47 replies to this topic

[Discount Dan]

Yes I know there are trial mechs, and I know I have to play those trial mechs to earn c-bills to buy my first personal mech, but eh, I would like to have an idea already though on what to aim for.

I have this vision in my head - A tough mech, doesn't have to be the toughest but tough.

I would like to fit it mainly with medium range weaponry, preferably avoiding lasers and perhaps a few long range options as well for times where it's impossible to advance to still stay in the game or simply for when closing the distance to medium range. I've watched a few videos, lasers doesn't seem to me my cup of tea, give me ballistic weaponry.

Preferably be able to fit an AMS system as well (not sure if all mechs can fit that or have the space)

In my head I would be looking at autocannons and 1 or 2 ER PPCs. - Is this a viable idea at all or should I look for other weapons?

What kind of mech body should I be looking at?

In advance, thanks for any advice.

[Zoeff]

Honestly this is something you can only find out by trying, one thing I can say though is that this game generally favors boating similar weapons together so having a mix of weapons that don't work well when using them simultaneously you're going to be at a disadvantage.

[jss78]

I'd generally suggest either a medium or heavy weight class mech. The reason is that they're generally the most versatile and flexible weight classes. Lights and assaults I'd generally suggest for more experienced players, as I feel they need somewhat advanced situational awareness to be effective in. Lights are squishy and you rely on smart positioning to survive. Assaults are very slow and poorly able to adapt to a developing battle, so you need to think really hard about where you place yourself.

Hunchbacks are very commonly suggested for new players, and I'd actually repeat that recommendation here. They have a nice mixture of toughness and mobility, and a couple of the variants run autocannons as the main weapon: the 4G runs an AC/20 and the 4H an AC/10. (Both supplement the autocannon with medium lasers, which works nicely because the effective range is similar as with the autocannon.) They are also cheap to run, because for most Hunchback variants the optimal loadouts use Standard Engines instead of XL Engines, and this saves you a few million c-bills per mech.

Another alternative might be Blackjacks: the 1 and 1DC variants run a pair of AC/2's for long-range support and supplement those with lasers which give them a decent punch for close encounters.

Almost all mechs can mount an AMS. Some can mount two, and a few Clan mechs three. AMS can be useful especially in lower tier play. Long-range missiles (which AMS is effective against) are generally more common in lower-tier play compared to higher tiers).

[Nik Reaper]

Well, what you kinda described is a Shadowhawk jump sniper, with 2xAC5 and 1 ERppc , but it has an XL engine so it's not terribly tanky because of it, still it can do well : http://mwo.smurfy-ne...462ee4e553c5ed5

Or using PPCs a blackjack : http://mwo.smurfy-ne...93bf9d6a863ccdc

But you should know, PPC on mechs that are not quirked for them are just not a good weapon, they are too hot and too slow flaying to be worth the weight they are, it's hard to hit with them at ranges they are supposed to be used for, and as they are all or nothing, every miss is a lot of heat for nothing. This is why the only real play style with them is to peek around a corner, fire and pull back, or jump fire and fall back in cover.

With them you should expect low dps ( high heat ) and thus you will need to aim well to hit the same spot on a mech several times , as the most you will be able to do per valley is 45 on a clan mech ( timber wolf with 2xERppc and gauss rifle ). All this while most others will use SRMs for 40+ damage splash in close range or 50+ laser "vomit" rainbow volleys that they can fire 3 times after witch they will cool down and repeat, and while they need ~1 second of face time to unload damage , it's not that hard to do most of that 50+ damage where you want it, while again PPC + ballistic are all or nothing for more heat.

Still try out what you like and if it's not what you thought it was, you can always start a new account for the ~15 mil in 25 games + mech academy and start over.

Edited by Nik Reaper, 05 March 2016 - 05:32 AM.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

Welcome aboard. Make sure you take advantage of the free premium time codes that are active right now.

PPCs are something of a specialists weapon these days.
They travel so incredibly slow that hitting targets at range can be difficult and requires a good deal of practice and skill to do.

If your heart is set on using PPCs, then I would highly advise using a mech that has PPC velocity quirks. However, even with velocity quirks they still travel somewhat slow and are easy to avoid.

The Marauder and Warhammer both fit your bill.
Both have variants that can mount both autocannons and PPCs, and have velocity boost for PPCs. Both have quriks that give them above average durability.
Mechs with a 50% ppc velocity increase (or close to 50) tend to pair well with the AC10, as the projectile speed is practically identicle.

The downside is that both the Warhammer and Marauder are only available for real cash purchase right now.

I believe there is a Mauler that also has PPC centric quirks, and all Maulers can mount ballistic weapons.
Can be purchased with in game currency too.
However, it is an assault class mech, which means big slow easy target, ie not beginner friendly.

I know you said you do not want lasers, but you might want to look at something that uses large pulse lasers as a primary weapon.
They are optimal in mid range distances, but can stretch their legs a bit if need be. Yet they are also very usuable in close quarters.

Try the trial TimberWolf or Thunderbolt for example.

[Rhavin]

Earn your tutorial bonus, play a few games in trial mechs. If you like the trial heavy mechs, either buy one of those with in game cash. Or go to the store and spend 20 bucks on Mauraders (if you like ballistic builds; and the ability to use jump jets.) or warhammers (if you want to be tanky AF, and like useing lasers). Either is solid in the clutch. They are innersphere mechs though, and you will need to spend some cbills on upgrades, both are excellent PPC platforms if you think you might like that weapon system.

If you think clans would be better for you then look into buying Timberwolves or ebon jaguars for cbills. The cost is higher but they have locked upgrades and engines and are a little harder to mess up when building something that will work. Either can carry ballistics but the EJ does it better despite being 10 tons lighter cause it has less locked equipment like heat sinks. 3 ac 5 EJ is about as ballistic as you could want and still retain speed and movement above and beyond a dire wolf or king crab.

[Discount Dan]

Finally finished with downloading, completed tutorial, got a few c-bills, yay. Reading your replies, all very heavy (not that I mind, just a lot to chew through). I'm not terribly into the battle-mech universe other than I played mech-commander about 15 years ago or so, heh.

It might be hard to hit with a PPC, I dunno - It wasn't intended to be a main weapon but sort of a "ok at least I can do something while standing here, out of AC range" thought. Not dead set on it though.

A bit sad to read that Marauder / Warhammer is IRL cash only. Not terribly hooked on spending money before I know if the game is for me, but eh.

Will take a look at suggested threads. Shadowhawk jump snipers sounds good, despite not being terribly tanky all other aspects of it immediately sounds like what I want.

[Cy Mitchell]

I know you do not want lasers as your primary weapon system but you should carry some as your back up weapons for when your ammo runs dry. If you get a "tough" mech and are good at torso twisting and movement you can easily outlive you ammo. Nothing is worse than still being alive but not able to deal damage.

I started with the Hunchback 4J as my first Mech. That was way before the Clan Mechs. Once I came back to the game, I have focused on Clan only. The Hunchback and a Centurian loyalty Mech are the only IS I have. The Hunch is good enough to have fun in and like many others, I feel it is a good starter Mech.

Right, now with the free Premium Time offer running it would be a great time to get your tutuorial done and do those first 25 matches that get you the big c-bill bonuses. You can probably clear close to 20 million c-bills if you get on some teams that win matches occasionally.

I got a Hellbringer Prime with my cadet bonus money. I still have it and it is probably my favorite Mech.

Edited by Rampage, 05 March 2016 - 06:43 AM.

[Nik Reaper]

Dono if you read about how the skill system works , but to completely skill up a mech you will need 3 different variants of it, so it's a good idea, in the beginning, to take mechs that have 3 very different variants to be able to try different things , shadow hawks are good at that , as there variants can have long range damage as 3 high mounted ERLL or/also a different variant with 4xsrm4 ac10, so very versatile.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...05fce6acbbde3f4 Good max range build.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...5f0adcbef4fbe02 This is a decent brawler.

Edited by Nik Reaper, 05 March 2016 - 06:57 AM.

[Discount Dan]

Alright, looks like I need to see if there is a shadowhawk trial mech then. But yeah I was aware there were some shenanigans with having to own 3 of the same type of mech.

[Koniving]

Northstate, on 05 March 2016 - 04:19 AM, said:

Yes I know there are trial mechs, and I know I have to play those trial mechs to earn c-bills to buy my first personal mech, but eh, I would like to have an idea already though on what to aim for.

I have this vision in my head - A tough mech, doesn't have to be the toughest but tough.

I would like to fit it mainly with medium range weaponry, preferably avoiding lasers and perhaps a few long range options as well for times where it's impossible to advance to still stay in the game or simply for when closing the distance to medium range. I've watched a few videos, lasers doesn't seem to me my cup of tea, give me ballistic weaponry.

Preferably be able to fit an AMS system as well (not sure if all mechs can fit that or have the space)

In my head I would be looking at autocannons and 1 or 2 ER PPCs. - Is this a viable idea at all or should I look for other weapons?

What kind of mech body should I be looking at?

In advance, thanks for any advice.

Alright. Obviously as mentioned you should engage in some trial and error by testing out various machines. However I can already point you at a number of candidates.

Jump in, strap up and just flex out your hands 'cause here we go!

50 tons:
Enforcer. Compact balanced chassis and low cost. Jump capable. 5D or 4R. Note 4R has a 260 engine limit so it's best to use heavy weapons on it. Both have plenty of additional energy hard points for backup weaponry. The other 5th gen Enforcer variant has lots of extra ballistics but only torso energy making it less than ideal for AC/ppc use.

Hunchback. Small with a structurally re-enforced right autocannon housing, the 4H and 4G variants are both capable of your ideal use. The 4G is slightly more suited with spare ballistics and fewer energy slots. Torso cannon. Arm ppcs. No peripheral vision right side. Works well with either engine. Low start costs. Incredible twist and speed!

50 ton Clan.
Hbk IIC. See hunchback. Add fun. Lacks peripheral vision.

Nova. You will find the Nova to prove an interesting contender. Jump capable. Long sides award higfh frontal armor. Don't get flanked. Fantastic viewport. Even ability to see directly above you. Lose arm range with ppcs or ACS though.

55 ton IS.
Want to recommend wolverine so bad. But must choose ballistic or ppc.
Shadowhawk can do this role. Interestingly enough the Shadowhawk is compact width wise with tight hitboxes but is the tallest 55 tonner in the game. Lacks peripheral vision. Works well with either engine. Twists like a fat man at a hot dog eating contest, bad.

55 tons Clan.
Stormcrow. Fits perfectly and fast. Will spoil you from learning valuable skills early though. Expensive.

60 tons
Dragon. Great view except down. Weapons on arms for great attack range once you learn independent arm aiming. High start cost due to XL requirement.
Rifleman. When released. Embodiment of your request.

65 tons.
Thunderbolt. Let's face it. Tanky beasts. You really can't do better than this on a budget. Works best with standard engine to tank like a hundred ton monster! Good twist range and speed.
Jagermech. Arm ballistics and torso ppcs. Not bad, the early contender of the old AC ppc meta. Buy armor. Good twist lacks twist speed.
Clan.
Hellbringer. All you want plus ecm. Buy armor.
Ebon Jaguar. God mode enabled. High value target so expect every cross hair on you.

75 ton. Maurader and timber wolf. You seem to know a lot. No brainers here.

85 tons.
Battle master. Functional, effective. Many already have AC ppc combination. Great field of view. Great twist and arm range. Best with XL engine making it a pricey start.
Clan.
Warhawk. Like a bowse. Expensive start but cold with an er ppc plus AC combination. Will have no arm range after. Good field of view. Slow twist good range.

Hope this helps.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Northstate, on 05 March 2016 - 04:19 AM, said:

Yes I know there are trial mechs, and I know I have to play those trial mechs to earn c-bills to buy my first personal mech, but eh, I would like to have an idea already though on what to aim for.

I have this vision in my head - A tough mech, doesn't have to be the toughest but tough.

I would like to fit it mainly with medium range weaponry, preferably avoiding lasers and perhaps a few long range options as well for times where it's impossible to advance to still stay in the game or simply for when closing the distance to medium range. I've watched a few videos, lasers doesn't seem to me my cup of tea, give me ballistic weaponry.

Preferably be able to fit an AMS system as well (not sure if all mechs can fit that or have the space)

In my head I would be looking at autocannons and 1 or 2 ER PPCs. - Is this a viable idea at all or should I look for other weapons?

What kind of mech body should I be looking at?

In advance, thanks for any advice.

AC5s and PPCs have the same velocity so they work well together.

I'd suggest uh... catapult k2 or the firebrand? Or warhammers. For assaults...king crab I guess.

[The Mecha Streisand]

@OP:

Bro, I'm gonna level with ya. Talking about HOW you intend to play, before you even HAVE played, is kinda leading yourself to disappointment. Word of advice: DON'T.

Seriously, grab EVERY trial mech that has a (C) after its model designation thingamabobber. Those are Champion mechs, and every one of those builds was suggested by members of the community and voted upon and is NOT bad at all. Disregard all other trial mechs, as their loadouts tend to be straight-up JUNK in MWO even if they were good in other games.

So, grab the first trial. Go play it for 3-5 matches. OR, set a goal to achieve with each mech. Say, for heavy and medium mechs, you want to do damage equal to five times the sum of the mech's weight and 'firepower' (alpha strike damage), and get multiple kills while surviving, all in one match. For a light, maybe do seven or eight times and survive with at least one kill. Something like that. Achieve some goal with each mech before moving on, and be sure to do AT LEAST one mech of each weight class (light, medium, heavy, assault) of each tech base (Clan, IS). Do all that BEFORE you buy anything.

Yeah, sounds boring. Give or take, something like 32-40 matches EASY before making a purchase. LUCKY YOU, THOUGH, IT'S A FREE PREMIUM TIME WEEKEND! Use the promo codes to activate some PT, so the CBill payout is even GREATER! XP, TOO! Even if you can't level up a TRIAL mech, you KEEP the XP you earn with it. So when you DO eventually buy that chassis, that XP is already there waiting on you. And all the cash you build up over those fist 30-40 matches? Should be enough to buy 3 of most IS heavy (or lighter) mechs, or 3 of any Clan medium (or light) mechs. If you're GOOD, and you make OPTIMAL USE OF THE FREE PREMIUM TIME, you may even wind up with enough cash to just rake in three Timber Wolves right off the street.

Look, do NOT pigeon-hole yourself into a role that, if I'm being honest, you don't even know EXISTS or has any USEFULNESS AT ALL, in this game. Be open to the experience, and go where your talents and experience take you.

Also, THANK YOU for not just pulling the old El Cheapo Newb routine, and saying, "I think I wanna be a long-range support kind of player". NO! F**ING NO! YOU DO NOT! It will cripple you as a mechwarrior, and like me, you'll be stuck in potato tier for life, watching as your teammates struggle to find their way out of the drop zone without legging one another. So, THANKS for not being THAT guy.

Also, WELCOME ABOARD! You did a good thing stopping by here first. There are lots of helpful souls haunting this forum. It's really one of the bright spots of this player community.

[Rogue Jedi]

Northstate, on 05 March 2016 - 06:41 AM, said:

A bit sad to read that Marauder / Warhammer is IRL cash only. Not terribly hooked on spending money before I know if the game is for me, but eh.

Warhammer and Marauder have only been in game for 2-3 months.
when Mechs are first released they are only available part of a preorder pack, for usualy 2-3 months, then they become available for MC (purchased currency) and finally Cbills (earned in game currency), usualy 3-6 months after initial release. no cbill release date has been set for ether but I would be realy surprised if they are not available for Cbills by August.

[Discount Dan]

The Mecha Streisand, on 05 March 2016 - 10:40 AM, said:

@OP:

Bro, I'm gonna level with ya. Talking about HOW you intend to play, before you even HAVE played, is kinda leading yourself to disappointment. Word of advice: DON'T.

Too late bruh, already bought me-self a cat k2 and equipped it with two ER PPCs and two AC-5 + an AMS - So far it's alright, no worries, will get to other mechs eventually - Probably also a "long-range support" at some point but ehh - for now, autocannons, only regret was I can't have 4 to 6 of them for cycling Dakka Dakka Dakka

[Leone]

"May I interest you in a Jagermech good sir?" the shadowy figure asked, motioning to a garage door beside them.

As he motion someone inside must've been watching, as the doors roll open, revealing a row of battered but well tended Battlemechs. Jagers each, one carried four Ac5, another had three of the infamous Uac 5s, and yet another had a pair of Gauss rifles poking menacingly from it's arms. It was a thing of beauty, a true ballistics enthusiast dream.

"Come friend, Let us talk price..."

~Leone

[The Mecha Streisand]

Northstate, on 05 March 2016 - 11:13 AM, said:

Too late bruh, already bought me-self a cat k2 and equipped it with two ER PPCs and two AC-5 + an AMS - So far it's alright, no worries, will get to other mechs eventually - Probably also a "long-range support" at some point but ehh - for now, autocannons, only regret was I can't have 4 to 6 of them for cycling Dakka Dakka Dakka

I'd recommend UAC/5s for that thing. And you can cut WAY down on the heat load by running regular PPCs on it instead. They still have decent range, comparable to the AC/5 & UAC/5. Projectile speeds are nearly identical with either PPC type. The ACs, though, with that ballistic range quirk, probably would keep up better with the ERPPCs. Anyhow. Good mech for mid-range stuff, and gonna likely get a LOT better once it's rescaled. The one issue with the ballistics, though, is that they're not all the high-up on the mech, so you've got to clear a LOT of torso to be able to get a clear shot with them. The arm-mounted weapons, though, are fine for hill humping and corner peeking. I used to run a K2 in CW, with 2x UAC/5 and 4x ML, a STD 295 or 300, and LOTS of armor and DHS. Not a BIG damage dealer, but a CONSISTENT one in its range bracket. But the JESTER is better, even if it lacks the dakka.

Butterbee is gonna be meh, methinks, and I was rather hoping for an out-of-lore original build with ballistic ARMS and E's int eh torso, to be a TRUE ballistic Catapult. Whatever. Life goes on.

If you want to run MOAR DAKKAZ, you should go to the JM6 chassis. I would also suggest the ROFLman, but it's cash-only for a while yet.

That reminds me: Those cash-only mechs WILL eventually become available for MC, and then for CBills. Marauder probably isn't far out from being offered non-cash, I think. Before Summer, I think we'll have CBill MADs and WHMs. So save that money.

Anyhow, multiple dakka on one mech? And done WELL? Jagermech, Mauler. Those are the IS go-to mechs for dakka. For Clanners? TBR, EBJ, HBR, WHK, and DWF can all do it. The Whale is probably the winner in that group, but DAMN it's slow. EBJ will run 3x UAC/5 pretty well, or 2x UAC/10. HBR will run 2x UAC/5 and a few ERMLs, WITH ECM, and have fun doing it. Even the HBK-IIC can do multiple dakka, with 3x UAC/5 or 2x UAC/10 being reasonable with a not-awful engine and a single JJ and some ammo and even backup lazorz (though the HBK-IIC-A is the real winner of that whole pack).

If you WANT to get all quick and mobile with your dakka, you can go with the BJ-1 with a pair of AC/2s and some MLs. Not a HUGE DPS machine, but gets the job done anyhow. OR the BJ-1DC with Ac/20 or Gauss in one arm, and just spew venom.

There are options, at any rate.

Really, even the old skool IS HBK chassis can do a bit of everything across the variants we have. And they're dirt cheap.

[Koniving]

Seems he jumped on the K2 wagon. I might be more inclined to recommend it after the rescale.

In the mean time, classic K2s are walking down the line.

[Discount Dan]

Koniving, on 05 March 2016 - 11:48 AM, said:

Seems he jumped on the K2 wagon. I might be more inclined to recommend it after the rescale.

In the mean time, classic K2s are walking down the line.

I liked the look of it, and now I'm running out of posts.. Taaddaa, have a good day everyone.

Edit: Btw I have no idea what promo codes everyone is talking about, tried googling it but only found something with expired stuff, got a free one day premium when activating account.

Edited by Northstate, 05 March 2016 - 12:19 PM.

[Rogue Jedi]

Northstate, on 05 March 2016 - 12:01 PM, said:

I liked the look of it, and now I'm running out of posts.. Taaddaa, have a good day everyone.

Once you have finished the first 25 games you can post wherever you want as many times as you want, that is an antispam measure.

New players only have 5 posts a day and can only post in New Player Help

Quote

Edit: Btw I have no idea what promo codes everyone is talking about, tried googling it but only found something with expired stuff, got a free one day premium when activating account.

look at the following link.
http://mwomercs.com/...m-time-weekend/