20 replies to this topic

[Erghiez06]

(Sorry for the word-wall. Getting ready to drop some money and hoping for some good suggestions.)

I *was* going to throw this in the newbie help forum, but decided this might be a better fit.
As the title suggests, I want to master a mech platform. I recently mastered the Catapult platform and while I love my K2, I find the rest of the chassis situational or underwhelming at best. I forked out the money for the Jester and while I love that mech to death I'd have loved to see a ballistic slot or two on it. I'm just not that big of a fan of lasers as a primary means of deeps.

My K2 is my best performing mech. In most cases I run it with 2xLBX10 or 2xAC10 supplemented by 4xMlasers.. My K2 just feels superior to the Jester in every way outside of mobility, but the one weakness they both share is that giant nose hitbox. I'm a newb and I torso twisting isn't entirely committed to muscle memory, but again it's easier with the K2. Volley, twist, volley, twist/reposition, etc. Jester takes a bit more as lasers require holding down your target.

Anyways, sorry for the word wall. As I am still fairly "new" (I've been playing on and off since launch but in short bursts) I've seen a ton of new additions and I'd like to move into another Mech line. Size class doesn't really matter. I like platforms that offer flexibility and are forgiving to the newbie. I've tried the Centurion's, Hunchbacks and Raven's, but outside of those and the Catapults I'm in uncharted territory. I liked the CN9-A zombie build I had back in the day but I couldn't adjust and ultimately gave up on that platform. Tried the HBK-4SP and found heat management was difficult. Granted I was a brand new player then. My experiences with Raven's were always being legged or sniping and just didn't seem very fun. Mostly newbie mistakes.

If I could, I'd like to find something with enough armor to take some punishment, uses more than one group of weapons (prioritizing ballistics,) isn't as slow as a brick and has fair hitboxes. Mech role is irrelevant as I like to mix it up a bit. Again, something worth mastering. I'm not too entirely concerned with the meta. Just something that is fun.

Again, sorry for the word wall, and thanks in advance. Happy hunting all o7

[Frank Burns]

there will be Ebon Jaguard soon.
and that fits all your reqs

[Erghiez06]

LilShlomo, on 03 June 2015 - 10:00 PM, said:

there will be Ebon Jaguard soon.
and that fits all your reqs

That Ebon Jaguar looks sexy. I had no idea. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I just got back into MWO 2 days ago so I'm a bit behind.

[process]

The obvious jack-of-all-trades IS mech would be the Shadow Hawk, although the quirk gods have not been terribly generous with it. You'll get all the ballistic versatility you could need though.

You could also try Jagermechs if you enjoy the dual AC10 setup. All of their variants can all run it, but you'll have to adapt as Jagermech hitboxes aren't the same as Catapults'.

The recently released Enforcer have good survivability and runs ballstics/energy builds. They're sort of in between Centurions and Shadow Hawks in practice, but possibly better than both. The latest variant, currently unavailable for purchase, is the only one that can take an AC20.

If you're interested in Clan mechs, the Stormcrow and Hellbringer are both very flexible and tough chassis. However your mileage may vary with Clan ballstics. If Clan autocannons aren't your flavor, you can always resort to Gauss.

[Erghiez06]

process, on 03 June 2015 - 10:36 PM, said:

The obvious jack-of-all-trades IS mech would be the Shadow Hawk, although the quirk gods have not been terribly generous with it. You'll get all the ballistic versatility you could need though.

You could also try Jagermechs if you enjoy the dual AC10 setup. All of their variants can all run it, but you'll have to adapt as Jagermech hitboxes aren't the same as Catapults'.

The recently released Enforcer have good survivability and runs ballstics/energy builds. They're sort of in between Centurions and Shadow Hawks in practice, but possibly better than both. The latest variant, currently unavailable for purchase, is the only one that can take an AC20.

If you're interested in Clan mechs, the Stormcrow and Hellbringer are both very flexible and tough chassis. However your mileage may vary with Clan ballstics. If Clan autocannons aren't your flavor, you can always resort to Gauss.

I've encountered a few Enforcers. They're tough little cookies. No bones about it. I haven't had the pleasure to use a Shadow Hawk but I've definitely been thinking about it. My experiences with Mediums are limited to a short stint with CN9s and HBKs and it wasn't as glorious as planned but again, I was in my MWO infancy at the time.

In a perfect world I enjoy being maneuverable enough to escape if I over commit while poking and armed enough to put the hurt down.

When playing I tend to hang around with the core group until contact at which point (depending on the build) I stick with the Assaults and guard their flanks or flank the enemy. The only platform I have currently are the catapults and I stick with the K2 and Jester. If I'm running around in my K2 I stick with the Assaults. As a Jester I'm running around taking potshots and pretending I'm a fat Locust.

As far as Clan mechs go, I'm not sure what is so special about them. I see that they use clan specific weapons, are expensive and in most cases over armed and armored (DireWhale,) but I'm not sure what advantages they bring. I hear they bump your ELO a bit, but I haven't confirmed that.

I wasn't too concerned with buying into a Clan mech but now that its been brought to my attention that a new wave is coming that Ebon Jaguar really does hit a spot.

edit: Grammar and stuffs

Edited by Erghiez06, 03 June 2015 - 10:53 PM.

[process]

I don't see many Centurions or Hunchbacks on the PUG field these days except for the few variants that got effective quirks, in particular the Gird Iron with it's absurd 50% Gauss cooldown. Ultimately I think most people just learned to dispatch Hunchbacks quickly, and Centurions don't have enough punch comparatively as they used to.

I think you should definitely experiments with mediums, whether Shadow Hawks or Enforcers. Definitely spend some time experimenting on Smurfy and post builds here for people to critique.

As far as Clan stuff goes, it's just different. I don't think it has anything to do with Elo, rather you're exchanging customization and pinpoint damage for better survivability, damage and range. They're not cheap, but you should try to invest in a Stormcrow just to get a taste of what it's like.

You can get the list of quirks here, in case you weren't already aware: Snafets

Edited by process, 03 June 2015 - 11:08 PM.

[Cool will never die but you will]

Dragon is a fast nimble chassis, capable of mounting both ballistic and energy weapons. it suffers from the same "nose issue" the catapult does.

also the Cataphract might be worth looking into.

[Festus vanGeck]

process, on 03 June 2015 - 11:06 PM, said:

Ultimately I think most people just learned to dispatch Hunchbacks quickly

They didn't. Getting 500+ dmg in my 4P isn't very hard to pull off. Hell, I get 700+ several times a day, and I'm a nooblord, so go figure. The bigger mechs still take more fire than you do, and even if you do get shot at, the 4P has enough mobility and cover poking ability to trade very favourably. You can cut off many, many mech parts before receiving any significant damage. And when you land in a sticky situation, you often have enough sustained firepower and an alpha big enough to just lazer yourself out of it (at least my build does). Most ridiculous fight I've been in was me vs 2xAtlas (damaged armor, but all weapons intact) and some medium mech - I managed to down them all before overheating to death. Says a lot about the chasis, I guess.

Can't recommend it enough. Nimble (huge radius and speed of torso twist), quick-ish (98 kph), 36 point alpha (in my config, can be higher), left shield side (again, in my config, I don't put lasers in arms), great poking ability and focused damage. Really fun to pilot, if you're into mediums.

[Chaos Strike]

Some things to concider about Clan Mechs:
Omnipods: Enable you to swap out every part except the CT, with pods from other variants of that chassis. This lets you change out the hardpoints to suit your style.

Lasers: Have more range and do more damage. But generate more heat and have a longer burn time.

ACs: Smaller and lighter than IS, but fire a burst of shells rather than a single one. Have LBX and Ultra variants for all AC sizes.

Fixed Equipment: Engines, Structure and Armor type are locked and can not be changed. Some chassis' have other fixed equipment.

XL Engines: Takes less space in the STs. You can loose 1 ST and keep going, unlike IS models.

Missiles: Launchers are smaller and lighter. LRMs fire in a stream rather than a cluster. Do not have the 180m minimum range that IS LRMs do, but do less damage under that range. Streak SRMs are available in 2, 4 and 6.

Upfront Cost: Clan Mechs are expensive to buy, but they already have DHS and XL Engines.

Hope this helps.

Edited by Chaos Strike, 04 June 2015 - 07:20 AM.

[BigBadVlad]

Well doesn't look like you've tried assaults so was thinking about what might meet your criteria.

Going to think Victor or perhaps Zeus based upon prioritizing speed/maneuverability and capable of running decent ballistics.
Victor probably more so than Zeus. Jump Jets will keep your options open for moving around and it can take some punishment and deal it out too.

.02

[Husker Dude]

angryjohnny, on 04 June 2015 - 12:02 AM, said:

Dragon is a fast nimble chassis, capable of mounting both ballistic and energy weapons. it suffers from the same "nose issue" the catapult does.

also the Cataphract might be worth looking into.

I do like the Dragon, but one of the biggest adjustments for me with this mech was adjusting to the low arm hardpoints. While peaking around corners, you have to make sure that you actually have clearance and aren't just firing into a pile of rocks or a wall. If you've been playing with a Catapult, you'll definitely notice a difference.

[OznerpaG]

Battlemasters are solid - high mounted energy and missile mounts, some can carry ballistics in the arm which are kind of low but still. same for Banshees

Edited by JagdFlanker, 04 June 2015 - 09:35 AM.

[DONTOR]

I think hopping in a Clan mech cockpit will give you a great deal of enjoyment, its just different, and that will be fun for you. I too would suggest buying into the Cauldron Born, it comes out in less than 2 weeks, and you can buy 3 of them for a good deal via the ala carte options.
It has plenty of hardpoints for all kinds of effective builds.

[ProfessorD]

Lasers are extremely useful on a wide range of chassis, so you're going to need to learn to hold targets sooner or later.

Unless you're deliberately avoiding Clan chassis, you should buy Stormcrows and Timberwolves. They can do anything and easily fit all the qualities you're looking for. Don't be scared away by the big price tags; they're worth it.

Erghiez06, on 03 June 2015 - 09:29 PM, said:

... uses more than one group of weapons (prioritizing ballistics,) ...

Two things here.
1. The number of weapon groups depends on the details of your build and technique. So, using more than one weapon group is up to you, not the mech.
2. Why would you *prefer* to have more than one weapon group? If you can put all of your weapons in a single weapon group with good synergy, that makes the mech much easier to use. Easier to use = more forgiving for a new pilot.

Also, try putting some PPCs on that Jester and see what happens.

[Leone]

I personally, mastered the Shadowhawk first. two of my builds were Uac 5 focused designs, and untill the latest change to clan uacs, they had ruined me on clan Uacs. I still love my Shadowhawks.

But, now clan uacs are decent, so you could look there as well. Good luck.

~Leone, Raid leader of the Crimson Hand.

[Kahadras]

Shadowhawk was the first mech I mastered. I still have my 2K with it's 3 large pulse lasers at it's still one of my favorite mechs. It's a near perfect blend of speed, firepower, durability and heat efficency for my play style. When I've had a few poor games I always find myself back in my Shadowhawk (or my Cicada) if I want to cheer myself up.

I'd advise trying before you buy though.

[Nori Silverrage]

If you want to try a medium you might want to look at the Hunchbacks a bit more. They are heavily quirked and are quite solid mechs overall.

Seeing that you like Ballistics kind of rules out clan mechs as their ballistics still aren't very good unless you like gauss.
Given Ballistic weight, going with another heavy, or maybe a assault would be good.

Jaguer mechs are the epitome of ballistic mechs. Very solid and can be builts a good amount of ways.
The oft scoffed at Orion line is actually a pretty solid set of mechs and they all have balistic slots and quirks.

If you want to try your hand at some assault mechs the Battlemaster might be up your alley. Lots of options for builds there and it is a very solid mech.

Weighing in at 100t the King Crab is basically a walking gun and can fit insane ballistic options, such as dual AC20s, 4xUAC5s among other things. But it is really really slow...

[Bleary]

Jagermechs are the most solid and flexible ballistic chassis, but they won't play all that differently from your K2. Both 65 tons, both prefer XLs, both are best standing off as ranged fire support.

I'd second the Enforcer; or perhaps a Zeus. The Enforcer has good durability, good mobility, and a range of ballistic quirks/loadouts. The Zeus can be plenty nimble with a big XL, has diverse hardpoints, and carries some of the heaviest armor in the game. It will feel like a tank compared to your Catas.

Hunchbacks are also a consideration, but in terms of ballistics the Hunches only really shine with AC/20s (or gauss if you're willing to pay cash).

Edited by Bleary, 10 June 2015 - 12:43 AM.

[XxXAbsolutZeroXxX]

The King Crab is a flexible chassis sporting multiple ballistics. It can dual wield AC20's or gauss for long range or brawling. It can do combo builds with 4 x AC5 with laser and missile slots as support. In theory the variant with 6 ballistic slots can also mount 6 x AC2's or 6 x AC5's. I've had trouble equipping sufficient ammo with those builds and don't know if its possible to make them work consistently though. Ballistic slots are great for machine guns, if you decide to go with an LRM boat build. It doesn't feel too slow with an XL engine. With an XL 340 or XL 360, the king crab feels faster and more maneuverable than many of the atlas and banshee I've tried.

[jaxjace]

Stalkers and Massakaris you cant go wrong at 85 tons.