MA-Still here

       Go for it. But you might save a few dollars by just getting dual rg16s to rank 6 on a Panther rank 5 or 6. I have played most of my matches with that since getting it.  If it dies I put in the next best bot.  But variety is the spice of life. 

Since they haven't broken the paradigm of 3 weapon ENs per weapon, I'd say just wait for Arc 12.
The only relevant weapon EN numbers for max are 8,12,16 until they start making mechs with jank max EN.

I'm treating anything released at this point as optional. The resource sink for any new item is astronomical due to how BPs work. I'm going for Arc 12 for the set because I have the epic damage mod for it and the 12 fills out R5 mediums with the 6.

Having the 12 doubled just means up to 3 mechs can be deployed with full copies of Arcs , two lights with 10+6 and a medium with 24.
People that don't like Carbines can use Major as their 2nd arc pilot, 3rd if/when the legendary CQC pilot makes it into the game.

I'm just going to focus on the mechs I've listed, because they're already there and I have the BPs to get them close to R6 already. Filling out the heavy hitting weapon sets will be all I prioritize on the sunset trail.

It's hard to get excited for new stuff when we have to wait like 3 months to be able to purchase the damn things for less than $100.

Having the important core contenders means being able to hang in the upper MM, no matter what new crap comes out. The AI basically whaling out items the moment they're put into the UI is probably the worst of it.

Good to see you're still here Redfiend! I am impressed that you run LA Killshot. I never got the hang of that one. It's on my list to really try and master someday, but I want to get Maverick and the LA12s first. On the bps resource sink issue, Tengu is a good exception to that. It's only a rare mech and the bps pour in fast. Also cheap to buy. But you have quite a diverse hangar as is and it is a light mech so the upgrade costs are steep. I got one but it is at the back of the list for upgrading so I have no idea how good it is at R5, though usually that is when mechs start holding their own.

Personally I am ok with spending a bit more, as long as Plarium doesn't mess with the free in-game resources again. Looking to get the LA12 and Shotgun 8, and I will be interested to see how the vRPG16 performs when it comes out. Already got the AT12 but it'll be a little while before I can double it. If they keep offering the latest monthly calendar deal of 1k A-Coins and 69k Credits for $4.99, I'll probably keep getting it. It's just good enough on value and a low enough price point to win me over. I get those 5k implant scrap deals for $0.99 sometimes too.

I've been juggling a lot irl. I only get enough playtime in to complete the rotating weekly events, barely that most weeks.
I can justify one more lump purchase to do something like R6 all of my 12 EN weapons. Unless they add another layer like Pilots onto the game, floating at the top of R5 until I just can't find the time to play, is the way.

I've had the feeling the MM gets swung down with money spent to make the purchase ~feel~ more impactful then they actually are. A server wide sale pops up, or go too long without doling out doe, AI just goes full terminator while friendly AI can't hit 「dookie」.

That, and I've become sincerely disinterested in everything with the drip fed gatcha model.

Remember these companies are charging what we used to pay for full games, for a non-refundable currency on a non-refundable digital item that disappears with the company.

I don't think matchmaker takes spending into account. I've had it ramp up after purchases. Usually there seems to be no effect. My read is that it takes a while to adjust based on past wins. So for instance, right after pilots launched all the 3000sp players were stuck fighting against the spenders who rocketed up to 6000sp, but a month later they'd been separated out into different tiers. Maybe they have it programmed to ramp up at certain intervals or they just crank it up game-wide, idk, but there seems to be a mechanism over larger chunks of time. Weapon and pilot configurations on AI also factor in. Right after the latest update they switched the Zephyrs to 40m freeze radius (which sucked) for instance. I actually got to hand it to them on how they come up with some of these AI gear builds and disrupt the effectiveness of what I am running.

Myself I have more time to play. I am a slow riser, so I've subbed out the time I'd usually spend in bed in the morning interneting the news, etc, with grinding tournament instead. It generally works for me and allows me to get enough gear to R6 (and even some maxed mechs) while keeping my spending low.

Really it is only the recent spate of R3 weapon/mech deals that has raised the frequency of my spending, in part because so many are tied to recurring 300AC Specialization Spree events and to get a head start on collecting bps. Also the price is low. I don't just limit my spending overall, I am very averse to any deal over $10 or even $5. I like the "micro" in microtransactions. I don't understand why people buy gacha tokens at all. Matchmaker separates out players into overall tiers of hangar strength. Why spend a hundred bucks to get gear a few weeks earlier and be stuck playing against maxed hangars, just to spend more to keep up? But to each their own, I guess.

The accelerated release of legendary pilots and the coming of a 14EN weapon makes me suspect we are headed toward another power shift pretty soon. The model here seems to be to avoid nerfing gear but instead raise the ceiling instead. Previously the bigger game economy changes seem to have happened in December/January but it feels like it could be sooner than that at the pace they are going.

I tend to snipe on the move. Always pacing and twitching, etc. Panther's speed works just right for me on that. It's been a while since I tried Killshot as a sniper but from what I remember the footwork just didn't feel right to me. It moved a little too quick and too far for my sense of timing. Honestly I didn't put too much time into trying it. I'm sure if I did it'll feel start to feel natural. I might make that a project once I get the firepower to make it worthwhile.

I play very, very aggressively. I don't like games with human combatants, but going ham in games like this is A-Okay. It's really the only reason I put up with the money shenenagins.

drive.google.com/file/d/1D-wEVKgvwIlyHDdDEDwIENy2g2-LRFht/view?usp=drivesdk

I like to play aggressively as much as I can too.

Can't get the vid to play :-( Probably my browser settings, seems like it works for others.