Mec versus Gene Mod??

[Wise Joe]

I know it has been asked several times which is better. So, here are my results so far:

The order of the numbers are "Num of Missions/Effectiveness". Effectiveness is number of kills divided by number of missions. The higher the Effectiveness number the more kills they have scored.

Team A (meaning these usually always go on a mission together unless someone is in the hospital and I have to fill in, etc.. So, these should be pretty comparabile.)

Mec Col: Heavy converted before Captain: 28/1.9643
Non-Gene Assualt Col: Shotgun: 25/1.8800
Gene Assault Col: Rifle: 28/1.5000
Gene Support Col: 27/1.5185
Mec Col: Sniper converted at Colonel: 27/2.3704

Other classes that have supplemented Team A at different times:

Gene Heavy Maj: 14/1.5714
Gene Sniper Col: 19/2.4737
Alloy Shiv: Goliath-1: 4/2.5000 (Probably because I don't care if it dies so I am aggresively moving it forward and shooting everything in sight. It always spends time in the repair shop after a mission it is on.)

The heavy Mec uses a Flamethrower, Gernade Launcher, Mine Launcher rig.
The sniper Mec uses a Kinetic Strike, Restorative Mist, Electric Pulse rig.

But, I wouldn't count the Mec Heavy out too much, becuase I use him more for utility than anything else. And since the game doesn't count "assists" I was keeping track of how many times he destroyed cover or AOE a group to the edge of death, setting up the kills for the rest of the team.

I don't know if that helps anyone make any decisions at all, but there you have it for your consumption and pondering. :-)

[Simon Knight]

I was pretty dissapointed by the MECs and probably won't ever use them again. My assaults had almost the same amount of HPs as a Paladin MEC, and have a lot more strategic options available to them then a MEC. The only thing that was good about the MECs was the electro pulse against sectopods.

[GrimyBunyip]

It really depends on playstyle, but I think MEC's are very clearly superior to gene mods if you're talking about which ones enables you to deal with the worst situations.

You can just make a tanking MEC and just outlast any set of enemies. Whereas with mimetic skin, you're kinda relying on being able to burst down the aliens after you engage. Which works most of the time, but if you get into a nasty spot with sectopods or if you're increasing the number of aliens with mods, it won't really cut it.

Also there's always a small chance aliens will break any form of cloaking. Whereas you can guarantee a tanking MEC won't die for the next X amount of hits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBVQNwmAypE

[DashThrowing]

My MEC has over 130 kills in just over 40 missions, while I rotate the other soldiers. It's hard to train 6 Psi soldiers at once, though.

[sakolnliza]

Wow, loved your vid morion, lots and lots of action. Was fun to watch. Thanks.

[DashThrowing]

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=216440332

[Mister Veeg]

MEC is a wrecking machine for a good chunk of the game. Especially if you pick up foundry projects to make 'em better (close combat/jellied elerium/alien grenades, especially)

Memetic skin...makes you unable to equip the best armor in the game, although it's available significantly earlier.

about the only real 'winner' for genemods is the anti-psi mods and adrenaline surge. Those you can't duplicate with loadout.

[Stardustfire]

why Alien grenades? the grenade launcher is a stupid choise for MEC, the alternative is unrivaled better.

[GrimyBunyip]

IMO the alien grenades project is the most important project aside from tactical rigging. (which I get mostly so I can carry more alien grenades)

One use is with Grenadier. It boosts the damage to 6, which 1 shots floaters and thin men on impossible. Which is godly if you get your first alien grenade mid april by capturing the first slingshot muton.

after that the project lets you stock your B team with 2 grenades each. A squaddie with 2 alien grenades is much deadlier than one with 1 grenade and a scope, since their aim is so bad at low levels. The alien grenades let you farm out a ton of kills to low ranking soldiers much more quickly, and not be forced to give as many kills to any colonels.
Bg early May, when you finish the project, your original A team of 5 or so soldiers has probably reached Colonel rank, and it's time to bench them, of at least most of them.

I use restorative mist on absorption field/damage control MECs so they can tank a few more sectopos heat cannons in the late game, but grenade launcher demolishes anything before sectopods/muton elites.

I mean it's basically 3 extra rockets that deal 1 less damage but can be shot after moving and never miss. That's game breakingly godly when your only opposition are still mutons/cyberdiscs/thin men and floaters.

[Stardustfire]

when i have a Heavy who already got the choise of grenadier he get a scope so he can hit something with his mainweapon. when im fare enove to get to uise Alien grenades i already dont need them anymore, and to coem back to the starting point where u spoke about Alien grenade importatn for MEC, i still wait for a explanation what makes them good for MECs, liek sayed before: Launcher useless choise. Even the "u onehit Thins with it" isnt a exuse because when u have T2 MECs at that point u have Laser too, and a T1 MEC with Fist already onehit even Mutons, so what?

[Mirage]

Hi guys, What I think is thak MEC are expensive to build but it is worth it. The granade luncher and mine lucher are good and using the healing gas on your teammates when they are hiding behind MEC with this special power of being a high cover

[Burusagi]

Why not Zoidbe- I mean both?

As for the Grenade Launcher - combined with Collateral Damage it makes your MEC a cover-munching monster!

[Black-Two-]

After getting Army of Four, my opinion is that Mimetic Skin and Neural Feedback are way better than anything MECs have to offer.

[Compass]

The Grenade Launcher also throws grenades beyond LOS, so if you get a Mimetic Skin or Battle Scanner within range of a group of lighter mobs, TRI-TRI-TRIPLE KILL.

[Warmonger]

MECs just don't compare favorably with gene modded troops. For the same type of troop, the gene modded human will have better aim, the ability to use cover, become invisible and have the opportunity to become psionic.

Hit points will be comparable once you get Titan. Mobility, except in the assault class, will be better for the gene modded trooper too.

MECs have the edge in that they can carry more explosive ordnance, but little else. Also, you can fully gene mod three troopers with muscle fiber, optics, mimetic & adrenaline glands for the same amount of melt you would use in a single fully upgraded MEC.

[ARi0S]

Originally posted by Warmonger:

MECs just don't compare favorably with gene modded troops. For the same type of troop, the gene modded human will have better aim, the ability to use cover, become invisible and have the opportunity to become psionic.

Hit points will be comparable once you get Titan. Mobility, except in the assault class, will be better for the gene modded trooper too.

MECs have the edge in that they can carry more explosive ordnance, but little else. Also, you can fully gene mod three troopers with muscle fiber, optics, mimetic & adrenaline glands for the same amount of melt you would use in a single fully upgraded MEC.

If you have a vanilla, unmodded trooper (or even a modded one, but that's a waste of MELD) become a MEC trooper, they keep their stats, so if you do so with a Colonel, they have the same aim, except for Heavies if you do it before Captain, then their aim will be better.

Sure they don't use cover, but they get other bonuses, or god forbid, you keep them out of LoS.

MECs do have better base health once you go to the final stage of the game.

Colonel assaults in Titan get 9(base)+10(titan)+4(extra conditioning) =23 hp.
Colonel MEC in a Paladin gets 9(base except sniper colonel then MEC)+16 (Paladin) = 25 (24 for snipers from a sniper colonel) Nevermind their perks to tank damage like nothing else.

Mobility is actually better for MECs if you give them Kinetic Strike or Advanced Servomotors, give them both and they'll run almost as far as a sprinting Assault, Jetboots=Muscle Fiber Density

And sorry to say, your math is wrong, your recommended Gmods are 75 MELD each, that's 150 MELD for two, 20 less MELD than your first MEC [10+40+60+100-40=170]

All for the price of not being able to use cover, sounds good to me.