14 replies to this topic

[King Lehr]

As a new player, a mech sale is just what I needed to hear to cheer myself up. What with getting blown up a lot and all. The dilemma being, of course, what to buy. What's good? What isn't? And how do I go about finding that out?

So I've been enjoying Heavies a bit, the trial Timberwolf (TBR-C C) has been working out for me alright. The first mech I've actually bought, a MDD, is sorta good I guess but I'm very inconsistent in it and it might as well be paper for all that I survive in it. Hence I want to pick up an assault.

Annihilator
Mad Cat IIC
Nightstar
Supernova

IS or Clan? Should I pick up a Clan mech while they're so much cheaper than normal? Are any of these worth buying? I'm only just learning how to unlock the arms and actually manage to use it effectively.

Anyone willing to help out a poor newbie?

[Exilyth]

Mad Cat IIC B is clan meta in faction play currently, using 2x UAC10, 2x UAC5. Relatively mobile for an assault.

The ballistics Annihilator 2A is meta on defense for inner sphere. It is very slow and not very mobile, but has the highest armour and can bring a huge ballistic loadout. Do note that slow assaults require good map knowledge and positioning to offset their molasses-like movement.



The Supernova B is often used as an ATM boat - bringing 4x ATM12, but that is more of a quickplay build.

I can not say anything about the Nightstar as I'm not seeing many.



Above all: if any of them is available as a trial mech, try that trial mech.

Edited by Exilyth, 11 May 2018 - 05:25 AM.

[King Lehr]

Thanks Exilyth, I appreciate the information. I admit, it also lines up rather nicely with my liking how the Mad Cat looks...I suppose I shouldn't read a book by its cover as far as mechs go but I can't help it. Also I was interested in playing some ballistic builds, so the MC and the ANH working with those type of builds is nice too.

[Phoenix 72]

While I have never actually played an Assault and do not do overly well in Heavy Mechs, either, I am kinda wondering whether something like this would be viable:

https://mwo.smurfy-n...e5f38c5dc5b74e2

I played around with the thought of buying an Assault and the current sale really makes it tempting.

[Exilyth]

I've been pondering this some more and decided to grab the Mad Cat IIk B myself because it has the largest savings and I already had the UACs at hand.

Maybe I'll be able to grind out an Annihilator 2A before the sale ends - might be doable if I don't put skillpoints on the MCIIk for now.

Darakor Stormwind, on 10 May 2018 - 10:45 PM, said:

I am kinda wondering whether something like this would be viable:
https://mwo.smurfy-n...e5f38c5dc5b74e2

I'm running 2x RAC5, 4x ML on a Warhammer in QP sometimes:
https://mwo.smurfy-n...82f851e6e4ecaba

The RAC require a lot of facetime and leading targets.
The high mounts on the WHM make me often blind myself with the muzzle flashes, but the NSR will suffer less of that due to mounting the ballistics in the wide arms.

For a comparision:

WHM	64 kph	2x RAC (4.5t ammo)	4x MED	3 DHS	TC II	BAP	-	432 armour
NSR	54 kph	2x RAC (6t ammo)	4x MED pulse	5 DHS	TC I	BAP	AMS	576 armour

The Nightstar carries pules lasers, more ammo, ams and more armour for 10kph lower speed and ~0.75 times the heat efficiency.

[Eisenhorne]

Please don't buy a Nightstar... they are very bad mechs.

The best assault mechs on sale are:

Mad Cat MCII-1 (2 Gauss Rifle, 2 ER Large Laser, 2 ER Medium Laser)
Mad Cat MCII-B (2 Ultra AC 10, 2 Ultra AC 5)
Annihilator ANH-2A (lots of viable builds)
Annihilator ANH-1X (2 Heavy Gauss, 6 Medium Lasers)

[NatsumeAshikaga]

Eisenhorne, on 11 May 2018 - 06:15 AM, said:

Please don't buy a Nightstar... they are very bad mechs.

The best assault mechs on sale are:

Mad Cat MCII-1 (2 Gauss Rifle, 2 ER Large Laser, 2 ER Medium Laser)
Mad Cat MCII-B (2 Ultra AC 10, 2 Ultra AC 5)
Annihilator ANH-2A (lots of viable builds)
Annihilator ANH-1X (2 Heavy Gauss, 6 Medium Lasers)

Emphasis mine, because I'm quite torn between the two Mad Cat MK IIs. The MCII-B is quite popular, but I want to mess around with C-Gauss Rifles. So which would be more survivable, or advantageous?

Edit: Looking at my post and the store again... Wouldn't the MCII-2 be better for the 2 Gauss Rifle, 2 ER Large Laser, and 2 ER Medium Laser build, due to it's ER Laser cool down enhancement?

Edited by NatsumeAshikaga, 11 May 2018 - 08:45 AM.

[Phoenix 72]

It's kinda funny, as I was in the market for an Assault anyway, I scratched everything I had together and bought a Nightstar. I am quite happy with it. Considering that I have no skillpoints in it yet, I feel I was doing okay. But then, I am only Tier3 and I did not die once in the matches today.
Mech' Matches Played Wins Losses Ratio Kills Deaths Ratio Damage Done XP Earned Time Played NIGHTSTAR NSR-9P 3 2 1 2.00 8 0 8.00 1,099 4,235 00:31:30

I enjoy playing it so far, so I can live with it not being the most powerful Mech in the world. Sorry if the stats' formatting is a bit wonky. Damage is low, because in the first match I kept getting blocked and being unable to shoot the enemy, so I went to destroy their base instead. ;-)

[Eisenhorne]

NatsumeAshikaga, on 11 May 2018 - 08:22 AM, said:

Emphasis mine, because I'm quite torn between the two Mad Cat MK IIs. The MCII-B is quite popular, but I want to mess around with C-Gauss Rifles. So which would be more survivable, or advantageous?

Edit: Looking at my post and the store again... Wouldn't the MCII-2 be better for the 2 Gauss Rifle, 2 ER Large Laser, and 2 ER Medium Laser build, due to it's ER Laser cool down enhancement?

The MCII-2 only has 2 energy mounts, it can't do 2 ER LL + 2 ER ML.

The Gauss + Laservom (MCII-1) is better at ranges of like 600-700 meters, while the MCII-B dakka build is better at things like 300-500 meters. The MCII-1 is probably more survivable because you can play at longer ranges, and don't need to spend a lot of facetime blasting away to do lots of damage. I have more fun with my MCII-B though.

Edited by Eisenhorne, 11 May 2018 - 09:02 AM.

[NatsumeAshikaga]

Eisenhorne, on 11 May 2018 - 09:01 AM, said:

The MCII-2 only has 2 energy mounts, it can't do 2 ER LL + 2 ER ML.

The Gauss + Laservom (MCII-1) is better at ranges of like 600-700 meters, while the MCII-B dakka build is better at things like 300-500 meters. The MCII-1 is probably more survivable because you can play at longer ranges, and don't need to spend a lot of facetime blasting away to do lots of damage. I have more fun with my MCII-B though.

Thanks for the info. I'll set my goal to get both, but it looks like I'm getting the MCII-1 first.

Edited by NatsumeAshikaga, 11 May 2018 - 09:09 AM.

[BTGbullseye]

The MCII-2 is a great LRM boat, as is the -4... Just an FYI.

[Eisenhorne]

BTGbullseye, on 11 May 2018 - 10:46 AM, said:

The MCII-2 is a great LRM boat, as is the -4... Just an FYI.

Which is why whenever I see one on my team I cringe.

[BTGbullseye]

Eisenhorne, on 11 May 2018 - 10:56 AM, said:

Which is why whenever I see one on my team I cringe.

I have yet to have a match where I had fewer solo kills than anyone else had assists in mine...

[The 4th Amigo]

So how about the sale now? I was looking at the Highlander IIs or maybe even a lowly Zeus.

[Exilyth]

The missile Cyclops (CP-10-Q) is fun (imho), if not used for LRM. With SRM, it is/was meta for FP invasion brawl (which is not needed as often as ERLL and midrange builds).

The ECM Cyclops (CP-10-P) makes for a good sniper (e.g. 2x LGauss, 2x ERLL), but has limited hardpoints.

MAD-IIC has good geometry (except for low arms), but people prefer the MC-II.

Zeus has a large punch in the missile arm, but most hardpoints in that location.

If you don't mind the mobility nerf (from engine desync), the Kodiak is still an ok-ish ballistics boat w/high mounts.

Don't know anything about the Highlander/Highlander IIC.


There was a thread about some of the heros on sale here: https://mwomercs.com...sell-me-a-hero/

Edited by Exilyth, 19 May 2018 - 12:45 PM.