Grinding XP on Mechs You Don't Intend to Keep

Just a quick and simple question - what are people's feelings on the DHS tax on 'Mechs that, once they are finished with basic pilot skills, you intend to sell out of your roster? Do you find a build that is tolerable? Run stock? Or do you suck it up and buy the DHS, knowing it's lost C-Bills?

 

I grind through chassis I don't like with the intention of getting through them as fast as possible. I have made approximately 500m so far in game so money hasn't really meant all that much. Time IS money. Spend it for the DHS and make yourself an effective part of the team.

 

70? I thought my 37 mechs was a little over the top... Of course, I fully build them all out (a lot of them multiple builds before I decide on one) and buy them all their own engines as well.

I agree with Michael on this - I'd rather enjoy the mech the best I can, which means giving it the best loadout you can, and just play a few more matches in it. 1.5m for DHS? That's ~15 matches or 2 hours of time. Big deal. This is a team game, don't be that guy.

I actually spent most of time this weekend playing the 29 mechs I'm not particularly fond of (compared to the 8 mechs I consider all out bruisers) at least once and while not 'perfect' they were fun for something different. Besides, today's nerf is tomorrow's buff and what could be your least favorite mech can turn out to be amazing. I HATED the kintaros with the CT size, but after the patch and the nerf to ppc's, I'm kinda enjoying them while pugging.

 

I was just thinking though - if you're the type to only have a very small number of mech bays, then I guess it makes sense to sell a lot of mechs. That's the only thing I can think of to want to actually SELL a mech and/or willfully providing it a less than optimal loadout. To that I say, mech bays aren't that much and everyone has to have $30 (21 mech bays + the 4 you get anyway) to support something they enjoy if they're turning over that many mechs.

 

Man, really easy to say when you have 37 or 80 mechs. But, I have 8 mechs right now (one which is currently being ground) and only about 6 million c-bills. 1.5 million c-bills is a *huge* expense for me. As is two hours of my time. I am 2/3rds of my way from grinding my Atlas to keep the only one of value, and then I want to pick up a Victor to add to my mechs. If I only want to keep one of each of those assaults, that's 4 sets of DHS on mechs I don't want. That's 6 million c-bills or 8 hours of my time. Phhhbbt. There's definitely a place for SHS builds based upon a stock chassis.

That being said, I think there IS value in putting up some grinding builds using stock chassis. I also don't think that it's outside the spirit of this site to host builds like that. There is a very diverse player base out there being a Free to Play game and all. I'll actually start things off and start to place those builds in the sections for the mechs I'm grinding through.

Interesting discussion to kick off a new subset of builds!

 

Hey, brotha, can I have $30 then? Another reason to sell mechs is that I want a certain playstyle for a mech and only certain chassis support it. For example, I like the BJ-1 and BJ-3 as they have JJs and have decent speed and carry a decent punch. The BJ-1X which I used to elite out the Blackjacks was also fun, but I decided that if I wanted a fast moving mech to deliver lasers that I preferred the Cicada-2A. Therefore, the BJ-1X got sold off for filling that role sub-optimally. Grinding out the CDA-2B and -3C to elite out the -2A it was totally not worth it to drop c-bills for DHS or Endo. Money is precious! It became a game in and of itself to find decent builds under the restriction of SHS.

 

I agree with Michael, if you are going to "Grind" it out do it as effectively as possible and it is always important to do your part within the team. DHS improve your survivability (Shutdown equals death) which means there is a better chance of winning the match and securing higher XP in return...thank goodness it isn't real money!

Mythweaver

 

I'm the same way with Trebs. I only kept the 7M for the better Missile hardpoints and JJ. Makes for a solid Medium.

 

I'm doing a guide right now called "You and Your Commando: Grinding like a Cheap Mofo"

Basically how to grind out 3 Commando quickly and easily and more importantly cheaply LOL

 

Well, I think it is nice to have DHS. I mean even though you don't like the mech and you are doing PUG, you are part of a team. You have your duty to do some reasonable combat in it. Weapons you can deck it out cause those you can get back later. Well, 1.5 mil is not too much anyways. It is an hour of work with a couple rotating heros.

 

I still buy all the bells and whistles even if I don't intend to keep the mech. It's just the cost to run and maintain the mech. And grinding through a mech you don't like without a halfways decend outfit just makes the whole experience all the more painful.

 

While I was under the impression that you had to unlock elite on ALL the mechs I bought all the bells and whistles.

now that I realise I only need to basic them out, it depends, spend 1.5mil on a 2mil mech that you only need to play for a few hours? If I can get away with it I will, it's not always possible though. And only really with lights.

sure no artemis on a grinding mech. no special engine....

maybe you don't have the cash for mech bays, but unless its a political/ethical objection, be aware you might regret your descision. I've sold a few mechs to get the bay back, and I've regretted it a few times...

 

Never sold a mech, not going to. 40 slots, 34 filled. The founders MC went a long way on getting mech bays. I buy mechs with CB's from the 2k+ games I've played, latest purchase was Cicadas. As for the DHS tax, yepp. Got them on every single one but to be honest, not a big deal for me as I collected most of them during my premium which was also coincidentally back when we got lots of CB to play with too.

Nowadays? I still think it is worth it, as I intend to play all to Master level. If I just wanted to elite one of them, sure, then things might be different. Playing a mech with SHS is a pain tho, I usually don't buy any until I have enough to go DHS and Endo from the start. Bought three vic's and kitted them out in one day (had a bit of savings).

 

More with Verger on this one. I rather use more ammo based weapons and have a nicer collection of weapons. ES is more relevant i think and usually nets you more. I have gotten DHS on some of my grind mechs, but not many. I'd rather remove a few weapons and add some standard HS than go DHS. This does make the mech less efficient, but it also teaches you more about the mech.

 

Is Master level worth it though? What do you get for being it at Master level other than an extra module slot?

 

that's it - just the module slot and the fact the mech is maxed out. It allows for Seismic, Sensor, + mech specific module, in my opinion since I refuse to use coolshot (or any cbill module).

 

I know the second I sell my catapults, I'm going to regret it.

Spending 1.5 mil to get DHS is expensive, getting a 'mech just to grind and sell it is even more expensive. I will not buy a 'mech unless it has 3 variants that I like. Simple as that.

 

hard to fight a light or even medium that has 3 "good" variants... Only so many hardpoint options when you're tonnage limited.

 

A variant doesn't have to be 'good' for me to like it, but it has to do something I find cool. There are certain 'bad' 'mechs that I have a weakness for, like the Hunchback, Dragon and Spider. And there are some 'good' 'mechs that I can't stand, like the Stalker and Jager.

Ultimately, this is a game and it should be fun. Don't torture yourself in your leisure time. Mechspecs has been a great resource in that respect. I stayed out of the Trebuchet, Highlander and Blackjack because I couldn't find builds I liked nor could I tweak them in a way that I found satisfying.