As a battle-hardened MechWarrior with decades of combat under my metallic limbs, I can confidently say that the latest iteration of this venerable franchise, MechWarrior 5: Clans, is nothing short of a masterpiece. The heat management system adds an intriguing layer of realism, forcing us to make strategic decisions not just about our weapons but also our movement and cool-down periods.
Following the launch of “MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries” in 2019, Piranha Bytes is back with a fresh take. Contrary to its title, “MechWarrior 5: Clans” offers a new installment in the series, introducing a different set of characters and emphasizing a more story-driven campaign. While it maintains the series’ trademark extensive customization options for BattleMechs, it also delivers intense, battle-hardened combat and destruction as expected from the franchise.
On the 17th of October, I’m diving headfirst into the battlefields of MechWarrior 5: Clans, available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC! To make sure you’re ready for combat, here are 15 crucial tips gleaned from my hands-on experience with a preview build. Let’s get prepped!
Campaign
In a nutshell, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries offers a narrative, albeit not the most complex one, where players engage in contracts for various factions. On the other hand, MechWarrior 5: Clans presents a unique twist, allowing you to command a fresh team of pilots (referred to as a Star) hailing from Clan Smoke Jaguar. Following their training, they find themselves in the midst of the Clan Invasion within the Inner Sphere. This edition is more character-focused, featuring approximately 90 minutes of cinematics, depicting the trials and tribulations of Smoke Jaguar across several planets as they strive for survival.
Characters
The principal characters in this narrative include Jayden, the Star Commander; Liam, who exhibits a rebellious nature; Ezra, the most progressive member of the team; and Mia, who is both ambitious and kind-hearted. These individuals are put to the test by Kit Commander Ibrahim Ismiril, who plays a significant role in the story and provides a mix of guidance (and firmness) towards Smoke Jaguar. As the tale unfolds, additional characters make an appearance, enhancing the complexity and conflicts that Smoke Jaguar must navigate.
Player Hub
The Player Hub serves as your primary station, offering you the freedom to select your next missions. It additionally grants entry to various Facilities and Barracks, details of which will be discussed further on, and showcases your Honor Rank, accrued Merits, and Kerenskies – currency used for buying components and BattleMechs.
BattleMech Types
In MechWarrior 5: Clans, you’ll find four categories of BattleMechs: Light, Medium, Heavy, and Assault. The collection includes reliable choices such as the Mist Lynx, an OmniMech with a versatile performance across all ranges due to its machine guns, LRM-10 launcher, and Streak SRM-4. Another option is the Viper, a Medium OmniMech known for its agility and equipped with a Laser, AMS, and SRM4 launcher. You’ll also find returning favorites like the Mad Dog, Dire Wolf, Warhawk, Timber Wolf, and many more, all ready to unleash destruction upon your enemies.
MechLab
In the MechLab, you’ll find yourself tailoring your team’s BattleMechs according to your preference. It comprises various components such as legs, torso, arms, and head, each with specific spaces to accommodate weapons, tools like Active Probes or Ferro Armor Pods, ammunition, and a variety of other items. As you progress, more choices become available, but remember to keep an eye on the BattleMech’s weight distribution for balance.
Marketplace
Instead of buying individual weapons and components straight from the Mech Lab, consider exploring the Marketplace for its diverse array of merchandise. There you’ll find Lasers, Gauss Rifles, Flamers, and more to add to your collection, but it also offers equipment and even full-fledged BattleMechs for purchase. It’s a handy spot not only for acquiring new gear but also for offloading any extra parts and reinvesting the earnings into further enhancements.
Pilot Skills
In addition to personalizing your BattleMech, every Pilot can enhance unique abilities in the barracks. As they gain experience points (XP), you can allocate them towards boosting melee damage, superior handling, reduced cooldown times for weapons, and a probability to dodge incoming enemy attacks. For instance, Liam specializes in Electronic Warfare, offering extended Active Probe and ECM range and impact, while Mia excels in Heat Management, granting a faster heat dissipation rate and increased heat capacity.
Research
To enhance the fighting capabilities of your team’s weapons, it’s essential to delve into various research areas, such as extending the duration of Energy Recovery (ER) Lasers and decreasing their recharge time, or boosting the reach of Active Probes. It’s crucial to have scientists present for researching projects using components gathered from missions.
Additional scientists can be recruited, salvage operations enhanced, and numerous other improvements can be made, but keep in mind that these projects may require several iterations to fully execute. Meanwhile, you’ll want to accumulate experience for Mech and unlock chassis upgrades to boost a BattleMech’s maximum speed and acceleration, torso movement speed, and various other aspects.
Combat
For beginners in MechWarrior, it’s important to note that the pace isn’t as fast as in series like Gundam or Zone of the Enders. Instead, it has a more realistic, heavy feel where you can truly sense the massive weight of the BattleMechs as they move about, whether they’re walking or hovering and landing again.
In this game, each weapon within a unit has a finite supply of ammunition. Laser weapons produce heat and require a brief cooling period before they can be reused. During battles, you can aim at various enemy parts for destruction, but keep in mind that your squad is also vulnerable. Damage isn’t self-healing; instead, you must locate repair stations to regenerate health and replenish ammo supplies.
Heat Management
As a gamer piloting my BattleMech, I’ve learned that the biome’s climate and the weapons I choose to wield can cause my mech to overheat. If the heat isn’t managed properly, my unit could malfunction. To cool down, I can immerse myself in water sources when available, but it’s wise to invest in Heat Sinks as well. The type of weapons I install plays a significant role in this heat management too. And let me tell you, there’s more to consider than just cooling and heat capacity – there are numerous factors at play!
Modern and Classic Movement Styles
In MechWarrior 5: Clans, you have two modes to operate your BattleMech: Modern and Classic. The Modern mode is traditional, where your mech’s movement mirrors the direction of your reticle, much like a first or third-person shooter game. On the other hand, the Classic mode provides more control as your mech can move independently from your aim, facilitating freer aiming. Although it may require some practice, the Classic mode enhances the gaming experience by increasing immersion.
BattleGrid
In the heat of battle, you can direct your team using a Command Wheel and have them align around you, concentrate on a specific target, defend a position, and so forth. But there’s also the BattleGrid feature, which zooms out for a bird’s eye view of the action. This lets you personally assign movement orders to your team. You can arrange multiple actions in advance and get a clearer understanding of the battlefield layout, including the locations from where potential threats might emerge. This way, you can make more informed decisions about your strategies.
5 Player Co-op
Instead of going solo and directing AI teammates throughout the game, you’ve got the option to join forces with other players in cooperative mode. Together, we can embody members of Smoke Jaguar and embark on the campaign as a united front. Although giving orders and strategizing is thrilling, nothing beats the chaos and camaraderie that comes with a full squad!
Unreal Engine 5
In contrast to Mercenaries, MechWarrior 5: Clans is designed using the Unreal Engine 5, with the development team utilizing it in every feasible manner. According to Piranha Games CEO Russ Bullock, this engine’s capabilities have been maximized through the use of Nanite and Lumen for realistic graphics, Chaos for dynamic destruction, motion capture for cinematics, and World Partition. So far, the application has proven effective, and the large-scale mech battles are a delight to observe.
PC Requirements
As a gamer, I’d say if you’re eyeing this game on PC, here are some basics: Minimum requirements wise, you’ll need an Intel Core i5 8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 16GB of RAM, and either an Nvidia GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 590 with 6GB VRAM. This setup should suffice for 720p resolution at Low-Quality settings. For a smoother experience, aim higher: Core i7 8700 or Ryzen 5 3600, 16GB RAM, and an RTX 2080 or Radeon RX 6700 are recommended if you’re targeting 1080p at High-Quality settings. A solid-state drive is strongly suggested, and make sure to reserve around 80GB for installation. Good news for offline gamers: No internet connection is required for single-player gameplay!
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2024-10-07 19:41