Just started out, any tips for starter Mechs? good weapons etc....
So far i've been getting destroyed but still enjoy it.
Weapons
This is my opinion on weapons, in no particular order within each tier:
Good weapons
* PPC (best weapon in the game right now, but PPC boating will surely get nerfed somehow)
* ERPPC
* Gauss
* Large laser
* Medium laser
* AC/20
* SSRM2 (right now they always target CT, but they are going to get nerfed to have an equal chance of targeting side torsos)
* LRMs (if you have teammates spotting and your team brings a bunch of them)
OK weapons
* ER large laser
* Small laser
* Small pulse laser
* UAC/5 if you can bring at least three of them
* AC/10
* LRMs (if you have teammates spotting but your team cannot mass a bunch of them)
* Machine guns (only if you can boat at least 4)
Bad weapons
* SRMs (not enough damage, but PGI's acknowledged they're a high priority for balance tweaks)
* Large pulse laser (poor range, poor heat efficiency, not enough beam duration reduction, weighs too much)
* Medium pulse laser (same)
* Machine gun (if you have < 4)
* Flamer (suicidal and low payoff)
* LRMs (if you have no one spotting for you)
* AC/2 (requires you to stare at your target for too long to deal damage and doesn't have the DPS payoff of UAC/5s)
* AC/5 (same)
* LBX-10 (low damage)
Light and medium mechs:
Here are some strong builds for all skill levels:
Jenner F with 5x ML. My favorite mech and the best light for killing heavier mechs. Can go toe to toe with assaults in the hands of a good pilot. This particular build is very heat efficient--the more common 6x ML build sacrifices a lot of heat efficiency for a bigger alpha (but lower sustained DPS). Very fun in both a hit-and-run and circle strafing capacity. Not the greatest against other lights because of its reliance on lasers.
Jenner D with 4x ML, 2x SSRM2, BAP. The best anti-light light in the game. Shoot your Streaks to cool off when your heat is high. Excellent for capping on Conquest because of how well it duels other lights.
Raven 3L with 3x ML, 2x SSRM2, ECM. A pretty good anti-light mech, and it carries ECM which is very useful for protecting your team and covering a flanking action against uncoordinated pubbies. Does not have JJ and the legs are easy to destroy so it is not as strong in combat as the Jenners.
Blackjack 1x with 8x ML. Big damage in a small package, but poor heat efficiency. It'll teach you heat management for sure. Pretty fast too, faster than the Hunchback 4P. I prefer standard engines in these because Blackjacks with XLs are very fragile.
Centurion AL with 3x LL. EXTREMELY durable due to the Centurion's fantastic hitboxes (more durable than everything short of a Stalker if played right. Yes, they can survive longer than Atlases.). 3X LL gives you a decent short and midrange punch. This mech will teach you how to torso twist to spread damage over your body. Use your left arm as a shield to absorb fire and protect your right arm with the two lasers. The other Centurions are underwhelming right now because SRMs are weak but they should be strong again when SRMs come back.
Hunchback 4P with 9x ML (I think this is still available as a trial mech). Similar to the Blackjack 1X with better heat efficiency and a bigger alpha at the expense of 16 kph speed. Six of your lasers are in your hunch and everyone will try to target it so try to protect it by keeping your left side toward your enemy while you're cooling down.
Avoid Spiders if you're a beginner since they have a high skill cap and pretty low reward. Avoid Commandos entirely since they don't do anything better than the other lights. I don't know anything about Cicadas and Trebs so maybe someone can share a build with you for those mechs.
For heavy and assault mechs please see
this post.
General tips on mech building
Frankenmechs (mechs with lots of different weapon systems and ranges) are typically bad. Pick a range and dominate it.
Avoid putting ammo in your torso sections if you can. I find CASE unnecessary most of the time but it might be a good idea if you have a lot of ammo in a torso section.
DHS should be placed in sections with lots of weapons to absorb critical hits and make your weapons less likely to be destroyed. Only use the engine DHS slots if you have no space.
Always use BAP with Streaks if you can, otherwise you will be unable to fire them at ECM mechs unless someone else is cancelling out the enemy ECM.
When stripping armor to save weight, go in this order: arms without weapons, head, legs (if not a light). Never strip armor from CT. Never strip armor from legs on a light, your legs are your life and you cannot protect them by torso twisting.
Categorically avoid XL engines in the following mechs: Hunchback, Centurion, Stalker, Atlas. These mechs see a huge survivability increase by taking standard engines due to their hitboxes (small CTs and everyone targets your hunch in a Hunchback). XLs are fair game in everything else.
Always bring ECM and JJs if your mech can equip them. 1 JJ is enough unless you plan to poptart snipe.
As far as modules go, the advanced seismic sensor is incredibly overpowered and is a must-have on every mech right now. The difference between seismic and no seismic is night and day. PGI has said they're going to nerf it, but with no details and no timeline it is still totally worth getting because you are at such a huge disadvantage without it. Coolant flush (unless your mech never overheats), target information gathering, target decay (for LRM and SSRM users) and sensor range (for snipers) are also good though not as powerful as seismic. Avoid the zoom module, all it does is give you a small grainy zoomed in picture-in-picture in the middle of your HUD.
