44 replies to this topic

[SpootieBloot]

Hello!

I am still working my way through the first 25 matches and havent bought any mechs. There are so many options that I will have to sit and think on which to buy. I am not asking for which mech you recommend, though. I have read many of the "first mech" threads out there and dont want you to have to repeat your recommendations. I appeeciare and have learned a great deal from those posts.

My questions are: Should I buy all three mechs and then buy the modules and unlock them for the mechs I do buy? -- OR -- Should I buy one mech and get modules etc... for it and then buy the other two variants and master those?

Are there any testing ground maps with clan mechs to practice on? Is there an option for that?

[Count Zero 74]

Buy three variants from one chassis so u can master them. Don't bother too much with modules, get a Radar Deprevation and swap it between the mechs you are running. Weapon Modules aren't that important at thew beginning.

[SpootieBloot]

Thank you.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Count Zero 74, on 27 August 2016 - 05:56 PM, said:

Buy three variants from one chassis so u can master them. Don't bother too much with modules, get a Radar Deprevation and swap it between the mechs you are running. Weapon Modules aren't that important at thew beginning.

^this is good advice.

Heres my spin on whats already been stated.

Definitely get 3 mechs elited before you even consider modules because... i doubt you have enough GXP to even obtain the skill points for the pilot skills.

Gxp comes really slow... Especially without some form of xp boost...

(Also, aside from popular tech pathing... i personally recommend cool shot 9x9 and then coolant boost before an actual module... But hey, thats me... And its not a one size fits all approach).

Edited by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, 27 August 2016 - 10:11 PM.

[ZachMan119]

It also depends on your playing style

[NARC BAIT]

honestly, starting out in this game is tough ... seriously ... the cadet bonus wont carry you very far .... I would seriously recommend, dropping some money into the game ...

generally speaking, dropping $30 USD at the start will save you a lot of time and frustration ... 6500 MC will get you a mastery pack, between the light and medium class .... and that's probably the best place to start out ....

personally, I don't know which play style you like, so its hard to recommend you an actual chassis, but ... if you start off with assaults, and do badly in them, just because your learning, you could find yourself being flamed more often than not .... whereas, if a team loses a locust, because it was doing something dumb, its less critical .... but carrying your own ECM will certainly make your life last longer .... because people have to actually use their eyes to spot you most of the time ....

the mastery bundles come with the three mechs you need for the chassis, and 30 days premium time .... and the hero variants have a +30% CB boost ... on the included premium time, you'll spend a lot less time 'on the grind' .... and you'll be able to use the money made while mastering the three mechs, on the modules you need ....

or yknow ... you could keep the $ .... and spend 8x longer doing the same things, and not get the mech that gives you a long term bonus .... or you could buy a couple of one off mechs, like an 'oxide' and a 'pirates bane' ... both could be the most effective mech on a map, with the right pilot, but it wouldn't give you as good a footing in the game ....

I've started 6 players on the game ... and the one guy who wouldn't throw in some money, had that much of a painful experience, that I ended up doing it, just to hear less whinge .... $14 USD will get you an oxide, or a PB ....

[762 NATO]

Alexandr has great input for new players. I agree with the get three then master approach. (Shameless plug: I <3 centurions.). I personally would recommend a 20 dollar pack of your favorite weight class for many reasons. But only if you really want to invest money and time into this. Read up on them before you decide, but warhammers and marauders are generally well reviewed. The Premium time is great, the mechbays are great. The warhorn is cool, can't have enough of those. Both of the hero's are currently sitting in a happy place (it will change).

I also like the idea of doing your first 50-100 matches in trials. I didn't but I don't look back, cuz Centurions, man.

All that said. Radar deprivation followed by Seismic Sensor and Target Info Gathering. They are all expensive, but so useful. Hide followed by Where Are They followed by Where Do I Shoot Them. You will learn as you play.

Cheers!

[SpootieBloot]

Thanks for the responses. I will take your advice and wait on the modules.

I ended up buying three Blackjack mechs, BJ-1, BJ-1X, and the BJ-3. I liked the maneuverability of the mediums and the high set pulse lasers of the Battlemaster trial. The Blackjacks seemed like a good mix. So far it has worked for me. I built the BJ-3 with 2 large pulse and 3 medium pulse lasers.

Hopefully there will be no buyers remorse. They came highly recommended on metamechs.com

[Count Zero 74]

Save your GXP until you have 15000 and unlock Radar Dep. The 6 million c-bills to buy it then is a lot of money but you can manage with only 1 at the beginning, just switch the module when u switch to another Mech.

Radar Dep is the most important module all the other ones are nice extras but Radar Dep is a must. Specially with all the LRM spam in the lower tiers.

[Rerednaw]

I was going to recommend holding off, but you already went with the BJack. That said, it is a good chassis.
I just restarted (since beta) myself about a week or so ago and found my tastes shifted a bit. I started with lights, and they were my favorite for the first dozen or so games. But I switched to heavier ones and found I liked those as well.

Given my experience I feel you really just keep playing the freebies till you run into one that just makes you sync with it. So far for me it is the IS Hunchback. Much more fun for me than say, the Atlas so far. Which is a shame cause I have 2 (founder and loyalty).
King Crab is okay...but I like speedier mechs so finding Mediums-Heavies more my niche for now.

Anyway I noticed you asked about testing grounds. if you have done the training, that is the testing ground as well. It is a bit limited but it's better than nothing...and much more than existed during beta. They have stationary mechs, timed turrets, waves of mechs, etc.

Welcome to the game!

[Rogue Jedi]

for those Blackjacks, they will probably want a few upgrades,

when you can afford it the XL235 engine (costing almost 4 million) would make them much faster and more agile, the only downside would be if you usually loose the side torsos before the CT it would make the Mech less durable,

the BJ-1 and BJ-1X will probably want Double Heat Sinks, costing 1.5 million per Mech

all 3 will benefit from Endo Steel internals (450k cbills and 14 slots for an extra 2 tons) and maybe also Fero Fibrus (380k cbills and 14 slots for a ton)

[Koniving]

ZachMan119, on 27 August 2016 - 10:17 PM, said:

It also depends on your playing style

Double heatsinks and endo steel are the minimum upgrades to do.

Edited by Koniving, 28 August 2016 - 09:46 AM.

[Spheroid]

Blackjacks are good. You chose well.

[SpootieBloot]

Thanks, I like them alot so far. They do feel like a good balance between maneuverability and power, which I hoped for.

My plan is to save up while "leveling up" my Blackjacks. I read, on other threads, that most people recommend grabbing radar deprivation. I will buy that and then later get a BLR-2C. I liked the trial setup a lot and that will take up my last mechbay.

[Coralld]

Blackjacks are good mechs. As for modules though, I think you should hold off on those and not really worry to much about them. That being said, I know a lot of people say to get Radar Dep. but to be honest Advanced Seismic is much more useful. Once you learn how to deal with LRMs you don't really need to worry about them and as you move up in tiers you will see less and less LRMs which makes the Radar Dep. less and less useful in the long run.

[Timothias]

I have been playing this game regularly for about a year. Personally I do not feel that modules are a great investment of cbills when you can purchase an entire chassis for the same price. I have procured nearly 100 mechs and the only modules I have are the ones that came with mechpacks.

[762 NATO]

I really like the Blackjacks. They pack the firepower of a much larger mech. They did get hit with a nerf, I think he put that on metamechs.com.

I will councel to beware of metamechs.com as a new player. I really appreciate the insights and thought put into it by Gman129, he has built a very nice thing there and I do reference it on occasion. That said. He has his opinion based on his experience. He is in a top level competitive unit. This may not be where you are. Some things on his site get a little dated. The most applicable stuff he has (meta-wise) has been written in the last six months. Probably the most up dated thing he has is the Overall Mech Tier List. That thing changes with every update. If you can find an archived list (good luck ), then you will see trends. Check out the mech guides he has on the Tier 1 list. These seem to be the next thing he updates.

Good luck and excellent first purchase!

[Ruccus]

The Blackjack was one of the first mechs I mastered. I have a fondness for them and I still take both my BJ-1 and Arrow out for a spin every now and then (I've got almost 800 drops in my BJ-1). I'm also looking forward to the BJ-2 loyalty mech.

With regards to modules, while I wouldn't go overboard getting too many too quickly I do think Seismic Sensor and Radar Depreciation are worth getting pretty early. The three Blackjacks should only cost around 10 million credits, I think around 2 million per mech to upgrade to double heatsinks and endo, and a 225XL or 235XL engine (one or the other, not both) is just under 4 million, giving you around 5 million to spare for extra weapons and saving up for a module.

Radar Depreciation is good because being a sub-100kph 45 ton mech (though the BJ-1X can go up to 114kph with tweak), one or two missile boats can put a hurt on a Blackjack caught in a missile lock. Seismic Sensor is good for a Blackjack because it is a bit of a glass cannon. When you can tell from where a mech is approaching you can point your weapons in anticipation to get off the first alpha strike and be more cannon than glass.

[Koniving]

SpootieBloot, on 29 August 2016 - 02:14 PM, said:

Thanks, I like them alot so far. They do feel like a good balance between maneuverability and power, which I hoped for.

My plan is to save up while &quot;leveling up&quot; my Blackjacks. I read, on other threads, that most people recommend grabbing radar deprivation. I will buy that and then later get a BLR-2C. I liked the trial setup a lot and that will take up my last mechbay.

Get a cheap batch of MC soon, and you will get a BJ2 with the upcoming rewards program.

Use that MC for a few mechbay.

[mailin]

Timothias, on 29 August 2016 - 06:01 PM, said:

I have been playing this game regularly for about a year. Personally I do not feel that modules are a great investment of cbills when you can purchase an entire chassis for the same price. I have procured nearly 100 mechs and the only modules I have are the ones that came with mechpacks.

While modules may be end of game content, I think you are really missing out if you don't use them, especially if you have c-bills to spare. The buff they can provide CAN be game changing.