Although MechWarrior 5: Clans shares a numerical designation with its predecessor, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, Piranha Games has made it abundantly clear that its latest title is no mere DLC or spinoff. In contrast to the more open-ended sandbox approach of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, MechWarrior 5: Clans is a heavily cinematic, narrative-driven, linear story campaign that Piranha Games CEO Russ Bullock says will be "the most accessible MechWarrior game to date." By clipping the management metagame and its associated systems in favor of a focused and straightforward campaign, MechWarrior 5: Clans represents an ideal entry point for franchise newcomers while delving into some lore that MechWarrior and BattleTech veterans ought to appreciate.
Game ZXC was recently shown a live preview of MechWarrior 5: Clans as a developer played through a brief campaign mission for us, and we witnessed some surprisingly high-quality cinematics leading into familiar MechWarrior gameplay that teased some interesting new features. That said, there's still plenty more to the game that we didn't get to see in the preview like the multiplayer component or how players adjust their Omnimech loadouts in the mechlab.
MechWarrior 5: Clans Takes The Series In A New Direction
Our demo kicked off with a cinematic that introduces the distinctively warlike Clan culture: one where Clan geneticists have had a hand in crafting "trueborn MechWarriors" such as the players' unit who exist solely to pilot the Clans' high-tech Omnimechs with ruthless efficiency. Despite the severity of Clan society, the cinematic also shows some light banter among starmates who are voice acted and rendered with enough emotion that there was a human connection with the characters. In a MechWarrior game, that's surprising since it's something the series sometimes struggles to deliver through its usual methods like in-mission comms chatter or text briefings. With this increased focus on cinematics, storytelling, and fleshing out a tight cast of characters, MechWarrior 5: Clans seems to be a game poised to make players care about more than just the paint schemes, loadouts, and repair bills.
The core gameplay is still very much MechWarrior, and the previewed mission kicks off with the iconic "weapons online" booting-up sequence before the player's squad or "star" is dropped onto the battlefield. There, players are immediately greeted with one of MechWarrior 5: Clans' new key features, an RTS-style overhead "battle grid." From this satellite perspective, players can issue move or attack orders to their star individually or by box-dragging multiple starmates and then choosing a target or destination. Positioning is more important in MechWarrior games than most shooters due to mechs possessing front and rear armor and individually destructible limbs, so the ability to easily and precisely arrange starmates adds a welcome layer of strategic depth to the gameplay.
In addition to the overhead view, a radial menu can be brought up to issue orders to starmates, which seems to be the best solution for quickly designating priority targets, and the radial menu is also where players can change camera perspectives or trigger abilities like MASC Supercharger for a boost to movement speed. It's worth noting, though, that the new radial menu works alongside the function keys rather than replacing the previous system. Bullock says that MechWarrior 5: Clans should control every bit as well with a controller as it does with a mouse and keyboard, though there is also support for HOTAS input for fans of the sim approach.
The combat and mission objectives on display in this mission were standard early-game MechWarrior fare with the star investigating the drop zone, scanning some structures, and dealing with smaller mechs, tanks, and aircraft. Things are certainly shaken up toward the latter half of the mission as a narrative twist leads to a dire situation, introducing what we suspect will be some of the game's key antagonists. Although lore-wise Clan omnimechs are rare, high-tech, and highly sought after, combat nonetheless involves 60-plus ton behemoths trading laser pulses, missile volleys, and cannon salvos. Any fan who enjoyed the weighty combat of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries should feel right at home in the cockpit of the new Clan omnimechs, albeit with some additional toys.
MechWarrior 5: Clans' Multiplayer and Progression Systems
We didn't get to see these features in the preview, but Bullock did shed some light on how the multiplayer and loadout systems will work given that the game is more campaign-driven. The campaign co-op will host up to five players with each player inhabiting one of the host's starmates. This isn't a random matchmaking system but something that players on a friends list may invite one another to join, so there's no need to worry about strangers randomly joining a campaign in progress. It should be noted that there's no cross-progression in co-op, so players must either host or complete missions solo for their own progress. In addition to campaign co-op, an instant action-like mode is planned where players can cooperatively tackle non-campaign missions together.
Although it's a linear campaign, MechWarrior 5: Clans is still a MechWarrior game, and that means players will be carrying out some outfitting in between missions and taking advantage of the signature modular design of Clan omnimechs. As omnimechs, the customization is somewhat different than in previous games: each omnimech has a choice of around three or four omnipods, and each omnipod alters the overall loadout options and hardpoints available on the omnimech, where players can then fine-tune their weapon and hardpoint choices.
Bullock also mentions that, aside from omnimech customization, players will also be utilizing a science lab that will enable researching quirk-style upgrades for mech parts and chassis. There's also a pilot XP system where players will be able to customize their starmates and grant them various skills and bonuses.
Why is the New Game Not Named MechWarrior 6?
Lastly, Bullock offered an explanation as to why Piranha Games has kept the "5" in the title despite MechWarrior 5: Clans' entirely different setting and campaign focus, and he stressed that players shouldn't take this naming choice the wrong way. Early in the game's development, the team was unsure how its scale would ultimately shape up as either an "oversized DLC" or a full-blown standalone title. Although it has taken on a life of its own, the team didn't explicitly set out to make MechWarrior 6. Meanwhile, he also mentioned that some licensing details with Microsoft played a role in the name.
There's also precedent within the series history: MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat was later followed by MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, and MechWarrior 4: Vengeance was again followed by MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries. MechWarrior 5 is flipping this around by beginning with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries and delivering a follow-up that comes with an engine upgrade from Unreal 4 to Unreal Engine 5 and enough story content and new features to earn its designation as a full, standalone title.
MechWarrior 5: Clans is set to release in 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
