GUIDE Your first 4 Mechs - Cheap, Viable & Fast Elite for your first Chassis

Introduction:​

Many People ask me, which Mech(s) should be bought first as a Beginner in MWO for the 4 free Mechbays at the beginning and how to go Elite fast & cheap with the first chosen Mech.

I myself started in my MWO-career (with no assistance from veteran-players) with a Catapult CPLT-C1 followed by an Atlas AS7-D-DC, Cataphract CTF-4X and then a Stalker STK-5M. Due to the Reason, that I didn't know, that some of the Mechs actually needed expensive XL-Engines and Elite Level to show their full Potential in game, i really had it damn hard to get my C-Bills/XPs in the very beginning. Though I still had my fun.

If I could rewind the time, I would probably start with some other Mechs to save time and money. So i tried to resolve the question, which Mechs is best to fill the four free Mechbays. This Guide is dedicated to all the new MWO-Beginners.

The Demands:​

• Beginners-friendly Mechs - viable (upgraded) Loadout possible, maneuverable, looks cool
  
• Cheap! - e.g. should not need expensive XL Engine to be viable, viable Stockloadout
  
• Go Elite fast - One Mech/Chassis with three viable Variants, all meeting the first two requirements

Recommendation:​

• Mech-Chassis to start + go Elite: Hunchback
• Variants to go Elite: HBK-4H, HBK-4SP, HBK-4P
• Second Mech/4th Mechbay: Jagermech JM6-S

Reasoning:​

The Hunchback is a cheap, fast and very viable Mech for Beginners. Besides it is very popular, still among advanced players and he looks cool with that BFG on the shoulder. Speaking of the BFG - it is the strong point of the Hunchback having concentrated Firepower loaded in it for aggressive Punches, but hence it is also the weak point of the Hunchback - if you have bad luck, the Hunch gets destroyed very fast in combat making you lose most of your Firepower. Due to this problem, you should not load an XL-Engine into the Hunchback, but rather stick to Standard Engines - a destruction of the Hunch=Sidetorso would automatically lead to an Engine-Destruction=instant Death. Hence you can save a lot of Money!

As a Brawler the Hunchback can have problems to keep his Firepower after first engagements, but as a Firesupporter he is very viable and as such a very Beginners-friendly Mech - you could stay safely behind/beside the advanced players, watch how they play and add your Fire to theirs to get your Assistance XPs.

The three named Variants have good Stockloadouts, which you can use almost completely in the upgraded Version. Besides they are recommended as the best of the Hunchback-Variants due to their Weapon-Hardpoints. The HBK-4SP is a special Variant - no big Hunch with most of the Weapons in it. So it can keep much Firepower, even losing the right Sidetorso.

The Jagermech is a very powerful Mech, if upgraded correctly. The JM6-S is a very popular Variant due to its very versatile Weapon-Hardpoints - 4x Ballistic (arms) + 4x Energy (sidetorsos). You can load any Ballistic Weapon, while keeping high Firepower if losing the arms. The reason, why I chose this Mech as the 4th is simply because:

• very strong Firesupporter (similar Gameplay to the Hunchback)
• runs better with Standard Engine (save a lot money)
• Its Engine can be used with the Hunchbacks for very beautiful Builds - more Speed (Movement+Torso-Twisting), more Cool Efficiency = higher Survivability.

The Builds​

Mech #1: HBK-4H

Price: 3,646,484 C-Bills

Stockloadout:



Energy: 4x MLas, 1x SLas
Ballistic: 1x AC10
Ammo: 2 tons AC10.Ammo
Engine: STD200


Upgraded Loadout:



Energy: 5x MLas (4x Stock, buy 1x MLas C-Bills: 80,000)
Ballistic: 1x AC10 (Stock)
Upgrades: Endo-Steel (C-Bills: 500,000 ), Double Heatsinks (C-Bills: 1,500,000)
Heatsinks: 13 DHS in total (buy 5 DHS extra C-Bills: 60,000)
Ammo: 3 tons of AC10.Ammo (2x Stock, buy 1 extra ton C-Bills: 6,000)
Engine: STD200 (Stock)
Extras: AMS (buy AMS + 1 ton Ammo C-Bills: 202,000)
Armor: downgrade from 320 to 304
To Garage: 1x SLas

Costs: 2,348,000 C-Bills

Total Costs: 5,994,484​

Mech #2: JM6-S

(Note: We go for the JM6-S first, before Eliting the Hunchback, because you need the Engine for the other HBK-Variants, to save money. Besides you can try a new Mech at this moment already = more fun!)

Price: 5,201,918 C-Bills

Stockloadout:



Energy: 2x MLas
Ballistic: 2x AC5, 2x AC2
Ammo: 2 tons AC5.Ammo, 1 ton AC2.Ammo
Engine: STD260


Upgraded Loadout:



Energy: 4x MLas (2x Stock, buy 2x MLas C-Bills: 160,000)
Ballistic: 2x AC5 (Stock)
Upgrades: Endo-Steel (C-Bills: 650,000 ), Double Heatsinks (C-Bills: 1,500,000)
Heatsinks: 13 DHS in total (buy 3 DHS extra C-Bills: 36,000)
Ammo: 5 tons of AC5.Ammo (2x Stock, buy 3 extra tons C-Bills: 13,500)
Engine: STD260 (Stock)
Extras: AMS (buy AMS + 1 ton Ammo C-Bills: 202,000)
Armor: upgrade from 192 to 400
To Garage: 2x AC2 + 1x AC2.Ammo

Costs: 2,561,500 C-Bills

Total Costs: 7,763,418​

Mech #3: HBK-4SP

Price: 3,632,484 C-Bills

Stockloadout:



Energy: 4x MLas, 1x SLas
Missile: 2x SRM6
Ammo: 2 tons SRM.Ammo
Engine: STD200


Upgraded Loadout:



Energy: 5x MLas (4x Stock, buy 1x MLas C-Bills: 80,000)
Missile: 2x SRM6 (Stock)
Upgrades: Endo-Steel (C-Bills: 500,000 ), Double Heatsinks (C-Bills: 1,500,000)
Heatsinks: 14 DHS in total (buy 4 DHS extra C-Bills: 48,000)
Ammo: 2 tons of SRM.Ammo (Stock)
Engine: STD260 (get from other Mech e.g. Jagermech, sell STD200 C-Bills: - 613,300)
Extras: AMS (buy AMS + 1 ton Ammo C-Bills: 202,000)
Armor: downgrade from 320 to 304
To Garage: 1x SLas

(note: You can keep the STD200 if you like, but this Engine is rarely used for good builds)

Costs: 1,716,700 C-Bills

Total Costs: 5,349,184​

Mech #4: HBK-4P

Price: 3,594,484 C-Bills

Stockloadout:



Energy: 8x MLas, 1x SLas
Engine: STD200


Upgraded Loadout:



Energy: 9x MLas (8x Stock, buy 1x MLas C-Bills: 80,000)
Upgrades: Endo-Steel (C-Bills: 500,000 ), Double Heatsinks (C-Bills: 1,500,000)
Heatsinks: 17 DHS in total (buy 7 DHS extra C-Bills: 84,000)
Engine: STD260 (get from other Mech e.g. Jagermech, sell STD200 C-Bills: - 613,300)
Extras: AMS (buy AMS + 1 ton Ammo C-Bills: 202,000)
Armor: upgrade from 320 to 336
To Garage: 1x SLas

Costs: 1,752,700 C-Bills

Total Costs: 5,347,184​

Conclusion:​

Congratulations! You have filled your 4 free Mechbays with Beginners-Friendly Mechs, for Cheap Money, and having your first Mech going Elite. You could start with a very beginners-friendly gameplay as a Firesupporter and you have another very popular & viable Mech (+upgraded) from the Heavy-Class, meeting the first two requirements as well. From here on you can either start spending money for more Mechbays, or if you want to play 4 free you could chose & keep your favorite Hunchback-Variant, sell the other two (tip: keep the Weapons & Extras for your future Mechs) and go for Elite status on your Jagermech with the two freed Mechbays.

Have Fun & Good Luck!​

Blagg

p.s.: for further information about grinding on a budget i recommend to read this http://www.mechspecs.com/forum/index.php?topic=3425.0

 

Nice guide, though I'm sure many people will have a lot to say about starting with the Hunchbacks in favor of the Centurion.

I'm not sure I would automatically go with the JM6-S, but you could include it as an option along with the Catapults, which also have the STD260 engine.

My first mechs were the Commandoes, which I regretted as a huge waste of time (though at least now I have an elited 2D to show for it if I want to run ECM on the cheap). After that, I jumped up to the Hunchies, and started with a cheap 4P build (which I chose simply because it had no reload costs, and extremely low repair bills since it didn't have Endo).

 

I'd agree with OP here. Your typical zombie Cent A can build some very bad face hugging habits. You want all those lovely SRMs to hit, and as a newbie, you tend to not realize you are obstructing others' firing lanes.

 

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it and i would really like to agree with you. But i had to make a choice to meet the set requirements:

I made decision against the Centurion because it doesnt meet requirement #3. Yes, the CN9-A is a very excellent Mech, but the Centurion is neither a good choice for beginners-friendly gameplay nor to go Elite fast. The CN9-D would cost you 8,158,590 C-Bills already, before starting to invest into upgrades.

The Catapults are excellent Mechs as well, but doesnt meet requirement #2 - you need an expensive XL Engine to make them show full potential. The Jagermechs do run better with Standard Engines, so you can save a lot money for other Mechs first, before investing into XL Engines.

If you find other 4 Mechs to fill those 4 free Mechbays and fulfill the requirements, please feel free to show us. THX in Advance.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I agree with your guide to start with the Hunchies, and the 4H is probably the best bet since it is the most balanced, though I would never had thought of it. I got into a lot of trouble real fast trying to mix it up with the 4P and 4SP.

As for the 4th mech, you could opt for an indirect fire support build, with something along the lines of this CPLT-C1 at 8.4M Cbills, though yeah, the stock loadout is complete and utter garbage. You do get the added benefit of being able to practice using JJ's to move around the map.

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=12&l=074faef75c8225710b0bbf38d0a40f7f56d4c358


Or if you want to stick with direct fire and do it in the best looking mech in the game, you could try something like this CPLT-K2 at 8.0M Cbills.

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=19&l=3bfe3eaf3866abe4a8da01a91a2cf52df3342bbe

These aren't the best builds for their respective chassis, though they are definitely viable and can run with their XL counterparts.

I imagine you could also do something similar with the Kintaros, and you get a shiny STD275 to let the Hunchies run at top speed. Admittedly I do not own any, so can't really comment on their abilities using STD engines.

 

I love my Hunchback 4G, but the 4H is more versatile. At 50 tons, you're not going to use all 3 ballistic hardpoints.

 

WELL, NOW THAT RELOAD AND REPAIR ARE OUT newbies don't need to worry about those.
Commando was wonderful with the repair and reload.

Hunchie would be a decent start, too bad they don't have JJ... yet.
I would say Jenner also.

 

Hello!
I've started MWO few days ago and found your guide and decided to follow it. Now I'm at second mech (JM6-S) and I don't know what am I doing wrong. I can't build up armour to your specification. A also don't understand numbers of heatsink. I should put 13 DHS but I don't have that space. Can you suggest me what am I doing (understanding) wrong?

 

Hi Mate, i can't say what exactly you did wrong from seeing the pic. Have you unlocked the Upgrades Endo-Steel and Double Heatsinks? Maybe you try to rebuild your build with smurfy and post me the smurfy-link. Then i can tell you if you haven't found out yourself.

 

Thank you for your quick reply. I have Endo-steel and double heat sink equipped. I'll try to rebuild on smurfy's and post it.

 

I think that 2nd mech chassis should be ShadowHawk: Like Hunchie represents the well armed heavies and assaults, namely Phracts and Atlas, that also normally loose a lot of firepower when loosing the right-torso, Shadowhawk represents the flexible families, mechs able to be a fully LRM boat in one variant, a sniper in other and a close support in other, like Victors or Spiders. By contrast the Jager represent a family not so easy to use of specialized mech without arms, namely Catapults and Blackjack, that normally only shine in 1 of the battlefield roles.

I do think also that the weapon variation should be a little higher, this is, the -SP in MidRangeBrawler spec to learn the basics of LRMs, and the -P in a MidLongRange laser config, with at least 1 ER Large Laser.

Just my 2cents

 

Here it is. I hope I've put everything in correctly.
JM6-S-guide

 

The difference is Armour. When u enter in every part of the mech in the Loadout, there are 2 switchers up, with numbers. They represent the armour of that part of the mech. From Blagg spec to ur mech the only difference is 1 ton of armour

 

Yes, as a guide says I should have 400 armour. But I can't get to that number (only 368). Now I don't know what did I do wrong.

 

Hmm, from your smurfy-link i see you have a total of 14 Heatsinks (10 included in the Engine) and 1 free ton which you can use for the missing Armor.

 

@ Auriga
I will comment your suggestion for the ShadowHawk later. Let's help McMatt first.

 

Hm, so I have one DHS too much. I'll try.

...

Yes, that was it. I had one Heatsink too much. Do you have any suggestion about placement of weapons, ammo, and other stuff?

Here is corrected build:
JM6-S-2nd

 

I would suggest to put ammo in Legs instead Sidetorsos since people tend to shoot the Sidetorsos of the Jager first to check if it has an XL Engine. AMS Ammo in Head as it will burn out the slowest especially when the enemy team doesn't shoot any Missiles at you. Headshots are rarely done from my experience. Heatsinks all in Torso if possible as Critpadder and keep them together with your hottest weapons. If you feel uncomfortable with the Legs-Ammo you can put them in the Arms. Just open my original smurfy-link for comparison.

 

Can't find link. I'll try with your suggestion.

 

Here i have rebuilt it quickly:

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=67&l=f2d41b8fd1de9c066dbccf72e8f41037f3460dce

Tipp: Put the smurfy-link here in the texteditor within Smurfy-Brackets using the third-last Button in the Button-Row right above the smileys. Then the smurfy Box with the stats overview appears. In smurfy there is also an option to Copy the link within the brackets. In the smurfy-Box you can open the smurfy-link by clicking "View full loadout" in the right upper corner.