Honestly a solid Mechwarrior singleplayer experience. Considering that the last one we had was MW4: Mercs which came out on 2002, it's refreshing to see a modern take on it. HOWEVER: This game 100% needs at least some basic modding done it make it a good experience (YAML at the least, it changes the mechlab to an MWO style with full control over modifying mechs which IMO is half the fun of Mechwarrior).

For people who have no clue what this is about And can't read the game description You run a mercenary group and take on contracts which you resolve with your multi-ton war machines. You manage what mechs you have, what they're equipped with, who pilots them. Your end goal? Doing whatever it takes in the name of the almighty C-Bill. Oh yeah we're in the far future of 3015 but everything is kinda medieval but futuristic.

Gunplay is more or less a rebalanced version of the MWO with some unique changes. Weapons are closer to the lore representations of weapons (Autocannons exist as both single fire and burst variants, Missile systems can either be streamed or all-in-one salvos, etc.). Gameplay is....sufficient but the missions are all variants on the same one (Go here, kill/destroy targets, leave). The AI leaves a LOT to be desired, lancemates are dumber than a crate of heatsinks (mediocre pathing, suicidal tendencies, etc.), enemy AI is simplistic (either charges you to then circle you until one of you dies or just does hit and fade attacks but badly due to ♥♥♥♥ pathing).

The macroplay works fine for what it is, faction reps matter enough to bother grinding out but you're not hung out to dry if you choose to ignore it (basically discounts and more "reward tokens" when taking on contracts). Definitely missing some features that would round out the gameplay though. Players should be able to bid for additional salvage, you should get more data about systems when hovering over them in the starmap instead of needing to waste c-bills jumping there to find out it was a waste of time. Also, ♥♥♥♥ that jumpship animation, it's slow and gets old quick.

Story is meh. Play it if you're new and need a guided path but if you're a seasoned pilot you can jump into the career mode and not miss anything.

DLC wise, only one you *need* is Heroes of the Inner Sphere because it adds useful features like the cantina, career mode, new mechs, hero mechs, a cool mission type that actually changes things up,
ECM and other neat stuff. Other ones are a kinda mini campaign (which is annoyingly time limited
You can fix it with mods ) and a melee one which is only worth if you enjoy melee in this game and use it a lot (I don't.)

Haven't tried co-op None of my friends have it or are interested :( so I can't speak on it.

Finally, modding in this game is really solid. It's great to see a new game with proper and easy modding support. As simple as drag & drop (might want to grab the mod manager though because load order becomes important when you start loading up on mods). New mechs? Clan stuff :O ? AI Improvements? You want it? It's yours my friend, as long as you know how to use nexus mods. (the workshop stuff is out of date a lot of the time)

In conclusion. I like it, a lot.

But I'm a Battletech fan and enjoyed playing MW4 and MWO when I was younger so I'm a bit biased. I'd probably wait for a sale (or try it on gamepass and see how you like it). Yes it needs modding and can get a bit stale but considering AAA games these days include Battlefield 5 and Activision's yearly revision to Warzone with a game attached, you can afford to lower your expectations and have fun in a big stompy robot crushing or blowing up anything in your way (including buildings).