107 replies to this topic

[Pylorous]

Hello All,

I've been playing around with the trial mechs for a few matches now, and I'm developing a feel for what I like and don't like. I'm definitely not a brawler, I always seem to get turned around in close quarters matches and end up exposing my rear to someone, which doesn't end well. I like sniping, and long to medium range fights go the best for me. Initially I was driving the King Crab, but don't like how slow it is. Tried the Blackjack, but it felt super flimsy and I got creamed repeatedly in short order. The Timberwolf just seemed like a fire magnet. Recently I've been driving the Dragon, and that feels like a better mix of survivability and firepower, though I'm not too keen on the charge up delay on the Gauss. My first question is pretty obvious, what mech would you guys recommend I start with? Additionally, how often do the trial mechs change? I'd love to give a bushwhacker a try, or jump in some of the other heavies, but I don't want to spend all my C-bills just to find out I don't like the mech. Thanks gents!

[Exilyth]

Trial mechs change every month to every few months, usually when there's a large patch.

Is there any weight class you prefer?
Do you have a faction preferrance?

We'll be able to give you more specific advice if we know a bit more.

Edited by Exilyth, 28 March 2018 - 05:39 AM.

[Pylorous]

So far I like the heavies I've tried more than the other classes. A fast assault or a robust medium might fit well, though I've read that assaults aren't recommended for beginner play. I don't really have a faction preference, being of a more mercenary mind myself.

[Eisenhorne]

I would suggest starting with a Warhammer if you want to go Inner Sphere, or a Hellbringer if you want to go Clans. Both focus on that ~400-500 meter range sweet spot in most builds.

The WHM-6R is great for using 2x Gauss rifles and some medium lasers as a backup, but you can also put Ultra AC 10's in it and do great as well. The WHM-6D is great for lasers, I run mine with 3 large pulse and 4 medium lasers and a big XL engine, but you can go for large lasers and a light engine to be more survivable. The WHM-7S is a bit tougher, but it's fun as an MRM mech, I run it with a pair of MRM40's.

The HBR is best with a bunch of lasers. I have one with 2 heavy large and 4 ER medium, does a TON of damage, and because it has ECM it's very survivable.


If you want to go lighter, the Inner Sphere's Bushwacker is a great choice. It has the armor of a heavy mech basically, so it's very survivable. Pretty much every variant has a decent build for it (except the S2, don't know what to do with that one, stay away!).

[Exilyth]

What Eisenhorne said.

An alternative to the Hellbringer (HBR) would be the Ebon Jaguar (EBJ), which lacks ECM and has very wide arms, but otherwise performs similarly to the Hellbringer (I prefer the HBR myself).

But the Warhammer is also a solid choice.

Edited by Exilyth, 28 March 2018 - 06:23 AM.

[Tesunie]

Pylorous, on 28 March 2018 - 03:56 AM, said:

Recently I've been driving the Dragon, and that feels like a better mix of survivability and firepower, though I'm not too keen on the charge up delay on the Gauss.

I would just like to mention (encase you didn't realize it), once you own your own mech you can customize it. This means that you could place sniping weapons on nearly anything.

When selecting a mech, the key points are realizing what that mech can do well. Hit boxes are one such key information (where damage tends to be taken on the mech). Were the weapon mounts are and what type of weapons it can take is another factor you should look into.

Currently, before you purchase a mech, you can experiment a little with build construction (provided you can figure out roughly what you are looking at) before you purchase the mech. When in the store, you can select a mech, then on the lower right section of your screen you should see a button that says "View in mechlab". Toy around with it there and see if you can create what you want from the chassis and where the weapons tend to mount. (Hint: After placing weapons, click "Camo spec". This will let you clearly view the weapons and where they are mounted.) If you are looking for long range weapons, look for mech that have high mounted weapon slots in relation to their cockpit.


Asking what mech to start with here on the forums is a good start. I will mention you are going to get a lot of different responses. For the most part, none of them are probably wrong just different opinions. For example, love my medium mechs, so I'm more likely to recommend a Hunchback 4P (set it up with about 3 ERLLs and some meds or nearly any type of PPC in the hunch), Hunchback IIC or my personal favorites Huntsmen or Crab. All solid choices and solid mechs, but also all medium 50 ton mechs.

The Dragon will probably be a little harder of a starter mech, but very much doable if you felt like purchasing and creating the Champion Trial build on it. (Hint: Do NOT by the (C) version of the mech. Just get the C-bill version and recreate the same build.) The Warhammer sounds like a solid option from what I know, but I don't own one so I don't know the chassis personally. The Ebon Jaguar can get some high shoulder mounted weapons, so it may be a consideration. The Marauder also comes to mind with good hit boxes, health quirks and some reasonably high shoulder mounts on it.

A little less survivable but good sniper mech for ballistics can be the Jeagermech. The Riflemen can also do reasonably well sniping...

Lots of choices...

[Leone]

It's dangerous to go alone. Take this.

Also, as for the Bushwhacker S2, you could do a brawly missile build. BSW-S2

Personally, I think the bushwhacker is a great brawler, but that's not a play style the OP liked. I'm sure you could skirmish with it, it's a good mech. But if you like mid range, I'd suggest letting us know what weapons you like. If you love ballistics, or missiles, I'll have different suggestions than if you prefer lasers.

If you wanna mix, we could talk mixed builds, maybe some mrm, uac 10, medium laser style, but I'd suggest sticking with simple two button builds to start until you're a bit more comfortable with the game.

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 28 March 2018 - 08:52 AM.

[Eisenhorne]

Leone, you can do midrange BSW builds too, like this X1 w/ 2 UAC 10's - https://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=501&l=58cf2c1f2a05267adfc8e505c09a79a615e715af

Edited by Eisenhorne, 28 March 2018 - 07:35 AM.

[Leone]

Oh I know! I've been thinking of trying a dual Rac 5 bushwhacker for scouting. Mebbe.. BSW-X1? I was just responding to

Eisenhorne, on 28 March 2018 - 05:48 AM, said:

(except the S2, don't know what to do with that one, stay away!).

I've seen 'em in scouting, thought I'd let you know.

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 28 March 2018 - 10:31 AM.

[Eisenhorne]

Leone, on 28 March 2018 - 08:50 AM, said:

Oh I know! I've been thinking of trying a dual Rac 5 bushwhacker for scouting. I was just responding to


I've seen 'em in scouting, thought I'd let you know.

~Leone.

I mean, I'm sure you've seen them places, but I don't think there's a build you can do on it that's not objectively done better on one of the other variants.

[Rogue Jedi]

it is great that you are asking advice before buying anything.

there are a few pieces of advice I would offer.

before buying anything make sure you have finished your first 25 games and the tutorial, the first 25 games give match earnings + 12 million, the tutorial pays 5 million, add in 25 matches in earnings and it is hard not to have at least 18 million by that stage.

during the first 25 ^{(at the time of writing I can see you had not finished them due to the turquoise colour of your name in the forums)} try lots of the trial Mechs and take notes about what you like and dislike about each weapon and Mech, you have already given some useful information, which narrows your choices down to Mechs in the 55-80 ton range, and builds not using Gauss, but if we could narrow it down further that would be great.


when looking at a Mech to buy do not just look at the ticket price,there are 2 basic types of Mech;

Omnimechs (they have a "Prime" varient) can "swap" arms, legs, head and side torsos with other varients, but have most other things locked to the chassis they may look expeisive but they are almost ready to go, you are likely to want to change the weapons and max out armor or put on some support equipment but there are no "upgrades" available you will rarely need to spend as much as 2 million (usualy less than 1) to get it ready for battle.

Battlemechs will usualy look a lot cheeper but with them you can (and are likely to want to) change the engine as well as the types of armor, structure and heatsinks, the quantity of Jumpjets (if available) as well as of course weapons however weapon hardpoints are fixed, quantity or armor and support equipment.
so lets say you decide to change the engine for a 300 rated Light Engine, add Endo Steel internals ^(structure) and Double Heatsinks ^{(all pretty standard upgrades for an IS Battlemech)}, on a 65 ton Mech, that will cost about 7.1 million cbills, and the base chassis may only have cost 6 million, then add in another million to change most of the weapons and your "bargin" 6 million cbill Mech has cost you 14 million, about the same you would have spent in total on an Omnimech of the same tonage.

Both Battlemechs and Omnimechs have advantages and disadvantages but please do not fall in to the trap of seeing a low priced Battlemech and thinking "wow that is much cheeper than the others so I will grab that", only to discover that it costs more than the purchase cost to get it truely ready for combat ^{(especialy true for Light Battlemechs, they usualy end up costing about 3 times the purchase price to get them combat ready, and Omnimechs can work out significantly cheeper)}

[Horseman]

To start with, note that the trial mech builds date several years back. The KGC was for example in rotation back when I was beginning to get into the game at the end of 2015. They don't rotate monthly - there was a change last patch, but the one before that was nearly a year earlier.

Pylorous, on 28 March 2018 - 03:56 AM, said:

Recently I've been driving the Dragon, and that feels like a better mix of survivability and firepower, though I'm not too keen on the charge up delay on the Gauss. My first question is pretty obvious, what mech would you guys recommend I start with?

The build on the trial Dragon is off - I'm guessing it may predate the mech's UAC quirks. There are two ways to build that chassis: either take advantage of the godlike UAC quirks and boat UAC/2s or try to take advantage of both UAC and laser quirks (pretty hefty 15% cooldown and 15% duration).

My current build on that chassis is this:
https://mwo.smurfy-n...a2917af9f534884
https://kitlaan.gitl...3609f#s=Weapons

Quote

I'd love to give a bushwhacker a try, or jump in some of the other heavies, but I don't want to spend all my C-bills just to find out I don't like the mech.

Bushwackers are great. So are Marauders.

[Keltan]

+1 for Hunchback IIC or Hellbringer. Might as well get the prime for the ECM torso. I use 4ERLL. Runs hot, but love the long range. Concur that Timberwolves get targeted and the snot beat out of them. Don’t like my stormcrows.

On the IS side, I prefer the Marauder 3R over the Warhammer, not sure why. Haven’t had much success with the Hunchback, but may just need to get it skilled up. So far, I’ve had far more success in BSW-X1 for scouting faction play than I ever did on huntsman or hunchback IICs. It’s just far more sturdy.

Yes, complete your cadet bonus before buying. As you collect mechs, you’ll find some click for you and others do not, and your experiences will not always align with the forum wisdom, eg my preference for the MAD-3R.

[Pylorous]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I'll definitely keep chugging away with the cadet bonus missions (think I'm about halfway through). Good notes about the cost of upgrading battlemechs after purchase, that's not something I was planning for. Thanks Leone for the link to Smurfy's, that will be all sorts of useful.

The Dragon seems to be fitting my play style a bit better than others I've tried, but I notice it takes a LOT of CT damage. Seems like an issue to me. I'm not against the Gauss rifles, but I'm used to the instant boom from playing other MechWarrior games, so the wind-up is taking a bit to get used to.

As far as weapons go, I don't have much of a preference built up. I guess I would take ballistics over lasers, but I haven't played a laser boat. There's a lot to think about. Thanks again for all the input, I'll keep you posted on how things develop.

[Metus regem]

Pylorous, on 28 March 2018 - 02:09 PM, said:

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I'll definitely keep chugging away with the cadet bonus missions (think I'm about halfway through). Good notes about the cost of upgrading battlemechs after purchase, that's not something I was planning for. Thanks Leone for the link to Smurfy's, that will be all sorts of useful.

The Dragon seems to be fitting my play style a bit better than others I've tried, but I notice it takes a LOT of CT damage. Seems like an issue to me. I'm not against the Gauss rifles, but I'm used to the instant boom from playing other MechWarrior games, so the wind-up is taking a bit to get used to.

As far as weapons go, I don't have much of a preference built up. I guess I would take ballistics over lasers, but I haven't played a laser boat. There's a lot to think about. Thanks again for all the input, I'll keep you posted on how things develop.

Dragons are a mech that needs a special kind of pilot, they are cavalry mechs, this means they like to be highly mobile.

My DRG-1N since the tech update, the isUAC/10 gives it a solid reliable punch that can be double tapped as needed, while the normal Large Laser pairs nicely with the same optimal range as the isUAC/10. The large (isXL 340) engine that she uses allows her to keep pace with some mediums and be able to shoot and scoot as needed.

Another trick with Dragons, is to set your view field back a bit so that you can use the side windows and with a little practice (and arm lock off) you can do snap shots behind you with that isUAC/10.

[Horseman]

Pylorous, on 28 March 2018 - 02:09 PM, said:

The Dragon seems to be fitting my play style a bit better than others I've tried, but I notice it takes a LOT of CT damage. Seems like an issue to me.

The Dragon is more of a tank destroyer than a tank, if that makes sense.
if you're looking for a more durable mech, then the Marauder (recommended 3R) is pretty good.

[Koniving]

I would plus one for the Dragon but do NOT recreate the trial much build on it. Gauss is such a waste on it. I like 2 to 3 acs. Ac/10 or Ac/10 plus two lmgs and a large pulse laser is really good too.

Tie lmgs to laser button.

There is any large number of machines to recommend. The real question is can you take full advantage yet. If you aren't using the arm crosshair yet then better to go with techs like the Jager, Rifleman, Warhammer, etc. If you are using the second crosshair then try the Archer, Roughneck, Dragon and Orion.

Will be around if you want to drop together tomorrow and will see what might be a good fit for you.

Add Marauder with non-secondary crosshair choices. Yes those listed can use it but most have more torso weapons than arm ones

[Pylorous]

Koniving, on 28 March 2018 - 03:17 PM, said:

I would plus one for the Dragon but do NOT recreate the trial much build on it. Gauss is such a waste on it. I like 2 to 3 acs. Ac/10 or Ac/10 plus two lmgs and a large pulse laser is really good too.

Tie lmgs to laser button.

There is any large number of machines to recommend. The real question is can you take full advantage yet. If you aren't using the arm crosshair yet then better to go with techs like the Jager, Rifleman, Warhammer, etc. If you are using the second crosshair then try the Archer, Roughneck, Dragon and Orion.

Will be around if you want to drop together tomorrow and will see what might be a good fit for you.

Add Marauder with non-secondary crosshair choices. Yes those listed can use it but most have more torso weapons than arm ones

TBH, I had completely forgotten about the secondary crosshair . I'd love to drop with you tomorrow, should be online around 1930 EST.

[Koniving]

Will be here. Look at mechs not for what they already have but what you can change them to have.

I have played a few games with more than one crosshair but none with an intuitive way to control both via controller/mouse.

You "technically" can't control both in full at the same tine in mwo but the scheme is pretty comfy nonetheless.

Edited by Koniving, 28 March 2018 - 07:03 PM.

[TheCaptainJZ]

Pylorous, on 28 March 2018 - 04:16 PM, said:

TBH, I had completely forgotten about the secondary crosshair . I'd love to drop with you tomorrow, should be online around 1930 EST.

In case you didn't see it listed anywhere, the circle is your arm weapons, the plus is your torso weapons. I've never played another game that had two crosshairs. And also FYI, artillery and airstrikes are launched at the location of the circle when you use them, not the plus.