37 replies to this topic

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Aidan Crenshaw, on 28 April 2021 - 05:25 AM, said:

Welcome to MWO jemmos!
I particularly picked that part of your post to point at a crucial setting: Set your mouse sensivity to 0.1-0.2 (depending on your mouse's DPI). The default value is way too high!

This is extremely important advice!

Dear PGI- please lower the default starting sensitivity! I think this small change will definitely help retain new players! Most cadets drop their first match and literally can’t hit anything moving with non-lock on weapons...

[Vamboozle]

Vamboozle, on 05 April 2021 - 01:15 AM, said:

Not exactly a new player as I pretty much played nothing else 2013 - 2015 but have just come back after nearly 6 years away so I’m kinda learning it all again.

When I came back on I realised I had stable of (admittedly older) mechs ranging from Locust to Atlas set up in a variety of ways from one button laser spam, lrm boats to complicated 5 weapon group murder machines....

So what have I learned as a sort of new player:

- as pretty much everyone else has said lights and assaults are death traps. Lights not enough armour and too fast for a new player not to get into trouble. Assaults too much of a prime target and a new player will struggle against a small fast mech.

- keep the weapon groups simple. I’ve had most initial success with one or two groups - I’m now moving back up to 3 & 4 but initially I just couldnt manage it.

- consumables - don’t bother to start with. You’ll forget to use them.

- XL engines. Don’t use them. (I do but I remembered enough to keep twisting)

So what have I had the most initial success with?

- Enforcer 5P - Rotary AC2, ER LL, 3xMG. Tweaked to run at about 113 kph. Great as a long range sniper, fast enough to get behind the enemy, good for shoot & scoot and a good light mech killer.


Edit - I should also add I’m a leftie so had to go through all the remapping pain and the difficulties of right handed keyboard & mouse.

Ok been back nearly a month now and I’ve discovered the joy of Vapor Eagles - all the variants.

Cram the biggest engine in you can (if you ain’t doing 100kph+, you ain’t moving at all) , a selection of C-Heavy Medium Lasers, MGs & LBX2, set up DHS & skills to run cold as ice and then play like you run like a Jenner and are built like an Atlas.

Ok that last bit is pure hyperbole but it’s great a dealing with pesky lights and shredding limping assaults & heavies (just don’t get too cocky - guilty as charged on occasion m’lud) - also surprisingly forgiving in the damage absorption arena.....

[ArmChairExpert]

Vamboozle, on 29 April 2021 - 06:36 AM, said:

Ok been back nearly a month now and I’ve discovered the joy of Vapor Eagles - all the variants.

Cram the biggest engine in you can (if you ain’t doing 100kph+, you ain’t moving at all) , a selection of C-Heavy Medium Lasers, MGs & LBX2, set up DHS & skills to run cold as ice and then play like you run like a Jenner and are built like an Atlas.

Ok that last bit is pure hyperbole but it’s great a dealing with pesky lights and shredding limping assaults & heavies (just don’t get too cocky - guilty as charged on occasion m’lud) - also surprisingly forgiving in the damage absorption arena.....

+1 New player here, after playing for about 2 weeks I have to agree that VGL is great(I only bought VGL-1, my first medium mech). Really flexible with loadout. I've tried the meta 3xPPC built, doesn't really suit me. I kinda went back to the stock loadout, lowered the engine rating and played around with the weapons and got myself a Frankensteiner ERLL_MPL_SRM_MG Build.
It is really satisfying to be able to engage at all ranges, but really focused on close range cos this mech is fast.

[Bamboozle Gold]

My newbie input: I've been playing since mid-March (so practically not at all). I started out with a Vapor Eagle since they were highly recommended. But for me personally the game didn't really click until I picked up lights. I've levelled couple of mechs of every weight class - playing heavies and assaults feels like a slog but for me the game really shines when I'm in a Piranha or a fast medium like Black Lanner.

Playing a flimsy cardboard armoured light is dangerous but I'd argue it's not that hard if you realise speed is your friend and going vroom vroom -> stab in the back is just so much fun.

[Grimview]

Started playing briefly (a few matches a week for a couple months) last year, fell off for a while, came back last week.

I picked an Enforcer (base 4R version) for my first real c-bill investment mech and have experimented with a bunch of different loadouts, upgraded the engine, and done some other playing around until I figured out some stuff that seems to be working.

Namely: UAC5 with ~100 rounds and 3 ER medium lasers, some upgraded armour, and a bunch of points dumped into survivability and weapon boosts.

I stick with the group, hide behind the heavies/assaults, and take potshots at whatever they're targeting, and guard against flanking.

Good matches I can get 300-400 damage dealt and a couple killing blows, if the team is communicating and sticking together. Bad ones... well, I get torn apart with everyone else.

I tried some XL engine mechs on trial periods a few times but at this point I am just not good enough at protecting components to rely on them. I get where the suggestions in the video (and this thread) are coming from, but as a new/returning player who's still figuring things out, XL engines feel like death traps.

[Leone]

XL engines are best for lights, who speed tank anyways and need all the tonnage they can squeak out. As for beginning mechs, I've always loved the Hunchback 4J, 4G and 4P for beginning mech suggestions. A nice manouverable medium that can each boat one weapon system and it teaches one to protect the hunch via twisting.

Now enforcers aren't bad, but I prefer the 4P or even the 5P so you can really test ballistics builds. The core thing I want for an early mech for someone new is a platform to test alot of differing build options, so they can give feedback about what weapon systems they love so we can go from there with more mech suggestions.

~Leone

[Grimview]

Leone, on 22 June 2021 - 01:31 PM, said:

XL engines are best for lights, who speed tank anyways and need all the tonnage they can squeak out. As for beginning mechs, I've always loved the Hunchback 4J, 4G and 4P for beginning mech suggestions. A nice manouverable medium that can each boat one weapon system and it teaches one to protect the hunch via twisting.

Now enforcers aren't bad, but I prefer the 4P or even the 5P so you can really test ballistics builds. The core thing I want for an early mech for someone new is a platform to test alot of differing build options, so they can give feedback about what weapon systems they love so we can go from there with more mech suggestions.

~Leone

Yeah, both of those make sense. I probably should have asked for more suggestions before investing, but so far I like the 4R, and it seems to be teaching me well enough.

But in that vein... would you have suggestions for a heavy to try out, or a next medium post-Enforcer?

Lore-wise and just design-wise I like Marauders, Catapults, and Dragons, and I'm saving up c-bills at present to invest in something else to vary up my play.

I sometimes queue in a memey little Urbie with two MRM-10s and 3 ER S Lasers which can work well as a harasser guard for heavies, and I seem to do relatively okay in my Commando 2D with ECM, so far. W/L ratios are still below 1 (on everything but the 2D) but I'm still under 200 matches total in all mechs, and at 92/100 win/loss. My KDR is a lot worse (0.29 average), but it feels like I'm getting better? Managed to get the Survivor title the other day in the ENF while still having my UAC online.

[Leone]

Marauder 3R or even 5M. Allows for a dual uac 5, four er medium build to start with with option to expand into other ballistics builds like dual rac5 or triple lbx 2 or dual light gauss. Not a huge jump from what you've been enjoying, but a slower more armoured introduction to heavies. Now, that's not too much variety, as it's just up gunning your current load out, but does allow some play with ballistics to test alotta variety there.

As for dragons and catapults... they've some geometry issues. Not the most forgiving mechs to pilot. Dragon doesn't have much energy slots, save for the 1c, which you could run your current build with a missile for flair, but I'd suggest sticking to two button builds at first. Catapult'd be decent if'n you wanted to test a missile mech, just always remember to keep back up weaponry if'n you're testing an LRM build.

Honestly, if you wanted to test out missiles, I'd suggest the Marauder 9M. Ecm and double missile slots allows for a nice missile mech backed up with 5 medium lasers.

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 22 June 2021 - 02:00 PM.

[Grimview]

Leone, on 22 June 2021 - 01:58 PM, said:

Marauder 3R or even 5M. Allows for a dual uac 5, four er medium build to start with with option to expand into other ballistics builds like dual rac5 or triple lbx 2 or dual light gauss. Not a huge jump from what you've been enjoying, but a slower more armoured introduction to heavies. Now, that's not too much variety, as it's just up gunning your current load out, but does allow some play with ballistics to test alotta variety there.

Grabbed the 3R and set up a 2x UAC5/4 Medium Laser build. Only played a few rounds with it last night, but definitely enjoyed it. Died in all four matches, but managed to consistently put out 200-250 damage per match, which was a very good game in my ENF-4R before. Need more practice for sure, but I like it! Will probably switch to ER lasers when I have a bit more of a c-bill cushion -- trying to keep ~4-5 million as a minimum in case I want to do major loadout switches on anything.

Thanks for the advice!

[Fnord Asteroid]

im gonna go out on a limb here
and say that most players wont even really notice the difference
I can barely tell the difference between my mechs, some go faster than others is about it...
and i have been playing this game for a long time, unsure how many drops i have

I will say my best matches have been in centurions, with nothing more than an a/c 20 and some lrms. Even drunk i could put up more damage than the assaults a lot of times.(i run inner sphere strictly) and the number of 'last man standing' fights i got into with that thing... man... ****** epic...

Edited by ChromeDaedalus, 16 July 2021 - 02:58 AM.

[ScrapIron Prime]

ChromeDaedalus, on 16 July 2021 - 02:54 AM, said:

im gonna go out on a limb here
and say that most players wont even really notice the difference
I can barely tell the difference between my mechs, some go faster than others is about it...
and i have been playing this game for a long time, unsure how many drops i have

I will say my best matches have been in centurions, with nothing more than an a/c 20 and some lrms. Even drunk i could put up more damage than the assaults a lot of times.(i run inner sphere strictly) and the number of 'last man standing' fights i got into with that thing... man... ****** epic...

I applaud your use of centurions, probably my favorite mech.

But there IS quite a difference between different mechs. One does not dead-arm shield in a Marauder, for example, nor does one right-side-peek in something like a Mad Dog. Mech geometry is just as important as hard point layout and maneuverability.

[Armsracer]

The most newbie friendly mech I've played is the Cataphract 4x. It has four ballistic hard points. Which I use to run 4 ac 5s. They have low heat build up and decent range and damage. The mech has armor or structure quirks which make it tanky enough that you can just run at a lone mech continuously firing and it'll die before you.

It has a few problems one of which is it's a knuckle dragger. It's guns are low slung so any small inclines in front of you or an ally mech, and you'll miss the target.

The other problem is it's speed. It's almost assault mech speed it's so bad, and it has an easy to hit head.

And AC's aren't good vs lights. Their velocity is too slow. But I've yet to see a perfect mech.

[Lusciousbalzack]

I know I'm a wee bit late to this conversation (over half a year, yikes!) but imo the Kitfox would make a far better intro light mech. While it's slow for a light mech, it encourages staying near your team. This is a benefit as new pilots in fast(er) mechs may find themselves running too far ahead of their team and getting singled out. It is also an omni-pod clan mech which allows you to change how it will perform. With the omni-pods providing varying quirks outside of their set-of-eight bonus a newer pilot can then decide how they would like their KFX to function. Notice enemies bringing a lot of LRMs and are tired of getting rained upon? Then equip the KFX-C right arm for the AMS. Want to try out ballistic weapons such as the UAC's, LB-X, or Machineguns? Then look for omni-pods that provide ballistic slots or increase your ammo capacity so you don't need to waste tonnage / slots on ammo depending on the ballistic build you're going for. Want to try out laser weapons? Look for omni-pods that give you laser hard points or provide quirks that benefit lasers (cooldown, range, heat generation). Want to try out ECM and see what that's all about? The KFX has two omnipods (KFX-C Right arm, KFX-G Left arm) which have an ecm slot. Want to try out SRMs, LRMs, or ATMs? The KFX has got you with multiple omnipods providing missile hardpoints and various omni-pods which provide quirk bonus' to missiles. Do you want to try out Jumpjets? Then look for omni-pods that have jump jet capacity such as the KFX-S side torso's and legs.

Again, this is only my opinion. However, I felt it was worth noting since the KFX really is the swiss-army knife of mechs and allows new players to test varying systems without having to shell out a bunch of C-Bills to purchase a bunch of other mechs when it by itself can do everything.

Edited by Lusciousbalzack, 06 June 2022 - 01:11 AM.

[Zenotia]

I'm still really new, so I'll toss in some mechs/builds that have really benefitted me and I would def recommend to other players.


Fist off is the Crab 27.
It's a pretty unassuming Inner Sphere Medium with no really visible exceptional traits at first glance. It's pretty cheap, which is a good selling point, and my loadout of 2 Laser AMS, 5 Medium Lasers, and a targeting computer lands the whole mech one of the cheaper complete builds out there.
Crab excels in support roles, soaking up LRMs with those AMS and sneaking in some damage with the lasers- but there is no better way, in my opinion, to learn how to absorb damage than in a Crab, especially as you start to fill out the skill trees. I regularly walk away from matches with 400-500 damage taken in the Crab, and I consider it great training wheels before upgrading to something expensive with Real Armor.


Shadow Cat P
Inner Sphere speed Medium icon, the Shadow Cat P (which I run with 3 cUltra AC/2) is a versatile mech that really facilitated learning peeking, poptarting, and other tech- as well as giving me the opportunity to go run squirrel or back-cap duty to make some chaos.


Kit Fox C
It's a slow light, yeah- but that can be mitigated with some skills and a better engine with a bit of grinding. I run it with 3 cLAMS, one cERPPC, one cERL, and a Clan ECM. It's a bit fragile and it's def hot- but it prints money and teaches you the value of cover.


I wholeheartedly back up the linebacker and vapor eagle suggestions, too. They're super easy to pick up and get a feel for- though price is always a consideration for new players, who might not be able to always consistently score well enough to even replace their consumables, much less save 12+m C-Bills for the full price Linebacker or 9m Vapor Eagle.

[XenoWraith]

Zenotia, on 15 June 2022 - 11:57 AM, said:

I'm still really new, so I'll toss in some mechs/builds that have really benefitted me and I would def recommend to other players.


Fist off is the Crab 27.
It's a pretty unassuming Inner Sphere Medium with no really visible exceptional traits at first glance. It's pretty cheap, which is a good selling point, and my loadout of 2 Laser AMS, 5 Medium Lasers, and a targeting computer lands the whole mech one of the cheaper complete builds out there.
Crab excels in support roles, soaking up LRMs with those AMS and sneaking in some damage with the lasers- but there is no better way, in my opinion, to learn how to absorb damage than in a Crab, especially as you start to fill out the skill trees. I regularly walk away from matches with 400-500 damage taken in the Crab, and I consider it great training wheels before upgrading to something expensive with Real Armor.


Shadow Cat P
Inner Sphere speed Medium icon, the Shadow Cat P (which I run with 3 cUltra AC/2) is a versatile mech that really facilitated learning peeking, poptarting, and other tech- as well as giving me the opportunity to go run squirrel or back-cap duty to make some chaos.


Kit Fox C
It's a slow light, yeah- but that can be mitigated with some skills and a better engine with a bit of grinding. I run it with 3 cLAMS, one cERPPC, one cERL, and a Clan ECM. It's a bit fragile and it's def hot- but it prints money and teaches you the value of cover.


I wholeheartedly back up the linebacker and vapor eagle suggestions, too. They're super easy to pick up and get a feel for- though price is always a consideration for new players, who might not be able to always consistently score well enough to even replace their consumables, much less save 12+m C-Bills for the full price Linebacker or 9m Vapor Eagle.

Shadow cat is a clan mech but I will not recommend it for new players. In order to do well in it, you need to understand omni mechs, what said omni mech needs, and how to use masc effectively. That’s just the very basic stuff with it. Since it has jump jets, a new player needs to learn how to pop tart effectively and without taking a lot of damage while hitting also hitting their shots.

[w0qj]

Transcript of OP's video mech + builds:

Top-4 mechs for new players coming into the game - Sean Lang
https://mwomercs.com...g-into-the-game

Mad Cat II: MCII-B (2xUAC10 + 2xUAC5 + JJ) - Assault
Wolfhound WLF-2: (Medium Laser build) - Light
Vapor Eagle VGL-3: (3x ERPPC build + JJ, or ATM + JJ build) - Medium
Vulcan VL-5T (MPL build) - Medium
Blood Asp BAS-A (UAC20 + 2xUAC10 + ECM + JJ) - Assault

[Randolfr]

I've had a bit of time back in the game now. I was a Beta player but stopped playing. When I returned it took me awhile to find me a while to find my feet. The community is rather elite.

Top 4 Mechs
MDD - Any Mad Dog = lrms and Lasers are always awesome - Omni pods for when you're more experienced ... a great learning all rounder.

Arc-2r - Archer - 2 great options on this little trooper
1st. 6x medium lasers and 3x lrm 10 + ams on a endo double hs lt 300 gives you a great long range too 180m brawler.
2nd 6x medium + mrm 20's again ams on a endo with double hs - lt 300 gives you a great mid range brawler.
there is a 3rd but you can figure it once you're reaping at 600+ dmg

faf-5 - Fafnir 5 - king of versatile brings ecm to your playground
four lbx 10 build is nice
2 ac2's + 2 rac 5's nicer
4 gause - stupid popular kid - but let's face it your 'new' pick the lbx 10's they always bring 500 +

Bas- B again that sweet, sweet ecm.
Flick the gauss to a c-lbx-10 with 4 tons of ammo and add some heat sinks and enjoy the ride it'll be rough at first but soon you'll know how to johnny five with out the Bas B heat death.

[Gojira Goth I-HOP Mecrenary]

Top 4 easy to learn/Play Mechs ranked in no particular order.

I tried to pick mechs that are good all a rounders, and not locked into one specific build.

First of all these two websites are going to be your best friends

https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/ - Lets you build mechs, search by quirks, and browse weapons as well
https://grimmechs.isengrim.org/ - lists most of the "Meta" builds, and is a good starting point to look at new mechs and what they can do before buying.

Now on to the Mechs
Im starting with IS Mechs, since they tend to be a bit more forgiving than their clan counterparts

Warhammer 6R -

Brawler. A good starter heavy that can do multiple builds, the Warhammer is a staple in pretty much all Battletech/mechwarrior/TT games. The 6R is arguably the best of the bunch, able to do both burst DPS ballistic and laser builds. It's tanky enough to be a front line mech, but it's better suited to a support role. Find a buddy, support them, and apply pressure when needed.

Starting build - https://mwo.nav-alph...7d53f31a_WHM-6R
Classic Boomhammer, 2 weapons so its not complicated, don't have to worry about heat or lock on.

Advanced Build - https://mwo.nav-alph...10738024_WHM-6R
Still a brawler, but now the DPS has increased along with the heat

Alternate Mid to Long Range Build
https://mech.nav-alp...ca63e9b7_WHM-6R
2 Gauss and 4 ER Medium, still point a click, but getting the timing down on gauss charge can be a little tricky.

Bushwhacker P2
An underappreciated medium that can do a variety of builds, also tanky and with good hit boxes. Most builds revolve around some type of AC20 or Heavy Gauss with lasers. For longer Range it can also do Gauss + 2 Large Lasers + 2 ER Mediums for mid range poke

Starter Build - https://mwo.nav-alph...b37c3c51_BSW-P2
Advanced Build - https://mwo.nav-alph...98e2098a_BSW-P2

Urbanmech R-60 - A cheap light thats as tanky as most mediums, with a little work it can help turn the fight around and even has a chance against heavier opponents. Just don't go charging that Dire Wolf and you'll be fine.

Starter Build - https://mwo.nav-alph...25175be6_UM-R60
Advanced Build - https://mwo.nav-alph...ac8defc1_UM-R60

Clan Mechs

Huntsman - A good mix of speed and firepower, and with Omni capability it can run a variety of builds to fit any play style. I almost considered putting the Vapor Eagle here as it is an extremely powerful mech for its size, but its not very beginner friendly.

Sun Spider - Again a good mix of omni pods allowing for a variety of flexible builds. It plays better as a 2nd line mid to long range sniper than a close quarters combat mech. Most of the common builds take advantage of long range weapons. Again pick a target and apply pressure with your team.

Mechs to Avoid:

Shadow Cat - Unfortunately most new players do not know how to properly apply pressure, or have enough map awareness to play this mech. You'll either be caught out, or be the last mech alive with no hope of fighting off the opposing team.

Annihilator - Sure you have a lot of weapons, but you are a slow, giant target. Like the Shadow Cat you have to play the map with this mech to be sucessful, but it dosent have the escape tools to get away should you be caught out.

Pirahana - Glass cannon at its finest, but if anything so much as sneezes in your direction theres a good chance you're crippled.