11 replies to this topic

[Sixela963]

Hello everyone!

I started playing a few days ago, and I am having a blast. I already got myself a light and medium mech, and I am now looking into getting a heavy.

But honestly, it's really tough to take a pick. Decision paralysis is absolutely in play here, even just in the heavies there are so many frames with at least 5 variants each... a bit overwhelming tbh. And I already got burned on the system in taking the Spider-5D for a light, whose damage and staying power feel abysmal to me.

So... how do I actually choose a mech, and then a variant for a purpose?

In my case right now, I would like to build a missile focused heavy. I'm not even sure yet if I want it to be a brawler with SRM vomit or a LRM artillery mech.

I feel like I should look at the Catapult or the Timberworf, but I have no idea which variants, and I mostly base this idea on their cool look with double missile pods-->they must be built for missiles right? right?

Thanks to anyone that took the time to read, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[CFC Conky]

Welcome to MWO Sixela963!

You are right, there are many variants of heavy mechs. Making a specific recommendation would be difficult but in general:

- Inner Sphere mechs are more tanks (durable), but are usually slower that Clan mechs in a given weight class.

- Clan mechs are more fragile but their weapons are lighter, have more range, but generate more heat.

- If you want to brawl, IS mechs might be a more effective choice. Also, IS LRMs fire in a single cluster whereas Clan LRMs fire in a stream.

- Many Clan mechs are Omnimechs, meaning they have fixed engines and armor/heat sinks and structure. On the other hand, you can swap Omnipods around meaning you have lots of options when it comes to weapons.

- IS mechs and some Clan mechs are Battlemechs, meaning they have fixed hard points but you can change engines/heat sinks/armor type/structure.

- Clan mechs are more expensive than IS mechs because they usually come equipped with upgrades such as double heat sinks and endo-steel structure.

Both the Catapult and Timber Wolf are good mechs and offer a lot of options, especially the Timby.

Hope this helps. Oh, and say goodbye to your free time.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

Edited by CFC Conky, 20 December 2022 - 06:03 PM.

[martian]

Sixela963, on 20 December 2022 - 05:28 PM, said:

Hello everyone!

Greetings!

Sixela963, on 20 December 2022 - 05:28 PM, said:

I started playing a few days ago, and I am having a blast. I already got myself a light and medium mech, and I am now looking into getting a heavy.

But honestly, it's really tough to take a pick. Decision paralysis is absolutely in play here, even just in the heavies there are so many frames with at least 5 variants each... a bit overwhelming tbh. And I already got burned on the system in taking the Spider-5D for a light, whose damage and staying power feel abysmal to me.

So... how do I actually choose a mech, and then a variant for a purpose?

Although MWO has a lot of 'Mechs, many of them are mediocre and often not worth taking. One must consider the size of the 'Mech, its body shape, the number, type and location of its hardpoints, engine size limit, its quirks, etc. A lot of things ...

Sixela963, on 20 December 2022 - 05:28 PM, said:

In my case right now, I would like to build a missile focused heavy. I'm not even sure yet if I want it to be a brawler with SRM vomit or a LRM artillery mech.

Don't.

In the current ranged meta, you could have some problems with getting close enough to effectively use your SRMs.

As for LRMs, with the abundance of ECM, AMS, etc. in the game, you could have some big problems with the effective use of your LRMs. It can easily happen that enemy 'Mechs will completely negate your LRMs without breaking the sweat.

Am I saying that you can not have good SRMs / LRMs games, ever? No. But you should expect that you could have some games when using your missiles will not be exactly easy.

Sixela963, on 20 December 2022 - 05:28 PM, said:

I feel like I should look at the Catapult or the Timberworf, but I have no idea which variants, and I mostly base this idea on their cool look with double missile pods-->they must be built for missiles right? right?

The typical missile Catapult has one significant weakness: All its missiles are stored in its missile arms. Those "arms" can be targeted quite easily, thus removing a half of your missile firepower with one shot.

Also, those missile pods of the Timber Wolf attract a lot of fire, thus often causing the loss of your side torso.

Sixela963, on 20 December 2022 - 05:28 PM, said:

Thanks to anyone that took the time to read, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I think that you should go with the direct-fire ballistic and energy weapons first.

[foamyesque]

The BH Timberwolf is an excellent direct-fire laser platform in its So8 configuration; most other good Timby builds base themselves on the S CT and take the BH left torso for the ECM, with your choice of RT to support whatever your gameplan is.

They're fast, have some quirks for agility, and the ECM goes a really long way towards papering over their durability issues.

You can even give 'em decent missile firepower alongside that ECM via one of the double-hardpoint RTs. SRM brawler or LRM machine with solid self-defense options are both doable.




On the Sphere side, my own personal favourite mech right now is a C1 Catapult. Light 295, triple JJs, BAP, dual LRM15s, quad ERMLs, endosteel & light FF armour. Very mobile, has more sensor range than God, can poptart launch, you get a bonus UAV, etc. The whole package meshes together better than it has any right to.


Other good missile heavies include the Mad Dog, which is an excellent SRM machine, the Archer Tempest, which does MRMs + lasers with ECM (hero mech, though), and (sigh) the Nova Cat, which is the epitome of a potato LRM machine but can throw a truly extraordinary number of LRMs at someone for its tonnage.

[Horseman]

Sixela963, on 20 December 2022 - 05:28 PM, said:

So... how do I actually choose a mech, and then a variant for a purpose?

You should consider their quirks and hardpoints (both in quantity and placement). https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechs helps a lot in narrowing it down.
Good missile platforms in that class are Catapult C4, Ebon Jaguar C or Nova Cat B for LRMs, Archer 5W, Catapult A1 and Summoner B for SRMs. Orion VA and Orion IIC A are both decent platforms for mixed missile/ballistic brawl builds.

For LRMs you generally want cooldown quirks so that you can vomit damage quickly, for SRMs you want heat quirks and survival quirks, so that your mech can endure longer in a brawl

[Joanna Conners]

Sixela963, on 20 December 2022 - 05:28 PM, said:

Hello everyone!

I started playing a few days ago, and I am having a blast. I already got myself a light and medium mech, and I am now looking into getting a heavy.

But honestly, it's really tough to take a pick. Decision paralysis is absolutely in play here, even just in the heavies there are so many frames with at least 5 variants each... a bit overwhelming tbh. And I already got burned on the system in taking the Spider-5D for a light, whose damage and staying power feel abysmal to me.

So... how do I actually choose a mech, and then a variant for a purpose?

In my case right now, I would like to build a missile focused heavy. I'm not even sure yet if I want it to be a brawler with SRM vomit or a LRM artillery mech.

I feel like I should look at the Catapult or the Timberworf, but I have no idea which variants, and I mostly base this idea on their cool look with double missile pods-->they must be built for missiles right? right?

Thanks to anyone that took the time to read, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

First, welcome! Glad you're enjoying yourself!

Personally I overwhelmingly prefer Clan mechs (though I have a few beloved Inner Sphere exceptions) and the Timber Wolf can be an excellent missile platform. I personally have had very little success with the Wolf as an SRM boat. I've had moderate success with it sporting LRMs. In terms of brawlers it's a lot harder for Clan mechs. They're just not quite as capable of taking a punch and Clan weapons are also all about range.

That being said the catapult is an easy mech to get cockpit shots on so I wouldn't suggest it as an SRM boat either.

What comes to my mind first are the Summoner or Mad Dog for Clan and Dragon for Inner Sphere.

[VeeOt Dragon]

my go to missile boats for Heavies are the Catapult (C4 for LRM, C1 for MRM both with energy backup weapons) or the Archers as they also make good missile mechs without the weakness that the CATS have in those arm pods.

also remember that you shouldn't always be firing from max range with LRMs 4-500m is perfect but you can use em all the way up to 200 in a pinch. don't be afraid to get your own locks but also don't feel bad about standing behind a hill and lobbing em indirectly, you can also fire them without any lock but do remember that this has a vastly increased spread. as long as you are pummeling the enemy you are doing your job.

LRMs are indeed not as easy of a weapon to use as they look at first glance you have to pay attention to the map and the various cover your target could use to hide. they are also easily countered by ECM and AMS but a good LRM player can work passed these and even do ok on maps like Solaris. it just takes practice and a bit of luck that you get with teammates that know how to use the R key.

as with anything if you have a specific idea in mind don't forget to check the Quirks of a mech as picking the right one can have a build go from ok to fantastic (relatively speaking). remember you can always do test builds by clicking the "View in Mechlab" tab in the store. you can even take those builds to the testing grounds to see how they do for certain things (its not perfect but it can give a sense of say how fast a mech heats up and dissipates heat or if you have enough ammo or not, i suggest testing builds on one of the hotter maps as if they run well there they will run well on any map). i don't tell anyone what mechs or weapons to play and i wont holler at anyone for their build, as long as you having fun and doing damage i am fine with it (ok i might give some suggestions on improvments but thats all they all, suggestions).

[The Will of The Way]

The truth about missiles is that they tend to be good at 5 , get more difficult at tier 4 but are still playable, tier 3 and 2 they're unplayable and tier 1.. well.. by the time you're good enough for that you probably know whether you want to use them or not.

Nobody has mentioned the Night Gyr yet. I've done pretty well with my 70LRM Night Gyr. There are plenty of 'mechs that can carry more missles and have other advantages on paper, but the Night Gyr just seems to click for me. It's decently fast for a heavy, it can Jump, It has missiles in the arms and the missiles in the torsos pretty much point up, which means that it can shoot over and around obstacles very well. It carries medium lasers in the center Torso, so you can run around with half your 'mech shot off and still contribute to the fight.. and also if you run out of ammo you still have weapons. I mean I just find it to be a really great play experience for an LRM boat.

P.S.: Generally speaking How you pick a 'mech is really open. Personally, I really like Clan Cloud Cobra, so I googled a list of 'mechs they use and bought the 'mechs from that list that are available in mwo. Really the most important thing is, do you enjoy the 'mechs you play? This game is almost entirely different at tier 1 than it is at tier 5, so if you find a 'mech you enjoy, even if you end up dying a lot with it in tier 5, that doesn't mean you'll die a lot in tier 1. Specifically, playing LRMboats is better/more fun at tier 5 and playing Brawlers is easier at tier 3 due to how people tend to organize. At tier 1 LRM's MIGHT make a little bit of a comeback and brawling might get a tiny bit harder, again because of how players in those tiers organize (so LRMboats are likely to be on teams that are trying to work with LRM's, while Brawlers are more likely to get noticed and focused down earlier in the fight.) In other words, I suggest you get what you think will be fun and don;t worry about what will be "good".

Edited by The Will of The Way, 13 May 2023 - 11:01 AM.

[Capellan Shenanigans]

VeeOt Dragon, on 12 May 2023 - 04:51 AM, said:

my go to missile boats for Heavies are the Catapult (C4 for LRM, C1 for MRM both with energy backup weapons) or the Archers as they also make good missile mechs without the weakness that the CATS have in those arm pods.

Any thoughts on the Catapult C1 vs the Butterbee for an MRM build?

[epikt]

Capellan Shenanigans, on 13 May 2023 - 01:09 PM, said:

Any thoughts on the Catapult C1 vs the Butterbee for an MRM build?

The C4 is also a good platform for MRMs if for some reason you want more smaller launchers.
The choice between the three is imho personnal preference: C1 for better spread and more backup weapons ; C4 for more missile hardpoints and better cooldown and heat ; Butterbee for more missile and energy hardpoints, and better heat and velocity (+ cbill bonus).
(heat is usually not really a problem with MRMs, so I think it should matter less in your decision)
(and more missile hardpoints is if you're looking for better cooldown for more heat and tonnage, which ihmo is not a good deal)

Personally, I'd go for the C1, but the BB can do the same build only with less max dps, and (it may be important if you're going to play it a lot) +30% cbills.

[Horseman]

epikt, on 13 May 2023 - 02:53 PM, said:

The C4 is also a good platform for MRMs if for some reason you want more smaller launchers.

C1 has a spread quirk. C4 has more cooldown and a heat quirk. Butterbee has a small heat quirk and a bigger velocity quirk that doesn't really compensate for losing cooldown and range quirks the other two have. Honestly, if you want to run pure MRM boat then C4 is the best one. C1 might work slightly better if you want mixed missiles/lasers and intent on filling all four energy slots. Butterbee only really works if you're going to fill all missile and energy slots, otherwise either C1 or C4 will have better quirks.

[Capellan Shenanigans]

epikt, on 13 May 2023 - 02:53 PM, said:

The C4 is also a good platform for MRMs if for some reason you want more smaller launchers.
The choice between the three is imho personnal preference: C1 for better spread and more backup weapons ; C4 for more missile hardpoints and better cooldown and heat ; Butterbee for more missile and energy hardpoints, and better heat and velocity (+ cbill bonus).
(heat is usually not really a problem with MRMs, so I think it should matter less in your decision)
(and more missile hardpoints is if you're looking for better cooldown for more heat and tonnage, which ihmo is not a good deal)

Personally, I'd go for the C1, but the BB can do the same build only with less max dps, and (it may be important if you're going to play it a lot) +30% cbills.

Horseman, on 14 May 2023 - 02:20 PM, said:

C1 has a spread quirk. C4 has more cooldown and a heat quirk. Butterbee has a small heat quirk and a bigger velocity quirk that doesn't really compensate for losing cooldown and range quirks the other two have. Honestly, if you want to run pure MRM boat then C4 is the best one. C1 might work slightly better if you want mixed missiles/lasers and intent on filling all four energy slots. Butterbee only really works if you're going to fill all missile and energy slots, otherwise either C1 or C4 will have better quirks.

I appreciate the input. I'm a returning player and there are a lot of changes to take in.