While games like Titanfall made the mech fighting genre more accessible, it's the MechWarrior series that makes players feel like they're real-life mech pilots.
In MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, mechs are in classes, ultra-light, light, medium, heavy, and assault, and each offers a different way to play. In this case, the light mechs can make the gameplay harder, since they're easier to take down but are harder to hit because they are fast. Here are the best light mechs in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.
5 Jenner
For players who want to be a nuisance to enemies and don't mind the more risky play style of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, this mech is for them. Sharing the same qualities as Gundam Barbatos where it's a fairly lightly armored mech, but with impressive speed, rendering it a very useful mech to have on the field. The Jenner can hold some pretty versatile weapons, mainly with lasers but can be fitted with missiles as well.
However, since the main aspect of this mech is to fight in close to medium-range combat, the lasers would work best since they can fire more due to their quick cool down. Plus, the Jenner has two jets on its back that can help players escape very quickly, making them hard to hit. Although just like the Armored Core series, which is just as difficult as MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, players will want to be able to control the fight as soon as they can, the Jenner allows that provided they play smart. Because if they get hit in the Jenner they may go down quickly.
4 Spider
Just like the Jenner, the Spider is great for running and gunning and causing havoc, but it's a lot more versatile than the Jenner in that it can fight in multiple different ways. This mech's weapons are interesting since they are lasers but can be switched out for something more powerful. Upgrading the Spider can be expensive, but when players do it, they'll notice how fast and defensive it can become due to its armor added by players. So if players want to get the best out of the Spider, they should make a lot of money sooner than later.
However, out of the box, the Spider is fun and very dynamic. On top of that, while the Spider doesn't have the best weapons array, it does have an impressive jump distance. So just like the Jenner, players can do more hit-and-runs and cause problems. While the Spider is in midair, players can use that because it can somewhat move in while in the air making it pretty hard to be locked on. All this mixed together, makes the Spider probably one the best mechs players can get in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.
3 Raven
Raven is an interesting mech that permits players to do quite a bit, even though it comes with a fair few limitations. While not a fast mech, it can certainly hold its own against even the heaviest ones like Catapult, because it has a wide selection of equipment to defend itself from all sorts of missile attacks. Second, Raven is best served as the first point, not of an attack but just scouting the area before.
Plus, in some cases, players can use a NARC Missile Beacon on the Raven which helps friendlies, since the beacon targets an enemy allowing all friendly missiles to lock faster and quicker. Considering he Raven isn't great in the firepower department, its scouting potential allows the mech to still help the team. Another interesting aspect of this option is that it's surprisingly well-armored, which makes it harder to take down. Plus its torso can spin 360 degrees, and players with the Raven can see all attacks coming their way.
2 Javelin
The Javelin is a great starting-out mech that players should invest a lot of time and resources into since it can make things rather easier as the game progresses. Although, while it has limited short-range missile capabilities, this comes in handy when enemies are about to fall or have points that are in the red. One difference this mech has with the others on this list, it is reliant on ammo rather than energy, so players who use it will have to manage that aspect.
However, the mech can hold a lot of ammo out of the box, which makes the Javelin being able to fight longer. The Javelin is best used as the second line, while it can hold its own to a degree, its best used as a follow-up mech with attacks that can slow and down and outright destroy the enemy. But, what makes the Javelin appealing to newer players, is its speed and few jump jets, so players can take this mech out of tight spots or jump in as reinforcements.
1 Wolfhound
This mech is a good all-around robot because it can be a threat in most situations, either long-range or short-range. One of the main aspects of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is that players need to pick a mech best suited for their contract, this makes things easier. With the Wolfhound, they can do just that and be a good support for the friendlies on the field. It uses primarily lasers, which can be adaptable from any range, so if players want to suppress the enemy, this mech can do just that.
On top of that, the Wolfhound has double heat sinks, which means players shoot the lasers more often and consistently. That said, one of the issues about this mech is that it doesn't have jump jets. This is something that's found in most light mechs, because they would need to get out as fast as they can, due to low armor. However, in the case of the Wolfhound, players don't need to worry about this since the Wolfhound like the Raven can take a beating since it can armor up.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is available now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC.