A bit late, but:
- More armor. Get 75%+ in most cases.
- For weapons, try to at least go for a similar suite. Variance in weapons is useless early on.
- Useful weapons early on tend to be Medium Lasers, and any kind of missiles. If you must use a ballistic slot, try to go for AC/10 over AC/5, AC/2 never.
- Best mechs early on are Firestarters (for melee), or almost any medium mech (except the Cicada).
Helpful doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fnaqQv8nnYpy9gtQm75-D6fmYfNJ5u3OALSIe8ckOuo/