First, let me say this: The fact that Piranha Games is still releasing DLC for Mechwarrior 5 Mercs while they are also doing DLC for the more recent Clans game is a testament to not only the team, but also the popularity and longevity of the game (and series in general).
There’s a reason there are so many Mechwarrior and Battletech games, friends.. And it’s not just because big stompy robots go brrrrrrrrrt (although I’ll freely admit that’s a selling point for me).
The Mechwarrior series has never really been “AAA” (even when it was done by Activision way back when); it’s always been a little more niche than the rest, and isn’t anything that any of the major game studios would want to pursue now just because.. Well.. It’s not going to be a game that crashes Steam’s servers on launch, and you might see a revolt from fans if they tried to implement a microtransaction strategy.
The niche nature of the Mechwarrior series may make it seem a little inaccessible.. Especially if you watch someone like me playing it.
You see, I rock a HOSAS (hands on stick and stick) setup to control my 20-100 ton squishy-flattener; I do this for two reasons.. One, I like the immersion.
More importantly, though, it’s a more accessible interface in some ways for me (when my nerve pain acts up).
That doesn’t mean it’s easier, necessarily, or it makes me a better mech pilot. In fact, in some ways, I’m worse with the HOSAS controls because I lose the granular nature of mouse input to properly aim my pew-pew devices.
I also refuse to turn on aim assist, though, so there’s that.
I will occasionally swap my right hand over to the mouse if I want to do some long-range sniping, but for the most part, the lack of precision is fine, and creates a more fun experience for me (especially as someone who spends a lot of time in sim-style games, like DCS.. And yeah, I”m also excited for the 4.4 update for Star Citizen).
I’m on my 5th playthrough of the game, now, so I can experience the new Shadows of Kerensky DLC.
While the DLC has been out for a bit, I wanted to wait so my favorite mods could be updated for it.. Chief among them is YAML (Yet Another Mech Lab).
You see, YAML takes the mech modification system in-game and turns it up to fucking 11. It creates not only a more detailed mech lab, but creates the infrastructure for other mods that add new mechs, weapons, components and more..
..Which does complicate things a bit more, but also makes the game more accessible at the same time.
Let me explain.
In previous Mechwarrior games I’d always speedrun trying to get the biggest, beefiest mechs the game can offer, because they can take damage and I’m not always the best at avoiding getting ‘sploded. 100 tons > 20 tons, right?
Well, sorta.
Mechwarrior 5 does balance things well, but typically you’d need to be pretty damned good at those twitch reflexes to survive in a light mech vs. a heavy or assault mech.
With YAML and other mods? I can actually build a light mech that I can solo take out a lance of medium mechs with only light armor damage.
See the loadout below.
This mech loadout? Yeah, it fucking slays. Not only is it great for infiltration missions (the stealth mission in MW5 Mercs), but it’s also a solid contender for the most vicious fucking ankle-biting asshole in-game. Seriously: I crank my throttle up and run past mechs while I hammer at their legs with the void camo system active. I dance around using the Supercharger, and if things get too hot (literally) I run away and turn off the void system until things cool down.
The funny part? I actually am more competitive with this squishy little shit than I am in some of my preferred assault mechs (like the King Crab in the hero above, which is my laser sniper build).
Of course, if I take this thing out against a lance of heavy/assault mechs I’m going to have some.. stress related issues given how long it will take to blow the legs off my targets and avoid getting blown up. So, I don’t get to ignore my heavier mechs; I just am not obligated use them exclusively in the late-game (especially in the arena). I can choose to take missions that are more friendly to my light mechs when I’m in the mood for that.
I haven’t gotten to the Shadows of Kerensky DLC content yet; I chose to do an early-year career start, and the game follows a proper lore-accurate timeline before DLC events happen (thankfully there is a mod that delays the deadlines for the Mercs DLC if you want to build up your mech collection before you do DLC missions).
I talk about mods enhancing accessibility, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that the game itself provides a number of controls to help you be able to enjoy the game your way.. Like taking away the annoying penalty for exceeding the recommended tonnage in missions.
Mods just make this better, like a Bethesda game (except MW5 Mercs isn’t filled with bullshit jank that requires a community patch to fix all the bugs the developers ignore).