MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Legend of the Kestrel Lancers Expansion out now alongside free base game update

The Legend of the Kestrel Lancers expansion is out now for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, alongside a free update that brings melee combat and more to the base game.

Aside from the launch of this expansion and update, the game is now available on PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles, marking the first time the franchise has been on the PlayStation platform in over 20 years.

Set during the “4th Succession War,” one of the most famous conflicts in the BattleTech universe, Legend of the Kestrel Lancers offers a story-focused campaign that finds players on the frontlines of battle with 14 campaign missions featuring unique mechanics, authored missions, custom dialogue, and cinematics. During their journey, players will experience All-Out-War scenarios with large-scale expansive combat in seven new questlines that include 10 new battle scenarios. Megacity Urban Combat, featuring massive destructible environments and procedurally generated city blocks, return at a significantly larger scale than anything previously seen in the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries series. In addition, players can look forward to wreaking havoc across new Megacity, Jungle, and Tourmaline Desert Biomes – as well as new Garrisons, including Orbital Guns and a new ‘Mech Factory, featuring the series’ first indoor play space. Of course, players can also look forward to a ton of new options for customizing their ‘Mechs with 23 new Mech Variants and new Patterns to collect.

Some of the free updates coming with the launch of the expansion are as follows:

The free MELEE update makes one of the MechWarrior community’s most requested gameplay updates a reality with the introduction of Melee Combat. For the first time, players can now damage enemy ‘Mechs with their ‘Mech fists, directing punches to target the enemy right…in…the…face! The addition of close-quarters combat is especially effective attack option when a ‘Mech is running hot.

In addition, the update will include Mech Switching, allowing players to take on direct and full control of any AI-controlled Lance ‘Mechs. This new feature expands options for frontline tactics, allowing players to switch to a faster ‘Mech to scout ahead, hop into a LRM boat to provide cover fire, or swap to a brawler for some up-close action, all with the push of a button.

The base game is available for purchase on Steam, the Epic Games Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5 for $29.99, while Legend of the Kestrel Lancers and the previous expansion are $19.99 each.

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