14 replies to this topic

[XCrimsonX]

As the title states this is my first mechwarrior game and first pc shooter. I am trying to decide my first mech. I am not looking for one that will fit my play style or anything like that, I can worry about that on my second mech and I like playing all the roles anyways.

I just need a mech that will be better for a new player who doesn't have the best aim with a mouse and isn't so good at moving fast and shooting at the same time yet. I was looking at heavies and atlas type mechs since I won't need to rely as much on my speed to stay alive.

I am a little scared of buying a dragon after trying the trial mech and I don't quite know what to do in a atlas level mech when my team leaves me behind.

I am willing to suffer a bit longer in a trial mech to save Cbills if I need to.

[neviu]

Dont start of in a altas if your new,
Get a light/medium, and get to know the basics before starting in a assault and be an waste to the team,

[Greyrook]

I would definitely consider an LRM boat for your first mech, it will help develop your aiming and still support your team without perfect accuracy. The Stalker would be an ideal choice, but since it's so expensive it may not be a good short term solution. I would look at the Catapult C1 and C4 variants, which are all about LRMs and backup lasers. The only potential problem is the prevalence of ECM, especially in the new conquest mode, but you should still be able to get some practice without completely emptying your cadet-bonus.

I would say the dragon and even the atlas are for intermediate-level players. The dragon is a good striker, but they tend to require exceptional positional awareness to stay effective since the have such a diverse weapon-mix. Atlases almost always need to be supported by a second, faster mech because of all the scouts; they also require a pilot with good accuracy and positioning.

If you're willing to take a hit at first, everybody needs scouts. The Raven 3L, Cicada 3M, and Commando 2D (I'm pretty sure I have that right) are the scouts that can load ECM and are the go-to choices for scouting. All but the commando require decent laser aiming and all require good piloting, but if you want to challenge yourself into becoming better at piloting mechs, scouts are the way to go.

Edited by Greyrook, 19 December 2012 - 03:41 PM.

[XCrimsonX]

Thank you for the posts so far. I am going to hold off until tonight to buy my mech to see if anyone else will comment. I was looking at the hunchback and catapults but maybe I will listen and try out a lightweight. Might just be what I need to get my aim better and teach me to move around while aiming or die lol.

[nungunz]

For a good all-rounder that's fairly cheap, I'd try out a Hunchback 4-SP. It's decent stock, though I might just strip out the laser on the head and definitely convert it over to double-heat sinks.

If you can, cramming a STD 250 engine (or XL if you want to play it risky) will get you to very decent speeds. 4 Medium Lasers and 2 SRM6s (or Streaks if you prefer) going 70-75 KPH is pretty darn good.

If you have the space, a Tag or another laser on the head can help out in a pinch, though another medium laser will run you a bit hot.

I'll try to see if I can dig up my old SP build.

A catapult K2 or C1/C4 would be another great choice.

[MagicHamsta]

Me already know me playstyle after playing years of multiplayer shooters.
So me started off in an Atlas (Trial Atlas) and promptly died (Bug left my mech stuck in shutdown).

After that, me demolished nearly everything me has come across even with trial loadouts. (Exception be caustic where most trial mechs simply won't cooldown.)
Because me already be very experienced with FPS, TPS, MMORPG, & RTS games.

Me suggest you just try all the mechs in the trial rotation & hopefully you has an idea of what you like by then.

If you still has absolutely no idea of what mech you like after that, me suggest that you get the medium sized mech like the hunchback or centurion & play a few more rounds.
Then choose whether they:
1) Want to go even faster (light mechs)
2) Get bigger guns (heavy or assault)
3) Stay as is. (custom med mech)

After a few rounds, you should has a decent idea of what type of play style appeals to you.

Edited by MagicHamsta, 19 December 2012 - 06:07 PM.

[XCrimsonX]

Thank you for the posts. I am pretty good at shooters just not on the pc lol. It's funny because I have a friend who only plays pc shooters and when he came over to play xbox it was comical and now he is getting to laugh back at me.

I am glad I made this thread because it is definitely making me consider light or med. I tried to medium trial mech but it has been a nightmare so far. That XL engine makes me blow up really easily. I am going to do a few test runs with the trial light before I make my choice.

[nungunz]

A CN9-D wouldn't be too bad. Heck, you could pull that XL Engine out of there and use it for Jenners/Catapults/Dragons.

Something like:

2 Medium Lasers,
2 SRM6 (or 4 if you need the tonnage as it already has Artemis). Streaks could work too
And 1 or 2 ballistics of your choice (I'd swap out the LBX10 unless you want to hunt lights or go crit-seeking)

Endo-Steel is already on it which is great.
Not sure if it has Double Heat Sinks, but that'd be another good thing to pick up.

The only trick at that point is balancing out the heat.

[kevin roshak]

I would second the Hunchback-4SP. I switched to 4medlium pulse lasers a 225 engine and Endo Steel and Double heat sinks. it does great in medium/short ranges and is fast enough. Avoid going face to face, and keep a mech with you in support

[Ashnod]

Stalker M with 5 artemis SRM's and 3 medium lasers 280 standard... max armor besides 57 on each leg Slow.. lots of armor... and a beast alpha

[CrescentCrux]

Welcome to the fun. Although MWO is similar to shooters you need to drop the idea that is one. Most shooters are played at a faster pace and with twitch reactions. In Mechwarrior you wont find yourself needing as much Twitch; but rather you'll want pre-planned and the ability to adapt.

Seeing as your not too good with speed as you said a Hunchback or Centurion might bother you a bit as they are very agile strike and support units. But they will get you to be more comfortable with the combat in that method. Dragons are Intermediate or advanced in play style. Most mechs fill a role well in this game and where you feel comfortable fighting in is the role you should pick. Don't feel pressured to have to buy a mech right away. Use the trial mechs for a bit longer and get used to their aspects.

Light's are scouts and Harassing type units. Though a few can take out larger units easily.
Medium's are Support and hit and run type mechs. Some can brawl with the bigger ones but its never a good idea to stop.
Heavy's are Support, Strike, and Brawling mechs. They required a little more time to get used to but they fill the roles well.
Assult class is the tank, in large numbers their a powerful force... or easy to cap against They have more weapon load outs then the smaller mechs and suffer for that with speed. But they make a rather large hole when your good with them.


Personally I pilot Dragons and cataphracs, Its not easy to play them but I enjoy them whole now that i'm getting to their quirks.
Dragons might fit your style if you like to use some speed, but still have the ability to use power. I have a Dragon that runs at 92.2 km/ph has four medium pulse lasers and an AC/2. Its not super powerful but I can run against most Mediums and Lights. and most atlas can't out turn my run speed.

Edited by CrescentCrux, 19 December 2012 - 09:52 PM.

[Krondor]

Came here to reply, but everything I was going to say has already been said.

As someone who runs Dragon varients almost exclusively I will also suggest you stay away from it. It's a great mech but you really have to have a healthy appreciation for its strengths and weaknesses, and play to them. If you get yourself into a bad situation with the Dragon it can be much harder to survive it. As others have said, situational awareness is an absolute must with that 'mech.

Also, as was mentioned, you should get out of the mentality that this game is a shooter. While technically you're first person and shooting stuff, MWO relies far more heavily on team-cooperation and information warfare. You not only want to play a mech you're effective with, you want to play a mech that you're an asset to your team with. For example, in my Dragon, I generally have lower damage output and don't get a ton of kills, but I'm fast with a diverse loadout and excel at getting the pressure off the assaults (or assisting basically anywhere the team needs fast, mobile firepower).

So.. what would I suggest? Since you haven'y quite mastered the art of fast movement a heavily armoured Hunchie might fit your bill. Not too expensive, and you can slow it down a bit and use the extra weight for armour and heatsinks As you get more comfortable with it you can speed it up and start experimenting with different loudouts. The hunch is really a wonderfully diverse mech.

(sorry for typos.. tablet KB is small...)

Edited by Krondor, 20 December 2012 - 08:50 AM.

[slayerkdm]

I agree with going with the hunches. I think the 4sp is best, but they are all fun and capable. Plus, if you want to max out the unlocks, they are varied enough to give you a taste of many styles of play. I think the 4g is the weakest, but I love mine for some strange reason.

[nungunz]

slayerkdm, on 20 December 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

I think the 4g is the weakest, but I love mine for some strange reason.

I've tried a bunch of different builds with this and have generally kept it as a support/flanking mech rather than a brawler.

I'm currently running mine with 2 AC/2s and 2 Large Lasers

[John Mechlane]

You should start with a medium/heavy.
The model depends on your taste (prefered weapon types, hardpoint locations, jumpjets?)...here's a great guide to mech hardpoints and other stuff http://mwomercs.com/...s-excel-inside/

Light mechs can be great for Hit n' run tactics, and scout support.
Assault mechs have firepower like KABOOOM, but are also mostly the primary target of a group.
Both of these can be very deadly/usefull in the hands of an experienced pilot, but you can die in seconds if you don't know what you are doing.

I'm running a Catapult K2 with 2x UAC5, 2x medium pulse laser, AMS. This was actually one of my first builds (tweaked it a lot since then).