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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Mechwarrior Online: the so-called "meta"
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 LAST UPDATE: APRIL 2019



Welcome! MechWarrior Online is a free-to-play online FPS released in 2013. It’s one-half arena shooter, one-half sim-lite, and about seven-sixths wallet sucking nostalgia bait. Based on the classic MechWarrior series, it’s a game all about getting drunk and stomping around in big shooty robots.

If you’ve never played before and are interested, read on. This post serves mostly as a primer and basic reference for new players. If you’ve played MWO in the past and are thinking about returning, give it a shot. Several of the worst balance and systems issues have received some much-needed attention in the last year or so.

Oh, and yes, PGI is the same company responsible for that train wreck of a crowdfunding attempt known as Transverse. They’ve since refocused their efforts on MechWarrior and would please like everyone to forget and never talk about their attempt to copy Star Citizen’s rousing “success.”


OBLIGATORY LORE BUMPER

MechWarrior Online takes place in the BattleTech universe, a setting with more than thirty years worth of legacy. If you’re unfamiliar and care about why giant robots are fighting, then please enjoy this summary. Want more? Take a look at the unofficial wiki, Sarna.net and gorge until satisfied.


GOON UNITS

To join either unit, post a request in this thread and someone should get around to sending an invite sooner or later.

[WoL] (Word of Lbake) – primary unit, usually contracted with the Inner Sphere under House Liao.

[GIRL] – technically the Clan unit, but pretty dead these days.


COMMS

We’re mostly on discord. I think the mumble is still active, but don’t expect to find anyone in there.

https://discord.gg/Nw59stN

mumble.goonrathi.com pw: melon


RECENT CHANGES

Solaris 7 Update – this long-requested competitive arena mode rolled out in April ’18, along with special cosmetic rewards and a set of mode-specific maps. Since its induction, the mode has gone the way of Faction Play and become a ghost town, serving as yet another example of PGI’s ongoing struggle to implement interesting new features.

Heat System Overhaul – after several scuttled attempts to tune Clan alpha damage, this was the solution that eventually went live in October ’18, and it’s proved to be a considerable boost to the overall health of the game. The short version is that mechs both heat up and cool down faster than before. Overall, DPS is higher, but it's offset by massive alpha strikes being weaker.




QUICK START GUIDE (Current as of Apr. 2019)

Just starting out? Don’t want to spend hours watching videos and reading tutorials before actually playing the game? Okay! Here’s a truncated list that’ll get you into a top-tier mech ASAP.
  1. Play the Academy – this is the basic tutorial, and in addition to imparting knowledge, it also nets a decent chunk of C-Bills. Pay special attention to the Piloting Challenge, which pays out 500k per rank achieved. Reaching gold is a bit tricky for new players, but the Academy is replayable at any time and the money will always be there waiting.

  2. Complete the Cadet Bonus – the first 25 games played offer sizable C-Bill and XP bonuses. No wins required, just play the game. This is a great chance to experiment with different weight classes using the trial mechs. I recommend the Wolfhound, Stormcrow, Hellbringer, and King Crab as the standouts in each weight bracket.

    Warning: the final cadet bonus grants a hefty 48,000 GXP. Spend this general experience with care, as it accrues much slower in regular play. Like, 100-250 per match.

  3. Buy A Mech – the Academy and Cadet Bonus together yield around 15–20 million C-Bills. Take that money to the store and buy a Hellbringer Prime (HBR-PRIME) for 13.5m C-Bills. The HBR is a flexible, competitive mech that’s stayed relevant for more than three years. There is no safer place to invest the new player bonus.

  4. Customize the HBR – enter the MechLab and re-tool that shiny new mech until it looks like this: HBR-PRIME. Take note of both the armor values and the need to swap out the weapon pods on the right torso and head. Double check all changes before saving the build, as locking it in will deduct the C-Bill cost from the account’s total.

  5. Go Forth and Vomit Lasers – all told, the mech and modifications clock in at ~15.5m C-Bills. Expensive, but well worth it for a mech that can solo carry games, is dead simple to pilot, and will likely remain viable for years to come.

  6. Flesh Out the Skill Tree – as XP builds up on the HBR, spend it on filling out this Skill Tree. The full skill build costs about 4.1 million C-Bills and 73,000 XP.

  7. Enjoy the Game – backed by a solid meta build, the kills and C-Bills should flow in at a steady pace. When the time comes to buy a new mech, do some research or ask this thread for advice to help dodge buyers remorse.


SUGGESTED TUTORIALS

MWO has a pretty steep learning curve, and finding quality resources is often a challenge. The links below are some of the more concise guides out there.

  • Kanajashi’s Video Tutorials – an excellent series that provides a concise rundown of MWO’s various systems.
  • Tactics 101 Comics – a straightforward, simple rendering of many concepts central to the basic gameplay. A lot of it seems obvious, but it’s amazing how often people screw up in precisely the ways outlined in these comics. Don’t be one of those people.


CURRENCIES

Like any good FTP game, MWO loves itself some esoteric fun-bucks. The primary five are listed below.
  • C-Bills – the basic currency, earned through play and used to purchase most mechs, equipment, and skill points.
  • MC – the premium currency usable for all mechs. Mainly bought with real money, small quantities are also doled out during special events.
  • XP – experienced gained on individual mechs during play. XP is used in conjunction with C-Bills to buy SP for that specific mech’s skill tree.
  • GXP – a universal pool of experience usable on any mech, GXP accrues much slower than the regular mech-specific kind. XP can be converted to GXP, though it costs a hefty amount of MC to do so.
  • SP – purchased with some combination of XP, GXP, and C-Bills and used exclusively to unlock nodes on a mech’s skill tree.

    Warning: Spend all currencies wisely! Earning more can be tough early on, and it’s easy to blow a full bank of C-Bills on frivolous customization or every last scrap of GXP skilling up a single mech that never sees play.


SPENDING REAL MONEY

The glib answer is “don’t do it,” but impulse buying is a hell of a drug, and we all understand the urge to waste money on this stupid robot game. That said, PGI holds semiannual blowout sales, so it’s best to wait for one of those if at all possible. Aside from that, there are good and bad places to throw money around.

Do Buy
  • Premium Time – far and away the best value-per-dollar, even with only a modest amount of playtime. This is the single best place to spend money.
  • MC – used to buy most other premium items, MC is flexible, and it’s worth having some around. Just remember that every 200-250 MC is equal to roughly $1 and try to keep that conversion in mind when eyeballing prices in the store.
  • Mech Bays – every mech needs a home, and Mech Bays are it. Unfortunately, they’re only available for MC. Fortunately, they often go on sale and even occasionally show up as event rewards.

Don’t Buy
  • Non-hero Mechs – buying mechs with MC is costly and should be avoided whenever possible.
  • Champion Mechs – a special mech variant, tagged with (C) in the store. Champions are MC only and grant a 30% bonus to XP gain. This applies to GXP earned as well, but even with the bonus, they’re not worth.
  • C-Bills – even worse than the MC conversion on mechs. Never buy C-Bills; better to buy premium time and play the game a bit more.
  • Mech Pre-orders – offered on PGI’s website, these mech packs are a universally terrible value. There’s no guarantee that the final product will be any good and even if it is, only one or two of the half dozen variants sold are likely to see play. If you absolutely must own the cool new robot before all the other kids on the playground, then fine, do it. Just be sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, i.e., $40–70 for a couple of mechs that might be complete garbage.

Maybe Buy
  • Hero Mechs – after premium time, heroes are the best place to spend MC. However, there are a lot of awful heroes and it’s sometimes hard to tell the wheat from the chaff. Before buying, either check the “Worthwhile Hero Mechs” section of this post or ask in the thread.
  • Steam Packs – sold through Steam’s DLC store these packs offer a pair of mechs, along with some premium time, MC, and a few other goodies. They’re a decent buy if, and only if, both mechs in the pack are good. The only one I’d recommend without reservation is the Heavy Mech Pack II.




MECH ROLES

Most mechs in MWO fall into one of several loose groups that denote different roles based on their weight class and weapons loadout.

  • Laser Vomit – high alpha, high heat builds that focus on mid-range trading. Potent and easy to play, all a Vomit mech need do is hold their technicolor dream beam on target and hide behind a building whenever their heat starts to pile up.
    Weapons – various classes of Medium and Large Laser
    Example – HBR

  • Gauss Vomit – same as above, but with the addition of Gauss Rifles. This stands out as a separate role because the rifles have a relatively high learning curve and take some practice to use effectively.
    Weapons – various classes of Medium and Large Laser, Gauss Rifles
    Example – MCII-DS

  • Ballistics – so-called “dakka” builds shred targets with a steady stream of slugs. They have high sustained damage, but with below average burst, ammo limitations, and the chance for (most) weapons to jam. Be mindful of that CT armor when staring too long at the enemy team.
    Weapons – most kinds of UACs, some regular ACs
    Example – ANH-1A

  • Brawler – mechs built with an eye towards close-range combat. Playing a brawler requires a degree of patience as they’ll often spend a decent portion of a game outside weapons range. But if they choose the right moment to commit, brawlers can wade in and swing the course of a match.
    Weapons – large ACs, LBXs, and SRMs
    Example – BSW-P1

  • Scout – a pseudo role filled by fleet light and medium mechs, scouts are usually subdivided into brawling and poking depending on the range and heat generation of their weapons. This role focuses on finding the enemy team and relaying their position, after which they either transition into flanking or joining the fray to dish out damage while the bigger mechs soak up aggro.
    Weapons – Small and Medium Lasers, SRMs
    Example – LCT-PB

  • Sniper – maximum range at the expense of all else. Snipers are somewhat map dependent, but in the right situation they offer the chance to do gobs of damage while sustaining little to no return fire.
    Weapons – ER Large Lasers, PPCs, Gauss Rifles
    Example – HBK-IIC-A

  • LRM Carrier – I’m not going to help anyone build or play an LRM boat.
    Weapons – ignorance, suffering,
    Example – piss off!




SKILL TREE PRIMER

The skill tree is a massive webwork of nodes that serve as MWO’s leveling system. Each one is mech specific, and the whole thing looks confusing as hell at first. However, the basic methodology is pretty simple, with each tree having a certain number of high value “goal nodes." Some are loadout specific; others are almost universally good. The general idea of any skill build is to hit as many of these good nodes as possible while avoiding lower value chaff.

  • Firepower – focuses on mech weapon systems. Every mech will put at least a handful of points in this tree.
    Goal Nodes – Heat Gen, Laser Duration, Missile Spread, Missile Rack, Magazine Capacity, Enhanced UAC/RAC

  • Survival – improves mech survivability through crit reduction and percentage based bonuses to armor and structure. Essential on nearly all mechs.
    Goal Nodes – Armor Hardening, Skeletal Density

  • Mobility – buffs overall mech handling. Useful for agile light and medium mechs that live or die based on their ability to maneuver.
    Goal Nodes – Speed Tweak, Kinetic Burst, Torso Speed, Anchor Turn

  • Jump Jets – designated joke tree. Don’t waste points here, even on mechs with jump jets.
    Goal Nodes – n/a

  • Operations – general utility tree. Mostly useless, but with a single high-quality node type.
    Goal Nodes – Cool Run

  • Sensors – nodes dealing with sensor and contact management
    Goal Nodes – Enhanced ECM, Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor

  • Auxiliary – focuses on the game’s various consumable items.
    Goal Nodes – Enhanced Coolshot, Consumable Slot

Skill Tree Examples




FACTIONS

MWO has two main factions, the Inner Sphere and the Clans. In gameplay terms, there are only a few differences. The big one is that Faction Play only allows a player to use mechs of their chosen faction. IS mechs tend to have quirks granting them higher durability, while Clan mechs are usually faster, with longer range and better firepower. Clans also have most (currently all) of the Omni-Mechs, a special class of mech that can swap out component pods to customize its hard points at the cost of having some of its critical slots and equipment locked.

Traditionally Clans were the more powerful faction, both in the fluff and in the game proper, but the last few major updates have closed their lead considerably.


FACTION PLAY BASICS

Initially billed as an epic game mode with galaxy spanning persistence, FP has mostly disappointed and is currently little more than a longer version of quick match. It can be decent fun, but unlike QM the queue isn’t separated into groups and solos, so expect long wait times coupled with the occasional joy of getting gang stomped by a full premade.

FP is broken out into two game modes. Invasion: consisting of one unique attack/defend map interspersed with regular QM maps, and rather than one mech the player rotates through a Drop Deck of four mechs during a match. Scouting: a CTF style mode with a weight limit, wherein one team attempts to grab “Intel” flags and reach an extraction zone while the other team tries to stop them.

Engaging in FP requires two things, a Drop Deck and a faction contract. Obtaining the former only takes having enough mechs
(4) to fill a Drop Deck. The latter requires joining a unit and/or declaring loyalty for a given faction. Far and away the most common questions related to FP are “what’s a good Drop Deck?” and “what should I take into Scouting?” so here are a couple of examples for both game modes,

Example Drop Decks


Example Scout Mechs

  • IS (55 ton limit)
    Bushwhacker – BSW-P1
    Griffin – GRF-3M

  • Clans (55 ton limit)
    Vapor Eagle – VGL-1
    Nova – NVA




SOLARIS 7

Solaris 7 is the latest, if not greatest, game mode added to MWO. It consists of 1v1 and 2v2 ranked arena play set on a handful of self-contained maps. Long requested by fans and largely functional, it quickly fell into disuse. That said, it’s still possible to find a match in some brackets and it this style of play sounds appealing there’s fun to be found inside the arena.

  • Divisions – mechs come in all shapes and size in MWO and some are flat out better than others. In an attempt to compensate for this imbalance Solaris splits all mech variants into one of seven different divisions. Most still end up with one or two different builds dominating the bracket, but at least there is some forced variance between the different tiers.

    Mech Divisions as of Season 5 (Apr. 2019)

  • Builds – each division’s leaderboard displays the build for a player’s most used mechs so copy and paste the top contenders and go wild.

  • Seasons and Rewards – seasons in Solaris last three months, and at the end of each rewards are dolled out to the top-ranked players in each division. As an example, the Season 4 rewards are listed Here


RESOURCE LINKS

  • Previous SA Thread – the older, less hip version of this thread. There’s probably some useful information in there, but who wants to dig through 600 pages?
  • Mech DB – the first of two essential tools for workshopping builds; Mech DB provides a quick and easy way to reference specs and plan mech loadouts.
  • mwoSkill – the other must-have tool, this one is for mapping out skill trees.
  • Smurfy – an alternate to Mech DB, Smurfy is older and has some unique functionality but doesn’t update as often.
  • PGI's New Player Forum – while everything on the official forums should be taken with a grain of salt, it’s worth perusing this forum and its Guides & Strategies sub-forum. There’s a decent amount of useful information buried within, especially in the pinned threads.
  • Mech Hitboxes – a collection of color-coded graphics that provide a clear breakdown of every mech’s hitboxes. Mechs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and knowing where one component ends and another begins is very useful, especially for landing head-shots.
  • Mech Mobility Spreadsheet – none of the wikis or databases have a reference for mobility stats, so here’s a google doc. Sadly it doesn’t list hero mechs, but it’s better than nothing.
  • The Jarl’s List – a season by season breakdown of player stats, scraped from MWO’s official leaderboard. It’s useful for tracking progress or lording it over other forum posters.


WORTHWHILE HERO MECHS

A question always at the forefront of every sale, these are the heroes worth snapping up when an opportunity arises. The list is ordered by how good/valuable I think the hero is, rather than by faction or weight class. Also, keep in mind that with one exception, the Deathstrike, all the Clan mechs listed are Omnis so buying them is more about getting the unique omni-pods than owning the whole robot.

  • Mad Cat MK II (Deathstrike)
  • Thunderbolt (Top Dog)
  • Cyclops (Sleipnir)
  • Quickdraw (IV4)
  • Warhammer (Black Widow)
  • Urbanmech (K-9)
  • Locust (Pirate’s Bane)
  • Kit Fox (Purifier)
  • Night Gyr (Jade Kite)
  • Huntsman (Pakhet)
  • Dire Wolf (Ultraviolet)
  • Viper (Medusa)
  • Griffin (Sparky)




MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

Random stuff that’s useful to know.

  • Arm Lock – it exists. Some people like to lock their arms when the feature isn’t needed, and that’s fine, but don’t forget about it! Hotkey it and remember that it’s there so you don’t get tooled by an Urbanmech standing on top of a rock.
  • Throttle Decay – turn it on, leave it on, get used to it. Turning off throttle decay inflicts a noticeable penalty on a mech’s handling. For more details, read this article.
  • Spotting – use the enemy spotted feature in the game’s comms wheel. In addition to helping the team by communicating, spotting this way will also bracket target on the mini-map for about six seconds, even after losing sensor contact.
  • All Chat – it’s disabled by default. Turn it on to hear the enemy team accuse everyone of hacking.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Jan 2, 2021

* # ¿ Jan 14, 2018 14:11
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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 08:40
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 MECH RECOMMENDATIONS (Current as of Apr. 2019)

With nearly a hundred different mechs and hundreds of variants to choose from, figuring out what to buy is a hell of a challenge. To help with that, here’s a list of reliably good purchases. I’ve picked two of each weight class from both factions, and have tried to provide a decent sampling of roles.


INNER SPHERE – Lights


Osiris (OSR-4D)

Boasting outstanding mobility, backed by reasonable speed and solid hotbox, this is the quintessential light mech. Play it like a proper light—poking from cover and picking at flanks—and it’ll give the enemy team conniptions.

Build – OSR-4D
Skills – mwoSkill


Wolfhound (WLF-2)

The Wolfhound is exceptionally durable, while still being fast and nimble enough to do its job. The strong armor quirks make it a lot more forgiving of mistakes than other lights, so it’s a perfect choice for anyone new to the weight class.

Build – WLF-2
Skills – mwoSkill


INNER SPHERE – MEDIUMS


Assassin (ASN-21)

A strong balance of speed and firepower make the Assassin a vicious opportunist that excels at preying on damaged mechs. Many close games turn into blowouts when one of these mechs sweeps in on cleanup duty.

Build – ASN-21
Skills – mwoSkill


Bushwhacker (BSW-X1)

A durable workhorse, the Bushwhacker can find success with a variety of builds and play styles. Strong defensive quirks and some of the best hitboxes in the game let this mech live longer than anything else in its weightclass.

Build – BSW-X1
Skills – mwoSkill


INNER SPHERE – HEAVIES


Roughneck (RGH-3A)

Uncomplicated and stupidly tanky, there’s not much more to say. It’s point-and-click Laser Vomit paired with some of the best defensive quirks available. Seriously, this thing's quirks almost total more health than a whole Locust.

Build – RGH-3A
Skills – mwoSkill


Warhammer (WHM-6R)

The Warhammer’s high, tightly grouped weapon mounts make it one of the most popular IS heavies around. Decent structure quirks and a good selection of weapon hardpoints don’t hurt either.

Build – WHM-6R
Skills – mwoSkill


INNER SPHERE – ASSAULTS


Victor (VTR-9S)

The Victor is secretly the best brawling mech in the game. Older and oft overlooked, the VTR-9S won big in both the quirk and engine rebalance. It now sits as one of MWO’s brooding terrors, a mech with performance that far outstrips its popularity.

Build – VTR-9S
Skills – mwoSkill


Fafnir (FNR-5B)

Quirk nerfs may have cast the Anni from its throne, but as one falls another must rise. Enter the FNR-5B: big, slow, and clumsy, but packing enough gun to vaporize any mech that dares enter a stare-down.

Build – FNR-5B
Skills – mwoSkill


CLAN – LIGHTS


Piranha (PIR-1)

A glass cannon through and through, the Piranha mounts a staggering twelve machine guns, giving DPS to rival most assault mechs. However, all that damage comes at the cost of survivability, of which the Piranha has none. A single good hit from any heavy weapon is enough to knock off one of its legs or torsos. This low margin for error makes the Piranha a difficult but rewarding mech to pilot.

Build – PIR-1
Skills – mwoSkill


Arctic Cheetah (ACH-Prime)

Once renowned as the most broken OP piece of poo poo on two legs, numerous nerfs have knocked the Cheetah all the way down to being merely very good. It has below average mobility for a light mech, but it is fast. It’s also hilariously over-gunned compared its IS counterparts, which is something of a theme for Clan mechs.

Build – ACH-PRIME
Skills – mwoSkill


CLAN – MEDIUMS


Hunchback IIC (HBK-IIC-A)

It has insanely high mounts, which is often all it takes to put a mech on top of the meta heap. It also doesn’t hurt that the Hunchback IIC is one of the few Clan Battlemechs (i.e., a non-Omni) allowing a high degree of fine-tuning for the various builds.

Build – HBK-IIC-A
Skills – mwoSkill


Vapor Eagle (VGL-1)

There’s an axiom in MWO that all Clan Battlemechs are good Battlemechs and the Vapor Eagle does nothing to dispel this notion. With Clan tech and full control over the internals, this mech can mount a patently unfair number of guns for its size.

Build – VGL-1
Skills – mwoSkill

CLAN – HEAVIES


Hellbringer (HBR-Prime)

This mech is in the quick start guide for a reason. It’s simple. It’s effective. It’s drat good.

Build – HBR-PRIME
Skills – mwoSkill


Orion IIC (ON1-IIC-A)

The Orion IIC has everything a brawler needs and lots of it. It’s even got armor quirks, something rarely seen on a Clan mech.

Build – ON1-IIC-A
Skills – mwoSkill


CLAN – ASSAULTS


Marauder IIC (MAD-IIC)

If there’s one thing Clans do well, it’s vomit lasers, and the Marauder IIC is a pinnacle of the archetype.

Build – MAD-IIC
Skills – mwoSkill


Mad Cat MK II (MCII-B)

On the day of its inception, the MCII leapt straight to the head of the assault class, and it’s likely to stay there for some time. With high marks in every single category, it takes a genuine effort to underperform in this mech.

Build – MCII-B
Skills – mwoSkill

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 14:59 on May 28, 2019

* # ¿ Jan 14, 2018 14:12
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 That left justified title image haunts me. It haunts me!

* # ¿ Jan 14, 2018 14:35
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Polka_Rapper posted:

Shoot, I thought it was supposed to be disabled. I'll flip it back on.

The old OP recommended disabling it, probably due to pilot preference. Some people like it, others don't. Personally, I'm not fond of it but there's no question that turning it off handicaps a mech's accel/decel so it goes on and stays on so far as I'm concerned.

Edit: Also, if you love me, you'll edit that quote to fix the and/a typo. I'm still filtering through the OP to fix all my mistakes and seeing one enshrined forever on the first page will eat away at my immortal soul. I love you.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Jan 14, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 14, 2018 16:06
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

EoRaptor posted:

I wonder if the set throttle % controls (numpad keys) are similarly affected. I hate it when what control scheme you use directly affects the gameplay, it's a huge red flag of how little the impact of a change is tested, which means features get added/removed based on 'instinct' not any sort of actual evaluation.

The stepped % controls aren't affected, but they have a separate issue where they'll overshoot the mech's acceleration creating a fractional amount of lag if you invert at anything less than full throttle. It's infuriating that the game has three different mechanisms for controlling throttle and they're all gimmicky or broken in different ways. I ranted for like a page and a half in the old thread when I first discovered this insanity.

* # ¿ Jan 14, 2018 16:52
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Crazyeyes24 posted:

Is anyone else having trouble loading skill tree links? Every time I go to open on I get an error saying it can't retrieve data. Tried a couple browsers and PCs still getting the same issue.

It hasn't worked the last couple of days. I'm assuming it'll get fixed so I went ahead with doing up all the skill trees because mwoSkill is the best skill tree planner around. If it stays dead I'll switch everything over to one of the others at some point.

* # ¿ Jan 15, 2018 00:17
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 It's a lot of trouble to go to when the MCII-1 or DS can do similar alphas without juggling ghost heat. Gauss Rifles are really good, yo.

* # ¿ Jan 15, 2018 04:11
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

The Repo Man posted:

Sometimes people like to pilot different mechs. I love my Supernova far more than my Deathstrike.

You crazy!

Weissritter posted:

So with all the changes, LRMs are still worthless?

Yes, LRMs are still worthless.

Orv posted:

Never finishes loading.

Are running the game through Steam? Try verifying the integrity of the game files. You can also try running the game with the -safe and -autofonfig command lines to check if any of the game settings is the culprit.

* # ¿ Jan 15, 2018 09:36
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

TjyvTompa posted:

Hey, can we get some explanation in the OP why radar deprivation is good and how the operations tree is good if you have many heatsinks? We have a couple of brand new players that I think would benefit from understanding how important positioning is in this game. I also think some more in-depth explanations for true beginners would be nice. Do you have those pictures that show how to engage enemies and how much a simple positioning mistake could mean your entire lance gets wiped out?

By the way, you should really join the discord. The mumble is completely dead but discord is very much alive. Last I saw I think there were 50 MWO goons in there, it has really picked up since the winter events, really awesome to see all the new players!

Edit: Also if you feel like it, could you add some more example builds for brawling? I feel the BSW, while really good, doesn't really embody the brawling lifestyle with large mechs putting tons of metal straight into the enemies faces. Things like the TBR, ON1-IIC's, Scorch, CP-10-Q...

I don't think the sensor tree is worth the opportunity cost in most situations. Much of Radar Dep's functionality is replicable with good positioning, and I can count on one hand the number of times Seismic made the difference in a game. I do think I know the comics you're talking about; I'll see if I can dig them up and then maybe put them into a sperate tutorial section along with Kanajashi's videos.

Discord is on my computer, but I don't use it much. MWO is mostly a solo thing for me.

The ON1-IIC is already in the recommendations post.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 11:50 on Jan 15, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 15, 2018 11:47
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

TjyvTompa posted:

Finally getting the 15,000 XP and 6 million Cbills needed to unlock radar deprivation and buying the module felt so good.

I think this is, at the core, why so many people default to 19 in Sensors. A lot of folks who played before the skill tree were accustomed to having Radar Dep and Seismic as the default utility modules on all their mechs. However, back then there was no -10% Heat Gen or +15 Armor module competing for a slot. If there had been, Dep and Seismic would never have seen play. That's roughly the situation you have now. Again, it's all about opportunity costs, and any points you put into Sensors have to come out of some other tree.

It's not that the skills are bad, they're just less good than a lot of the critical stuff in Firepower, Survivability, Mobility, and Auxillary. Also, game knowledge can compensate for a lot of what they offer, whereas no amount of piloting experience is going to make my Heavy Large Lasers generate less heat.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Jan 15, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 15, 2018 15:19
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 I wish this game had replays. Occasionally I'll share a match with a Twitch streamer, and getting a second look at my performance without any pressure is nice.

Edit: I guess I could record the footage myself. Maybe I'm just lazy.

* # ¿ Jan 15, 2018 15:48
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 That's correct, here's a handy visual.
* # ¿ Jan 16, 2018 21:54
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

novaSphere posted:

I hate you guys. Finally decided to come back after over a year, built an Assassin from the OP and went to town. Love that I don't need three variants anymore and I have something stupid like 4.5k skill points from my big refund so speccing out is no hassle.

Animations still suck but whatever, at least the game is still fun.

Yeah, if you're one of those lucky folks who had a bunch modules back before the Skill Tree patch then you got a truckload of free GSP and basically never have to worry about XP grinding ever again.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Jan 17, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 17, 2018 01:59
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Stringbean posted:

Couldn't you boat an assload of UAC2s on the ANH-2A? Something akin to the Direwhale?

ANH-2A 6xUAC2

I've seen this build I'm pretty sure...

ANH-2A 2xUAC10 2xUAC5

I feel like the ammo is pretty tight on both builds. Especially the UAC10/5 build. But if it bides its time, it can sweep a battlefield.

Five UAC5s is going to beat six UAC2s any day. That build works on the Direwolf because the hero pods let you run eight bloody UACs.

I've seen the 10/5 build. It has slightly stronger burst, but I think the quint 5s are better. Their sustained DPS is higher, and that's what the Annihilator wants. It doesn't care about efficient trades from behind cover. It wants to anchor a push, and lean on the fire button until one team is dead.

Rysithusiku posted:

I played against an absolutely vicious 6xac5 ANH. Just nonstop pinpoint slams of 15 per. Not sure how you'd make it tho.

This is the 6x5 version: ANH-2A

I'm not a huge fan, as it's got a lower burst and sustained output than the 5x5 ultra. Yeah, it never jams, but jams are overrated.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Jan 17, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 17, 2018 03:26
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Weissritter posted:

Is it viable to try 4 ERPPCs on any variants of the Mad Cat 2? Was thinking that may give me more heat sinks to work with compared to the Warhawk.

You can run it on the MCII-4 or MCII-A. I wouldn't say it's non-viable, but I think the Warhawk probably does it better.

MCII-A
+Jump Jet
+Lower Arm Actuators (not really relevant for sniping, but useful if a light gets in your face)
+Higher Mounts
+2 Heatsinks

Vs.

WHK-PRIME
+6 KPH
+20% PPC Velocity
-4% PPC Heat
+11 CT Structure
+18 ST Structure
+21 Arm Structure
+9 Leg Structure

Also, being five tons lighter the Warhawk is a fair bit more nimble, and while the MCII has more base armor/structure as befits a heavier mech, that's offset by the WHK's quirks.

* # ¿ Jan 17, 2018 04:04
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 Comedy option: Maximum Heatsonk

To be honest, the best build for a long-range MCII is probably just Gauss/PPC. With quad PPCs you have to split fire anyway, so you might as well go with the Rifles.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 07:47 on Jan 17, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 17, 2018 07:36
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

aniviron posted:

Gauss and PPC have had ghost heat together for months, don't do gauss PPC.

Yeah but.... like I just said, quad PPC breaks ghost heat just as bad, so if you're looking to run that on the MCII you might as well go with Gauss/PPC because you're dealing with the same problem either way and the rifles are more effective than a second pair of PPCs.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Jan 17, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 17, 2018 13:52
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 Or, you knonw, the mech. If you want to run dual LBX on a MCII do it on the MCII-2. They're wasted on the DS.

I get that not everyone feels like they have the twitch skills to play Gauss or PPCs effectively. I'd rate my own aim as below average, but when someone asks, "hey what's the best x or y for mech zed," I'm going to give the default optimal answer. If that's not their preference because of play-style or some other limitation that's fine.

* # ¿ Jan 18, 2018 11:09
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 My general feeling is that mediums make the best snipers. You can do it in a heavy or assault, but the team would much rather have your tonnage on the main line to share armor. As for lights, they can't really fit enough heatsinks to output reasonable DPS.

But a medium hits that sweet spot of fragility plus heatsink capacity to suit the playstyle, and it's hard to beat the HBK-IIC. Decent speed, high mounts, jump jets and gobs of DHS thanks to Clan tech.

* # ¿ Jan 19, 2018 15:36
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Xenothral posted:

I'm still obsessed with running Griffins as my only medium I regularly use. I don't know why, I just like em.

I own every variant of the Zeus and I don't know what to do with them, they're in that weird spot of having assault levels of hardpoints but not having enough tonnage to make use of all of them reasonably. I may just be bad at fitting mechs, though the Zeus is the only one that's given me trouble figuring out a decent loadout for. :shrug:
Any suggestions? I generally like brawling, but don't mind trying other stuff out, and any variant is fine.

Unfortunately, the Zeus suffers from a tragic flaw—it's not the Victor. They're both 80 tons, but the Victor has armor quirks to the Zeus' structure, jump jets, and generally superior mounts. Worse still, every single Zeus has lower arm actuators, which lock it out of mounting an AC/20 and makes brawling with it a non-starter. Nothing the Zeus can fit comes close to matching the VTR-9S.

The one decent Zeus build I've spotted in the wild is the MRM/LPL ZEU-6T. It's not outstanding, but stops well short of being an embarrassment. Just make sure to protect that right arm.

* # ¿ Jan 19, 2018 17:58
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 Never sell any mech ever if you can help it. You never know what capricious round of balancing bullshit the next major patch or game update will bring. Like, they gave the Urbanmech so many quirks that's it's now a good mech. That's how crazy things can get.

* # ¿ Jan 19, 2018 18:10
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

NihilCredo posted:

I think this is as good as a Zeus can get.

Which is sad, because it caps out at 6E so it can't run the 3LL/4ERML builds that are the current meta for IS Vomit. A build that fits on the RGH-3A, Top Dog, WHM-6D, and a few different Grasshoppers despite those mechs being 10-15 tons lighter than the Zeus.

Toalpaz posted:

Just checking thread because I was thinking about MW due to the strategy game beta. Are clan mechs still kind of stupid powerful compared to innersphere mechs in clan warfare? How has power creep been recently?

It's evened up considerably, to the point that IS might even have a slight edge in FP thanks to their higher drop weight.

The tech update was a godsend for the LFE alone. IS mechs now have the option of saving some weight on their engine without needing to run suicide shoulders.

* # ¿ Jan 19, 2018 20:20
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 Piranha update: it's about the same hight as a Mist Lynx but not quite as wide. Has mobility stats somewhere between the Lynx and the Commando. Also, in an odd twist, the PIR-B has better base mobility than the other variants. Probably to make up for its smaller number of ballistics hardpoints.

Either way, the size and mobility stats are good enough that you can expect to see a lot of them come the 23rd. Have fun getting your backs crit out!

* # ¿ Jan 20, 2018 06:50
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 The Clan heat gen nerf makes me sad, but it's understandable.

The cMPL nerf is just baffling, though. It already hardly sees use over the ERML.

* # ¿ Jan 20, 2018 07:56
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 I'm just excited to have a 20-ton Clan mech. It opens up so much potential for drop deck configurations.

* # ¿ Jan 20, 2018 18:21
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Dueling Bandsaws posted:

I'm using them over ER mediums on my HLL boats because I find that I'm running out of space well before I'm running out of weight, and at that point you might as well spend the extra ton/laser.

That's the thing, though, you use MPLs on boats like the Nova Cat and Super Nova. Mechs with so much free tonnage that you have leftovers after the 2LL/6ML plus heatsinks. If you could pack in moar DHS you'd much rather do that, but because you're out of critical space and hitting ghost heat on all your weapons there's no other place to spend the weight. It's part of what makes the Deathstrike so much better than the MAD IIC or SNV. It can make full use of its heat capacity while the dual gauss feasts on all that spare tonnage.

At the end of the day, the Clan ER Medium Laser is too loving good. No matter how much they nerf the drat thing, it keeps on truckin' because 7 damage for 1 ton and 1 critical slot is broken beyond belief.

* # ¿ Jan 20, 2018 20:30
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Angelwolf posted:

Could someone please explain what ghost heat is because all I can think of is a ghost which is hot and spooky

It's the community term for Heat Scale.

Edit: you can find the stats for all the linked weapon groups here, under the "Heat Penalties per weapon" section.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 20:44 on Jan 20, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 20, 2018 20:41
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 There's not much to do with the Stormcrow at the moment. It can do SRM splat, but not like the Mad Dog. Laser Vomit is an option, but the HBK-IIC does it better.

It's best niche was as an SPL/SRM brawler, but like so many other mechs the SPL nerf cut its legs off.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Jan 21, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 21, 2018 05:03
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Pattonesque posted:

Piranha scale comparison:

http://mwomercs.com/news/2018/01/1990-countdown-to-release-piranha-jan-23rd

It's itsy-bitsy!

With a scale like that, this thing will be the new king of light mechs. Imagine trying to fight a Locust or Command that can actually do DPS.

And in worse news, hero Piranha is better than all the others by a wide margin.

* # ¿ Jan 21, 2018 07:48
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Angelwolf posted:

Thank you!
This explains it very well, and I now understand that Heat Spike warning thing a lot better

No problem. I thought about putting some stuff about mech building in the OP, but MWO is such a rats nest of systems that it would bloat out of control real fast. I mean, the game is the successor to a 90's PC sim, which is itself an interpretation of an 80's tabletop war game. Both games are riddled with problems but changing any of the fundamentals causes a bunch of the fans to freak out about "muh cannon!" The solution PGI's settled on is to layer a whole new set of mechanics on top as a way to tweak numbers without rustling any jimmies.

So there are three different design sets, all tangled together and working at cross-purposes. We give PGI a lot of poo poo—plenty of it justified—but if I were a game designer tasked with approaching a mess like MWO, I would probably throw up in my mouth, pass out, and aspirate. Approaching it from the player side, I find it works best to dive in and learn by doing.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Jan 21, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 21, 2018 15:39
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Angelwolf posted:

Could I get some feedback on this Cataphract CTF-4X idea?

CTF-4X

Never really done ballistics before, would this 2x Rotary A/C 5 with one back up laser be viable?

So, two questions here.

Do you want to try RACs specifically? They're a different kind of weapon than any other ballistic and only good in a pretty narrow range of builds.

Also, are you married to running the CTF-4X specifically, or are other variants and chassis on the table?

* # ¿ Jan 21, 2018 23:14
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Angelwolf posted:

I want to use the CTF-4X specifically. I'd also really like to try RACs.

If it's futile to run RACs with the CTF-4X, I do also have a CPT-K2 I could use. Though I did just blow 5.2 mil on the CTF-4X because I thought it'd be neat to have a ballistic heavy.

Unfortunately, the CTF-4X is a pretty bad mech. In addition to the low mounts and bad hitboxes which are innate to the chassis, the 4X also has an unusually low engine cap. This would be one of those situations where asking in the thread before buying would have been wise. Since you're stuck with it now, I would agree that the quad AC5s is about the best build on the mech. However, I'd recommend this CTF-4X over the one TjyvTompa posted. It cuts the MLs and adds Light-Ferro to squeeze in an LFE. XLs are a dangerous game to play in the Cataphract.

Moving on to RACs, I think they work best on the Bushwhacker P2 and X2. 55 tons is about the sweet spot for dual RAC 5s, and you can't beat the BSW at that weight. That said, you can fit a decent version of the build on the CPLT-K2.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Jan 21, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 21, 2018 23:45
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Buschmaki posted:

Did the srm ghost heat penalty use to be 3 and they upped it to 4 recently? I found out i could boat loads of srm6's on my BJ today and am wondering if i was underutilizing it's hardpoints this whole time

I think it was always four.

* # ¿ Jan 21, 2018 23:49
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 So, dual RAC 5s is the limit without hitting ghost heat, and their firing pattern is so unique that you don't want to mix other weapons much. That gives a very specific target weight of about 55-65 tons where anything less can't fit the build comfortably and anything more leads to the excess tonnage going to waste.

I already mentioned the Bushwhacker. The P2 and X2 can both do it, though I like the X2 a bit more for the higher base mobility. Basic build is: BSW-X2. If you're scared of the XL, you can drop the lasers and a heatsink for an LFE: BSW-X2.

Similar builds will fit into most of the 60 and 65-ton heavies, but I think the BSW does best.

Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Jan 22, 2018

* # ¿ Jan 22, 2018 02:09
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 Neh. Neh.

Don't waste one'a the best heroes in the game.

* # ¿ Jan 22, 2018 03:09
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Crazyeyes24 posted:

Skippy, for your list of good hero mechs in the OP, would it be worthwhile to include some builds for those? I know the BW is typically UAC5/AC5s for example.

Probably, but I set myself a limit of 16 builds for the recommendations section to keep the workload manageable. I want to keep the OP up to date, and that gets a lot harder if I have to retool dozens of builds every time the meta shifts a fraction.

* # ¿ Jan 22, 2018 03:24
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 That just makes more work because now everything needs curation. I also have severe doubts about keeping such an archive remotely up to date. Stuff like that tends to get abandoned real fast, and the effort to reward ratio isn't great either. There are, what, maybe two dozen goons who even play this game? And some of them are fully capable of building their own robits. Putting a ton of time into a build archive that's locked away on a paid forum and useful to only a handful of people sounds like a waste.

For us, I think the best option is for people to request builds and critiques on a case-by-case basis.

Ideally, Metamechs or something like it would be around and up to date, but it doesn't seem like anyone in the wider community is interested in handling that workload.

* # ¿ Jan 22, 2018 04:05
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

Pattonesque posted:

I think the best option there would just be general suggestions, like:

You'd think so, but it's shocking how quickly this balloons into an endless chain of if/then statements when you start having to justify things for the prospective new player. Hell, I could probably write a few hundred words on optimal consumable selection, and I don't even mention those in the OP. I prefer to keep things manageable, both from a workload perspective and for the presumptive newbie so they aren't swamped with esoterica from the word go.

* # ¿ Jan 22, 2018 04:28
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 MRMs maybe? I 'unno, an Atlas with only two missile hardpoints is a sad Atlas.

Eughh? AS7-D

* # ¿ Jan 22, 2018 04:43
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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 08:40
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Skippy McPants
Mar 19, 2009

 Wait, if you have an S why aren't you just driving that? The AS7-S is the go-to variant.

* # ¿ Jan 22, 2018 04:58
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