34 replies to this topic

[Whargoul666]

So the title says it all: what's a good newbie friendly starter mech.

The Locust seems pretty good to me, fast/maneuverable with only 2 weapon groups. But so dead so quick when noticed. This got me thinking to ask this question. Is there a medium comparable? A heavy?

I just started playing tonight, so this is super newb level question.

[martian]

Light? Medium? Heavy?

Inner Sphere or Clan?

How many C-Bills or MCs are you willing to spend? There is a sale of Medium 'Mechs now.

[epikt]

Whargoul666, on 18 July 2016 - 12:31 AM, said:

The Locust seems pretty good to me

The Locust is a good mech, and I know players having started with it, but it's kind of hardcore mode.

I suggest 2 things:
- test all the trial mechs and see the one you have the best feeling with. Then you'll can buy a similar mech.
- except if you absolutely fall in love, don't pick a light or assault as your first mech. Mediums and heavies are much more balanced.

[Doctor Dinosaur]

If you look at the queue status you normally will find around 45% heavy mechs. There's got to be a reason why heavies are over represented. My guess is, they are (subjectively?) better than other weight classes.
I for myself like the Timber Wolf, but I heard good things about Ebon Jaguars, too.
Don't have any experience with IS mechs, so no suggestions for them.

[jss78]

I'd second the suggestion to spend a good deal of time in the Trial 'mechs to figure what kind of a play style you lean towards.

Looking at the current Trials, I think the selection includes two exceptional novice 'mechs.

First, you have the Stormcrow. In many ways, this is the most "average" 'mech you can have. This only has one weapon group, with 5 medium pulse laser. This is an easy-to-use, versatile, medium-range weapon, a great place to start. You have about average speed, about average tonnage. This is a great, great 'mech for rolling around your team's main group, helping out where you can -- which is a play style I'd recommend to a novice anyway. You have enough speed for a bit of skirmishing on the fringes of your team's group, but I wouldn't venture too far out.

Then you have the Timber Wolf trial 'mech. It is very similar, but has two weapon groups with large pulse lasers and ER medium lasers. You are heavier and more durable, but remain quite mobile. You get to practise using jump jets.

There are similar options on the Inner Sphere side, but looking at the current Trial 'mechs, I feel they included somewhat tricky-to-use 'mechs for the IS (e.g. Vindicator and Trebuchet as mediums). On the IS side, the Hunchback is commonly recommended, and it remains a good option for the first 'mech to buy. Partially because kitting out the 'mechs is cheap, as most recommended builds use cheap STD engines, but also because you get to use 'mechs specialized in different weapons (autocannons, lasers, short range missiles, long range missiles).

I agree with the above posters that mediums and heavies are best novice 'mechs. Assaults are tricky because they are so slow, so any movement you do must be very deliberate and calculated. Lights are potentially good 'mechs but hard mode because they are so fragile.

[Doctor Dinosaur]

Light mechs are imho easier, because if you make a wrong move you can get out of there fast (just never stand still). This way you can learn positioning, the maps, you can study the players movement behaviour etc.
With an assault mech, if you move into the wrong spot or get split from the team you just die, and no armor in the mwo universe will save you.

[Gibson Ibanez]

I started out in assaults and they are right. Bad positioning = quick death. I still love assaults but went through the school of hard knocks to get halfway decent with them.

I also played Blackjack medium mechs and they are much more rookie friendly than assaults. With Blackjacks and most mediums you are best as fire support for the big boys. Let them take the heat and take down whatever is focused on your teammates. The medium mech speed and armor is much more forgiving of mistakes than on assaults.

Welcome to MWO.

[mailin]

Doctor Dinosaur, on 18 July 2016 - 02:16 AM, said:

Light mechs are imho easier, because if you make a wrong move you can get out of there fast (just never stand still). This way you can learn positioning, the maps, you can study the players movement behaviour etc.
With an assault mech, if you move into the wrong spot or get split from the team you just die, and no armor in the mwo universe will save you.

Most on here regard lights and assaults as the 2 hardest weight classes to do well in. We usually suggest either Hunchbacks or Centurians for a couple of reasons.

The first thing to understand about mechs is that they are all a combination of speed, firepower and armor. There is no mech that has all 3 in abundance. So, of those which do you favor? If all you want is speed you will do it at the expense of firepower and armor.

Mediums have a decent balance of all three. A fully kitted out Hunchy can go almost 100 kph and can lay down some pretty serious firepower. Whichever mech you decide to get, buy three variants of the same chassis. For example, the Hunchy 4sp, 4P and 4G. Then you can get them all the way to mastery if you want.

Mediums also will let you absorb more damage than lights in case you wind up out of position, but they are faster than assaults so you can also get out of trouble easier.

If you find that you want more of something but are willing to give something up in return, that is when you decide to go to a different weight class.

Welcome to MWO and I hope to see you on the battlefield.

Edited by mailin, 18 July 2016 - 03:35 AM.

[Audacious Aubergine]

I'd recommend sticking to a medium or a heavy until you get the hang of moving your torso independently of your legs. Lights require you to have a rudimentary grasp of this concept, otherwise you might end up running into a wall while facing the other direction while trying to run away from people trying to kill you, and the moment you stop moving because of said wall then you're pretty much toast, not to mention that at the speed they travel at, you have less time to react than you might think.
Off the top of my head, Blackjacks or Thunderbolts might be quite safe bets

[Sirfapalot]

Id recommend the hellbringer Prime, ECM for those rubbish LERM spammers, 1 weapon group if you run the 6X ERMed build and options for later

[mailin]

As a general rule, I don't recommend any ECM mechs for new players. Yes, it makes you harder to detect, but it is another piece of equipment to master as well as making you a target that tends to get focused.

[Sirfapalot]

here is the build I run in mine

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...799f7a9fc061d5f

true, i find it helpful in solo queue with the current raft of LERM spammers though

[DivBy0]

Hellbringer with ECM and 6 ERML is a powerfull and easy to drive Newbe Mech.

Kanajashi play it this time with 7 ERML, but for NewBees 6 are enough

Edited by von Haudegen, 18 July 2016 - 06:39 AM.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

The mech I most recommend for new players is the:

Black Knight... Man this mech is a work horse! Nothing to complicated, just vomit your lasers on your opponents.

Heres a link to a common build (taken straight from metamechs.com)

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...5a6928945440c4b

Literally 2 weapon groups... Large Pulse lasers on group 1... Medium lasers on group 2...

You get 2 alphas before over heating if you really want to slam someone really hard...

Anyway, make sure your ingame mouse sensitivity is far far to the LEFT!!! You dont want to be beaming your lasers all over the place.

Anyway, the reasons I recommend this mech to new players:

1) all the varients are pretty much the same. So when your done basicing one, you can grab another and just duplicate the build on another using the same equipment from the first. Just pull out the engine and the weapons and install them into your newly purchased mech!

2) this is a good mech to learn heat control

3) this is a good mech to learn peeka-boo trading

4) it hits hard so it farms c-bills really well

5) this is a good mech to learn accuracy in.

(On a side note, dont pick up LRMs as a new player!!! Early in a pilots carrier is the best time to learn accuracy since your opponents are also learning the ropes of the game! Take this opportunity to practice! Because you wont get a chance later!!! As you raise in tiers, you wil notice your opponents to be much more unforgiving and will drop an exposed mech at the drop of a hat)

[Spheroid]

I would get a medium I.S. mech as soon as possible, probably multiple variants of the same chassis if funds allow.

The sale ends in hours. Maybe a Crab. It has a decent stock engine.

[Metus regem]

Whargoul666, on 18 July 2016 - 12:31 AM, said:

So the title says it all: what's a good newbie friendly starter mech.

The Locust seems pretty good to me, fast/maneuverable with only 2 weapon groups. But so dead so quick when noticed. This got me thinking to ask this question. Is there a medium comparable? A heavy?

I just started playing tonight, so this is super newb level question.

First and foremost, welcome to MWO.

Secondly, spend as much time as you can in trial mechs, trust me, it will be worth it in the long run.

Now as to mechs, well there are a few schools to go through on that, there is the 'easy' path, that will turn you into average, relying more on the mech's capabilities rather than your own, for that I would suggest:

Storm Crow
Timber Wolf

Both of those are solid performing mechs, that are apex units in their weight classes, and arguably the two best mechs in the game.

But if you want a challenge, that will make you into a great pilot, meaning that no matter the mech you hop into from the lowly Vindicator to the power house that is the Timber Wolf, then I would suggest these mechs, as they have stills to teach, that are not part of the skill tree.

Locust:

This mech, though the hardest to pilot well, is the best teacher for map knowldge and the art of not getting hit. This is due to the fact that it is the smallest and lightest mech in the game, meaning that one good hit, and you are sitting at the death screen. You will have to rely on your wits and guts to push this mech to it's limits.


Hunchback:

One of the most recommended starter mechs, these units are very solid, and fantastic teachers of the importance of Gunnery, as the HBK-4G uses one of the most powerful (but short range) weapons in the game, the AC/20. The Hunchbacks are also 50t meaning that they are in the middle ground for weight, and with such a big gun, they lack ammo, meaning you need to make your shots count.


Centurion:

Another fantastic starter mech, this is you poster boy mech for the line trooper. This mech can do missiles, auto-cannons and lasers, it has something for any range. But the real skill this mech teaches is torso twisting to spread damage across the mech, this is arguably the most important skill in the game to learn, as it can, if done well extend your life by as much as 400%, note getting that kind of boost, requires practice with the right equipment, but it is possible. This is also one of the few mechs in MWO that work well with either a XL (extra light, but dies on loss of a side torso) or Standard Fusion engine.


Dragon:

This mech teaches the art of protecting a weak spoot, while looking good doing it. Despite it being classed as a heavy mech, it plays more like an up-armoured medium, with a load out mimicking the smaller Centurion, auto-cannon, lasers and missiles.

[Whargoul666]

Thanks for the responses guys. I was sticking to lights because I saw some tip about queue times, but I'll start branching out to the heavy and medium trials.

I tried the Timber Wolf once right before I logged off last night, I liked it a lot, but woof it was slow after playing that Locust all night.

Edited by Whargoul666, 18 July 2016 - 08:35 AM.

[Plastic Guru]

Jeez...I guess I chose completely wrong

I think I got @ 50+ matches under my belt....been on MWO about 3 weeks.

Started with Locust and I've just finished all basics on three versions. I have medium and heavies I bought and tried too....

I think the lights, when used for their intended purpose, are the easiest and funnest mechs.

Go ahead and use the trial mechs to run in and laser vomit on the opposing force. You'll see how quick that damage adds up. Yeah some are fast and some have jump jets...but you can still get butt-wrangled pretty quickly.

Now...go get a fast light...I'd suggest the Pirates Bane but that's my personal opinion...it has ECM which keeps the volleys of missiles off you. Raven 3L(S) ? has it too. ECM you don't 'use'...t's normally just on. Either jamming or disrupting.

Scouts go out and around the flanks while getting target locks for the friendly LRM boats. NOTHING more satisfying than seeing a Heavy or Assault torn to pieces because you established and held the target lock. I mean..I know I don't have the skills to do that now but I really feel like I'm contributing by providing the target lock.

You also need a good pair of headphones and a good understanding of the map coordinates. Like I said...I've only been on 3 weeks and I already know my earphones are poop and I need a better set. By calling out movements you can allow a well lead (hahahaha pubs...not) team to get a head of a push or blocking force.

I use a ER-LL on the Pirates Bane Locust (which I've renamed P'Nut Butter) or an AC-2 on a Locust 1V who I call "Mr. Ouchy"...both with max range modules.

I actually stopped a push on Highlands with an AC2. Pub match and I'm popping them at max range - which was either low or no damage. They were pubs and the 4 or 5 heavies I lit up either headed for cover or turned around...basically half their mechs were tied down. FUN FUN stuff.

Then again, I've run around the corner straight into a Assault and been blown to bits...game over...so it does have it's downside.

Biggest thing is find what you like to use...as you can tell I love my lights...then play, play, and play.

Cheers

Plastic Guru

Edited by Plastic Guru, 18 July 2016 - 08:48 AM.

[Koniving]

Whargoul666, on 18 July 2016 - 12:31 AM, said:

So the title says it all: what's a good newbie friendly starter mech.

The Locust seems pretty good to me, fast/maneuverable with only 2 weapon groups. But so dead so quick when noticed. This got me thinking to ask this question. Is there a medium comparable? A heavy?

I just started playing tonight, so this is super newb level question.

Alright. First off welcome to MWO.
Second you're probably overloaded with info.

I'm normally long winded but I will keep this short.
I'm Koniving (Conniving). I have over 190 mechs, from both major sides of the 12 vs 4 vs each other faction warfare, tfrom both types of mechs (Battlemech and Omnimech), from all four weight classes (Light, Medium, Heavy, Assault).

This said, I will be as brief and helpful as I can.

First: wait until 25 matches and complete the Academy (until it stops paying at least). This will increase your buying power and give you experience with various trial mechs.

Locust, loads of fun but very fragile. It is dirt cheap to start with though packing in a good sized extra light engine to make room for better firepower can be expensive. This is true for many things, so look for "XL engine" when choosing. This will help you a lot.

Some mechs that are 35 tons, and many mechs that are 50, 55, 75, 85-100 tons are able to hold enough weight for their size that they can carry plenty of weapons, ammo and heatsinks without feeling the need for an XL engine. (Some 65 ton mechs like Thunderbolt, too). These are financially / economically sound as first purchases, especially if they include "Dbl Heatsinks."

My general purpose recommendations for any new player are:
Hunchbacks, Centurion CN9-AL, Enforcers, Crabs, Trebuchets and Centurions... in thatt order. All are middle ground 50 ton mechs and economically sound choices.
And yes that Centurion is ahead of all the others for the simple fact that makes a good, tough trainer mechs right out of the box (just change heatsinks to doubles).

Note this changes when considering specific play styles.

Back to the Locust:
There are comparable medium mechs:
Cicada, 40 tons, Inner Sphere.
Ice Ferret, 45 tons, Clan.
Arctic Cheetah, 30 tons (light), Clan.
Spider, 30 ton (light), Inner Sphere.
Jenner and Jenner IIC (35 tons, IS reg, Clan IIC).
Upcoming Mechs Viper (Clan, 45 tons).


Comparable heavies: Dragon, QuickDraw and Upcoming Mechs: Linebacker.
(60 tons IS, 60 tons IS, 65 tons Clan).

Edited by Koniving, 18 July 2016 - 09:00 AM.

[TercieI]

mailin, on 18 July 2016 - 04:09 AM, said:

As a general rule, I don't recommend any ECM mechs for new players. Yes, it makes you harder to detect, but it is another piece of equipment to master as well as making you a target that tends to get focused.

It's also a crutch in low level play and not all that important in high level play, so it teaches bad habits.