51 replies to this topic

[8Chaos8]

this game is free, but is it possible to make a strong mech without spending money? i play MWO for some times but i die very fast (within few min), and i see other mechs take lots of damage and they keep going on! i like to know can i compete with other players without spending money or im wasting my time?! thx.

[Grrzoot]

nope, you don't need to spend a dime to make any mech loadout in the game- with the exception of hero mechs (which only have a c-bill boost. A free player can make any mech that people who spend money do. If you are unsure of what works good on mechs take a look at the mech loadout section of this forum and get some great ideas!

[TygerLily]

Yea, the only thing cash (MC) get's you is:

Hero Mechs: Unique variants (which can be terrible - Pretty Baby - or great - Ilya, Misery, etc.)
Mechbays: 300 MC works out to about $1.50 a piece.
Cosmetic Items: Camo, colors, cockpit items. Doesn't affect gameplay. There's a few colors that you can buy with C-bills (in-game currency) and there's been several challenges that reward you with a free cockpit item.
Premium Time: XP and CBill boosts.

92 other mechs are free of charge...you buy them with in-game currency. You level them the same and they perform the same as for anyone else...

Basically, the only thing I think is a must, is maybe $15 for 3000 MC...get about 10 mechbays and you're set.

[Modo44]

The free 4 mechbays allow for comfortable unlocking of 1 chassis, and OK work on 2 chassis. Most of the best mechs in MWO are available for Cbills, and you can unlock and equip them all the way for free. It is recommended to try out all trial mechs to see what weight class feels right for you. Once you know that, look in the mech guides forum for a specific recommendation. Doing that will prevent you from wasting Cbills on bad choices (some mechs are pretty bad, especially for a new player).

As for gameplay: Stay with the team, keep moving and looking around (the minimap is not radar), lower your in-game mouse sensitivity, disable the 3rd person view, and remap the keys for easy access. MWO has a steep learning curve. Watching the introductory videos should help you a lot.

Edited by Modo44, 31 January 2014 - 11:25 AM.

[Rushin Roulette]

Apart from that, you will have to farm about 30% more than a player with premium time to get the same amount of CBills to buy mechs/equipment... but as Im not using my premium time yet, I can say that its not needed to buy any mech... Except Hero mechs as stated above which only have slightly different weapon layouts. The weapons and systems they can install are exactly the same as can be mounted in other non hero mechs.

There is also no pay to use ammunition (Gold ammunition) which would hit better than regular ammunition.

[Maerawn]

99.9% of the time its not the loadout, armor, or tonnage of that mech, that keeps a mech going when getting torn apart. Its the pilots ability to spread that damage, through torso twisting, maneuvering, tactical retreating and use of cover. Even the notoriously impossible to kill Centurion, can be killed at 80% if the pilot of said mech never twists. Its not that these players paid money to the game to live longer, its they have honed there battle ability to allow them to remain alive as long as possible. Practice, Torso twisting (turing your torso away from looking directly at the target) when weapons are on cooldown, stay with heavier teammates (they tend to get shot first especially atlai), never get tunnel vision (that one kill is not worth dying over), and try to rarely get caught in the open field (that is like christmas, thanksgiving, easter, forth of july, birthday extravaganza all rolled into one for LRM boats)

[Mathium]

Have to agree with all the other replies, you only need to spend cash to unlock more mech bays. Getting basics and elite unlocks on your mechs makes them handle and perform so much better. After that surviving is just a matter of luck and skill. Another good source for mech build discussion and variants is Mechspecs. http://www.mechspecs.com/forum/

[TygerLily]

And if you like the game and figure out what role you dig...there's pretty much a Hero mech for anything. Pick it up and use it as your money maker! xD

[Spheroid]

I can recommend some builds. What is your C-bill balance?

[Mechteric]

Getting a good mech is more about knowing which mechs and weapons are good and which you work best with, as opposed to which you bought with $$. If you screwed up and bought a not-so-good mech with your free cadet bonus then you'd have to grind a bit to get the next mech most likely, or start a new pilot and spend the free bonus CBills more wisely. Don't feel bad though, you can't really be expected to know these things without reading, asking or being told!

[TercieI]

If you buy, then sell, then buy three variants of a mech, ending with the one you want, you only need one mechbay to master a mech.

Using this approach, you could have a fully kitted and mastered JR7-F, SHD-2D2, CTF-3D and HGN-733C in your four free mechbays without ever spending a cent. It wouldn't be fast, but it's possible and if you can't compete in (at least) one of those four, you just can't compete.

No P2W here.

Edited by Terciel1976, 31 January 2014 - 12:08 PM.

[Redshift2k5]

you never need real money to make a "strong mech". Save up your C-bills, buy the appropriate upgrades, ask questions about how to make good builds and how to play them well, and you can make mechs 100% as good as the best mechs in the game.

If you play for free, you're only missing out on Hero Mechs which are not better, simply different; You also miss out on visual customization (fun but doesn't impact gameplay), mech bays (without buying MC for mech bays you will only have 4 slots, but that doesn't stop you from having top tier mechs)

[Voivode]

TygerLily, on 31 January 2014 - 11:17 AM, said:

Yea, the only thing cash (MC) get's you is:

Hero Mechs: Unique variants (which can be terrible - Pretty Baby - or great - Ilya, Misery, etc.)
Mechbays: 300 MC works out to about $1.50 a piece.
Cosmetic Items: Camo, colors, cockpit items. Doesn't affect gameplay. There's a few colors that you can buy with C-bills (in-game currency) and there's been several challenges that reward you with a free cockpit item.
Premium Time: XP and CBill boosts.

92 other mechs are free of charge...you buy them with in-game currency. You level them the same and they perform the same as for anyone else...

Basically, the only thing I think is a must, is maybe $15 for 3000 MC...get about 10 mechbays and you're set.

I agree with everything but your assessment of the Pretty Baby. Seriously underappreciated mech there. I've burned many a surprised pilot in mine in both pug and 12man drops.

To the OP. What will make you last longer in battle is practice. Unfortunately this is a multiplayer only game that lacks any sort of meaningful tutorial, so the learning curve is steep. It's worth getting good, though, because the gameplay is seriously fun and (ostensibly) a lot of cool stuff is going to be added in the next six/seven months. Spend a little real world money on mechbays. If you'd like the grind to be less frustrating check out one of the many groups that drop together.

Here's a link to get you started.
http://housemarik.enjin.com/

Edited by Voivode, 31 January 2014 - 12:32 PM.

[Victor Morson]

Voivode, on 31 January 2014 - 12:29 PM, said:

I agree with everything but your assessment of the Pretty Baby. Seriously underappreciated mech there. I've burned many a surprised pilot in mine in both pug and 12man drops.

The reason the Pretty Baby is trash, it's an inferior Awesome 9M, which is already inferior to the Victor, Battlemaster, Red Rider BB guns and harsh language.

It's like the Golden Boy - it's just a crippled, gimped KTO-18, not something unique and good.

[Victor Morson]

8Chaos8, on 31 January 2014 - 11:09 AM, said:

this game is free, but is it possible to make a strong mech without spending money? i play MWO for some times but i die very fast (within few min), and i see other mechs take lots of damage and they keep going on! i like to know can i compete with other players without spending money or im wasting my time?! thx.

Absolutely. The hero 'mechs are as stated a mixed bag and there's some nice ones that are good to grind on - and a couple upper tier ones that see serious use - but most every top tier 'mech in the game is earned by Cbills.

The only thing you'll eventually need to buy are some 'mech bays. They are very cheap, but since you need 3 chassis to master a 'mech, the most 'mechs you can master without paying anything are 2; that said, those two 'mechs will be 100% as good as they are for a pilot who spent hundreds of dollars.

MW:O gets a lot of flack for various things, but it is really good about NOT being P2W, and being a great F2P game.

PS: If you're stuck in the Trial 'Mechs right now, as soon as you clear training and buy a real 'mech (I'd highly recommend a Jenner, Shadow Hawk, Victor or Highlander to start), the whole game will open up and you'll be rapidly on your way to having a 'mech that can thrash anything on the field.

Edited by Victor Morson, 31 January 2014 - 12:36 PM.

[LiGhtningFF13]

Right guys, you don't need to pay, you also can play without spending money. The only thing you need is patience, cause you earn normal CBills and with that you can also buy mech variants.

Edited by LiGhtning90, 31 January 2014 - 12:37 PM.

[Victor Morson]

Redshift2k5, on 31 January 2014 - 12:20 PM, said:

If you play for free, you're only missing out on Hero Mechs which are not better, simply different; You also miss out on visual customization (fun but doesn't impact gameplay), mech bays (without buying MC for mech bays you will only have 4 slots, but that doesn't stop you from having top tier mechs)

A good example is the Ilya; it's considered one of the very best Heroes, and runs a great config that's unique to the 'mech, but despite this the Cataphract 3D is still the king of the heavies (which is a cbill variant.)

In fact the only hero variant that I think is actually the best in the chassis is the Dragon Slayer for the Victor; and even then it's a minor upgrade over the 9B and only matters in very, very serious play which one you take.

[CygnusX7]

Stick and move!

[Torgun]

8Chaos8, on 31 January 2014 - 11:09 AM, said:

this game is free, but is it possible to make a strong mech without spending money? i play MWO for some times but i die very fast (within few min), and i see other mechs take lots of damage and they keep going on! i like to know can i compete with other players without spending money or im wasting my time?! thx.

It really depends on how much time you're willing to put into it. After the cadet bonus is over and you've bought your first mech and upgraded it, it really becomes quite difficult to earn a decent amount of CBills to buy more mechs and outfit them well. That's where premium time or a hero mech, which both cost real money, comes into play so you don't have to spend that much time to earn a decent amount of CBills.

[Orbit Rain]

...after you die, start spectating the other players, look at what their loadout is, their max speed will tell you what engine they're running...see which builds work and which don't, look for the ones you like, note the differences in loadouts for the same mech, and which work better than others...all of this is a game within this game. Copy the loadout and style that seems to fit what you want to do, friend people that want to group with, so you can group up and spectate them after you die, to see what they do.

This is a pretty complex game, and understanding what people do, and how they react, predicting how they will react, is also a game within this game...knowing the maps, choke-points, good spots and bad spots...for each mech/style...all games within this game...enjoy the challenge...or buckle under : )