29 replies to this topic

[RunWithRandoms]

If you were starting the game FRESH, no experience, and you just bought 3000 MC because well, you had the money, but you didn't have any more for a few more days... what exactly would you buy?

Is there a Mech Loot Box that I can get to take a shot at something cool? I don't mind a good gamble here and there Even if the odds are stacked badly.

Give me a heads up where to put this MC please :-D

And any other TOTAL beginner advice.

[PhoenixFire55]

Wait until mech bays are on sale and buy 20 of them. Its the only thing worth buying really.

[FlipOver]

Hi there and welcome to MW:O!

If you already purchased the MCs, hang on to them for a while before spending them.

Learn what kind of mech class you like to play. Use the trial mechs and complete the tutorial for some C-Bills.


Then, when you know you like (for the sake of an example) the medium class, use the forums to seek information and find out which mediums will suite your playstyle the best, according to their setup and hardpoints.

Only then you can start thinking about spending the MC wisely.

You will have the option of purchasing:
MechBays (which you will need to store all the mechs you purchase after you used up all the initial 4 mechbays)
Mastery Packs (some might cost more than 3k MC, so if you find one you'd like to get, just wait until you have enough o buy more MC and then get the Mastery Pack you'd like/need)
Mechs (some specific mechs can be purchased only by MCs, not that they will give you an advantage in the field - some are actually the worst choice - but it's a fast way to get another mech)

Remember, for you to have a fully mastered mech (totally unlocked, faster, turning quicker, one more module slot, etc) you will need to purchase 3 different variants of the same mech. So let's say you like the Centurions, you will have to chose 3 from the A; AH; AL; D to get one or all mastered.

Keep this in mind before spending any MC and C-Bills on stuff you will probably regret or not need in a near future.

Hope this helps.

[MechWarrior3671771]

I would

1) buy 30 days Premium time for 2500 MC (+50% cbill rewards)

OR
2) add a bit more to get a Raven mastery bundle (3 mechs, +30 days Premium) for 5362 MC

OR
3) wait and use it to convert XP to GXP to unlock modules


Do NOT buy cbills, camo, colors, consumables or cockpit flair

Edited by Fenrisulvyn, 16 November 2015 - 04:11 AM.

[John1352]

I'm going to recommend you hang onto it until there are some hero mech sales and you have a better idea of your preferred weight classes. Early on you're likely to get something that doesn't suit you.

Also, mech bays will end up in short supply once you've played a while.

[Elizander]

The long term best investment (and I mean long term, if you plan to play pokemech - collecting mechs) is to buy mech bays. You can get some bays from CW and events, but it's easier to grab a few with MC so that you can expand your stable of mechs later on. If you are patient you can wait for a 50% off sale (which is rare, might take a few months or maybe they have one in December) to get more bang for your buck. Problem with this is you don't get any immediate benefit as a new player.

If you want things faster, you can grab some Premium time to get a 50% boost to your c-bill and xp earnings. You can get 30 days of it for 2500 MC.

Without a sale to help you out, you can only buy Hero mechs that are in the Light category and the X-5 Medium hero mech. These give you a +30% earnings to c-bills as long as you use the mech but if you don't know whether you like a mech or not beforehand might cause you some buyer's remorse.

Mastery Bundles are a great deal, you get 3 mechs (one +30% c-bill, one +30% xp and upgrade, one normal one), 3 bays, premium time all at 50% off but they are a bit out of your budget.

Please look over the prices. If you don't plan to spend a lot more later, perhaps it's best to wait until you can buy a Mastery Pack. That's about the best advice I can give unless you want to roll clans, then you are better off looking at the gift store on the website instead of in the game client.

Edit:

As a new player, you will be able to earn about 13-15m c-bills from doing your first 25 matches (thanks to the Cadet Bonus) and getting the 5m from completing the challenges in the tutorial.

This will be enough to get you a very nice mech. You can even go ahead and buy a Stormcrow (and maybe a Timberwolf if you start with premium time or grind a few more games after the cadet bonus).

It's highly recommended that you first test out all the trial mechs, get used to the weapons and how the mechs move before deciding. Don't worry if you lose, just focus on learning, not doing suicide runs, practice peek and shoot and checking your mini-map so you don't get left behind by your team. One you are familiar with your maps and going through the trials, you should be able to make a more informed purchase with your hard-earned dollars and c-bills.

Each player has their own playstyle preference so it's hard to recommend what to get to a new player. If you want to know what the competitive players are using, you can go browse Metamechs which has tier lists and builds, but unless you gain experience in the game, simply having these mechs won't necessarily guarantee you high numbers in your games.

Check out Spike Brave's channel on Youtube for tutorials and you can watch some of Sidestrafe's MWO videos to learn how to deal damage while not dying.

Edited by Elizander, 16 November 2015 - 04:20 AM.

[Boris Javorina]

PhoenixFire55, on 16 November 2015 - 04:04 AM, said:

Wait until mech bays are on sale and buy 20 of them. Its the only thing worth buying really.

+1

[TWIAFU]

So much good and honest advice, minus one hater, I am impressed.

Well done and keep it up!

[Yozzman]

PhoenixFire55, on 16 November 2015 - 04:04 AM, said:

Wait until mech bays are on sale and buy 20 of them. Its the only thing worth buying really.

+2

[Rushin Roulette]

PhoenixFire55, on 16 November 2015 - 04:04 AM, said:

Wait until mech bays are on sale and buy 20 of them. Its the only thing worth buying really.

+ _{∞ (Damn, my Eight apparently got plastered and fell over).}
Usually Mechbays cost 300MC per bay, but in the rare sales they are 50% off at 150MC per bay. Whatever you decide on, plan ahead and wait for that item to go on sale (The only thing I have never seen on sale is the mastery packs, but they are already at roughly 50% off the regular price).

[MechWarrior3671771]

TWIAFU: "So much good and honest advice, minus one hater, I am impressed."

What are you talking about? Who is the hater giving dishonest advice? Speak up.

[aGentleWarrior]

Well I spent MC so far for:

Camo + colors: I like my mechs with style ( I just ride the mechs which I find appealing, even if others are superior)
Pirates Bane : it was on 50% sale and ... Locusts are sexy, generally the XL engine itself was reused mastering other chassis a lot
Mechhangars: but you can try CW and switch factions to get some slots too....
XP conversions: only because last year was some event where modules were on sale, and i needed Global XP to unlock some

[Telemachus -Salt Wife Salt Life-]

save the MC till there is a mechbay sale and buy 20 mechbays. best investment.

[SnagaDance]

Also, if you plan on getting some more MC in the near future you might want to keep in mind that MWO has had MC sales these last few years on the Black Friday weekend.

[Wildstreak]

First, when you get the 'more money' save it for about Black Friday. Some sales come at certain times, Black Friday I think PGI does a sale where MC package buys are boosted so you get more MC for your money.

1 - Save for future use when you get more MC.
2 - Buy MechBays. Usually you wait for a sale but if you really need them, get only what you need.
3 - Keep track of sales in the Announcements section of the Forums.

Smart ways to spend MC not in order.

A - Buy a bundle. If you want one of the Mechs to Elite / Master, get a bundle that gives you a Hero (extra CB), Champion (extra MXP) and third variant, MechBays for all three and 30 days PT for more CB and MXP boost. Even the cheapest Bundles (Spider & Firestarter) cost above 4000 MC.
B - Buy colors & camo when on sale. Colors are good because they are universal for every Mech. Camo depends, you have to know you really want it especially if you only get a one-shot. Faction camo and some colors are on sale now.
C - Buy a Hero Mech, on sale or not, especially if it is not in a bundle. Make sure you want it.
D - Buy cockpit items. Faction items are on sale now.
E - Buy Premium Time, you can afford up to a 30 day package with 3000MC. Dunno about buying CB.
F - Consumables for MC are really only worth it if you have not unlocked improvements to CB Consumables.

[Thunder Child]

If you want C-bills for MC, the absolute best value for money way to do it as a straight up purchase (and not through bonuses like Premium or Heroes) is by buying the Champion Jenner when it's on sale. I can't remember who did the math, but the 300XL engine gives it the best MC/C-bill conversion.

That said, I agree with the majority above. Mechbays, either standard or, better yet, on sale are the best purchases you could ever make, even if they are less flashy.

Colours on sale are a good purchase too. Don't buy them full price, but if there is a particular colour that you want, grab it during a sale, because it can be used on any chassis.

Camo patterns on the other hand, never EVER buy a permanent unlock. Because the Permanent Unlock is only for that particular Chassis and it's variants. For mechs like the Hunchback or Shadowhawk, it's okay, because you have five different variants for the unlock price. But for a mech like the Victor, that only has three variants, you still pay the same price. The advantage of a permanent unlock is that if you ever sell the chassis, it will still be there for use should you repurchase it.
Personally, I'd recommend going for the One-shot unlock. Yes, you lose it if you change camos, or if you sell and repurchase. But if it's a favourite variant of yours that you'll never sell, and you want it to always look that one particular style, then grab the one-shot, because it is a fraction of the price of the unlock.

Hero Mechs are an interesting one. Never ever buy a Hero for its Flavour of the Month status. The Dragonslayer is a prime example. Hugely popular during the Poptartageddon, it was the penultimate hero chassis. Teams of Dragonslayers slaughtered helpless noobs on countless worlds. If the enemy team had more DS's than yours, it was GG.
This is, of course, an exaggeration. But that is the general consensus of the forums at the time. Needless to say, the DS was selling like crazy. And then the Victor nerfing happened (and Highlanders too). Many tears were wept by those that had purchased the now 80 ton Paperweight. They were everywhere. Now they are barely seen.
Long story short. Buy a Hero because you enjoy the look, feel, loadout, etc. To get your moneys worth, you need to use it, so make sure it's something you'll want to use no matter which way the wind blows at the time.

Premium Time? Well, I got mine from the Packs that I've purchased, and it's good value if you play the game a lot. If you have limited time, a Hero mech is better value, as the bonus is always active. Be aware that the Premium Bonuses and Hero Bonuses do stack.

Which brings us to Mastery Packs. Which give you a Hero, Premium Time, AND three mechbays, for a 50% discount. So, if you did want all of the above, the Mastery is probably the way to go, if you don't want to wait for sales.

TL:DR. Mechbays. All the Mechbays.

[MechWarrior3671771]

I'm surprised that mechbays are such a fav. Been here 10 months now, own about 50 mechs, and between CW rewards and event rewards, I've had to buy a mechbay once, maybe twice. Right now I'm +5 on mechbays. I guess I'm just weird.

[Sickening Spying Scheming Eunuch]

I would wait for a mechbay promotion, then buy 20 of those for 150 mc each! To many mechs to love, to little place to put them!

[Ano]

From my perspective

Do wait until you've finished your first 25 matches using the trial mechs (you get bonus income for the first 25 matches) before buying anything.
Do go through the new tutorial. Not only does it show you a bunch of useful stuff, but you'll make up to 5m Cbills.
Do consider the mastery packs once you've done the stuff above and have an idea of which mechs you like.


Also: if money's super-tight then perhaps spending your MC on camos, paints etc isn't the best approach. BUT. the game's not just about winning, so if you want to decorate your mechs, go right ahead. Also check out the mechpacks that are available on the website, as they often come with paints (which are global unlocks), war horns and other stuff.

[Sereglach]

This is what I have told other new people starting the game, no matter how much money/time they have:

1A. Start a junk account. Play all the trials and figure out what tech base (clan or IS) and weight class you like the most. If on a junk account, don't hesitate to blow your Cadet Bonus on testing some things out.

OR

1B. Take all the trial mechs and run around in testing grounds/Academy doing tests and challenges until you figure out what you enjoy playing the most for weight class and tech-base (Clan or IS). Even if this isn't a perfect combat trial, it should give you good enough assessments to make informed decisions on your purchases.

What is important for step #1 is making sure you know what you like.

2. Now that you know what you like, either purchase a hero mech, mastery bundle, or website package (a la carte or tiered package) to get what you really want to play, and know you're getting a +30% c-bill mech. Make sure you get that +30% c-bill mech. There are plenty of low-budget light and medium heroes if you're tight on money. Medium is probably one of the best weight classes to start at (personal opinion, there, but they're great workhorses with a reasonable blend of armor, speed, agility, and firepower) if you find yourself still completely unsure of where you want to start at.

3000MC will buy anything X-5 and below without being on sale . . . on sale 30% off will get you any light or medium . . . on sale 50% off will get you anything 80 tons or below.

NOTE ON #2: With the holidays fast approaching PGI is sure to have lots of big sales, so if you can wait to really play your main account until those sales go out, that 3000MC will go a lot further in buying a nice hero mech . . . expect a big sale for Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend, which is only next week.

3. Set aside a weekend and purchase a 3-day premium time bonus.

4. Play your cadet bonus out with the +30% c-bill bonus mech and premium time. Unless something changed with the achievements (worked back in my newbie days, so to speak) then the +80% total c-bill bonus will boost your cadet bonus. Approx. 25 million c-bills cadet bonus + game performance becomes ~45 million c-bills + the performance of your games with 80% boost. Not a bad place to start for c-bills, which should easily purchase -if not completely outfit- at least 3 variants of a chassis to master.

5A. If you haven't bought any sort of bundle/package, then buy 2-8 mech bays. However, don't buy more than 8 to start, and definitely not less than 2. The logic here is that 12 mech bays (since you start with 4) will get you one mech of each weight class and/or a full drop deck for CW mastered without selling anything back at a c-bill loss (4 mechs x 3 variants for master = 12 mechs). If c-bill losses aren't a big deal to you then 2 purchased mech bays (giving you 6 total) will let you buy 3 of a chassis, master it, sell the two variants you don't want to keep (presuming none are heroes . . . NEVER SELL A HERO, EVEN IF YOU HATE IT! The 30% c-bill boost can be a nice boon if you're desperate for cash) and move on to buying 3 of the next chassis. This will let you master 4 mechs.

OR

5B. If you decide to order a bunch of packages/bundles then they all come with mech bays for those mechs. For IS mechs you can sell off the non-special chassis variants that you don't like (AFTER mastering the chassis). For Clan mechs the "common" philosophy is to keep the one with the best CT base and sell the rest (since Omni-pods are interchangeable everywhere else). However, I've very rarely sold any chassis variants, but I have done it. You probably will, too, at some point; and when you do, you'll find yourself sitting on all those empty mech bays to use on whatever else you want down the road.

Again, the point of #5 is to have enough mechs and mech bays to fill a CW Drop Deck, or master a mech of each weight class, or -at the very least- master several chassis that you really enjoy playing. If a chassis comes out later that you dearly love (and aren't buying a package for) then you can always buy a few mech bays for just a few dollars. Even better if mech bays go on sale.

6. If you see a slew of mechs you want, never underestimate the value of a package. They come heavily discounted from straight MC purchases, come with banked premium time (so you can activate it whenever you want, and even in 30-day chunks via your profile . . . great for when you have a stint of binge-gaming or just want enough premium time in there to master a few new chassis), all needed mech bays, give you plenty of colors, some camo-pattern options, and extra goodies. Also, most chassis in the packages ("Standard" Classics and Urbanmech packages excluded) come with a special variant that has a 30% c-bill boost (same as a hero). Again, see points 2-4 to see how valuable that 30% c-bill mech is.

7. Enjoy the game, and remember you always have that (or those, if you bought a big website-based package with multiple chassis) 30% c-bill mechs to fall back on if/when you're desperate for c-bills. Customizing can get expensive, quick.

Hopefully that helps get you on the best foot possible, to start.

Edited by Sereglach, 16 November 2015 - 10:21 PM.