32 replies to this topic

[Spare Parts Bin]

My suggestion is a Stalker or Dire Wolf. I sold all my Stalkers to buy the Dire Wolves.

[DA BAWSS]

Spare Parts Bin, on 27 June 2015 - 08:27 AM, said:

My suggestion is a Stalker or Dire Wolf. I sold all my Stalkers to buy the Dire Wolves.

Thank you, but I dislike Clan mechs, and the stalker line doesn't really seem to suit my playstyle of shielding and brawling.

[Richard Hazen]

You don't necessarily have to shield in a stalker, all mechs require you to torso twist to spread the damage about, only the meta builds like the misery with the AC20 tend to require shielding.

[DA BAWSS]

Deimos Alpha, on 27 June 2015 - 09:43 AM, said:

You don't necessarily have to shield in a stalker, all mechs require you to torso twist to spread the damage about, only the meta builds like the misery with the AC20 tend to require shielding.

True, Every mech does require torso twisting, but the problem I have with the stalker is that its so slow.
I prefer my mechs to move around 70-90 kph.

Thats why Im having a huge debate with myself on wether I want the Battlemaster, Victor, or Zeus.

I hear mixed opinions on the Zeus, some saying its trash, others saying its amazing. 4 Large pulse lasers and a big empty arm to shield does sound nice, especially at 75 kph.
But that probably means its a marmite mech.

Victors on the other hand, I have a little experience with on the trial mech. But the trial mech focuses more on DPS rather than alpha. I was thinking an AC/20, and 2 LPLs to start out, then when I buy an XL, throw in some streaks.

The Battlemaster I have no clue about. Most say its above average, or great. Its got good "wub" boat potential.
But the fact that its an extra 5 tons puts me off a little, as I'd have to either swap out a Jagermech with a Dragon, or exchange the Blackjack 1X with a Cicada, and Im not exactly a fan of lights.

So the Zeus has a good sized risk that I'll hate it.
The Victor might come off a little shy, but I probably won't hate it.
The Battlemaster will probably be great, but I will have to spend more on buying a Dragon to replace my Jager in CW.

[purplewasabi]

DA BAWSS, on 24 June 2015 - 08:51 PM, said:

Thank you, around 60 kph is my minimum speed.

I heard from many players that the Atlas D-DC is the best assault mech for new assault pilots, and that buying one is great for learning how to pilot them. Is this true?

NO!! its not true!

[InspectorG]

DA BAWSS, on 24 June 2015 - 08:51 PM, said:

Thank you, around 60 kph is my minimum speed.

I heard from many players that the Atlas D-DC is the best assault mech for new assault pilots, and that buying one is great for learning how to pilot them. Is this true?

No. Atlas is NOT the best for newbs. Its a close range knife fighter at best. Less optimal at range.

60KPH,

Stalker is your mech and if you know how to twist damage TANKS well above its weight class. Reasons why Metamechs rates it as T1.

Banshee and Battlemasters, also Crabs are where you want to start.

But seriously.

Stalker N,M, and which ever other looks good.

N = Large Lazor vomits. Very Powerful. SUPER OPTIMAL hardpoints. Hill peek like a boss. Atlas cannot do this.
M = SRM paradise. Blast, twist, blast, twist...just gotta let the brawl come to you.
H = i use LPL and wub the sh*t outta people.

ALL Stalkers can run 4ERLL for sniping. LRMs for lols.

TONS of variety, FAVORABLE hitboxes and hardpoints. GOOD SPEED.

Go Stalker, get Atlas later after you rake in Cbills.

[InspectorG]

DA BAWSS, on 27 June 2015 - 09:19 AM, said:

Thank you, but I dislike Clan mechs, and the stalker line doesn't really seem to suit my playstyle of shielding and brawling.

Stalkers shield like mad.

The Key??? Asymmetric builds.2LPL on side, ML center, 3ASRM6 same side. std300 engine.
Ive face tanked Whales and Crabs with this build.
Atlas cannot even come close with its hitboxes.

You DO have to make the most of positioning and footwork to make the most of it. Its a skill.

[Shalune]

Hey there Baws!

As someone who has usually hated playing assaults until recently, and has played a decent majority of mechs in the game I think I can help you out.

First thing's first, based on your description of wanting a more agile mech and one with decent twist potential here's some key facts to be aware of:

- Even fast assaults usually feel pretty clunky until you get them elited.

- The BLR is indeed above average and sports a variety of builds, BUT it is one of the least maneuverable assaults. You will notice the bad twist on some variants right away.

- If you like twisting and durability, you probably want STD engines. This does NOT mean you can't go fast for an assault.

DA BAWSS, on 27 June 2015 - 07:18 PM, said:

So the Zeus has a good sized risk that I'll hate it.
The Victor might come off a little shy, but I probably won't hate it.
The Battlemaster will probably be great, but I will have to spend more on buying a Dragon to replace my Jager in CW.

Since the handling is your main hold up, I would aim for as light of an assault as you can. That leaves the following, each noted with my thoughts:

Quote

Awesome - 80t
- A fun mech, but not a very good one. It mostly just boats energy, and even with buffs and quirks the CT is hard to protect. Even with a good build and piloting this will be a challenge to play. I strongly discourage starting on this mech.

Quote

Victor - 80t
- Easily the most maneuverable option. Jump jets are a huge deal for slow mechs because of the ability to turn faster while jumping or get over small hills that normally slow you by half.

- Limited build options. There are only a couple hardpoints on each victor, and they don't even vary that much between variants. Most of the best builds involve 1-2 ballistics paired with 1-2 punchy energy weapons.

- You have pretty good twistability with a big engine, but very few torso weapons, so losing both arms can be crippling. Probably one of the best chassis to run XL on as a result. I'm not sure how the hitboxes are these days.

Quote

Zeus - 80t

- The tankiest of these light assaults. You get +15 - 17 bonus hitpoints each on all 3 of your torso sections. And you have solid hitboxes to let you spread damage with twisting pretty well.

- Each variant mostly specializes in 1 type of build. There's one great energy boat, one with a scary missile arm, and one you take for a mixed or ballistic-focused build.

- Most non-ballistic builds support reasonable speeds, even with STD engines.

Quote

Battlemaster - 85t

- Battlemaster is sort of a jack of all trades out of these mechs. And even with 1 variant like the BLR-1G, you can do a variety of builds.

- A lot of BLRs have very limited torso twist. Otherwise they have pretty good hitboxes to allow twisting.

- While a good generalist, BLRs have trouble specializing (some quirked laser builds do well). Generally there's another assault mech that does whatever you do better.

It sounds like you're not interested in the Stalker, so I'll leave that out. In short: it's a turret. Your hitboxes are good, but you're always some combination of laser and missile boat with terrible twist.

From my own experience I'd recommend the Zeus or Victor as a way to ease you into assaults with their better handling. Go Victor if you want high alpha. But personally I like the Zeus' hardiness better, and it acts as a better lesson to learn other assaults except for the Highlander (jumps and high alpha setups make it similar to Victors).

[Sigilum Sanctum]

I recommend the Zeus, but unlike other people, I don't recommend XL engines. Yes their armor buffs are incredible, but people still aim for them most of the time, because that's where most of the weapons are. Why negate the extreme durability of the quirks with an XL engine?

The Zeus can move plenty fast and carry plenty of firepower with STD engines. These are my loadouts, and they're all golden.

Zeus - 6T


Zeus - 9S


Zeus - 6S

Edited by Sigilum Sanctum, 29 June 2015 - 08:47 PM.

[TheLuc]

Hi DA BAWSS,
From what I been reading you need a fast mech and looking for more armor, fire power that the usual and some thing that will fit your playstyle. I think the Zeus 6T would fill the bill rather nicely, here a simple suggestion

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1dc99a83c5db382

[Jorunn]

DA BAWSS, on 27 June 2015 - 09:19 AM, said:

Thank you, but I dislike Clan mechs, and the stalker line doesn't really seem to suit my playstyle of shielding and brawling.

For shielding and brawling and speedy tankiness again I recommend the Banshees as the shield arms protect your torso weapons. I just had a fantastically fun brawl in my LaMalinche but the other Banshees play very much the same. Look for Youtube videos to experience playstyle in various chassis. I've seen all of the above recommendations play much better than my expectations or experiences. Much depends on the pilot as well.

[NUJRSYDEVIL]

Dual Gauss / Dual ERLL/ERPPC Dire Wolf is one of the most amazing killing machines in MWO.