So it takes three mastered chassis per mech to unlock the module slots, so it's obviously beneficial to master three chassis before you move on to another mech type. So what's the best way to do it? Do you buy one mech, run the stock machine around until you get it mastered, then sell it and buy the next chassis, rinse and repeat? Do you kit out the new chassis to make it bearable to run, though it takes a lot longer to purchase the next chassis? I ask because I'm currently debating with myself what the better way to deal with it is. I have a Hunch4SP that I LOVE running. I picked up a 4P to start mastering it, but I just cannot STAND how bad it's stock configuration is. I just spend the 1.5mill to give it DHS, but I don't know if that was really the best option, since another Hunch is just ~3.8mil. Should I just stick to the base model and trade it in once I get enough XP? It'd be quicker that way to move on from one chassis to the next, but if I don't really LIKE the mech, should I spend the money to make it better in the hopes of it getting more enjoyable or just wait until I can afford the next and hope?
Generally I buy the variant I want the most first. I kit it out and pilot it until I can afford the next one. The XP I accumulate past basic is just a head start on elite later. If I want to keep the next variant I build it out and repeat. In the end I have a little bit of a head start on elite on all of them and essentially they all help pay for themselves in the process. The most convoluted path to mastery I ever took was through the light mechs. Started with the Jenner-D, my darling 'Jennerceptor D'. I got done with it's basic and bought the next 2 variants, selling each one when I was done with basic. Now I have elite unlocked on the Jenner D but no way to master yet. Then I repeated the same exact process with the Ravens and Spiders, keeping 1 variant of each. Upon completing elite of the last one I then had 3 elite lights and thus unlocked master on all 3 chassis at once. Personally I like all the Hunchbacks, own all of them and am almost done mastering the last 2.
My questions to you are these. What if you spend the time and money to outfit your 'Mech so you can be the best you can be in it; and it turns out you love it? What if you don't spend the money, slug it out, match after disappointing match and then sell it; never experiencing it's full potential? What if..........? I have done my best to outfit every 'Mech I have ever owned to it's fullest potential and sometimes I have hated the end result and sold the 'Mech at a serious loss in C-bills. Here's the thing though; I know I don't enjoy piloting any of those 'Mechs I sold without question. All of the Variants I've kept are outstandiing at what they do and are extremely fun to pilot. Lucky for you...here you are at MechSpecs.com. This is where I often came when I was stuck and unable to decide on a direction for my next 'Mech. Not every build I read suited me or my play style but alot of them did. While the ones I didn't like often gave me ideas for other 'Mechs down the road. My advice would be for you to outfit every variant to it's fullest and learn from there what you like or at least what works best for you. Alot of great designers have posted their builds here; take the time to read through the "mechs you are interested in and try a few out. You won't be disappointed. Most of all, have fun. Mythweaver
Mythweaver does have a point there. I have been through this scenario a couple of times I am ashamed to admit. Early on I was gravitating more towards mediums and heavies. I picked up a Cicada 2B, drove it about half a dozen matches and hated it so much I sold it. Same thing happened with the Centurion D a little later on. Time passed, my piloting skills developed and I found myself going to light and fast mechs. Suddenly I realized what I had been doing wrong with the Centurion D, repurchased it and loved it ever since. Later on I did the same thing with Cicadas, repurchased the 2B and realized what I was doing wrong. Then it was a totally different experience than the last time I owned it and I regretted selling it. Now I try not to sell mechs. Generally it isn't worth it since you are getting so little return on your initial investment. Now before I buy a mech or decide to work on a new chassis I spend a lot of time on Smurfy's mechlab editor before I ever spend a single C-Bill. This way I can decide what variants I may like and know how much money I will need. There are a lot of builds here and more popping up all the time. Certainly you can find some here that suits your needs and you find tolerable. If not just make a request and I am sure many of us here will see what we can come up with. I love building mechs and wouldn't mind helping. By the way, welcome to the forums!
Thanks guys. That's kind of how I was feeling. I didn't really like my SP at first either and got out of the game for a while. I came back for the heck of it and figured out how to play the SP and fell in love. I wasted my noob money on a CatK2 that I also don't really enjoy. Maybe I just need to be more patient and just try to have fun with the game and the chassis I try out.
There are a lot of resources for new players here at Mechspecs, the MW:O forums, and NGNG. There are some excellent reading material and videos to watch. The best advice I can give a new player is grab a headset, download teamspeak3 and find a MWO TS3 server to play on. No Guts No Galaxy would be a good first stop. Just hit their dropships and find a group to play with. Will learn a lot quicker in a group on coms than the slow-lo pug grind. I am generally always down for drops, drop me a PM sometime if you want a group.
The CPLT-K2 Catapult is my absolute favorite Heavy 'Mech. Dual ER PPC's and Dual Large Lasers for the win! Even the stock variant is great, you build it up with baby steps. Improve to ER PPC's, Upgrade to Med. Pulse etc... Bigger Lighter engine? Endo Steel? The options are endless. If I could make it do over 100KPH I wouldn't use any other 'Mech, but that's me. Myth.
I don't hate it per se... I just spent like 12mil on it for the xl and erppcs and ac/5s and it didn't immediately rock as much I hoped it might. I'm probably just playing it wrong honestly and I'm probably throwing the hate word around more than I should, but shrug...
The K2 is a reach out and touch someone kind of 'Mech. It's intended as a Direct Fire Support element for a mixed lance or as part of the support lance for a company. Do your best to avoid the Brawl, call for help from your fast movers etc..if you get into trouble. Try your best to use the terrain and buildings etc. as cover and move your torso and or position enough to spread the damage around. As Zero said we (Cause we usually drop together) are almost always up to a good fight and we like to help. Mythweaver.
As the designated test pilot for my unit I go through almost every new mech as its released. Normally I research to find which chassis will be the one I'd like the most, or the 'best'. I get that one and learn the basics of the mech itself and bank xp. I then buy the next one that seems like it might be something I'd keep and repeat. Finally I try to find either the cheapest for the last one, or the one that will suck the least. I try to grind them all they way up, and can usually get them through elite, but sometimes I have to resort to GXP to finish them off. I then sell the ones I didn't enjoy and master the ones I keep. As for the K2 I'm a fan of the 4PPC build. I love me some lightning bolts running around at over 80KPH with the torso twist of an owl.
For me? I buy the three most interesting variants and then I drop in each single one of them one after another. This keeps the experience flowing, makes the grind go by faster and constantly keeps GXP coming in. I pick which one I like out of those three and once I have reached master I sell the other two; although truth be told I do have 2 Centurions (the CN9-A and the CN9-AL) in my Mechbay right now because I love both of them for different reasons. I also have two Jenners, the JN7-D(F) and the JN7-F, cause I'm primarily known as being a Jenner pilot (I have since branched out). With with working full time at MechSpecs I will be purchasing mechs in blocks of threes and running my analysis and videos that way.
Just to clarify real quick... You have to go 8/8 Basic on 3 models in the chassis to unlock Elite on that chassis. You have to go 4/4 Elite on 3 models in the weight class (light/medium/heavy/assault) to unlock master. There is no requirement to master multiple models. This means you need 3 spiders basic to unlock elite on spiders, and 3 lights (i.e. Spider 5D, Raven 3L, and Death Knell) elited to unlock master on your 5D. I'm saying this assuming this is what the OP understands, just word selection might confuse some new readers. As to the question - I outfit them. I can pull the engine out of the model I want to keep, so that's fine. DHS is pretty much required for me to have any heat control, so it's worth the 1.5 mil. I figure I can either be frugal and it will be grindy, or I can outfit it the best I can and have fun. I prefer to have fun.
