23 replies to this topic

[AUssenseiter]

Hello,
i am savin credits to buy my 1st real Mech. I wonder what "feature" is more effective, to not "receive" so many rockets when coming into enemys sight.

ATS..or is it ARS?..sounds good, but i saw only 1 or 2 Mechs achieveable with that feature. When you buy a mech, can you get ARS or ECM as a upgrade later, or must it already be equipped when you buy the mech?

Greetings from germany,
A.

[Modo44]

For passive defense, ECM is generally stronger. The ECM-enabled Raven 3L and Atlas D-DC are considered the strongest variants because of that.

However, jump jets are even more important at the moment. Mobility and jump-sniping rule the high-skill matches. That mobility combined with map knowledge often is enough to dodge most missiles. The strongest builds, except on light mechs, often lack both ECM and AMS. You can add AMS on any mech, so that one can be tested regardless of your choice.

You can check the builds' equipment by going to the Mechlab screen and selecting the Purchasable filter. Hover over mechs to see what they have. Alternatively, go to http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab, select a mech, and select Tools > Load stock loadout.

If you know what weight class you like the most, I would recommend buying a Tier 1 from this list. The lower tier mechs can be good, but are often frustrating for new players. A few are simply weak regardless of what you try.

[Gasoline]

It's AMS (Anti Missile System) which you can fit on every chassis (some can even equip two).

ECM is powerful (but can easily be countered) and is limited on a few chassis namely COM-2D (Commando 25t), SDR-5D (Spider 30t), RVN-3L (Raven 35t), CDA-3M (Cicada 40t) and AS7-D-DC (Atlas 100t). So if you persist on having ECM as your first mech you're limited to either light mechs (the Cicada is a medium but can be considered a light) or an Atlas assault mech.

If you give us a bit more information on what chassis you liked most while playing with the trials, we might give you a hint or two.

[AUssenseiter]

im not sure yet...so if i understood right, there are only this few mechs with ecm, and ecm can NOT be upgradet later for all mechs? but AMS can be bought and upgradet for ANY mech?

[Scurry]

AMS can be fitted on any mech, except the Cicada X5. There is a special hardpoint available on the Mech.

ECM is limited to certain variants of certain Mechs, which Gasoline has mentioned. Mechs are either ECM- capable or they are not. It also has a special hardpoint.

Edited by Scurry, 18 February 2014 - 04:41 AM.

[AUssenseiter]

ah ok, think i got it...everything i see under "Hardpoints" can be achieved later. When i see ECM 1 under Hardpoint, i will be able to upgrade it later?

[Modo44]

AUssenseiter, on 18 February 2014 - 04:47 AM, said:

When i see ECM 1 under Hardpoint, i will be able to upgrade it later?

Yes. Only a few mechs have ECM hardpoints. Some come with it (e.g. Raven 3L), others require ECM to be bought separately (e.g. Atlas D-DC).

[Redshift2k5]

Personally, my favorite LRM protection is a big rock. I know the maps pretty well, so not only do I know where to find sufficient cover, I know fairly well where the LRM mechs are going to be.

An important distinction between running AMS and ECM, AMS can be mounted on any mech(except the X-5) while ECM is limited to only a small number of variants, primarily Lights plus the Atlas DDC. Choosing ECM means choosing one of those specific chassis, which may or may not suit your taste.

Neither ECM or AMS will protect you 100% of the time. AMS can only shoot down a few missiles at a time (will not stop a huge wave of missiles) and can run out of ammo. ECM can be disabled in other ways (PPCs, TAG, enemy ECM, BAP)

[Scurry]

AUssenseiter, on 18 February 2014 - 04:47 AM, said:

ah ok, think i got it...everything i see under "Hardpoints" can be achieved later. When i see ECM 1 under Hardpoint, i will be able to upgrade it later?

That's right. Having an ECM hardpoint means that you can put one in. Otherwise, no ECM, full stop.

[M4NTiC0R3X]

Hello first chassis purchaser

I would like to recommend the Spider D, which is a light 'mech equipped with ECM and is cheap to afford, upgrade and master.

[Gasoline]

This might actually be of some interest to you. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/
The list can be a little confusing, but once you get a hang of it, it's your every day bread and butter in MWO. The list features every single hardpoint on every chassis. A click on a chassis shows every stock loadout, so you can have a very good sight on what you're going to buy and what you get.

What Mr. Redshift said is absolutely true. Many veteran players even go without any missile protection at all. Buildings, rocks, caves, tunnels, bridges between you and your little rocket propelled friends should hold em off and you safe and sound. For a start I wouldn't advise going without AMS tho. Take it as a little extra protection. Get a feeling for flight paths, the maps and your surroundings, and when you feel comfortable drop it or leave it. I usually try to fit AMS in every chassis below the 100 kph barrier. Sometimes it works, more often than not, it doesn't.

Try not to focus too hard to fit in ECM. It might be a tradeoff that doesn't turn out good for you. Start with the chassis you're most interested in. I started with the Commando (without ECM and with collisions)... that was a long, bloody road, but I had the best matches in my good ol' 2D. But the easiest chassis to start from might be a medium (most people currently suggest the Shadowhawk, because it's very meta-friendly).

[Edit: typo armageddon]

Edited by Gasoline, 18 February 2014 - 05:46 AM.

[Redshift2k5]

Shadow Hawk is not just "meta friendly", I don't run mine strictly meta and they still work great. I think the best attributes of the Shadow Hawk are it's forgiving hitboxes and blend of hardpoints allowing you to use any weapon system.

[AUssenseiter]

im not a first chassis buyer
I bought a citada very early, so i can make XP, but im gonna buy a shadow hawk or trebuchet with jumping feature.

But still i dont know where to buy AMS....my citada def. has got an AMS Hardpoint, but i cannot find AMS in the mech lab, i know where to find AMS Ammo, but thats all.

[TercieI]

AUssenseiter, on 18 February 2014 - 06:25 AM, said:

im not a first chassis buyer
I bought a citada very early, so i can make XP, but im gonna buy a shadow hawk or trebuchet with jumping feature.

But still i dont know where to buy AMS....my citada def. has got an AMS Hardpoint, but i cannot find AMS in the mech lab, i know where to find AMS Ammo, but thats all.

It'll only show up (under "Equipment") when you're in a mech section with an AMS hardpoint.

[Redshift2k5]

Most mechs have the AMS hardpoint in the left or right torso, but where it is specifically for your mechs depends on which mech.

Cicada's AMS hardpoint is located in the right torso, so AMS will only appear in the equipment list when viewing that section.

[AUssenseiter]

ah, thx a lot, found it, was well hidden, but really cheap only 200k. but pretty heavy inc. the ammo. I just saw that a XL engine 320 ist 11t lighter than the standard 320. If thats right that would be the best and most effective way to save weight for new weapons and features. Is this right?

[TercieI]

AUssenseiter, on 18 February 2014 - 07:25 AM, said:

ah, thx a lot, found it, was well hidden, but really cheap only 200k. but pretty heavy inc. the ammo. I just saw that a XL engine 320 ist 11t lighter than the standard 320. If thats right that would be the best and most effective way to save weight for new weapons and features. Is this right?

Yes! An XL is a must on a CDA (as it is on all lights, which is what a CDA really is...). Consensus generally is that the XL300 is the CDA "sweet spot" for speed and weapon loads, but if you're leveling CDAs, you should definitely get a 3M and it includes an XL 320, which should give you a feel for how the chassis works really. If you do buy straight, I recommend an XL300 or XL325 for the add'l heat sink slots. The XL320 is an awkward engine, just one notch short of another heat sink slot.

[Redshift2k5]

AUssenseiter, on 18 February 2014 - 07:25 AM, said:

ah, thx a lot, found it, was well hidden, but really cheap only 200k. but pretty heavy inc. the ammo. I just saw that a XL engine 320 ist 11t lighter than the standard 320. If thats right that would be the best and most effective way to save weight for new weapons and features. Is this right?

XL Engines offer the most significant weight reduction, but come with some severe penalties as well.

• Very expensive
  
• Takes up 6 additional criticals (3 in each side torso)
  
• If you lose a side torso your mech is destroyed.

That being said, generally most players will run with an XL engine in light mechs and Cicadas. You also will most likely want ot invest in Double Heat Sinks and EndoSteel, both of which can result in significant weight saving (but not as much as an XL engine).

[AUssenseiter]

the one that i bought had standard 320 in it. I wonder, if i buy a XL 320 now, if i can use it later, for other mechs. Same with my AMS. Will that stuff be compatible with other mechs?

[TercieI]

AUssenseiter, on 18 February 2014 - 07:37 AM, said:

the one that i bought had standard 320 in it. I wonder, if i buy a XL 320 now, if i can use it later, for other mechs. Same with my AMS. Will that stuff be compatible with other mechs?

Yes, absolutely. All equipment can be swapped around. Especially in the cases of engines (and doubly so for XLs) and modules, plan on "sharing" since they're so expensive.

I (and I think most players) don't re-buy a lot of engines or modules, but swap them to mechs as-needed. I own nearly sixty mechs and don't own more than one of any module and only have duplicate XL engines where they "came with" or for a couple very favorites (XL255 notably).

EDIT:

Please let me emphasize something: If you've bought a single mech, it really is extremely valuable to buy three variants of the same chassis. Until you've unlocked the elite efficiencies on a mech, it's hard to understand just how much they improve the performance of the mech. For CDAs, the 3M is the very best and comes with an XL320. Buying it outright would be a mistake for that reason, IMO.

Edited by Terciel1976, 18 February 2014 - 07:47 AM.