MechWarrior 5 Ashes and Ascension is out, and it’s a big one for Mercenaries. The expansion launched October 6 for $19.99, and Piranha Games calls its 18-mission campaign the longest the game has had. On PC you can grab it on GOG, Steam, or the Epic Games Store, and it’s also on PlayStation for PS4 and PS5. You need the base game.
The campaign
The setup jumps the timeline forward. With the Great Houses briefly cooperating after the Battle of Coventry, the Inner Sphere’s leaders gather on Tharkad for the First Whitting Conference to deal with the threat of a renewed Clan invasion, and your mercenary company gets pulled right into it. The Inner Sphere map now runs from 3058 to 3060, there are 10 new High-Reward Crates to hunt down, and Career Mode gets five new faction starts set in 3050 if you’d rather start fresh at the beginning of the Clan era.
New ‘Mechs and guns
This is where most players will spend their C-Bills. The DLC adds 13 new chassis, mostly Clan designs, including the Arctic Wolf, Nova Cat, Huntsman, Supernova, Warhammer IIC, Marauder IIC, and Stone Rhino. On the Inner Sphere side you get three new OmniMechs (Blackjack, Black Hawk-KU, and Perseus), nine new variants of familiar ‘Mechs like the King Crab, Victor, and Annihilator, and a batch of new weapons: ER Small and Medium Lasers, Ultra and LB-X autocannons, Streak SRMs, and the Light Gauss Rifle. New enemy ground units like the Po, Demolisher II, and Patton show up to shoot back.
The free update everyone gets
Even if you skip the DLC, the update that came with it is worth a download. Piranha added 18 new ‘Mech variants across the base game and earlier DLCs, 14 new ground units in the base game, and new pilot traits like PPC Master and Sharpshooter. The New Career screen now lays out every start on a timeline and shows which DLC each event needs, which makes a messy DLC library a lot easier to read.
There are smaller fixes people have asked about for a while, too. Putting a ‘Mech into Cold Storage no longer strips its upgrades, there’s a new Aim Stabilization setting to cut reticle bob in first person, and Clan weapons and equipment no longer require Shadow of Kerensky specifically. Owning any Clan-era DLC now unlocks them.
FAQ
How much is MechWarrior 5: Ashes and Ascension, and where can I buy it?
It is $19.99 and requires the base game. On PC it is on GOG, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. It is also on PlayStation for PS4 and PS5. Xbox was not confirmed on Piranha’s DLC page at draft time.
How long is the Ashes and Ascension campaign?
Piranha Games calls it an 18-mission cinematic campaign and the longest MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries has had.
Do I need the DLC for the free update?
No. The free update that shipped with the DLC adds new variants, ground units, pilot traits, and Quality-of-life fixes for everyone.
If you play on PC and want a copy you keep for good, GOG has both the base game and the new DLC at the same $19.99 price as Steam. For another PC and PlayStation release that is also on GOG, see our Warhammer Survivors launch window. Fire up the free update first, see how the new Career screen looks, and then decide if Tharkad is worth the trip.