53 replies to this topic

[Bombast]

EDIT: Match Chosen: Victor vs. Gargoyle. I'm up for suggestions, remarks, and advice on those chassis, though! Thanks to everyone who's helped so far and those who will again!

Spoiler

Hello, forum dwellers. I've found my usual run of mechs have become a bit stall, so I'm in the market for some new stuff. But looking at what there is, I'm not finding much that attractive to me, personally. So I need some help choosing!

The following mechs are the selectable ones. Please stick to them - If its not listed, its because I already have them, already discounted them due to play style (Lights/Super-Lights are an automatic no-go), or for other reasons (No heavies because I already play too many of those, etc).

First off though... I want a Clan and IS mech that are roughly comparable. I'll be playing them together, just to see both sides of the fence.

Besides that, choose whatever you like, using whatever metrics you want. Pitch them to me and give whatever build advice/variant selection you want! Just try to not suggest too much - Posting a list of 12 mechs isn't particularly helpful.

EDIT: C-Bill Only Variants/Omnipods, please.

Anyway, thanks in advance guys! Appreciate it!

Edited by Bombast, 18 September 2017 - 06:16 AM.

[xengk]

Medium
Wolverine
Tanky SRMbomber with Jump Jets.
Structure and weapon quirks aplenty, with 375 engine limit.

On clan side the HBK IIC-B would be the closes thing to an agile medium SRMboat, from your list.

Assault
Awesome
They a got new lease on life with LF engine, good structure and agility quirks especially on the Pretty Baby.
Now they can survive skirmishing on the frontline instead of being back line PPCboat.

Clan side doesn't have an 80ton energy+missile assault, maybe the 90ton Highlander IIC or Supernova will fit the bill?

[Mechteric]

xengk, on 14 September 2017 - 08:38 AM, said:

Medium
Wolverine
Tanky SRMbomber with Jump Jets.
Structure and weapon quirks aplenty, with 375 engine limit.

Ew, the Wolverine is just so bad. Its hardpoints really screw you.


Shadow Hawk is the correct answer.

[Thorqemada]

The Shadow Hawk is a nice Mech to play with JumpJets and good Hardpint placing.
You can do Missile, Energy- or AC-Boats or a mixture of them.
Not every Variant is good but 3 of the many will do very well like the SHD 2D2 which is good for mixed loadouts.

I dont play Assaults that much, the Awesome is at best a Lurmboat bcs its too vulnerable to direct fire but maybe try the Victor.

I only played the Stormcrow (and the Kitfox) on the Clanside and Boy oh Boy i could do so much more with Clantech if i wasnt Anti-Clan...

Edited by Thorqemada, 14 September 2017 - 09:09 AM.

[Athom83]

Medium; From that list, and how you describe yourself as a heavy pilot, your best choices would be the Shadow Hawk, Wolverine, or the Stormcrow.
Wolverine; Personally I would go for the 6k because of that beautiful 4 energy fist, but the 6R and 7D are also nice picks.
Shadow Hawk; Most of them are pretty nice, yet very different of playstyles. The 2H for a big gun (AC/10 and up) paired with missiles, the 5M for UACs, and the others can fill a variety of roles.
Stormcrow; Its the Stormcrow... it does pretty much anything you want to.

Assaults; Personally, I would pick from the Cyclops, Highlander (IIC as well), and the Executioner.
Cyclops; The 11 variants are probably the best choice. 11ADC for Brawling, 11A for range support, or the 11P for the ECM.
Highlander; The 733C is the best pick for brawling, the 733P for energy "boating", the 732 for poking, or the 733 for all the missiles.
Highlander IIC; The C is the best overall for most uses, while the B shines in LB-20 + SRM splat brawling and the A for energy vomit.
Executioner; It goes really fast, so load up with close range weapons, get in there, and blow their face off :3.

Edited by Athom83, 14 September 2017 - 09:02 AM.

[Captain Polux]

Stormcrow is versatile and a solid choice.

[Rovertoo]

While you may not be a fan of lighter mechs, I really like the Shadow Cat. Its got light mech speeds and profile with a good medium mech loadout, is super fun! I like mine with an LRM 20, two meds (of your choice, heavy or ER) two streak 4s (light hunter) and the rest of tonnage put into whatever computers you need to make sure your lock on missles are always working.

Its also a potentially good pure SRM splat mech, and I have yet to experiment with ballistics much yet.


IS side, I dont have any of those listed mediums but just from trial mechs I can say that the Griffin and Shadow Hawk are fun, they are a bit tall in my opinion though.

As for Assaults, Mauler is cool. Lrms are good, big ballistics work as well, but Ive recently started running it with 3LLs in one arm, and two HeavyPPCs in the other. Its a pretty mean back line Assault face melter.

[Jay Leon Hart]

For Mediums, I would chose a pairing of either Griffin / Stormcrow or Shadow Hawk / Hunchback IIC
Griffin / Stormcrow for some decent Energy/Missile builds
Shadow Hawk (SHD-2K) / Hunchback IIC (HBK-IIC-A) for PPC poptarting

For Assaults, either pairing of BatleMaster / Marauder IIC or Mauler / Kodiak
BatleMaster / Marauder IIC (MAD-IIC) for laser vomit
Mauler / Kodiak (KDK-3) for dakka with optional lasers

[Bud Crue]

I don't like assaults. So sticking with mediums...well, they all have their charms. I would say my favorites on the clan side are a toss up between the Hunch IIc and the Nova. The former being all about high hardpoints, the latter being all about lots of hard points. I enjoy them both immensely. Though I have to say that I like the looks of the Nova, and am constantly shocked at how often it is ignored in game, presumably due to its low to the ground stance.

As to the IS. Normally I would say the Griffin. But they really hit it in the guts with engine decoupling. Its twist and generally agility are just...well...not conducive to a fun playing experience, like they once were. Can't really put it any other way. They are certainly still good just not as fun as they once were. The Enforcer is fun, but plays like a glass cannon (at least to me). I hated the Wolverine with such intensity I had PGI remove the loyalty and the free Quarantine I was given from my account. They are the only mechs I have rid myself of and never sought to reaquire. Kintaro...can't comment. Vindicator, yes they can be fun, but do you really want a mech that MUST rely on massive quirks to be viable when the balance overlord is on record as saying quirks need to be dramatically reduced? And don't kid yourself, it NEEDS at least those existing quirks.

That leaves the Shadow Hawk.
While its biggest drawbacks are its rather large profile and easy to focus hit boxes, it is nonetheless a blast. All the variants can be really, fun. Plus the things can run just about any combo of weapons. Can't really go wrong with these guys.

[sycocys]

Battlemaster-3M Assuming you aren't looking at hero mechs. Hellslinger if you are willing to sink some credits.

Although I'm also a pretty big fan of the Mauler-2P if you run with friends. There's just something about a 92 point front loaded alpha to lead the charge as you and your lance turn around a corner.

Edited by sycocys, 14 September 2017 - 11:14 AM.

[Bombast]

Thank for the suggestions so far guys, I am reading! Keep'em coming, though!

sycocys, on 14 September 2017 - 11:08 AM, said:

Assuming you aren't looking at hero mechs.

A good point. Let me fix that.

[Lostdragon]

I've been playing the heck out of my Warhawk Prime lately. I run it close to stock with 4x CERPPC, TC5, and lot of DHS. Between the quirks and TC those PPC projectiles are REALLY moving. It sucks at hill humping due to the low slung arms and you really have to manage heat carefully but it can lay down some pain. The extra velocity is really useful for shooting at lights and jumping mechs. I play only solo QP matches and have close to 2.0 W/L in it this season. I have also been known to lurm in the WHK-B, but lately I am enjoying the Prime more.

[sycocys]

I do prefer mediums generally speaking, but putting ridiculous loadouts on heavier mechs and romping around is pretty much the only way to break the pace of the "win-only" atmosphere of the game.

[Bombast]

Ok, so far we have...

Wolverine vs. Hunchback IIC
Wolverine vs. Stormcrow
Shadowhawk vs. Hunchback IIC
Shadowhawk vs. Stormcrow
Griffin vs. Stormcrow

Awesome vs. Highlander IIC
Awesome vs. Supernova
Highlander vs. Highlander IIC
Cyclops vs. Executioner
BatleMaster vs. Marauder IIC
Mauler vs. Kodiak

Some patterns emerging in the Medium category, which I like. Keep'em coming folks!

Edited by Bombast, 14 September 2017 - 02:33 PM.

[sycocys]

Are you looking for a break of pace or your next "capable" mech?

Personally I prefer the IS side just because the limitations of the mechs make them vastly more interesting to play as well as to get good enough to succeed with. Even the clan IIC's don't offer enough limitation because of the equipment slot and weight difference to make them enjoyable choices for more than a few matches to me.

[Bombast]

sycocys, on 14 September 2017 - 02:43 PM, said:

Are you looking for a break of pace or your next "capable" mech?

Just something to mix it up a little. If its capable, cool, if it's just a novel experience, that's cool too.

sycocys, on 14 September 2017 - 02:43 PM, said:

Personally I prefer the IS side just because the limitations of the mechs make them vastly more interesting to play as well as to get good enough to succeed with.

I only have one Clan mech, the Huntsman, which I actually got the last time I did a thread like this (Ended up 'comparing' the Hunstman and Blackjack). It was frustrating at first, but with a little help with the person who suggested it and bought me the Huntsman as a gift I ended up having a lot of fun, and probably even got a bit better at the game. But suggest whatever you like, based on whatever metric. Just as long as its a Clan/IS mech that's comparable (And what constitutes comparable is up to you guys).

[Luminis]

MAD-IIC (6/2 laser vomit) and BLR-1G (ERLL sniper or LPL/ERML vomit). They're fairly capable 'Mechs, among the best in their class and even among the best C-Bills can buy. The builds might not be anything special or unique but you'll barely find yourself in a situation what these' Mechs will not be a valuable asset to the team.

For your specific purpose, I'd also point out that they're very similar in their design and highlight the IS vs. Clan differences rather well, one being about firepower and top speed, the other about sustainability and agility (by comparison). Both are also able to incorporate new tech if you do desire.

[The6thMessenger]

Mad IIC and Battlemaster?

[Jay Leon Hart]

Bombast, on 14 September 2017 - 02:49 PM, said:

I only have one Clan mech, the Huntsman, which I actually got the last time I did a thread like this (Ended up 'comparing' the Hunstman and Blackjack). It was frustrating at first, but with a little help with the person who suggested it and bought me the Huntsman as a gift I ended up having a lot of fun, and probably even got a bit better at the game.

I wondered why the Huntsman was not an option - good to know it's because you already have some

[Y E O N N E]

Bombast, on 14 September 2017 - 08:25 AM, said:

Hello, forum dwellers. I've found my usual run of mechs have become a bit stall, so I'm in the market for some new stuff. But looking at what there is, I'm not finding much that attractive to me, personally. So I need some help choosing!

Victor and Gargoyle.

Or however you want to build them, I'm not an expert on either chassis. But it would be interesting. I do know the Victor has a a crapton (technical terms) of extra armor in the legs to give you even more wiggle room on the weapons.

sycocys, on 14 September 2017 - 11:08 AM, said:

Battlemaster-3M

Bruh.