Mechwarrior Online: the so-called "meta"

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Mechwarrior Online: the so-called "meta"

aniviron: Sep 11, 2014

Cease to Hope posted:

I do find that it's better to go as low as you can tolerate, especially in this game where your rotation speed has a hard cap. The absurd low sensitivity recommendations are a good place to start, then ratchet up in steps until you get to a place where you feel comfortable, and occasionally ratchet down afterwards to see if your preferences have changed any. You don't need to try this hard but I did find it helped me play better.

If you're playing any of the agile lights, your mouse sensitivity is going to cap your rotation speed with a low mouse sensitivity - the Locust has over 200 degrees per second of rotation, without any of the agility nodes.

# ? Feb 28, 2022 21:34

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 15:30

Cease to Hope: Dec 12, 2011

aniviron posted:

If you're playing any of the agile lights, your mouse sensitivity is going to cap your rotation speed with a low mouse sensitivity - the Locust has over 200 degrees per second of rotation, without any of the agility nodes.

If you're playing any of the agile lights, putting all of the damage on one section with as little loving around as possible is also more important than on more durable mechs.

# ? Mar 1, 2022 02:10

TjyvTompa: Jun 1, 2001; im gay

Freakazoid_ posted:

What's your build? +HSL to snubs is basically what I'm after, but I'll entertain anything with at least 3 snubs.

Don't like the lack of tag and it's a ton less ammo than I'd like. If I drop the engine a bit, I can fit one or the other, but then it hits the slot cap.

I agree, I just put it together in a rush. The one I use in-game has a TAG and a smaller engine.

# ? Mar 2, 2022 14:24

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

Man, I picked a real lively game to get started in, eh? Anyway, I just started out, did some light googling, and I'm currently playing this RFL-IIC-2 build. I'm doing okay enough, but I was wondering if it's horribly outdated or something because it took me a while to figure out that it was posted in June of 2019 on the GrimMechs site. I'm not sure if the build is still okay or if I'm doing okay simply because I'm more careful and sniping from the back with this thing. I tried that old Battlemaster laser build TjyvTompa posted a while back, the Wubmaster or whatever, and I definitely have no clue what I'm doing in that thing. I end up using the speed to get myself into stupid situations I don't know how to handle, so I'm just having fun plinking mechs from afar with my rifleman and it would be nice to know if I should be aiming for something different/more in terms of dakka-ing.

# ? Mar 15, 2022 15:56

Marx Headroom: May 10, 2007; AT LAST! A show with nonono ~~commercials~~!; Fallen Rib

As long as you're aggressively seeking out firing angles and laying down damage you're probably fine. Loooots of players fall into a trap where they seek out hiding spots, spend half the match waiting for the enemy to walk into their reticule, and then wonder why they keep losing. You'll get generally better results applying pressure than setting traps.

# ? Mar 15, 2022 16:30

Pattonesque: Jul 15, 2004; johnny jesus and the infield fly rule

pnumoman posted:

Man, I picked a real lively game to get started in, eh? Anyway, I just started out, did some light googling, and I'm currently playing this RFL-IIC-2 build. I'm doing okay enough, but I was wondering if it's horribly outdated or something because it took me a while to figure out that it was posted in June of 2019 on the GrimMechs site. I'm not sure if the build is still okay or if I'm doing okay simply because I'm more careful and sniping from the back with this thing. I tried that old Battlemaster laser build TjyvTompa posted a while back, the Wubmaster or whatever, and I definitely have no clue what I'm doing in that thing. I end up using the speed to get myself into stupid situations I don't know how to handle, so I'm just having fun plinking mechs from afar with my rifleman and it would be nice to know if I should be aiming for something different/more in terms of dakka-ing.

Nah that one is good. Some people do UAC/2s or LB/2s but for this one you want consistent pressure. Set up a kilometer away from everyone on a hill, fire at anything you can see from minute one, and punish anyone who tries to rush you hard by shooting legs or ST and you're golden.

# ? Mar 15, 2022 19:39

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

Thanks folks, I'm having fun sitting back, figuring out angles, and spewing out bullets. Especially once I figured out advanced zoom was a part of skill trees. Glad to hear I don't need to change my loadout or anything

# ? Mar 15, 2022 19:50

aniviron: Sep 11, 2014

If I recall there's no reason to run clan AC2s anymore, UAC2s and LB2s are strictly better. cAC2s used to out-DPS cUAC2s (lol) because they jammed so often, but after the weapon adjustments of the last half year, UAC2s are the better choice. They deliver more average DPS, and that's what you want with a build like that. More to the point, they frontload the damage better as well, the initial few volleys will have the smallest number of jams, and your first shots are the most important.

The LB2s play more similarly to the AC2s but with a very small amount less in terms of precision. They make up for it with extra crit damage, though.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 02:20

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

Platinum bundles worth it? Keep in mind I have nothing in my bay except for a rifleman and the battlemaster. Oh, and this month's free mech

# ? Mar 16, 2022 17:58

TjyvTompa: Jun 1, 2001; im gay

pnumoman posted:

Platinum bundles worth it? Keep in mind I have nothing in my bay except for a rifleman and the battlemaster. Oh, and this month's free mech

It depends on how much you value money. The clan one is pretty bad with only 1 "good" mech, the ON1-IIC-A, but the IS one has 3 good mechs, the Jenner is bad fight me.
If you feel the need to spend money I would probably buy a single mechpack instead, you only get 1 mech but 3 variants of it. Buying MC for real money and then buying mechs for that is also possible but the conversion from real money to in-game stuff is much worse.

I have finally 100%'ed elden ring so I will be back to playing this game again this weekend. Get on the discord and we can do a sweet group and I'll show you some moves :c00l:

# ? Mar 16, 2022 18:28

Llyranor: Jun 24, 2013

I'd argue the HBK-IIC-B is also pretty good. Very high damage potential. But yeah, IS and Clan Jenners don't seem in a good place right now.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 19:03

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

I'm no super whale or anything, but I'm definitely not shy about spending money on a game I'm enjoying enough to spend some time in. I guess I just want some more variety in my bay but I'm not sure what to go for next, and while the cbills stack up fairly quickly, it would be nice to get a set of options at once. I think I'm gonna grab the IS plat set, unless there's a highly recommended mechpack or something.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 20:41

Marx Headroom: May 10, 2007; AT LAST! A show with nonono ~~commercials~~!; Fallen Rib

The HBK-4P fucks, there's an XL that messes people up and an LFE build out there for incompetents like me.

https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechlab?b=fe7e235d_HBK-4P
https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechlab?b=57ff2e5_HBK-4P

The CPLT-K2 is versatile, you can brawl comfortably with LBX10s (just wiggle the nose to distribute damage) and quirks make some PPC builds pretty good.

https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechlab?b=9c2ce57f_CPLT-K2
https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechlab?b=8d2bf19a_CPLT-K2

The AS7 is an Atlas I guess, hard to gently caress up a build on that one.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 20:52

Llyranor: Jun 24, 2013

I've heard the light starter packs (either IS which gives you Urbanmech hero K9, or Clan which gives you Kitfox hero Purifier) are the best bang for your buck in terms of value (MC, premium time, GSP).

NB. the Platinum mechs are not heroes. You can buy all those variants with cbills (except they won't give you the cbill bonus).

# ? Mar 16, 2022 20:56

Marx Headroom: May 10, 2007; AT LAST! A show with nonono ~~commercials~~!; Fallen Rib

The UM-K9 is probs the best purchase I ever made in this game yeah. I can't stop playing that loyalty 3xLPPC UM-R80 though. Hopping around in that thing is just way too fun.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 21:00

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

Llyranor posted:

I've heard the light starter packs (either IS which gives you Urbanmech hero K9, or Clan which gives you Kitfox hero Purifier) are the best bang for your buck in terms of value (MC, premium time, GSP).

NB. the Platinum mechs are not heroes. You can buy all those variants with cbills (except they won't give you the cbill bonus).

Ah, but then I'd have to play a light. Not so sure that's the right play for me as I'm still trying to get used to piloting a mech again, much less against actual humans. I'm barely able to handle the 80+ speed in the wubmaster, so I'd probably kill myself in a light by running into a wall in front of an assault mech.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 21:03

TjyvTompa: Jun 1, 2001; im gay

pnumoman posted:

Ah, but then I'd have to play a light. Not so sure that's the right play for me as I'm still trying to get used to piloting a mech again, much less against actual humans. I'm barely able to handle the 80+ speed in the wubmaster, so I'd probably kill myself in a light by running into a wall in front of an assault mech.

Yeah, lights are probably not good for a beginner and in any case they removed the starter packs from steam some time ago. They now have the Solaris 7 hero pack which is really good value for your money: https://store.steampowered.com/app/829960/MechWarrior_Online_Solaris_7_Hero_Pack/

quote:

The Solaris 7 Hero Pack Includes:
7 Solaris Hero 'Mechs with Unique hardpoints and 30% C-Bill Boost
7 'Mech Bays
3 Warhorns featuring Taunts, Folly FX, and Crowd Reactions
1 Boosted Standing Item that gives you 5% Accolades Boost (Premium Time will also grant a 5% Accolades boost)
6 Solaris based �Sponsor Decals�
30 Days Active Premium Time

It has some passable mechs, the best one by far is the Rifleman, it has a really good 2xLBX10 build.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 21:48

Llyranor: Jun 24, 2013

pnumoman posted:

Ah, but then I'd have to play a light. Not so sure that's the right play for me as I'm still trying to get used to piloting a mech again, much less against actual humans. I'm barely able to handle the 80+ speed in the wubmaster, so I'd probably kill myself in a light by running into a wall in front of an assault mech.

I actually find the wubmaster less survivable than lights/mediums. That thing gets focused on so fast and feels pretty fragile for an assault.

You could try out all the new (actually pretty decent) trial mechs to find your playstyle before spending money

# ? Mar 16, 2022 22:03

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

So I got myself the IS light starter bundle and the platinum bundle because why not. Blew a ton of cbills kitting out my shiny new atlas in a blind noob manner, and now I'm wondering if there are any general guides on skill trees. I'm too embarrassed to post my noob build, it has two rotary ac/5s and two large lasers. I seem to be dying alot, I have yet to die embarrassingly enough to look up a proper atlas build

# ? Mar 16, 2022 22:49

dingo with a joint: Jan 12, 2019; wrong cow

I dithered over getting the IS platinum pack, but decided that I was way higher on the CPLT-K2 than the other mechs in the pack, so I just bought a K2 for c-bills. And I've been *loving* it. *Such* a cool mech. I was even able to get it looking good with just colour changes, didn't need a pattern to make it look good like so many other mechs do. Been running it with 2ac10, 2lppc, 2erml, and it has been performing for me.

# ? Mar 16, 2022 23:04

TjyvTompa: Jun 1, 2001; im gay

pnumoman posted:

So I got myself the IS light starter bundle and the platinum bundle because why not. Blew a ton of cbills kitting out my shiny new atlas in a blind noob manner, and now I'm wondering if there are any general guides on skill trees. I'm too embarrassed to post my noob build, it has two rotary ac/5s and two large lasers. I seem to be dying alot, I have yet to die embarrassingly enough to look up a proper atlas build

Skill tree is easy, it just looks intimidating because there are so many skillpoints. You want all weaponskills that correspond to your weapons + cooldown and heatgen. Then you want as many survival points as possible, armor and structure. You want 10 points in the sensors tree, go down the left side and pick up a total of 60% radar deprivation and 100m of seismic. The points you have left can be spent as you want, usually some operations/heat capacity if you are using lasers or mobility for torso twist speed and/or faster stopping/turning. You'll get the hang of it really quick, there are only like 3 different skill trees depending on what weapons your mech uses.

# ? Mar 17, 2022 01:03

Llyranor: Jun 24, 2013

https://mwomercs.com/news/2022/03/2601-lucky-charms-2022

# ? Mar 17, 2022 01:14

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

TjyvTompa posted:

Skill tree is easy, it just looks intimidating because there are so many skillpoints. You want all weaponskills that correspond to your weapons + cooldown and heatgen. Then you want as many survival points as possible, armor and structure. You want 10 points in the sensors tree, go down the left side and pick up a total of 60% radar deprivation and 100m of seismic. The points you have left can be spent as you want, usually some operations/heat capacity if you are using lasers or mobility for torso twist speed and/or faster stopping/turning. You'll get the hang of it really quick, there are only like 3 different skill trees depending on what weapons your mech uses.

Thanks, I used some of those universal skill points and now this atlas is rocking. Although I suspect a lot of it is me getting used to playing assault

# ? Mar 17, 2022 01:20

Pattonesque: Jul 15, 2004; johnny jesus and the infield fly rule

pnumoman posted:

Thanks, I used some of those universal skill points and now this atlas is rocking. Although I suspect a lot of it is me getting used to playing assault

Pattonesque posted:

HOW 2 ATLAS

The Atla's is back baby. It's good again. Awoouu (wolf Howl)

Recent mobility changes have brought the Atlas back to a level of respectability it had not had for literal years. Years! All that time this game did not have a legitimately tanky push-leader. See, assaults in MWO which are capable of creating space do so in one of two ways: they push with guns, or they push with armor. An Annihilator, for instance, is going to create space by being an Annihilator and mounting more guns than anyone else (and also having good hitboxes and durability but the guns are the main thing). Same with a Mad Cat MK II or a Blood Asp or what have you. They park in a spot where they can punish anyone who pokes their heads out, and ideally they and the team are able to move up under that umbrella.

The Atlas (save for things like the Boar�s Head which do weird arm-based builds) has never been able to do that even if it can carry a solid amount of firepower. The majority of it is low-mounted, see, and it can�t do things like carry four big autocannons or two heavy gausses. All its firepower requires it to get within about 270m for it to really do work, and the alpha is neither large enough to potentially obliterate a component in a single salvo (like dual HG) or has a short enough cooldown to keep people locked down. This means that the Atlas has always needed to twist like a top in order to make use of its firepower. For a few years now, it has not been able to do this.

Now it can again.

So, what�s the best way to play an Atlas?

Rule Zero: Dress for success

Traditional Atlas builds generally focus on an AC/20 variant and SRM6s, like so:

https://mech.nav-alpha.com/#8b66ffda_AS7-S-STD

https://mech.nav-alpha.com/#a0cbd979_AS7-D-DC

You can also rely on an LBX and MRMs, like the Atlas-D.

https://mech.nav-alpha.com/#01bc711e_AS7-D

The -D has fewer hardpoints, which necessitates the MRMs and requires you to stare slightly longer to let them all get on target. It�s quite a bit of damage but spreads out a bit. Ultimately it�s a matter of preference. You can also, if you�d like, add some smallish lasers or flamers to these builds, tonning down a bit on armor or engine. Dealer�s choice. These all play in the same basic way, which will be covered later.

Also you can do some cool all-energy or energy-ballistic stuff with the Boar�s Head but it plays a little bit differently and I don�t own one, so it won�t be covered in this guide. Ask Commoners!

Edit: Kazvall has pointed out that you can skimp on leg armor to fit more stuff and this is v. true!

Rule One: Remember, thou art mortal

If you bring an Atlas into a match, you accept that you will probably not live through it. This is fine and in fact good, but it takes some getting used to. Your job is to die as hard as possible, preferably taking at least one enemy robot with you, and force the enemy to waste ammo, heat, and time on you while you throw yourself on their bullets and your team follows up behind you.

Speaking of your team ...

Rule Two: Follow Dad

Or, rather, have other people follow Dad. A thing to know about a good Truckernaut Atlas is that, at its optimal range, it can credibly 1v1 any other robot in the game -- even anklebiter lights now that its pitch angle has been fixed. If you ever find yourself in a 1v1, great! Take out that other idiot posthaste. It�s just that, if you�ve done that, odds are someone has hosed up, and a. you can�t always rely on other people loving up, and b. you might have been the one who hosed up by being out of position.

What you want to do is the following:

--Identify where the main body of the enemy has set up. This will come with time and map and game knowledge but in general think places like the central feature of Mining Collective, the basement/tunnel of Crimson Strait, or the top of HPG Manifold.

--Ideally, try to make sure said main body isn�t setting up a firing line 600m away from where you�re gonna push. You wanna be able to put your guns on the enemy as soon as possible. Utilize natural cover, request scouting and UAVs, maybe direct a light to gently caress with any snipers before you push, etc.

--Make sure your team is with you. At least like, four or five of them. Preferably some real damage monsters like Annihilators or Mad Cat Mk IIs or the like. If one of them is lagging behind, wait.

--Tell them you�re pushing. Give them like at least a 20-second heads-up, then a 3-2-1 count, and then a go-count.

--Hit the override button and go.

Rule Three: Die hard

Now you�re pushing, and hopefully your robot bros are behind you, and you�re being lit up like a motherfucker. Don�t panic! This is good and cool and what you�re here to do. Your next step is very simple: BOOM--twist--BOOM--twist.

Broadly, you want to lead off by picking a target -- one you can kill quickly would be great, like a slow medium or a light that was dumb enough to be standing still, or something like a Fafnir that eats all its damage to the center torso. You start off the push by full-alphaing that target and immediately twisting so that the only thing the enemy can shoot are your shield arms. Once your weapons have cycled, do it again. The important thing here is that you should only ever be looking at the enemy for the time it takes for you to discharge your weapons. The rest of the time the enemy should only ever see one of your shoulders.

All this time you�re gonna be taking roughly a shitload of fire, and very likely your weapons are gonna start going. This is also fine. There�s two ways you can mitigate this. One is alternating your twist sides so you can spread damage as much as possible. This is the good way, but sometimes you can�t quite manage it, so which side should you give up to the enemy? If I absolutely have to, I sacrifice my right side -- the AC/20 is a lot of pinpoint but it�s actually less than half of your overall firepower.

Rule Four: Miscellaneous stuff

-- Don�t just hit W and go in a push. One everyone is in and the furball has started, it�s fine if you seek hard cover, sag back a bit and share armor with your team, or generally freestyle a bit. You do you!

-- On your way to the brawl, make sure you stay out of sight as much as possible, partially so you don�t take long-range fire and partially so that when you come around the corner at the beginning of the push, they don�t necessarily know that you�re coming.

-- Max out your armor tree, focus on heat nodes in the firepower and operations trees, and torso speed nodes in the mobility tree if you have stuff left over. Also pick the one utility node to get an extra consumable. You�ll probably only ever need one cool shot, and a UAV right before the push is very helpful.

-- remember to keep hitting R! Your teammates are gonna open up components and even if you lose weapons you�re gonna have more than enough firepower to end someone once you can see structure.

-- it is better to override than shut down, so hit O!

-- don�t be a coward! Get in there and punch people in the dang face! This guide is over.

# ? Mar 17, 2022 01:39

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

Well now you've done it, I've got a proper atlas build. Hope you're happy. I am, it's fun.

# ? Mar 17, 2022 03:04

Pattonesque: Jul 15, 2004; johnny jesus and the infield fly rule

pnumoman posted:

Well now you've done it, I've got a proper atlas build. Hope you're happy. I am, it's fun.

GOOD MAN

Once you're stuck in as an Atlas it's great fun, and it'll tech you how to close to brawl range without taking too much fire.

also if you want a pure firepower brawler and like to watch people panic as they come around a corner and see you, this is a favorite:

https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechlab?b=e593b903_FNR-6U

# ? Mar 17, 2022 05:29

Frozen Pizza Party: Dec 13, 2005

TjyvTompa posted:

he means that the mounts on the black knights are terrible so your shots will hit the terrain, but dont listen to him, we are about to enter The Age of the Black Knights! once again the might of IS laservomit will reign supreme, bring out your favourite metamechs dot com builds and fill the sky with blue and greens
http://metamechs.com/mwo-guides/is-master-guides/black-knight/

Wait, will my laserflea actually be a thing again?

# ? Mar 17, 2022 05:53

pnumoman: Sep 26, 2008; I never get the last word, and it makes me very sad.

Pattonesque posted:

GOOD MAN

Once you're stuck in as an Atlas it's great fun, and it'll tech you how to close to brawl range without taking too much fire.

also if you want a pure firepower brawler and like to watch people panic as they come around a corner and see you, this is a favorite:

https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechlab?b=e593b903_FNR-6U

Now I know what my next assault mech is gonna be

# ? Mar 17, 2022 05:56

BlancoNino: Apr 26, 2010

Holy gently caress might have log in to be a ghost dad again

# ? Mar 17, 2022 14:19

Llyranor: Jun 24, 2013

Flying ghost dad is even more fun.. Atlas K3 rules (should be available for cbills at some point).

# ? Mar 17, 2022 16:20

Pattonesque: Jul 15, 2004; johnny jesus and the infield fly rule

Llyranor posted:

Flying ghost dad is even more fun.. Atlas K3 rules (should be available for cbills at some point).

the weird thing about the K3 is it makes a good right-side peek sniper. Roughly something like this: https://mwo.nav-alpha.com/mechlab?b=6c233573_AS7-K3

# ? Mar 17, 2022 17:05