27 replies to this topic

[Jalthibuster]

Since you have started playing this week just a question/advice if you are aware that with the clan mechs you are able to switch out every omni-pod except the CT for all the other variants ones. So you can't "elite" or "master" the Storm Crow as long as you don't own 2 more different chassis but can make all other builds possible. You'll have to save up for another full mech quite a time but some occasional energy slot head pod or missile torsos/arms are available for just~280k each. Just want to make sure you are aware of that.

Edited by Jalthibuster, 30 July 2015 - 06:36 AM.

[Ildar Jotun]

Jalthibuster, on 30 July 2015 - 06:35 AM, said:

Since you have started playing this week just a question/advice if you are aware that with the clan mechs you are able to switch out every omni-pod except the CT for all the other variants ones. So you can't "elite" or "master" the Storm Crow as long as you don't own 2 more different chassis but can make all other builds possible. You'll have to save up for another full mech quite a time but some occasional energy slot head pod or missile torsos/arms are available for just~280k each. Just want to make sure you are aware of that.

Thanks. I was aware of it, and it's one of the things I like about clan tech. It's a pity you can't master another variant modifiying your starter one, because it's technically the same 'mech, and cost-wise, it's almost the same as buying 3 IS chassis.

Hunchback: 5mil. x3 = 15mil.

Stormcrow: 11mil. +(280*8)=2.24mil. x2=4.48mil. Total=15.48mil. + weapons for the 2 new chassis.

We're talking about 15mil. for a Hunchback mastery and around... ¿18-20? For a Stormcrow mastery. Sounds ok to me.

33mil.+ for a stormcrow mastery where the only mandatory common component is the center torso, is a bit steep. I wouldn't mind sharing the 'mech experience towards the different versions of the chassis based on the current components, or appliying your experience towards the most prevalent variant in your build.

[JC Daxion]

I am glad you are enjoying it.. But let me just be clear, it is not an i win button by any means, they are just stronger mechs, and you can get away with a bit more sloppy play. Kinda like if you are playing lights, and drop in a commando or a locust, you have to be on your toes, because one or two wrong moves and you are dead. Now take a Firestarter, those mechs are much more forgiving. You will often hear people say how bad all lights are, if people started with the FS. But those that start and learn in a non-ecm commando, will see things in a different light. It's sorta like how people say, don't start with snipers, or LRM mechs, because they can also teach bad habits. Really one of the better ways to get going is play something that is sorta a second line mech, or one that escorts heavy/assault lances. Protect your big boys, and see how battles play out and honestly the SC is a good one for that really.

This sale is a great reason to start with HBK's, But if you do end up with some spare cash before the sale is over, at 2.5m they are hard to pass up. (i would not upgrade um right away, use that stormcrow to grind more cash as those HBK's will need double heat sinks and ferro. To me the 4H with the ac-10 and 5 energy hard points is the most flexible, but ac-10's aren't the best weapon around, but nothing is stopping you from stuffing a ac-20 or a gauss in it. The 4G, is really a great mech, That single shot ac-20 and 3 medium lasers, or another option of a in your face critical hit machine of ac-20+ 3 small lasers and a pair of machine guns, you can also run a pair of ac5's+ ML's. the 4SP, is the short range missile mech, the 4P, is the energy boat..

But at this point i almost wanna just say, keep saving, with swapping omni pods, you can play around with different clan builds. I know you said you are an old MW fan, so maybe you just have the heart of a clanner, and who am i to say that is wrong.


Just remember a few things.. Don't stare down a mech and trade blows, Keep moving and try to get behind, for back armor shots from safety. Or shoot the legs which works from any angle. Leg a mech, and it is easy to take it down by removing the other leg, or getting to a spot you can fire with out fear of getting hit.

another thing, when you are cooling down or waiting for weapons to recharge, get in the habit of twisting, to use your arm as a shield. Loosing an arm is not the worst thing, but if you twist both ways, you can eat up 30-60 points of damage, and still not loose a body part.

another thing you can do, is check out youtube, and look up Koniving, he has tons of videos posted of so many mechs, and is a pretty darn good pilot. You can learn a lot from watching him. Another tip, when you die, watch others play, check out load outs, see how people use them and such. You can often learn more after you die, than you do lasting to the end.

Edited by JC Daxion, 30 July 2015 - 06:53 PM.

[Ildar Jotun]

JC Daxion, on 30 July 2015 - 02:21 PM, said:

I am glad you are enjoying it.. But let me just be clear, it is not an i win button by any means, they are just stronger mechs, and you can get away with a bit more sloppy play. Kinda like if you are playing lights, and drop in a commando or a locust, you have to be on your toes, because one or two wrong moves and you are dead. Now take a Firestarter, those mechs are much more forgiving. You will often hear people say how bad all lights are, if people started with the FS. But those that start and learn in a non-ecm commando, will see things in a different light. It's sorta like how people say, don't start with snipers, or LRM mechs, because they can also teach bad habits. Really one of the better ways to get going is play something that is sorta a second line mech, or one that escorts heavy/assault lances. Protect your big boys, and see how battles play out and honestly the SC is a good one for that really.

This sale is a great reason to start with HBK's, But if you do end up with some spare cash before the sale is over, at 2.5m they are hard to pass up. (i would not upgrade um right away, use that stormcrow to grind more cash as those HBK's will need double heat sinks and ferro. To me the 4H with the ac-10 and 5 energy hard points is the most flexible, but ac-10's aren't the best weapon around, but nothing is stopping you from stuffing a ac-20 or a gauss in it. The 4G, is really a great mech, That single shot ac-20 and 3 medium lasers, or another option of a in your face critical hit machine of ac-20+ 3 small lasers and a pair of machine guns, you can also run a pair of ac5's+ ML's. the 4SP, is the short range missile mech, the 4P, is the energy boat..

But at this point i almost wanna just say, keep saving, with swapping omni pods, you can play around with different clan builds. I know you said you are an old MW fan, so maybe you just have the heart of a clanner, and who am i to say that is wrong.


Just remember a few things.. Don't stare down a mech and trade blows, Keep moving and try to get behind, for back armor shots from safety. Or shoot the legs which works from any angle. Leg a mech, and it is easy to take it down by removing the other leg, or getting to a spot you can fire with out fear of getting hit.

another thing, when you are cooling down or waiting for weapons to recharge, get in the habit of twisting, to use your arm as a shield. Loosing an arm is not the worst thing, but if you twist both ways, you can eat up 30-60 points of damage, and still not loose a body part.

another thing you can do, is check out youtube, and look up Koniving, he has tons of videos posted of so many mechs, and is a pretty darn good pilot. You can learn a lot from watching him. Another tip, when you die, watch others play, check out load outs, see how people use them and such. You can often learn more after you die, than you do lasting to the end.

Thanks for the tips JC, great info there, I'll definetly check Konivin's channel. What you say about spectating, that's absolutely essential. Some of the best working tactics I've put into play in the last two days are directly taken from spectating and seeing great players do their thing.

I'm really struggling in the Stormcrow. I -wanted- to be a brawler, that's what U-AC/20 are for, aren't they?But it seems I'm not good at it, at all. I use to join the group, get behind the assaults and help them where I can, distracting enemies that focus them, joining the fray when things get hot, and generally triying to be an asset for my team. But in most fights I feel I'm doing little, and end up facing the sky, mostly with the CT destroyed. Need to learn twisting, it seems.

On the other hand, it seems I'm fairly competent (for a n00b) with the Arctic Cheetah. I seem to survive most fights, and even manage to be much more useful for my team, scouting, distracting enemies, capturing bases, and even dealing more damage... I don't know how but yesterday there were a good deal of matches where I finished with 200+ damage, and couple over 350! in a light mech... Most of the time I can't get to 200 in the Stormcrow... I even basic'd the AC Prime variant, in half the matches I used for the Stormcrow.

My general feeling is, I can evade damage and tight spots better in the light mech. Constant movement and jump jets make it very easy to evade enemy heavy fire. I was mostly threatened by other light mechs, namely the ACH C-ER-SL, which is devastating against enemy light mechs. But on the Stormcrow, I get overwhelmed too easily and there's no escape most of the time.

When dealing damage, a light is usually in two situations: with the pack, you're not the priority, so you can shoot back most of the time without much fear of retaliation. But most of the time you're flanking or directly behind your opponents, shooting and running, so you're not being shot at either.
On the Stormcrow you're mostly with your teammates, and little mistakes leave you open for concentrated fire sooner, as you're a very dangerous threat to them. Positioning seems vital, and I'm still not good at it.

It seems I've still got to develop the right tactics and habits for the "slower" 'mechs (if you can call a SC slow...). Maybe a week in a Hunchback will be good for that?

[Anunknownlurker]

It's been said many times before and it bears repeating, there are enough mechs in game, and they are sufficiently different, for there to be something for everyone, and it sounds to me that you may just be one of the world's natural light pilots.

Lights (especially those with ECM) are hard to target and hard to hit. If you get out of position you have the speed and mobility to relocate which you simply don't have in mediums, even one as fast as the Stormcrow; as you have noticed, there is a HUGE difference between 109kph and 140kph when running away! The newer lights pack a decent amount of firepower and the only major issue with the ACH is heat management (welcome to Clan lasers!).

My suggestion is, as you are still pretty new to the game, stick with the ACH for a while, get the chassis Elited and use this period to learn the maps, feel out the strengths and weaknesses of opponent mechs and generally be the most use to your team. If you are more effective you will earn more C-bills and GXP which will help you in the long term anyway - with the Prime variant you get a 30% increase in earnings so if you are doing well in it...

Good hunting

[Jalthibuster]

Have you thought about trying something like this with the SCR? Very heat efficient!

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...97fc575c28d9430

Further more the Clan UACs, especially the 20, are still a bit harder to use than the IS ones because of not firing a single slug. The clan gauss rifle on the other hand does this. And it enables you to put some good damage down range during the early phase of the battle. When the final brawl starts SPLs are just fantastic. Of course you could adjust the heat sinks for a TC1 or another SPL if your heat management skills are sufficient. I would recommend to buy the head and side toris omni pods though so you don't lose all your lasers if the arm get's blown off.

[JC Daxion]

Clan UAC's are not the same as the inner sphere ones.. They did get a buff recently though, but i don't play clan, though one day soon i will finally fire up my adders! But typically i just fight um so i am not sure how they are now.. But might i suggest if you wan't to brawl in your SCR perhaps something like this.. I know in IS, pairing SRM's with Medium pulse is a very good thing. I don't see why it wouldnt work in clans as i have seen similar builds in game, and they seem to do pretty darn good.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...43a5387df4b930d

also using the missiles, you won't get hit as much on the decreased cool down quirk, from having as many laser points..

Or maybe something like this? I have seen this set up before, and people do pretty darn well with it.. watched a guy playing a nova the other night with tons of small pulse lasers pull nearly 1k damage and 4 kills.. (was right after i died at the very end, I was in my hugging with 600 and 4 kills too!) But the guy was pretty darn good.. was one of those I'm on fire games

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...847bc7d9f38631f


Don't forget to move some armor around.. you really shouldn't need more than 8-10 in your back.. Some people run even less.. adding 10 points to the front will help a lot. If you are dying from back shots in a medium, you are doing something wrong.. Twist and turn to take out that pesky light trying to rear core you.

and yup, if you are getting CT cored, you defiantly need to twist more and spend less face time.. Use that speed to flank more.. Staying with the group is Key, But that doesn't necessarily mean staying behind the group.. Often it is best to flank, This way, missed shots are not going to hit you, and it also means you they will have to turn to shoot at you.. which often is what you are going for.. because they turn to shoot you, you twist and duck for cover.. run in zig-zag trying to avoid shots, and while this happens, the assaults/heavies your mark was fighting now have clean shots, and hopefully will take him down, making your need to run for cover moot. Unless of course there were many mechs in a group you were flanking.. and hopefully they all turned to fire on you.. meaning you did your job even better!

But honestly i would not call an SCR slow.. in fact they are pretty quick,, really the only mediums that are faster are cicadas which are basically a slow light at around 130 KPH.. though i tend to run my lights slower,, ravens are about 140KPH, my commandos 150KPH.. many light users run over 160KPH, but i find it to quick for my tastes, i'd rather run the extra weapons, or ammo, or stick a few extra jump jets in if applicable.


But for IS brawling.. an AC-20 + a pair of SRM4's like in the centurion AH, Or something like AC20+ ML's in one of the 50 or 55 ton mechs.. LIke the shadow hawk or HBK are great example of medium brawlers.

Edited by JC Daxion, 01 August 2015 - 05:38 PM.

[xe N on]

Clans are the best to start with, because Clans have the best light, medium, heavy and assault mech, namely Cheetah, Stormcrow, Timberwolf/Hellbringer/Jaguar, Direwolf.

Only those IS mechs with tons of quirks, like TDR-5SS are equal strong. Clan mechs are very flexible, allowing you to try completely different builds to find your style without buying 20 different mechs, as for IS.

It is also easier to create a dropdeck for CW with Clan mechs. You can use e.g. 3 SCR you already level to master with the same or similar loadout. For IS you would e.g. need 3 different TDRs to access master level. But for CW, you want to run 2-3 x TDR-5SS, because it's the best of all TDRs. So, you need to buy the same TDR at least 2-3 times.

Stormcrow was an excellent choice. I'm a medium pilot owning 4 SHDs, 4 GRFs, 2 Cents, 1 Cicada and 3 SCRs, all mastered. There is no need for me to play anything then SCRs in fact. For nostalgia I sometimes run GRFs, because of the visuals (they simply are the best looking mechs in game).

These are the SCR builds, I'm running. They are very effective and reduce negative quirks by certain Omnipods to a minimum.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d9126c0f58d2085
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...eba46d9fa72bd3d
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6519f722a8936f5

The most important rule: Although you can, don't pack to many weapons in your SCR. Try to build it cool.

The SCR can be configured to be a brawler, but it shines at mid to long range combat.

Problem with brawl: no jumpjets and no shielding arms. For brawl,take SRMs, not C-ACs.

Edited by xe N on, 01 August 2015 - 09:26 PM.