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" Brraaaaaaiiinnnssssssss!!! "
Hi guys, Vechs here! If you enjoy this guide, please leave me a "Like" in the bottom right of this post.
(If you have an Atlas, you might like this Atlas C-Bill grinding guide.)
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So as MWO rolls out into Open Beta, one thing a lot of people are going to want is to make C-Bills... lots of C-Bills, as efficiently as possible.
A few strategies laid out here will work with any mech, but this guide focuses on the first Hero mech for MWO, the Yen Lo Wang.
First, let me define what a Zombie mech is. A "zombie" mech is one that just keeps going, and is still a threat long after it has taken a beating, and lost the bulk of its components. To build a good zombie mech, you need Center Torso and/or Head hardpoints. Excluding the relatively rare legging deaths, CT and Head are what players have to destroy to kill an enemy mech. Basically, you have all your weapons in your CT or Head, and therefore can keep fighting after losing arms, legs, and side torsos. You dish out the damage right up until you are totally destroyed.
A truly good zombie mech is also going to have a favorable hitbox and target profile. So not only do enemies have to kill your CT or Head, but the hit-boxes of those locations make them harder to hit, and you might have some extra protection from your arms and side torsos.
When you're driving a zombie mech, you have to get into the mentality that your core is your mech, and your side torsos and arms are nothing but expendable additional armor. It's actually very fun to play this way, because you avoid the frustration of losing weapons like you would on another build.
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Are you a free player? Don't want to spend MC?
You can use this exact same strategy on several mechs -- just look for those precious Center Torso and Head weapon hardpoints! The Centurion and Cicada both have variants with Center Torso energy hardpoints, and both can make good use of an over-sized engine. If you scoff at the idea of grinding, and just want to save up for a great Battlemech to play "seriously", then take a look at this Hunchback 4SP Guide.
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Okay, with that out of the way, let's focus on the real topic -- making great income with your Zombie Wang!
Mechwarrior Online allows you to launch into battle with a damaged mech -- and this is where the C-Bill grinding really favors a Zombie Wang, because you can manually repair your center torso for a lot less than it would cost to fully repair your entire machine.
Additionally, MWO will give you free rudimentary repairs to your entire mech, so if you lose an arm and then launch without repairing, you'll find the arm has been replaced, although it is badly damaged. This is great for zombies, because you are essentially getting free armor (your side torsos and arms) to protect your valuable CT.
If you try a Zombie mech build using ammunition, or AMS, you will also get 75% of your ammo refilled for free. (Thanks to Wizard Steve for that information!)
The Build:
Yen Lo Wang
2 Medium Pulse Lasers - Center Torso
1 Heat Sink - Head
4 Heat Sinks - Left and Right Legs
Engine - Your choice (I run a
AMS - Your choice, although I like it. Put the ammo in your head, and move the head sink to your torso.
Extra Heat Sinks - Left and Right Torsos, your choice. Heat is not a big issue for this mech.
Standard Everything - No fancy equipment. (DHS, FF, Endo, XL Engine, etc.)
Battle Performance:
You're not going to be the star of the show (and if you are, then your teammates are baddies). But if you keep your crosshairs on target, and focus on moving and aiming, you will contribute to your team. Those dual medium pulse lasers are humble, but over time they eat away at any enemy.
Nobody on these forums can ever say a Zombie Wang is a detriment to the team. The entire point of this build is that you can be combat effective and do your fair share, while finding a way to cut down significantly on your repair costs!
The Zombie Wang and your Bank Account:
So even if you repair fully after every match, you're going to make a profit. You put your Zombie Wang out there, and you'll make money. But if you really want to min-max your grind, then just try to only repair the CT after every match. Use those free repairs for your other locations-- remember, they only serve to act as expendable shield for your CT!
Repairing only the CT means really cheap operating costs. Look at the income from the screenshots above, and then factor in a 6,000 CB repair bill, and you can see why this is amazing for grinding out money:
If you fully repair, that extra ~25,000 is going to eat into your profits. After 4 matches, you've spent out 100,000 that you could have saved!
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Okay Vechs, you've convinced me to love the delicious Zombie Wang! So what exactly should I do during a match?
To help out your team, try doing any of the following:
- Always use your "extra armor". Remember, you don't have to pay for your jury-rigged arms and side torsos. Use them up, use them as a shield for your precious CT. Turn your mech to make incoming fire hit your arms and side torsos first. This is critical to playing a zombie mech! Any weapons fire that you can absorb in a team fight is damage that isn't going to your more vulnerable teammates. Tank for your team!
- Guard your base, or guard an LRM boat. Because of extra spare weight for your engine, you are much faster than normal. This means you can use your pulse lasers and over-sized engine to chase down scouts and shred them. If you are a good shot, try to destroy a leg-- remember to always target the same leg! If you're not comfortable with that, just aim center mass -- any hit is better than no hit.
- Try to go for an early cap. You're fast and well armored, and often times you can weave through a battle and get to the enemy base. Even if enemies come to contest you, just hold out as long as you can! Use terrain, your unusual speed, and again, your "extra armor". Any enemy mechs that you can tie up are enemy mechs not shooting at your teammates! And if nobody contests, then congratulations on your easy win.
- Screen for your main force. You're fast, and can easily act as a scout mech. While not the best scout, you are unusually tanky, and can potentially be more useful in a general brawl. Where other scouts have top speed, you have lasting power.
- You have good heat efficiency, so try to shoot any time you have the chance. Your goal should be to have that green stuff just spewing out of your Zombie Wang as much as possible! Cover your enemies in that green stuff! Rack up that damage, and make some extra money in the process!
Edited by Vechs, 12 November 2012 - 12:59 PM.
