16 replies to this topic

[Unfolded]

Hey, along with 80% of the questions on this board, I am a player coming back from beta/launch. I have recently got into the game again and I was wondering what's the best mech for me in this meta. I have been experimenting with the trial mechs and my old s*** builds.. and I really like the trial mech Thunderbolt's 3 LRG pulse laser setup. I also like the sturdiness of the thunderbolt, but I also like faster mechs, so lights - heavies would be ideal for me. I'm not a fan of assaults. Jump jets are not needed IMO, if they have them, sure. I like to brawl.
So the question: Which mech is the best for me with that information?

Thanks !

[epikt]

The Thunderbolt is indeed pretty nice (and the trial is very well made).

One suggestion, based on your post: the Crab, especially the -27SL variant. I went for a pulse laser mech, just like the Thunderbolt, fast and very tanky. This mech has big side torsos, just like the Stalker (if you see what I mean), so it's not really safe to mount an XL engine in it. But with an STD it will tank like crazy. The best part being you have three (!!!) zombie weapons, so you can lose both your arms and side torsos, and still keep more than half your fire-power.
More of a poky mech than a pure brawler though.
And if you want to grind 3 variants, the Crabs don't offer a lot of variety. It's all laser boating.
(if you want a pure brawler, mechs like the Griffin-3M, or the Hunchback-4SP are doing well, in the IS medium category)

(but to be honest it's difficult to make a sure guess with so little information, so you see if it can fit you)

[Asuka Langley Best Grill]

Yeah, all Thunderbolts are solid right now, as are Stalkers and battlemasters on IS side.
Most clan mech (Timber, stormcrow, direwolf) are also very good, as they can be modified to fit the meta through omnipod exchange.

[Eaerie]

there are quite a few durable mechs for the IS, i would like to add griffin and wolverine for a couple mediums that tank well.

[Unfolded]

Thanks for the replies. I should have emphasized the faster part. I like the way the thunderbolt works, but I would rather something faster. Something that is fast and can put out a lot of firepower in brawls. I really like the pulse lasers. Prefer clan mechs, but it's not needed.

[Nerdboard]

As the previous poster said some of the mediums are surprisingly tanky. They usually allow for a variety of different loadouts and combined a decent amount of armor with good speed (90-100kp/h). I can not vouch for the Wolverine as I dont have it, but both the Griffin and Enforcer can take a few hits. The Griffin has incredible shield arms and good hitboxes, the Enforcer arms also shield more than it would seem on the first look.

On Clan side the Stormcrow is quite good and the trial mech has a decent loadout to test.

For heavies other than the Thunderbolt I would recommend you look into the Black Knight and Timberwolf. The clan mechs however can not match the Thunderbolt in terms of tankyness and the Black Knight is stuck with having exclusively energy hardpoints.

I would also recommend to try out the trial Cheetah if you want to go really fast.

[Unfolded]

I keep getting drawn to the Cicadas everytime I play, but I never buy one. Looking them up, people say they are a slower light. Would the 3M with the energy hardpoints be good for large pulse/lasers?

[epikt]

Ragovy, on 01 January 2016 - 09:15 AM, said:

I should have emphasized the faster part. [...] I really like the pulse lasers. Prefer clan mechs

Then the answer is easy: Stormcrow.
So fast for a medium, tanky as shout, with very nice hardpoints, very good with both brawler builds (full SRM or SRM + small pulse) and harass build (medium pulse for close range, large pulse and mediums for mid range). For long range builds too actually.

Have you tested the trial version ? (5 MPLas if I remember correctly)

edit: if you want faster, you'll have to go light (Firestarter? Arctic Cheetah?)(or Cicada, which is kind of an oversized light)

Edited by epikt, 01 January 2016 - 11:08 AM.

[Jack Booted Thug]

epikt, on 01 January 2016 - 08:25 AM, said:

The Thunderbolt is indeed pretty nice (and the trial is very well made).

One suggestion, based on your post: the Crab, especially the -27SL variant. I went for a pulse laser mech, just like the Thunderbolt, fast and very tanky. This mech has big side torsos, just like the Stalker (if you see what I mean), so it's not really safe to mount an XL engine in it. But with an STD it will tank like crazy. The best part being you have three (!!!) zombie weapons, so you can lose both your arms and side torsos, and still keep more than half your fire-power.
More of a poky mech than a pure brawler though.
And if you want to grind 3 variants, the Crabs don't offer a lot of variety. It's all laser boating.
(if you want a pure brawler, mechs like the Griffin-3M, or the Hunchback-4SP are doing well, in the IS medium category)

(but to be honest it's difficult to make a sure guess with so little information, so you see if it can fit you)

I second the crab. You would think by looking at them the CT would take most of the damage. Not the case. They have great hit boxes, twist well, and take a lot of punishment for a medium.

After fighting them in the solo que and getting twisted over the number of alpha's I have to dump into them, I finally bought them. Love em.

[epikt]

Jack Booted Thug, on 01 January 2016 - 12:38 PM, said:

I second the crab. You would think by looking at them the CT would take most of the damage. Not the case. They have great hit boxes, twist well, and take a lot of punishment for a medium.

Basically, they are the new Centurion (for those who remember the old days of indestructible Centurions). You can look like this, your enemies believing you're on the verge of death, but tanking leg damage with your broken leg, tanking torso damage with your destroyed side torsos, and still getting the kill with your head and CT mounted weapons.

Oh, yeah, and the cockpit looks awesome

[Imglidinhere]

If you want a good beginner mech to learn and really shine in, when you've gotten better at pin-point firing, the Hunchback-4G is a GREAT mech to play with. Classic Hunchie with the AC20 is a force to be reckoned with. It'll teach you to torso-twist and is fast enough, and durable enough, to be in the dead center of most brawling mech fights and just tear apart other mechs.

However I fully second any of the Crab mechs. I bought them and have since never looked back. They're easily some of the best mechs you can go for and really tear things up. I prefer the 27B variant if only because it's got that extra energy hardpoint. It's so good, it's taken a slot in my drop deck for CW.

If you want a brawl mech that's top-class though, you CANNOT go wrong with an Atlas-D-DC or the Atlas-S. If you want a good jack-****-up mech, go for the Orion-V, and even the Thunderbolt-5SS is still pretty good, though not as good as it used to be.

My personal opinion goes for either the Atlas-D-DC or the Orion-V. The only difference is that the latter is literally a slightly faster, less armored version of the Atlas without the ECM, making it a great mech for really messing up someone's day and it'll help with the further teaching of torso-twisting.

[Unfolded]

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm not TOO new, just to this meta. There are a few new mechs.. and I did not know how they come into play. I went ahead and got the TBR-S and am following a build from metamech. Is that a good source for builds? I know maxing mechs out by getting every variant is good, but I would like a little more experimentation with mechs before I decide on one. I think my next mech with be a stormcrow, with that suggestion and seeing many do good, I think that is a solid pick. However, what do you guys think about cicadas? I've always liked that mech and would love to try it out.

TLDR:
Got the TBR-S
Is Metamech a good source for builds?
What do you guys think about Cicadas?

[Lupis Volk]

Ragovy, on 01 January 2016 - 09:47 AM, said:

I keep getting drawn to the Cicadas everytime I play, but I never buy one. Looking them up, people say they are a slower light. Would the 3M with the energy hardpoints be good for large pulse/lasers?

well thing is their more like a heavy light. I got the Cicada mastery bundle. while the hero is sub par i do like the Cicada's as a fast scout/harasser.

[Telemachus -Salt Wife Salt Life-]

BLACKJACKS. BJ-1, BJ-1X, BJ-3. Basically a heavy.

Metamechs is a good source for builds. You can start from there and min/max as you see fit.

Don't get Cicadas. Get Blackjacks.

Edited by Telemachus Rheade, 01 January 2016 - 05:01 PM.

[Leone]

Meta mechs is Not a good source for builds. It is designed for a specific style of gameplay, which happens to not be brawling. If you want to hide an poke all day, then yes, by all means, look at metamechs. Me, I make my own way.

As for cicada's, I got em, but really only love the Uac 5 an medium lasers on the ecm variant.

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 01 January 2016 - 05:01 PM.

[epikt]

I agree with Leone.
Metamechs builds are designed with competitive play in mind, and if some are perfectly fit for PUG play (which is 99% of us play) most are not (especially in the ammo count).
The site is still a good resource though, but not really for the build themselves, mostly for the "how do I build a mech?" question you have to ask yourself. Read those articles, they are really well made, and build your own mechs based on your own needs and requirements.

edit: but if you want to play "the meta", yeah, ok, I suppose it's the place to look...

Edited by epikt, 02 January 2016 - 01:54 AM.

[Nik Reaper]

Cicadas are an acquired play-style, they ether go ~130kph or ~150 kph and mount light level weapons, one has ecm.
The mounts are good, very near the cockpit , but still under it so not ideal for ridge peeking but still ok , it is basically a bigger raven, but what some of them can do that the raven cannot is the 2B medium pulse boat , it is one of the most dangerous flankers as it runs at 130kph with 5 mpl's and has some nice quirks for energy weapons.
But as it always needs to be fast it must use an XL engine so it can never tank , so you ether are in, stab and out or you are dead. It is still a fun mech to play and while not good enough to be the meta, because of how the tier system works, you can still do fine with it even in tier 1.

Edited by Nik Reaper, 02 January 2016 - 11:26 PM.