I picked up MWO on the recommendation of a friend about a month ago. Seems like a good game.
I've read a bunch of guides and chatted with some folks about the do's and don't's of getting started. So far I've run through the Cadet levels, done the pilot training, and played each of the Clan trial mechs several times to get an idea what I like. I understand (I think) the Mech XP tiers and the massive benefits of completing the Elite tier. So, I guess I'm going to want 3 of a kind.
All told I'm sitting on somewhere around 24 million C-Bills and looking to make a purchase or two. I want to make sure my purchases are good ones because - and here's the catch - my schedule prevents me from playing more than a couple days a month. So, no mindlessly grinding out C-Bills for me.
My experiences with the Clan trials:
Arctic Cheetah. I don't much care for small lasers, but it seems like a decent mech all around. ECM seems good.
That Other Clan Light Mech That I Want To Forget About. Half a dozen games with that piece of junk. What a miserable experience that was. I don't even want to talk about it any more. So frustrating.
Shadow Cat. Who thought it was a good idea to put zero armor on its off arm? ECM is great. MASC is great. Jump Jets are fine. I feel like it's armored with kerosene-soaked newspaper. Weapon load out is questionable. I suppose it is supposed to encourage you to learn peeking-and-sniping, but why not go with Extended Range Lasers then? Or ACs for that matter - no tell-tale beams pointing out where you are to the enemy.
Stormcrow. Ugly looking thing, but seems reasonably good. Having played against these, that stringy profile seems to make it easy to miss unless you're shooting for center of mass (of maybe I'm just terrible). It's quick, but I wish it had MASC. Or maybe something longer range.
Ebon Jaguar. My favorite so far. Though a little light on armor, this thing is amazing. It's fast on its feet and I love those top mounted weapons. It runs a little hot. It even looks nice (unlike most of the other Clan mechs).
Timber Wolf. Seems like a good mech, but I'm not sure why people are so excited about it. The Jump Jets are a nice perk and it's pretty fast for something so big. I seem to get focused more than in the Ebon Jaguar.
Warhawk. Ugly as sin, but not a bad mech. It's a lot faster than I expected. It feels lightly armored for an assault mech (I guess I'm not sure what I should be expecting though).
Dire Wolf. So... painfully... slow... I want to like it, but I just can't deal with how lumbering it is.
I was a bit disappointed in the lack of weapon diversity in the trial mechs. Lots of Large Pulse Lasers, Extended Range Medium Lasers, Gauss Rifles (but no autocannons?), no missiles to speak of. The Inner Sphere mechs aren't much better though.
Anyway, my limited experience (and budget) seem to be pushing me toward Ebon Jaguar, but then there's the C-Bills issue. I have enough to buy 2 Ebon Jaguars, but I won't be able to customize them. Or one and be able to make it just the way I like.
It looks like I could do a Community Warfare "drop deck" with 4 Ebon Jaguars. Is that a terrible idea?
Maybe I should just keep playing trials while I build up my C-Bills stockpile?
Hi! Welcome. This is exactly the place to be asking new player questions, so no problem on that score.
Honestly, 'mech selection advice is one of the hardest things to give because it comes down almost entirely to how you play and what you want from the game. If you're enjoying the Ebon Jaguar, you almost certainly won't go wrong with those. What I would suggest is that you buy a different variant from the trial and set it up the way you want it. Then you can skill up yours and if you need to build up cash, you can also use the trial to build up XP on 2 variants.
The EJ is a solid selection if you're keen to hit the top of the damage stats at the end of round screen, it's probably not the best Clan heavy so if you're keen to play competitively probably the TimberWolf is a better choice. It's fairly widely considered to be the best Clan heavy by a decent margin.
If you enjoy the EJ, go for it. Having fun is the reason we're all here after all. It's not a "bad" choice by any means. Probably not the best if you're climbing Mount Try-Hard but perfectly serviceable.
If you want to have a look at options I would recommend checking out the following sites: MetaMechs has a stack of fairly heavily optimised builds for you to have a look at. There is an EJ Master Guide there which you might find useful NGNG has a forum section devoted to builds which might give a few more options Smurfy gives you the chance to build your own, without having to front up the CBills
Do not mean to rain on your parade but you should be prepared to spend real cash to build a decent selection of mechs if you only have a couple of days a month to play. The average earnings per match is around 80,000 - 100,000 C-Bills after you finish the initial 25 matches with cades bonuses so if you can not play much, it is unlikely you will be able to accumulate enough C-Bills to make many mech purchases and upgrades.
Incidentally, there is a general rescaling of all mechs slated for release in May which will also likely include some quirk changes. This may result in a shake-up in the "performance" of mechs so if you are going to spend cash, I would suggest leaving it till after May.
Meanwhile, just purchase whatever you want with C-Bills and enjoy your matches while accumulating C-Bills gradually for your next purchse.
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
Spoiler
Hello MechWarriors
I picked up MWO on the recommendation of a friend about a month ago. Seems like a good game.
I've read a bunch of guides and chatted with some folks about the do's and don't's of getting started. So far I've run through the Cadet levels, done the pilot training, and played each of the Clan trial mechs several times to get an idea what I like. I understand (I think) the Mech XP tiers and the massive benefits of completing the Elite tier. So, I guess I'm going to want 3 of a kind.
All told I'm sitting on somewhere around 24 million C-Bills and looking to make a purchase or two. I want to make sure my purchases are good ones because - and here's the catch - my schedule prevents me from playing more than a couple days a month. So, no mindlessly grinding out C-Bills for me.
My experiences with the Clan trials:
Arctic Cheetah. I don't much care for small lasers, but it seems like a decent mech all around. ECM seems good.
That Other Clan Light Mech That I Want To Forget About. Half a dozen games with that piece of junk. What a miserable experience that was. I don't even want to talk about it any more. So frustrating.
Shadow Cat. Who thought it was a good idea to put zero armor on its off arm? ECM is great. MASC is great. Jump Jets are fine. I feel like it's armored with kerosene-soaked newspaper. Weapon load out is questionable. I suppose it is supposed to encourage you to learn peeking-and-sniping, but why not go with Extended Range Lasers then? Or ACs for that matter - no tell-tale beams pointing out where you are to the enemy.
Stormcrow. Ugly looking thing, but seems reasonably good. Having played against these, that stringy profile seems to make it easy to miss unless you're shooting for center of mass (of maybe I'm just terrible). It's quick, but I wish it had MASC. Or maybe something longer range.
Ebon Jaguar. My favorite so far. Though a little light on armor, this thing is amazing. It's fast on its feet and I love those top mounted weapons. It runs a little hot. It even looks nice (unlike most of the other Clan mechs).
Timber Wolf. Seems like a good mech, but I'm not sure why people are so excited about it. The Jump Jets are a nice perk and it's pretty fast for something so big. I seem to get focused more than in the Ebon Jaguar.
Warhawk. Ugly as sin, but not a bad mech. It's a lot faster than I expected. It feels lightly armored for an assault mech (I guess I'm not sure what I should be expecting though).
Dire Wolf. So... painfully... slow... I want to like it, but I just can't deal with how lumbering it is.
I was a bit disappointed in the lack of weapon diversity in the trial mechs. Lots of Large Pulse Lasers, Extended Range Medium Lasers, Gauss Rifles (but no autocannons?), no missiles to speak of. The Inner Sphere mechs aren't much better though.
Anyway, my limited experience (and budget) seem to be pushing me toward Ebon Jaguar, but then there's the C-Bills issue. I have enough to buy 2 Ebon Jaguars, but I won't be able to customize them. Or one and be able to make it just the way I like.
It looks like I could do a Community Warfare "drop deck" with 4 Ebon Jaguars. Is that a terrible idea?
Maybe I should just keep playing trials while I build up my C-Bills stockpile?
-Stan
the big problem with all Champion (trial) Mechs is that they were put up for vote, and many competitave players chose what would work well for comp play, unfortunately comp play involves completely optomizing everything, in many cases those builds are not great for new players and are built around the current "meta" weapons which can change at any time, at the time (and still today) Meta is are Large and Medium pulse lasers, ER Medium lasers + Gauss Rifles on the Clan side, so there is less variaty than there should be for new players who of course are the ones who will spend the most time using those builds, because the first thing I would do if I purchased one of those would be to refit it to my preferances.
from your post I am assuming you want Clan not Inner Sphere.
the major diferances are Clan Mechs are mostly Omnimechs which have a fixed base configuration including armor type, structure type, heatsink type and Clan XL engines, in exchange for that you can take the "Omnipod" for a specific componant from another Mech, the pod contains the hardpoint and any fixed equipment on that componant, often thinks like Jumpjets are fixed to a pod.
All Inner Sphere Mechs and the Clan IIC Mechs are Battlemechs, they have a fixed set of hardpoints but almost anything anything else can be changed.
Clan Mechs tend to be more heavily armed and have heat problems, IS Mechs tend to have a bit less firepower but less heat problems and they are usualy significantly more durable
the Artic Cheetah is a pretty good Light Mech, with its ECM and 6 hardlocked jumpjets it is rather mobile, however most Light Mechs have 10+ KPH higher max speed. you have hardpoints for Lasers, Balistics and missiles available accross the varients and as the ECM is in an Omnipod you can fit that to any varient.
all the Mechs you mentioned were Clan Omnimechs
if you want faster and more agile look at the Spider, an Inner Sphere Battlemech is potentialy faster, more agile, more durable but less heavily armed.
if you want more durable and faster with lots of firepower then the Firestarter (again IS Battlemech) is a better bet.
if you want less durable but a lot more firepower look at the Jenner IIC, a Clan Battlemech.
Shadow Cat is pretty good, but works best as a harasser or sniper, there is not really anything else close to the Shadow Cat in terms of capabilities, its major downside is a shortage of hard points (unless you want Ballistics)
the Stormcrow is probably the best Medium Mech, it can be configured for almost any role and is very durable, I personally prefer the Griffin which outclasses Storm crow as a durable brawler but is nowhere near as versatile.
the Ebon Jag is great, certainly one of the best 10 (probably best 4) Mechs in the game, it has more tonnage for weapons than the Timber, and a really versatile set of hard points, the only 65 ton Mechs which have any real advantages on it are Jagermech, better able to carry heavy ballistics but significantly slower and Hellbringer, another 65 tonner, lower mounted hard points but it has ECM.
the reason the Timby is so popular is that it is one of the most versatile Mechs in the game, fast for its size and is one of the best known Mechs, its reputation is a problem because there are other strong competitors for best Mech including Ebon Jag, Marauder and Warhammer, but they are not as well recorgnised as the Timby hence a Timber Wolf will usualy be prioritised over the others.
Warhawk is pretty good, it is not too slow and can mount a decent variety of weapons, able to server as a Missile boat, laser boat, ballistic carrier or any mix thereof.
Dire Wolf, I completely agree, to use the Dire (which is my opinion of that Mech) you need to be patient and know your team will have your back
if you liked the Ebon Jaguar then get it, there is nothing wrong with a 4 EBJ drop deck providing drop deck weight does not change again, however you may eventuraly want a bit more versitility, also the new scouting mode going in tomorow could be restricted to Light and Medium Mechs, as it was mentioned a while ago that PGI were thinking about doing that.
edit: confirmed, you cannot take a Mech heavier than 55 tons into scouting mode.
It seems that you like having high hardpoints, so I'll only discuss mechs with them.
Arctic Cheetah: The perfect light mech, except it is 5 tons off the optimal 35 point. Has 2 (3 if you lose the ECM) high energy points, plenty of jumpjets, fast.
Shadowcat: Limited energy hardpoints. Missile and ballistic options, but tonnage limited. Can do 3 ERML and one UAC10 if you sacrifice the ECM. Good jumpjets and MASC. Very high weapons.
Hunchback IIC: Very high weapons and some jumpjets. No omnipods. Will cost an extra 4 million due to stock XL 200s being too slow.
Ebon Jaguar: LOTS of tonnage for guns. No jumpjets. Hardpoints are spread across a large width.
Hellbringer: ECM, but less free tonnage than the Ebon. Torso hardpoints quite close together.
4 ebon jags is a lot of cbills... With your current play schedule, that could equate to years... I will honestly say this... Dont even consider CW right now. Just play quick play. You literally need games under your belt before you even consider cw. And by the time your ready to step up, the tonnage limits might change (again), so your 4 ebon deck might not be viable.
Edit: sorry let me explain my train of thought more... Right now focus on getting your first 3 mechs (of the same chassis, like the ebon jag that you like) so you can master its mech skills! Absolutelly do not spend GXP on mech skills, you will need those for Pilot skills!!! After you finish purchasing and skilling those 3 mechs, check if CW tonnages haved changed- and then plan accordingly.
Edited by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, 18 April 2016 - 09:22 AM.
Oh look! Another new player with a sense of humor.
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
Hello MechWarriors
Herro and Welcome.
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I picked up MWO on the recommendation of a friend about a month ago. Seems like a good game.
Lemme stop ya there buddy. For a free to play, it's a damn fantastic game! Probably the second best setup I've ever seen for one. For a Mechwarrior game... yeah, you said it best.
Quote
I've read a bunch of guides and chatted with some folks about the do's and don't's of getting started. So far I've run through the Cadet levels, done the pilot training, and played each of the Clan trial mechs several times to get an idea what I like. I understand (I think) the Mech XP tiers and the massive benefits of completing the Elite tier. So, I guess I'm going to want 3 of a kind.
All told I'm sitting on somewhere around 24 million C-Bills and looking to make a purchase or two. I want to make sure my purchases are good ones because - and here's the catch - my schedule prevents me from playing more than a couple days a month. So, no mindlessly grinding out C-Bills for me.
Sounds like you've got my schedule for actually playing as of late.
Also the next part here: Fantastic. Wish every new player did this. It'd be Soooooooo much easier to help them.
Quote
My experiences with the Clan trials:
Arctic Cheetah. I don't much care for small lasers, but it seems like a decent mech all around. ECM seems good.
That Other Clan Light Mech That I Want To Forget About. Half a dozen games with that piece of junk. What a miserable experience that was. I don't even want to talk about it any more. So frustrating.
Shadow Cat. Who thought it was a good idea to put zero armor on its off arm? ECM is great. MASC is great. Jump Jets are fine. I feel like it's armored with kerosene-soaked newspaper. Weapon load out is questionable. I suppose it is supposed to encourage you to learn peeking-and-sniping, but why not go with Extended Range Lasers then? Or ACs for that matter - no tell-tale beams pointing out where you are to the enemy.
Stormcrow. Ugly looking thing, but seems reasonably good. Having played against these, that stringy profile seems to make it easy to miss unless you're shooting for center of mass (of maybe I'm just terrible). It's quick, but I wish it had MASC. Or maybe something longer range.
Ebon Jaguar. My favorite so far. Though a little light on armor, this thing is amazing. It's fast on its feet and I love those top mounted weapons. It runs a little hot. It even looks nice (unlike most of the other Clan mechs).
Timber Wolf. Seems like a good mech, but I'm not sure why people are so excited about it. The Jump Jets are a nice perk and it's pretty fast for something so big. I seem to get focused more than in the Ebon Jaguar.
Warhawk. Ugly as sin, but not a bad mech. It's a lot faster than I expected. It feels lightly armored for an assault mech (I guess I'm not sure what I should be expecting though).
Dire Wolf. So... painfully... slow... I want to like it, but I just can't deal with how lumbering it is.
Any champion builds are designed by some competition-oriented freak that I won't name but it won't take long to figure out who (and no it is not Paul), who has never played an actual match where it's not "one shot kill alpha" meta... and whose game development ideas from having talked with him simply make me glad his job has nothing to do with anything other than 'testing' and 'talk show host'. I'd give an example of what I'm talking about, but then you'd probably just walk. Just thank god champion builds are about the only direct influence he has.
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I was a bit disappointed in the lack of weapon diversity in the trial mechs. Lots of Large Pulse Lasers, Extended Range Medium Lasers, Gauss Rifles (but no autocannons?), no missiles to speak of. The Inner Sphere mechs aren't much better though.
See above.
In the guy's opinion, autocannons for Clans are worthless and missiles are inferior due to spread.
Which is far from true, but in "tier 1" competitions, you'd get insta-gibbed while trying to use them on any mech that could carry a reasonable amount of them due to the 'camp and snipe' play style with the occasional light flank.
I used to have to deliberately botch my scores on occasion just to avoid getting mixed into that un-fun crap before the PSR system. Even now tier 3 and maybe 2 are a lot more fun to fight. Challenging enough without the absolute cheese builds. It's not easy to get into 3, let alone 2 or 1 so you might never have to worry about it.
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Anyway, my limited experience (and budget) seem to be pushing me toward Ebon Jaguar, but then there's the C-Bills issue. I have enough to buy 2 Ebon Jaguars, but I won't be able to customize them. Or one and be able to make it just the way I like.
Get one for now, customize it. Do the same for the others in the future? I'd suggest a medium mech in its place, but if you're going heavy Ebon Jaguar isn't a bad choice. Consider Hellbringer too, and remember you are NOT stuck with the Battletech stock armor values. BT =/= MWO...not even close, so most of the stuff doesn't work here. Never run stock if you can help it. For the Hellbringer you can slip in ECM with a specific left torso Omnipod.
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It looks like I could do a Community Warfare "drop deck" with 4 Ebon Jaguars. Is that a terrible idea?
Not necessarily. If you want to rush into CW that isn't a bad idea.
Be aware: Hellbringers (Loki), Ebon Jaguars (Cauldron Born), and Timber Wolves (Mad Cat) are alarm-triggers for anyone with half a brain, meaning you will get focused down very quickly.
If you're wondering why the TBR gets more excitement than the EBJ...
TBR is a fan-favorite of the series for nearly 25 years. Incredibly fast for its size, lots of space, great armor. In tabletop, the Ebon Jaguar could carry more weapons and equipment but its stock armor is inferior. In MWO the armor can be changed so its a moot point, and the TBR can carry more due to more free tonnage. In EITHER case, forward the armor and keep amounts of 8 armor or less (I personally use 2 armor and almost never lose it even when partially surrounded) on the rear.
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Maybe I should just keep playing trials while I build up my C-Bills stockpile?
You can. Consider that after the patch on the 19th, ALL the trials will cycle and you will see 12 new mechs.
Warhawk.
Battle of Attrition against an overwhelming force! Ends in a 1 vs 1 tie (starting from a 3 vs 7 fight which becomes 2 vs 7 within a minute of the video starting).
To note: I'm doing a lot of deliberate "Suppression" fire with my LRMs to get the snipers to back off so they don't gang up on me, we are both severely outnumbered and outgunned with less than "2 seconds" on our base til we lose if one got past us.
Brutal rapid-kills. First encounter, 3 minutes in. Killed within 6 seconds. Second encounter, Stalker, killed very quickly by someone else. Third encounter, Timber Wolf, killed in almost exactly 9 seconds. 4th, 5th encounters Kintaro and Stalker, I ran out of ammo but almost killed both. Kintaro died within 12 seconds (I had to chase him over a hill while being pelted from 3 mechs!) Don't know what the 6th encounter was and doesn't count because while it kept attacking me I never fired at it.
Dire Wolf: Used as what the King Crab should be, an Area of Denial mech.
-------
And some treats: Private matches:
A Timber Wolf and Hellbringer versus two Summoners. Pure stock.
Two Hellbringers. The other guy is stock, I'm sporting LBX-20 and UAC/20, 1 ton of ammo each.
My stock advice.. Keep playing all the trials till you get 100+ matches, and perhaps 50m c-bills.
Id also put some time in the champion IS mechs as well. For one they are great mechs, and You will learn a bunch about how they play, and who knows how you will like them till you get some time into them. Once you get your own mechs, the chances of playing trials really drops for most of the population, so do it while you are new.
IS are lots different, so well worth getting some time in before you spend money.
that said, The only clan mechs i have really put lots of time in are timbers and executioner. The timbers are lots of fun, with energy, and missile builds, as well as have some nice ballistics builds as well. Over all a solid mech. I play many strange builds, and i even dare put machine guns on one of my Prime builds.. It runs hot anyway, but that extra 2 heat sinks doesn't really help the build much, so why not
the Executioner, is an odd duck. Its big like an assault, but almost fast like a medium in short bursts with MASC. It has some really weird builds, that boat lots of weapons, like the 7 SL arm of close range death, and UAC20 builds.. or some long range, builds like 2 ERLL+ERPPC+gauss which is what i have been really playing a lot of. The thing tanks like a champ too, and can back to cover fast too.
I have Stormcrow, can run lots of energy/missile/ballistics builds. Nova's are mostly energy builds with some ballistics, Arctic cheata, mainlyenergy with missiles or a narc, basically the Clan version of a mobile scout with good hitboxes.. And the adder, slower light, and can hall a big ol gun. I havent played any of these much at all, outside of them all being pretty neat, But the fact is i just can't pull myself away from the EXE long enough to level any of um.
So keep playing trails, and get a 100 or 200 matches under your belt first.. the trials are all pretty darn good.
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
Ebon Jaguar. My favorite so far. Though a little light on armor, this thing is amazing. It's fast on its feet and I love those top mounted weapons. It runs a little hot. It even looks nice (unlike most of the other Clan mechs).
This, this right here makes me think you should just go for it. You like it. You know you like it. Now imagine you can test out your own builds with it. The trials may change, and you'll get a look at other mechs, but you know you enjoy this one, so why not indulge?
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
I was a bit disappointed in the lack of weapon diversity in the trial mechs. Lots of Large Pulse Lasers, Extended Range Medium Lasers, Gauss Rifles (but no autocannons?), no missiles to speak of. The Inner Sphere mechs aren't much better though.
The sad thing is, we've a thread with... 197 pages 'devoted' to The Underrated Locust, and we still couldn't get a decent locust build into the champion mix. (To be fair it's not all locust talk, we ramble.) Mech building by committee, and folk wonder how we could lose so much lostech...
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
It looks like I could do a Community Warfare "drop deck" with 4 Ebon Jaguars. Is that a terrible idea?
Honestly, if you don't mind some of the trials, I'd suggest you get what Jaguars you can an load out the rest with trials and give CW a go. When your contract with wolf ends, Send me a friend invite, and I'll try an show you the ropes next time I'm on. (Disclaimer, timezones may not sync up, and we may very well not see eachother.)
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
Maybe I should just keep playing trials while I build up my C-Bills stockpile?
It is an option. Question is, is it an option you like better'n gearing up your own Cauldron Born? (Ebon Jaguars, as I know them.)
Locationbetwixt the seen and heard, underneath the upperhanded, above the underhanded. Sunlit with a cloudy background.
Posted 18 April 2016 - 06:15 PM
Sometimes not having the best mech is the most helpful thing that can help your game play.
You have already been going through that process with trial mechs. There are no "perfect" mechs. Each one can be countered. some with more difficulty than others.
If you are a good gamer and you start playing this game your talents will show beyond the mech you play. I am not a gamer good or otherwise, but I build mechs to protect my lack of skills, and when ping is bad I use Lrms.
As I said...
Sometimes not having the best mech is he most helpful thing that can help your game play.
Play big slow and big. It will force you to operate like a supertanker, knowing where you need to be 4 steps before you take it, understand how going alone "just for a peek" leaves you abandoned before you notice on your mini map. Or understanding team "flow" to when it is right to break of and gank 3 overwhelmed mechs.
Play small and fast...
Speed kills......the enemy!!!
Learn the gift of of small hit boxes, hit and run, and why lights shouldn't stop much. If you learn how to destroy a dire wolf all alone, then later as the dire wolf you may learn to counter the little fellas moves..
I suggest you pick a Light and an assault, trial or bought, play them going back and forth contrasting the play style. It will help you in the long run.
Then sprinkle in the Mediums and Heavies.
You can't go wrong with the ones you chose to open with, but if by luck or skill you get the "best one" first, all your future choices may be a letdown.
I know players that get high damage on bad build mechs, multiple kills, they are that good. Do not be afraid to pick a mech because it looks cool.
Any mech can be very effective, but that depends on you. Some are harder, but maybe that is best, the hard road...
KNOW THIS....YOU CAN SPEND BETWEEN DOUBLE THE PURCHASE PRICEOF YOU MECH TO 3 TIMES THE C BILL COST TO BUILD IT PROPERLY.
Also, as a beginner you are playing against those that have their mechs leveled in pilot skills, mech weapon and consumable modules in place. Modules alone in gxp 40,000 or 50,000 spent, and up to what in c bills? up to 24,000,000?
Their mechs move smoother, quicker, fire faster longer, keep locks longer, make you loose locks quicker, uav calls for backup etc on the rest. Stick with it.
Any champion builds are designed by some competition-oriented freak that I won't name but it won't take long to figure out who (and no it is not Paul), who has never played an actual match where it's not "one shot kill alpha" meta... and whose game development ideas from having talked with him simply make me glad his job has nothing to do with anything other than 'testing' and 'talk show host'. I'd give an example of what I'm talking about, but then you'd probably just walk. Just thank god champion builds are about the only direct influence he has.
Yep.
The twist on champ builds being used by newer players is that most of them are designed for more experienced players. Even at that, a lot of them are optimized for comp or FW play.
Then some of them are just outright questionable under any circumstance.
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
Hello MechWarriors
I picked up MWO on the recommendation of a friend about a month ago. Seems like a good game.
I've read a bunch of guides and chatted with some folks about the do's and don't's of getting started. So far I've run through the Cadet levels, done the pilot training, and played each of the Clan trial mechs several times to get an idea what I like. I understand (I think) the Mech XP tiers and the massive benefits of completing the Elite tier. So, I guess I'm going to want 3 of a kind.
All told I'm sitting on somewhere around 24 million C-Bills and looking to make a purchase or two. I want to make sure my purchases are good ones because - and here's the catch - my schedule prevents me from playing more than a couple days a month. So, no mindlessly grinding out C-Bills for me.
My experiences with the Clan trials:
Arctic Cheetah. I don't much care for small lasers, but it seems like a decent mech all around. ECM seems good.
That Other Clan Light Mech That I Want To Forget About. Half a dozen games with that piece of junk. What a miserable experience that was. I don't even want to talk about it any more. So frustrating.
Shadow Cat. Who thought it was a good idea to put zero armor on its off arm? ECM is great. MASC is great. Jump Jets are fine. I feel like it's armored with kerosene-soaked newspaper. Weapon load out is questionable. I suppose it is supposed to encourage you to learn peeking-and-sniping, but why not go with Extended Range Lasers then? Or ACs for that matter - no tell-tale beams pointing out where you are to the enemy.
Stormcrow. Ugly looking thing, but seems reasonably good. Having played against these, that stringy profile seems to make it easy to miss unless you're shooting for center of mass (of maybe I'm just terrible). It's quick, but I wish it had MASC. Or maybe something longer range.
Ebon Jaguar. My favorite so far. Though a little light on armor, this thing is amazing. It's fast on its feet and I love those top mounted weapons. It runs a little hot. It even looks nice (unlike most of the other Clan mechs).
Timber Wolf. Seems like a good mech, but I'm not sure why people are so excited about it. The Jump Jets are a nice perk and it's pretty fast for something so big. I seem to get focused more than in the Ebon Jaguar.
Warhawk. Ugly as sin, but not a bad mech. It's a lot faster than I expected. It feels lightly armored for an assault mech (I guess I'm not sure what I should be expecting though).
Dire Wolf. So... painfully... slow... I want to like it, but I just can't deal with how lumbering it is.
I was a bit disappointed in the lack of weapon diversity in the trial mechs. Lots of Large Pulse Lasers, Extended Range Medium Lasers, Gauss Rifles (but no autocannons?), no missiles to speak of. The Inner Sphere mechs aren't much better though.
Anyway, my limited experience (and budget) seem to be pushing me toward Ebon Jaguar, but then there's the C-Bills issue. I have enough to buy 2 Ebon Jaguars, but I won't be able to customize them. Or one and be able to make it just the way I like.
It looks like I could do a Community Warfare "drop deck" with 4 Ebon Jaguars. Is that a terrible idea?
Maybe I should just keep playing trials while I build up my C-Bills stockpile?
-Stan
Four EBJs is a strong CW drop deck. Could swap one out for a HBR with ECM, though. Or, say to heck with the ECM, and go full-on with two TBRs and two SCRs. Also keep in mind, that the drop deck tonnage limits are subject to change on short notice. It's been a WHILE since the last change, but it's entirely possible you'll see another soon after tomorrow's patch.
The Shadow Cat? I love the sorry little beasts. I know, they're not meta-good, and they're rarely ever dusted off by the tryhards. But they're just so ... FUN! Why no armor on the off arm? Because there's like NOTHING in there that you need, so you SHIELD (as well as an SHC can) with that arm.
I should point out now, that damage THROUGH a destroyed component transfers only 40% to the next. SO, if that arm is blown off, and you are subsequently hit in the stump of it with an AC/10, only FOUR points of damage will actually hit your side torso on that side. Missing your side torso over there, too? No worries. That AC/10 hits your arm stump, and 4 points passes through to the side torso, and 1.6 of THAT transfers to your CT.
So it may SEEM kinda dumb to do it that way, but then, if you lose that arm altogether, it's not the tiniest little bit of a hindrance to you. Your ECM remains, all your heat sinks remain, your engine remains fully intact, and all your weapons remain as well. You can still use MASC. You can still run at 97.2 km/h (104.5 after Speed Tweak?) without the MASC. You still have all six jump jets at your disposal. And so on. So why spend over half a ton to armor that arm fully?
But if your eye twitches a bit at the idea of an unarmored component, then do what I do with that one. Cut back on the heat sinks and targeting computer, and stick the SHC-P LA omnipod on it. With LPLs in the RA and RT, and ECM in the LT, you can stuff a few MGs in the SHC-P LA, along with some ammo. Play a tiny bit more cowardly when poking/peeking early on and preserve that LA. Late engagement, find those mechs with stripped/exposed internals, and open up with the MGs on them. MGs get a SILLY bonus to critical damage, so they CAN rip apart an exposed component pretty easily. You have to more or less BOAT them, but three Clan MGs weigh a total of 0.75 tons, and you're not otherwise using that LA.
Why not ERLLs? Well, those have an even LONGER duration than the LPLs, to go with their longer range. And they don't do as much damage, either. And they don't have that critical bonus that pulse lasers have (they DO still have that bonus, right?). The shorter duration of the LPLs means less time exposed to get the full burn on an enemy. Combine that with a higher total damage, and you're cutting your exposure to enemy fire EVEN MORE. Yeah, they're range-limited next to the ERLL, but they still have an impressive range for the damage they do, and are one of the better high-end weapons out there for Clan mechs. They are fairly meta right now.
On to the Arctic Cheetah. One of the most powerful light mechs in the game, PERIOD. She can boat up to SEVEN (7) (six with ECM) of the Clan Small Pulse Laser, which is a pretty righteous knife-fighting weapon. Run six of them on an ACH (will be HOT) and you're throwing down 36 damage every few seconds. It may be laser/hitscan, bit it's VERY short duration for a Clan laser. Range isn't as awful as with its IS counterpart, and damage is as good as that of the IS MEDIUM pulse laser! Or, you can stick with the slightly higher duration of the small lasers, and run six of them for the same weight as THREE of the pulse versions, and get better range, and use the free weight to add a couple DHS to keep it even cooler. A little warm, but something that quick has no problem finding a place to hide and cool off. It's a righteous little mech, and worth every CBill.
But EBJ is a rockin' good time. Solid, but doesn't get focused like the TBR. A little easier to kill, though, but has the same free weight and space as the TBR. No JJs and no ECM, but still a SOLID heavy mech. The various omnipod options let you run all kinds of really good builds. High torso mounts are great for hill humping, and I like the wide arms for corner peeking when your target is already spotted (by UAV of friendly mechs). Some fun builds?
And there are more. Those are probably relatively WEAK by many folks' standards, but they're just a few of the better ones I've used while taking three so far to MASTER (and a fourth on the way).
Hard to go wrong with what you enjoy playing the most, regardless of anyone's opinion on it.
That said, the Ebon Jaguar is a workhorse. It's fast, relatively durable and an upper tier mech. Not the best in many opinions, but not far from it. You can out gun most assault mechs, but you won't take the damage assaults do.
It is a great mech for new players as its omnipod variety allows you to effectively boat any weapon you choose. It can also be built symetrical for hill humping or asymmetrical for side peeking/shield side brawling. Buy 1 and build to suit your needs, then if you still like it after you grab basics on it , buy another and repeat.
You can use 4 for FW as of right now, and it does work alright even if it is limited in variety. However you are a long way from.being ready for that.
Sometimes not having the best mech is the most helpful thing that can help your game play.
You have already been going through that process with trial mechs. There are no "perfect" mechs. Each one can be countered. some with more difficulty than others.
If you are a good gamer and you start playing this game your talents will show beyond the mech you play. I am not a gamer good or otherwise, but I build mechs to protect my lack of skills, and when ping is bad I use Lrms.
As I said...
Sometimes not having the best mech is he most helpful thing that can help your game play.
Play big slow and big. It will force you to operate like a supertanker, knowing where you need to be 4 steps before you take it, understand how going alone "just for a peek" leaves you abandoned before you notice on your mini map. Or understanding team "flow" to when it is right to break of and gank 3 overwhelmed mechs.
Play small and fast...
Speed kills......the enemy!!!
Learn the gift of of small hit boxes, hit and run, and why lights shouldn't stop much. If you learn how to destroy a dire wolf all alone, then later as the dire wolf you may learn to counter the little fellas moves..
I suggest you pick a Light and an assault, trial or bought, play them going back and forth contrasting the play style. It will help you in the long run.
Then sprinkle in the Mediums and Heavies.
You can't go wrong with the ones you chose to open with, but if by luck or skill you get the "best one" first, all your future choices may be a letdown.
I know players that get high damage on bad build mechs, multiple kills, they are that good. Do not be afraid to pick a mech because it looks cool.
Any mech can be very effective, but that depends on you. Some are harder, but maybe that is best, the hard road...
KNOW THIS....YOU CAN SPEND BETWEEN DOUBLE THE PURCHASE PRICEOF YOU MECH TO 3 TIMES THE C BILL COST TO BUILD IT PROPERLY.
Also, as a beginner you are playing against those that have their mechs leveled in pilot skills, mech weapon and consumable modules in place. Modules alone in gxp 40,000 or 50,000 spent, and up to what in c bills? up to 24,000,000?
Their mechs move smoother, quicker, fire faster longer, keep locks longer, make you loose locks quicker, uav calls for backup etc on the rest. Stick with it.
Gl Hf
^^^ this. This is good info right here, i couldnt have explained it better myself. I just want to add that you should consider buying mechs regarded as "inferior" For example, buy the awesome (or use the trial one) it is regarded as inferior due to being barn sized, but having so much stuff to move around teaches you how to torso twist. The Jagermech's large side torsos also help. And the direwolf and the locust are the best mechs for learning how to drive in a lights and assaults. Buy some of these mechs and then some top tier mechs and i believe it will help
Stan the Trashman, on 18 April 2016 - 08:12 AM, said:
Anyway, my limited experience (and budget) seem to be pushing me toward Ebon Jaguar, but then there's the C-Bills issue. I have enough to buy 2 Ebon Jaguars, but I won't be able to customize them. Or one and be able to make it just the way I like.
It looks like I could do a Community Warfare "drop deck" with 4 Ebon Jaguars. Is that a terrible idea?
Maybe I should just keep playing trials while I build up my C-Bills stockpile?
-Stan
Welcome Stan,
Just incase the other posts aren't enough for you, I'll throw in my 2 C-bills.
FWIW, I haven't read any of the other replies
The Ebon Jaguar is a solid mech, and I doubt many would say differently. They have tons of space for any weapons you want to run. I would say it has to be one of the most efficient mech chassis. However it isn't a "fancy" mech. No ECM, jump jets or quirks. That said, it is 65 tons of kill'n machine, I hate fighting them no matter what mech I'm in. They are good for new pilots and deadly with an experienced pilot.
Being that you are new, this is how I would invest my C-bills.
1) Buy one EBJ
2) Set it up how you want with weapons.
3) Save your GXP, get Radar Deprivation unlocked. Then buy the module.
By the time you get step 3 done, the C-bills will come faster because you will be living much longer.
4) Buy two more EBJs, just make sure you don't buy the same one twice
5) Master all 3, and get at least 1 to elite.
Once you get here, the path is not clear. Most clans will want/need you to have a diverse drop deck. So a light mech with jump jets, and an assault mech for alternate options. That said, some battle strategies will work great with 4 EBJs. Also, you will need (yup I said need) Cool Shot skills unlocked to be effective in faction warfare. Once you get a drop deck, or get close to one your clan leaders will guide you in filling in the rest.
Good luck
Edited by Wedge Red Leader, 18 April 2016 - 08:32 PM.
Hey everyone, thanks for the replies. I was going to hop on early this morning to check out the new patch, but I was having connection issues. Looks like I wasn't the only one.
Anyway, I appreciate all the suggestions. It'd be silly to try to reply to each, so here's a big "Thanks!" to everyone. You got me thinking about a few things I hadn't considered, like CW weight limits changing. I guess my 4 Ebon Jaguar plan is pretty much shot if 250 tons is the new limit. That said, when I next get the chance to play, I think I am going to pick up an Ebon Jaguar and start working on it.
Can someone link me to a good guide on Omnipod quirks, please? I'm not sure I get how they work. Do you need all the Omnipods to be the same variant to get the bonuses or is it piecemeal or do you more/better bonuses when you have a set?
By the way, if anyone wants to send me an invite in-game, I'll be glad to add you to my friends list.
Um ya, basically every guide I come across is out dated. In a nut shell, Omni pods are like prosthetic limbs, you change just change them out for the task you want accomplished. Currently the EBJs have zero quirks, so the only issue is getting the hard points you like. That said, if you can find a stock variant you like, and keep all the same omn-ipods you will get a HUGE 2.5% XP bonus (ie the 8 piece set bonus) Yay But seriously the XP bonus is so small don't even worry about it. Once you buy the EBJ, you can purchase any of the other variants omnipods (from the mechlab) and equip them. For example, you can take an EBJ-A variant, and give it the exact same load out as any of the three other variants. The only piece unique to all Omni-mechs are the center torsos.
And this is for any new people reading this post. Its a mech, not a wife. Just pick one, and get it over with.
Edited by Wedge Red Leader, 22 April 2016 - 03:43 PM.
Some people will bash at me, BUT even so I can't let you commit to a big mistake.
DON'T RUSH a triple purchase JUST to master a single chassis type, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ONLY HAVE 4 MECH BAYS.
It can be pretty boring to be stuck with a single game play type AND not being able to have fun.
Also a very simple manner of having diversity, fun and training all at once is investing in a chassis with different quirks. Example the Jaeger A, you can either go ballistic or missiles or both (with high bonuses) xD
Also that Ebon Jaguar is a very intuitive and affordable first mech, I can't recommend it enough.
I myself enjoy 'mobile turrets' and medium-long range peaking so I got a Blackjack, then a Jaeger, then my beloved Urban and finally a Stalker (different weights of the same concept). But that suited my play style like a charm.
Eventually those 4 made me hyped enough that i got a full resistance 2 pack and some special clan to test, Hunchback 2c, triple ams kitty fox, etc.
What I'm trying to pass here, is that you don't need to force/limit yourself to fully master a single chassis type and lose the fun and diversity of the game because of a mere 5-10% overall upgrade IF you do master it fully. There's more to the game in mean time than that.
My hardcore c-bill farmer is currently a LRM15 Mauler.. 1200-1400 damage on good matches and 450 damage on matches where I'm rushed and lose the match.. it's ideal for high latency games like when i partner with european friends.
There isn't a single way to play this game, so i suggest you try to have the most fun as possible and remember to ALWAYS tweaking the recommended builds to your preference.
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