A Beginner’s Guide to MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries

After almost 20 years, a new single-player title in the MechWarrior franchise exists. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a tank-like mech shooting game that forces players to manage a squadron, or “Lance”, of other mech pilots to complete various missions and contracts. The game starts off as a single-player only experience, but after a couple missions, a cooperative campaign becomes available.

Players use mechs to destroy enemy mechs, tanks, aircraft, and all sorts of buildings. The game has a variety of customization options, from many variants of the iconic and unique mechs in the BattleTech universe, weapons, and ammo types that players can choose from, and all sorts of cosmetic options that’ll be familiar for MechWarrior Online players.

Players will also control and manage mercenaries that use their own mechs, pilots who can be killed in action and are hired from different factions around the galaxy. When players complete contracts from different factions they gain not only the C-Bills necessary to repair and and add to their armory but reputation points to help get better contracts. This level of customization and progress can be overwhelming when jumping into the game, even for veterans of the series. This guide will go over everything new and old players will need to know as they start the highly-anticipated MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.

The Mech Types of MechWarrior 5

There are four different kinds of mechs in MechWarrior 5: Light, Medium, Heavy, and Assault.

• Light: The fastest of all mechs. They are generally used as supporting units to take out non-mech enemies or to run around and distract larger mechs.
• Medium: The balanced mech meant to harass enemy mechs or hunt down enemy Light mechs.
• Heavy: Slower than Light and Medium, Heavy Mechs have stronger armor and health. They are used to destroy other enemy mechs.
• Assault: The slowest but most durable of all the mechs. These have the most armor, weapons, and range of any other type. They are also quite expensive to maintain. Their focus on the battlefield is to take out any other Heavy or Assault type mechs in the enemy army.

The Weapon Types of MechWarrior 5

Each weapon uses different kinds of ammo which are designated by color: Energy (Blue), Missile (Yellow), Ballistic (Purple), AMS (Anti-Missile System) (Red).

• Energy (Blue): These weapons have infinite ammo, but are the weakest and overheat the mech the fastest. They include short-ranger weapons like the classic medium laser and long-range, systems-shortening PPCs.
• Missile (Yellow): These have quite a bit of reserves and are a little stronger than than the Energy weapons when landing a successful barrage. The the different missile types of specific ranges and functions, from dumbfire short-range missiles (SRMs) to long-range missiles (LRMs) that require a target lock.
• Ballistic (Purple): These include the infamous Autocannons that do quite a bit more damage and at a longer range, but their ammo is quite limited, especially for the larger Autocannons. This weapons group also includes the extremely close-range and lightweight machine guns which are only useful at destroying ground-based weapons and buildings, and dealing mech damage after their armor has been stripped.
• AMS (Red): These are used strictly to combat incoming enemy missiles.

How to Control the Mechs of MechWarrior 5

The movement in MechWarrior games is fairly unique compared modern video games, and can it can be disorienting unless you’re experienced with tank controls. The legs and torso of the mech are controlled separately, so players can shoot in one direction while moving in another. While this movement allows for creative firefights, it can be difficult to get used to. However, using the “F” key centers the legs to the direction of the torso, straightening out the mech. This can help players move around the battlefield more smoothly. Also, if players do not like the independent leg and torso movement, they can lock the mech one direction at all times. This is done by enabling the “Enable Arm Lock” mode in the gameplay settings.

Another feature of mech control is the camera. In this game, players have the option to switch between first and third person perspectives depending on the situation in war. Being in first person gives players more accurate shooting at the cost of a limited view, and being in third person will help players spot flanking enemies or teammates in need. Mastering both perspectives will be necessary for successful missions.

The Combat in MechWarrior 5

While MechWarrior 5 is classified as a shooter, there is a lot of strategy and planning that takes place on the battlefield. Each mech and weapon type has certain advantages and disadvantages that players will need to know during a fight. Pressing the “R” while aiming at a target will reveal the weapon type they use and how much health they have. Having this information on every enemy is crucial when piloting certain types of mechs. How players approach different firefights is important as well. Players can destroy a mech’s limbs rendering them useless or they can go straight for the torso in an attempt to “core” the mech or a highly challenging headshot to instantly take out the pilot. Depending on the type of mech, one option might be better than the other.

Like most shooters, weapons will have a variety of ranges they are best used at. However, in MechWarrior 5 players can equip mechs with multiple weapons which is why the game has two different reticles on the screen at a time (one for the mobiles arms, and another for straight-facing torso-mounted weapons). Knowing which weapon to use in a certain situation and being accurate (while managing heat levels) will separate the good players and the best ones. Not only do players need to know weapon types, they need to know the different mechs as well.

Constructing a Lance in MechWarrior 5

The computer controlled mercenaries in a player’s Lance can be a extremely underwhelming, and there will be times where they get themselves into sticky situations and die or fail the mission. This is why it’s imperative that players focus on strengthening their numbers and getting the strongest members they can. One way to do this is by focusing on a few factions instead of trying to make the entire galaxy happy. As players complete mercenary contracts, they will gain reputation points from the faction that sold it to them. As players get higher reputation points, they will be able to hire stronger mercenaries to fight for their Lance. Also, early in the game a member is automatically added to the Lance and they can become incredibly strong in later parts of the game, so it’s highly suggested that players keep them as safe as possible, while still using them so they can level up their skills.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is available on PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store.