24 replies to this topic

[Zentil]

I have seen people recommending, as an assault mech for a beginner, the dire wolf. But in some posts people say it's very slow, and it's left behind often, with obvious consequences. Isn't it better for a beginner to start with a Warhawk, trading a bit of armor and weapons for more speed and maneuverability?
Please build on your experience. Thank you

Edited by Zentil, 29 September 2015 - 04:35 PM.

[bad arcade kitty]

it's better to start with a timber, or even better with a stormcrow (:

[Spike Brave]

It's all about play style. If you can handle being slow and a priority target assault mechs aren't bad. If you want my opinion, based on my experience, I'd recommend that beginners start with medium mech. If you really want to go assault, I'd go with the Awesome or Battlemaster. Both of these allow for some pretty large engines if you feel the need to go faster than most other assaults. Some people will say that neither of the mechs are top tier. This is the other reason I'd recommend them. Because of the attitude that they are not the "best" assault mechs, people tend to focus other mechs first giving a new player a little breathing room to learn the ins and outs of piloting an assault during a live match.

[Mazzyplz]

being slow will punish your mistakes BIG TIME.

not recommend for fresh cadet. * unless you enjoy a good challenge (don't underestimate the challenge involved)

it's all about positioning and some of it can be learned by gettin wrecked a couple of hundred times;

more forgiving to start with an ebon jag, hellbringer, blackjack or hunchie

[InspectorG]

Zentil, on 29 September 2015 - 04:34 PM, said:

I have seen people recommending, as an assault mech for a beginner, the dire wolf. But in some posts people say it's very slow, and it's left behind often, with obvious consequences. Isn't it better for a beginner to start with a Warhawk, trading a bit of armor and weapons for more speed and maneuverability?
Please build on your experience. Thank you

For Solo play, honestly start with a Heavy. Thunderboly or Timberwolf. Start simple and meta and branch out from there.

If you REALLY have your heart set on using an Assault, use a Stalker for IS, or Warhawk/Executioner for Clan.
Warhawk carries power and speed/mobility but you really dont want to go 1 vs 1 against much.
Executioner is like a Banshee but with more bells and whistles. Dont even bother using MASC for a while.

Any way you roll Assault, you will have a steeper learning curve and will need to develop tighter skill sets with Positioning, Timing, Map Awareness, and reading the Radar.

If you drop with a Group, ask your Unit what they need if they are really structured about their drop decks.

[Spheroid]

Assaults are not a forgiving class of mech. I strongly recommend something lighter for a new player.

[Zentil]

Thank you guys, The thing is, I have done about 100 matches now, and I deal way more damage and survive longer with an assault compared to any other class. It might be because, being slower, I aim better, or maybe because I do not get into trouble.
But I don't find a mad dog or a Hellbringer any easier to maneuver than a Banshee, and if I am in the wrong place at the wrong time, the banshee can actually find cover and still be alive, while the heavy mech in the same situation would instead die. It may have to do with the fact that assaults are 20% slower but have more than 20% more armor? I have not tried the timberwolf though...

[bad arcade kitty]

banshee is a good is assault and you already have some experience on bnc-3m since you seem to play it often
the best banshee version it's that one with 3 ac/5 and like 3ll or something

stalker, specifically 4n, is better for cw though

[mailin]

While we usually recommend mediums for new players, if assaults are working for you, then go for it.Personally, I find assaults horribly slow so I'm glad when others enjoy playing them.

[Zentil]

bad arcade kitty, on 29 September 2015 - 05:49 PM, said:

banshee is a good is assault and you already have some experience on bnc-3m since you seem to play it often
the best banshee version it's that one with 3 ac/5 and like 3ll or something

stalker, specifically 4n, is better for cw though

Hey bad arcade, how do you know which mechs I play? Where can I find that info?

[bad arcade kitty]

you said yourself that you play the trial banshee :3

[Chados]

I think Kitty is right..TBR, EBJ, or SCR if you're into Clans. Thud or QKD, maybe, if IS, deep ding on your desire for mobility. I like Catapults but the selection is limited unless you want a missile carrier of some kind.

I've tried some of the classic assaults like the Banshee and Awesome and frankly, I don't like them, they're ponderous and slow targets. They "rek fac3s" if the pilot knows what they're doing but they aren't for me. I ended up running Victors for assaults because they're a heavy mech masquerading as an assault-basically a 65-70 tonner with an 80 ton chassis . I like them very much. But they're a little fragile for a traditional assault and need an XL engine really to shine, which makes them very vulnerable in a stand up fight, though they tend to take hits on the center torso rather than side torsos, which is nice for an XL user. Gargoyles are like that, fast and mobile and not real tanky, but don't have jump jets. I hear that Gladiators (Executioner, in MWO-speak) are very good 90 ton platforms that can jump. But a Daishi/Dire Wolf...I tried that in trial form and hate it with a passion. It can't get out of its own way, but it can carry pretty much all the guns and straight take a beating. If that's your style, go for it. Just mind the learning curve. It's steep.

[purplewasabi]

Spheroid, on 29 September 2015 - 05:18 PM, said:

Assaults are not a forgiving class of mech. I strongly recommend something lighter for a new player.

Slow moving assaults like the Direwolves will require a good deal of foresight. You'll need the ability to predict what will happen with your every move. All your moves have to be justified. That is why most advice against assaults mechs if you're a newcomer because newcomers are still developing that knowledge base to make good predictions on the battlefield. Also, mechs like the Direwolf, Atlas and TBR has a good deal of notoriety on the battlefield, so its not just facts and figures in the mechlab anymore. Your role, your loadout has to be justified.

But, like others have said, if it works for you, have a go. My advice would be to avoid the "slow" 100 tonners for now. Banshees are a good starting point.

edit: Warhawks should be a good starting point too.

Edited by purplewasabi, 29 September 2015 - 07:56 PM.

[The Trumpet of Gabriel]

Banshees are very good assault mechs. They can take a beating and dish one out. The downside is they can scare people which makes them a priority target. Another good option for a beginner assault pilot is the Zeus. It is faster and more maneuverable than the banshee, but because of quirks has similar durability. They can run a wide variety of loadouts as well. I would not recommend the dire wolf or king crab for a beginner. They are very powerful, but not new player friendly.

[Tahribator]

Starting out with an assault is a huge mistake. They are indeed slow and will be left behind if you don't get your positioning right. Some of them can be made responsive with massive XL engines (like the BLR and BNC), but those require massive amounts of experience to work. Assaults are also priority targets whenever they pop up, so you will be focused as soon as you make a mistake and die faster than you'd imagine. It's a horrible learning platform. Though the worst part is they are very important to the team for a win, so by being in an Assault and not having a grasp for this game, you're crippling your team heavily. As a beginner you'll also lack the C-Bills to get three of the same chassis to elite them (you'll need about ~30M on average, not including the equipment).

It's best to start out in a medium or a heavy. Preferably a medium so you can afford to kit them out sooner. Some good medium candidates:

• Blackjack (energy and ballistics)
  
• Hunchback (energy, ballistics and missiles, very tough chassis)
  
• Shadowhawk (energy/ballistic/missiles, currently very mediocre, but a good mix of hardpoints with good tonnage so you can try every gamestyle)
  
• Stormcrow (probably the best alternative because of the Clan tech, but very expensive)

and heavies:

• Hellbringer (energy/ballistic/missiles, an all-rounder great 'Mech)
  
• Thunderbolt (very forgiving, tough as a brick, good firepower, energy heavy)
  
• Timber Wolf (energy/ballistic/missiles, excels at everything)

Edited by Tahribator, 30 September 2015 - 03:07 AM.

[VXJaeger]

New player + assault mech = dead meat.
Get Stormcrow, Ebon Jaguar or TimberWolf instead, those are very flexible and high survivability weapon platforms whatever your playstyle will be.

[Fobhopper]

Zentil, on 29 September 2015 - 04:34 PM, said:

I have seen people recommending, as an assault mech for a beginner, the dire wolf. But in some posts people say it's very slow, and it's left behind often, with obvious consequences. Isn't it better for a beginner to start with a Warhawk, trading a bit of armor and weapons for more speed and maneuverability?
Please build on your experience. Thank you

I would not recommend piloting a 'direwhale'. They are very costly mechs to make useable, and they are slow even by king crab standards with incredibly low weapon locations and are pretty much walking barnyards. And I say this as someone who mostly pilots assault mechs (particularly the KGC). If you want to pilot an assault mech, I recommend something that is a little more user friendly like a warhawk, king crab, atlas or battlemaster. Battlemaster is more laser based, KGC is more missile and ballistic focused, atlas is a good all-rounder with lasers on arms, and ballistic and missile in the torso's. The warhawk is customizable (but incredibly expensive) to fit your playstyle but is very hard on your wallet (either cbills or cash). I run my warhawk with an lrm15 in the torso, 2 uac5 and a couple lasers in the arms.

If you want to read my guide on piloting assault mechs, check my signature.

[Zentil]

Tahribator, on 30 September 2015 - 03:02 AM, said:

Starting out with an assault is a huge mistake. They are indeed slow and will be left behind if you don't get your positioning right. Some of them can be made responsive with massive XL engines (like the BLR and BNC), but those require massive amounts of experience to work. Assaults are also priority targets whenever they pop up, so you will be focused as soon as you make a mistake and die faster than you'd imagine. It's a horrible learning platform. Though the worst part is they are very important to the team for a win, so by being in an Assault and not having a grasp for this game, you're crippling your team heavily. As a beginner you'll also lack the C-Bills to get three of the same chassis to elite them (you'll need about ~30M on average, not including the equipment).

It's best to start out in a medium or a heavy. Preferably a medium so you can afford to kit them out sooner. Some good medium candidates:

• Blackjack (energy and ballistics)
  
• Hunchback (energy, ballistics and missiles, very tough chassis)
  
• Shadowhawk (energy/ballistic/missiles, currently very mediocre, but a good mix of hardpoints with good tonnage so you can try every gamestyle)
  
• Stormcrow (probably the best alternative because of the Clan tech, but very expensive)

and heavies:

• Hellbringer (energy/ballistic/missiles, an all-rounder great 'Mech)
  
• Thunderbolt (very forgiving, tough as a brick, good firepower, energy heavy)
  
• Timber Wolf (energy/ballistic/missiles, excels at everything)

Hey thanks to all. About the Hellbringer: why no one ever mention it? Seems good, plus it has ECM. Any surprise after purchase? Do its arms always get stuck somewhere? The trial version I have tried with 2 PPC is hard to use because it's rare that you have such an open field in front of you to fire both PPC and... actually deliver them. One always hits a building, a branch, top of the hill, etc...
I'd like to hear someone who uses it... thanks!!

Edited by Zentil, 30 September 2015 - 05:47 PM.

[Takashi Uchida]

A lot of people will suggest a "gateway" assault that retains heavy-class speed like a Battlemaster or Zeus before getting into the "classic" assaults like the Dire Wolf or Atlas.

I began my assault journey with the Battlemaster which helped ease me into the handling of an assault. But, if you really want to go all in with a Dire Wolf, I don't see why not so long as you can deal with the steep learning curve. You will be punished quickly and severely for your mistakes and you will either learn or give up. That's just the way it is lol.

[bad arcade kitty]

Zentil, on 30 September 2015 - 05:46 PM, said:

Hey thanks to all. About the Hellbringer: why no one ever mention it? Seems good, plus it has ECM. Any surprise after purchase? Do its arms always get stuck somewhere? The trial version I have tried with 2 PPC is hard to use because it's rare that you have such an open field in front of you to fire both PPC and... actually deliver them. One always hits a building, a branch, top of the hill, etc...
I'd like to hear someone who uses it... thanks!!

helly is one of the best clan heavies, it is in the trinity of timber, helly and ebon

its arms are low slung but it doesn't really matter because everybody mostly uses the high placed torso hardpoints