9 replies to this topic

[RebJohhny]

Is there somewhere that tells you how best to level mechs?

[Throe]

I saw a priority list for the order in which one *should* invest in the Basic Efficiencies once, but I can't find it now... Here's what I think:

If you're enjoying running your new 'Mech, feel free to play it lots every day. If you're not enjoying playing a particular variant(like a SDR-5V, for example), take advantage of the 2X bonus you get for your first win every day by only playing that variant until you get your win for that day. This will minimize the amount of time you have to spend piloting that variant to unlock the elite efficiencies for the variant you really wanted to pilot...

The order in which I typically invest my points in the Basic Efficiencies is to always buy the most expensive ones first, so Anchor Turn first. However, for the specific example of the ones which share the same cost, I get Twist Speed first, then Twist X; Hard Brake, and then Arm Reflex; Kinetic Burst, and then Heat Containment. Last one is, of course, Cool Run.

I'm sure many players will disagree with me on this, but given the total amount of time it takes to get a 'Mech to Elite... I'm not sure it's really a question worth spending a great deal of time on.

To give a suggestion, don't play CW with any unmastered 'Mechs, because everyone else(for the most part) is playing CW with mastered 'Mechs, and there is a significant disparity between a fresh un-basic'd 'Mech, and a mastered 'Mech.

[Palor]

Personally I prefer to unlock Cool Run and Heat Containment 1st.

[Torezu]

Palor, on 16 September 2015 - 09:41 AM, said:

Personally I prefer to unlock Cool Run and Heat Containment 1st.

This, always. (Nearly) every mech cannot continuously fire, and you want to be able to fire faster without overheating. The obvious exceptions are ballistic-heavy, especially gauss/dual gauss mechs, but even those can have heat problems if they also mount energy weapons.

[TheCaptainJZ]

Always unlock the 2 heat related ones first. Not sure the others matter as much how you do them. Different weight classes might pick different orders. A light might benefit most from anchor turn. An assault might benefit most from twist speed. As for elite skills, do pinpoint last. Always. It currently does nothing.

[mailin]

I always go heat first, then the most expensive. And remember that you don't have to go for the mastery, but getting all of the elite skills will make your basic skills twice as effective.

[Rogue Jedi]

I usualy go the heat related ones first unless the build I am using does not need them, then I will usualy go for the agility and arm movement ones.

there is no single "best" order to unlock those skills it is down to what you are using the Mech for, however with the Elite skills I do not think there is any Mech in which I would not take speed tweak first, running 10% faster is just such a huge advantage

[Ano]

I'd agree with most of this. Exceptions/wrinkles:

* unless your mech is v. low heat natively (dual gauss Jager, for example), I'd always go with the heat-related basics first
* You can adjust slightly the order of the others (weapons in your arms? armspeed!) but it doesn't make a huge amount of difference -- although it makes more of a difference when you first start playing and your earnings are lower, of course
* Most people go for speed tweak as the first Elite tier skill, and I do generally, but not always. As I suck at heat management, I'll sometimes take the quick ignition skill first on a laserboat...

Finally: in CW, mastered mechs are a bonus but the main thing is to have your mech's elited, so you get the double basics perk. An extra module slot is worth something, but not everything.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

As for the order of unlocking BASIC efficiencies, I agree with the above. Cool Run and Heat Containment first. THEN, I typically go from most to least expensive.

For ELITE efficiencies, it depends on the mech. Speed Tweak is far more important to a light mech, than it is to an assault, at least IMO. 10% faster than slow is still slow, but 10% faster than fast is pretty darned fast. Pinpoint isn't all that great. Fast Fire is super for any mech that needs to maximize DPS, and Quick Ignition is good for hot builds. Prioritize accordingly.

Which mechs to unlock? Depends on what you like best, and what role you see yourself filling on the battlefield. Save those for a bit, and grind the ones you like least until you can no longer stand it. THEN go to something you like more, and cool your jets on it for an hour or two. And as stated above, ensure that you get that First Victory of the Day double XP on as many mechs as you can stand to. I did this earlier today on SCRs, even though I'm rubbish in a Storm Crow so far. Didn't care to play them with my limited time available, but I did it because they're not yet MASTERed.

As for best practices to maximize the XP output of your time in game, here's some advice:

-USE PREMIUM TIME IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO AT ALL. This grants a boost to XP and GXP.

-ONLY USE PREMIUM TIME WHEN YOU KNOW YOU WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PLAY. No sense activating a 3-day PT on Sunday evening, if you're working 10-hour days Monday through Friday and won't have much time to play. Wait for Friday, and binge MWO through the weekend.

-IF YOU'RE NOT HOARDING C-BILLS, USE CONSUMABLES. UAV spotting is good for a few more XP, for instance.

-DO ALL THE THINGS! Scouting, flanking, hit-and-run, etc. Kill components first, mechs next. Learn what pays out C-Bills, and what pays out XP. Do EVERY POSSIBLE THING IN EVERY MATCH that pays out bonus XP, even if it gets you killed out. A quicker grind is more valuable to you now than is a strong KDR.

-USE CRIT SEEKERS. May not be the best answer for your play style overall, but the crit-seeking weapons (small pulse laser, machine gun, LB-X autocannon) have increased critical hit damage and chance, making it even a little more likely that you'll kill a given component. That extra component, as stated above, means extra XP.

-NARC, TAG. These two systems grant neato additional XP bonuses to you when used in a match. If you have a single missile weapon slot you can spare without neutering your mech, put a NARC in it and spam that thing on the enemy. If you have a single energy weapon slot you can spare without castrating your mech, drop a TAG in it and set your key to toggle it--once in the brawl, toggle TAG on and enjoy the bonuses.

-ECM, Counter ECM. Whenever you have the opportunity to run ECM, use it. Know when you're near an enemy ECM, and COUNTER that sucker! Even BETTER bonus if you counter an enemy ECM, and a friendly can lock him up and hit him with SSRMs or LRMs. Failing ECM, take an Active Probe along, even if you're not carrying missiles. It can counter ECM within a certain range, again granting that C-ECM bonus XP and C-Bills. If your mech has PPCs, make sure you blast the ECM-carrying enemy twice in a row with them--if you get 5 seconds (I think?) of the enemy ECM down, whether by AP or ECM or PPC or UAV, you get the counter-ECM bonus.


And finally, as Ano above stated, that MASTER module slot isn't the be-all-end-all thing to have. It's NICE, but not at all NECESSARY. A lot of players do just fine with few or no modules in their mechs. Sure, you're better off with a good module set to complement your mech's quirks and role. But get as many mechs to full ELITE as you can, as soon as you can. THEN worry about which ones you want to MASTER first, and which you don't really ever care to MASTER at all.

And keep coming back here to ask questions, when you have them. That's what we're here for!

[RebJohhny]

thanks guys