7 replies to this topic

[Skull Drake]

So after playing trial mechs for my first 20 matches and finally made enough to buy the Arctic Cheetah Prime Variant. I goofed in the economics and choices of it all since the cadet bonuses don't last forever. In order to unlock elite level mech skills, i need to level up 2 other variants of the Arctic Cheetah. I really liked the Arctic Cheetah rig I bought but i don't like the others. I was under the impression I could buy 2 distinct other light mechs like a panther and locust tthen open elite by leveling those out of basic. Nope, I have to get two distinct other Arctic cheetah variants to open up higher tiers of skills after getting them out of Basic. From my new understanding of Clan tech, does that mean I can buy a variant that i don't like as much, strip all the items off the new variant and load it up with the omnipods from my current Prime variant (which i like) and then level the new variant up with my weapons I am used to? Clan tech seems so expensive and 6-7 million C Bills is not easy to come up with in the solo grinds. I can see why new people to the game go for the less expensive Inner Sphere rigs...

So I am saving up for the next Arctic Cheetah variant and just about have it but I need to understand if omnipods work like that before I sink the Cbills into the next variant...

Thanks!

[Rogue Jedi]

yes, you are correct.

as it is an omnimech you can take the pods from another varient and ^{(provided the Mech has no CT hardpoints or the same CT hardpoints)} setup an identical build.

the way omnipods work
each of the 8 componants (3 torsos, 2 arms, 2 legs, and head) have omnipods, you cannot change the Center Torso but other than that you can move any pod to any other Mech, or you can purchase the pods.

so using the Arctic Cheetah as an example
you start with a stock prime loose the prime arms with missile hardpoints for extra lasers from the B or C
you can then ether strip the pods from that or buy new pods if you decide to level additional varients.

now for a slightly more extreme demonstration, starting with the stock Kit Fox Prime
I want ECM, Jumpjets, missiles and balistics, so I take pods from the C, S, and B varients to endup with some crazy, no way will it work well loadout like this, the only origional pods are the head and CT, I could change the head but as no KFX has a head hardpoint so I could not see the point in doing so.

some omnipods have fixed hardpoints, you will notice on the kitfox rebuild the jumpjets on both side torsos and legs are greyed out, the only way to remove them is to remove the pods for pods without jets, most jumping Omnimechs do not have any pods without, exceptions are Kit Fox, Timber Wolf and Dire Wolf, I am pretty sure those are the only Omnimechs with removable ^{(by changing pods)} jumpjets.

edit:
also before you buy more varients concider that the skill tree will soon change, and with it the requirement to skill up 3 Mechs to unlock the elite and master skills is going away.
the second iteration of the new skill tree is currently in has finished testing, it could will come in in the March 21st patch, or be April/May depending on how PGI interprite the feeback, there was a lot of both posative and negitave feedback _{^{(I think it is currently acceptable but could still be significantly improved).}}
https://mwomercs.com...79#entry5644279

also with regards to unlocking skills as the skill tree currently stands, to unlock the elite skills you have to complete basics on 3 varients of the chassis, e.g. 3 Arctic Cheetahs, but to unlock the master skill you can complete elite on any 3 varients in the weight class, e.g. 1 ACH, 1 Spider and 1 Urbanmech, or 3 Arctic Cheetahs

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 09 March 2017 - 03:13 AM.

[Tier5 Kerensky]

We occasionally get some mechs on sale for 65%, specially for most clan omnimechs that's pretty important. They come more or less random and sometimes it's clan or IS only, sometimes a bit of both, few times the whole weight class.

Ignore the current skill system requiring a set of 3 variants, it's going be replaced by new system late this month. It was postponed for a month so by what they said a day ago, it's coming next patch.

You don't need to check the details of it yet as not everything is final yet, but for new player the only thing matters is not buying mechs you won't need, specially omnimechs.

To make cbills you might require a mech with more firepower than a light. But Arctic Cheetah fairly good if you go laser vomit and can take out several heavies or assults with them. Try to aim for average of 100k cbills or better. Your stats on the profile will show it. If you can't hit it, consider getting a heavy, they are pretty good for cbills and general gameplay, with enough tonnage but without the limitations of assults. To try out different mechs, you will need a lot of cbills. Try to look for the sales and of course to get cbills before that.

[Shu Horus]

More important:

Forget about all that Stuff with mastering several Versions of the same mech !
Get about 72.800 XP onto your Cheeta Prime. Done.

On March 21st the new Skill System goes live.
No more leveling several versions of the same Chassis to get Mastery level.
All you need to get, are 72.800 XP and 5.460.000 C-Bills to Master your Mech with the new Skill System (current state of development).

If you have the C-Bills ready an the XP collected, there is nothing to stop you from going on to get a complete other chassis to play with. Same procedure with that one, collect 72.800 XP and 5.460.000 C-Bills for mastering that one too.

There is no sense in trying to find all the possibilites with the old System which will be gone in 2 weeks.

[Skull Drake]

WOW thanks for all the great advice everybody-
I didn't know that the leveling up requiring 3 variants is gong away. I am so glad because of the expensiveness of clan tech.

That is a load off my mind for min/maxing my mech! This way I can have a light,med,heavy,assault in my mechbay and not have to do a lot of housekeeping to clear out variants I didn't want to begin with for leveling purposes....

Thanks!

This way I can spend time on the actual gaming and getting C Bills before March 21 comes.
Thanks guys-

[Rogue Jedi]

Skull Drake, on 09 March 2017 - 03:34 PM, said:

WOW thanks for all the great advice everybody-
I didn't know that the leveling up requiring 3 variants is gong away. I am so glad because of the expensiveness of clan tech.

if you think the Arctic Cheetah is expensive concider the cost of a light Battlemech.

Lights may look cheep but you will spend 2-3 times the purchase price on outfitting, the ACH has a high initial price but you do not need to spend much after, e.g. buying and outfitting an ACH costs about 8 million, a Spider, another 30 ton Mech, will cost about 9.5 million total, but initial purchase price is only about 2.5 million, the high cost is due to the price of the XL Engine (4-5 million), and the upgrades Double Heat Sinks (1.5 million), Endo Steel Internals and Fero Fibrus Armor.

on the whole a Clan Omnimech will cost about the same as a comparable Inner Sphere Battlemech ^{(and usualy work out cheeper than a comparable Clan Battlemech, as the Clan Battlemech will already have the wrong size XL engine which you will usualy want to replace)} assuming both are using XL Engines, the diferance is that the Battlemech can reuse an engine you already own, so if setting up multiple Mechs with the same size engine you can just transfer it accross, if you do not do that you will frequantly find an IS Mech works out more expensive than its Clan equivelent.

[Xaat Xuun]

maybe I missed it, I did look twice, but you can just buy the omini pods (if that variant is selling for C-Bills, it won't be visible to purchase, if wasn't any ways)
you do this in the Mech lab.
you don't need to buy another mech and strip it, Unless it's a special, or hero and you want the omni pods from them

[Koniving]

Xaat Xuun, on 09 March 2017 - 04:00 PM, said:

maybe I missed it, I did look twice, but you can just buy the omini pods (if that variant is selling for C-Bills, it won't be visible to purchase, if wasn't any ways)
you do this in the Mech lab.
you don't need to buy another mech and strip it, Unless it's a special, or hero and you want the omni pods from them

Indeed. Actually there will not be much point in buying specific omnimechs unless the skill tree is truly holding unique elements for specific variants. Unless there is something unique about the CT hardpoint.