To diversify your skillset and be able to adapt to more situations?
Despite what some would have you believe around here, standing out in the open and having dps races is not really viable most of the time.
I diversified my skillset by finding other games, but I'll stick around just long enough to respond to your second sentence.
I try not to stay in the open more than necessary, but the short range on flak weapons (notably the Scout and Raider) precludes much use of cover unless I am with an actual team that understands concepts like unit cohesion; something that never happens. Not to mention that some maps really don't leave much choice; anything fast enough to go across the gaps between cover has too few HP to survive the journey, turning a twitch-fest into a camp-fest that just isn't worth the space on my hard drive. I don't like playing at either end of that spectrum, yet Hawken has zero in-between that I have seen in the 230 hours I've played.
With TTK vs A-class under a second, A-class is non-viable unless one has the finger speed of a South Korean Starcraft player to take advantage of their speed and 1.0-second Dodge, but I don't have that. C-class just doesn't have the speed to adapt to much of anything. The only viable mech I see left is Predator, a patient hunter that can easily avoid stand-up fights, but is totally outclassed if it's cover ever gets blown because it's inferior face-to-face. Of course, the Predator isn't exactly a skill-free mech as it requires a bit more map knowledge and learning the EOC those of median skill generally have; the type of skill that is often accompanied by an MMR notably above average.
Now I am off to where the balance is better, the top players less elitist, and I actually have fun playing even if I get my arse handed to me.
I might reinstall and give this game another chance in a few months to see if the new devs fixed things, but what I see now is a game that has no place for casual players because it's balanced for Esports-level play.
Still recovering from a neurological incident, spent a couple months learning how to walk without a cane,
figured I'd try a fast-paced game to see if I could get my reflexes back to where they were.
Garage:
A - Infiltrator, Reaper, Technician, Scout
B - Assault (x2), Predator, Raider
C - Brawler, Vanguard, Incinerator