Thanks for the comprehensive reply...
I am building my modules and good parts at the moment, and finally got my mech working somewhat (around 60-70% win rate in arena)
For me personally, energy was a bigger problem. I could work around heat in PvP and campaign, but damn... I hate energy break. I wish I had non-energy using weapons.
Also, I'm not a buyer. I believe I got the power packs by converting legacy items around 2 years ago.