MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
Product information
Type	Computer game
Development	Piranha Games
Publication information
Publisher	Piranha Games
First published	10 December 2019
MSRP	$29.99USD
Content
Era	Succession Wars era
Timeline	3015 - 3049
Series	MechWarrior (video games)
Preceded by	MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries

Developed on the back of the Free to Play Online Multiplayer MechWarrior Online, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (MW5) is a BattleTech-themed single-player simulation developed by Piranha Games. Originally developed as the first single player PC MechWarrior game in seventeen years, PGI would later initiate development for the XBox Series X|S and XBox One consoles, making it the first console BattleTech game since MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf in 2004 and the first console MechWarrior game since 1997's MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries was originally released for the PC on 10 December 2019 as an Epic Games Store exclusive title, with an enhanced version for PC via Steam and GoG and the XBox consoles released on May 27th 2021 alongside it's MechWarrior 5: Heroes of the Inner Sphere Expansion Pack.

Teaser Text

“

The year is 3015. Humanity has expanded to the stars, colonizing a vast region of space known as the Inner Sphere. Where the Star League once ruled in relative stability, generations of countless wars, alliances, and betrayals have divided the Inner Sphere into five distinct Successor States. These states, also known as the Great Houses, have fought and quarreled for centuries over the remnants of the Star League and control of the Inner Sphere. They are now in the midst of a Third Succession War, one which has been raging for almost 150 years. While the battlefields of the Inner Sphere burn with an array of devastating weaponry, none is more formidable than the BattleMech. These immense fighting machines, piloted by elite fighters known as MechWarriors, dominate the wars of the future with enough firepower to annihilate entire cities. In MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries you will adopt the role of a rookie MechWarrior pilot thrust into combat as the Third Succession War continues to fracture the Inner Sphere. Take contracts from the factions of your choosing and engage in tactical, first-person, PvE 'Mech combat through an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice. Victory, prestige, and profit will not only require skill on the battlefield, but in the acquisition, maintenance, and enhancement of your BattleMechs.

”

Gameplay

Like the previous entries in MechWarrior series, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a single player PVE BattleMech simulator game with the player piloting their own 'Mech and commanding the rest of their lance. The game does have the option of co-op play, with three friends of the host able to take the place of the AI pilots and assist the host progress the campaign or play instant action sessions. MechWarrrior 5 features no PVP aspects, with PGI specifically citing during development that PVP is well catered for in MechWarrior Online.

In the single player campaign, the player under takes mercenary contracts to earn C-Bills and salvage and to enhance their Reputation, the higher the Reputation the better the rewards and further into the storyline the player can progress. Contracts take the form of an infinite number of procedurally generated missions, minor side quests with higher rewards and the campaign missions which deal with the progression of the story. The player's unit is primarily employed by the various Great Houses though contracts for other smaller factions such as corporate entities and individuals are also offered on occasion. The player's unit has a Standing with every faction in the game, fighting for a faction gains Standing with them, against resulting in losing Standing, high level of Standing provides bonuses when negotiating with them or using their markets, poor Standing instead results in penalties. Each faction also consists of different units with 'Mechs common in one faction being rarely available if at all in another, reflected in both selection of buyable 'Mechs in their borders as well as the opposition encountered in missions.

Once the tutorial is completed the player has access to the Starmap encompassing the entire Inner Sphere, able to visit any world as they wish allowing for time and cost. Overlaid on the Starmap is regions with red outlines which reflect Conflict Zones where missions can be found, these are most prevalent on the borders between the Great Houses but may also be located in the interior regions. Each Conflict Zone has an indicated Reputation level as a sign of the level of reward and difficulty for the contracts within. Repairs and modifications both take longer and are more costly in these regions, with Conflict Zones also having greatly reduced selection of badly damaged 'Mechs and equipment to purchase and no pilots are available to hire. Outside of Conflict Zones are various industrial hubs, strings of worlds that feature better selections in the Market and pilots as well as less onerous repair times and costs. Worlds with rare items, such as LosTech equipment, a 'Mech uncommon to the faction or even Hero 'Mechs, are highlighted on the Starmap.

When viewing a Contract the player can see who the mission is for and against, weather and terrain, the expected opposition and difficulty. Contracts allow the player the negotiate for an increase on the base contract payout amount, a greater proportion of salvage or higher levels of damage insurance coverage. The base contract reward and the amount of negotiation points available is determined by both their overall Reputation and specific Standing with the faction offering the contract. Aside from the death of Commander Mason which instantly fails the missions, contracts can be aborted but will result in drop in both Standing and Reputation.

Mission Types

Mission types available in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries are:

Assassination - Assassination missions see the player hired to destroy a specific individual target or a series of targets such as a commander and the rest of his Lance. Such targets generally are highly skilled and feature powerful 'Mechs in good repair compared to both the player and the rest of the defending enemies. Once the required target or targets is defeated, the player must to head to their DropShip for extraction.

Defense - Defense missions see the player and their lance defending a small outpost against multiple waves of attacking enemies, with bonuses offered for preserving as much as the target as possible. Notably even unintentional damage inflicted by the player and his lance also impact the target's health bar. Defense missions conclude as soon as the final wave is defeated.

Demolition - The flip-side of Defense, Demolition missions see the player hired to destroy a base complex, normally defended by a mixture of 'Mechs and vehicles. Once the target's building and structures have been demolished the player must head towards their DropShip for extraction.

Raid - Raid missions see the player tasked with destroying specific structures such as fuel tanks or sensor towers located in small bases spread across the map. Each location will feature its own defense forces tasked purely to that target, once all the raid targets are destroyed the player can head to towards the DropShip for extraction.

Warzone - Warzone missions see the player hired to head to a specific nav point and destroy as many enemy targets as possible, encountering infinite waves of enemies, each successive wave stronger than the last. Once the required number of enemies have been defeated the player is free to head to their DropShip for extraction, but they can stay to continue destroying targets to earn bonus money at the risk of suffering increasing damage.

Multiple Mission Operation - Special contracts that require you to complete more than one of the mission types listed above consecutively in the same system, without the ability to wait and heal injured pilots or repair damaged 'Mechs, though this can be mitigated by maintaining a roster of both additional 'Mechs and pilots. While difficult, such contracts offer dramatic increases on both Reputation and Stranding gain with the faction offering the contract as well a cash bonus. Aborting any mission will fail the contract outright and impose a severe Reputation and Standing penalty.

High Reward Quest - Pre-scripted contracts based off the missions listed above, occasionally single missions but often multiple contracts, unlike Multiple Mission Operations these contracts do not need to be completed consecutively and generally will take place across multiple systems. Aside from increased C-Bill and Reputation rewards compared to standard contracts, many will additionally offer specific items such as large volume of equipment, rare items, pristine 'Mechs or even highly skilled pilots upon completion.

Campaign Mission - One-shot missions that specifically advance the story, while superficially resembling the standard missions they can they are entirely pre-scripted with enhanced and often unique map layouts, with much more difficulty opposition to defeat. Unlike standard contracts Campaign missions cannot be aborted, attempting to do so results in game over.

Plot

See also: MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Story

The player takes the role of a "Commander Mason", the only son of Nikolai Mason, commanding officer of Nik's Cavaliers, a small mercenary outfit whose home base is on the Federated Suns world of De Berry circa 3015. Having come of age and taking a rebuilt Centurion through its paces with his father, this training mission is interrupted by a surprise attack by a mysterious mercenary unit demanding information from Nikolai. Refusing to divulge the coordinates they seek, Nikolai orders his son to return to base and flee aboard the unit's Leopard-class DropShip, sacrificing his life to ensure their escape.

Reduced to just two Mechs, Mason and the survivors of the Cavaliers (Operations Officer Ryana Campbell and Chief Tech Fahad Arazad) reach out to Sebastian Spears, a high level agent of Interstellar Expeditions and a long-term friend of his father who provides assistance in escaping the system. Armed with a reused mercenary registration number to mask their origins, Commander Mason must rebuild his command to locate and defeat his enemies and avenge his father, against a mystery mercenary company that killed him.

Trailers

Original Trailer

In 2009, Smith and Tinker released a gameplay trailer for MechWarrior 5, featuring combat in 3015 on the planet Deshler. It is not known if any elements featured in the trailer will be included in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. (Transcript)

Second Trailer

The second trailer was teased during Mech_Con 2017. Showing what would be the dropship hanger and some gameplay.

Third Trailer

On December 2nd, 2018, a third trailer was shown at Mech_Con for Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries.

"We've taken you as far as we can. Death comes for us all, but for you; not today. High among the stars, rebuild and avenge us!"
- Voice from the trailer.

Launch Trailer

On December 5th, 2019, the launch trailer was released on Youtube.

Community Editions and Preorders

Prior to signing with Epic Games, Piranha Games offered preorders for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries from the MW5 website. Running from 1st January 2019 to 30th April 2019, these three Community Editions were primary focused on existing MechWarrior Online players and included steadily increasing volume of MWO content. As extra incentive to MWO Founders, the amount of MC provided at each tier was doubled. Towards the end of the Community Preorder as an extra incentive PGI offered additional MWO 'Mechs, pre-order before April 9th received the CPLT-C2 (S) Catapult, WHM-9D (S) Warhammer, MAD- 9M (S) Marauder, KGC-001 (S) King Crab, before received April 16th received the WHM-9D (S), MAD- 9M (S), KGC-001 (S), before April 23rd received the MAD- 9M (S), KGC-001 (S) and before April 30th to receive the KGC-001 (S).

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries - Privateer Standard Edition ($49.99USD)

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Content

• Digital copy of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
• Digital Game Manual
• "Instant Action" Closed Beta/Demo Access with Co-Op support
• Digital Soundtrack
• Access to the Official MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Discord Server for discussion, MW5 mod making and bi-monthly AMAs with PGI

MechWarrior Online Content

• Marauder II Standard Edition Pre-Order Pack
• 12,000 MC - Founders received 24,000 MC
• 30 days Active MWO Premium Time
• 72,800 GXP & 4.1 Million C-Bills
• MW5-themed Title, Badge, Decal, Cockpit standing Item, Warhorn item, Hanging Cockpit Item

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries - Warrior Collector's Community Edition ($79.99USD)

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Content Same content as Standard Edition plus:

• Exclusive MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries "Chloe's Cavaliers" Legendary Pattern
• MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Desktop Pack

MechWarrior Online Content

• Marauder II Collector's Edition Pre-Order Pack
• 20,000 MC - Founders received 40,000 MC
• 60 days Active MWO Premium Time
• 145,600 GXP & 8.2 Million C-Bills
• 2 MW5-themed Titles, Badges, Decals, Cockpit standing Items, Warhorn items, Hanging Cockpit Items

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries - Mercenary Ultimate Community Edition ($119.99USD)

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Content Same content as Collector's Edition plus:

• Exclusive MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries "Interstellar Expeditions" Legendary Pattern
• Digital Technical BattleMech Manual

MechWarrior Online Content

• Marauder II Ultimate Edition Pre-Order Pack
• 30,000 MC - Founders received 60,000 MC
• 90 days Active MWO Premium Time
• 291,200 GXP & 16.4 Million C-Bills
• 3 MW5-themed Titles, Badges, Decals and 9 Cockpit Standing Items, Warhorn items and Hanging Cockpit Items

After conclusion of the Community Edition preorder and becoming an Epic Games Store exclusive title, two pre-order options were offered, providing exclusively MW5 content only.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries - Standard Edition ($49.99USD)

• Digital copy of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
• Digital Game Manual

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries - Deluxe Edition ($59.99USD)

• Digital copy of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
• Digital Game Manual
• Digital Soundtrack
• MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Desktop Pack

MechWarrior 5: Heroes of the Inner Sphere Expansion Pack

Officially announced on 16 April 2020, Heroes of the Inner Sphere is the first DLC for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. The release date of the game's DLC has repeatedly slipped, originally being forecast for release in April 2020 immediately following the game's initial release in December 2019 before receiving a 10 December 2020 release date and eventually Spring 2021 following the announcement of the Xbox versions.[3]

The main significant addition with Heroes of the Inner Sphere is the inclusion of the new Career Mode. Rather than following the Campaign path, Career Mode allows the player to align with one of the five Successor States (Kurita, Davion, Liao, Marik, Steiner and the Free Rasalhague Republic) with a starting point and a selection of four free 'Mechs unique to that House or the ability to import a pre-existing Campaign save. While the campaign missions are included, the Expanded Inner Sphere starmap includes an additional eighteen new Conflict Zones and eleven new High Reward Quests. As well, the DLC adds in seven Hero 'Mech quests which see the player undertake a series of missions to locate and hunt down seven Hero 'Mechs to salvage for themselves.

Also introduced in both Career and Campaign modes is the concept of Career Paths, with the player able to visit Cantinas scattered across the Inner Sphere to find Jobs, with employers seeking the completion of specific tasks ranging from locating a specific 'Mech variant or weapon type, destroying a set number of a specific vehicle or finding a unique piece of salvage seeded in one of the missions in a conflict zone. Completion of Jobs earns progress in one of the five Career Reputations (Equipment Collector, 'Mech Collector, 'Mech Hunter, Treasure Hunter and War Dog) which unlocks quirks that enhance the abilities of your 'Mechs such enhanced sensor range, boosted speed and faster weapon cooldown/reloading.

Heroes of the Inner Sphere adds many features to the base game including a new extrasolar moon biome and a new mission type called Beachhead which sees the player tasked to clear the landing zone for a full planetary invasion while disrupting communications and avoiding artillery strikes. Air-strikes and artillery strikes are also now available to the player with the volume of them to be negotiated during the contract stage. 55 new 'Mech variants are added including seven new chassis (Charger, Hatamoto-Chi, Champion, Marauder II, Dervish, Corsair, Vulcan). A selection of new weapons and equipment is also added including Chemical Lasers, Short Burst Lasers, 'Mech Rifles, Stream fire SRMs, BA, ECM and EWECM, MASC and Superchargers.

External Links

• Official MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries website
• PCGamer interview with Russ Bullock, president of PGI
• Ars Technica's War Stories (Making of MechWarrior 5)
• Nexus Mods - MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries