I really should have given this article the title of "Mech Building, how to do it properly", because this is a factual piece rather than the fantasy you will read in other publications. Or if it is factual, you can rest easy in the knowledge that they are splashing their build strategy all over the player pages so you all know what to expect and can therefore work out how to counter them.
Seriously, I have just read an article about equipping a Nifthel, and I wondered what the author had been smoking.
A bill of 3575 Ferrite, 2731 Bioptic and 185 Niodes to equip a mech that you will have outgrown 5 levels after you purchase it because you will have access to the Oggun, widely agreed to be pound for pound one of the best mechs in the game.
And please note, not a single crystal in that build, even though you will have ten of them to equip. Far more by the time they have been relegated to 40 ton specialist duties.
So lets go back and look at some of those decisions.
Chassis: Hip Hopper Hips, Hip Shocks or Telemetry Kit. Not a crystal piece in sight.
Now from my budget pick (because I'm equipping 10 on a temporary basis), we will compare the closest equivalent on their list of possibles, the Hip Hopper Hips.
Stat wise, 12 dodge compared to 14. Around a 16% increase admittedly, but only 2 actual points of difference.
Cost wise, 246 Ferrite, 187 Bioptics and 34 Crystal vs 229 Ferrite, 250 Bioptics and 20 Niodes. The other stuff on their list was even more expensive.
I'm going to put this in perspective. I'm also going to assume that for an expendable mech, we aren't going to spend any actual money, nor are we in the lucky position of having access to videos.
To make budget for a Spinal Bracing piece, I can make 4 attacks on level 1 players which should give me the Biiptics and Ferrite needed. It's more of a surety than doing missions, even though missions does get you towards other stuff which is FREEEE! (love that word!). Enter a circuit fight, get 10 crystal and 2 niodes, hit 4 players and I have the crystal budget. 5 minutes tops and around 26 XP.
And I get 2 Niodes change.
Let's compare that to the Hip Hopper Hips. You still need to do missions or attacks to get the Ferrite
and Bioptics, but the Niodes are a problem. I need to enter 10 circuit fights and wait 14 to 15 days. For one equipment piece. Or level 4 times. Or enter and get bronze in a KotM. Those last two are going to gain more than any 26 experience points.
And lets face it, I could save on XP by (shock horror!) farming crystal from people on my friends list.
So let's get real shall we?
Crystal... don't overlook it.
Submitted by David McCallum #701548