13 replies to this topic

[Hellshiver]

Hello, fellow Mechwarriors!

In the market for a new mech chassis, but unsure which I should go for next.

I have Mastered Hunchbacks, Working on the last 2 Enforcers I have, and Mastered my Marauders. I seem to be a brawler; once I get into combat, I try to take something down with me since I assume I'm gonna die anyway. I also am bad at Assaults (way too slow for my tastes) and Lights (can't hit a stationary Atlas when in a Light). I am with the IS for CW (When I play it, which is rare).

I seem to prefer large ACs and Lasers. Did okish with SRMs, but terrible with anything that needs to be locked on with. I fail at long range (LRMS, PPCs, Gauss Rifles, etc...)

I enjoy my ENF-4P and my MAD-3R(S). I find both a bit lacking though. ENF with hitting power and armor, and MAD with speed. Note: on the ENF-4P, I have more armor on the arms and legs ingame then in Smurfy's. RA: 39, LA: 35, Both legs: 56.

Below are my stats as of now...
Mech Stats:

Spoiler

Weapon Stats:

Spoiler

Look forward to any help you all can give!

[Koniving]

Centurions come to mind, particularly the AH.

Crabs are decent but may leave you a bit wanting given their energy-only weapon base.

You may enjoy Blackjacks. You will enjoy Shadowhawks and Wolverines. Might enjoy Griffins. You probably will not enjoy Kintaros (very heavily missile reliant).

Jagermechs and Riflemen sound up your alley. Thunderbolts are definitely up your alley.

Dragons can be, it depends on how much you use Arm aiming... if you use it a lot and could practically play whackamole with just your arm crosshair then you'll find love. If not, then you'll have nothing but contempt for it.

[Koniving]

Side note: Despite being assault mechs... If you pack a big enough engine the Battlemaster and Highlander are really up your alley too.. 325 engine minimum in either case, preferably higher if you're sporting the Battlemaster.

Example (using Highlander).
Example 2. (Both cases it is the Highlander hero, but most Highlanders can roll this way).

[Leone]

First off, I like your style.

Second, I approve of the Battlemaster and Highlander. I know folk don't care about the highlander that much, but they've served me well.

Third, have you considered Cataphracts? They might not get alotta love from the more meta players, but back before the unseen were seen again, the 0XP was my poor man's marauder, with ECM. The 3D, 4X and the hero can all load some decent ballistics power. Otherwise, I again, find myself agreeing with Koniving on the Rifle/Jager options.

As for thunderbolts, I know everyone talks about how meta they are all dolled up with energy weapons and heatsinks, but I can tell you the only one I've enjoyed piloting was a dual AC 5 Thunderbolt 9S with srm and laser backup. Problem is, the rest of the variants seem a bit anemic.

P.S. Some Assaulting suggestions

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 25 December 2016 - 10:37 PM.

[Spheroid]

I suggest you put your stock 300 back in your Marauder and run it with an AC-20.

If you have the money get a 320XL for your Enforcer as the speed is very worth it.

Other ballistic mechs I recommend are

• 2x AC-10 Rifleman-3C
  
• 2x AC-10 + mlas Jagermech
  
• Cataphract-0XP with either an AC-20 + mlas build or a single AC-10 supporting LLAS or LPLAS.

[Roughneck45]

Side note, if you like mediums and enjoy brawling you should practice with SRM's. They really let mediums punch above their weight.

[Koniving]

Leone, on 25 December 2016 - 09:21 PM, said:

As for thunderbolts, I know everyone talks about how meta they are all dolled up with energy weapons and heatsinks, but I can tell you the only one I've enjoyed piloting was a dual AC 5 Thunderbolt 9S with srm and laser backup. Problem is, the rest of the variants seem a bit anemic.
~Leone.

Screw meta; it's for suckers.
Awesomeness is had in originality.

Edited by Koniving, 26 December 2016 - 11:01 AM.

[Hellshiver]

Koniving, on 25 December 2016 - 06:13 PM, said:

Centurions come to mind, particularly the AH.

Crabs are decent but may leave you a bit wanting given their energy-only weapon base.

You may enjoy Blackjacks. You will enjoy Shadowhawks and Wolverines. Might enjoy Griffins. You probably will not enjoy Kintaros (very heavily missile reliant).

Jagermechs and Riflemen sound up your alley. Thunderbolts are definitely up your alley.

Dragons can be, it depends on how much you use Arm aiming... if you use it a lot and could practically play whackamole with just your arm crosshair then you'll find love. If not, then you'll have nothing but contempt for it.

I never liked the Cents. I will give the Crab, Jager and Rifles a look though. I'm not against Laser only builds, but like the feel a giant AC blast brings to the table.

Spheroid, on 25 December 2016 - 10:36 PM, said:

I suggest you put your stock 300 back in your Marauder and run it with an AC-20.

If you have the money get a 320XL for your Enforcer as the speed is very worth it.

Other ballistic mechs I recommend are

• 2x AC-10 Rifleman-3C
  
• 2x AC-10 + mlas Jagermech
  
• Cataphract-0XP with either an AC-20 + mlas build or a single AC-10 supporting LLAS or LPLAS.

I fit my BH2 with the 300 today, and having a blast with it. Not doing stellar, but well enough that I'm not rage-logging.

Roughneck45, on 26 December 2016 - 09:30 AM, said:

Side note, if you like mediums and enjoy brawling you should practice with SRM's. They really let mediums punch above their weight.

I'm not against SRMs, just seem to miss a lot. I'll look at trying to use them better. What mech would you suggest, with my OP preferences?


As an aside, I'm not a fan of small ACs. They can do wonders in the right hands, but I am not those hands. the LBX-10s are only nice, IMO, due to the crit potential. I like seeing it slice off limbes when I get to use it.


EDIT: Added the aside.

Edited by Hellshiver, 26 December 2016 - 03:07 PM.

[Jingseng]

What everyone else has said. Would also add that you might consider some of the MC heroes on sale, notably the Sparky (griffin - energy boat) and Hellslinger (battlemaster, energy, 50% night gyr/environmental heatsink - although what will happen to those more unique quirks when quirks are removed is anyone's guess) and the Legend/Lady Killer (rfl hero, built for LBX)

Not sure if i saw grasshopper or black knight mentioned, but those are pretty bog standard IS energy boats... grasshopper somewhat more mobile. Catapult also. There's also that one warhammer variant that is all energy hps.

Also wanted to add that it seems like you generally prefer instant/hit scan weapons over those that might be affected by lag/require leading the target (ppc, missiles, gauss). You might consider the Arrow (blackjack hero). Or work on leading the target/lag and stepping outside of the comfort zone.

To which end, you might like the Wolfhound (brawlerish light), Phoenix Hawk (mobile/agile energy mediums, fast moving), Raven (slowish light, energy and srms, fairly malleable in builds), Tempest (Archer hero, missiles with energy focused primary/backup), and Butterbee (catapult hero, splatfest).

[Roughneck45]

Hellshiver, on 26 December 2016 - 03:05 PM, said:

I'm not against SRMs, just seem to miss a lot. I'll look at trying to use them better. What mech would you suggest, with my OP preferences?


As an aside, I'm not a fan of small ACs. They can do wonders in the right hands, but I am not those hands. the LBX-10s are only nice, IMO, due to the crit potential. I like seeing it slice off limbes when I get to use it.

Griffins are where its at for SRM's. Fast, Jump jets, ECM, and lots of missile hardpoints.

It sounds like medium lasers and AC20's are your favorites though. As long as you don't mind using the same set up as your hunchback on different mechs there are a ton of mediums that can run that well. Blackjacks and Shadowhawks in particular, Hunchjack, SHD-2D. SHD's have a lot of hard points and tonnage to work so there is room to experiment. Blackjacks are nimble with high mounted hardpoints. Enforcers and Centurions run it well too, but I'd go for BJ's or SHD's before them.

Jagers, Orions, the Catapult K2, and Warhammers could all fit the bill too.

Edited by Roughneck45, 27 December 2016 - 06:45 AM.

[Whiskey Dharma]

It might be that you are a natural brawler, or, since you’ve been playing IS mechs, you might simply have discovered that IS mechs are generally good brawlers. I brawl, usually with cannons and lasers, but two of my mechs have SRMs. I own the Phoenix Hawk, Shadow Hawk, Rifleman, Warhammer, and Marauder (I’m nostalgic.)

Phoenix Hawk: I don’t recommend this. It’s too fragile, without being fast enough. It’s fun to drive/fly and it can be entertaining to snipe with PPCs, but you better hope your teammates can carry the day.

Shadow Hawk: This is my all-around favorite. Winners include the AC-10, 4x SRM4 SHD-2D2 and the AC-10, 4x ML SHD-GD (for cash). The 2K is also good if you prefer lasers to cannons. The 2D2 and 2K are my only missile machines.

Rifleman: With AC-5s this needs a lot of facetime to carry its weight. Not recommended, but you can rack up high scores if people ignore you. Using 2x AC-10, 2x ML is nice on a couple variants, but mechs like the Warhammer do this better.

Warhammer: The 2x AC-10, 4x ML WHM-6R is highly recommended. I’m currently leveling a 2x AC-10, 2x LL WHM-BW.

Marauder: A great heavy for survivability, since most sensible builds use a standard engine. PPC / (U)AC-5 builds are popular, but I run a 2x LB10X 4x ML MAD-3R. There’s nothing like a double-barrelled shotgun for brawling fun.

[Hellshiver]

Update: I picked up a GRF-3M and basiced it. 1 out of 5 games, I do well. Either I commit too early or too late. Most of my deaths are due to helping people that are off on their lonesome or trying to flank with a light or two. Maybe I am playing it wrong.

Should I look at Clan mechs? I don't do CW enough to worry about mech type, unless my playstyle screams IS chassis. Then again, it may be my lack of elite on the Griffon that is hurting....

Any input? Thanks in advance!

[Roughneck45]

Hellshiver, on 29 December 2016 - 04:56 PM, said:

Any input? Thanks in advance!

Clan mechs are good, if something catches your eye its worth looking into.

For the Griffin and that build, you should probably try to get a larger engine, most likely XL. Going with the lights can get you stranded so be careful how far you extend. Try to use the jump jets to pop up from cover and fire when you know an enemy is around the corner.

[Leone]

If you are going to look at clan mechs, I'd suggest the Nova. Save for the Direwolf, it's the only other mech I know of that hits the 17 weapon limit.

~Leone.