MechWarrior 5 is getting new DLC next year, improving AI and the hangar

I’m sure all the ‘Mech heads out there are already aware, but MechWarrior 5 is getting new DLC soon called Rise of Rasalhague. The DLC brings a slew of new features including significantly improved AI and hangar systems, along with many quality of life improvements. This DLC looks to add quite a bit to MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, so fans of the game have a lot to look forward to.

Improved AI, Hangar and additional improvements

Precious little has been specified about the improved AI, hangar, or the additional improvements developer Piranha Games is promising, however. On the official website and the Steam page for the game, only a single sentence is given in explanation for these features. For improved AI, this is an extremely technical subject that might be a bit opaque for the populous at large, but it would be nice to have at least a small summary in layman’s terms to know what exactly players could expect with these improvements.

The hangar improvements are something that should be much easier to demonstrate and explain with a guided walk through, and hopefully we’ll see just that closer to release. Lastly there is mention of additional improvements. The developer keeps it vague and describe it as quality of life improvements on the official website. We hope at some point an itemized list of said improvements will be published.

MechWarrior 5 – Rise of Rasalhague campaign, rival mercenary factions and new Crusader chassis

Now, the real meat of the for the MechWarrior 5 DLC. Rise of Rasalhague will include a 12 mission campaign. In it, players will join Colonel Månsdottir in his fight to free the people of Rasalhague from the Great Houses. Players will be able to experience a new Mech Chassis with 10 variants as well. An interesting new addition to the game is rival mercenary factions, which are detailed on the game’s Steam page:

• Rival mercenary companies are now operating in the Inner Sphere
• Working in areas garrisoned by Rival mercenary companies can lead to friendly or hostile interventions during missions
• The infamous Bounty Hunter will pay for intel on Rival mercenaries, which can lead to valuable rewards
• Experience exciting and dynamic missions in the new Infiltration game mode

If the game delivers on these promises, this could be a very interesting new mechanic for the game. The need to pay attention to which mercenaries are working in which sectors in addition to the standard forces in the area should add a new layer of strategy.

All in all, the new MechWarrior 5 DLC seems to bring quite a lot to the table. The game certainly seems to have been given tons of improvements and changes since its initial launch. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not Piranha Games can stick the landing with this latest DLC. You will find out soon enough when it’s released on January 26, 2023.