MA: which mech to max first?

I am torn. It is a very, very close call between Panther and Killshot. Killshot RM12 is the better earner for tournament points on a bunch of maps, but on several others maxing your KS doesn't make much of a difference. Panther RG16 by contrast is useful on every map and first mech to use on a bunch of maps. It is definitely an improvement over LG10+RG16 although it takes a little getting used to. But the downside is you can't split up your Railguns so if you lose your Panther, you don't have a good back up.

Honestly I think it is a tie. Because Killshot costs 1.5k less for you, I'll vote Killshot. But either works and with my hangar I maxed Panther first, Killshot second.

      I voted Panther, which is my only 6 pink star mech, with railguns. However Killshot is required for cpc matches and he is 6 yellow stars. However I like playing Brickhouse and he's levelled to 6.5.  It's fun to wade into a contested area and watch lightning guns try to quick kill him and he just doesn't die. Lol. Not right away anyway, 15 to 20 seconds or more? And he is firing back with Carbine 12. 😁

OK, I am switching my vote to Panther, especially if doubling your Railguns is factored into the cost. It's a all-around workhorse good for every map, so it'll be the most useful.

Also, I realized I got my Fei pilot the same time I maxed my Killshot which may have colored my impressions if it. Being able to dodge and get in close to drop mortars is really useful, but given you can put 2xRM12 on other mechs for now, getting a 32EN mech is probably the better move.

OK, how many points are you typically earning running the Guardian RM12 in tournament? Like average points and then the range too. My guess would be that Killshot ups the earnings some, likely not a ton on average but maybe a couple more of the high point games, but I am just guessing.

OK, so it's not quite apples to apples as I am running the Killshot RM12 as a first mech, but I am now usually in the 300-400 point range with a decent number of games in the 400 or 500s (and some below 300. That's with 5.5 RMs, a 5-star Fei pilot, an epic/purple radius implant at level 4, and level 3 rare/blue implants for damage and reload.

But again, I am dropping that mech straight off and playing it for the whole match. I have played against human players who using a stationary and well-hidden Guardian mech score similarly, so I am not sure that upgrading the Killshot adds that much in earning potential. It is the better RM platform when going up against human players (and way more fun to play) but overall I don't know. Maybe someone else has insight on this.

I would still go for doubling your RG16 first and maxing the Panther. Again it comes in handy regardless of what map you are playing. Also, if you drop it late in a game it can rack up 3-4 instakills as long as opponents are in view. That has turned around a lot of matches for me.