10 replies to this topic

[Hanse Stone]

Hello All,

I am totally overwhelmed at the amount of info here but i have done my reading, so without further consumption of your time here we go.

I am mostly interested in Inner Sphere tech and houses.

Starting mechs is it still the Hunchback or something else lots of threads say yes but they are older posts. I am very interested in Faction Warfare but just finshed my cadet bonuses and do not have a ton of money. I read a thread that said thunderbolts because you can solo and Faction drop well in it. any help would be appreciated both in current mech configurations and drop decks.

Secondly is any one Inner Sphere house different from the other, are their bonuses to chassis per house or favored mechs so to speak.

Thirdly anyone want a rookie to drop with or maybe give a home to?

Thank you all.

P.S. enjoying the game thoroughly.

[Leone]

Well, My unit's mostly running along the clan side of the border, so prolly not gonna be able to drop in faction warfare with me. Also, the houses are only different in whom they may attack. You can defend for any faction, (though classically, more units attack, so you see more organized attackers, and as such don't wanna start off defending. Teamwork is Over Powered.)

However, I'd still suggest the Hunchback for starting. They can run standard engines rather well, and are good cheap mechs. Which means, savings from mech purchases gives you cbills to actually tool around with mechbuilding. And learning to build mechs, and finding builds that work with your playstyle, or better yet, allow you to expand your playstyle, is a big part of this game.

I'm personally not a huge fan of the thunderbolts, though I've found a decent enough AC an SRM build I can slap on one. Thing is, Hunchbacks have versatility. Build a HBK-4G an play with all the ballistics. See what you like. Try the SP or 4J an play around with various missile. Etc...

We suggest it as a great starter mech not so you can start out with the best mech out there, but so you can learn with one of the best training mechs. 4G has all the weaponry on one torso, and by playing the game you'll gravitate towards protecting it, learning to torso twist without having to, you know, get a training regime going.

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 12 June 2016 - 12:49 AM.

[Raubwurst]

Hi and welcome to MWO!

The amount of information is indeed overwhelming. Tons of things you will have to learn, thus feel free to ask any question that may occure (even later on)!

Leone already said it. Hunchbacks are still treated as one of the better starter 'Mechs. Thunderbolts where very good 'Mechs, but now they aren't as powerfull as they have been before.
But I'd say they still are a good heavy to begin with. Their human-like shape makes movement easier and allows good twisting range. But you should note, that their cockpit isn't in the middle of the 'Mech. It is slightly shifted to (IIRC) the left side, which can be a bit confusing if you don't know it

And as Leone said, too: No difference between the IS houses. Only the borders on which you can attack.
Well, that's not the whole story. If you are going to be a merc in FP, you can get higher income by choosing the faction with the lowest population. These should be Liao and Marik right now. Although you can get 20% more Loyality Points and CBills you will be far away from the clan border and some factions needs lots of time to find a match! (Although I have to admit I'm not sure which factions has the waittimes right now. 2-3 weeks ago it was Liao and Marik).


There are several units searching for new players to fill their ranks.
Have a look at some of their recruitment threads here:
http://mwomercs.com/...s-inner-sphere/
http://mwomercs.com/...ons-merc-corps/
http://mwomercs.com/...7-faction-play/

[S 0 L E N Y A]

Send me a PM if you want to drop/train.
I run with vets and rookies alike

[Boulangerie]

Some good tips so far!

Here's some more starter info.

• Make sure you do the Academy, you'll get a bunch of bonus cbills for completing it (A few million i think).
  
• Try all of the trial mechs!
  
• Lights and Assaults are much more dependent on map knowledge and game knowledge. They can be harder for new players to use well, but your specific skillset might sync up with them anyway, try them in trial version before buying!
  
• Just because a mech is cheap to buy, doesn't mean it's cheap to run well. Lots of mechs, especially Lights, require a large XL engine to perform optimally, which is why many suggest the Hunchback. It usually runs with a STD engine.
  
• Innersphere XL engine is lighter, and lets you carry more guns, but will explode with loss of one Side Torso. STD must lose the CT to blow, but is heavier.
  
• Thunderbolts are pretty solid still if you want to get into FW, but I'd focus on solo play for now. They aren't quite top of the meta at the moment. That title belongs to the Black Knight.
  
• The reason for this are QUIRKS. They change occasionally, and there's an update coming up on the 21st, so you might want to wait for that before you invest heavily. However, if you have time/money to invest in the game, you can really get most mechs you want in a few days of playtime.
  
• MC is the premium currency, and is best used to buy Mechbays or Mastery packs for new players. I'd advise against buying champion mechs, and never buy something you can get with Cbills unless you have more money than time to burn.

Good Luck, and any build questions feel free to ask here or in another thread on this page as well!

[Domenoth]

Just a thought. In about 2 days PGI is patching with a HUGE rework of the size and shape of nearly every Mech in the game. If you are concerned about spending your money wisely, maybe wait a few more days before making a choice. It's very possible anything we say today might be out of date by Tuesday.

[Sadistic Savior]

Hanse Stone, on 11 June 2016 - 09:29 PM, said:

Starting mechs is it still the Hunchback or something else lots of threads say yes but they are older posts. I am very interested in Faction Warfare but just finished my cadet bonuses and do not have a ton of money. I read a thread that said thunderbolts because you can solo and Faction drop well in it. any help would be appreciated both in current mech configurations and drop decks.

The Hunchback is often listed as a good starter mech because it is so flexible. Once you get used to the game and know what your preferred playstyle is (Support? Brawling? Striking? Scouting? ect...), you are expected to move on to a more specialized Chassis. Or not...some people like playing a jack-of-all-trades chassis.

Until you are reasonably sure of your preferred playstyle, I'd hold off on buying another chasis. Master Hunchbacks first.

Quote

Secondly is any one Inner Sphere house different from the other, are their bonuses to chassis per house or favored mechs so to speak.

The differences between the houses are mostly just aesthetics. The same is true for the clans. The main differentiation between mechs is through equipment (weapons, chassis, modules, ect).

Edited by Sadistic Savior, 12 June 2016 - 08:20 AM.

[Hanse Stone]

Hello all,

So ty for all the advice and opinions. I was looking at the changes and I would assume all still holds true.

[Requiemking]

Hunchbacks are good starters, for mediums. If you want to get into a heavier style of play, I would not recommend the Thunderbolt. It may seem weird, but the off-centre cockpit can really throw you off once you move into other mechs. I would actually recommend something like the Warhammer or the Marauder, both of which have centre line cockpits and have very similar playstyles to the Thunderbolt.

[PhoenixFire55]

If you aren't aware of it yet Smurfy is a very useful tool for crafting your mechs and getting all the info about hardpoints, quirk values, prices and such.

Unless you already have a preferred weight class / weapon types I would recommend trying a chassis that can accomodate all or nearly all weapons for you to try out.

Inner Shpere mechs have fixed hardpoints (i.e. you can only place set number of weapons of each type on each mech), while some but not all Clan mechs have omnipods, which essentially allow you to change hardpoint combinations for them in between the existing combinations. While Clan mechs would seem like a more versatile option they are more expensive and come with their own limitations (like the inability to change the engine / number of jump jets and heat sinks etc.).

Also, keep in mind that in order to get your mech to perform to the max of its potential you have to have it "mastered", and that in turn requires you to have (at the same time or purchase/sell one by one) "elited" three mechs of the same chassis. For example, if you have say Hunchback-4G you'll be able to open "basic" upgrades for this particular HBK-4G, but not any other HBK's. If you have three different HBK's with all "basic" upgrades you'll be able to open "elite" upgrades for all HBK's, three HBK's with all "elites" allow a "master" upgrade.

While "mastering" might not be a necessery thing for a new player, you can start planning for the future, because if you plan on mastering a certain chassis you'll need two more mechs of the same chassis. Now while choosing which ones to buy it might be wise to pick different things to try out, i.e. following the HBK example ... 4G has the most (3) ballistic hardpoints, 4J/4SP have most missile hardpoints (2), but 4SP is the only symmetric HBK, while 4P has the most energy hardpoints.

Not all chassis offer this kind of diversity. Some mechs are "energy only" mechs, some mechs are ballistic oriented, some are missile oriented and so on ... but once again, Smurfy allows you a quick glance at them all and a "playground" to mess around with loadouts and such.

If you would ask me what mech I'd suggest for a newbie I'd still go with the old favorite ShadowHawk. It isn't the best mech, it isn't the fastest mech, nor the one with most firepower, but it allows you to do many things with good efficiency, different SHD's have adequate amount of hardpoints of all types, it is relatively noob-friendly etc. You can also take three of them into your FactionPlay dropdeck without going over tonnage.

For example you can build a 3xERLL Sniper with nice high mounted torso weaponry (useful for peeking above hills) out of SHD-2K, real bad@ss brawler with 4xSRM4s and LBX10 out of a SHD-2D2 and some AC5+PPC / AC5+lasers mid range combo on SHD-5M etc.

Regardless, keep an eye on "quirks" for each mech you are planning to buy. Some of them might favor one variant over the other, some might boost the performance of a specific weapon in one way or the other (range, rate of fire etc.), while some improve the entire weapon class (all energy weapons etc.). If you already have preferred weapons it might help you pick a mech that'll suit them best.

Anyhow, just my 2 cents ...

[Koniving]

Hanse Stone, on 22 June 2016 - 08:31 PM, said:

Hello all,

So ty for all the advice and opinions. I was looking at the changes and I would assume all still holds true.

So far as I can tell, yes. The Hunchbacks didn't really change beyond a posture correction and they are still among the best starter mechs in both ability, tankability, and most importantly financially

(you can be competitive without having to change the engine, they're fast enough to do what needs to be done yet slow enough to make sure you're not the first one in to die so you have the time to observe the battlefield and the ability to stick with the assault mechs that can serve as your mobile 'city'. After all the Hunchback is canonically an city-brawler that uses the structures around it to provide protection. Meanwhile many mechs usually require some sort of engine upgrade.)

Alternatives include the Shadowhawk, a 55 ton "Hunchback", kinda-sorta, though lacking all peripheral vision and severely limited torso twist. In exchange it has the ability to jump, sort of (more of a slow hop but even that can help you get on buildings and other areas), somewhat more even hitboxes and distribution of weapons, and all 3 weapon classes in all but the K model. Keep in mind you gotta beef this thing's armor up at the get-go, because canonically it is an overweight scout mech with a big gun (for a scout).
I can also suggest the Wolverine and Griffin which have unparalleled field of view for Inner Sphere mechs. Both are usually favor their right side for weapons and left side to soak damage; the Wolverine is an all 'rounder and even after the rescale is still the smallest 55 tonner with perfectly even torso hitboxes (this is good for spreading damage with either STD or XL engines) and big bulky arms that you can use to help soak up damage. The Griffin's arms aren't as bulky but the shoulders are thick which help them soak up LRMs if you twist away from the enemy missile barrage. Griffins are canonically sniper mechs and their quirks try to push this. A combination of an LRM-20 + Artemis, 3 Streak launchers and a laser or two on the model that takes 4 missiles is a superb combination that covers all your ranges in just 3 weapon groups.

Another good 50 tonner recommendation on the IS side is the Crab. Also dirt cheap. Focus on energy weapons also means you can get away with standard engines easily meaning like the Hunchback, it is very financially friendly. The arms have added protection of 10% of the total value of armor while the claws are closed but if you hike the FOV option in the options, you can raise up your arms with left CTRL (if you have armlock off, if it is on you need to hold Left Shift too) and check your pinchers out. I love doing it. The command to open the claws is " / ".

From a player with 190 mechs from both sides and 201 mechbays, I sincerely hope this helps you.

Edit: Also extremely new player friendly are Centurions (the AL especially) and Enforcers.

Centurions are hit and run brawlers with a large shield arm that doesn't protect as well as I'd like (it's too easy to focus down and destroy because it's so big). Canonically they are 'escorts' for Trebuchets and as such have brawling equipment and a LRM. Many replace this with SRMs but LRMs are pretty good especially if you adopt a pack mentality with some friends. Pepper with LRMs and blast away. Their peripheral view is limited but not much more than a Hunchback so it is quite usable. They favor STD engines for the best effect but work well with XLs. A good Centurion pilot leaves the battle missing his arms, a bad one leaves it in a casket.
Edit within an edit (bet you're sick of edits now).
Video by MWO's very first 4th place medium mech champion, in a group of 3 (and in the last few clips 4) led by me. Stock Centurion CN9-Ds (the most fragile of Centurions) with LRM, LBX and medium lasers using Dragon-like tactics to hit-brawl-run. As I said, pack mentalities.

(I'm also the dancing Cicada).

Enforcers can be many things but all of these are limited to direct fire (much like the Crab). They favor guns and lasers, work well with STD (for lighter builds of more lasers and maybe MGs or a single autocannon and lasers) and XL (lets face it, bring all the guns!). Their vision is pretty good but not Wolverine/Griffin great. All their weapons are fairly low slung akin to a Centurion so you're not gonna be able to hill hump. These guys can jump, too.

Edit 2:
Added a snapshot of my mediums. Sadly it'd take 3 snapshots to show them all.

Selected, the legendary HBK 4P built and shown here.

Edited by Koniving, 23 June 2016 - 04:13 AM.