35 replies to this topic

[ThundrGod]

Just a quick question for more experienced players. I used my initial c-bills from the academy and cadet bonus to buy a timber wolf. I love the mech so far, but I should have spent more conservatively. I would like to get into faction warfare because i see you can get some mech bays as rewards and i like the idea of fighting over planets. I know I am a ways off from having the necessary four mechs to fill out an invasion deck, but I thought maybe i could buy a light or medium and participate in the scouting to start getting loyalty rewards. On the other hand, i would really like to buy some new omnipods for my timberwolf and try out different builds on it. I have about 7m c bills at the moment so i dont have much to spend anyway. In addition, lots of new stuff is about to drop so a part of me thinks i should just wait and keep trying to build up more c-bills. Although i think that might be easier if i spent a bit on my timber wolf to make it more effective.

Thanks for any and all advice

[Tarl Cabot]

For Faction Play, Timberwolf is a good start.

Trial mechs, Hunchback IIC, Hellbringer, then either Adder or Nova. That gets you to 240 ton limit.

FP though has changed on mechbay tour. As a loyalist you can leave a faction, wait 7 days before you can select your new faction but also take a 25% loyalty hit. But in the end, if you do it only once early on then stick with a Clan faction, that would be 4 mech bays. You could also simply go Merc after the 4 Clan faction tour, for that mech bay while taking contracts with the Clan.

http://t-ship.ru/

Though the above is not up to date on the tonnage differences, it is handy figuring tonnage out before going on a purchasing spree.

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 15 July 2017 - 05:31 PM.

[Koniving]

If you are willing to spend a little money, the Civil War (not the escalation) packs are about to release in 3 days. Something about a 100 ton Timber Wolf might strike your fancy. Just keep in mind it is a Battlemech, not an Omnimech so you can't swap hardpoints around (but you can beef up or tone down the engine to suit your style). The more affordable light mech also has some noteworthy merit.

Setting real money aside for now I'd consider Omnipods. They are cheap. Really most people only need one or two to get what they need to get a move on. They are around a hundred thousand, so it'd barely put a dent in your 7 million.

Use trial mechs to get a rough idea about different mechs and how they feel. It is very likely the trial mech lineup will change on this patch, so try what you can now and again after.

[Koniving]

If you can forgive the Star Siege music, this is the very first Timber Wolf build I made and I still use all the same Omnipods today.

You'll only be able to do this specific triple MG set if you have the prime. If you don't, see what is in the CT as another variant has a laser in the CT. The rest have nothing (and the CT is the one thing you cannot change).
Edit: That's a Timber Wolf S. Evidently what I did was when the Clans did release, I copied the build on the Prime with the CT MG at some minor change to something somewhere else.

Now this setup required four mouse buttons and you'll likely want to keep your own setup simpler. But it gives you an idea of what you can do.

Edited by Koniving, 15 July 2017 - 07:06 PM.

[Kaptain]

Isn't the mad cat 2 90 tons?

[Koniving]

Kaptain, on 15 July 2017 - 07:06 PM, said:

Isn't the mad cat 2 90 tons?

It could be.
I'll be honest, I personally didn't care for it in BT. I generally stop at 3055. That's just long enough for the Hollander to get popular.

[Kaptain]

Koniving, on 15 July 2017 - 07:07 PM, said:

It could be.
I'll be honest, I personally didn't care for it in BT. I generally stop at 3055. That's just long enough for the Hollander to get popular.

You might like the SA+ECM cicada if you like the Hollander. Lgr+2tons and 3xml with a 255xl

[SirSoggyDog]

If you want my opinion, it might be best to hold off a spending spree for a week or two. The upcoming Civil War update may very well turn balance upside down, particularly with mediums.

If you must buy something, I would go with a medium to do scouting. I don't mean any offense by this, but as a new guy, you probably shouldn't be doing Invasion FP without four elited mechs, and certainly not with trial mechs.

[Tarl Cabot]

Not with most trial mechs, but the few Clan Trial mechs are not bad. Of course if he dropping as a Clan pug and not as part of a unit, it will not really matter that much. At least he would not be dropping with IS trial mechs... only a few okay ones there on the lighter side. I often wonder who the frak really select the trial mechs, wonder if they are tier 4/5 players who have not played any CW/FP.......

[ThundrGod]

Thanks for the feedback, I think for now I'm going to invest a bit in my Timberwolf and save the rest. I will probably spend some real money at some point so I will try all the trial mechs that are currently available and then the ones that rotate in to get a better idea of what I'm spending my money on. I really like the game, I played a few months when it was still in early beta and I like a lot of the improvements, but the monetization strategy seems really aggressive and I don't have the time to grind constantly so I have to be picky with my imaginary and real life c bills.

Hope to see you guys in game so you can club me.

[Tarl Cabot]

Dont forget about the current event. Make sure to check the event page and collect your loot bags and other goodies..

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 15 July 2017 - 08:49 PM.

[ThundrGod]

Ok I've been playing around in the mech lab and this is what I've come up with. I already bought the TBR-D and i can't afford a second chassis yet so i'll have to lose the quirks and swap out pods to make this happen but how does this build look for a brawler?

TBR-D

Hope that link works right.

Thanks everyone for the help.

[Burning2nd]

Jenner LLC Model A laser build,
HBK LLC

Nova-prime with the s model arms

BUT id recommend just holding tight, There are going to be very very big changes in the next few days..

Id like to give pgi more credit but In my experience every weapon add/change has brought with it a slue of other problems... So i think its gonna get crazy for the next 5 or 6 weeks

[Rogue Jedi]

Before joining faction play please bear in mind it is hardcore mode, there is absolutely no skill based matchmaking, all matchmaking does is put together 12 players (or 4 for scouting) on each side, there is nothing to stop 12 individuals on one team to come up against an elite 12 player team, all from the same unit, together on teamspeek, who have established a plan before dropping and are used to working together.


I am not saying do not play faction play just be aware that there could be a far more significant imbalence between the teams than you have encountered in quick play.

The biggest force multiplier you can have, far more important than owning Mechs and even more important than your piloting skill is teamwork, as such it would be beneficial for you to find a group to drop with before tackeling faction play, the easiest way to do this is to join a unit, however joining a unit will make it harder for you to do the Mech Bay Tour which I will go through below.
You are currently Clan Ghost Bear, here is a link to there forum where you can find recruting units.

With regards to doing a "Mech bay tour", you get the first Mechbay at level 2 and I beleive every 4 levels thereafter.
Most people can get level 2 in an evening and level 6 inside a week, but the level 10 bay may take a few weeks, look at how fast you are progrssing it takes a week to break a perminant contract, and as I understand it there are 10 games after taking a perminant contract before you start gaining faction loyalty points,
This is worth knowing so you can decide when it is worth breaking contract and taking one with another faction, also breaking a contract costs you, I think, 25% of loyalty points with that faction, so choose the one you want to stick with last.

There are 4 Clan factions and 6 IS factoins at current but that will probably change with the time jump on Tuesday (in timeline Smoke Jaguar has been wiped out by then, there are a total of 17 Clans so more could be introduced, Rasslehague should be absorbed into the Ghost Bear Dominion, Clan Wolf splits into the crusader Clan Wolf, who beleive they need to protect the Inner Sphere from its rulers by conquering it and the warden Clan Wolf in Exile who believe they need to protect the IS from external threats never mind, just found the patch notes they are going to 3057 rather than the advertised 3062, so most of that stuff is still a few years off)

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 16 July 2017 - 04:04 AM.

[Koniving]

ThundrGod, on 16 July 2017 - 12:15 AM, said:

Ok I've been playing around in the mech lab and this is what I've come up with. I already bought the TBR-D and i can't afford a second chassis yet so i'll have to lose the quirks and swap out pods to make this happen but how does this build look for a brawler?

TBR-D

Hope that link works right.

Thanks everyone for the help.

As someone who paid attention to your most recent post...

That looks like a walking bomb. (Excessive amounts of ammo that you'll never use in the span of a normal quickplay game, and might be able to use if you survive the entirety of a faction play on a single 'Mech.)

You can probably drop 3 and a half tons (Edit: of ammo) and still have enough to last a full 15 minutes. That's 650 missiles you're carrying.
This can probably let you upgrade the missile launchers or the lasers, or even let you consider at least a single long range option so that you're not completely powerless at range, or you'll find yourself in a severely sore situation when a long range map comes up on a mode such as domination where if you try to brawl too early you'll be ripped apart by your target's 6 or 7 nearby friends, or those situations where catching the light is impossible as he harasses you from 3x+ your range.

Beyond that, the build is fine. (I think 4 SRM-4s is safe from ghost heat. Not really sure though, to be honest I chain fire my SRMs.)

Edited by Koniving, 16 July 2017 - 01:52 AM.

[Rogue Jedi]

ThundrGod, on 16 July 2017 - 12:15 AM, said:

Ok I've been playing around in the mech lab and this is what I've come up with. I already bought the TBR-D and i can't afford a second chassis yet so i'll have to lose the quirks and swap out pods to make this happen but how does this build look for a brawler?

TBR-D

Hope that link works right.

Thanks everyone for the help.

looks OK, but I would hold off on making changes until after the patch on Tuesday.

If you want a brawler you would be better off with the Heavy Machine Guns ^{(coming Tuesday, shorter range but MUCH higher DPS)} rather than the regulars you have on that, also I find 1 ton of ammo per SRM4 is usualy plenty ^{(yes I run out occaisionaly but if you never run out you are wasting tonage on too much ammo)}, so you can drop 2.5 tons of SRM ammo and still have enough which would allow for the heavier and more ammo hungry HMGs as well as 1-2 extra heatsinks, as that build still looks a bit warmer than I would be comfortable with.

[Koniving]

While I'm not pushing my own build on you, I am using it to show a comparison as well as to demonstrate how I shoved in a long range option.

From the video up above using the TBR-S, you can see the general strategy and gameplay technique I use. I pepper the enemy at range to soften them and close in for a brutal slaughter. Yet it still cools fast enough to start it right back up after an overheat and then start butchering other people, like a rabid wolf....or a Mad Cat.

Now, high damage scores are good, but they are also indicative of being sloppy with kills. You want 100 to 150 damage per kill as a way of gauging efficiency in something that actually kills stuff, like a brawler build.

A sleep drunk game from late last night.

I confess the income is a bit inflated, still have a few days premium time that I got over the event and it is my Timber Wolf Prime (Invasion) variant, so there's the cbill bonus to consider from both of those.

Last guy was down to a leg, a CT and a head, another hit would have gotten him, thus he was "saved by the numbers." So I almost had 3 kills. Which isn't bad since I found my non-skilled (didn't unlock anything) Timber Wolf to be really sluggish compared to what I was used to in days of old. Frequently found myself unable to get close to most of the threats simply due to how much faster they were, so I relied kinda heavily on LRMs until I could get a 'passing' shot of my ER MLs and SRMs as they speed by me as if I'm not even there.

After unlocking the skill tree, things'll be better, as much as I try to tank myself (my PSR/tier rating), I'm still too high up to be sluggish.


The build isn't the most efficient. The extra unused ton is intended to be consumed by the HMGs that are about to release and maybe some armor for the slack. As you can see though, I have a long range option to ensure I can at least get 'something', no matter the situation. This way I'm ready for any map.

I have 2 tons for the SRMs, and I have yet to run out of missiles for them. My ER MLs can handle out to 405 meters without a skill tree and they do well enough for brawling as well. The LRM covers long range, and is fully effective down to 180 meters and can still damage decently at around 90 meters. The extra ton for the MGs is a bit excessive, though again it's really in anticipation of the HMG, it also lets me spray as much as I please indiscriminately (hence how I accidentally got 17 team damage). The LRM ammo is only slightly excessive, but even so I still run out of it.

And here's what it looks like.


The last is just to show off my new paintjob.
Good luck.

Edit: I just noticed my forward/rear armor got put to a default of 12 rear... huh. I used to have that as 2 rear and the rest front, no wonder why my front armor seemed to shred easier than normal. I recommend 2 to 8 rear, depending on what you're comfortable with. Yes the rear is huge, but lets be honest... there's no concern if you don't let them get behind you.

Edited by Koniving, 16 July 2017 - 02:27 AM.

[Audacious Aubergine]

Bear in mind also that I found the Timber Wolf to be a sub-par SRM brawler. It's pretty fast and can pack a punch but it's also seemingly very easy to blow apart. Admittedly my memory of this fact is heavily skewed since the last time I used it as a brawler I spent the entire time unintentionally suicide charging entire enemy teams because I felt like I had to get into close range asap
EDIT: On another note, I tweaked the build a little TBR-D
Most experienced players might argue that it now has too little SRM ammo, but if it was my build then it would still be enough since if I'm close enough to be using them, then more than likely I'll die before I use all of it. Also removed the active probe since there's not as much of a need for it if you aren't running streaks or LRMs, but you can put it back on if you like the versatility of jamming ECM mechs

Edited by Audacious Aubergine, 16 July 2017 - 04:07 AM.

[Koniving]

So, uh. Wanted to follow up on the TBR's performance. Less sleep drunk and after doing the skill tree with a high focus on maneuverability, some operations, some sensors, and some weapons...

Spoiler

The first one, I was 'late' to the party sadly (forgot I launched). By the time I got to see my first enemy, it was 5 against 2 and the other guy wasn't doing so hot. But for fighting less than a minute and a half, I think it was pretty decent. Made me feel amazing. The KMDD was a very healthy (only yellow) Stalker. The rest were lights and mediums in kinda bad shape.

Compared to overall.


And then a bit ago, got there along with everyone else. Got an Ebon Jaguar and a Mauler into bad shape and wanted the kills so I climbed the hill in Viridian Bog. Blackjack harassed me. Killed him. Then turned the corner where the Ebon Jaguar and Mauler went. Mauler was dead, but alongside the Ebon Jaguar was a Stalker, a Rifleman, some other beefy mechs and I overheated and shutdown three times brawling it out.

Considering I only peppered a couple of mechs with LRMs prior to opening Pandora's Box, I'd like to think that sporting an LRM doesn't really hurt my brawling capabilities.

[ThundrGod]

Wow guys, thanks for all the feedback. This community has been excellent so far. I was originally running a 2 ERPPC/4 CSRM6 build that did ok, but I hated trying to snipe with the ERPPC's being mounted so low, i was constantly getting nailed by the other guy while my beams were hitting the wall, or the hill, etc. That's why i switched to a more short range setup, and it fit my playstyle much better as well. My average c-bills went from about 125k to about 200k immediately. I definitely need to lose some ammo, not sure how comfortable i am losing that much back armor yet, my positioning/situational awareness is my weak spot. The heavy MG's sound great. I will look at what i can add when i free up some tonnage from ammo when i get off work.

Thanks again for all the replies, i appreciate everyone taking the time.