68 replies to this topic

[Nerethis]

Title. I have started playing about yesterday, and, well, so far i feel like i am not doing anything in matches, my best game so far was basically ignoring the enemies and running around the map capping points/getting some chip damage on people. Is there something i should see/know so that i can actually start, well, not being a detriment to my team?

Before anyone asks/considers, i am only using trials so far, no idea what to buy as my 1st. Advice on that front would be very much appreciated as well.

[RazarG]

Hi Mate,

Welcome to the game first of all.

Steep learning curve this game has, be patient is the first piece of advice id give ya.

Sticking with the team is a golden rule.

I don't know much about trial mechs as i never played them, but just grind you first 25 matches till you get cadet bonus over and done with.

Then based of your game play, choose a chassis that would be right for you. Could suggest a few, but they might not suit you. Best to try a few mechs and see what kind of style you prefer.

Maybe someone else can offer advice on what trial mechs to test out.

Also, get your self on team speak , join a unit, you will learn a massive amount from people.

[HimseIf]

Running around capping things is a good way to learn, you meet less enemy face to face at one time normally as they break into smaller groups to capture thing. So if you're doing well that way you're not doing too bad. Trials are generally good in the right hands, play them all at least twice.

[Anunknownlurker]

I am pretty new and had a very similar experience. After nearly 200 fights I now realise I wasn't doing anything wrong, this is just quite a hard game! There is a lot to learn: heat management, effective weapon ranges, maps, mechs and loads of other stuff.

The new player experience is pretty brutal, you don't get much in the way of tutorials and can end up in battles with 2 year veterans.

I found the trial mechs to be pretty good overall (by the way, did you realise the exp you gather whilst playing them stays with the mech if you buy it later? I didn't! Got a nice elite Raven that way).

My initial lessons:
- NEVER get isolated - always stick with a group, it doesn't matter if you are faster and smaller than them. Stick together
- Focus fire - the more people shooting something the quicker it dies
- Watch your heat - a shutdown mech is pretty much a dead mech
- ALWAYS watch the fight to the end if you are dead - honestly, you can learn from spectating even if it is just "ah, so that's where that path goes!"
- Fight all of your cadet fights (25 nets you around 11 million C-bills which is enough to get a couple of chassis to make your own
- Take a faction contract - the rewards are pretty good (extra mech bays, more credits etc) but I would only take a short contract initially. CW fights can be SO one-sided
- Chat in game - on the whole I have found other players to be friendly and pleasant (well, for an online game!) and calling targets, telling them where you are going etc really helps

Anyway, that's enough from me, stick with it, this is NOT CoD, don't expect to do well for some time. Don't worry about stats until you know you will stick with the game long-term.

See you on the battlefield!

[M E X]

First: go to the TRAINING GROUND and shoot the 8 mech target dummy mechs ... then repeat that again and again until you are able to kill all of them with HEADSHOTS

Secound: go back to the TRAINING GROUND again and repeat step one until you are able to kill at least a single mech in a game in the solo queue

Usually it is easier to make Cbills with heavier mechs ... because of this I suggest that you get a Atlas D-DC as your first mech ... or the Hellbringer with the ECM if you want to go Clans.

If you want to invest real cash, the Clan Wave III top tier package is currently the best choice ( although it wont be delivered before July ! ), but the Inner Sphere Resistence top tier package has the advandage that it will be delivered TOMORROW.
If you dont want to buy at least a A LA CARTE Clan mech package ( 55$ ), you can also buy a MASTERY PACK for Inner Sphere mechs in the SHOP ingame for MC, which has the advantage that you get 3 variants of a mech ( you need 3 of a kind for unlocking Elite abilities in the SKILL tab ingame ) INCLUDING THE MECHBAY

Third, join a UNIT !

Edited by M E X, 17 March 2015 - 12:01 AM.

[MonkeyCheese]

I may be able to give some quick tips for light mechs since that is what I drive the most, and you did mention running around and capping

For the IS

Locust 20tons- Hard mode, least armor/weapons/heat capacity but when finally speed tweaked they have the combo of being the smallest/fastest things in MWO at 170kph. Builds are energy, energy/small missles and energy/machine guns.

Commandos 25 tons - can get up to 170kph in some variants decent little missile/energy mechs, arm hardpoints are fantastic for taging with energy at speed.

Spiders 30 tons - up to 170kph on some variants, Decent jumpjets and all round quality energy or energy/machine gun mechs, unless you are crazy like some (me) and go bigger ballistics with a slower engine. 5D with ecm makes a fantastic ERPPC sniper. (The 12JJ 2 energy 5V is still terrible tho)

The Firestarter 35 tons - 150kph max, the go to jumping energy/machinegun mechs of the light class. Solid choice here. Decent arm actuators

The Jenner 35 tons - 150kph max same as the firestarter but energy/missles with jumpjets, the cener torso is bigger so its a little less sturdy.

The Raven 35 tons - up to 150kph some are slower, no jumpjets on the 2x and 3L the 4x and hero have them. The 3L is the fast energy/missles, the 4X does big ballistics fairly well and the 2x is the energy boat.

The Panther 35 tons, 124kph max speed, build more around support brawling or long range sniping but they have jumpjets.


Clan tech (engines and speed are hardlocked)

The Myst linx 25 tons, JJs but very hard mode being 25 tons and locked at 124kph with small tonnage for weapons, can snipe and energy boat decently tho. energy/missile builds

The Kitfox 30 tons, 124kph max but lots of room for weapons, can have ecm and boats missles or energy well, fairly sturdy.

Adder 35 tons, exactly the same as the kitfox but no jumpjets or ecm and 5 more tons to play with.

And there is the Cheetah coming in a "few" months tho 30 tons but with a faster locked in engine for about 145kph i think, energy/missle builds.

Edited by MonkeyCheese, 17 March 2015 - 12:01 AM.

[Waffles 2pt0]

Welcome!

First things first. We understand where you are coming from. We were all there at one point.

Second things second. Get comfortable with the controls and how to move your giant stompy robots around the map. Eventually you'll come across a style of play that you like. Eventually you'll come across a style of play that you are good at. If the stars align, they might even be the same style of play.

Here are a couple handfuls of ideas that worked really well for me while starting out. Don't tell anybody that they still work all these many months later.

1.
Follow the Atlas. This also applies to the Dire Wolves and the rest of the Assults. Protect them and in turn their beefy bulk will protect you. Use them as "meat" shields and then poke out with a potshot here and there. Soon enough the familiarity will set in and you'll be more comfortable venturing away from your mobile bases.

2.
Stay under the ECM umbrella as much as you safely can. The number of mechs that can and do mount ECM is growing. Most times the team you will drop with will bring at least one ECM. These babies do wonders for discouraging the LRM storms. Also, I recommend picking up the Radar Deprivation module as soon as you can. After you pick up your first non-trial mech. This module will allow you to break target lock much sooner. Again, reducing the pain of the LRM storms.

3.
Ignore the folks who wear their @$$hats and yell and scream through chat. Chat can be turned off through settings if it becomes too much. Some folks actually have some good advice if asked. Let the team know you are just-starting-out^tm.

4.
Stay together in the Murderball that usually develops. Hanging out with friendlies gives the red team more targets to shoot and thus reduces the amount of fire coming your way.

5.
Lock your targets. This is by default the "R" key. It lets your team know what targets you are shooting at. This assists in ...

6.
Focus fire. There are little upside down red triangles hanging out above your enemies heads. Affectionately knows as Doritos . The hollow dorritos have no friendlies currently targeting them. The solid doritos have at least one friendly targeting that enemy. Look for the solid red doritos and shoot those mechs. The more friendlies that fire on an enemy mech, the faster it goes down.

7.
Kill 'em 'till they're dead. Shoot them untill they are D-E-A-D dead. Even a one-armed, legged mech can cause great havoc amongst your team. Many kills have been scored when a disabled mech has been ignored.

8.
Then kill 'em just a little bit more. A sneaky trick is to power down when being bombarded by the enemy. Sometimes they think you are dead, run off, and leave you alone. Then you can power back up and core them through the thinner back armor. Unfortunately, this means that they can perform this same sneaky trick right back. When a mech powers down, they disappear off the radar. Their dorito goes away. Their mech slumps, and they effectively look dead. If the enemy you are shooting at slumps and looks dead, shoot it a bit more just in case.


TL;DR
Follow the Atlas

Edited by S Morgenstern, 21 March 2015 - 12:11 PM.

[Tarogato]

Basic stuff for new players that you can do in trials, let us know if you're still confused on anything, I'll try to help out. The more specific your questions, the more we can tell you.

- don't use 3rd Person View mode.
- use cover
- stick with teammates that travel at your speed or slower.
- you can't stand still in front of enemies and just shoot them - you have to outsmart them to win.
- always press R to lock targets. Always. Every mech you shoot at, press R, then look at the upper right corner of your screen. Whatever part of them looks most hurt, aim for it.
- shoot enemies while they're busy shooting your teammates, don't peak out by yourself.
- learn how the various weapon systems work and the range at which they operate.

[Rogue Jedi]

if you want to do more as others have said stick with the group, shoot at what they shoot at, avoid running off on your own, wait for an opportunity to present itself, target the enemy and aim for the damaged components

when you target an enemy firstly the rest of your team will be able to see where it is regardless of if they target it or not, the your LRM Mechs can fire on it indirectly,

after a few seconds of having a Mech targeted you will receive a damage readout for the Mech in the top right corner of your screen, as with your Mechs damage readout (bottom left) there is a line around each component, the line represents armor, then there is a solid section, that represents internal structure, when the line goes that means there is no armor left, when the structure no longer shows up that means the component is gone.

Destroying the Center Torso (front or rear), both legs or the head will kill the Mech, on IS Mechs mounting an XL engine taking out 1 side torso will kill it, any Clan Mech can die from loosing both side torsos.

so if the damage readout shows a leg, or torso with no armor try to hit there, getting a headshot requires a lot of practice or luck because the "Head" hitbox is tiny for most Mechs, usualy just a single pane of glass (e.g. the Atlas left eye, the center pane of glass on the Cataphract visible cockpit).

depending on what Mech you are in damage and kills are not necessarily the best contribution you can make, for example:

as a light you could get locks for your teams LRM users,

if you mount ECM keeping as much of the team covered as possible could be of a major help.

if you are fast you could fire a few shots at an enemy and try to get it to follow you ^{(best case you might get half the team to chase you while the rest of your team kill those who did not chase you)}

in something like an Atlas you could lead a charge, absorbing huge amounts of damage while your team follows you and kills several enemy Mechs while they are all focusing on taking you down, in this situation you will not do much damage (as you would be focusing on spreading incoming damage) but you could still prove vital to your team

[Nerethis]

Thanks a lot for this, guys. Surprised at the amount of positive advice here, and i will do my best to remember it.
Few more questions:

What is the difference with/between clans? I did not touch them yet, since, well, i do not want to **** something up, but do they have some things i should know about them?

Okay, this will sound stupid... but what is ECM? I saw/heard this term around a lot, but i am really not sure what it actually refers to/how to use it.

Would it be possible to get a rundown on what the individual mech classes can do in a match/some good examples from them? Or, in fact, something like a basic guide on how the whole loadout/outfitting business works?

[Anunknownlurker]

ECM = Electronic Counter Measures - basically it shields you and the mechs around you from missiles/targeting etc. It can also be used to counter the opponents ECM (by default I think J toggles the protect/jam function by default).

There is masses of backstory/fluff around the MechWarrior/Battletech universe but, basically you have Inner Sphere (divided into Houses) vs Clans. Each House/Clan has its own back story and a little Googling or searching on this forum will get you FAR more than you can read! Think of Inner Sphere as the old Empire and the Clans as the more modern, higher tech interlopers (please forgive me Battletech completists!)

As far as I know, there is nothing to stop you signing up with any Clan or House in the Factions section of the game and no penalty for choosing each one in turn as long as you complete your contract

Edited by Jimmy DiGriz, 17 March 2015 - 03:29 AM.

[Nik Reaper]

If you have no connectivity problems go to http://www.twitch.tv...arrior%20Online and find at least one stream that seems to do well and watch it for a while, it's much more relaxing than going in game, dieing and spectating someone of a random skill level doing random things .

After a few days of that you should have an idea how this game plays and can ask specific questions about the things you didn't catch or dont get form the streams.

Edited by Nik Reaper, 17 March 2015 - 03:39 AM.

[Macksheen]

Man I remember the first kill I got like it was yesterday.

We all were bad at first - some more, some less than others based on experience with other similar games. Anyway, after an initial period of "hell", I began to get better and show improvement. For a while I told myself that "this is a better mech" but really, I was getting better.

On the surface, this is a simple game ... drive ... shoot ... repeat.

However, all games are like that to some degree. In another MMO I've played, I used to say that a savvy experienced player could play a ham sandwich to cap, while a new player could take the current meta build and die horribly and repeatedly due to lacking understanding of the maps, movement profiles, familiarity with the speed and performance of different in-game systems, etc.

The same holds true here.

(a) Ignore the jerks. There are jerks who will complain about you when really they made a stupid mistake.

( Try not to make stupid mistakes. Some big ones are running off on your own, not sticking with a group of your allies, making bad bets/trades. Play conservative at first - not timid, but conservative.

(c) Spectate when you die; see what other folks do.

(d) Log time in the cockpit.

(e) Join a unit; check out the hiring halls. Folks in a unit tend to be more open than "whoever you happen to be in match with" and can help with longer-term guidance.

[bayoucowboy]

See Jimmy, Macksheen, and Tarogato's comments above. Also be aware that player/enemy skill level usually increases from public group queue (solo) -> group queue (groups 2-10) -> community warfare. It's useful to play with others with better communication (Teamspeak), but the group queue skill level is higher. And as said above, ignore the complainers. Welcome to Mechwarrior Online

[Jody Von Jedi]

First thing to remember about MW:O, Lights and Assaults are hard mode.

Mediums and Heavies are the easiest to play. Just look at the weight class percentages in the Queue. Heavies will always be the biggest component.

[YCSLiesmith]

the strongest groups are in pub queue, though. it's just you'll never see them because your ELO is too low. That's also why you'll never see them in CW: they are too strong for it, and it bores them.

OP I recommend you join a group, get on their teamspeak, and learn from them. A good group like Night's Scorn will train you up and give you important clues on how to build mechs and play well with them. clues like "don't buy an awesome" or "stay away from LRMs they are a noob trap dead end" that you probably won't pick up on your own unless you're hardcore.

One major hint is never go off on your own. this is a slow tank game. you can't handle two or three guys solo. Stick to the large groups, focus fire with them, play safe without hanging back. Don't snarl their lines of fire but don't go running around to the other side of the map either, you'll get dominated. The only exception to this is light mechs with ecm.

On buying mechs: choose one, then spend all your money souping that one up so that it is good. buy a good engine, the weapons you want, upgrades like double heatsinks, etc. A good mech is crucial to enjoying this game. the trial mechs blow right now. Once you have done that (it'll cost you all your money) play for a while, then later buy another version of that mech. so if you start with the Firestarter FS-A you can then buy and FS-S or FS-H. do the same with that mech. then a third. spend your mech XP in the skills section so that your three models have all the basic upgrades. Now you gain access to elite upgrades, which are super good. +20% run speed? Thank you very much, grinding my old friend. anyway once you've got the elite upgrades for all three you can sell some of your mechs and start branching out into other mechs.

What mechs you buy really depend on what you want to play. for example, if you want to play a light, you can't go wrong with the Firestarter FS-H or FS-A or the raven 3L. Look carefully at their quirks, because that's what really determines their strengths. the FS-A is a great short range laser mech, useless for anything else. you can't go off on your own with it. The Raven 3L, by contrast, is superb with ECM and a bunch of long range lasers, allowing it to snipe from all over and move on quickly.

Some of the Top Inner Sphere Mechs are the lights i mentioned, Thunderbolts, Wolverines, and the Stalker 4n. the things that set these mechs apart are their weapon hardpoints (you want them high up, like at eye level or just above it), Quirks, and hitboxes (none of them are too easy to get your side torsos blown out, for example).

The clans are easier. Buy a Stormcrow or a Timberwolf or possibly a shadowhawk, the shadowhawk looks real strong. Timber is possibly the best mech in the game today. Clan mechs are initially more expensive but come with good engines and all the upgrades for free, so you end up paying like 7 or 8 million more than list price on an IS mech and you don't on a clanmech.

be warned, if you join a faction and start playing Community Warfare, you can't use your clanmechs if you're Inner Sphere and you can't use your IS mechs if you're clan. it makes sense to commit.

[YCSLiesmith]

good weapons:
Gauss is arguably the best weapon in the game. certainly the best ballistic
ERLLs, LPLs, and regular large lasers are strong but build wicked heat. clan lasers build more heat but are insanely strong at greater distances: the damage per heat ratio evens out as you get closer in.
PPCs are good if your mech is quirked for them but they're not as good as in previous mechwarrior games. they also have a minimum range (gross!)
AC weapons are ok. AC 5 and AC 20 are sick if your mech is quirked for them. AC 2 are a trap for noobs. machine guns are something that come with a mech and you sell and then forget they exist. Clan ACs are to be thrown in the trash, one of the few places where clantech is worse than IS tech.

SRMs are not good but have occasional, situational value. SRMs are good on stormcrows who exist purely to hunt light mechs, for instance. Streak SRMs lock on and track stuff for you, but you can't aim with them which means you can't target specific wounded parts of a mech like the legs which means they are trash unless you're a light hunter.

Garbage weapons:
LRMS. don't let anyone tell you different. if someone is praising lrms or talking about how when they were in the marines indirect fire blah blah blah it's time to either stop reading or start trolling them mercilessly depending on how you feel.
Clan Autocannons. Not even once.
LBX weapons. THey are fun as hell and goofy and everyone loves shotguns! whoops no I meant to say they are an anchor around your neck.
Flamers. Flamers are only cool if your mech has a head energy hardpoint and you want it to breathe fire. they have a max heat after which they stop working, so even like 12 flamers on a guy won't shut him down unless he shoots back. They're ridiculous and even the worst players wont use them except as a joke.

if you do join a faction, the strongest IS faction is Kurita. The clans all have strong units but I dont recommend wolf. They have a lot of hardcore roleplay weirdos. There are also some very impressive mercenary factions.

[Jody Von Jedi]

I'm a medium pilot for the most part in regular matches. I love to flank the enemy and sneak up behind them. Mediums are great back-stabbers.

Heavies are the tanks. They can take more damage than a medium, but at the sacrifice of speed and maneuverability. In CW, I take heavies.

Assaults are the tank killers, but they need support. A lone Assault, is a dead Assault. Massive firepower, but you will draw a lot of attention. Playing an Assault is all about timing. Knowing when to push and when to stay in cover. As soon as you step out, you're committed. They don't have the speed to pull back into cover. If you turn the corner, just keep pushing out slowly and hope your team follows.

Lights are for distracting the enemy. Play them like a little dog, you know, the annoying ankle biter type. Run in and out of the battle. Chose your times to attack wisely. When an Assault is distracted, swoop in from behind and leg them.

Most people will tell you don't play peek-a-boo with the enemy. If you're dealing more damage than your taking, then it's OK. I do it all the time, but you need a fast medium to do it well.

Everyone has their own play style. There are some styles that will get you killed quick (Leroy Jenkins, charging the enemy in the open). Use the trial mechs to find out what your play style is, and don't be in a hurry to spend that Cadet bonus. It's not going anywhere.

And welcome to MW:O!

Jody

[DeRazer]

1. When not hiding behind something. DO NOT STAND STILL. Stationary mechs are dead mechs.
2. Lock Targets ®
3. Inner Sphere LRMs will NOT DAMAGE targets at less than 180m (lost count of how many new players do this...)
4. PPCs (not ER PPCs) will NOT DAMAGE targets at less than 80m.
5. When you buy your first mechs with Cadet Bonus remember to save 1.5million for Double Heat Sink upgrades.
6. Mediums or Heavies are good starter mechs. Lights seem like good value but often need expensive XL engines to be good (and the Double Heat sinks!) whereas Heavies and Mediums will often get by with the stock engine for a while. They can also pump out good damage and damage = Cbills. They also encourage more of the tactical push/retreat/flank/support play which is essential to "reading" the game.
7. Assaults seem like even better value BUT remember you need three variants to skill-up past basic - and Eliting a chassis makes it sooooo much better as it doubles all the basic skill perks. Three Atlases is ~30 Million Cbills which is a lot of dough for a new player to earn.
8. Stay alive. I know that sounds daft, but it's so true for a new player. Staying alive (but WITH your team!) keeps you practicing, it keeps you applying damage, it stops the enemy getting a numerical advantage, it enables your team to focus fire, to spot more enemies. Leave the crazy berserking to others with more experience/skill.

[SnagaDance]

YCSLiesmith, on 17 March 2015 - 04:38 AM, said:

The clans are easier. Buy a Stormcrow or a Timberwolf or possibly a shadowhawk, the shadowhawk looks real strong. Timber is possibly the best mech in the game today. Clan mechs are initially more expensive but come with good engines and all the upgrades for free, so you end up paying like 7 or 8 million more than list price on an IS mech and you don't on a clanmech.

You probably mean the Shadowcat. To the OP, the Shadowcat is a medium clan mech coming with the newest Clan wave 3 package. Which means you can only pre-order it atm (for real money) and it isn't out yet (you'll have to check the release date in the announcement thread. After it has come out in the game it will probably be ~2 months before you could buy one with C-bills.