52 replies to this topic

[El Bandito]

Marmon Rzohr, on 30 August 2014 - 07:34 AM, said:

Clan lights really are worse than IS ones though

That's still 3 out of 4. Besides, if one wants higher WLR in pugs, then it is better not to use a Light mech.

*edit* See OP's stats below--his Light mechs are dragging down his WLR.

Edited by El Bandito, 30 August 2014 - 08:34 AM.

[Tarys]

ok got it out how to get pictures working. feel free to take a look. they are medicore at best i would say

[Charronn]

I almost exclusively pug and I have a positive w/l k/d ratio.My tips would go as follows-
Stick with your team,don't yolo suicide rush.
Stick with the mechs you like,if your playing a mech you just can't get the hang of bin it and move on.
Master the mechs you play most,they play like a new mech after they have been mastered.
Get pilot modules ie Advanced Zoom,Radar Deprivation,Siesmic.
Don't try and slug it out with a bigger,heavier enemy.It's always better to make a tactical retreat and live.If you manage to stay alive till near the end you can pick up a lot of kills as the enemy has probably been badly damaged by then.
After you die watch what the other players are doing,learn from them.
Don't go chasing the enemy light off into the distance,your job is to stick with your team.
If your team is doing something stupid ie splitting up on Alpine,blocking the entrances to the volcano on Mount Doom,say so and try and advise them.It usually falls on deaf ears but just occassionaly they will listen.
One last piece of advice,if your having a losing streak like 5 games in a row,stop playing and return after a few hours.It usually helps and helps the old blood pressure too lol.
Happy hunting and good luck out there.

[DrSlamastika]

Hmm, I dont know, just try harder. Whats your favourite mech or class? I can give you just one advice while you are novice, take something heavier and harder. Use cover and stay with your group.

I play almost always PUG matches, I think positve K/D ratio is not so hard.

mine actual

Edited by DrSlamastika, 30 August 2014 - 08:02 AM.

[El Bandito]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 07:49 AM, said:

ok got it out how to get pictures working. feel free to take a look. they are medicore at best i would say

First off: STOP. PLAYING. WITH YOUR. HUGINN.

As a matter of fact, stop playing with Light mechs, if you care about your WLR in pugs. The majority of your Light mechs have negative WLR and KDR--which is perfectly acceptable BTW--but it is dragging down your overall score.

If you like playing with Light mechs then man up and forget about achieving positive WLR in pugs. Just play what you want and have fun!

Edited by El Bandito, 30 August 2014 - 08:40 AM.

[Tarys]

the k/d aint bothering me that much. in regards of my lights i am mostly happy with it. my w/l on the other hand bothers me ...

[El Bandito]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 08:36 AM, said:

the k/d aint bothering me that much. in regards of my lights i am mostly happy with it. my w/l on the other hand bothers me ...

That's precisely why I said, if you care about WLR then stop playing Lights. Light mech contribution in pugs is much less than that of other classes due to teammates taking less advantage over what Lights can offer.

If you still wish to play Lights, then try sniper build, anything to avoid engaging up close. Even though PPCs were nerfed, laser+Gauss combo is still deadly enough to fry you up close.

Edited by El Bandito, 30 August 2014 - 08:45 AM.

[Adiuvo]

You can win pug games with light mechs, though it's the most difficult/annoying class to do it in, since you can't tank damage for very long.

Anyways, the biggest mistake most players make is with their builds. Could you post yours?

[Tarys]

from which mech? ^^

[Escef]

El Bandito, on 30 August 2014 - 08:29 AM, said:

As a matter of fact, stop playing with Light mechs, if you care about your WLR in pugs.

I'm going to countermand this, and say play your JR7-D MORE. You seem to do reasonably well in it.

[Phaeric Cyrh]

I find that my Raven 3L is a tremendous asset to my team, and I have my second best W/L ration in it.. It's also the one I have dropped in the most so the sample size is there.

I try and stay with the "spear" and provide them with ECM concealment.. In PUG matches this is HUGE as it shields your team from most LRM fire and also helps hide their advancement from enemy eyes. I also equip TAG, Beagle Active Probe and Advanced Sensors Module to help bring the rain of pain to the enemy side.

Once the fight has really gotten underway (I mean that period after the snipey-missile fest is over) and the brawl is going strong I use my 150K speed to zip through the fight firing ML's and SRM 6's at targets of opportunity as I go, never stopping or maintaining an engagement.

NEVER STOP.

As a light pilot this should be your mantra. Never stop moving, and Speed is Life. Don't try and brawl with an opponent 1v1 unless it is another light. In this case it's sometime your job to keep enemy lights off your brawlers so they can do their jobs.

Remember as a light pilot your job is to SUPPORT your team, not be the tip of the spear. I usually pull down over 300 damage and between 150k and 200k C-bills with my Raven (with premium time I have made over 500k).. Even when I loose seldom is my rake less than 100k.

Edited by Phaeric Cyrh, 30 August 2014 - 09:39 AM.

[Davers]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 07:49 AM, said:

ok got it out how to get pictures working. feel free to take a look. they are medicore at best i would say

El Bandito, on 30 August 2014 - 08:29 AM, said:

First off: STOP. PLAYING. WITH YOUR. HUGINN.

As a matter of fact, stop playing with Light mechs, if you care about your WLR in pugs. The majority of your Light mechs have negative WLR and KDR--which is perfectly acceptable BTW--but it is dragging down your overall score.

If you like playing with Light mechs then man up and forget about achieving positive WLR in pugs. Just play what you want and have fun!

I would say Play your Jenner D more. It seems to have your best stats overall.

[Johnny Z]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 07:18 AM, said:

thanks so far for your answers but is it really possible for a light pilot (at least in most matches) to carry his team to victory by his own? often enough before i can flank an enemy a lot of my team is dead or i run into a bulk of enemies while trying to scout/harass someone (i really have luck with this). not to mention that my Huginn has little use on open maps with little to none cover.

as well i have the problem that i often cant kill targets fast enough meaning they get help (often lrm raining time) and i either have to try to get away (possible but most times it means i take a lot of damage; mostly going for my legs) or die while trying to take down my target.

In Mechwarrior light mechs are the knights or cavalry, if you played Medieval total war you know to charge with cavalry then run out, then charge again. Or more modern day they are the air force, strafe by then away.

The new map coming out is more closed quarters where especially lights can do well. To fight heavie mechs pack SRM's and run from around a corner by them, unload and then away around another nearby corner. Works great against heavies. To be a light hunter pack streaks or lasers.

A good light mech hunter will stay near the heavies and wait for the lights to strafe by then give chase.

Edited by Johnny Z, 30 August 2014 - 10:20 AM.

[Xmith]

Well, I don't almost or mostly solo, I solo 100% with a W/L of 1.13.

My #1 rule is not to get shot. This is something that may be more difficult to do if your playstyle is too aggressive.

Your chances of winning are greater when avoid damage as much as possible.

Edited by Xmith, 30 August 2014 - 12:03 PM.

[MischiefSC]

El Bandito, on 30 August 2014 - 07:26 AM, said:

1. Stick to the mechs/classes you are good with.

2. Avoid tourney or challenge weekend. Seriously.

3. Do not be a hero, except on Terra Therma center rush.

4. Try to avoid long breaks. Faster you learn, faster you get rusty.

5. Invest in Artillery/Air Strike. Costs a lot, but your WLR will improve.


And lastly, buy Clan mechs for your favorite class. Yes, they are that good, once you master them.

This is all good advice and I'll add this to it -

Stick to ONE MECH/BUILD for a good 100 drops. Coordination and familiarity count for a lot. If you're changing up your build again and again you're constantly on the wrong side of the learning curve.

Stick with your puggies. If you're not comfortable pugbossing then just hang with them. Shoot who they are shooting or, conversely, pick someone who seems to know what they're doing and just focus on keeping them alive. Keeping them alive will help your whole team and sticking with them will teach you how they move, where they go and how they attack.

Spectate the good players. You'll learn how they play the field to drive the win.

You probably got your Elo seeded a long time ago when you could drop group in solo queue and the like; honestly, your Elo may be inflated and it's gonna get beaten down into shape. That is, at least, possible.

[Xmith]

Which game mode do you have check?

[Kyynele]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 07:18 AM, said:

thanks so far for your answers but is it really possible for a light pilot (at least in most matches) to carry his team to victory by his own? often enough before i can flank an enemy a lot of my team is dead or i run into a bulk of enemies while trying to scout/harass someone (i really have luck with this). not to mention that my Huginn has little use on open maps with little to none cover.

as well i have the problem that i often cant kill targets fast enough meaning they get help (often lrm raining time) and i either have to try to get away (possible but most times it means i take a lot of damage; mostly going for my legs) or die while trying to take down my target.

Honestly, I think that if you're going to leave the main group you should be pretty confident that you're going to wreak massive havoc to the enemy before your team is obliterated. Leaving the team means they're down 1 player if they clash against the full enemy team, thus leaving your team can mean that YOU gave the numerical advantage to the enemy. There are of course several cases in which it can be a good thing to go solo, including getting to excellent sniping positions in an ECM sniper light, NARCing for LRM boats etc, but for example flanking fresh enemies early on with short range weapons is typically not one of them.

I currently have 2.13 W/L and 2.79 K/D in a 5ML Locust 1E I have only soloed with, so obviously it can be done. I stick with my team, typically running between each side of the main force trying to peek for enemies, lock target, get a shot in, run away to the other side and repeat from a new spot.

Stay so close to your own team that if someone decides to chase you, you can run to your team and the chaser will have something more lucrative to shoot at, while you can start shooting right back after you aren't their priority target any more. You stay alive longer, and you keep your team alive longer by shooting at targets that are most likely to kill them. Keeping your team and yourself alive longer greatly increases your chances of winning matches.

The only worthwhile builds I can think of for Huginn are too short ranged to be really all-around useful. You will want to have several MLs or a couple ERLLs to do well in every situation in a light, and you can't have any on a Huginn. Personally, the only way I could get Huginn over 1.00 ratios was by using LRMs, and those were the most boring builds to play I tried. Sorry, but it isn't that great a mech.

You will want to have full elite efficiencies. You will want to have either ECM or Radar Deprivation. You will want to have an Arti/Air Strike. Bringing an UAV will often help your team make informed decisions even if they don't have LRMs. Target Info Gathering is nice to have so you can quickly identify target weak points and take out wounded enemies as fast as possible. Seismic is nice to have even though you have to stop to see if there are enemies behind corners.

[Joseph Mallan]

Tharnes, on 30 August 2014 - 05:33 AM, said:

Very easy, here is my 3-step plan for you:
Phase 1: Use Timber, Metawhale or Stormcrow.
Phase 2: ?.
Phase 3: Profit.

this would produce a better than .500 average, please try again!

[OznerpaG]

the hunchie and the jenner were the first 2 mechs i ever bought in MWO (the others were trial mechs played by my friends on my account)





now (since the reset) i have more wins than losses



point is play what you love, have fun, and the wins come in time

Edited by JagdFlanker, 30 August 2014 - 04:58 PM.

[Tarys]

i play Assault and Skirmish. Dont like the Domination one ... since it always results in a deathmatch and capturetime is way too high to try running solo as a light. Not to mention that you get nothing from capping (and winning by that) while the rest shoots at each other.

Regarding the question of being grouped:
Nope, played solo from the beginning and only had one day when i grouped with some other pug-Players and didnt like it so much. group queue is even worse in regards of playstyle (even higher alphas flying around and way more focus lrm-rains). As well i think my ELO is already medicore since i still see players who use lrms below 180m, cant use locks by pressing a button and some even find it funny to blast through friendly mechs because they wanna hit some enemy. On the other hand i often enough meet people from the higher tournament places which lets me think i am currently in the "you are there to get a match working for every player queue".