Take command of your own mercenary outfit of ‘Mechs and the MechWarriors that pilot them, struggling to stay afloat as you find yourself drawn into a brutal interstellar civil war.
Mechwarrior Skill Builds
Some combinations of skills work better together than others.
Same goes for the abilities and these 2 don’t always go together.
Like Piloting improving your melee hit chance, but Juggernaut, a melee orientated ability, being in Guts. Or the benefits of tactics being great for Fire Support Mechs while the abilites themselves benefitting mostly Light Mechs. Of course you could make a light fire support mech, but it wouldn’t really excel in either task.
Here’s a quick rundown of the Ability Combos:
Recon / Scout
Piloting + Tactics
[-/8/-/5] & [-/5/-/8]
This combination works well for light Mechs. As the Mechwarrior titles imply, these skills offer the abilities most beneficial for scouting. Both masteries are valid here. Recon is easier to train, but Scout offers more utility late game. Both excel at melee.
Skirmisher / Flanker
Gunnery + Piloting
[8/5/-/-] & [5/8/-/-]
Here we have another good light mech pilot, but even better for the more mobile mechs among the mediums. As the name implies, this class is about flanking and harassing the larger enemy mechs and dealing with the enemy scouts. Either class works. With some extra Tactics Skirmisher makes a decent Fire Support.
Lancer / Gladiator
Gunnery + Guts
[8/-/5/-] & [5/-/8/-]
This is your standard heavy/assault mech pilot. Especially the Lancer. Get them to a good spot and fire away, letting your guarded status and armor take the hits. The Gladiator is more melee orientated and the Juggernaut skill is quite weak. So the Lancer is clearly superior. And with extra Tactics the Lancer is possibly the best Fire Support pilot.
Brawler / Outrider
Guts + Piloting
[-/5/8/-] & [-/8/5/-]
For the Melee Mech with tons of support weapons, this combination offers the best benefits. Especially with mobile mechs. The brawler can knock enemies down in initiative, more so if they score a knockdown too. The reverse of this class, Outrider is rather terrible at melee since Ace Pilot only applies to shooting. It is a very flexible class however with strong defensive abilities.
Sharpshooter / Stiker
Gunnery + Tactics
[8/-/-/5] & [5/-/-/8]
Again the class name is pretty descriptive, at least for the Sharpshooter. Striker refers to first strikes. This is the Mechwarrior for your Fire Support Mechs armed with LRMS, or other long range weaponry. However you’ll probably do better with a lancer or a skirmisher that has some extra tactics. That’s because you can’t use the Sensor Lock and attack with the same Mech.
Sentinel / Vanguard
Guts + Tactics
[-/-/8/5] & [-/-/5/8]
Avoid this combination early game. Tactics takes a lot of investment and only shows its value late game. And even then the Sentinel is literally the worst. Vanguard however might be the best class late game depending on your tactics.