20 replies to this topic

[Mothermoy]

im getting my brother to play, and he will be fresh outa tutorial. Whats the best mech for him to start with, with the money he will have?

[Palor]

I think thunderbolts are a solid choice for newby heavy, and a griffons are a solid medium.

[epikt]

He won't be able to buy a mech and make the proper customisation (*) with the tutorial money alone. He'll have to play with trial mechs a little, and that's a good thing, he'll be able to make a first impression on multiple types of gameplay, and chose what he prefers.

For new player I often suggest the Hunchbacks. They are cheap (STD engine), they are sort of easy to pilot, yet powerful, and the multiple variants each offer a different playstyle.

(*) I insist on that point : don't drop in a stock/unoptimized mech (for example without DHS upgrade). You will underperform and take longer to gain the money you need, not to mention you'll have less fun than with the trials (that are pretty well made, I must admit).

Edited by epikt, 12 December 2015 - 05:22 PM.

[Mothermoy]

hrmmm i just bout the steam assault pack, so i dont really understand trial mechs. is there a tutorial somewhere?

[epikt]

Trial mechs are the mechs everybody can use, for free. You just can't change the builds (but hopefully those builds are well made)(except for few exceptions like the Adder).

When you're clicking on the "select mech" button, you should be able to select them. If you don't, it's probably because one filter (on top of the list) is active, most likely the "all mechs/owned mechs/trial mechs".

[Not A Real RAbbi]

epikt, on 12 December 2015 - 05:36 PM, said:

Trial mechs are the mechs everybody can use, for free. You just can't change the builds (but hopefully those builds are well made)(except for few exceptions like the Adder).

When you're clicking on the "select mech" button, you should be able to select them. If you don't, it's probably because one filter (on top of the list) is active, most likely the "all mechs/owned mechs/trial mechs".

Roger. Just make sure that "OWNED" is not checked when you're in the "SELECT MECH" screen, and you should be fine. You'll see a few mechs each IS and Clan that you DO NOT own. Those are trial mechs.

As for a first mech, it's been said time and again: HUNCHBACK. If y'all feel like throwing down some IRL $$$ on the game, buy the Hunchback Mastery Pack. If not, pure C-Bill purchase will be a slower path to success, but still a relatively rewarding one. That is, IF the new player in question is not already leaning toward a particular weight class or role or faction (IS/Clan).

IF we're leaning toward weight classes:

Light: Firestarter or Jenner (IS), Arctic Cheetah (Clan)
Medium: Hunchback (IS), Storm Crow (Clan)
Heavy: Thunderbolt or Catapult (IS), Timber Wolf or Ebon Jaguar (Clan)
Assault: Stalker (IS), Dire Wolf or Warhawk (Clan)

By roles? Sure!

Scout/harasser: (SAME AS LIGHTS ABOVE)
Quick Skirmisher: Hunchback, Wolverine, Shadowhawk (IS), Storm Crow (Clan)
Brawler: Thunderbolt, Cataphract (IS), Timber Wolf (Clan)
Direct Fire Support: Jagermech, Marauder (IS), Ebon Jaguar, Dire Wolf (Clan)
Laser Vomit (the current meta): Thunderbolt (IS), Timber Wolf, Storm Crow (Clan)
Sneak-n-peek (fast, sneaky snipers): Raven, Cicada (IS), Shadow Cat, (MAYBE) Kit Fox (Clan)
LRM boat: Catapult, Stalker (IS), Warhawk, Ebon Jaguar (Clan)

Best overall mechs for the money?

Timber Wolf and Storm Crow (Clan)
Hunchback (IS)

Most surprisingly good for a not-top-tier mech?

Catapult (IS)
Ebon Jaguar (Clan)

The Catapult IS primarily a missile support mech, sure. But the CPLT-K2 and -JESTER (Hero variant) do pretty well in direct-fire supporting roles. They won't brawl very well at all (though there's a missile Cat that used to be THE most feared mech in the game for brawliness), but they can provide sustained and accurate fires in support of the maneuver. The K2 and Jester have those high-mounted 'ears' (their arms) that make them really good hill humpers. Either can tote at least FOUR lasers. I've rearranged my K2 recently to carry two ERLL and two LPL, with a relatively quick 300XL engine and virtually MAX armor. It can handle four ML and two UAC/5 with a LOT of ammo, too, and do that with a STD 270 if I'm feeling scared for my side torsos. I've got a Jester humping twin ERLL and quad MPL, which is my top mech in my IS drop deck for CW--even with a couple jump jets, it runs surprisingly cool and can lay out some significant fire. So yeah, it's not on everyone's radar as a top-tier IS heavy, but it deserves more respect than it typically gets.

Ebon Jaguar is a SERIOUSLY good mech. No one's really knocking it, anyway, but it's overshadowed by its big brother, the Timber Wolf, which is arguably the game's very best mech at any price. I own all four EBJs and three of the TBRs, and I honestly PREFER the EBJ. Fewer heat sinks, a little less armor, and no optional JJs. Got it. Also carries better arm and side torso mounts for primary weapons. The side torso mounts put the weapon up high, which makes it a prime hill humper. The arms stick well out to the sides of the body, making it a great corner peeker too. (Some seem to think that you need to expose your cockpit to fire. If you know what's beyond the cover in front of you, and you have the red box and dorito, then center your reticle on the box and fire away. Spotting enemies so the heavies can fire on them from cover, is what scouts are for.)

I still recommend the HBK for an undecided beginner. It's the most versatile chassis in the game. There are, among free-to-own variants, TWO with high-mounted ballistic primaries, ONE with high-mounted energy primaries, ONE with high-mounted missile primaries, and one that combines missiles and lasers for a strong brawling presence without the tall torso. Add the pay-to-own hero variant, the Gridiron, and you have one of the fastest-firing Gauss platforms ever devised, with a couple of strong secondary weapons systems. OH YEAH, all of the HBKs have at least one energy hard point in each arm and in the head. You can swap engines to make a faster mech, add more armor and stay slow, get crazy with the Cheez Whiz, whatever.

The thinking here is that you're going to at least ELITE three variants of whatever chassis you buy, so that you can open up that MASTER module slot on any that you decide to keep around. Pick three Hunchies, then, and get to killin'!

Or, y'know, DON'T. Just throwing my $.02 in there for ya.

Welcome aboard and stuff, by the way.

[JC Daxion]

Hunchbacks are probably the best mech to get outta the tutorial If you just wanna jump into your own mech..


The second best i think are the shadow hawks.. Both mechs have variants that can use any weapon in the game, and both have energy boats, can use ballistics, or missiles. Shadow hawks cost a bit more, but have jump jets, and one of the pricey ones for just over 8m i think or around that has a very nice XL-275 engine.


So if you don't mind playing around in trials, the shadow hawks might be better just for the engine alone, and the Jump jets...


But HBKS are pretty darn tanky for a medium, and you will have to learn the maps to get around, making you a better pilot in the end.. so when you do finally go to jump jets, you will have more ground knowledge.. going with JJ's to none, is a harder transition for sure



If you go HBK's, just buy endo steel and double heat sink upgrades for all 3 mechs, And as you get the first, buy a STD250 engine to swap around.. I'd recommend the 4H, 4P, But those have hunches, and have a nice armor and structure boost on that hunch everyone aims for.. and 4SP (the hunchless HBK)

[Tarl Cabot]

Without buying anything the Trial enforcer. On an alt account dropping as a tier 4, ending the matches as the top 2/3 of the team is scary (currently 50% into tier 3) . At this point that account has enough points to master that variant if I ever play another 2 variants. No mechs have been purchased, either via MC/C-Bills. I think I will continue to keep that way to see how the trial mechs perform without Skills/modules/mechlab....

If he wants to go clanner then the trial Stormcrow. Just make sure to set the weapons into 3 groups and be prepared to set to chain fire...

And tell him to not worry about tiers, it is more of an experience bar now than anything else. If the current players play enough, most will eventually become tier 1.

With that said, the hunchbacks have the most variants that can play at different roles and is in the "sweet" zone.

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 12 December 2015 - 11:39 PM.

[MavRCK]

I highly recommend starting in a light firestarter (or Arctic cheetah) then watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOe9NNrsbwg

These lights carry matches - learn to play and understand the game in the light and you'll go far.

[epikt]

This video is one of the best light pilots in the game starting a new account. Don't expect anything close in the case of an actual new player.
Light mechs are harder to pilot than mediums and heavies, not to mention they cost a lot of money with their XL engine.

I'm not saying rookies should not begin with lights. I'm just saying it's not the easy path (segregating players in tier might have made it easier, but still). So before you do, please pilot the trial mechs and only buy a light if you fall in love with the Jenner and/or Cheetah and find all the rest is kind of dull.

[Rogue Jedi]

Medium or Heavy are usualy the better choice for a beginner,
Lights and assaults are too unforgiving, in both cases make one mistake any you will likely die,

with lights, give an enemy a good shot at you and it is often game over,

with most assaults get into a bad position and regardless of your armor and firepower you are probably too slow to get out of it

I also suggest the Hunchback, but any 50 or 55 tonner should be OK, but if one is available try a Trial Mech of the type you want first

[Solarise02]

cheetah is very good =) hit enemy without being seen.

[epikt]

Careful Solarise, ECM does not make you immune to bullets, nor it prevents your enemies to use their eyes.

[Chados]

I think your Rabbi has good advice. I point you to the Thunderbolt 9SE. As soon as you can, outfit with endo, Ferro, DHS, a STD290 and 3 large pulse lasers. It was the first mech I ever had a positive kill/death ratio in. And as a trial mech, too.

[Karl Marlow]

I'm surprised no one is mentioning the blackjack. Its quirks make it more durable than you would think at first glance. The Builds are strait forward, especially on the 1X. It's fairly quick an it doesn't have lower arm actuators. that makes for faster torso twisting and less confusion when it comes to aiming your guns in the middle of a firefight. They are fairly cheep as well. relatively speaking.

[Locked]

Thanks for all your answers guys. Really helpful.

[Johny Rocket]

Another point about trial mechs, the xp you earn in the trial mech will count toward your total with that mech. So if you find a Trial you like and plan to buy keep grinding with it until you get the cbills to buy and fit it out.

Some mechs have a (C) this is a champion mech and has a 30% xp boost. But it is not a separate variant in the skills so any xp earned in a (C) trial mech will go over to the regular variant. (C) mechs are just a special version of the stock variant that come with better engines and upgrades and loadouts.
If you buy the (C) and reg variant they don't count as 2 out of the 3 you need to elite.

[Tarl Cabot]

Tractor Joe, on 13 December 2015 - 08:54 AM, said:

Another point about trial mechs, the xp you earn in the trial mech will count toward your total with that mech. So if you find a Trial you like and plan to buy keep grinding with it until you get the cbills to buy and fit it out.

Some mechs have a (C) this is a champion mech and has a 30% xp boost. But it is not a separate variant in the skills so any xp earned in a (C) trial mech will go over to the regular variant. (C) mechs are just a special version of the stock variant that come with better engines and upgrades and loadouts.
If you buy the (C) and reg variant they don't count as 2 out of the 3 you need to elite.

As Tractor Joe said and just to reiterate (C) does mean Champion, not Clan Battlemech

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 13 December 2015 - 09:00 AM.

[Kristian Radoulov]

STORMCROW no discussion needed. Your Tier 1 overlord has spoken.

[Rededevil]

I started with a Jenner, and had a lot of fun with that. Then, I got a Spider and then focused on getting three of each so that I could master them out... I regret that I sold two of my spiders to get enough money to buy my first hunchback... but only because I don't have them any more.. I didn't like the hunchback first - but, after a while it grew on me.

I ended up buying three of those so I could master out one of them, and then sold two off so I could get my first Blackjack. I regretted later selling them too - but I liked my blackjack, and so bought two more of them over time so I could master that out.. and once I had the one I liked the most mastered, I sold the other two and saved my credits until I had enough to buy a timberwolf - but, as luck would have it, when I was almost ready to pull the trigger on buying the Timberwolf they went on sale! And I had enough saved to buy not one but Three of them. I loved them from the start once they were elited out.

However, after that purchase, I regretted so much selling the hunchbacks and the blackjacks that I saved up and bought them back again - and I love playing them all...

Since then, I got into Community Warfare, and now have four Thunderbolts.

So, the moral of this story is, take your time, find what you like, buy three, master them, but then... where I went wrong... do NOT sell any of them to advance - you will most likely end up buying them back again later, so for me it was a waste of money selling them - even though I stripped them before the sale, if I had to do it again, I would have been more patient and not sold any thing.

I still have yet to buy back the two spiders I sold - I found I am not fond of them, but the one I kept has ECM and occasionally I will use him just for fun - and that is a fun mech to own if you like being fast, and helping the team with ECM.