and don;t do well in those). but the oxide (don;t forget your BAP) is an earning machine. just don't try to solo anything other than a light or it'll take forever and someone else will get sick of waiting for you to kill it and finish it off with one alpha.

gridiron i'm still trying to find a decent loadout for me in about as many matches as the oxide, so i vote oxide first.

[NRP]

Yeah, I'd recommend an Oxide or a Wang. The Oxide is a huge money maker. The Wang is pretty easy to disarm, but it also packs enough punch and speed to take out any mech in the game. Of the two, I'd recommend the Oxide though, mainly because I hate lights and the Oxide excels at killing them.

I also can't recommend the Grid Iron, unless you are a total Hunchback nut. Don't get me wrong, it's better than the 4G in every way, but I just find Hunchbacks to lackluster overall in the current meta. They are just way too easy to disarm.

[Voivode]

Check out the Yen-lo or Death's Knell. If you enjoy the Locust then Commandos will work well for you. I get a lot of money from my TDK. The Yen-lo can run that same AC/20 & 2ML build you enjoy on your Hunchie.

[Victor Morson]

NRP, on 23 January 2014 - 12:27 PM, said:

Yeah, I'd recommend an Oxide or a Wang.

Don't buy a Wang. Unless you like driving a 'mech that every single experienced pilot will disarm in about 30 seconds, it's a huge piece of {Scrap} and I'd say to avoid it all costs.

Your best bets (The Oxide is a very good pugging cash grinder, but that's about it):

Ilya Muromets - Pretty much one of the very best heroes, makes TONS of cbills, great with tripple Ultras.

Dragon Slayer - Arguably the very best Victor variant, and absolutely top tier. Victors sit at a great spot
between heavies and bigger assaults.

Heavy Metal - Another exceptional Highlander variant that supports the load out being split onto two sides, which adds some durability over a typical Highlander.

The Flame is the best Dragon but it's actually inferior to a Shadow Hawk in the same role. The Fang is horrendous as well, being just a crappy version of the Dragon.

There's a few other heroes that aren't as top tier as the above listed ones that are OK like the Firebrand, Misery, etc. But those three will last you in casual or competitive games and as well as make you tons of cbills.

Voivode, on 23 January 2014 - 12:33 PM, said:

Check out the Yen-lo or Death's Knell. If you enjoy the Locust then Commandos will work well for you. I get a lot of money from my TDK. The Yen-lo can run that same AC/20 & 2ML build you enjoy on your Hunchie.

Death's Kneel is handicapped because it's a Commando, and Commandos are just plain inferior to every other light out there except a Locust.

The Yen-Lo, again, is trash. It's one step above a Golden Boy and Pretty Baby, and sits along side junk like the Jester. Avoid it at all costs.

EDIT: I do concur the Grid Iron is also trash, though.

Edited by Victor Morson, 23 January 2014 - 12:38 PM.

[Bilbo]

Victor Morson, on 23 January 2014 - 12:36 PM, said:

Don't buy a Wang. Unless you like driving a 'mech that every single experienced pilot will disarm in about 30 seconds, it's a huge piece of {Scrap} and I'd say to avoid it all costs.

Your best bets (The Oxide is a very good pugging cash grinder, but that's about it):

Ilya Muromets - Pretty much one of the very best heroes, makes TONS of cbills, great with tripple Ultras.
Dragon Slayer
Heavy Metal

The Flame is the best Dragon but it's actually inferior to a Shadow Hawk in the same role. The Fang is horrendous as well, being just a crappy version of the Dragon.

There's a few other heroes that aren't as top tier as the above listed ones that are OK like the Firebrand, Misery, etc. But those three will last you in casual or competitive games and as well as make you tons of cbills.



Death's Kneel is handicapped because it's a Commando, and Commandos are just plain inferior to every other light out there except a Locust.

The Yen-Lo, again, is trash. It's one step above a Golden Boy and Pretty Baby, and sits along side junk like the Jester. Avoid it at all costs.

Since his favorite mech right now is an AC20 Hunchie, I don't think he'll have any more trouble with being disarmed than he already has. It certainly isn't any easier to disarm a Yen lo than it is to take off that hunch.

[Victor Morson]

Bilbo, on 23 January 2014 - 12:40 PM, said:

Since his favorite mech right now is an AC20 Hunchie, I don't think he'll have any more trouble with being disarmed than he already has. It certainly isn't any easier to disarm a Yen lo than it is to take off that hunch.

He's also new, and frankly the AC/20 Hunchie is still more of a durable hard point than the Yen-Lo's "Magnet to every shot fired at it" right arm, which can be removed as an afterthought. If we weren't talking hero recommendations I'd be steering him towards a Shadow Hawk, since it does everything his current Hunchback does better than his current 'mech.

But since we're talking Heroes, you really can't go wrong with the Ilya/Dragon Slayer/Heavy Metal, as all of them are absolutely at the very top of the list for being the very best heroes out there.

Plus like I said there are some other "second tier" heroes that work fine for pugging like the Firebrand that'd do the AC/20 thing far better than a Wang, too.

EDIT: Also this will put him one chassis closer to mastery with three good chassis, where the Centurion has fallen from grace post-Shadow Hawk, hard.

Edited by Victor Morson, 23 January 2014 - 12:45 PM.

[FEK315]

The Oxide sounds like a good fit. The Protector and the Muromets sound interesting since I am new to larger mechs.
Right now I have enough money to get an Oxide anything bigger and I need to add money to my account.
My other thought was to buy some prime time...

The Protector sounds like a fun choice I am always up for a new challenge and I love the look of the Orion. Any one have some intell on piloting the Orion?

[cSand]

I have the Protector and I recently picked up the Flame during the hockey sale and I love em both.

Although, there is apparently a "brand new" hero mech coming out on Feb 4th which you may want to check out first before you decide ...

Edited by cSand, 23 January 2014 - 04:27 PM.

[Clideb50]

I'd suggest the Yen-Lo. It is very similar to Hunchbacks, but has the Centurion's infamous zombie abilities. Personally I run this build and it has done very well since I've owned it.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9c190be0a9ac0c2

As for the Protector, it's okay. The CT is an easy target though, but I'll agree; it's a sweet looking mech. This is the build I use for it.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7b6a0a584cb262b

Edited by Regulus1990, 23 January 2014 - 04:40 PM.

[D3athScyth3]

FEK315, on 23 January 2014 - 04:00 PM, said:

The Oxide sounds like a good fit. The Protector and the Muromets sound interesting since I am new to larger mechs.
Right now I have enough money to get an Oxide anything bigger and I need to add money to my account.
My other thought was to buy some prime time...

The Protector sounds like a fun choice I am always up for a new challenge and I love the look of the Orion. Any one have some intell on piloting the Orion?

I tend to only pilot heavy's since i dont get to play as often as i would like.

I have all but the M varient of the Orions and can highly recommend them, i actually replaced all my Cataphracts with Orions.

The Orion will feel slow and unresponsive until you get it to elite level, a faster engine early on will help this.

I started with the Protector then bought the V and K, in terms of builds my Protector ahs gone through a few revisions and changes, one i love is dual ER lrg and dual ac5 with an xl335, gives u plenty of range and decent speed for a heavy.

It is currently running an LRM20+art, 5t ammo, dual lrg pulse with an xl 335 also, its fun and something a bit different.

The orions tend to excel and mix range loadouts so try to cover all ranges with your builds.

My V is my LRM fire support mech, it is running dual lrm 15 and lrm10 with, BAP, arty, dual med pulse, XL300 and the rest dedicated to ammo (i tihnk 11t from memory) it is one of the most successful mechs i run
kpd of that mech is 6.4.

my K is another mixed range mech, LRM15, Gauss rifle and dual er lrg

another fun one i did enjoy is the VA, it has an xl350 (very fast for a heavy) with dual er lrg and quad ssrm2's. it is a fun mech to play especially when some lights get close and then cant get out of range of the ssrms before you destroy them.

There have been plenty of other builds over the time i have played the orions and plenty still work, but i change them up now and then.

overall it is a very flexible design and i think you will enjoy playing it.

[FEK315]

I just realized I bought the ShadowHawk at the Guardian level in the sale a while back is this a Hero mech?
Orion sounds kinda awesome.

[TercieI]

FEK315, on 23 January 2014 - 04:55 PM, said:

I just realized I bought the ShadowHawk at the Guardian level in the sale a while back is this a Hero mech?
Orion sounds kinda awesome.

Technically, not a hero, but the 2H(P) version does earn 30% extra c-bills like a hero.

2 AC/5 and a PPC, XL255. A nice "earning" mech for me.

[Alaskan Nobody]

FEK315, on 23 January 2014 - 04:55 PM, said:

I just realized I bought the ShadowHawk at the Guardian level in the sale a while back is this a Hero mech?
Orion sounds kinda awesome.

The (P) variant of the Shadowhawk and Locust both get the same bonus that a Hero mech would give, but are not technically Hero mechs themselves (which is I guess, splitting hairs)

[Dan Nashe]

Here's a completely different opinion:
I bought heros for the same reason.
(YLW btw, loved it.)
Discovered that once I mastered a mech, I tended to move on, and I almost NEVER grind in my hero mechs. I switch mechs every match.

YOu may find a LOT more satisfaction in getting a Shadowhawk, and spend the same amount of money you'd spend on a YLW on premium time.

Just a suggestion to think about.
50% for a month with an XP and GXP boost for $15 is more game-time than I have spent in most of my heros (and I loved my YLW), or buy it (premium time) in smaller increments.
Remember you USE all of it (premium time) once activated-no pause and you can't just activate "one of your one day purchases" - it's all lumped together.

But if you play like 3 hours on saturday, and never the rest of the week, it might be a better option.

Edit: Prices are secret:
1 day: 250 MC
3 days: 650 MC
]7 days: 1,250 MC
30 days: 2,500 MC
180 days: 13,500 MC
360 days: ? (greyed out for me)

You can find hero mech mc prices on smurfys.

Edit 2:
1,250 MC: $6.95
3,000 MC: $14.95
6,500 MC: $30

YLW is 3750
A SHD-2d2 is 1790
So with 2000 MC, you can spend 7 saturdays with premium, or 3 weekends. or Nearly 30 days on the difference.
That could amount to a lot.

So you have to buy the $30 package either way.
Get a SHD-2d2 (saves you cbills, gets you a mech fast)(or not!): 1800
Get 30 days of premium OR buy 10 single Days of premium time: 2500 (DO NOT buy more than one day at a time - buy, use, buy!).
That's 4300
That leaves 2200 for mechbays? Or 8 single days of premium and an oxide :-p.

Oxide might be fun if you like jenners, although only the victor and highlander are top tier competitive heros.

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/

There are some really fun hero mechs, but I would not buy them as money makers. Buy them because you want the mech's hard points badly at this point. Money is only a bonus. And you'll still have to basic two others which cuts into your playtime on the hero.

If you DO buy a hero. Wait for a 30% off sale. You'll thank us.

Edited by DanNashe, 23 January 2014 - 05:26 PM.

[NRP]

FEK315, on 23 January 2014 - 04:55 PM, said:

I just realized I bought the ShadowHawk at the Guardian level in the sale a while back is this a Hero mech? Orion sounds kinda awesome.

Heck, no need to spend any more MC then. The Prime Shadowhawk variant gives the same C-Bill boost as a Hero mech.

That said, the Oxide will easily out earn it, but it's up to you. If you just want to grind extra C-Bills, it sounds like you already have what you need.

[FEK315]

This is why I love this community, everyone is really helpful. Ill work the Shadow Hawk for a while :-) thank you!!!!

"2 AC/5 and a PPC, XL255. A nice "earning" mech for me. " Love that load out!

"There are some really fun hero mechs, but I would not buy them as money makers. Buy them because you want the mechs hard points badly at this point. Money is only a bonus. " great advice!

Edited by FEK315, 23 January 2014 - 05:28 PM.

[Dan Nashe]

Ha! I missed the storm title.
Durp. Yeah, Shadowhawk amazing.
Although I run the Phoenix variant with a 270 STD (or 275?) an ER LL, and an AC20 for grinding money :-).
But there are all sorts of options.