108 replies to this topic

[Herr Vorragend]

I´d also go for a medium or a heavy mech. My recommendations are:

Inner Sphere:

enforcer (medium)
blackjack (medium)
jägermech (heavy) <- maybe mastery-pack for real cash? The Jäger-Hero is a good one
thunderbolt (heavy)

Clan:

stormcrow (medium)
-
timberwolf (heavy)
ebon jaguar / cauldron born (heavy)


If you have 20 bucks to spare, get the marauder basic package

[Johny Rocket]

OP
Lights are the best to learn on but as stated they are hard to grind with to earn cbills to outfit them and get new mechs.
IS is better to learn on than Clan because Clan engines are locked so you lose out on learning the ropes of engines and how they effect heat, and agility.

Cicada is a well loved and battle tested design that brings to the table the speed and agility of a Light but the armor and payload of a small medium. They are limited in to mostly laser hardpoints with the 3M having a single ballistic point. No missiles which is a good thing, they look noob friendly but really are not.
The 3M also lets you play around with ecm.

If you are interested in Mediums the Shadow Hawks are pretty balanced choices that at 55t give you nearly the toughness of a Heavy while still being much faster and agile. 5 variants available for cbills (you only need 3 to unlock skills) you can pick 3 that will let you try every weapon in the game. The 5M already comes with endosteel, double heatsinks and a XL275 engine. For a 55t IS mech a XL300 is a better middle of the heap option but that XL275 share across a lot more mechs like the bigger Lights. The 5M also has a nice even 2/2/2 hardpoint layout and comes equipped with Jump Jets.

Welcome to the Game.

Edited by Tractor Joe, 11 December 2015 - 05:21 AM.

[Lolo van Trollinger]

locusts.
finishing academy and the new player achievements you can build two fully geared locusts.

only caveat: you may hate them more then everything else if your not born for locusting.
or miss reading the mechanica rodent martial arts guide in here.

[Johny Rocket]

Lolo van Trollinger, on 11 December 2015 - 05:22 AM, said:

locusts.
finishing academy and the new player achievements you can build two fully geared locusts.

only caveat: you may hate them more then everything else if your not born for locusting.
or miss reading the mechanica rodent martial arts guide in here.

You my friend might be a Sadist. Though you did warn him.

[Zookeeper Dan]

Spend a lot of time in trials to see what you like.

I'd stick in the 50-55 ton range, that seems to be the sweet spot for maneuverability, survivability, and firepower for new players.

Hunchback, Enforcer, Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Wolverine, Storm Crow.

Lights are fun, but don't be fooled by the occasional great game, if you make a mistake you burn hard and when starting you make lots of mistakes. My 1 amazing game in lights to 5 terrible games clouded my judgement when I started. I'm still trying to dig out of the PSR hole! I'm much more consistent in mediums.

[BeaverOnFire]

Danth Reduviid, on 11 December 2015 - 06:07 AM, said:

Spend a lot of time in trials to see what you like.

I'd stick in the 50-55 ton range, that seems to be the sweet spot for maneuverability, survivability, and firepower for new players.

Hunchback, Enforcer, Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Wolverine, Storm Crow.

Lights are fun, but don't be fooled by the occasional great game, if you make a mistake you burn hard and when starting you make lots of mistakes. My 1 amazing game in lights to 5 terrible games clouded my judgement when I started. I'm still trying to dig out of the PSR hole! I'm much more consistent in mediums.

The only mech that stands out from your list is the Storm Crow. I ownpilot everyone of them and the SC is great mech to start with. Even after the recent nerf. The Enforcer has only one good variant and i haven´t play the Shadow Hawk in a long time but it felt very subar back then.

I would recommend the Stormcrow to start with!

[Kristian Radoulov]

@OP, what it all boils down to is playing mechs that you like and enjoying them. A good pilot can wreck on almost any mech; you just have to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your mech and play accordingly. I regularly play the "worst" mechs in the game at the top level and still dominate my matches.

If you like the Jenner, you should absolutely play it. It is a good mech.

[xe N on]

Prof RJ Gumby, on 11 December 2015 - 04:02 AM, said:

Well, the clan omnimechs ARE more expensive than IS mechs. Not because of total cost of the mech+equipment+upgrades, but because of the fact thay they have hardlocked engines. You can buy 3 jenners and ONE 300xl engine to put in that jenner you want to play at the moment, while if you buy a clan mech, you'll be forced to pay for their engines. Fun fact: I have about 6 IS mechs built around IS xl300 engine, but only one xl300 engine

That's true, however, if you go for a drop deck for CW one engine for 4 mechs won't help you much :-)

Edited by xe N on, 11 December 2015 - 08:52 AM.

[Marmon Rzohr]

Ok, so if you like the Timber Wolf, it's a foolproof choice. You can make lots of varied builds with it and it's flat out excellent. If you do decide to run with it, i recommend this build:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a09339aefb0d737
You will want to have your lasers in several groups and only fire one group when you get above ~60% heat (you can go with a simple right click for the Large Pulse Lasers and left click for the Medium Lasers).

With mediums you are spoiled for choice. The Enforcer is good and quite tanky, the Blackjack is one the best mediums in the game (if not the best medium), while has a bit less armor than the Enforcer, it's deadlier and has an easy playstyle.
Have some example builds - Blackjacks:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...015e9307d25fc34
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...3a030309d3a6902
Enforcer:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...eff9558faea9a26

With regards to light mechs (not my area of expertise) the most used and best performing light mechs are the Arctic Cheetah and the Firestarter.
Firestarter: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1b376db008a7f7a
Arctic Cheetah: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a6b0f7d71d06a52
The Firestarter has a bit more range and DPS, but the Arctic Cheetah is quite a bit more durable. You can expect both these mechs to be very similar to the Jenner in playstyle and abilities.

Another thing noting is the price. On reach of the links you have the price of the mech (with all the weapons and modifications you will have to make on it) in the top right. The mediums and lights cost 10 to 11 million C-Bills, while the Timber Wolf and heavies in general are more expensive and will set you back 15 to 16 million C-Bills.

Please post the **** out of the forums with any questions you have
Cheers.

Edited by Marmon Rzohr, 11 December 2015 - 08:55 AM.

[bayoucowboy]

Jenners are great lights. If you do go light, make sure to save up for that max XL engine if IS (clan engines are fixed as said above) - speed is life. My most "fun" mech at the moment is the Jenner Oxide hero, no jump jets - but so fun to run around and srm spam.

[Big Tin Man]

The VERY SHORT LIST of beginner friendly mechs in order from least expensive to most

Blackjack--BJ-1, BJ-1X, BJ-A
BJ's run best with XL engines, does require a investment here, but you can swap them around. Lasers, PPC, or one big ballistic are very good. Arrow with 6 machine guns is a shredder late in games.

Thunderbolt--ANY
Great for STD engine laser madness. Tanky. Can also take missiles and ballistics, but why would you do that?

Stormcrow--ANY (prime is good to go stock)
Probably the 2nd or 3rd best mech in the game depending on who you ask. Clan tech is expensive, and ballistics aren't good on it.

Timberwolf--ANY
The best mech in the game, even after all of the nerfs. Accept no substitute. Very expensive for 3 at 14 million/ea.

There is a trend here. You want a maneuverable mech that can go between 80 and 115 kph. This is fast enough to keep up with the crowd, not too fast that you'll go charging headlong to your death, and not too slow that you'll miss that your team moved on and ditched you.

Would not recommend lights or assaults for someone wanting something beginner friendly. Piloting either of those relies of knowledge of the game, maps, and overall situational awareness. Stay away from the glass cannons and slow giant tanks.

[Luscious Dan]

My first mech when I got back into the game was a Shadow Hawk 2K and it never did well for me. ER Larges got outdone by anything quirked or Clan, I couldn't hit anything with slow post-nerf PPCs, and missile loadouts weren't fun.

However, the Shadow Hawks now have some decent weapon and durability quirks and I find they are a lot more capable. The 2H and 5M have good ballistic quirks, and the decent 2H(C) can be used during the cadet phase to generate more XP as they learn the chassis. Once you have your cadet bonuses, I'd make the 2H an AC20 boat, grab an UAC-based 5M (either dual UAC or single + lasers), and then you're free to pick a third. 2K with dual LPL and dual LRM5 is actually kinda fun. Gray Death is flexible and more tanky than the rest now.

What I really like about these Shadow Hawks is that they run cheap STD250 engines well, so you can use the STD275s for Thunderbolts later, and the XL275s for lights. Very economical.

One of the only things I don't like is the 2D2 in the Mastery Pack. It is too close to the Hero. I'd rather see the 5M or 2K in there.

[Bud Crue]

Agree with most of the above, with one exception:

I would NOT take a heavy as your first mech as the cue times are often insanely long and will be that way especially when the Rifleman and Warhammer drop. If you want more (quicker) matches take a light. Play enough and you will figure it out and the light cue is usually shortest.

In re mediums, I would suggest the Griffin over the others as you will have the option of ECM and jump jets. Cicada's give you the ecm experience but no jjs (except in the loyalty) version. If the idea is to gain as much experience and diversity of play possible the Griffin is a good choice. You can build them into just about anything (except ballistics) and learn what your play style favors. If the ECM doesn't do anything for you then my second choice is Black Jacks. Mech is fast, tough; has high hard points, and is capable of diverse load-outs.

I would not take most assaults as the play is fairly limiting and can be very frustrating in this game (sure your'e big and tough, but you are also an easier (slower) target).

[TWIAFU]

Lupis Volk, on 10 December 2015 - 06:35 PM, said:

Just wondering what'd be some mechs i should think about getting as my first mech? I'm using the trial Enforcer and am liking it's playstyle.

I'm mainly wanting to play mmedium or heavy class Battlemechs.

My best advice to you is;

Keep playing the Trials! Keep playing them and keep playing them. Find something you like and that is FUN, and get that.

Do NOT rush into buying something right away. Take your time. Get your Cadet Bonus and MWO Academy bonuses.

Wait to make your first mech purchase and buy something that is FUN for you.

Once you have something that is fun to pilot, you can then dive deeper into MWO.

Take your time, do not rush.

Keep asking questions!

Always press "R".

[DJO Maverick]

Going to reprint something I wrote to another poster the other day:

I recommend to every new player I meet that their first mech purchase should be a Hunchback 4SP. It is economical, and relatively cheap and simple to upgrade into a quick and powerful medium brawler. All you have to do to it is:

1. Upgrade to double heatsinks
2. Upgrade to endo-steel structure
3. Upgrade the engine to a 250 standard
4. Replace the head small laser with a 5th medium laser
5. Add heat sinks or ammo to taste

Here's a sample: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7a720fab4f86d10

This is a pretty nimble and durable loadout with stopping power where you will still have half your weapons if you lose one side, and still have a laser if you lose both. Great for learning how to aim with beams, and slow projectiles (the SRMs). Also will teach you heat management and firing groups. If you have a four button mouse, I suggest a left lasers group, a right lasers group, a SRM group, and a head laser group, for optimal heat and fire control.

I normally discourage people from going light first, just because it is more difficult to learn fundamentals when moving at high speed (which you should always be doing in a light), and their fragility discourages some new players.

On the flip side, I'd also discourage going assault (or even heavy) until you have a feel for how things work, else you are hurting your team by taking up a powerful high-tonnage slot with your learner's permit.

Medium is a great weight class to learn to play in, when you consider your next purchase.

[VitriolicViolet]

i started in a Raven-4X and though it was hard, they are great mechs. I still have my highest matches in the 4X. Can mount 2 ballictics and 2 energy weapons with JJ and can run the hilarious boom raven. The wolfhound has been my favourite light lately, as its really tough if you use STD engines.

However mediums probably would be easier, lower speed and more firepower the cicada is great only a little slower than a fast light and is well armed. The enforcer is good, but only if you can lead targets well due to the amount of ballistics slots and it unfortunately suffers from vulnerability because of using XL engines for the ballistics. Ballistics are heavy.

I would agree with DJO as well, focus on Double heat sinks and Endosteel frame for which ever mech you get, they free up so much tonnage that a mech can be redone.

[Lupis Volk]

Well after talking to the clan training me i got 3 Black jacks X1, 3, 1DC. Now i'm eyeing the Jenner mastery bundle since i'm loving the trial Jenner.

Also can anyone link me a BJ-1DC ballistic build?

Edited by Lupis Volk, 11 December 2015 - 02:37 PM.

[jss78]

Lupis Volk, on 10 December 2015 - 07:04 PM, said:

I'm being assisted by a clan and one of them did mention getting a BlackJack BJ-1x or BJ-3 variant in fact.

I've been running my BJ-3 recently, and I'd consider it a very novice-friendly mech. I run mine with a near-max STD engine (225), 2xERLL, 4xML, 2xJJ. Good mobility, good firepower at all ranges, and high weapon mounts -- really versatile and good to learn on.

What's more, Blackjacks got big internal structure quirks in last week's patch, which give them amazing survivability for their weight class. They're like pocket heavies now. Blackjacks haven't traditionally been quite on the top of novice-recommended mech listings, but right now I'd recommend them without reservation.

Edited by jss78, 11 December 2015 - 02:43 PM.

[Eaerie]

I love my Jenners, that said there are a couple good tidbits that ahve been stated concerning lights.
1. speed is life. you almost never want to be caught not moving. if you are stopped and someone gets a bead on you you are D.E.D. dead. protect your legs.
2. lights with JJ's are a lot more manouverable. not just for hopping up and over obsticles and mechs but the JJ's can be used to help you turn faster and move in unexpected directions when landing
3. awareness. always be aware of where you are and as many enemies as you can. Invest in siesmic sensor
4. use cover. lights should always be in cover or moving to cover. if targetted by an LRM swarm tuck yourself into cover. Invest in radar deprivation will help ease LRM spam on you.
5. don't leave your heavy/assault mates alone. lights love to chew on those big slow assaults, they taste like candy.
6. along with awareness watch the crossfires, nothing worse than intercepting a teammates dual AC20 that is aimed at an enemy with your back. (it happens, have been on both the recieving and delivering side of that)

lastly know your weapons, the ranges they work at, the heat they generate and the cycly times. do not overheat as a light it is a death sentence.

[Lupis Volk]

Eaerie, on 11 December 2015 - 02:54 PM, said:

I love my Jenners, that said there are a couple good tidbits that ahve been stated concerning lights.
1. speed is life. you almost never want to be caught not moving. if you are stopped and someone gets a bead on you you are D.E.D. dead. protect your legs.
2. lights with JJ's are a lot more manouverable. not just for hopping up and over obsticles and mechs but the JJ's can be used to help you turn faster and move in unexpected directions when landing
3. awareness. always be aware of where you are and as many enemies as you can. Invest in siesmic sensor
4. use cover. lights should always be in cover or moving to cover. if targetted by an LRM swarm tuck yourself into cover. Invest in radar deprivation will help ease LRM spam on you.
5. don't leave your heavy/assault mates alone. lights love to chew on those big slow assaults, they taste like candy.
6. along with awareness watch the crossfires, nothing worse than intercepting a teammates dual AC20 that is aimed at an enemy with your back. (it happens, have been on both the recieving and delivering side of that)

lastly know your weapons, the ranges they work at, the heat they generate and the cycly times. do not overheat as a light it is a death sentence.

Yes i'm learning this in my trial Jenner. It reminds me of my favourite tank in World of Tanks. The British Cromwell, fast, reasonably agile with fast firing accurate guns. In Jenner I poke ahead in early game to scout then pull back to the firing lines that form. then break off when a flank has open and i strafe the enemy in their rears.

Edited by Lupis Volk, 11 December 2015 - 03:21 PM.