15 replies to this topic

[Nokadota Aririnkichiri]

Although the timberwolf/thunderbolt/stormcrow are considered very good and popular mechs(correct me if i'm wrong) from what i've read,
i don't want to go down the FOTM route, so what would be good alternatives ??

either medium or heavy.
Many thanks.

[Varvar86]

Anything you like than. Try to build different builds it in smurfy before purchase in game. The truth that you can perform good and very good in any build you can imagine, all you need is practice. As soon as you find mech and build you like – you will feel it, believe me. Problem with online games is all the same - players are using most effective stuff they can lay their hands on to perform better than others. As soon as someone defines best stuff all others start to copy to hold on. Yes thunders/timbers/stormcrows are very good mechs that’s why they are widely used. Look on hunchbacks, enforcer, griffin, crab, grasshopper, cataphract, jagermech, atlas, banshee for IS and shadow cat, nova, mad dog, hellbringer for Clans. Their not super stars but are very solid and nice mechs. Again ANY mech can kick a## as long as you like it and can use it advantages at maximum. For public queue you can use any mech you can create - try and have fun.

CW mode is supposed to be more competitive environment, so you will meet huge hordes of boring copy/paste mechs which utilize highest possible DPS/quirks outta there to perform as best as possible. You also can use any build you like for CW, but when everybody using maximum performance mechs, that burn through rocks and stand still under nuclear blast, you probably will be smashed in seconds. Sad part of CW that you mostly need same boring builds like others have, to be competative, perform better and be useful for your team.

Edited by Varvar86, 28 December 2015 - 08:16 AM.

[JC Daxion]

ya got a weight class? clan or IS?

[Varvar86]

IS mediums
hunchback, enforcer, blackjack, griffin, crab,
IS heavy
grasshopper, cataphract, jagermech,
IS Assault
Atlas, banshee, battlemaster

Clan Medium
shadow cat, nova
Clan Heavy
mad dog, hellbringer, ebon jaguar
Clan assault
pretty much all except of gargolye

again use smurfy (click on "no mech selected" button to see the list) because it has clear and undestandable filters for Clan/IS mechs and class/tonnage so you can find class and weight you need.

again thats personell, you need to search your sacred one or two or three...
For starters Clan mechs are more variable because you can swap mech hands/torsos/legs/heads from other chassis of this mech model. So you have flexibility to try more builds on one chassis.
From other side IS battlemechs has more variants to choose from (yet) but they are locked and come as they are and some models there has very few hardpoints you can play with.

Edited by Varvar86, 28 December 2015 - 08:42 AM.

[Nokadota Aririnkichiri]

JC Daxion, on 28 December 2015 - 08:17 AM, said:

ya got a weight class? clan or IS?

Med or heavy, clan probably not sure on difference.

[Phobic Wraith]

Skorpyone, on 28 December 2015 - 10:44 AM, said:

Med or heavy, clan probably not sure on difference.

There are two major factions in the game, the Clans and the Inner Sphere. Clan mechs tend to be more technologically advanced. In the Battletech universe Clan stuff was straight up superior. In the game, PGI is trying to find a nice balance point so that nether faction has a direct advantage. So far, clan weapons deal more damage, weight less, take up less space and can be very customized as to location because of the omnimech design (switching arms and torsi for desired hardpoints). There are some drawbacks to clan weapons. They generate significantly more heat and their damage, while greater, is less front-loaded and pinpoint accurate. Even with a steady hand, you'll end up spreading more damage around rather than hitting a single enemy component.

In general, Clan mechs also tend to be more expensive, but come pre loadied with many necessary upgrades, like double heatsinks and endo-steel chassis.

to narrow down the choices, what play style do you like? Do you like to run fast, hit, then run away? Do you like to lay down fire at a distance? Do you like to be in the brawl?

[Virlutris]

Skorpyone, on 28 December 2015 - 07:20 AM, said:

Although the timberwolf/thunderbolt/stormcrow are considered very good and popular mechs(correct me if i'm wrong) from what i've read,
i don't want to go down the FOTM route, so what would be good alternatives ??

either medium or heavy.
Many thanks.

"Good" Underdog. Interesting question. I'll take this as "Not Top, But Not Awful Either."

Novas, Hunchies and Cents for mediums, Mad Dog for ClanTech heavy.

IS heavies are either pretty meta-friendly, or pretty iffy, or both due to a combination of quirks and geometry. If you're looking for something "different" in heavies, you're not going to find it without some kind of serious liability, quirked or not. There's meta-viable, and then there's the ones that haven't gotten there yet.

How about Catapults then, if you're determined to go off beat? You can do some weird and kind of mean missile builds (A1, C4) and ballistic builds (K2, funkiest ballistic boat, IS) in them, and you can do unexpected "off-beat" laser builds too (Standard 300, 3LPL C1 and XL355, 6MPL Jester say hi). Lots of low mounts and funky hitboxes. It can take some time to get the hang of the hitboxes and the weapon mounts.

Alternatively, Cataphracts are gunzy knuckle-draggers, Quickdraws are quirky, and Orions ... have less hitpoints than Atlases, but try to work like them.

Edited by Virlutris, 28 December 2015 - 12:08 PM.

[Koniving]

I know I often reference BattleTech, but here the comparisons are just for MWO.
IS mediums: 40 tons.
Cicada
Clan equivalent: Ice Ferret.

IS mediums: 45 tons.
Vindicator, Blackjack
Clan equivalent: Shadow Cat

IS mediums: 50 tons.
Hunchback, Enforcer, Centurion.
Clan equivalent: Nova, Hunchback IIC.

IS medium: 50 tons.
Trebuchet.
Clan equivalent: 55 ton Stormcrow.

IS medium: 55 tons.
Griffin, Wolverine, Shadowhawk, Kintaro.
Clan equivalent: Stormcrow.

IS heavy: 60 tons.
Dragon, Quickdraw.
Clan equivalent: 45 ton Shadow Cat, 50 ton Nova., 65 ton Ebon Jaguar, 70 ton Summoner.

IS Heavy: 65 tons.
Jagermech.
Clan equivalent: Ebon Jaguar, Hellbringer, 70 ton Summoner (using torso ballistics), 75 ton Timber Wolf.

IS Heavy: 65 tons
Catapult.
Clan equivalent: 60 ton Mad Dog. 75 ton Timber Wolf. 70 ton Summoner, 65 ton Ebon Jaguar, 65 ton ton Hellbringer.

IS Heavy: 65 tons
Thunderbolt
Clan equivalent: Hellbringer, Ebon Jaguar, 70 ton Summoner, 75 ton Timber Wolf. 60 ton Mad Dog.

IS Heavy: 70 tons.
Cataphract.
Clan equivalent: 65 ton Ebon Jaguar, 75 ton Timber Wolf.

IS Heavy: 70 tons.
Grasshopper, Black Knight.
Clan equivalent: 65 ton Hellbringer, 75 ton Timber Wolf, 55 ton Stormcrow, 50 ton Nova, 30 ton Arctic Cheetah, 80 ton Gargoyle.

IS Heavy: 75 tons.
Orion.
Clan equivalent: Orion IIC. Timber Wolf. 65 ton Ebon Jaguar. 65 ton Hellbringer.

IS Heavy: 75 tons.
Marauder.
Clan equivalent: Orion IIC. Timber Wolf. 65 ton Ebon Jaguar. 65 ton Hellbringer.

Hope that helps.

[mailin]

My go to medium is currently the Nova. I have mine loaded with 6 small pulse lasers and 4 mgs and throw in a targeting computer. I've gotten 9 kills in this mech. Love it! Note that there are two drawbacks to this mech. All the weapons are short range and heat is a concern. I have 3 weapon groups set up. Lasers alpha strike on group 1, mgs alpha on group 2, and lasers chain fire on group 3. When you get the heat warning either get away or switch to chain fire until your heat comes down.

Also, always chain fire on the legs of light mechs.

[Goritude]

I found this tier list:

http://metamechs.com...meta-tier-list/

[Not A Real RAbbi]

mailin, on 28 December 2015 - 06:59 PM, said:

My go to medium is currently the Nova. I have mine loaded with 6 small pulse lasers and 4 mgs and throw in a targeting computer. I've gotten 9 kills in this mech. Love it! Note that there are two drawbacks to this mech. All the weapons are short range and heat is a concern. I have 3 weapon groups set up. Lasers alpha strike on group 1, mgs alpha on group 2, and lasers chain fire on group 3. When you get the heat warning either get away or switch to chain fire until your heat comes down.

Also, always chain fire on the legs of light mechs.

I think I've BEEN one of those kills, once or twice. That's a MONSTER when it gets in range. And lots of players kind of ignore the Nova until it's too late.

[Nokadota Aririnkichiri]

Koniving, on 28 December 2015 - 01:34 PM, said:

I know I often reference BattleTech, but here the comparisons are just for MWO.
IS mediums: 40 tons.
Cicada
Clan equivalent: Ice Ferret.

IS mediums: 45 tons.
Vindicator, Blackjack
Clan equivalent: Shadow Cat

IS mediums: 50 tons.
Hunchback, Enforcer, Centurion.
Clan equivalent: Nova, Hunchback IIC.

IS medium: 50 tons.
Trebuchet.
Clan equivalent: 55 ton Stormcrow.

IS medium: 55 tons.
Griffin, Wolverine, Shadowhawk, Kintaro.
Clan equivalent: Stormcrow.

IS heavy: 60 tons.
Dragon, Quickdraw.
Clan equivalent: 45 ton Shadow Cat, 50 ton Nova., 65 ton Ebon Jaguar, 70 ton Summoner.

IS Heavy: 65 tons.
Jagermech.
Clan equivalent: Ebon Jaguar, Hellbringer, 70 ton Summoner (using torso ballistics), 75 ton Timber Wolf.

IS Heavy: 65 tons
Catapult.
Clan equivalent: 60 ton Mad Dog. 75 ton Timber Wolf. 70 ton Summoner, 65 ton Ebon Jaguar, 65 ton ton Hellbringer.

IS Heavy: 65 tons
Thunderbolt
Clan equivalent: Hellbringer, Ebon Jaguar, 70 ton Summoner, 75 ton Timber Wolf. 60 ton Mad Dog.

IS Heavy: 70 tons.
Cataphract.
Clan equivalent: 65 ton Ebon Jaguar, 75 ton Timber Wolf.

IS Heavy: 70 tons.
Grasshopper, Black Knight.
Clan equivalent: 65 ton Hellbringer, 75 ton Timber Wolf, 55 ton Stormcrow, 50 ton Nova, 30 ton Arctic Cheetah, 80 ton Gargoyle.

IS Heavy: 75 tons.
Orion.
Clan equivalent: Orion IIC. Timber Wolf. 65 ton Ebon Jaguar. 65 ton Hellbringer.

IS Heavy: 75 tons.
Marauder.
Clan equivalent: Orion IIC. Timber Wolf. 65 ton Ebon Jaguar. 65 ton Hellbringer.

Hope that helps.

Thats a big help, thanks, just bought the blackjack with two PPC's enjoying it at mo, BTW just subbed to your youtube channel

[Not A Real RAbbi]

Blackjack is a fun call. Fairly quick/agile. Good variety of E and B weapons loadouts to be had. Nice hard point locations, at least with the arms. GREAT quirks.

BJs used to be pretty bad for most of us. Not quite two years ago, I bought a couple. BASIC'd them, sold them, thought them dead and gone. Took a break, and came back to MWO post-quirkening. Suddenly, the BJ chassis is BEAST. So yeah, I bought back in.

Lesson: NEVER sell a mech if you don't ABSOLUTELY have to; you never know when it's going to suddenly be great!

[JC Daxion]

Skorpyone, on 29 December 2015 - 08:17 AM, said:

Thats a big help, thanks, just bought the blackjack with two PPC's enjoying it at mo, BTW just subbed to your youtube channel

haha you did not pick an underdog..


But it is a fine mech, that should teach you the ins and outs of the game.. and its a medium, so that means you need to rely on piloting, not just alpha's good choice over all.

[Heartless Saint]

Mediums

Jr Crab is my favorite Medium. Standard Engines Only
Nova would be a Affordable Clan Medium. Armor I find a issue where it is easy to lose components.

Heavies

Cataphract
Ebon Jaguar/Hellbringer

[Koniving]

Skorpyone, on 29 December 2015 - 08:17 AM, said:

Thats a big help, thanks, just bought the blackjack with two PPC's enjoying it at mo, BTW just subbed to your youtube channel

You're welcome and thank you. Blackjacks are pretty awesome. Search blackjack and bj- on my channel for plenty of blackjack vids. The bj-1x is the fastest if that should interest you.