83 replies to this topic

[SunSword Squire]

Hello all! I'm pretty new, only playing a week or so. I'm done with my Cadet bonus and I've got almost 11m c-bills saved. I'm looking to buy my first mech and I am unsure what to get and could really use some help.

Using the trial mechs I've got a bit of a feel for my play style. I like closing and wrecking face. I really like SRMs, and I like the larger mechs so I was thinking about a Heavy or Assault.

I was looking at a Timberwolf, and I've been playing the Prime a lot but it dosnt really fit my play style. I do have 38k exp in it though, so I was thinking about it.

I just really don't know what I should do. Is there something else I should be looking at? What do people recommend? Please help, thanks.

[Rushin Roulette]

If you like up in your face SRM playstyle, then you will be much happier with the 55 Ton Mediums rather than Heavies and Assaults. Specifically the Wolverines or the Shadow Hawks should fit you perfectly (one step below heavy weight class, high Cockpit position and loads of Missile hardpoints (with the added bonus of Jumpjets). and you might just be able to buy the first one and modify it with the Cadet bonus you have (Make a build in Smurphy's first though, so that you daont waste any of those Cbills).

Free online mechlab for MWO:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...echlab#modified

If you really want missiles with an Assault Mech, then you could go for the Awsome or Stalker Mechs

Edited by Rushin Roulette, 03 December 2014 - 08:59 AM.

[Rogue Jedi]

later this month we will get Community Warfare, if you want to take part you need to decide if you want to be an Inner Sphere or Clan Mechwarrior.

if you sign up with a House you will only be able to use IS Mechs for CW, if you sign up with a Clan you will only be able to use Clan Mechs.

Clan Mechs currently or soon to be in game are:
Mist Lynx, Kit Fox, Adder, Ice Ferret, Nova, Stormcrow, Mad Dog, Helbringer, Summoner, Timber Wolf, Gargoyle, War Hawk and Dire Wolf.

all the other Mechs are Inner Sphere

if you plan to sign up with a Clan then the Timber Wolf is a great choice, it is one of the best Mechs in the game, the S variant comes with 4 SRM6 installed but a Timber Wolf costs around 15 million, the Stormcrow could fit your requirements with up-to 5 missile hard-points and good speed, also it costs around 11.2 million so is probably in budget.


as for IS Mechs as was suggested above the 55 tonners are a good choice, the Griffin is one of the best SRM brawlers in the game with great maneuverability, 2-4 missile hard-points and 2-4 laser hard-points and jumpjets on every variant.

if you do decide to go for a 55 tonner I recommend getting the version which comes with an XL engine first so you have those weight savings available for all variants

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 03 December 2014 - 12:03 PM.

[SnagaDance]

*Big post about mechs and all when all of a sudden Rogue Jedi ninja's me*

So, to add to Rogue Jedi's excellent points. You've been playing a clan heavy with the speed of an IS medium. Going to an Assault is not recommend for a beginner because of their lack of speed (which requires better tactical positioning and map knowledge). Going to an IS heavy will also feel rather slow. So for an IS SRM mech go for one of the recommended 55 tonners. They have the added bonus of being far cheaper. Otherwise the recommended Storm Crow or Timberwolf are indeed excellent suggestions.

[John1352]

I'm also going to recommend a 55 ton IS mech, unless you have already decided you want to use clan mechs (i'm not the best person to suggest clan mechs). The 55 tonners can be made to go quite fast, but you would need to buy an expensive engine. They will also help you decide whether you want to move into larger or smaller mechs later on.

If you are sure you want to focus on close ranged fighting, the Griffin (for having jumpjets) or the Kintaro (doesn't have jumpjets, but can carry more missiles). Jumpjets are really useful in a starter mech, as you won't have learned all the places you can/can't walk up yet.

If you want a mech that is capable of an awesome variety of playstyles and builds, letting you try almost every sort of build with 3 variants, get the Shadowhawk. The 2D2 has the most missile hardpoints (4), and makes a good SRM brawler. The 2K and 5M both can fit more jumpjets than the others, making them good choices too.

If you get the Griffin or shadowhawk, you should buy the expensive variant first while you have your cadet bonus handy. Those all come with the very useful XL275 engine. They are the SHD-5M, and GRF-3M. You will want to buy 3 variants of the mech you start with so that you can unlock the second tier of the mech skills.

Also, I'll repeat this, go here: http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ and see what you can make before you buy things. Compare STD and XL engines, look at heat efficiency etc. Always use double heatsinks too.

[Appogee]

+1 the 55t IS brawler ideas.

[Brizna]

Not much to add shadowhawk/griffin for IS and stormcrow for Clan.

The question really is what faction you prefer, but one thing unless you don't plan on joining a unit your faction in regard to comunity warfare will be decided by that unit's allegiance, so if you have friends you want to play with you don't have much choice unless you can make them change their minds.

Edited by Brizna, 03 December 2014 - 05:46 AM.

[mad kat]

Don't overlook the centurion either the -A variant has three missile slots and takes a STD engine and 3xSRM6's with artemis and two medium lasers. It can give as good as it gets and will survive very well if you shield with your left and right arms. The left over cbills can go towards those upgrades and an engine rating increase and the Double heat sink tax.

Something like this:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b294211aabbe370

The centurion is one of the most forgiving mechs in game and so is ideal for new players.

Edited by mad kat, 03 December 2014 - 05:53 AM.

[Budor]

1 Stormcrow full of srms and you can do a lot off different things with the other 2 variants once you have em. Also keep 3 crows and add a Timberwolf and you have a great 240t dropdeck for community warfare.

[Zerandir]

If you like brawl and face wrecking... 55t IS mediums... SHD / GRF / WVR. My favourite is WVR.

WVR-7K is great SRM brawler: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9f3e705a18aa1c9
WVR-6R is great dual AC5 platform
WVR-6K is great LRG pulse platform

If you PUG, then drop 1 DHS for AMS and 1/2ton ammo...

What i like about WVR is that all three mechs from this chassis are different... SHD's are all except of 2K about shoulder balistics... GRF's are all energy and missile. WVR's are energy+missile / ballistic / energy. All this in one chassis. Yes, you need XL300, yes its XL, so ST gone, your gone but its all the same for SHD's and GRF's.

IF you dont want XL etc. You will never go wrong with HBK's. 4G for rapid fire AC 20 brawler / 4P for MLAS boat / 4SP for energy + srm brawl / 4H for rapid fire AC10 / 4J for LRM boating. You will be good with STD 275 and STD 250 engines. All you need is learn to torso twist and protect your right shoulder.

[Crotch RockIt]

If you want an IS SRM brawler, get the Griffin 3M. It's just under 10 million cbills and comes with a handy XL275 engine.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9048c816b9c4e3b


If you want a Clan SRM brawler, then get a Stormcrow-D. But, it's a little over 13 million cbills to kit it out, so you'll need to save up a bit longer.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...fc7bf6bed5ce2aa

I think the Stormcrow is a better mech overall, but the Grffin is good, too. The Crow is faster and more durable, but the Griffin has jump jets. Just depends on which style you prefer.

[Gauvan]

Great responses so I have little to add. I do want to mention that you may find the rate of earnings low after you finish the cadet bonus, so buying a few cheaper mechs to work with is probably a better idea than buying one expensive mech. I am a big fan of Hunchbacks and Centurions as newer player mechs as they allow you to sample a lot of weapon types and builds. As was mentioned above the Wolverine sort of fits this as well.

[Crotch RockIt]

Also, a +1 to Zerandir's suggestion about Wolverine's. I love mine, and they do have more variety than the Griffins. If you go that route, I'd start out with the 7K, like this, for about 9 million cbills:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b3050f88c0dda92

Zerandir's build is better, with the XL300 engine, but mine is cheaper with the stock XL275. The XL300 is a great investment once you're able to afford it, though.

[Win Ott]

And don't forget the Jenner Oxide. That's a speedy, SRM-chucking, little demon of a mech.

[xeromynd]

Another vote for the SCR-D.

-5x CSSRM6 (There's your SRMs for ya)
-1x Clan Active Probe
-Goes 103 kph once speed tweak is unlocked.

[Tiamat of the Sea]

Just to add a bit of an extra note- When buying and kitting out 'mechs, DO NOT SELL ENGINES. This doesn't stay a hard and fast rule, but it takes a while to learn what 'mechs you're likely to play and how you're likely to kit them out and thus, what engines you're safe selling off.

Selling an engine gets you a tiny fraction of the cost back in C-bills, and if it's an engine you're going to buy over again later, you've just lost millions- as much as 5 or 6 million if it's an especially large XL engine, though really small standard engines can run less than 1.5 million C-bills to buy.

Similarly, don't sell off weapons unless you have an excessive number (>8) lying around in your inventory.

Generally speaking, don't sell things unless you have loads of spare Cbills on you, because the sale value is something like 25% or less of the cost to purchase. I know it can be a pain in the ass to not be able to buy the parts you need to kit out your 'mech yet (trust me, I know very well) but it's nothing to the annoyance of later going 'Oh, I need a Standard 300 engine... crap, I sold mine off. Well, time to go grind out four million C-bills to buy a replacement.'

[Spheroid]

My recommendation is a Shadow Hawk-2D2 with stock engine, 4x SRM4 + 2x mlas. That is a cheap effective brawler. Later you can swap out the 275 with an XL for larger weapons or speed.

The Centurion-A or the soon to be available Centurion-AH are good also, but will be slow with stock engines.

[ImperialKnight]

SRM brawling is the domain of Mediums. Stormscrows and Shadowhawks are the best SRM brawlers

[HumpingBunny]

I agree with most responses, it sounds like a good medium with SRM's would suit you well. Mediums play the striker role very effectively - run in, unleash a ton of firepower, and duck behind cover before your target even knows what hit them. Having said that, my vote is for the Centurion, despite being a 50 tonner. Cents can be very difficult to kill, especially when the left arm (shield) is used effectively. You have to master torso twisting to do it, but it can be very deadly. Try the Centurion A with a big engine, 3 SRM 6 launchers, and two medium lasers - the beauty of this build is that both arms can be used as shields to protect your torso. Good luck and happy hunting.

[SunSword Squire]

Thanks everyone for your responses, its given me a lot to think about. Far more than I expected actually...

I do have some questions

For a brawler, aren't XL engines a liability?

If I went Clan, CSSRMs better than CSRMs? CSRMs would allow me to snapshot from cover without having to rely on target lock, but Target lock would mean better damage I would think.

Is something like a LB-10X worth considering for face melting?

My only real experience with Jumpjets have been with the Firestarter and Jenner Trial mechs. Are they really worth it for Mediums?

I've noticed a lot of the builds posted here aren't taking advantage of the Quirks of each mech. Is there a reason? Should I try to optimize to take advantage of the Quirks or not bother?

Speaking of posted builds, how do I post them here so I can get advice on builds I come up with?