55 replies to this topic

[Limebites]

Don't know where to go after trial mechs.
Have been playing around with all the trial mechs and i definitely like armor (Heavy or Medium), and any weapon. My preferred engagement range is around 450 meters (Large Lasers range on dragon) up to close encounters. Any tips or guidance on what mech to go with would be appreciated.

• JJ's not required

1)Armor
2)DPS
3)Maneuverability

[YT Shidy]

You should probably like the Jagermech. You can fit it with 2xGauss or AC weapons (like 2xAC5 2xAC2).

[SnowdogJJJ]

I liked the Cataphract, it is a money maker but takes some getting used to. Jagermech are fun also but I found them a little fragile as compared to the Cataphract. The only heavy I have not bought yet is the Dragon and I hear they take a lot of skill to not get killed in (fragile)

[YT Shidy]

SnowdogJJJ, on 03 March 2014 - 04:49 AM, said:

I liked the Cataphract, it is a money maker but takes some getting used to. Jagermech are fun also but I found them a little fragile as compared to the Cataphract. The only heavy I have not bought yet is the Dragon and I hear they take a lot of skill to not get killed in (fragile)

Yes, Jager should not be played alone but if you stay with your mates you can do a lot of damages with it

From my side, I think that the Dragon is harder to play when you're not a confirmed pilot (big center hitbox, less hardpoints, ...)

[Modo44]

Cataphract 3D. The others can be good, too, but none come close in sheer power. KISS, or meta (using the entire left side as a shield).

Edited by Modo44, 03 March 2014 - 05:08 AM.

[Redshift2k5]

Dragons: Few hardpoints, lots of speed. Make good "cavalry" mechs for flanking positions. Much like a medium. Arm-mounted ballistic favour quick aim.

Quickdraw: Moderate hardpoints, fast like a Dragon. Energy & missile. Jumpjets. I'd rather be in a Shadowhawk.

Catapult: Handles a 300xl very well with it's well-shaped side torsos. Large vulnerable missile-box arms. Missile variants have JJ, direct-fire variant K2 doesn't have any jets.

Jagermech: vulnerable side torsos make XL engines very high risk:reward. Capable of lots of heavy direct-fire with high-mounted ballistic slots. JM6-A variant has lots of missile hardpoints so you can get a mix of loadouts for variety.

Thunderbolt: Some have jump jets. One mixed loadouts of energy+missile+ballistic, two energy+missile. Most energy hardpoints on a Heavy chassis.

Cataphract: Some variants have jumpjets. Solid all-rounder, very popular for ballistic+PPC builds for direct fire engagements. CTF-3D is the only Heavy with ballistics + jumpjets on the same variant.

Orion: Heaviest heavy. Mixed loadouts of energy+missile+ballistic.

You can look over the smurfy mechlab for detailed hardpoints and to play around with loadouts. All mechs of the same weight have the same max armor, even if their stock armor is different, so all the 65 tonners have the same armor while the Cataphract and Orion have more. Mechs of the same weight have the same speed with the same engine rating, while heavier mechs run slower.

It's hard to go wrong with anything 65 tons and up although most of them offer very specific loadouts which may help you to choose one over the other.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 03 March 2014 - 05:16 AM.

[Mott]

I don't own it, but the Jagers seem to me to be far tougher than most folks claim. Match after match i flank them and pound salvo after salvo into their side torsos and they don't just wither and drop. Most often they're able to turn around and hurt my Cataphract Ilya or 3D quite badly before I'm able to drop them.

[Garegaupa]

Mott, on 03 March 2014 - 05:35 AM, said:

I don't own it, but the Jagers seem to me to be far tougher than most folks claim.

I can attest to that. The survivability of my Jagers (I've got three at the moment) continues to astound me time and time again. As such, I can definitely recommend a Jager build as a starter heavy - thought this comes with the disclaimer that the only heavies I've played so far are the Jager and the Catapult.

Edited by Garegaupa, 03 March 2014 - 05:43 AM.

[SgtKinCaiD]

Same as above : Jagermech or Cataphract are good heavies with a wide variety of loadouts.

[Parappaman]

Mastered them all, loved only the Jagermeister. Although I happened to really like the Quickdraw 5K too. Symmetry plays a big role in the way I enjoy piloting a mech.

[Squash]

My first heavy experience was in a Jager, thought it would be similar to the Jenner that I love. Just couldn't get into it. Decided to try the cataphract out since a good buddy of mine always uses them. The wide variety of loadouts and play-style are awesome. Also, one of the best hero mechs you can buy.

It takes some skill to learn tosurvive with an XL since the STs are so wide. You may want to start with a STD especially because any light pilot who knows what the hell he/she is doing will rip out your ST right away. the low slung weapons take a little practice as well (see the boomphract video for what happens, poor xcaptainstabbinx). the catapult and jager have a huge advantage in that category.

GLHF!

[Triforceelf]

Based on your own requirments, I have to recommend the Cataphract 3D as others have already done. The 4X and Illya Muromets are both great, but the firepower, speed, and manuverability that the 3D possesses just cannot be beat at the heavy level. You can build a phract in a variety of ways, though all builds favor ballistics with some energy backup.

[Redshift2k5]

Parappaman, on 03 March 2014 - 06:06 AM, said:

Mastered them all, loved only the Jagermeister. Although I happened to really like the Quickdraw 5K too. Symmetry plays a big role in the way I enjoy piloting a mech.

I also like my mechs to be symetrical. The very high ballistic mounts of the Jager also can not be underestimated, and while a Jager in an XL is more fragile than a standard, it's still deadly because the Jager can simply put so much munitions downrange. If you like dakka it's hard to top the Jager, unless you want the mobility you can get from a jumpjetting CTF-3D

[Buckminster]

Something to consider, is that to get the most out of your mech, you're going to need three variants of it. I've seen a lot of people saying that the Cataphract-3D is awesome, but you'll need to work through two others as well. It's the big problem everyone had with the Ravens - the '3L was fantastic, but grinding through the -2X and -4X was painful. (disclaimer - the other 'phracts may be awesome too, I have not played any of them)

I've loved my Jagers. I only have the Firebrand and -DD at this point (saving up for an -A), and they've been my go-tos lately. The Firebrand gets the joy of energy weapons in those arms to match the ballistics, and -DD and -S both bring enough ballistic hardpoints to mount serious firepower. The -A throws in missiles, which is nice for providing some variety. I will say that the XLs in the Jagers can be a bit of a liability, but really only if you get outnumbered. If you are fighting a mech one on one, chainfiring your ballistics in to them will keep them shaking, which does a lot of damage and makes it hard for them to accurately hit you back. It's a beautiful thing.

[Modo44]

Buckminster, on 03 March 2014 - 06:53 AM, said:

Something to consider, is that to get the most out of your mech, you're going to need three variants of it. I've seen a lot of people saying that the Cataphract-3D is awesome, but you'll need to work through two others as well. It's the big problem everyone had with the Ravens - the '3L was fantastic, but grinding through the -2X and -4X was painful.

The other Cataphracts still handily beat most 60t and 65t heavies. If you like speed, just avoid the 4X. You can do very safe 2xLL+AC20 on both the 1X and 2X, plus some unusual builds if you feel like experimenting.

[Wrathful-Khan]

+1 for Jagers.

My first heavy I purchased was a JM6-S and I never regretted it for an instant. Now i've logged over 800 drops in all variants and even though I've branched into other things since (A Cicada-3M of all things is now my most dropped in mech) I still enjoy taking my old faithfuls out for a spin.

Recommend the JM6-S for the starter Jager because it has more versatile build options with 4xBallistic and 4xEnergy.

[Flying Judgement]

catapracth 4X its have brutal firepower
the 3D isnt bad to grind either so u have one variant left to grind its a good starter mech
you simply cant go wrong with them

lol on avoid the 4X well yes avoid it if u dont like cheezzz because if u get in to it you will do 3-900 damage and becomes ur minimum and you will find everything else scrap and get bored of the game.
ur only two good option left after that mech is the highlander or a victor.

4X AC5 even with single heat sinks are ok to run. if u chain fire them no one can even look at you best area denial mech.
and you can fire an AC 20 with an alpha strike every 1.5 second on top it can have a lot more ammo than a jager
u can kill lights with the arm weapons easily.

its too good and it will be hard to get back to mechs doing 150- 400 damage you have been warned

or you know what try the 2 AC5 2 ultra Ac5 combo if u think it isnt enough to demolish atlases in 4-5 second....

or just get a dragon, quickdraw, or an orion and leave the chezzy mechs for end game content
its more funn this way

[Buckminster]

Modo44, on 03 March 2014 - 07:01 AM, said:

The other Cataphracts still handily beat most 60t and 65t heavies. If you like speed, just avoid the 4X. You can do very safe 2xLL+AC20 on both the 1X and 2X, plus some unusual builds if you feel like experimenting.

That's why I threw in my disclaimer.

But honestly, I'd think it'd be situational. Sure, the 'phract has an extra 5 tons, but that comes out in the wash. A little extra armor, maybe another ton of ammo or another heat sink - but nothing that'll be decisive when compared to a 65 ton mech. So it really comes to the strengths of the chassis. The Jager has that wide body, but also has high weapon points, and it is well suited to providing fire support. I'm better off shooting over terrain or team mates - letting the arms do their thing while mitigating the big torso. The arm mounts on the 'phract are low slung, which makes it a lot more likely that terrain will intervene, but it also has a narrower and shorter body style. It'll work best up close and personal, where the low arms aren't an issue, and the squat body makes for a harder target.

Me? I'm a fire support guy, so I'll take a Jager any day.

[Sug]

Considering how strong ballistics are now your only choices are Jagers and Cataphrats. Avoid Dragons and Quickdraws. Catapults, Orions and Thunderbolts are painfully average mechs.

[Appogee]

This question is reaching FAQ status.

Phract or Jager.

Next.

PS: ''Fire Support'' is the polite term for ''Can't Fight''

Edited by Appogee, 03 March 2014 - 12:24 PM.