33 replies to this topic

[Panzerkuh]

As a preface I don't have really any Mechwarrior experience/knowledge outside of what I gained during the Beta periods of this game. I really enjoyed the game and purchased a founders pack, but for whatever reason didn't continue to play.

So my question is in regards to getting things going again, and could use some advice as to what mechs to consider purchasing, I won't ask for detailed things like loadouts or going forward but if you want to add it feel free. My prefer play style in games like this is to either be a big bruiser that demands attention or will alpha strike you off the map, I have the Atlas from my pack as it seemed to do this in beta, or to provide hard hits from a far with either a giant missle barrage or cannon fire. What mechs excel at this, as there are almost 10x the number in game now.

Thanks Panzer

[Rogue Jedi]

your Atlas still works well for the big bruiser role, but is in some ways supassed by the Kodiak, pretty much any Mech able to pack 4+ SRM racks or an AC20 should work, my preferred Mech for this in the GRF-3M but there are many medium/heavy/assualt Mechs able to do this.
Also as you had the Founders Atlas you should have received the first year reward Mechs including the AS7-S, a Centurian and possibly also a King Crab if you were a legendary Founder, the -S is way better than the -D for the big brusier Atlas due to having 4 missile hardpoints instead of 2 on the -D, for potentialy a 68 damage alpha strike with an AC20 and 4 SRM6 (then potentialy another 20 damage from energy weapons).

[Bishop Six]

Welcome back Panzer!

To your question:

On IS-side good mechs for your style of playing are:

- Warhammer (Black Widow is one of my absolute favourites!)
- Marauder
- Cyclops (pretty cool machine!)
- Bushwacker (medium tank)
- Black Knight (Laser-Vomit)
- Roughneck (PGI designed mech, much tanky for 65 tons with Canons etc.)
- Catapult (still THE thing for LRMs)

The game changed, so slow assaults are mostly useless. Of course it depends what game mode you are playing, but in most cases it is better to have more speed than 65 km/h.

You can find the best relation between firepower, mobility and armor in the heavy mech class from 65 to 75 tons.

Because your nickname is german, i invite you to our unit and Teamspeak server. You can visit us without need to join our unit and play with a nice group of elder guys. If you have more questions in detail you are very welcome to our TS and we can talk about every detail you want.
But be aware: We are crazy Space Ostriches with a hang to the chaos and drop mostly in Faction Play game mode.

Here is our recruiting thread where you can find TS-Data and some information about us. We have no strict hierarchy in our unit and everybody who hate clanners is welcome anytime
https://mwomercs.com...iches-want-you/

Edited by Bishop Six, 18 December 2017 - 01:14 AM.

[Daggett]

Rogue Jedi, on 18 December 2017 - 12:37 AM, said:

your Atlas still works well for the big bruiser role, but is in some ways supassed by the Kodiak

I would not buy the Kodiak for bruising, it's mobility has been nerfed so you will have problems shielding it's big unquirked CT with your arms. The Atlas lost mobility too, but at least it got massive armor/structure quirks to compensate this better than the Kodiak.

For bruising i would prefer an Atlas over the Kodiak or the heavies Bishop mentioned. If it has to be an assault and something else than your Atlas you can pick up a MAD-IIC Scorch in the sale if you got some MC left. With Dual LBX-20 and 4 SRM6 this thing has proven to be a beast in close combat. The Mad Cat MKII-2 could be an alternative to the Scorch, but it's not available for cbills yet.

Edited by Daggett, 18 December 2017 - 01:40 AM.

[Panzerkuh]

Thanks for all the help guys I will take a look at all the suggestions and see what jumps out at me.
Thanks for the invite Bishop, I'll try to stop by, though my Duetch is basically non existent Liebekuh and Boesekuh did most my translating when I picked my handle some 10+ years ago.

[Zh0u]

I hear alpha strike? Then Hellbringer laser vomit is for you. All lasers on the torso, great way to surgically remove Reds out of the game.

Also all arm mounted lasers on the SNV-1 might suit your liking too.

[Damnedtroll]

The game is now speed speed alpha speed. Fast mechs are the key most of the time. Slow mech are situational in solo play, powerful in team play.

[Satan n stuff]

Panzerkuh, on 17 December 2017 - 11:58 PM, said:

OP

First thing you should be looking at isn't mechs but tech.
For IS we now have the full range of SSRMs, MRMs, rocket launchers, the full range of UACs, LBX ACs, Gauss rifles and machine guns as well as the RAC/2 and RAC/5, light engines, stealth armor, light ferro fibrous, targeting computers, Laser AMS and a full range of ER lasers and PPCs.
For Clans we now have micro lasers, heavy lasers, light and heavy machine guns, ATMs, light TAG, light active probe, and Laser AMS.
If you want an up to date build for any mech chances are you'll end up using at least some of these.

https://mwomercs.com...jul2017#newtech

[Horseman]

Panzerkuh, on 17 December 2017 - 11:58 PM, said:

As a preface I don't have really any Mechwarrior experience/knowledge outside of what I gained during the Beta periods of this game.

Look at it that way: you're starting from a clean slate.

Quote

So my question is in regards to getting things going again, and could use some advice as to what mechs to consider purchasing, I won't ask for detailed things like loadouts or going forward but if you want to add it feel free. My prefer play style in games like this is to either be a big bruiser that demands attention or will alpha strike you off the map, I have the Atlas from my pack as it seemed to do this in beta, or to provide hard hits from a far with either a giant missle barrage or cannon fire. What mechs excel at this, as there are almost 10x the number in game now

LRMs? You have a founder Catapult C1, I believe, which is a bloody good LRM chassis. Personally I'm using it in a superstock configuration (basically, stock config with straight upgrades or minimal sidegrades rather than a radically different build). Initial build, First upgrade, Second upgrade, Final upgrade. Note that the last upgrade includes an XL engine. That makes the mech a bit of a glass cannon (losing a side torso in an IS mech with an XL engine = instant death), so you might want to put off that last change until you've gotten the hang of surviving - and contributing to your team's efforts - in this chassis. Skill Tree (prioritize in the order of Sensors -> Weapons (left side) -> Survival -> Weapons (right side) -> Operations)

AWS-8R is another LRM boat of choice, quite powerful when ran properly - which means sticking fairly close to your team, no staying behind to lob missiles blind - and under favorable conditions (map/mode) capable of utterly dominating matches. This said, I would advise you to first get the hang of LRMs with your Catapult, however - if you run LRMs on an assault and do badly with it, your team will suffer much worse than with a badly ran LRM heavy. Loadout Skill Tree (same priorities as Catapult) Note that you must play this with arms unlocked so that your TAG has a greater range of mobility.

SRMs? Cyclops Q. Imagine a barrage of 24 SRM6s... followed a second later by another 18. That's what this mech does, and it wrecks face.

Ballistics? Annihilator is the latest toy for that, although Maulers are also good (just got a 2P myself).

Lasers? Not my specialty, really, but the Battlemasters are a decent chassis for this.

[Spheroid]

My recommendation is that you buy a Bushwacker-P1 for SRM brawling or a Supernova for heavy laser vomit.

[JigglyMoobs]

Panzerkuh, on 17 December 2017 - 11:58 PM, said:

As a preface I don't have really any Mechwarrior experience/knowledge outside of what I gained during the Beta periods of this game. I really enjoyed the game and purchased a founders pack, but for whatever reason didn't continue to play.

So my question is in regards to getting things going again, and could use some advice as to what mechs to consider purchasing, I won't ask for detailed things like loadouts or going forward but if you want to add it feel free. My prefer play style in games like this is to either be a big bruiser that demands attention or will alpha strike you off the map, I have the Atlas from my pack as it seemed to do this in beta, or to provide hard hits from a far with either a giant missle barrage or cannon fire. What mechs excel at this, as there are almost 10x the number in game now.

Thanks Panzer

Annihilator, mad cat iic, marauder iic, night star. Be warned: playing an annihilator means you get focus fired by the entire enemy team.

If you like layering people and don't like getting focused a hellbringer or hunchback iic are good choices.

If you want to brawl srm catapult and archers are good.

Cyclops might be a good compromise for you. That's a fairly fast assault that can do all of above except lasers.

[SilentScreamer]

Panzerkuh, on 17 December 2017 - 11:58 PM, said:

As a preface I don't have really any Mechwarrior experience/knowledge outside of what I gained during the Beta periods of this game. I really enjoyed the game and purchased a founders pack, but for whatever reason didn't continue to play.

So my question is in regards to getting things going again, and could use some advice as to what mechs to consider purchasing, I won't ask for detailed things like loadouts or going forward but if you want to add it feel free. My prefer play style in games like this is to either be a big bruiser that demands attention or will alpha strike you off the map, I have the Atlas from my pack as it seemed to do this in beta, or to provide hard hits from a far with either a giant missle barrage or cannon fire. What mechs excel at this, as there are almost 10x the number in game now.

Thanks Panzer

Since others have advised you on mech choices and new tech options I will add some advice on the new skill tree:
- You no longer need 3 varients of a chasis to level up. Pick just your favorite and play only it if you prefer.
- Experience and Skill Points/choices are now specific to each mech. If you own two Spider 5D you must skill-up each seperately.
- Most skills under the old system are found in the Mobility Tree and Operations Tree. You can have a max of 91 points active.
- Skill choices can be unpicked to try a different config, but cost 400 XP to re-activate later.
- I picked a few mechs (not my favorites) to experiment with before making skill selections on my favorite mechs.

For your brawler Atlas check the Mobility and Survivability Trees. Long range LRMs or cannon fire head to Sensor Tree and Firepower, but take different choices (i.e. Advanced Zoom for cannons and extra lock duration for LRMs).

[Quintus Verus]

As a fringe benefit, you no longer have to level 3 mechs to unlock a chassis! Just pick the one you want and work on one at a time.

[Dinochrome]

Welcome back:

I am also one of the founders from 2011, take your time and sort out all the changes. I don't drive the assaults much but some of the atlas versions are still viable. Alas, my Hunchie 4G(F) is obsolete, much like a biplane.

Good Day, See you on the battlefield

[General Solo]

Focus Fire Some thingz never change

[The Basilisk]

Panzerkuh, on 17 December 2017 - 11:58 PM, said:

As a preface I don't have really any Mechwarrior experience/knowledge outside of what I gained during the Beta periods of this game. I really enjoyed the game and purchased a founders pack, but for whatever reason didn't continue to play.

So my question is in regards to getting things going again, and could use some advice as to what mechs to consider purchasing, I won't ask for detailed things like loadouts or going forward but if you want to add it feel free. My prefer play style in games like this is to either be a big bruiser that demands attention or will alpha strike you off the map, I have the Atlas from my pack as it seemed to do this in beta, or to provide hard hits from a far with either a giant missle barrage or cannon fire. What mechs excel at this, as there are almost 10x the number in game now.

Thanks Panzer

To get ya going...the Atlas as first Assault in game is dated but thanks to the Civilwar weaponsupdate still servicable.
Still... it is not an an easy mech to drive...especially the Founders Atlas.
On the other side the Mech got a very usefull 30% C-bills bonus for its Match earnings.

So I made some AS7-D Builds:

Med/shortrange MRM thrower
Open up with MRMs over med range and then go in for the kill with your lasers and critseekers.

Multiweapon supporter (hard to fight with cuz of 3 kinds of weapons)
Use MRMs and sparingly Lasers in the initial phase of the fight..watch your heat and do not get separated from your team
As soon as something big comes below 300m use the AC and the MRMs to finish it of.

SlowpokeSpreadfire deluxe
Massive Alphas from dual LB10-X and dual MRM30. Target both systems separate when on more than 250m.
As soon as it gets close and personal just hit overide and let go. The whole system will deliver 80pnt alphas and got up to 23dps for a short time.

Medrange continuous firesupport
A build to trade fire over medium ranges or just walk with the team. It is expensive and somewhat ineffective though. On the other hand it will deliver solid performances since you will go just pver 64 kph and be able to walk among your team as well as beeing able to get from cover to cover.
Your biggest problem is someone rushing you since you won't have the dps for a dogfight.

Generaly spoken the Atlas IS NOT SUITABLE FOR LEADING THE PUSH.
The mech is too slow to make the initial move.
That is the task for the fast assaults and heavys like Gargoyle, Battlemaster, Marauder IIC, Cyclops, Executioner and maybe MadCat MKII.
Stay with mechs like Annihilator and Direwolf and wait till the fight gets in close.
IGNORE DUMB SUGGESTIONS that you are timid or something because you safe the Atlas for what it is made for.
You are the mop up.
As soon as you feel that it will get close and personal soon move in and go straight for a slower enemy..one of the slower heavys like Nightgyr, Novacat, some BlackKnights or slower Assaults like Direwolf, Annihilator and Supernova...maybe a Highlander or Highlander IIC.

Generaly spoken regardless witch Atlas you are driving (do not go LRM you are only 100t of garbage) timing is the essential skill you need.

Edited by The Basilisk, 19 December 2017 - 06:12 AM.

[Panzerkuh]

Thanks for all the advice! It is nice to see a friendly forum exist in the world, a lot to process but I will try my best and see ya on the battlefields.

[Exard3k]

Panzerkuh, on 19 December 2017 - 07:02 AM, said:

Thanks for all the advice! It is nice to see a friendly forum exist in the world, a lot to process but I will try my best and see ya on the battlefields.

You are right on this...maybe the high average age of MWO players influence this to the positive. People are usually helpful and friendly in MWO.

[Void Angel]

Panzerkuh, on 17 December 2017 - 11:58 PM, said:

As a preface I don't have really any Mechwarrior experience/knowledge outside of what I gained during the Beta periods of this game. I really enjoyed the game and purchased a founders pack, but for whatever reason didn't continue to play.

So my question is in regards to getting things going again, and could use some advice as to what mechs to consider purchasing, I won't ask for detailed things like loadouts or going forward but if you want to add it feel free. My prefer play style in games like this is to either be a big bruiser that demands attention or will alpha strike you off the map, I have the Atlas from my pack as it seemed to do this in beta, or to provide hard hits from a far with either a giant missle barrage or cannon fire. What mechs excel at this, as there are almost 10x the number in game now.

Thanks Panzer

www.metamechs.com

You don't have to copy the meta builds, but those 'mechs also have excellent hardpoints and good geometry. I'd start with them - particularly the ones that are on sale.

[Void Angel]

Also, the Atlas excels at leading the push, and hanging back too much can pull teammates with you. The difficulty is in figuring out when to push, and getting a feel for when you can - meaning, "will the other 'mechs go with me?"

The game trains players into a sort of passive-survival style of play. Rationally, the best way to win is by focused, group aggression expressed by fire and maneuver, but that's not intellectually obvious to everyone who picks up the game. When people are faced with unfamiliar situations (e.g. learning a new video game) they learn by evaluating the consequences of their actions, not always on a conscious level. They take an action, and the action is either rewarded or punished; sometimes the reward or punishment is immediate, and sometimes it's delayed - and sometimes, there's no recognizable result. Additionally, immediate results affect people's behavior more strongly than delayed results - and the interference of confounding variables can skew perception of results.

Students of psychology should recognize this as operant conditioning - Pavlov and his dogs. And the game - in the high-alpha, frontloaded pinpoint-damage meta - conditions people to avoid getting shot at, even when it's appropriate. The results for shooting at people, or being shot at are immediate, while the rewards for things like maneuvering are delayed - and the effect that your actions have on your teammates can be very difficult to measure. So when players are getting shot with 30-50 point frontloaded and/or laser-painting alphas, the effect on their behavior is more profound than when they maneuver close with brawling weapons and murder the snipers in the face. And since a push requires cooperation, a lack of cooperation can lead players to undervalue that tactic.

What all this means is that the game unintentionally trains players to gravitate toward long-range weapons, and to over-prioritize damage avoidance. Yet they also want to kill the enemy, and if you can get them rolling in the right direction they will still move and fire as a group. The trick is to feed their confidence in the team and allow them to overcome their conditioning - call targets, keep close to the front, and try to keep the team moving.