Your upgrade path...

[VicVegas84]

This can be map dependent or just in general.

Typically I start with Uller A but may go with a Uller B or Harasser C with BA ppc and c8.

Secondly I will take an Oro B or A or a random Puma or cougar variant. I feel this is a weak area for mechs.

Third I will take a Scat 1 or Partisan B.

Fourth I take a demolisher A or Prime.

Fifth I most often take a Vulture A or Warhammer C.

Sixth I often continue to take Vulture A but may take a Madcat B.

Seventh I take a Awesome A or B

Eighth I take a Mauler prime or B/C

Ninth I take Atlas C or Madcat mk2 B

[Temphage]

Raven C -> Scat A / Scat B -> Scat A / Scat B -> Scat A / Scat B -> Scat A / Scat B -> Scat A / Scat B -> Maybe a Timberwolf or Mk2 if I'm feeling frisky.

[Profane Arbiter]

- I'll start out typically with the pulse laser Uller, the beam lasers Owens, or sometimes the LRM Partisan with portable PPC, depending on the map and my mood.

- Next I'll either get the Beam laser/ machine gun Puma, or the LRM and jump jets Cougar

- After that, I'll get a Hollander with heavy gauss, or a scat withPPC/ gauss and jump jets, or the UAC scat with masc

- the next level sees me get the only tanks I'll typically play with. If I'm going AA then a Huit or if I'm fighting on the ground then the 2 gauss demolisher or 2 UAC20 demolisher

- The next step puts me into a vulture typically, either with 2 gauss, streak srm6's, or 4 lrm20s. I'll occasioanlly mix it up and go with and arrow 4 carapult, or a warhammer

- next I'll get a madcat, either the laser and gauss one, or the LBX/SSRM/ Flamer

- the next vehicle of choice is the Awesome, with 6 beam lasers or with PPC's (which I enjoy chain firing, particularly at night).

- next i go with the Mauler, either with 2 gauss and 2 lrm15, or with the 2 UAC20's with SSRMs and flamers

- At the level of Khan, I'll usually go with a mk2, either with jump jets, LRMS/gauss/ and ER medium lasers, or with 4 lbx20's. I'll sometimes get the Atlas with heavy gauss, or the one with autocannons, but because it's so easy to headshot, I'll avoid this mech against knowledgeable opponents.

For the record I don't understand players who start out with the Harasser. It's dirt cheap, but has crappy weapons, paper thin armor, and speed that isn't all that much better (and sometimes worse) than other light mechs. I 1 shot them from full health with most of my own ride selections more powerful than a Puma/ cougar. The only value I see is to get a BA into the fight faster, and  it's cheap enough to allow that BA to first buy their key equipment like portable PPC and C8..

[7.[WD]Ragor]

For the record I don't understand players who start out with the Harasser. It's dirt cheap, but has crappy weapons, paper thin armor, and speed that isn't all that much better (and sometimes worse) than other light mechs. I 1 shot them from full health with most of my own ride selections more powerful than a Puma/ cougar. The only value I see is to get a BA into the fight faster, and  it's cheap enough to allow that BA to first buy their key equipment like portable PPC and C8..

Harasser are great in a group of 3+, all equipped with the light gauss and 2 MG.

My usual list: Raven C -> ShadowCat A  (-> Marshes: Warhammer B or C) -> Awesome C -> MadCat MKII B ( -> MadCat C [the C is great in lategame to hunt down the slow Mauler and Atlas])
(But often I stay with my Raven C to the end and offer my c-bills to the team)

[Friedrich Psitalon]

Partisan C > Oro "Flamer" > Puma B > Hollander C > Demolisher A > Vulture A > Madcat A > Atlas B

I lob missiles at all the Harassers and speedy-circling mechs, then upgrade to a hug-and-burn Oro, then the PPC Puma (I think I got the right one? the 29500 longrange) then go to the Gauss Hollander, Double-Gauss Demolisher, Double-Gauss Vulture, then I switch back to a closerange vessel in the Madcat, and finally end up in the Heavy Gauss/PPC/LRM Atlas.

My computer struggles once I get into swirling melees, so it's either "hump a leg" or "stay at extreme range" for me.

[~SJ~ Blhurr]

Uller w/Gauss.
Puma w/LBX20
Scat w/CGauss
Madcat w/LBX20

And that's pretty much it. I don't really like lasers!

[(TLL)Frosted]

Recently I like to go BA and grab a ride from some light mech.

When I reach warrior rank I get cougar C the one with the narcs for the rest of the match while giving the rest of my money to my team.

[(TLL)CapperDeluxe]

I prefer to change things up based on the map and other factors rather than always take the same upgrade path.  For instance on clearcut/sandblasted if I start the game with everyone else at Cadet, then I'll go with the Uller with the lasers. 

However, if I join clearcut/sandblasted and I start the game after its already been in play for about 20+ minutes with mostly medium and heavy mechs running around already, then I'll start with the Owens with ELRMS so I can safely ping em from a distance and not worry as much about them being able to dodge my LRMs.  I found it almost useless to take a vehicle with LRMs while everyone is in light mechs since they can dodge most missiles and close distance within 300m very fast. 

On the other hand on marshes I find LRMs aren't as useful until you can get either the LRM puma/cougar/vulture so the laser Uller is almost always my first choice regardless of the enemy levels.

[(TLL)Sky_walker]

Yep,
that's true - pick of mech should depend on map - while on one the long-range mechs have advantage, on other the brawlers rule.
I don't have any working patch like the VicVegas84 does - I jump in to the unit I find best to counterpart enemy, that's my only key to victory.

[KingLeerUK]

Hawkmoth A / Hawkmoth C
{
do until... C-Bills = 60,000
}
request 2,000 from team
 = Shiva Time

[Friedrich Psitalon]

It might be interesting to restate this thread in different threads:

"Upgrade path on this or that map."

Mine was based on my preferred map, Clearcut, which is relatively temperature-neutral. What I take on Inferno is very different, and Marshes as well.

(I go on the assumption that the water of Marshes aids cooling, while I know lasers are bad on Inferno. Heh.)

[Freakazoid]

I like missleboats, but only allow myself to boat on clearcut unless I'm doing really bad. I start out in an owens A until I can afford a catapult B and use that for the rest of the match.

Most other maps I start with uller A or one of the harassers (lately C). I don't usually stick to one upgrade path, but I commonly grab a partisan B, then a demolisher A, then any heavy/assault I can afford or feel like.

I rarely bother with aero/vtol because of how erratic they handle.

[DFDelta]

Depends on the map and the experiences i made with the players that are currently on the enemy team.

Most likely I'll start in a L-Gauss Harasser (best early AA Unit imho), a Raven or a fully geared BA

Next would be Adder Prime or some Oro-Variant until I can get my hands on a SCat or Huit.
(or I'm staying BA if I get the feeling no one in the enemy team is good at fighting them)

Once I get my Mad Dog Prime I'm done upgrading and all excess money will be donated.

(Usually I'd prefer IS-Tech (especially Steiner Stuff  ) but most of my favorite IS Units are not ingame yet or not even planned  )

[Raptor Khatib]

I'm pretty much the same way as DF delta. On map like inferno though I will break out the Madcat MK II C just for breaking the battle lines wide open. I sometimes use the Timberwolf but until the LAMS and AMS get in I don't use it alot because of it being a target for the LRM boats from one end of the map to the other.

[=KoS= Saber15]

Harasser C, or Uller with the Large laser and LBX5
Partisan B, Oro C, or Puma with 6 MBLs
Demolisher Prime/Huit B
Awesome with 6 LBLs
Mauler with 2 UAC20s and 4 flamers

The vehicles I spawn differ per map; I rarely use the laser boats on Inferno or Extremity (unless there is a ton of BAs), and rarely use ballistics boats on huge maps (Extremity). Often I just stop at the Demolisher Prime, because it's just so damn awesome; people go for mechs before you, you're a small target, and your guns do a crapton of damage.