38 replies to this topic

[TankBadger42]

I've just started playing and been using the stock medium mech and been having great fun I'm looking for a slower mech to buy, with less heat problems, but only needing a few weapon groups so I don't get too confused. But still being fast.

I seen to like letting people engage and then flanking and ridge poking at around 150-500m

I'd love to hear your opinions.

Thanks.

[Roughneck45]

Get shadowhawks.

Considered the best medium mech. They can take a beating, have many effective load outs, and each variant is strong. Can't go wrong.

And just in case
http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab
Smurfy is your friend. Make all your builds there first so you don't accidentally waste c-bills.

Edited by Roughneck45, 07 March 2014 - 07:10 AM.

[PieRat]

TankBadger42, on 07 March 2014 - 06:55 AM, said:

I've just started playing and been using the stock medium mech and been having great fun I'm looking for a slower mech to buy, with less heat problems, but only needing a few weapon groups so I don't get too confused. But still being fast.

I seen to like letting people engage and then flanking and ridge poking at around 150-500m

I'd love to hear your opinions.

Thanks.

Tank your question is kind of confusing. You mention you want a slower mech, but for it to still be fast. Please clarify what you mean by slower. I am not picking on you, just wanting you to clarify so people can better direct you to what you are looking for.

A few weeks back PGI ran a special over that weekend if you got 5 wins (not in a row just during thw whole weekend) you got a free mech and it was a Centurian. Which would have been good for you as you could try it out. I am not much of a medium person myself, but more a light pilot. I am sure you will get some great suggestions though. Welcome aboard by the way.

Edited by PieRat, 07 March 2014 - 07:13 AM.

[TankBadger42]

Pie Rat Yar sorry about that, I mean having a top speed of around 100 insted of over 135kph

[PieRat]

TankBadger42, on 07 March 2014 - 07:20 AM, said:

Pie Rat Yar sorry about that, I mean having a top speed of around 100 insted of over 135kph

Gotcha. Let me gues you were playing a Cicada? From what I have done in med's I know the hunchbacks, and Centurians can get up to around 100Kph (with speed tweak) as the other poster said Shadowhawks seem to be popular among the medium crowd. From going up against them I can tell you that they can perform many different roles from poptarting snipers to lethal light killers (/shakes fist). As far as their speed I am unaware of as I have never piloted one.

[TankBadger42]

Ok thanks for the advice guys

Looks like its a shadow for my first then But any advice on which one? It means so little to me, what the different weapons are capable of.

[Gtbuck]

Tankbadger, it's kind of hard to say, what weapons do you like to use? For a new player Centurion might be a good idea since a lot of people use XLs on their shadowhawks. Centurions are great with standards and can dish out enough damage, but most importantly for new players, their profile and maneuverability make them very tough to take down, not rush 3 Jagers tough, but a great mech to learn in.

[Synapse49]

I red the title of this post and came here to troll you for wanting to play a medic mech. Welcome to jump to conclusions Friday!

Shadowhawks are always a great choice. You can do anything with them. The blackjacks with topped out XL engines are also simple but effective. Stay away from Hunchbacks. Tough mech for new players IMHO.

*I also agree with GTBUCK that Cents are a good choice as well. No jump jets though... so if you want jets go Shadowhawk/BJ.

Edited by Synapse49, 07 March 2014 - 07:31 AM.

[Voivode]

Well here's a breakdown of your mediums.

Cicada - Smallest and fastest. Can fight close range but shines best when used at range from the flanks. Dual PPC builds or dual ERLL builds are a simple and effective use for the chassis.

Blackjack - Pure fire support. Will wither quickly under fire but brings a huge amount of hurt for 45 tons. The 1X is capable light hunter/close flanker.

Centurion - Natural born brawler. Ranged builds seldom work out well with this chassis. It is the toughest of the 50 tonners. The 9D is capable of speeds in excess of 130kph.

Hunchback - The medium that carries the most firepower. However, all models (except the 4SP) carry the bulk of that firepower in one, large shoulder. This combination of firepower and vulnerability to disarmament makes the Hunchback an ideal ambush predator.

Trebuchet - Possibly the least popular medium, it is nonetheless the best LRM platform for the weight class. The K variant is a more natural brawler.

Shadowhawk - This mech is best in either a ranges support role utilizing AC fire or in a light hunter role utilizing SSRM fire and a high top speed.

Kintaro - Excels as a light hunter or SRM flanking platform. Some have notable success with using it as an LRM platform.

Griffin & Wolverine - As I have not piloted either of these I will leave it to others to tell you their strengths and weaknesses.

[Roughneck45]

TankBadger42, on 07 March 2014 - 07:29 AM, said:

Ok thanks for the advice guys

Looks like its a shadow for my first then But any advice on which one? It means so little to me, what the different weapons are capable of.

All 3 have their merits, so you cannot go wrong with any of them.

Maybe start with the cheapest one so you have a lot of c-bills to upgrade it and modify the loadout?

Edited by Roughneck45, 07 March 2014 - 07:34 AM.

[cleghorn6]

Yep Hunchbacks and Shadowhawks will both do that well. HBKs are very torso twisty, which can get you out of trouble and the SHDs are fairly universally acclaimed as the best medium.

Have a look in the Battlemech Guides > Medium Mech Guides section of the forum for starter ideas. I tend to pick up a build that seems like it should work and run it for a while, then figure out what I want to change. Or run it stock for a while, switch things around using other people's builds as a source of ideas. This can be expensive if you don't know what you're doing.

Try some things out then come back here and ask more questions.

[TankBadger42]

Voivode that is what I have been looking for for over 3 hours...

Thank you all This is an awesome community!

[Glxy Cmdr Jason Tseng]

Excellent first choice is definitely the Shadowhawks. I would suggest the 2D2 as a first buy. They're tough and can mount a wide variety of weapons that will deal damage at the range you're comfortable with currently.

Something to keep in mind - Shadowhawks are not the energy platforms you're currently used to. You're looking more at ballistics and missiles, with 1-2 energy weapons as back up.

Another good medium is the Hunchback. It takes some getting used to since most of your weapons are in the hunch, but if you can keep the hunch in cover, pop out take a few shots then duck back in cover you'll put up some impressive matches.

[Midniteguard]

Depending on how comfortable you are I agree with the suggestions of the Hunchback and Shadowhawk as a good first medium mech. Hunchback may be a bit easier to learn in comparison to the Shadowhawk. Had two friends start playing recently and one bought the HBK-4P as their first mech and the other a SHD-2H. They are both similar skill level-wise and I notice that the one playing the HBK-4P is lasting longer and as a result is raking in more cbills per match. Of course you mention you want something with less heat problems (which if you play the HBK-4P smartly you will learn how to manage heat well which is a valuable skill that you will need to learn eventually). Something to keep in mind but ultimately the decision is up to you.

Good luck and welcome to MWO!

[foyrkopp]

Welcome, Mechwarrior.

The Hunchbacks are generally considerd a good first buy that is both viable in game and will teach you important tactics.

No matter what you decide, you will experience a kind of steep learning curve and some frustration in the beginning. That doesn't mean that your 'Mech sucks, but is something every new player experiences, so don't give up. Once you learn how to use a model (most specifically: What you can take on and when you have to retreat) the true fun starts.

You mentioned being unfamiliar with the weapons, so I'll try a quick breakdown of what different guns are capable of:


Lasers
Ammunition-independent, but produce noticeable heat. The larger the laser, the better it is in terms of damage and range, which comes with a price tag in weight, heat and space used.
Standard lasers fire for about half a second, which requires you to keep them on target for that time - that might take some training. Pulse lasers fire faster, thus focusing damage better, but are heavier, have shorter range and produce more heat.

The standard medium laser is generally considered the most well-rounded weapon in the game and is a staple of the medium class.

Auto Cannons
Require ammunition, but generally generate less heat than lasers. The "light" versions have considerably more range and reload speed than the heavier ones. Therefore AC 2 or AC 5 builds stay on target from long rage, keeping firing to add up their damage, while an AC 20 works more like a sledgehammer to the face.
Autocannons are in generally considerably heavier than Lasers, but are very good at pinpoint damage.

Rockets
Rockets do a fixed amount of Damage per rocket, bigger launcher just mean more tubes and thus more rockets per salvo.

LRMs are the "artillery-type" salvos you sea in most games. Outside a dedicated LRM-boat they're more suited to softening up targets for the kill.

SRMs are short range dumbfire missiles. Just fire them into a slow moving target and enjoy the damage.

SSRMs are short range target seeking but come only in small launcher sizes, best agaisnt light mechs.

All missiles tend to spread out the damage.

Using LRMS or SSRMS will require you to know about target locking, ECM and BAP - ask if you are interested.

Gauss' and PPCs
Bluntly, I would not recommend them for a beginner Medium.

Hope that was helpful, see you in the field
foyrkopp

[CarnageINC]

All these guys are giving you good advice. I just wanted to throw in my two cents.

I would stay away from the Hunchie for a bit. People focus on that hunch quickly and if your not spot on with your positioning and twisting, you'll lose it quickly...along with your major punch.

I would wait to try the Blackjack out to. Its got some really great configs out there but its a bit squishy if your not careful.

Most of the 55 ton chassis out there are very good mechs and the ShadowHawk is the best of them. Its a great mech for figuring out your playing style and weapon choices.

Great to see you open to advice and welcome to MWO.

[dragnier1]

Glxy Cmdt Jason Tseng, on 07 March 2014 - 07:40 AM, said:

Excellent first choice is definitely the Shadowhawks. I would suggest the 2D2 as a first buy. They're tough and can mount a wide variety of weapons that will deal damage at the range you're comfortable with currently. Something to keep in mind - Shadowhawks are not the energy platforms you're currently used to. You're looking more at ballistics and missiles, with 1-2 energy weapons as back up. Another good medium is the Hunchback. It takes some getting used to since most of your weapons are in the hunch, but if you can keep the hunch in cover, pop out take a few shots then duck back in cover you'll put up some impressive matches.

5M is the better choice. Comes with xl 275 that saves you 4.9 mil cbills.

[Roughneck45]

dragnier1, on 07 March 2014 - 08:13 AM, said:

5M is the better choice. Comes with xl 275 that saves you 4.9 mil cbills.

However, that XL engine is useless because the XL280 is the same tonnage.

[Redshift2k5]

If you're going to buy a Shadowhawk, i'd suggest the 5M first. It comes stock with an XL 275 and Double heat sinks which saves you a lot of in the long run. Yes, it costs twice as much, but you'll have enough with your cadet bonus to buy one and it has all the upgrades you need already installed.

The 275 xl can also be swapped to either of the other Shadowhawks later on when you purchase your 2nd and 3rd.

Roughneck45, on 07 March 2014 - 08:14 AM, said:

However, that XL engine is useless because the XL280 is the same tonnage.

You need all 3 Shadowhawks anyway so you'll end up with a 5M regardless of which order you buy them in. As a new player on a budget, that 275 XL will be fine until one can afford to invest more. I'm pretty sure my 5M still has the 275xl in it just because.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 07 March 2014 - 08:46 AM.

[dragnier1]

Roughneck45, on 07 March 2014 - 08:14 AM, said:

However, that XL engine is useless because the XL280 is the same tonnage.

It's different if the shd is your first mech. In my case i just reused what i had.