The following is a list of hints and tips for newbie's to Mech Warrior 4.  While you will eventually learn these things on your own, by reading and learning these now you have all the more time to perfect your skills.

MAPS

Desert:

If you are in a desert map, I would not recommend energy weapons as they do produce mass amounts of heat, because of this your opponents will use ballistic weapons a lot, so Reactive type armor is a good idea, using weapons such as the Gauss Rifle, Light Gauss Rifle, and Heavy Gauss Rifle are a sure fire way to give yourself the biggest advantage, in a long range fight.

Water or Lake:

In maps where you will likely be fighting in water of some sort, energy weapons are highly recommended, as their high heat nature will not affect you much because you have the water to keep you cool.  most of your opponents will also know this and will bring energy weapons of their own, so Reflective armor is a must. Mechs such as the Novacat can carry many energy weapons and still have room for a few other weapons in its large Omni-hard point though it lacks essential armor.

Urban environments:

My personal specialty, infighting.  Ballistic weapons are highly recommended, Ferro Fibrous Armor, or Reactive armor is what I generally use.  Torso twist and strafe around your enemies, change which direction you circle them periodically so your not to easy to predict.  My favorite mech which I find invaluable when fighting in a city is the Cauldron Born.  Load it up with 2 clan LBX 20's, a Clan LRM 20, and a ER Large Laser and you have what I call the Mixer, a mix of short to long ranges that can tare your victims to shreds, this Mod also has nice speed and almost maximum armor. very effective in urban terrain.

When in Urban terrain remember how effective passive sensors can be, while you can't see much either, they can't see you giving you and your drop group the element of surprise if done correctly, though setting up effective ambushes can be difficult, and will usually be performed the the commanding officer of your team.  This doesn't mean you can't try, the only reason your commander is as good as he is, is because he practiced.

Weapons

LBX:

an LBX auto cannon is much like a shotgun, very effective at short ranges, an LBX auto cannon can tare enemy mechs to pieces, especially when used in numbers.

Large Lasers:

Large lasers, I, often use when I have 4 to 5 free tons, though they can do a good deal of damage, their hot, very hot, so I tend to stay away from numbers, though some warriors are characterized by using 4 or 5 ER Large Lasers into battle, this tactic is often seen as cheep, and a sign of an unskilled warrior.

PPC's:

Particle Projection Cannons, highly powerful bolts of lighting like energy, with 1000 meter range high damage, and high velocity, PPC's are awesome on a battle field.  They produce mass amounts of heat, though they are still often used, the gains out weigh the losses.

Med/small Lasers:

Medium and Small lasers have had an upgrade since Black Knight, that is why ER Medium lasers make excellent space fillers when you can't figure out what to put on a mech, nice damage for a quick recycle rate is what their all about.

Gauss Rifles:

A gauss rifle is a rail gun, it fires by using a series of electro magnets to accelerate a metal slug to tremendous velocities.  Starting with a Light Gauss Rifle, with a 1200 meter range, the Light Gauss Rifle is the longest ranged weapon in the game, and can pick mechs apart long before they get into a close range fight.  Next, the Gauss Rifle with a shorter range, but a heavier fire power, the Gauss Rifle is a workhorse in most Battle Mechs.   Finally, the Heavy Gauss Rifle, with a 600 Meter range and 18 points of damage, the Heavy Gauss Rifle is one of the most effective medium to long range weapons in the game a single shot can knock even heavy mechs off their feet.

Long Range Missiles (LRM's)

LRM's are another workhorse, a Clan LRM 20 weighing it at a mere 6 tons, with low heat, and very decent firepower used in numbers will dominate certain battle fields.  When a group of mechs moves together and one mech has a NARC Beacon, LRM's, or any missile for that matter become devastating, with no lock on required a target with a NARC is cannon fodder unless they happen to have an Anti-Missile System.

Medium Range Missiles (MRM's)

MRM's are powerful, very powerful and allowed to come together in groups as large as an MRM 40, but they can be easily dropped by a mech with an AMS system.

Short Range Missiles (SRM's)

SRM's come in packs of 2, 4, and 6, with a clan streak version that can lock, and track targets. with a lightning quick recycle rate, they make good weapons for putting constant pressure on an enemy, their downfall is a low rate of damage.

Thunderbolt Missiles:

Tbolts are a direct fire missile with awesome range, easily closing the gap between a huge canyon, and mech unlucky enough to be hit by one of these is sure to be critical in just a few shots.

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