11 replies to this topic

[Stalkerr]

I've been feeling nostalgic for shooting giant robots recently (been playing HBS's Battletech), and have been wondering about trying MWO again. I last played in 2014 back when the Timber Wolf was released, which itself was after a pretty big break for me, and it felt like there were a lot of changes then.

I'm wondering what I need to know in order to be able to jump in and have fun, versus hitting a wall and... not having fun. My favorite mech to pilot used to be, by far, the Atlas—just a great weapon mix.

Here's what's in my stable, if that helps (I used to have more, but sold a bunch in 2014 when I was playing around with CBills):

• Light
  
  • Jenner D (Founders)
    
  • Raven 3L
• Medium
  
  • Centurion AH
    
  • Hunchback 4P and 4G (Founders)
• Heavy
  
  • Catapult C1 (Founders)
    
  • Jagermech FB
    
  • Timber Wolf (all variants)
• Assault
  
  • Atlas D-DC, S, and D (Founders)
    
  • Highlander 732
    
  • King Crab
    
  • Stalker 5S

[martian]

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 05:52 AM, said:

I've been feeling nostalgic for shooting giant robots recently (been playing HBS's Battletech), and have been wondering about trying MWO again. I last played in 2014 back when the Timber Wolf was released, which itself was after a pretty big break for me, and it felt like there were a lot of changes then.

Greetings!

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 05:52 AM, said:

I'm wondering what I need to know in order to be able to jump in and have fun, versus hitting a wall and... not having fun. My favorite mech to pilot used to be, by far, the Atlas—just a great weapon mix.

Here's what's in my stable, ...

I presume that you are in Tier 5?

The 'Mechs that you own are still quite useful, although they are not the top of the line.

What is your prefered play style? Brawling, midrange combat, sniping, lurming or something else?

What is your preferred weight class? Clan or Inner Sphere?

[Stalkerr]

martian, on 01 April 2022 - 06:29 AM, said:

I presume that you are in Tier 5?

The 'Mechs that you own are still quite useful, although they are not the top of the line.

What is your prefered play style? Brawling, midrange combat, sniping, lurming or something else?

What is your preferred weight class? Clan or Inner Sphere?

I have no idea what Tier I'm in. I don't think there were Tiers back then. Is 5 the lowest one?

I was usually preferred brawler/mid-range combat. I was big on sniping and lurming back when that was the meta, though.

Preferred Assault, generally. Clans had just come out when I last played, so I don't have an opinion between IS/Clans since, aside from the Timber Wolf in about a dozen matches, I only ever played IS.

[martian]

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 06:42 AM, said:

I have no idea what Tier I'm in. I don't think there were Tiers back then.

You should see it after logging in your 'Mechlab.

You can also see it here.

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 06:42 AM, said:

Is 5 the lowest one?

Yes, it is.

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 06:42 AM, said:

I was usually preferred brawler/mid-range combat. I was big on sniping and lurming back when that was the meta, though.

The current meta is geared towards the ranged combat and sniping. Brawling is still possible, but often not so easy.

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 06:42 AM, said:

Preferred Assault, generally. Clans had just come out when I last played, so I don't have an opinion between IS/Clans since, aside from the Timber Wolf in about a dozen matches, I only ever played IS.

Your Atlas is usually played as brawler, but your Stalker can have some good sniping loadouts. That King Crab can boat various short- and long-range loadouts, but that wide profile can be a problem sometimes.

[TheCaptainJZ]

What has changed since 2014? A LOT. There are far more mechs and more weapons available. Skill tree is entirely different too. We have more quirks.

What kinds of weapons do you like to use the most? A laser heavy build might be best to learn the game with since they are simple to use and you can adjust your aim. What weight class do you enjoy? I'd recommend the Timberwolf as a good all-around mech. You can swap omnipods to try different loadouts without having to change mechs too. On the IS side, you can try the Catapult with MRMs or the Firebrand can do a pair of PPCs or Ballistics. You can do other things with those, but might be a good place to start. Alpha damage and boating has gone up since you left so be aware of that.

[Stalkerr]

Thanks, both.

I used to prefer a balance of Autocannons and SRM, due to my focus on brawling. Medium Lasers too.

I used to love Gauss rifles, until they added the manual charge-up. They just became too finnicky.

Didn't know about the omniopods—I'll try those out on the TW.

I'll try a few drops to see how things work now

[TheCaptainJZ]

SRMs are best suited for faster mechs more times than not. Since we now have ER lasers and longer ranged weapons, fights tend to be more mid- to long-range. Brawling still has it's place but you have to know the maps and have sufficient team work or you'll just get slaughtered long before your weapons are in range. If you like ACs, you can make use of your Hunchback, Centurion, and Firebrand. The Centurion has gotten quite a bit of extra armor in the form of quirks. You don't see many of them out there but no reason you can't run it. You will be outclassed because of power creep and stronger mechs out there now, so I'd suggest hanging back to get a feel for it and play wingman with your team. We also have light fusion engines now which is probably what most IS player run because you can survive the loss of one side torso and it's the compromise between XL and standard engines for weight and survivability.

[Stalkerr]

I'll check out the Cent—thanks!. Tooling around in the MechLab online, I came up with this (used a light engine, since that's a thing now): AS7-D(F)

Edited by Stalkerr, 01 April 2022 - 10:27 AM.

[martian]

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 10:27 AM, said:

I'll check out the Cent—thanks!. Tooling around in the MechLab online, I came up with this (used a light engine, since that's a thing now): AS7-D(F)

1. Perhaps it could be a good idea to reduce your rear armor and move some of it to front torso.

2. Check Medium Range Missiles. They are similar to SRMs, but offer better range.

3. There is a more advanced version of the MechDB: MechDB 2.0

[TheCaptainJZ]

Stalkerr, on 01 April 2022 - 10:27 AM, said:

I'll check out the Cent—thanks!. Tooling around in the MechLab online, I came up with this (used a light engine, since that's a thing now): AS7-D(F)

Yeah, for a brawler, that's the kind of build I'd expect. I disagree with martian about the armor. You don't have that much in back and you will likely get shot sometimes in the back, by friendlies if nothing else. 5 more points up front won't really matter. If you find that it's always there at the end in most of your matches, you can change it later. With the Atlas's quirked armor too, you have more in front than you used to. One thing to note is UAC20 jams up easily so you might actually have better success with a standard AC20 which frees up a ton and slot iirc. Or just have trigger discipline.

For missiles, SRM6 is better if you find yourself within that 270 m range. MRM 10s weigh the same iirc but have much farther range, but only 1 damage per missile instead of 2 (or whatever SRMs are now). If you wanted to reconfigure your Atlas for medium range, you'd probably change your AC to 5 or 10 and your SRMs to MRMs.

Edited by TheCaptainJZ, 01 April 2022 - 12:31 PM.

[w0qj]

A warm welcome back to MWO!

MWO resources at your fingertips: (unfortunately Smurfy.de did not get updates)

http://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechs
http://mwo.nav-alpha.com/equipment
http://mwo.nav-alpha...pment/ghostheat

http://grimmechs.ise...ts?list=general
http://grimmechs.isengrim.org/Database

There are good YouTube videos from MWO streamers who take the time to explain:

Baradul** (circa 2018 to 2020 only)
TTB
JGx D A T A

Note: ** - Recent Baradul used to explain in detail how your mech playstyle fits with your Skill Tree from 2018-2020. Recent 2021 and onwards Baradul videos are more cookie cutter style and less explanation.

- - - - - - - - - -
Skill Planner
http://tarogato-mwo....o_skill_planner
http://kitlaan.gitlab.io/mwoskill

Good Skill Tree Video (2 Parts)
http://mwomercs.com/...ew-player-guide
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDpZoBeFNw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RwGbfUR0ww


- - - - - - - - - -
MWO Patch History
http://mwomercs.com/...auldron-changes
http://www.mwocomp.com/patches

HSL Quirk List (manually compiled)
http://mwomercs.com/...-hsl-quirk-list

Edited by w0qj, 05 April 2022 - 03:47 AM.

[w0qj]

Also, since you've also missed the 2017 "Civil War" timeline major weapons/armor/equipment update:
http://mwomercs.com/civil-war-update

Civil War timeline (circa July 2017)

IS: Light Engine (engine does not explode upon side torso destruction)
IS: Light-Ferro-Fibrous Armor, Stealth Armor
IS: RAC, MRM, Light/Heavy Gauss, various PPC (Snub-Nose PPC, Light PPC, Heavy PPC), etc.

Clan: ATM, Heavy Lasers, ER Micro Lasers, etc.

Lots of toys to pay with since this Civil War timeline update!