31 replies to this topic

[PoohPuss]

So, I've played MWO for a few weeks now and I'm considering entering into faction-play.

I'm wondering, how do I find the right faction for me?
What skill-level should I be at before entering?
Should I wait until I'm established with a team for steady play?
How do I go about finding a team at my tier for steady play anyway?

[Captain Polux]

Do NOT bring trial mechs.

[Seranov]

Step one is to find a unit of folks who are willing to help you learn it. FP is a terribly unforgiving (and frankly unfun) place to be as a solo player. The Scouting mode is much less frustrating to play for solo players, but pretty much requires you to play heavy Medium mechs designed around brawling, and that's not everybody's jam.

Step two is to build up at least 4-8 mechs for whichever faction you end up playing as (and 8-16 if you decide to go Merc). Your unit will probably have good suggestions on how to go about picking those mechs.

As far as finding a Unit, there is a subforum here for recruiting for units, which is how I found mine.

[Metus regem]

Well to be blunt, Faction Play is really for team play... the average pay in terms of match/hour is higher in quick play... with the following caveats:

A good team will increase your chances of winning, winning = higher c-bills

4 hero mechs (mechs with 30% more c-bills/match) in your drop deck will net you higher c-bills/match

Being good at farming damage

Premium time

If you can combine all four of those, it is likely that you will make more cash in FP over QP. Also keep in mind that in FP, there is no match maker, this means that if a team like Emp or the 228 feel like taking a romp in there, you could be in for a curb stomping...

[El Bandito]

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 10:33 AM, said:

I'm wondering, how do I find the right faction for me?

Faction wont matter as much as the unit you should join. Doing faction solo as a newcomer is a painful experience. Go to FP forum and look for any recruiting units.

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 10:33 AM, said:

What skill-level should I be at before entering?

Ideally you should have at least 8 fully skilled mechs (at least one mech per weight class) of the faction you are gonna play as, IS or Clan. And you should know a mech's chassis ID by sight.

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 10:33 AM, said:

Should I wait until I'm established with a team for steady play?

Yes, you should try to find a FP unit ASAP. You can learn useful things from them which will accelerate your growth.

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 10:33 AM, said:

How do I go about finding a team at my tier for steady play anyway?

There is no tier or matchmaking in FP. It is basically a shark tank. Sometimes your unit will be the shark, sometimes it will be the snack.

Edited by El Bandito, 05 February 2018 - 06:01 PM.

[Kargush]

Join a (biggish) unit, and sign away all your fun to run only the builds they OK, on the chassis they OK, and follow every call from the drop leader when in-game.

If you dare PUG drop (even in a meta build), expect to be shat on even when your team wins and you were MVP.

[PoohPuss]

Kargush, on 05 February 2018 - 10:54 AM, said:

If you dare PUG drop (even in a meta build), expect to be shat on even when your team wins and you were MVP.

What do you mean?

[Metus regem]

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 11:01 AM, said:

What do you mean?

In typical PUG behavior, no mater how good you do, the guy that died first will claim that he wouldn't have died if the rest of their team pulled their weight...

Also, if you like LRM's, do yourself a favor, and do not bring them into Faction play, unless your name is El Bandito....

[Seranov]

Kargush, on 05 February 2018 - 10:54 AM, said:

Join a (biggish) unit, and sign away all your fun to run only the builds they OK, on the chassis they OK, and follow every call from the drop leader when in-game.

If you dare PUG drop (even in a meta build), expect to be shat on even when your team wins and you were MVP.

As an important note, my unit has never EVER demanded I do any of this, and I can only imagine the vast majority of other units don't, either.

[PoohPuss]

Metus regem, on 05 February 2018 - 11:10 AM, said:

In typical PUG behavior, no mater how good you do, the guy that died first will claim that he wouldn't have died if the rest of their team pulled their weight...

Also, if you like LRM's, do yourself a favor, and do not bring them into Faction play, unless your name is El Bandito....

What if it's my middle name?
I happen to make very little use of LRM so that won't be a problem.

I actually haven't seen many instances of complaining about other players performance in my PUGS so far. I did experience it in group-play tho. Maybe it is a Tier-1 thing?

[Metus regem]

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 11:26 AM, said:

What if it's my middle name?
I happen to make very little use of LRM so that won't be a problem.

I actually haven't seen many instances of complaining about other players performance in my PUGS so far. I did experience it in group-play tho. Maybe it is a Tier-1 thing?

Heh, I'm not T1, but I have had my fair share of idots barking at me, for staying alive and trying to make the Reds pay for that last kill when it's become 11:- for my side...

The only reason I cited El Bandito for LRM usage, as I've seen him in action, and to be blunt, it was almost like watching Rembrandt with a paint brush.... if he was Mongolian... and used missiles.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Get up to the point where you have 2 decks of mastered mechs and 2 scouts mastered. You'll want a ranged deck and a skirmish/brawl deck and for scouting you'll want a brawler and a kite. As for skill level, there's really no limit, if you get high up in skill level then FP will just be farming mode for you since the average player there is going to be lower level than the average T1 player unless you happen to come up against a group of T1 players, at which point you're at least on equal grounds though your team might not be if you're pugging.

A team isn't a requirement, but it gives consistency and adds a nice social aspect if you're in to having friends. Basically it removes the chances of you having some random DC on your team or a guy who is there but can't manage to break 500 damage between 4 mechs or a guy who does nothing but run directly into firing lines. Its surprising how good some people are at dying, you'd not want to be teamed up with them so making a premade solves that issue.

Teams can often be found in the faction play section. A S H is even giving out training right now if you'd like to join up with him and get the team experience. Go check out his thread here:

https://mwomercs.com...-play-training/

[Kargush]

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 11:01 AM, said:

What do you mean?

"Everyone" who plays MWO "knows" that PUGs are all crap noobs who can't pull their weight, never listen to calls, and bring non-meta builds into SRS BSNS faction games, and therefore bring down their entire team, even if they kill every mech on the enemy team and come out with the highest score and damage done.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 11:01 AM, said:

What do you mean?

He's being a bittervet is all.

[A1Ste4kSauce]

How to start fp:

1. Don't, not even fp events.

[Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie]

biggest assets in faction IMHO:

headset.
comms = on.
mic = on.
brain to think for yourself = on.
ears to listen to the team = on.

from there, you're basically good to go.

best to get into a unit/group though. faction lives and dies by good teamplay, so teaming up is the thing you should do.
visit a few ts-servers like comstar and/or strana. most people in faction are friendly and welcome people who enjoy teamplay

Edited by Teenage Mutant Ninja Urbie, 05 February 2018 - 12:44 PM.

[Kargush]

Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood, on 05 February 2018 - 12:04 PM, said:

He's being a bittervet is all.

Or just throwing shade at FW.

[Khobai]

Quote

Well to be blunt, Faction Play is really for team play...

then why is it mostly pugs that play it?

faction play is really for anyone who wants to play it at this point

but its a travesty that pugs are allowed to get farmed by premades

Quote

"Everyone" who plays MWO "knows" that PUGs are all crap noobs who can't pull their weight, never listen to calls, and bring non-meta builds into SRS BSNS faction games, and therefore bring down their entire team, even if they kill every mech on the enemy team and come out with the highest score and damage done.

which is all the more reason there should be separate queues for pugs and premades

premades should only fight other premades so the matches are at least challenging

Edited by Khobai, 05 February 2018 - 01:11 PM.

[Ivor]

Hy advice would be to first, get a mic if you don't have one. Get a unit if you can too. If not, it's ok to pug. Just be sure to follow calls when they're called and do you part. If you don't push in when a push is called... yea... folks are gonna get pissy. Basically, it's a team game so play as a team. QP tactics usually won't work. Basically, see what ninja urbie posted as he got to it as I was typing here.

I would add, watch what the experienced players/units are doing. Don't be willing pug armor.
Get TS and/or discord as well. Most teams have a lot of chatter going on outside of game chat that you can learn from.

PS Throw me an in-game invite. If we're on at the same time I'll try to get you in on some drops with the mazr boys. We're not the best, but we're fairly chill and can help you along.

Edited by Ivor, 05 February 2018 - 01:10 PM.

[r4zen]

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 10:33 AM, said:

I'm wondering, how do I find the right faction for me?

If you're looking to earn the Loyalty rewards for being a loyalist, then it doesn't really matter. Choose a techbase you like more and start working down the list of factions.

If you're more interested in one or another for lore reasons, then .... then just do that.

If you're more interested in cbill cash money, go merc, and flip back and forth between the highest paying factions between the two techbases (usually Liao and one of the new clan factions).

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 10:33 AM, said:

What skill-level should I be at before entering?

For a newer pilot, you should set a goal of ~1k damage and 4 kills / KMDD a match. Those numbers typically mean that you're pulling your own weight, so to speak, in a FP drop.

Translating that over to QP, if you're consistently doing 300-500 damage in QP, with 1-2 kills/KMDD, then you can probably handle FP without getting roflstomped every drop.

Keep in mind that all of those numbers can be gamed, so look for your most consistent performances.

PoohPuss, on 05 February 2018 - 10:33 AM, said:

Should I wait until I'm established with a team for steady play?
How do I go about finding a team at my tier for steady play anyway?

This is a 100% personal opinion answer:

No, you don't need to join a unit right out the gate. Most FP regulars started out by dropping solo. It allows you to learn the maps, modes, strategies, get familiar with the tactics and builds that successful pilots use, and learn more about the environment and different units you'll face, without having to adapt immediately to the playstyle or builds of a single unit.

Essentially, going solo for a while lets you build the experience to present yourself to a unit and provide some value. Makes you a better recruit. There's also units you can drop with but not have to join, if you're comfortable using outside comms channels such as Discord or Teamspeak.

Link to list of voice servers

I would suggest checking out Comstar NA, and Strana Mechty as well if you're going to go Clan.

In terms of finding a unit, identify folks with tags that you liked dropping with. Ask them to group up with them and get on their comms. Be prepared for some of them to refuse - units are all over the place when it comes to willingness to drop with newer pilots, but most are open to it.


MOST IMPORTANTLY

Remember that, like most things in life, you get out of FP what you're willing to put in. Time in the mechlab. Time setting up your dropdecks. Time figuring out the meta, the tactics, the positioning. You're going to lose more than you win as a solo dropper/newer pilot to the mode, because there is no matchmaker, and you will run into 12 man premades and get stomped.

That being said, if you're able to incrementally improve your play/metrics as a solo dropped/newer pilot, and find a group of pilots you really love dropping with, there's really nothing better in this game.

Don't be afraid to ask questions - head on over to the FP forums, or one of the subreddits. Most of us are very open to answering questions and helping newer pilots.

Good luck!