24 replies to this topic

[Project Chaos]

So, I'm not necessarily new, but I am still noobish in my gameplay. I can get a few hundred points of damage per game, and help my team win, but I have been using mainly mediums.

I want to get into using heavies, because I personally prefer heavies, I've always been a battletech fan, and I always loved heavy mechs, so I want to get into them in MWO.

I just have no idea which heavies are good for "heavy noobs" like me.

I tried out the trial dragon, I can do okay in it, but I get killed a lot more than I do in my mediums, so I;m thinking I shouldn't go with the dragons, but I don't know which one to go for, they all look pretty nice.

I am more of an energy weapon fan also, I use ballistics, but I really like energy weapons so I don't have to worry about ammo.

[Turist0AT]

CTF-3D is a good start (CTF-1X if you need more energy). Orion-K is nice. Catapult-K2 (and C1 maybe).

Dont know about Thunderbolts tho, never driven one.

I use QKD-5K and Jester for energy boating in the heavy class. Firebrand gets an honourable mention.

Edited by Turist0AT, 27 February 2014 - 02:45 PM.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Not overly familiar with the heavies myself (being more a Medium pilot) but I believe the Quickdraw is pretty energy oriented, as well as the Thunderbolt.

The Cataphracts are solid - with high mounted energy weapons on most (all? I only own 3 of them) of them.

If you prefer to main with energy weapons, the Jagers prolly won't do it for you - as they focus more on ballistics (with energy mounts low in the torso) but they can do it.

Dragon dies "easy" because it's CT sticks well out from the rest of it.

So a quick rundown:
60 Ton
Dragon - big CT, but otherwise fast and deadly
Quickdraw - similar to the Dragon, but with friendlier hitboxes and JJ

65 Ton
Catapult - mostly missile oriented
Jager - mostly ballistic oriented
Thunderbolt - Jack-of-all-trades but tough for it's weight

70 Ton
Cataphract - ballistic/energy - good brawler, fairly poor sniper

75 Ton
Orion - pocket assault mech

Edited by Shar Wolf, 27 February 2014 - 02:37 PM.

[cSand]

Dragons are best if you make them fast (also put a lot of armor on the front center cause of that big nose it has). Same with Quickdraws!

I'm pretty much always in a heavy mech, my favourite would have to be the Orion. Can take much punishment and dish out even more!

Edited by cSand, 27 February 2014 - 02:38 PM.

[5LeafClover]

I have catapult k2 with er large lasers mounted high for long range enrgy sniper. Medium lasers lower down incase scouts get close.Side torsos are small so works well with xco engines

*xl engines

[Redshift2k5]

It really comes down to what weapon you want to bring and how fast you need to go.

[Turist0AT]

Shar Wolf, on 27 February 2014 - 02:37 PM, said:

The Cataphracts are solid - with high mounted energy weapons on most (all? I only own 3 of them) of them.

CTF-4X have 2 lowish CT lasers.

Edited by Turist0AT, 27 February 2014 - 02:48 PM.

[Valdemaar]

The Quickdraw 5K has decent energy hard points, two in each side torso and one in each arms, and has a single missile slot in the CT. Although I haven't piloted on in months so I'm not sure how well it would perform these days. The Thunderbolt 5SS runs pretty well for me in a 5ML (ST) and 2LL(RA) configuration. In general both of those chassis are pretty energy heavy. The Cataphract 3D is one I've been meaning to save up for as it has JJ's as well as four energy points (each arm and each side torso), plus it supports two ballistics slots. Lately I've been running an Orion K with two ML in each arm and a AC/20 in the side torso and it's pretty fun to handle.

And although not quite an energy platform the Jagermech can typically carry enough guns and ammo to not worry about it. However the Jagermech S does have two energy hard points in each side torso. I can recommend this chassis as fun to play around with if you're willing to experiment with ballistics.

Lastly, I'm not too familiar with the Dragon or Catapult these days. I remembered Dragons being tricky to get the hang of and not much else. Catapults are definitely missile heavy except the K2 which is has arm mounted energy hard points instead of missiles.

[Turist0AT]

i use orion-k to boat 4 Large Pulse Lasers, its heavy enough to fit a large (360) engine and bunch of DHS.


Are you sure you dont want a Firestarter A or K? 8 Energy going up to 150Km/h (93.2mph)

Edited by Turist0AT, 27 February 2014 - 04:09 PM.

[Svidro]

Go for the cataphract if you are in the game for the long haul. Once you get over energy weapons and swap to ballistics you will have a solid mech to poptart with them.

Edited by Svidro, 27 February 2014 - 03:49 PM.

[luxebo]

The two that play the most like mediums are the Quickdraw and Dragon, though many will tell you to stay away from them (they play a lot like larger mediums, need to upgrade them to be faster unlike the trial.) Cataphracts and Jagermechs are the most solid however, especially if you need the XL 280/260 (likely needed.) Orions, Thunderbolts, and Catapults aren't bad either.

[Koniving]

Turist0AT, on 27 February 2014 - 02:35 PM, said:

Orion-K is nice.

As an MWO-Orion fan, the K gets the Kon approval for stress-causing mech. Out of all the Orions I find it to be the hottest and thus most difficult to control in terms of heat management.

The V is my favorite non-hero of the ones I own. The Protector is my favorite overall. I have yet to get the VA and the M. But both of them strike me as very promising.

Though with the energy requirement I do see why you mentioned the K.
----
in that case:
CTF-1x, Every Thunderbolt, Catapult K2 and C1, Quickdraws are the ones I'd throw out there then for energy nuts.

Some CTF-1x vids with a Lordred build.
1 Tourmaline Desert versus several mechs.
2 The very first run with the original design. Originally configured for hunting lights, these became quite versatile. Versus 2 Jagers and a Stalker.
Note: It's intended to operate in pairs; bring a friend!

Edited by Koniving, 27 February 2014 - 04:26 PM.

[ZeProme]

It's difficult to recommend a chassis to you when you mention that you like ballistics and energy weapons. Thing is, most of the heavy mechs can carry almost all the trio weapon type depending on the variant.

While I have limited experience in heavy chassis, I'm a vivid fan of Catapults and Cataphracts. CPTL-K2 is awesome in that its probably the most flexible ballistic and energy duo mech that can field a good variety of roles depending on the weapon. Often times, the best way to maximize the Catapult's potential is to use an XL engine since its side torsos are relatively difficult to hit from the front. While I agree that XL engines means that you don't survive as long as you would want to in a brawl (for example, Gauss Cat, AC/40/20 because these builds require an XL engine, minus AC/40), Catapults are good support mechs. Not the best at brawling but can do a variety of builds.

Catapults, on the other hand, are good energy and ballistic platforms. The CTF-4X and the CTF-2X are the only variants with missiles hard points but are terrible for LRMs. Their limited amount of salvo per fire and low arm placement (CTF-2X) and their limited critical space (CTF-4X), makes it unsuitable for as a LRM boat. Sure you can fit LRMs or even SRMs to fit closer to your preference, but the problem is that its sort of a waste of potential.

CTF-4X is slow as limited by its low max engine but carries very high ballistic firepower potential. CTF-3D is probably the most versatile of the Cataphracts since it is the only variant with jump jets. CTF-IM has a lovely mixture of dakka potential and energy hard points which makes it nasty in close to mid range situations. (Trio AC/5, Trio LBX-10). Or how about triple Gauss? (See Koniving's video on "Oops I triple Gaussed you again" featuring triple Gauss Llya. yPractical? Conventional? Not really but deadly.

Low arms are usually more suitable for brawling since you can almost completely protect your side torso when you torso twist. Damage sponges.

If you like sniping especially with ballistics and/or energy weapons (firebrand), Jagermechs are for you. Sure you can fit dual AC/20 and make it a brawler but its hit box and dimensions deems it unsuitable for close range combat especially if you are using an XL engine.

TL;DR: Really depends on your personal preferred play style. Almost all chassis have the triple weapon combination but their hit box, dimension, engine specs/limitations (and some other thing I might have missed), determines their highest potential role on the battlefield.

Of course, you can boat flamers on your Cataphracts (See Koniving's flamer troll builds) or fit as much LRM into CPTL-A1 (AKA ROFLPULT) like what our resident tinker A.K.A Koniving does.

What ever floats your boat but if you are looking for a preferred play style, consider each of the varies heavy chassis and take note of its varies characteristics.

Edited by ZeProme, 27 February 2014 - 04:38 PM.

[William Radick]

Howdy,

Personally I love the Quickdraws (the 4h with 4 mediums and 3 streaks is so beastly, especially with a freind or two)- but getting them to master can be quite a chore/ expensive since they really needed to build tech'd out to shine. That being said they play most like a medium so once you get the feel for them you should feel right at home.

As others have noted the Cataphracts are great, and between the variants you can fill almost any role.

Personally the orions didn't work to well for me, but I don't think I gave myself enough time to get a feel for them.

hope this helps, good hunting!

[Koniving]

William Radick, on 27 February 2014 - 04:40 PM, said:

Personally the orions didn't work to well for me, but I don't think I gave myself enough time to get a feel for them.

Treat them similar to your Battlemaster, and keep them in standard engines.

[PACoFist]

Take whatever mech you think looks awesome. With some practice you can have fun and get good results with (almost?) every mech. Compared to mechs weapons are cheap. So buy some and try different weapon loadouts until you find one that suits your play style.

[Cael-Rhythyr]

Personally, I think the Jagermechs are the best noob heavy out there. They are fairly straightforward in their builds (dakka) and can really bring the pain if in the right hands. High mounted weapons with speed is a combination that awards the player that pushes a fight. Only problem is lack of jump jets.

On the other hands, the Cataphracts are amazing, but takes a completely different playstyle. They can take a beating and still dish it out. Solid loadout possibilites centered around ballistics and energy, and they have jump jets.

Again, it's all about your playstyle.

[Turist0AT]

Vlad Dragu, on 27 February 2014 - 05:01 PM, said:

Personally, I think the Jagermechs are the best noob heavy out there. They are fairly straightforward in their builds (dakka) and can really bring the pain if in the right hands. High mounted weapons with speed is a combination that awards the player that pushes a fight.

only the ballistic(and missiles) are high. Energy is very low on the mech. Thus Firebrand, high ballistics and energy.

Edited by Turist0AT, 27 February 2014 - 05:11 PM.

[Davers]

Dragons are on the light end of the heavy class. They usually have good speed, but their weapon hard points are not really 'optimized'. If you like Centurions, try Dragons.

Quickdraws are similar to Dragons in that they are more 'big mediums' than 'light assaults'. Jump Jets add for survivability, but keep the leg armor on, you will need it!

Catapults are a very versatile chassis. The K2 has been one of the best ballistic/energy platforms since closed Beta. They have good side torsos so XL engines aren't an easy kill.

Jagermechs are very powerful, but most builds require either XL engines, or a pilot willing to go at assault mech speeds. Big selling point- You can use one set of weapons and engines for all the variants. This will help a new player save money.

Cataphracts are really good mechs. The 3D has JJs. Plus they are one of the coolest looking mechs in the game!

Thunderbolts are said to be pretty durable if you use standard engines and use those arms and torso twisting to spread out damage.

Orions are the heaviest heavy mech we have at the moment. Their hard point positions are similar to Atlases.

[Buckminster]

Vlad Dragu, on 27 February 2014 - 05:01 PM, said:

Personally, I think the Jagermechs are the best noob heavy out there. They are fairly straightforward in their builds (dakka) and can really bring the pain if in the right hands. High mounted weapons with speed is a combination that awards the player that pushes a fight. Only problem is lack of jump jets.

I love the Firebrand - I grabbed it on sale so that I could set it up like the old Rifleman. With 2xAC5, 2xLL, and 2xML, it can punch out a lot of damage. The fact that it comes with ES and DHS is also nice, because you don't have to add 2 million C-bills to your base purchase price.

I've since grabbed the -DD, and I've really liked it so far. My only complaint is that it needs work from the get go to really be 'noob friendly' - the base Jagers have light armor, and they have some rather bad heat problems if you don't get DHS on them. I ended up completely swapping the weapons out to something more heat friendly (gauss, AC/10, 2 MGs) until I can save the money I need for DHS.