28 replies to this topic

[Scottsdale]

Hi all! So I'm new to this and read some forums, but wanted to start a new query on the best clan mechs to buy. Most of the topics are OLD and mostly out of date. Would like something beginner/user friendly in Medium/heavy range. And let me know why you would choose the mechs to please! Thank you

[Captain Polux]

Heavies - Timberwolf, Hellbringer, Ebon Jaguar
Mediums - Stormcrow, Hunchback IIC

Edit - disregard the Ebon Jaguar. It's great but not for beginners.

Edited by ThoseWhoFearTomorrow, 26 April 2017 - 11:37 AM.

[Scottsdale]

Oh, and a heads up...my experience with the tester mechs I tend to overheat a lot! Lol, and I tend to want to run in and go toe to toe but move quick... ? Ugh I'm a noob

[Exilyth]

ThoseWhoFearTomorrow, on 26 April 2017 - 10:42 AM, said:

Heavies - Timberwolf, Hellbringer, Ebon Jaguar
Mediums - Stormcrow, Hunchback IIC

I would not second the Ebon Jaguar (because the arm guns are very wide), but the rest is solid.

Timberwolf - aside from being iconic for mechwarrior/battletech, while the arms are mounted a bit low, it has decent speed and lots of space. Most common loadouts include the laserboat (C-ERLLs and C-ERMLs) and a loadout with arm mounted ERPPCs and a torso mounted autocannon.

Hellbringer - Very similar to the Timber Wolf in performance, but 10 tons less weight and one variant has ECM. Builds tend to be more assymmetric.

Stormcrow - relatively fast medium of low height which can mount a variety of weapons, mostly known for the "Streakcrow" C-SSRM loadout.

Hunchback IIC - not the fastest, but durable for it's size. High mounted torso/shoulder hardpoints make for great hill humping ability. Used for ballistics or as a laser boat.


I would generally advise beginning players to stay away from lights as they are very squishy and to stay away from assaults as they tend to be slow (which leads to getting left behind by faster team mates).

Edited by Exilyth, 15 May 2017 - 01:01 PM.

[Roughneck45]

Get Hunchback IIC's if you are looking for a zero regret purchase.

You can't go wrong with any of the clan mechs really, they can all be built well, just depends on what speed and weapons you like playing with.

Edited by Roughneck45, 26 April 2017 - 11:46 AM.

[Renfis]

I'll endorse the Ebon Jaguar, was my first heavy mech and I do more than ok in it I think, prone to overheating if you put too many lasers on them, but whats the fun in not living on the edge?

[Rogue Jedi]

totaly depends on what you are after, there are plenty of good Mechs, I will give some sugestions along with pros and cons

first a breif explainer on diferant Mech types.
A Battlemech can change engine size, armor and structure type and has no fixed equipment but cannot change weapon hardpoints.
An Omnimech has engine armor type and structure type fixed, as well as some other fixed equipment, if it has Jumpjets they cannot be removed unless there is a pod available without (just the Kit Fox and Timber Wolf have optional JJs) but can change omnipods for any componant except the Center Torso to get hardpoints from another model

Arctic Cheetah, 30 ton Omnimech, fast, fairly durable if you keep moving, can carry decent firepower for its weight, cannot take much damage, about as cheep as you will get a combat ready Mech, jumps well can have ECM
Jenner IIC, 35 ton Battlemech, dive bomber with upto 72 damage alpha strike, potentialy enough to one hit kill a 100ton Mech (although that requires compromising on speed), or up-to 156kph top speed, vulnerable center torso, cannot take much damage, not as forgiving as the Cheetah, can fit jumpjets
Viper, 40 ton Omnimech, nothing jumps higher, fast, fun, not especialy durable, not that heavily armed
Shadow Cat, 45 ton Omnimech, MASC gives a massive boost to acceleration and agility in short bursts, all hardpoints are cockpit level making it great for shooting over cover, jumps well, limited firepower but can make a great sniper, can have ECM, has jumpjets
Hunchback IIC, 50 ton Battlemech, can be realy heavily armed for its 50 tons, most varients are specilized for 1 weapon type with lasers for backup, not that durable, can jump
Huntsman, 50 ton Omnimech, like the HBK-IIC but as an omnimech can swap out hardpoints, is more durable, can jump
Stormcrow, 55 ton Omnimech, very durable, faster than Hunchback or Huntsman, cannot jump, can take missiles and/or lasers with upto 1 balistic weapon, has a reputation for being one of the best mediums despite the fact that the Hunchback IIC and Huntsman are now about as good, so will get a lot of attention from the enemy team.
Linebacker, 60 ton Omnimech, less well armed than the Stormcrow despite being 5 tons heavier, mostly because it goes the same speed meaning it has a much larger engine, more armor than the SCR but a bit less durable
Mad Dog, 60 ton Omnimech, missile boat, not great durability and cannot jump but great fun
Ebon Jaguar, 65 ton Omnimech, with max armor has the second most free space of the Clan heavies, low profile, with high back mounted hardpoints great for shooting over cover, cannot jumpmakes for a great fire support platform, high priority target
Helbringer, 65 ton Omnimech, can have ECM, not as durable as the Ebon Jag, realy versitile hardpoints
Summoner, 70 ton Omnimech, jumps well, pretty durable, unfortunately the best omnipods are not available for cbills yet, with the cbill pods there is not enough tonage for multiple heavy weapons but not enough hardpoints for lots of small weapons
Orion IIC, 75 Ton Battlemech, low priority target, hard to build focused builds, but not a bad Mech
Timber Wolf, 75 Ton Omnimech, for a long time was the best Mech in the game, and is a ledgend from Battletech lore, as such is a top priority target if you take this the enemy will shoot at you before pretty much anything except the heavier assualt Mechs, but can do pretty well in any role due to good durability and great variaty of hardpoints, has pods with jumpjets, and is fast and agile despite its weight
Night Gyr, 75 ton Omnimech, slow for a Clan Mech, the most firepower of any Clan heavy (and outguns some Clan assualts) high priority target, can jump
Kodiak, 100 ton Battlemech, as arguably the best Mech in the game right now is a top priority target, can take a lot of damage, is very fast for its size (especialy the Spirit Bear hero with MASC) can carry a lot of firepower, 1 varient can jump.

the above is my opinion only, others will no doubt disagree and it is quite possible for 2 difering opinions to both be correct.

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 26 April 2017 - 01:37 PM.

[Ertur]

The Nova S is available as a trial mech, I'd suggest giving that a try. The Nova is fairly maneuverable and hard hitting. The Prime takes an unusably huge number of energy points in the arms, replacing most of those with ERSLas's and filling the torso with heat sinks is almost a must. But it punches like a beast. For giggles you can take a prime with two S side torsos and run 2xERMLas 8xERSlas 4xMG w/ 2t ammo.

That said, I'd agree that the Stormcrow is a better bet.

[Old-dirty B]

Hunchback IIc and stick around the big robots - best beginners mech, diverse and all you need to get started. Will teach you all you need to know.

Here you can find a few builds and gameplay videos (also many other mechs build suggestions): http://metamechs.com.../hunchback-iic/

[Tier5 Kerensky]

I suggest Marauder IIC-D, which is my new favourite.

It has fairly good hitboxes, meaning even without you trying to force them, enemies will hit it's side torsos as well.
It can carry various weapons, you can try many weapon systems with it. And you will need to, because it has small overall hardpoints.
It has ECM.

It should be pretty flexible mech on lower tiers, because it's natural long range and ECM. It nicely carries 2xgauss rifles with large ammo load plus either PPC or two ER-L. You can also load it for more close range UACs or LRMs and other combos.

Initially you will miss not having advanced zoom module. Hopefully next month we will get new skill system in which you can get it faster.

Downside: I think there are quite some good players too with fresh accouts in low tiers too. They might concentrate on you because Marauder IIC is rather dangerous. You might keep the stock engine if you want to keep some of the initial cbills you get, or upgrde to max.


For something smaller, a Shadow Cat. It can run many weapons, has good speed and ECM. It's not an awesome fighter, it can do it's share but the relative good speed allows survivibility, over firepower.

[The Basilisk]

Scottsdale, on 26 April 2017 - 11:14 AM, said:

Oh, and a heads up...my experience with the tester mechs I tend to overheat a lot! Lol, and I tend to want to run in and go toe to toe but move quick... ? Ugh I'm a noob

Running close in with clanmechs is (with some very special exceptions) a fundamental failure.
One of the main differences, that you already noticed, between Clan and IS weapons is their higher heatoutput.
They make tonn for tonn more damage and are slightly less bulky.
But what realy makes a great difference is the significantly higher range of their smal and med weapons i.e. smal, med and LPLs.

In the field that means you have smaler dmg/range lagbrackets for your weapons mixes.
AC and laser loadouts f.e. Hellbringer with dual UAC5, optimum 630m and 3 ERMLas optimum 405m.
A similar loadout on an IS Mech would have a huge lagbracket between UAC (600m) and medlasers (270m).

So when piloting Clan mechs you have a far larger area where all your weapons will make their full damage but due to their high heatoutput you also won't be able to fire them in a rapid succession.
And that is something that can be forced on you by a high dps mech that closed in on you.

And this awareness for the terrain, your weapons ranges and optimum firing rythm is what makes you successfull (at least in QP).

Edit: "the best" Clan starter....possibly the Hellbringer or the Hunchback IIC

Edited by The Basilisk, 27 April 2017 - 12:16 AM.

[Ertur]

I'll speak out against the Scat. It has a very limited range of viable builds and is tricky to master. It is not a new player friendly mech. The speed isn't all that remarkable, either, considering its weight and armor. As far as medium mechs go I've mastered Centurions, Shadow Hawks, Hunchbacks, Blackjacks, Griffins, Stormcrows, Novas, Cicadas, and 2 of 3 Shadow Cats. The Shadow Cats are, by a very wide margin, the worst performing of the lot. Not recommended, especially for a new player.

If the Clan Hunchie is anywhere as flexible as the IS one, it would be good I suspect; but I have no experience with it. The IS Hunchie is an excellent first mech, however.

[chucklesMuch]

My new player mechs were stormcrow, then ebon jag then shadowcat then arctic cheetah (bought a wave 3 pack early on).

I always tried to put as many lasers as I could on the crow and jag and overheated way too much... if I started over I would advise my old self to get a hellbringer as my first heavy. Ecm isn't handled well by new players, it's a highly effective versatile mech but it isn't focus fired on like night gyrs and Timberwolves.

Mediums +1 for a hunchback iic (stormcrows, huntsman also very good).... actually I like all the clan mediums.

[chucklesMuch]

Ertur, on 27 April 2017 - 12:14 AM, said:

I'll speak out against the Scat. It has a very limited range of viable builds and is tricky to master. It is not a new player friendly mech. The speed isn't all that remarkable, either, considering its weight and armor. As far as medium mechs go I've mastered Centurions, Shadow Hawks, Hunchbacks, Blackjacks, Griffins, Stormcrows, Novas, Cicadas, and 2 of 3 Shadow Cats. The Shadow Cats are, by a very wide margin, the worst performing of the lot. Not recommended, especially for a new player.

If the Clan Hunchie is anywhere as flexible as the IS one, it would be good I suspect; but I have no experience with it. The IS Hunchie is an excellent first mech, however.

The scat has suffered a few balance changes since I really used them (and I have a strong preference for fast mechs) but this was the first mech that I feel in love with (second arctic cheetah)... both were as a new player. (I think that play style preference is a big factor).

Masc on scat is more about burst of extreme Mobility. (I don't play sniper with them)


Edit:

The clan hunchie is one of if not the best medium in the game: (it's not Omni so you need a couple of variants to cover all the favours). 50 ton so still available for scouting, battlemech (>omni) very good high mounts, different variants able to boat; energy, missiles, or dakka (4xua2, 3xuac5, 2xuac10, etc... dual lbx 20's or uac20 for fun) can equip jj's, good pop tart with dual ppcs, can run dual gauss... it's a very very good medium.

Edited by chucklesMuch, 27 April 2017 - 03:42 AM.

[Ertur]

MASC is kind of sort of ok, I guess, just in terms of what it can do, but if the Scat could drop that and add 2 more tons to its engine it'd have an XL300 and always go 114 108 (over 120 115 with speed tweak) without having to worry about breaking its own legs off. The lost tonnage just isn't worth it, in my opinion. And adding MASC to the equation is another complication a new pilot doesn't need.
The best build I've found for the Scat is 2xERLLas + 1xERMLas + ECM. You can do that with a Kit Fox, and even add 1x AMS (w/ 1t ammo).

edit to correct speed with xl300, I don't know how I got that wrong, must have dragged the wrong engine over. Tested against 45t Phoenix Hawk.

Edited by Ertur, 27 April 2017 - 08:14 AM.

[chucklesMuch]

Ertur, on 27 April 2017 - 02:16 AM, said:

MASC is kind of sort of ok, I guess, just in terms of what it can do, but if the Scat could drop that and add 2 more tons to its engine it'd have an XL300 and always go 114 (over 120 with speed tweak) without having to worry about breaking its own legs off. The lost tonnage just isn't worth it, in my opinion. And adding MASC to the equation is another complication a new pilot doesn't need.
The best build I've found for the Scat is 2xERLLas + 1xERMLas + ECM. You can do that with a Kit Fox, and even add 1x AMS (w/ 1t ammo).

I'm not sure the masc, often I agree, but sometimes... there are moments in matches where masc mobility is just such a beautiful, beautiful thing... twisting and jumping and stoping and starting and being all neo for a few moments.... but I'm not recommending for a new player either.

I don't like the ppc or Erll builds (not my play style, I just end up being too close to the enemy... and yeah that doesn't work out well)

2xlpl ecm
2xmpl 3xSRM4a ecm (I believe that 2xspl 3xsrm6a with ecm is more popular and runs cooler)
6xmgs/1xuac10 no ecm

[Audacious Aubergine]

If you're brand new, probably steer clear of the Timber Wolf for now. Partly because it's expensive but mostly because even now with newer mechs that can do what it can do, it tends to be a big walking priority target.
Hunchback IIC is a good bet. You still need three variants for eliting anyway so it doesn't matter as much that it doesn't have omnipods (yes, yes, new skill tree is coming but OP will be a fairly experienced player without elited mechs by the time it releases).
I've also found that the Huntsman is quite handy at mid to long ranges

[Kaethir]

ThoseWhoFearTomorrow, on 26 April 2017 - 10:42 AM, said:

Heavies - Timberwolf, Hellbringer
Mediums - Stormcrow, Hunchback IIC

I second this list, with the caveat that while the Timberwolf is an excellent 'mech with very few weaknesses, it also makes you a target precisely because it's a good 'mech. Doesn't mean don't take it (was effectively my first mech, and no regret), just be aware.

These mechs give you a diverse set of usable builds for each (some more than others, but all have multiple). They are not pushovers, but still pack a punch.

As you seem to have picked out, neither lights nor assaults are great first mechs - they both die too easily when you don't know exactly what to do with them. Lights because they have no armor, and assaults because they're generally too slow to maneuver out of a bad position.

[Shu Horus]

The Shadow Cat is indeed a special one, as it has abilities which only a very few mechs share and it is definatly not top notch regarding most effective weapon loadout. But it has it's merits, but you have to learn them apart from the other Mechs.
There is more to learn about handling a Shadow Cat, it's a little more "complex" to use. But if you get a hang of it, this mech is a beast. Just because it can pull some stunts no other mech can do.

But the beginning will be frustrating, especially if you try to pilot it like a crow or other mediums.


Regarding a first choice medium mech the Hunch IIC is a long time favorite of the crowd.
It's still a good option, but with the C-Bill availability of the Huntsman, it got some pretty good competition. Only advantage the Hunchy still has: it's not an Omni. Therefore you can play with reactor size, structuretype, armortype and jj-fitting. The Huntsman has a fixed reactor and has to stick with the jets, structure and armortype, but it's an Omni so you can fiddle with the loadout as you like.
If you are going for mobility and see jj's as a must anyways, consider taking a Huntsman instead of the Hunchback.


My choices for Clan Mediums:
If you know you like agility and jumpjets and prefer a heavy loadout against top speed: The Huntsman is for you.
If you prefer top speed and heavy loadout over top agility and Jumpjets: The Stormcrow is for you
If you cannot decide yet and can stick with some loadout limits, but like to test around with JJ's and Speed (reactor): The Hunchback is for you.

And last but not least:
If you prefer top speed and agility and JJ's all in one, with ECM on top of it, are willig to sacrifice some weapon diversity and are willing to learn some extra tricks: You may want to give the Shadow Cat a try.

Cheers,
Nuit


Edit:
As the MASC discussion came in between:
MASC is not only about the extra Speed !
The speed is a nice extra, but not the reason why MASC is great (in TT it is, because there it's the only benefit).
It's the insane agility bonus it gives: accelleration and decelleration in no time, a turnrate that makes even a locust envy you, less speedloss when running uphill.

Btw.: it gives you more top speed in comparison to the XL300 = 116.1 kph max vs. XL270 + MASC = 127,5 kph max.

If you get this little gadget right the Shadow Cat is probably the most dodgy and most agile mech out there. Yes it's 2 tons less loadout because of the MASC. But the gain is great, especially if you use JJ's a lot.
Good Shadow Cat Pilots do not only dodge incomming missiles, they dodge PPCs and ACs as they see them comming and give las-burners a real hard time keeping the beam on the target even on close ranges.

Edited by Shu Horus, 27 April 2017 - 06:30 AM.

[Rogue Jedi]

Ertur, on 27 April 2017 - 02:16 AM, said:

MASC is kind of sort of ok, I guess, just in terms of what it can do, but if the Scat could drop that and add 2 more tons to its engine it'd have an XL300 and always go 114 (over 120 with speed tweak)

with a 300 Shadow Cat would only do 108 (116.1 with speed tweak) I am not sure where you got the 120+ from but that is incorrect.

I checked in the Smurfy Mechlab on the BJ1-X, it can only take a 295 but each engine grade gives it an extra 1.8kph so the maths were simple