26 replies to this topic

[SmokedJag]

Okay, so I figure I will play this for a while and I want to buy a Hero 'Mech as a Cbill earner. Comparing prices of $$$ to MC it makes the most sense to just buy them directly with cash. Okay, that's easy enough. So I will be spending real $$$ on one of these things.

Looking at the store, there are several options, some of which seem much better than others.

-- 'Mech Packs (3 variants + 'Mech bay + 30 days premium) + Hero add-on (+'Mech bay) = $35. Mostly newer individual Clan 'Mechs (Omni & not), plus Warhammer and a few others.

-- Inner Sphere Mastery Bundles (Hero 'Mech + two normal 'Mechs + 3 'Mech bays + 30 days premium) = $26-$41 (ranging from heavy-Atlas).

-- Standalone Clan Heroes ('Mech + 'Mech bay, no premium) = $15-$25 (Stormcrow-assault). All OmniMechs i.e. only unique parts important.

-- Standalone Inner Sphere Heroes ('Mech + 'Mech bay no premium) = $20-30 (heavy-assault)

-- Wave Clan Packs (yeah no).

Am I missing something, or does it make the most sense to take either a 'Mech pack with add-on or a Mastery bundle since Hero + 30 days premium is itself the whole price?

[Roughneck45]

Its makes the most sense to get a pack.

Which ones are you considering?

[Koniving]

Mech pack plus hero add-on, if there is one that interests you.

Otherwise my suggestion is to go for heroes in the in-game store on sale days. At just 35% off sales it is easy to make a collection. Sometimes they even go 50% off.

Do you know specifically what you are looking for in a hero?

[Rogue Jedi]

if you want a Mech with cbill bonuses the best option is one of the multi chassis packs, that way you get a Mech with the 30% cbill earning boost + 2 other varients of that chassis for $20-$30, and can buy higher tiers for more Mechs ^{(bottom tier is just the light, tier 2 is light and medium, tier 3 adds the heavy, tier 4 adds the assualt)}, premium time and other goodies, the Origions IIC pack and Resistance 2 look best value in terms of added extras, wave 3 is more expensive per chassis but has (arguably) better Mechs

if you are just after a heavy or assualt Mech with a 30% cbill earnings boost, as Koniving said the least expensive option would be to get the Mech from the in game store when it is on sale ^{(preferably using MC you got when MC was on offer, ether for a free Mech with purchase or 20-30% extra MC for the same price)}, there is a 30-50% sale on some Mechs most months, but if you are waiting for a specific hero you could be waiting for a while.

[tokumboh]

I would not buy many heros. I have many and I there isn't I play regularly at all which is weird. In fact there is only one I play regularly and that is the MAD-BH, If I play WHM I play the 6D with dual LBX-10. I admit to not even buying any hero mechs any more they are just not worth the extra expense although I have not considered Clan Mechs though.

[Roughneck45]

tokumboh, on 14 February 2017 - 01:36 PM, said:

I would not buy many heros.

You don't need to buy many, but if you are going to spend real money, a hero mech is the first thing you should buy. The c-bill bonus will add up.

[Kael Posavatz]

Two other things to consider:

1) Effectiveness of the Hero mech

2) How it is going to be used.

These aren't necessarily price considerations, but they are a consideration when it comes to maximizing your return.

There are a lot of places that discuss #1.

#2 is a factor with mechpacks. Most have a special variant (basically a reskinned standard with a 30%-cbill boost). The more recent packs (those that sell a single chassis), have the option of buying both a special variant and a hero variant as add-ons to the basic pack. Running a FW dropdeck with multiple c-bill-boosters is an efficient way to maximize c-bill payout.

[tokumboh]

Roughneck45, on 14 February 2017 - 01:38 PM, said:

You don't need to buy many, but if you are going to spend real money, a hero mech is the first thing you should buy. The c-bill bonus will add up.

Sorry II should have made myself clear, Having bough quite a few due to mech packs most of them are somewhat flawed. The C bill and XP bonuses are great if the work but many are just not worth the money. Only the MAD-BH has been something that I go to and is proof since iit has netted me a lot of XP but when I compare my heros to some of my ordinary mechs I find that most heros just don't cut the mustard.

it is pretty much be careful in choosing. You may actually find that as I found with the WHM that the 6R was just better for me than the WHM-BW just to give an example

[Amatsukaze]

FWIW Hero mechs are great cbill earners plus if you buy them from the store & get the premium time which I believe is +50% XP & +50% Cbills . That is a huge perk for someone new to the game.

I have more dollars then sense & have bought enough mechs already that for the next year I will be on premium time.

I would say pick the package that suits what you know of your play style. Work the mechs hard, get to know them. Whats good, whats sucks (they all have something that isn't great about them) & get them elited. In that time you will have built XP & cbills & have a much better undertstanding of your likes/dislikes & what you want in your next mech.

YMMV

[SmokedJag]

Roughneck45, on 14 February 2017 - 12:41 PM, said:

Its makes the most sense to get a pack.

Which ones are you considering?

Inner Sphere:

Jagermech Firebrand (mastery pack)
Warhammer Black Widow (WHM standard pack + add-on)
Stalker Misery (mastery pack)

Clanner:

Marauder IIC Scorch (MADIIC Standard pack + add-on)
Kodiak Spirit Bear (KDK Standard pack + add-on)

I looked at the Night Gyr but it didn't seem like a good buy because it would be much less time to grind the non-hero Night Gyr Cbills since its Omni and I can just mount pods once I get one chassis.

[Roughneck45]

SmokedJag, on 14 February 2017 - 02:02 PM, said:

Inner Sphere:

Jagermech Firebrand (mastery pack)
Warhammer Black Widow (WHM standard pack + add-on)
Stalker Misery (mastery pack)

Clanner:

Marauder IIC Scorch (MADIIC Standard pack + add-on)
Kodiak Spirit Bear (KDK Standard pack + add-on)

I looked at the Night Gyr but it didn't seem like a good buy because it would be much less time to grind the non-hero Night Gyr Cbills since its Omni and I can just mount pods once I get one chassis.

I love the jager, and the firebrand in particular. High mounted hardpoints and great firepower, most builds will need an XL engine.

Warhammer is deadly. Lots of strong builds with a high engine cap, also requires XL's for that potency.

Stalker is great. Its pretty basic but its naturally tanky with highmounts for the lasers, so while it may not be cutting edge anymore its always relevant.

Scorch is awesome, along with marauders in general.

Spirit bear can take some good brawl builds but the KDK-3 Dakka still reigns supreme.

You are right about night gyr value and omnipods, but its a fantastic mech, I wouldn't overlook it that quickly.

[Rogue Jedi]

SmokedJag, on 14 February 2017 - 02:02 PM, said:

Inner Sphere:

Jagermech Firebrand (mastery pack)
Warhammer Black Widow (WHM standard pack + add-on)
Stalker Misery (mastery pack)

Clanner:

Marauder IIC Scorch (MADIIC Standard pack + add-on)
Kodiak Spirit Bear (KDK Standard pack + add-on)

I looked at the Night Gyr but it didn't seem like a good buy because it would be much less time to grind the non-hero Night Gyr Cbills since its Omni and I can just mount pods once I get one chassis.

I do not own Scorch so cannot speek for it, the Stalker is too slow for me so that goes the same for the Misery.

the Spirit Bear is by far the most fun Kodiak varient for me, but it is also the only one capable of my prefered minimum speed (and only with the MASC active)

the Jagermech Firebrand is rather good, and in my opinion the best Jagermech mostly for the ability to mount energy weapons in the arms

the Black Widow is in my opinion the best Hero Mech in the game ^{(second place Hero for me is the Firestarter Ember with the Viper Medusa in third, many people will disagree)} it can be fast, absorb a lot of damage, mount a good weapon payload, and is a lot of fun.

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 14 February 2017 - 03:29 PM.

[process]

I suggest holding off on buying mech packs until the skill tree experiment is concluded and we get some direction on how the new XP system will work. While it may be more cost effective to get a pack now, if the new system incentivizes playing just a single variant, as opposed to three required under the current system, you may be able to pull off 2 heroes for the price of a mech pack.

Edited by process, 14 February 2017 - 04:01 PM.

[The Basilisk]

What a Hero - Mech gives you:

-- unique paint scheme
-- unique weapons loadout/hardpoints/equipmentoptions that you won't normaly find on this chassis (neither lore wise nor on other standart variants)
-- 30% C-Bills bonus

There are Hero mechs clearly standing out either positively or negatively from the standart variants of a Mech type.

Exaples on the positive side:

-- The Pirates Bane Locust (only Locust with ECM)
-- The Oxide Jenner (all SRM Jenner closely as dangerous as the IIC)
-- The Sparky Griffin (the only all energy Griffin with symetrical loadout)
-- The Yen Lo Wang Centurion (only Centurion that can bring AC20 + Lasers)
-- IV-Four Quickdraw (only Quiggy with ACs)
-- Tempest Archer (only Archer with ECM and also only mech with more hardpoints than free crits in a zone)
-- Ilya Muromets Cataphract (well...its the Ilya right? Also the first mech to field dual Gauss at decent speed and ammo)
-- Hellslinger Battlemaster (first mech with a unique trait no other mech had for quite a time...reduced environmental heat dependance...and all the possibilitys to put this to GOOD use)
--Sleipnir Cyclops (only Cyclops with symetrical ballistic layout, could have been one of the strongest Mechs available if there wouldn't have been the release of Kodiak in the same year and MAD-IIC recently)

On the negative side:

-- Anansi Spider (a 30t Battlemech with 3kinds of weapons and 7 hardpoints...)
-- Deaths' Knell Commando (light mech with weapons in its arms only and without the only "strength" a Commando has..its SRMs)
-- Both PXH Heros (anemic hardpoints, too many different weapons for its size and not enough weapons of one kind for either a boating layout or not enough tonnage for a main weapon layout...well actually the ROC runns okish as LURMISHER..nobody expects you to be stupid enought to put 2 LRM10 on a Phoenix hawk)
-- The Arrow Blackjack (Its main theme was MGs and it had the quirks to actually use them to a decent effect..well guess what they've been taken away and now you got a 45t with 6ballistic ports....yea...)
-- TopDog Thunderbolt (Yea...lets think about one thing a thunderbolt does not need more....oh yea lets give it more (9) energy weapons !!!!)
-- Protector Orion (Ok...how to make a unique Orion variant....not at all)
-- Dragonslayer Victor (In my opinion the most nerf abused and violated poor little robit in the game...I even sold mine because I couldn't stand the sobbing sounds from its corner of the mech hangar anymore...and I was lucky the guy at waste disposal didn't charge me for toxic waste)
-- La Malinche Banshee (a 95t Assault mech with 6 Hardpoints total and 3 kinds of weapons)

Well...there you go with some ideas...or don'ts...well its not complete and I have no clue what to say to the clan heros.
BTW the MAD-IIC Scorch isn't a mech...its a malediction of the Battlefield that you do not want to see in the hands of a remotely capable enemy...as if the rest of the MADs weren't bad enough.

Edited by The Basilisk, 14 February 2017 - 04:37 PM.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Scorch and Spirit Bear are awesome heros in the assault class. Night Gyr's hero variant is also great due to it being an omni with many good loadouts, so you can swap omnipods and still keep the cbill boost and make many loadouts, including ballistic boating ones, which should make loads of money.

[Iain Sumner]

My best CBill earner is the Legend Killer. Also very useful for CW

Edited by Iain Sumner, 14 February 2017 - 09:24 PM.

[Audacious Aubergine]

Probably Not, on 14 February 2017 - 07:17 PM, said:

Wait. It hasn't lost its MG quirks just yet, has it? I know the skill tree update will screw with some things, but since there's no MG tree at all it would be really dumb to kill off Arrow's MG quirks.

I think it did, or had them toned down considerably, but that was only because machine guns themselves got improvements

[Kmieciu]

SmokedJag, on 14 February 2017 - 12:32 PM, said:

I want to buy a Hero 'Mech as a Cbill earner.

My best Cbill earner is the Kitfox Purifier.
It was the best deal ever, since I paid $10 and it qualified for the loyality reward, so I also got the Hellbringer-F(L). (though 2016 loyality rewards are no longer available)

Ironically, the Kitfox proved to be a better earner than the Hellbringer.
Why?
Probably because a Kitfox has always been regarded as a low priority target. It was a low threat.
The hero variant added 4 extra energy hardpoints (all hail P2W) and suddenly it has more firepower than Arctic Cheetah.

It is able to mount 7 C-SPL + ECM + 2 JJ + 16 DHS.It has +15% rate of heat loss quirk, that gives it better DPS than both Cheetah and Jenner IIC. No IS light can match that, because C-SPL is the most heat efficient laser (6 damage 3 heat).

C-SPL's duration is short enough to leg any light mech, or to outright core a Locust.

Most light mechs are servery hampered either by heat, or are short on ammo (SRMs). The Purifier can output crazy amount of damage. To be exact: 50% more sustained DPS than the "dreaded" Arctic Cheetah. (6.7 vs 4.4 DPS). That equates to shooting 3 SPL non-stop, even with cooldown module.

I could post screenshots where I got 800+ damage and 5 kills, on a loss, in group queue, against tier 1 players.
After 68 matches, mostly in group queue, my Purifier has got an average of 3.6 KDR and 478 average damage per match.

Edited by Kmieciu, 15 February 2017 - 01:13 AM.

[Burning2nd]

Ive got a lot of heros, champs and specials

Boarshead,
firebrand
gridiron
ansiea
piratesbane
oxide

Id recommend just figuring out which one you want first, then buying 2 of the same chasis and completing the basic tree first..
Then buy the hero you want.. and youll be able to master it

You could also consider champion mechs

what is it that you wish to achieve ? More cbill ? cause id not worry about that, In time you will have more then you know what to do with

colors are something to work for.

[Rogue Jedi]

The Basilisk, on 14 February 2017 - 04:32 PM, said:

On the negative side:

-- Anansi Spider (a 30t Battlemech with 3kinds of weapons and 7 hardpoints...)

a Spider without the fun factor of the Spider, when I got it the Spider was my favorate chassis, and I loved all 3 varients, then this thing came along, and I instantly purchased it without reservation, only to find it was no fun compaired to the other spiders, I spent a lot of time trying to make it work, but just could not.

Quote

-- Deaths' Knell Commando (light mech with weapons in its arms only and without the only "strength" a Commando has..its SRMs)

in my opinion the best Commando, it does its job pretty well, and the 165kph top speed certainly does not hurt

Quote

-- The Arrow Blackjack (Its main theme was MGs and it had the quirks to actually use them to a decent effect..well guess what they've been taken away and now you got a 45t with 6ballistic ports....yea...)

totaly outclassed by the other 6 B hardpoint 45 tonner, which is faster, more agile, jumps high and has MASC
the 6MG 2 LPL Shadow cat obsolited the Arrow, but it is still great fun

Quote

-- Dragonslayer Victor (In my opinion the most nerf abused and violated poor little robit in the game...I even sold mine because I couldn't stand the sobbing sounds from its corner of the mech hangar anymore...and I was lucky the guy at waste disposal didn't charge me for toxic waste)

but all the negitave quirks were removed a long time ^{(2+ years)} ago, it just seems in the about 6 months that it was nerfed the meta switched away from pinpoint alpha jump sniping to laser boating.