82 replies to this topic

[Rogue Jedi]

AmazingOnionMan, on 22 February 2016 - 07:46 AM, said:

The thing is I really really want to like it. But no matter how hard I try, it won't let me. I put in an 280 I had lying around. Any bigger and I feel it bites into my loadout, and I'm really not comfy running XL. Specially on an ammo-laden deadsider such as the Griffin.
Oh well, it sits there and occasionally gets taken out for a ride.

I do run an XL in my 2N because I only use that variant when I want ECM, and it does have 2 M and the ECM on the Left, but a modified version of my 3m will work for a fast Standard engine brawler, try something like this:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...30bb6d075dd6a32

[Joe Decker]

invernomuto, on 22 February 2016 - 06:55 AM, said:

I'd like some advices for a medium mech that is "newbie friendly" like the Hunckback and has some variability among each variants but it's not the Hunchback.
Any suggestion? Wolverine? Shadowhawk? Griffin? Too many mechs and too few C-Bills and mechbay in his game

Really hard to tell. If I were you there would just be one IS-Medium Mech I would avoid atm and that is the Vindicator. As I wrote above I believe you need some Speed on your Medium Mech so I would not run a Medium slower than 95kph.

And then it is the Question what you like to play. Fast Trebuchets with Large Laser Loadout are nice Skirmisher, Griffins with 4ASRM4 are pretty deadly but depend on an offensive Team (what you don't have often in PUG Matches currently)

Blackjacks are known for their high Speed/Firepower Combination and can bring some of the deadliest Loadouts to the Battlefield. They are also good in the Peekaboo Playstyle and can trade very well.

Shadowhawks still act nice as Pinpoint Poptarter even you see them rarely. But they got a Talent to hit Enemies unprepared.

Kintaros (one of my fav medium Mech) work nicely as mobile LRM Support or SRM Brawler, Crabs are very durable (and maybe a good Choice for you to start with), of the Centurion I would mainly go with the Yen Lo Wang currently - they have been strong in the Past but atm are not the best Choice in my Opinion due to a pretty weak CT.

Cicadas are fast and deadly and you can run them in a Group of Lights very well. I am not so much into Hunchbacks and Enforcers but Opinions about these Mechs vary of Course and I don't want to say you cannot do well in them. However I am sure you will find a medium that you like and that is the one you should run.

[IraqiWalker]

jss78, on 22 February 2016 - 02:32 AM, said:

Yup, this is the thing to do with mediums! Take that AC20 hunchie (for example), find your team's Atlas, and play sidekick to him. Very few people will target you with that monstrosity alongside you.

Ignored AC20 hunchie, especially one that's focusing fire with an Atlas, equals lots of dead enemies.

With my HBK-9P I tagged along with a Warhawk. Between the two of us we took down 6 enemy mechs, with almost no help from others. If the target turns to fire at him, I core their CT from the rear, or block incoming shots, and strip their weapons. If the enemy turns to face me, they have a very nimble target to try and hit, and they have a veeeeeeery angry Warhawk tearing them up.

invernomuto, on 22 February 2016 - 03:19 AM, said:

What do you think of Griffin as medium mech?
Is it good for starting this weight class?

Thanks,
D.

It's a solid mech, especially for new players. One of the variants even comes with ECM to help with sneaky plays. The HBK is the no. 1 recommendation, but that is when not counting player preference. If you like the Griffin, then use it. You will do better in a mech you like than a supposedly better mech, you dislike.

invernomuto, on 22 February 2016 - 06:55 AM, said:

I'd like some advices for a medium mech that is "newbie friendly" like the Hunckback and has some variability among each variants but it's not the Hunchback.
Any suggestion? Wolverine? Shadowhawk? Griffin? Too many mechs and too few C-Bills and mechbay in his game

The shadowhawk is a great chassis with a lot of versatility. Until the dawn of quirks, it was the best medium mech in the IS. Now, it's a solid performer, and not the very best choice you can ever make, like it used to.

I have only one Wolverine (the loyalty one), so I can't comment on them.

[Morggo]

Cicadas I love, run them as fast strikers mostly, which sorta breaks the normal "rules" for how Mediums should be run but they are more like big Jenners and their Light brethren. But, that said following the Light play style if you don't do well in Lights generally you will likely struggle in Cicadas. Other than that recently picked up a trio of CRBs.. love, love, love them and their damage spreading ability/durability. Even run an XL in one to good success.

If I want to do some good missile brawling my Wolverines treat me pretty well, though admittedly they are not my most successful Mediums but still plenty fun (really like my 3xSRM6+A). Otherwise my Woverines tend to lean more toward pokers with 3xERLL or ACs which are okay, but I prefer to get stuck in closer with my fatties and focus with them.

[mad kat]

I recently picked up crabs too ;-) and yes they're a great mech, tanky, fast and carry decent firepower because energy only. Ive also decided to buy another griffin as i didn't get on very well with the 3m but still wanted one so bought the 2n and the build has hardly changed from the default.

But i thought the vindicator was supposed to be rubbish but i took the plunge and bought a 1x and turned it into this. (With changes to the armour distribution).
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...79f6f81ffcad9d3
Its not crap at all.

Edited by mad kat, 23 February 2016 - 03:21 PM.

[oldradagast]

Rhavin, on 20 February 2016 - 06:26 PM, said:

If you are brawling in a medium and there is not an assault or heavy with you ....you are doing it wrong. Mediums are the support class in this game. That doesn't necessarily mean LRMs, it simply means they need to focus fire and move with other mechs to survive. they have a unique spot in that whatever a bigger mech is doing it will do better if a medium is there doing the same thing along with it.

Exactly. Medium mechs when brawling are basically a huge pile of extra weapons for an assault mech (or a tough heavy) that suddenly shows up to aid them out of nowhere, often stabbing the enemy mech in the back. You don't use them to solo bigger, tougher mechs, but you instead use your speed, reasonable durability, and good hitting power to make as many brawls in the game "unfair" by giving your bigger hitter (or several mid-level hitters) a bunch of extra firepower - than it's off to the next fight, as needed.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

Building on that (VERY NICE!) Vindicator screenie above, and the general hatred FOR the Vindy, I would like to point out the following:

The very best mech IN THIS WHOLE FREAKIN' GAME is the one in which you are comfortable.

Might have mentioned it before or elsewhere, but it's kinda like competitive driving. They tell you, and you never understand until it happens, that your best/fastest run will always feel slow. That is, when you find yourself doing really well in a mech (bringing it back to the game, and out of IRL motorsports), and it feels kinda effortless and lacking in general struggle (MWO-ish tire squealing), then you've gotten it right.

So yeah, try a few different mediums out. See what fits. You're going to end up regretting a few purchases, and that's okay--the game doesn't give you a family to feed with your space bucks. Run the Champion build stuff as trials first. Have some fun, and just focus on getting to know the mechs (KDR can kiss my you-know-what). See what grabs you.

For instance, the Griffin has a couple variants that are really great performers. But I CAN NOT STAND THE DAMNED THINGS! Something about being in a 55-ton medium that's as tall as a 100-ton assault (serious, stand one next to an Atlas in Testing Grounds). Just nope. But I'm in the minority here, and most seem to think that certain GRF variants are amazing machines. I've certainly seen some amazing performances in them. But I prefer my Crabs.

(TWSS)

Dood, it's late.

[P]

Mediums useless?
pfft bruh
I ride the crows from Tier Three to One
Like Nox in the Desert Storm
Shiny and Chrome
Grabbed the SUN
RIDING TO VALHALLLAAAAA

Also Centy and Shadowhawk are OP
So is hunchies and Novas too.

You who said the mediums sucks
truly never cap an Assault with it before.

[xe N on]

AmazingOnionMan, on 22 February 2016 - 06:05 AM, said:

I invested in the Griffins, and mastered the 2N. The only reason I keep it is because of the sometimes useful ECM.
I really don't like it much. It is huge, moves like a drunk slug, and isn't really good at anything except mediocre firesupport. The SRM20-variant can be a lot of fun, provided you're able to be in the right spot at the right time - otherwise not so much.
And that kind of hurts, because it is one of the old iconics from the TT. From what I understand the ShadowHawk and Wolverine suffer the same issues.
Give me a Crab anyday.

Any Griffin is quite all awesome, but only if you are skilled in brawling. With the recent SRM-buffs it even got better. My fav is The GRF-1N or GRF-3M. 2N is ok, but ECM in brawling is not so much an advantage. It's more useful in long range fights.

A brawler Griffin can beat a brawler Stormcrow. And the Stormcrow is a hell of a mech.

Edited by xe N on, 24 February 2016 - 09:16 AM.

[invernomuto]

Finally I've made up my mind and I've just joined the Griffin club (bought 2N, with ECM). Thinkering with builds on smurfy's mechlab right now. From what I've read, I should go with 4 ASRM 4 and 2 MLP. I am not so sure about XL engine for survivability


Cheers,
D.

[Rogue Jedi]

invernomuto, on 25 February 2016 - 02:04 AM, said:

Finally I've made up my mind and I've just joined the Griffin club (bought 2N, with ECM). Thinkering with builds on smurfy's mechlab right now. From what I've read, I should go with 4 ASRM 4 and 2 MLP. I am not so sure about XL engine for survivability


Cheers,
D.

Griffins are not bad with an XL, some of the variants have the majority of their firepower on one side so can be extremely survivable with a standard engine, however the 2N has 2 Missile hardpoints and the ECM on what on other variants is the "shield" side, if I am running that I do not realy want to sacrifice the ECM and 2 missile launchers, so I do run an XL325 on it as the extra speed ^{(I use a std300 on the others)} helps with durability, yes you die to loosing ether side but a bigger engine means you twist faster so can spread damage more effectively.

yes I would go with XL325, 2 MPL, 4 ASRM4. the Artemus is not strictly required, if you forgo Artemus you could put in 2 Large or ER Large lasers instead of the MPLs

[invernomuto]

Quote

yes I would go with XL325, 2 MPL, 4 ASRM4. the Artemus is not strictly required, if you forgo Artemus you could put in 2 Large or ER Large lasers instead of the MPLs

Thanks for the suggestion. Shouldn't I focus on short range with ASRM4? What's your strategy with ER LLs + ASRM4? Do you use the ER LLs for poking?

Thanks,
D.

[Rogue Jedi]

invernomuto, on 25 February 2016 - 03:08 AM, said:

Thanks for the suggestion. Shouldn't I focus on short range with ASRM4? What's your strategy with ER LLs + ASRM4? Do you use the ER LLs for poking?

Thanks,
D.

I use the MPL ASRM4 build, I was just illustrating what you could do by suggesting the LLs. on many Mechs I dislike doing nothing in the early stages until the brawl starts so on a brawler I will often take something like an LL or LRM5/LRM10, however in the 2N having the ECM allows me to keep the big guys under ECM cover and not be completely useless before the brawl starts.

the 4 ASRM4 are pretty accurate at max range if chain fired, Artemus tightens the spread so 2-3 of the 4 missiles fired are likely to hit a single component rather than spread all over the enemy Mech if fired at 250m, however if you fire all 16 at once past 200m the spread still means some missiles will probably miss.

[Nabbis]

Looking to get a Medium Clan mech and atm I am looking at Nova, Shadow cat, or the so called OP mech stormcrow.

So any recommendations (i bet stormcrow is gona win this but still)
Whats good whats bad what does this and that good.
Kinda looking either a dakka or a mix of laser and dakka mech for a medium for a potential cw drop with few timbers also on the deck (not sure about the tonnage thou)

[Rogue Jedi]

it depends on what you want it for,
if you want a jumping laser boat take Nova

if you want an agile Mech capable of great speed and agility in short bursts then the Shadow Cat is best.

if you want a Mech which can do everything except the above roles well then the Stormcrow is probably best.

Nova
can take upto 12 energy weapons and 4 Machine Guns, can take 3 AMS, jumps, has not got too much pod space and is the slowest of the 3, if you alpha strike using the primes stock build on a hot map the Mech will live up to its name, as in you fire, shutdown then explode.

Shadow Cat,
is incapable of fitting more than 3 energy weapons, but can take up-to 6 ballistics with 2 lasers, fixed MASC and Jump Jets mean it is a bit short on podspace, but it can jump high and can become much faster and more agile for a short time using the MASC.

Stormcrow,
can do anything not requiring Jumpjets well, can take up-to 13 energy weapons, can take energy ^{(13 max)}, missiles ^{(5 max)} or ballistic ^{(1 max)} weapons, is faster and more agile than the Nova. the only real downsides are the lack of Jumpjets and the fact that most people know it is a great Mech so it will be a higher priority target than the other 2.

if you are new to mediums I advise against the Stormcrow because it has less to teach than any other Medium but the decision is yours

[Nabbis]

Well my Only medium mechs are three centurions and I am looking something bit different than the ac20/laser ac20/missiles and srm/laser zombie builds that those are basically only good at.
I love my cents including the AH which is odd step child of the Yen and Cen A is just a beast but for the Clan side of things looking for something else not sure what yet..
What I do know is that I can't handle jump jets on anything else than on my Firestarters, I always forget I have jumpjets on my Cataphract, thunderbolt or timberwolf. so not a big deal if those are not part of the mech.

[DustySkunk]

Just putting this out there:

If you want to learn the fundamentals of the game as well as become a really good medium pilot...

Centurion. Hands down.

These days the Cents aren't nearly as competitive as they used to be, but you WILL learn to twist and shield, as well as to avoid becoming focused. There's already a great amount of information on the forums here about how to use them so I won't reiterate it here.

[IraqiWalker]

invernomuto, on 25 February 2016 - 03:08 AM, said:

Thanks for the suggestion. Shouldn't I focus on short range with ASRM4? What's your strategy with ER LLs + ASRM4? Do you use the ER LLs for poking?

Thanks,
D.

You'd use the big lasers strictly for poking, and suppression, once you're in short range, you'll probably be better served relying on your missiles, especially in chain fire mode, as the lasers are too hot in short range combat.

[DJ Mitchell]

Hopefully Shadow Hawk and Griffin get rescaled once...

[invernomuto]

Quote

Hopefully Shadow Hawk and Griffin get rescaled once...

I really hope so, Griffin is huge...

Edited by invernomuto, 26 February 2016 - 04:13 AM.