27 replies to this topic

[Liam Wolf]

I have played the 25 matches now its time to pick a faction and buy some mechs so what should I choose?

Any help is welcome.

[Kuritaclan]

Any faction has good units. Check out those in the upper right corner (http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4888379) in their articles in the CW sub forum. If you don't give a **** on results every unit will welcome you as a newbie. As a new player you may wanna aquire some mechbays - theirfore starting out with a merc unit which switch factions often could help you getting those faster than a loyality unit.

What mechs you should buy, you should discuss this with your new unit. Since they know best which play style they play and how you would fit into the equation. Also you would profit of the accumulated knowledge of veterans.

Anyway it could be a bit early to join cw - unless you wanna learn MWO the hard way.

Edit: Also check out http://mwomercs.com/...action-for-you/ and you maybe see what faction fit you.

Edited by Kuritaclan, 22 December 2015 - 09:32 AM.

[AlmightyAeng]

Faction-wise? Doesn't matter a whole lot. It only affects Community Warfare, and at only 25 matches? I advise AGAINST doing CW.

CW is end-game content. Mastered mechs. Finding a team. Going in as a new solo you're likely going to get stomped. Hard. That's a bad experience.

In your first 25 matches, what did you enjoy piloting? Personally, I recommend the Blackjack 1X. It's a solid medium mech (always has been) with good speed, firepower and since the latest round of quirks, is a touch little sumbitch.

Feel free to shoot me messages, too, if you have more questions

[Liam Wolf]

I will not be playing CW, but before I start to buy mechs I want to choose a side so I dont waste my time and buy Mechs for the wrong side.

Also I have only played with the Arctic Cheetah trail and the Enforcer trial.

[AlmightyAeng]

You're able to own mechs for both Clan and Inner Sphere.

I would play around more with a variety of both. There are good, fun mechs on both sides, and you can win, or lose, with either in CW. It depends more on the players than on the mechs.

[William Slayer]

I believe when you say "Faction" what you mean is Clans or Inner Sphere?

Just as a quick clarification on the over all story line of this world, there are currently 9 "Factions" - 5 belong to the Inner Sphere (Marik, Davion, Kurita, Steiner and Liao) and 4 belong to the Clans (Wolf, Ghost Bear, Smoke Jaguar and Jade Falcon). Picking mechs for one side or the other won't matter much until you decide to join the Faction Warfare, which forces you to choose to play only one sides mechs or the other.

As a new player I would look into ONLY playing in the "Quick Play" area for a while, and you are allowed to pilot whatever mechs you want in that Play mode. You will learn a lot of basic skills there and can build up your bankroll while testing your self against pilots of similar skills as your own.

Differences in mechs: The following explanation is VERY simplified, but may et your decision making process started on what to BUY as your first mech.

Inner Sphere - Lower level of Technology, generally Tougher mechs, with shorter Ranged weapons.

The Clans - Higher Technology, with longer ranges to their weapons, and more weapons in general. Mechs a bit more fragile, and prone to over heating.


Try as many of the Trial mechs as you like, and get a good feel for what seems FUN for you to play, then make that big first purchase!

Hope this helps and hope you enjoy the game! Feel free to pass this information along to any other new players you meet.

[MaxFool]

For a new player it does make sense to focus on either clan or IS, but not both, for eventual CW purposes. Getting decent drop deck for both sides takes about twice as much effort as getting the drop deck for one side, and you are limited by available mech bays unless you spend real money or play CW.

If you want to play clan, easy to make drop deck for CW is for example 3xEbon Jaguar (or Hellbringer, same weight) + 1 Stormcrow. 3 Timberwolves + 1 Arctic Cheetah/Adder/Jenner-IIC is also good.

If you want to play IS, there are more ways to do good drop decks as they have more mechs and variants that are different from each other. I'd recommend something like 2 Stalkers + 2 Blackjacks or 4x 65t mechs (Thunderbolts and Jagermechs).

But as others have said, at this point CW is going to provide some rude experiences, especially if you go there solo. Join a unit and you'll learn everything much faster with their help, and playing CW with a team gives much better experiences. Your faction contract is not yours to decide then, you'll have to go with your team, something to keep in mind.

[Alec Braca]

William Slayer, on 22 December 2015 - 10:04 AM, said:

I believe when you say "Faction" what you mean is Clans or Inner Sphere?

Just as a quick clarification on the over all story line of this world, there are currently 9 "Factions" - 5 belong to the Inner Sphere (Marik, Davion, Kurita, Steiner and Liao) and 4 belong to the Clans (Wolf, Ghost Bear, Smoke Jaguar and Jade Falcon). Picking mechs for one side or the other won't matter much until you decide to join the Faction Warfare, which forces you to choose to play only one sides mechs or the other.

As a new player I would look into ONLY playing in the "Quick Play" area for a while, and you are allowed to pilot whatever mechs you want in that Play mode. You will learn a lot of basic skills there and can build up your bankroll while testing your self against pilots of similar skills as your own.

Differences in mechs: The following explanation is VERY simplified, but may et your decision making process started on what to BUY as your first mech.

Inner Sphere - Lower level of Technology, generally Tougher mechs, with shorter Ranged weapons.

The Clans - Higher Technology, with longer ranges to their weapons, and more weapons in general. Mechs a bit more fragile, and prone to over heating.


Try as many of the Trial mechs as you like, and get a good feel for what seems FUN for you to play, then make that big first purchase!

Hope this helps and hope you enjoy the game! Feel free to pass this information along to any other new players you meet.

You forgot the FRR big guy! Don't forget us!!!!!

[AlmightyAeng]

Alec Braca, on 22 December 2015 - 10:35 AM, said:

You forgot the FRR big guy! Don't forget us!!!!!

It's okay, he also left out the major differences between clan and IS that affect gameplay, and/or got them wrong.

[Willard Phule]

INNER SPHERE!

New players should ALWAYS choose Inner Sphere first. They have better trial mechs and their players are far more helpful to new players than the Clans.

[El Bandito]

Willard Phule, on 23 December 2015 - 02:04 AM, said:

INNER SPHERE!

New players should ALWAYS choose Inner Sphere first. They have better trial mechs and their players are far more helpful to new players than the Clans.

LIES! New players should ALWAYS choose Clans first. Clans have the best and the cheesiest trial mechs in the form of Timberwolf, Stormcrow, and Arctic Cheetah. Even a monkey can shoot accurately with those Clan trial mechs' laser vomit meta builds and the monkey can also survive for a while thanks to those trial mechs' Clan XL engine.

Edited by El Bandito, 23 December 2015 - 02:31 AM.

[Willard Phule]

El Bandito, on 23 December 2015 - 02:09 AM, said:

LIES! New players should ALWAYS choose Clans first. Clans have the best and the cheesiest trial mechs in the form of Timberwolf, Stormcrow and Arctic Cheetah.

Ah, but the current selection of trial mechs favors the IS at the moment. They've got the quad AC5 King Crab and all sorts of stuff with Large Laser quirks. Nope, IS is the way to go if you absolutely insist on learning how to play by joining CW instead of taking the tutorial or getting used to the solo queue.

In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest Steiner or Marik as the faction to join. They're always the best about recruiting and teaching new players.

[Alec Braca]

If you are looking for good fights and don't mind fighting tooth and nail, join the FRR teamspeak and check us out. The channel is open to everyone so just connect and start asking around if you can join a match. Just tell someone that you are new and are looking for someone to drop with. The FRR is a very open and newbie friendly but we do fight hard because of where we are located. Nearly all of the time we are fighting the Clans so if you have no problem with than, come on in!

[xWiredx]

OP: Buy a Timberwolf or Thunderbolt first, and built it meta-style. This will give you a bit of an easier time earning more c-bills relatively quickly in public matches (quick play) so that you can effectively build an initial CW drop deck for either side of the invasion.

I don't recommend building everything to 'meta' standards. The game isn't fun that way for most people. You've gotta build to suit your own style and preference. Building a meta heavy for c-bill grinding is usually a good way to get the other things you want, though.

Also, with an event going on right now, I would just build the one mech and pilot it through all 75 quick play rewards. That'll give you a bit of a boost in the finances when it comes to building the other mechs you choose.

Now, for which ones... My drop deck is currently a Jenner IIC, Ebon Jaguar, Hellbringer, and Timberwolf. I try to change it up every couple of days or week, depending on how I feel about it and how I want to play. If you go clan, I would probably do something similar, and replace the Jenner with an Arctic Cheetah. If you feel more at home in an assault, replace the Timberwolf with a Warhawk and the Ebon Jaguar with a Stormcrow. (except wait, we got 10 more tons to play with now, so I guess you can keep the Ebon Jaguar...)

With IS, I'd probably go with a Stalker, Thunderbolt, and 2 Blackjacks. (except, wait, theyve got 25 more tons to play with now, so Stalker, 2 Thunderbolts, and a Blackjack? I can't remember which ones are 50 tons and which ones are 55...).

[William Slayer]

Alec Braca, on 22 December 2015 - 10:35 AM, said:

You forgot the FRR big guy! Don't forget us!!!!!

I AM VERY SORRY, THAT WAS A GENUINE DERP MOMENT ALEC

Ghost Badger, on 22 December 2015 - 12:13 PM, said:

It's okay, he also left out the major differences between clan and IS that affect gameplay, and/or got them wrong.

Didn't want to drown the new guy in Backstory, statistics and equipment details Ghost, just trying to help!

[Doomerang]

Here is my advice. Join Inner Sphere. Look for a unit to join and sign on with them, pick a workhorse heavy for your first mech and make your first three purchases a few variants of that mech so you can master it, assuming you play the first variant you purchase and don't hate it.

Find someone who can maintain a level of objectivity with whom and discuss the general game mechanics and balancing of the game with regards to heat efficiency, damage, cool down times, range, tonnage, ammunition and hardpoint limitations. It's all very quick and easy to pick up, but it's worth making sure you understand why large lasers aren't necessarily universally better than small lasers, or when you might want to buy this variant instead of that variant for those occasions when you want to add a missile rack or ballistic weapon to your build for special occasions.

But mainly, just join Inner Sphere and start with the thunderbolt, and find a unit to drop CW with for quick and dirty cbills. Clans are good too; it's a different playstyle. Inner Sphere is easier to learn, and once you master it Inner Sphere really highlights player skill in ways that Clan mechs don't presently allow for, in my opinion.

[Alec Braca]

William Slayer, on 23 December 2015 - 10:13 AM, said:

I AM VERY SORRY, THAT WAS A GENUINE DERP MOMENT ALEC



Didn't want to drown the new guy in Backstory, statistics and equipment details Ghost, just trying to help!

No problem it's ok! lol

[Deadfire]

If you are looking at a good fit lore wise these are the Houses and Clans explained:

Kurita: Xenophobic A-holes that can't see past the narrow minded "bushido code" that dictates their ruling parties despite being a fairly diverse space society with a large population of Muslims and Scandinavian descendants. (even after the Rasalhauge split.) They are also thought of as having the best individually skilled mechwarriors in the inner sphere. Despite them fighting so ferociously it borders on suicidal.

Davion: "Fedrats." Sterotypical Davion's are very narrow minded and can't see past their own ideological ways. And typically try to force their "freedom's" onto others. (Which is why many of them see them as a modern day "america" analogues.) Also, thanks to their current ruler at this time, they are pretty much known as the "warmongers" of the inner sphere, sparking off the past two major conflicts leading up into the clan invasions trying to shove their own ideals down others thoughts.

Steiner: They are looked at as caring more about money then anything else, including their own military training. They typically win by sheer numbers and very solidly formed tech as the economic powerhouse of the inner sphere. But their actual mechwarriors and military training is kind of on the week side. Its a large in-universe joke the best Steiner commanders are the ones with "Davion" in their last names.

Liao: Basically if the space Chinese formed a society like the one from "Starship Troopers" the book. They are typically seen as Zealots to the Confederation ideal's of Citizenship (The same idea of citizenship as in Starship Troopers.) Which is where the "Cappellan *****" saying can be looked at as. They are an insanely proud people in regards to their heritage and traditions, despite being bullied more then any other house throughout the succession wars. Their ruling party also has a bad case of hereditary paranoid schizophrenia that sees some of their rules go off the deep end sometimes.

Marik: Unstable Patriots more content to blow each other up then deal with the rest of the Inner sphere with a nack for bureaucracy and stagnation. As the only nation in the IS that is formed under a Parliamentary Democracy, the League is not so much a single nation so much as a rome like "city state" nation formed out of smaller states all under a parliamentary democracy. (Unlike the monarchy's of the other Succession houses.) Although this sees the states war with themselves more then they war with the rest of the inner sphere. As a result, they are also known as the premier weapons manufacturers and sales merchents in the Inner sphere. (With many of their manufactured mechs sold to nearly all the IS factions.)

Rasalhauge: They are viewed as a Puppet state for Kurita. As they only gained their independence from them as a ploy to have a "buffer state" So Kurita can focus their military on their Davion front. While their main populace is Scandinavian, Nordic, and other northern European decent, they also have a heavy Japanese population given their former status as a Kurita Providence. Their people are proud of their independence from the 5 great houses, almost to their detriment given that everyone else sees them as nothing more then a puppet buffer state for Kurita.

Clan Jade Falcon: Seen as the most Aggressive of the Clans. They are about fast, overwhelming firepower and damn to hell survivability as you swoop down and deliver a decisive killing blow. They are goaded and offended easily, and are insanely stuck up and snooty about their own superiority. Staunch Crusaders through and through.

Clan Wolf: Known pack hunters, Wolves are known for their tight formations, tactical flexibilaty, and superior battle tactics that their commanders bring. They are the most politically divided of the clans at this point in time, with staunch crusaders and wardens on both sides, making political in-fighting and "one uping" your political rivals something that sees a lot of tension within their ranks.

Clan Ghost Bear: Patience and ferocity is the Ghost bear's philosophy. They are about biding their time before they strike, but when they do, they make it fast, and decisive. Their ranks share a close bond of family which minimizes in-fighting in their clan compared to others, but their patience and resilience lead them to not making the same gains that the more aggressive clans made during the invasion in the fiction. In addition to many missed opportunities when they where too patient to implement changes or act.

Clan Smoke Jaguar: They are the "power gamer" and "Rule Lawyers" of the clans. They win by any means necessary and don't care who they piss off to do it. They bend the rules as they see fit and argue why its perfectly within the clan laws. Even if its blatantly "illegal." (Like Glassing an entire city's population committing genocide because they lost a VIP prisoner.) They view everyone as inferior and actually relish and value the idea that the rules are meant to be broken if it means winning (see Exodus Road, the Novel.) They are vicious, tenacious, and cruel, but also liar's, backstabbers, and cheats, who throw tantrums at any slight against their precieved superiority. Which leads to them being completely unliked by nearly everyone both clan and IS. Not as if they care though, as long as they get their way in the end. Which they are more then capable at getting.

[Wolfways]

El Bandito, on 23 December 2015 - 02:09 AM, said:

LIES! New players should ALWAYS choose Clans first. Clans have the best and the cheesiest trial mechs in the form of Timberwolf, Stormcrow, and Arctic Cheetah. Even a monkey can shoot accurately with those Clan trial mechs' laser vomit meta builds and the monkey can also survive for a while thanks to those trial mechs' Clan XL engine.

lol

Wait, that was a joke right?...

Edited by Wolfways, 23 December 2015 - 05:12 PM.

[Nightmare1]

Liam Wolf, on 22 December 2015 - 09:23 AM, said:

I have played the 25 matches now its time to pick a faction and buy some mechs so what should I choose?

Any help is welcome.

I would recommend avoiding making a Permanent Faction choice and instead suggest that you remain a Merc. Just cycle through each Faction and try each one. Then, once you've got experience with each Faction, you can choose the one you like the most.

Check out some of the Merc Units over in the Merc Thread and maybe put out a listing in the Hiring Hall. You can also check out my own Casual Unit by clicking on my sig and visiting the website (we're Pirates).

Welcome to MWO, congrats on completing your first 25 matches, and best of luck to you!