32 replies to this topic

[Deadly Gnat]

Hi,

I'm new to MWO, but have played countless hours in the past on MW3 and then (not as many hours) in MW4. Was member of a couple clans.. the whole nine. But, I've been away for a long time now as I have gotten older. But, I missed mech games in general and found out the there was MWO and downloaded it right away. So, I started MWO two weeks ago and jumped right in using the trial mechs.

Well, seams that I joined up at the right time, becuase there was some kind of promotion where you get a free mech for a certain amount of wins and I got a Centurion CN9-A©. I've been running it since and have had fairly good luck in it.

Problem is, when I first joined I was spending my C-bills stupidly left and right and pretty much wasted it away, lol. I sold off all the extra crap and just kept the Centurion and its equiptment that I settled on. I also unlocked all the first teir "skills" for the Centurion.

Now I have about 10 million C-bils and was trying to decide between getting an Assault, or keeping within the Centurion family, which i'm comfortable in, and continue unlocking skills for elite.

What would you do?


(side note... When I was in MW3, my favorite mech was the Vulture. Man, I loved that thing either stock or custom.. what a fun mech! I was very proficent with it and used to be able to take out MadCats left and right.... I was so sad to see it not in MWO. Are they ever planning on adding it to the game?)

(side note #2.... I had added a heat flush modual to the Cenurion, but after I used it that match, it was not equiped anymore. I was under the impression that the Modual is a perminant addition to the mech? Or do you have to buy it before each match??)

Edited by Deadly Gnat, 08 March 2014 - 12:28 PM.

[Rebas Kradd]

The Centurion is a hit-or-miss mech, depending on how you use it. In its ideal roles as a light killer or a hit-and-run harasser and escort for assaults, it's great. But you could get nailed quickly if you try it in other roles. At the very least, there's more room for it and other mediums to thrive now that assaults have been nerfed a bit.

If you're the patient and tactical type, stick to the Centurion. But if you're sitting on 10 million C-bills, I would never begrudge you the chance to explore other roles.

[Buyao]

The module you bought is also a consumable

Called coolant flush. They are one use only.

As for sticking with cent or not, I would suggest

Exploring other options since it'll make grinding

C bills easier and games more diverse

[Escef]

Coolant Flushes are one-shot items. Those, Artillery Strikes, Air Strikes, and UAVs are consumable items.

Cents are solid mediums. A bit out-classed by the 55 tonners, but still solid.

My recommendation would be to play what you like. If you're comfy in your CN9-A(C), great, try the CN9-AL or CN9-D. Go to the Smurfy mechlab and play around with builds and note how much they will cost you (after various upgrades, engine changes, and weapon swaps even lights will at times top 10 million c-bills, assaults can easily go 15+).

[Nik Van Rhijn]

Maybe go for a Shadowhawk - the extra 5 tons and JJs make it fun to play if you can already play mediums. If you're prepared to wait and use MC them the sales can be a good idea. 10 mil c-bills can go on upgrading quite easily, especially if you need to do several variations.

[Deadly Gnat]

Thanks for the replies!

Thank you , also, for the link to that Smurfy mechlab. What great tool... and I can see that it will be a major time suck, lol.

I may be leaning towards an assualt. So, for another question.. if assault, which seams to be a good all-arounder for the assault mechs?

[Escef]

Deadly Gnat, on 08 March 2014 - 01:50 PM, said:

I may be leaning towards an assualt. So, for another question.. if assault, which seams to be a good all-arounder for the assault mechs?

Victors and Highlanders, depending upon if you are willing to trade the Victor's speed for the Highlander's armor and weapons payload. They both jump and have a good mix of hardpoints. The Atlases can easily be rigged as slow all-arounders, but the low slung weapons can really get in the way with trying to use long range energy or ballistics.

[Nathaniel Kell]

Victors are good. Personally I like the 9S. The Highlander is also a popular mech, though it sacrifices maneuverability for firepower over the Victor.

Stay away from Awesomes. Plenty of people can make them work great, but it takes a lot of practice.

The Atlas D-DC is also a very solid mech. ECM, some good hardpoints, but it will cost a pretty penny.

[Endarius]

I have 'mechs in all of the weight classes, but my first was a CN9-AL and I still love it to bits. Still have one of my best KDA ratios with it as well. I have assaults and heavies that I also like to play with, and I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from using them, that said, do consider leveling up to elite in your Cent. If you like how the chassis moves now, you will LOVE how it does with your basic efficiency values doubled and the speed tweak perk.

[Chemistry Warden]

I personally like my centurions, but experimenting around with other chassis is what this game is all about, isn't it?

I'd hold on to the cent they gave away, though. Especially since it's a MC champ mech. Good medium pilots might be a hot commodity if the devs institute the 3/3/3/3 limits they were discussing recently.

[Kubernetes]

Honestly if I were starting out again I'd buy a Jäger DD or S, slap three UAC5s on it and start building bank. It's a good easy-mode mech that earns you lots of Cbills.

As for assaults, the Victors and Highlanders are tops, but you won't do well in them until you've played the game a bit and tried smaller mechs with JJs. I bought a Victor as my fourth chassis and it was a terrible experience. It wasn't until I played a few months with Shadowhawks and Cataphract 3D that I could maneuver the Victor effectively.

[Malleus011]

You should also consider buying two other Centurions, and gaining the Elite/Master skill levels in your Cents. They'll get that extra edge of speed an maneuverability, and you'll be able to use your solid mediums to earn the C-Bills you need for something bigger.

[Alexandrix]

If you do end up getting another cent,I'd suggest grabbing a CN9-D.It's a decent enough mech in and of itself,but the real perk is that it comes with a 300XL engine.The 300XL is probably one of the most versatile and widely used engines in the game.So that way,you get a decent Cent to continue your skill tree with,and an engine that you can use in a load of other mechs/builds down the road.

[Escef]

Alexandrix, on 08 March 2014 - 06:09 PM, said:

If you do end up getting another cent,I'd suggest grabbing a CN9-D.It's a decent enough mech in and of itself,but the real perk is that it comes with a 300XL engine.The 300XL is probably one of the most versatile and widely used engines in the game.So that way,you get a decent Cent to continue your skill tree with,and an engine that you can use in a load of other mechs/builds down the road.

Indeed, the 300 XL goes great in Shadowhawks, Jenners, and Catapults.

[Daekar]

If it were me, I'd buy and elite out two more Centurions (-D and -AL) before moving on. You'll be more effective in all of them because of the bonuses.

If you're not planning on using your Cents in the future, pick another much and go for it!

[Spheroid]

I have not been impressed by any of the Centurions. I would say move on. Not to assault class though, heavy is where the fun is.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

I'm generally a fan of mastering every mech you get, and if you enjoy the Centurion so far then by all means grab the other two. It's always possible to expand to other mechs later; c-bills acrue faster than you expect, especially when you are having fun, and mech bays are pretty reasonably priced.

[SweetJackal]

All of the different weight classes play very differently, how you play a medium and what you can get away with is very different from an assault class.

Assaults can be more forgiving to learn, as they have more armor and can take some hits where a false move in a medium or light could end you. Flip side of that is the slow movement and lower mobility that comes with the assault weights often means that if you put yourself in a bad position it will be harder to get out of it, your position can be exploited for longer.

Don't assume that a higher C-Bill count will mean it's better. An Atlas isn't the king of the hill, though the DDC is earmarked for ECM the Victors are extremely flexible and mobile despite being assaults and despite being in the lower ring of the assault weights they can be extremely durable with the right build.

If you've been using your Cent as a skirmisher and flanker then a Victor might be right up your alley. If you want something dramatically different then pick up an Atlas or wait until the 18th for the Cbill release of the Banshee. Buying more Cents can let you upgrade your pilot skills for the entire chassis and get more out of the machines themselves.

Reality is, experiment. So long as you have one mech that works for you that you can fall back on you'll do fine. Don't fret blowing CBills, they come and go.

Edit: I need to amend myself on this. Don't discount Light Mechs in general. Many of them have small profiles and the way weapon convergence works along with the need to lead shots against high speed target means that plenty of players have problems hitting light mechs. Learn how to be an erratic light, make the best use of your speed and punish the lack of speed on the enemies you face and you'll be something that players will blame hit-reg against when you kill them.

Second thing is that each weight class will have it's own ELO. So if you pick up a new weight class you will be treated as a new player while continuing to use Mediums will still alter your Medium ELO.

Edited by SuckyJack, 08 March 2014 - 10:54 PM.

[Phelantau]

The Cent-a was the second mech I picked up after my Jagermaech and I have never regretted it. Like others have said cents do their job well as long as you stick to what they do best. I would recommend mastering your cent, but it looks like you are trending towards trying an assault. You can't go wrong with either the Highlander or the Victor. They are the most mobile of the assaults which give you a lot of leeway when it comes to engaging and disengaging compared to the other assaults. Personally I love my Battlemaster-1s, I can trick it out as an lrm boat or use my favorite load out which has 4 mlas and 4 srm6's. It's completely useless on long range maps like Alpine Peaks, but in a close brawler setting nothing breaks another pilots nerve like 4 srm6's on chainfire. That being said, aside from the Locust I have never found a mech I couldn't have fun with. Figure out what kind of play style you like the most and pick an assault that fits it. Whether that is a fast harassing brawler, or a more deliberate standoffish long range player and pick a mech that works.

Edited by Phelantau, 09 March 2014 - 01:00 AM.

[Tahribator]

Stay with Centurions, buy two more, master them and figure out what you want to do afterwards. Playing mediums will be harder, but you will learn a lot in the process.

Edited by Tahribator, 09 March 2014 - 01:39 AM.