A new era is finally upon us. Quartermasters throughout the Clan and Inner Sphere territories are deploying shipments of an array of new equipment and weaponry, while rumors of additional Clan forces arriving from beyond the Periphery are swirling throughout the Inner Sphere.

Due to their length, we're going to break from tradition a bit and dispense with the usual intro summary for these patch notes. So without further delay, let's get into what's arriving in our upcoming July 18th patch!

- The MechWarrior Team

Five years have passed since the defeat of the Clans at the Battle of Tukayyid. Invigorated by recent technological advances propelled forward by the Invasion, forces on both sides of the conflict are only just now starting to recover. The borders have remained relatively stable since the Truce, but the dawn of war may once again be approaching.

The Inner Sphere map has been updated to reflect approximate borders and territories according to the 3057 era. Astute eyes and lore adherents may notice the closer placement of Clan Homeworlds to the Inner Sphere compared to where they should be; this visual orientation was utilized to accommodate the voting and attack corridor pathing systems.

As per the terms of a Truce brokered by ComStar the Clans have agreed to cease their continued advancement rimward into the Inner Sphere territories beyond Tukayyid. The Truce was one born of desperate times, focused toward ensuring the safety of Terra above all else. While the majority of the Inner Sphere territories untouched by direct fighting through the invasion are likewise protected by its terms, Steiner and Kurita territories coreward of Tukayyid did not fare so well. As per the terms of the Truce, the Clans have full reign to re-focus their drive for conquest on any territories before the Tukayyid line.

Still, even amongst those many light years from the Clan front, disquiet spreads. Surely this peace can be little more than a respite when dangerous enemies may yet arise from within, as well as without.

While the new Inner Sphere layout reflects the era according to established lore, Faction Play in MechWarrior Online is not attempting to recreate subsequent events exactly as they occurred. As combat within the Inner Sphere and the results of voting cycles are in the hands of Faction Loyalists, the paths of the Clan and Inner Sphere forces will begin to diverge from lore almost immediately.

The Truce is not expected to hold; the spirit of conquest and dreams of glory are too deeply entrenched on both sides of the conflict, and peacetime offers no such reward.

The fate of the Inner Sphere, whether it be one of conquest or renewal, lies with you.

In reaction to the loss at Tukayyid, Clan Wolf Khan Ulric Kerensky has activated the forces of Clan Steel Viper and Clan Nova Cat. These new Factions fight within the Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar invasion corridors, respectively.

While these new Clan Factions do possess distinct Faction Reputation progression paths, and Pilots are able to take Contracts with or pledge Loyalty to these Factions as normal, these Factions are not eligible for claiming territory of their own, nor do they cast a War Planning vote for their own Faction. Any planetary gains or losses these Factions make are done so under the banner of their parent Faction; any votes cast in the War Planning phase are cast under the banner of their parent Faction.

These Factions do however possess entries within the Faction Summary Leaderboards.

Previous Faction Play seasons ran under a 'soft' victory structure based around the Battle of Tukayyid as a focal point. Clan progression toward Tukayyid typically triggered an associated Battle of Tukayyid event, the conclusion of which would lead to a reset of the map. This left the Inner Sphere with a goal solely oriented toward defense against the Invasion.

While any potential changes to the layout of the map at the end of this new Season are yet to be determined, this Season does bring with it a distinct set of conditions under which the Clans and Inner Sphere can achieve respective victories for their side. However, we would like to highlight that some aspects of the conditions for this Season may be subject to adjustments if deemed more conducive to a better Faction Play experience as the Season develops.

Clan Victory Condition

Encircle and conquer any 3 IS Capital Planets*

• Luthien (Kurita)

• Tharkad (Steiner)

• Atreus (Marik)

• Sian (Liao)

• New Avalon (Davion)

* Tukayyid is the newly-assigned Capital for the Free Rasalhague Republic, but due to its position and state within the Inner Sphere is not eligible for counting toward the Clan Victory Condition.

If the Clans are able to encircle an eligible IS Capital Planet, that Capital Planet will be designated as the sole target in a subsequent IS Capital Planet Conflict. A specific period of time over which the Clans must maintain that encirclement may be required before the Conflict is triggered, to be determined at the appropriate time.

If the Clans are able to win an IS Capital Planet Conflict, their forces are considered to have conquered and seized that Capital. As reward (in addition to any Rewards associated with a special Event, if one occurs) Clans may be provided with a portion of additional territory surrounding that Capital Planet, the size and shape of which will be determined at the time based on the state of the Inner Sphere Map at that time. If necessary, this territory will likely be split between the four Clans to ensure voting avenues are not negatively affected in subsequent conflict phases. Ownership over the Capital Planet itself will be determined by whichever Clan contributed most toward the victory.

If the Clans are defeated in an IS Capital Planet Conflict, they are no longer able to launch attacks against that Capital Planet for the rest of the Season; they must re-focus their efforts on other Capitals throughout the Inner Sphere. The Clans may additionally be required to surrender a portion of the territory gained in their advance to that Capital, a decision to be made according to the state of the Map at that time and the respective progress of both Factions.

If the Clan forces are able to win 3 IS Capital Planet Conflicts throughout the Season, the Clans will emerge victorious and the Season will come to an end.

If the Clan forces lose 3 IS Capital Planet Conflicts throughout the Season, they will no longer be able to meet the requirements for total victory. As a result, the Inner Sphere will emerge as victorious and the Season will come to an end.

Special Events are likely to run at points throughout the Faction Play Season according to Faction progress and the state of the Inner Sphere Map.

Inner Sphere Victory Condition

Conquer any one Clan Capital Planet

• Strana Mechty (Wolf)

• Huntress (Smoke Jaguar)

• Ironhold (Jade Falcon)

• Bearclaw (Ghost Bear)

If the Inner Sphere are able to reach any one Clan Capital Planet, that Planet will become the sole target in a subsequent Clan Capital Planet Conflict. A specific period of time over which the IS must maintain that corridor may be required, to be determined at the appropriate time.

If the Inner Sphere are able to win a single Clan Capital Planet Conflict, the Inner Sphere will emerge victorious and the Season will come to an end.

If the Inner Sphere are defeated in a Clan Capital Planet Conflict, they are no longer able to launch attacks against that Clan Capital Planet for the rest of the Season; they must re-focus their efforts on the other Clan Capital Planets. IS forces may additionally be required to surrender a portion of the territory gained in their advance toward the Capital, a decision to be made according to the state of the Map at that time and the respective progress of both Factions.

If the Inner Sphere lose all 4 Clan Capital Planet Conflicts throughout the Season, they will no longer be able to meet their requirement for total victory. As a result, the Clans will emerge as victorious and the Season will come to an end.

Special Events are likely to run at points throughout the Faction Play Season according to Faction progress and the state of the Inner Sphere Map.

Gaining Attack Corridors to the Clan Homeworlds

Multiple incursion points are available for the Inner Sphere forces to exploit onward to the Clan Homeworlds.

Gaining an attack corridor into Clan Homeworld territory requires that the IS forces first capture one of the circled Planets currently under Clan control. However, these paths are subject to tweaking if deemed conducive to a better Faction Play experience as the Season develops.

Adjustments have been made to the weighting method used for determining which Game Mode is chosen for a Faction Play match. As a result, Siege now has a much greater chance of being selected within each Phase of a Conflict Tug of War. It's greatest chance of occurring still falls within the final Phase of the Conflict.

The new selection percentages for each Phase are:

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

Phase 5

Phase 6

Skirmish 40%
Domination 5%
Conquest 5%
Assault 5%
Incursion 5%
Siege 40%

Skirmish 5%
Domination 40%
Conquest 5%
Assault 5%
Incursion 5%
Siege 40%

Skirmish 5%
Domination 5%
Conquest 40%
Assault 5%
Incursion 5%
Siege 40%

Skirmish 5%
Domination 5%
Conquest 5%
Assault 40%
Incursion 5%
Siege 40%

Skirmish 5%
Domination 5%
Conquest 5%
Assault 5%
Incursion 40%
Siege 40%

Skirmish 5%
Domination 5%
Conquest 5%
Assault 5%
Incursion 5%
Siege 75%

An array of new equipment is now available to Clan and Inner Sphere pilots! These additions help to both narrow the gap between Inner Sphere and Clan technology, as well as give each of the two Factions unique pieces of technology to equip on their 'Mechs.

New additions are in bold. Existing weapon variants are listed for reference.

The Inner Sphere now has access to the Light Machine Gun and Heavy Machine Gun.

Though certain values differ, these new Machine Gun types are also available to the Clans.

	Light Machine Gun	Machine Gun	Heavy Machine Gun
Slots	1	1	1
Tons	0.5	0.5	1
DMG	0.7/s	1/s	1.4/s
Max Range	500	260	180
Optimal Range	250	130	80
Projectile Speed*	200	100	100
Spread	0.3	0.6	1.1
Health	7.5	7.5	7.5
Shots Per Ton	2500	2000	1000

* Projectile Speed value only affects the visual behavior of the machine gun bullet particle effect, and has no impact on the mechanics of the weapon.

The Inner Sphere now has access to the Light Gauss Rifle and Heavy Gauss Rifle; two new Gauss Rifle weapon types unique to the Inner Sphere.

While the Heavy Gauss Rifle boasts significant damage potential, firing a Heavy Gauss round will incur a degree of reticle and cockpit shake.

	Light Gauss Rifle	Gauss Rifle	Heavy Gauss Rifle
Slots	5	7	11
Tons	12	15	18
DMG	8	15	25
Heat	1	1	2
Cooldown	3.75	5	5
Max Range	1500	1320	900
Optimal Range	750	660	180
Projectile Speed	2000	2000	1500
Health	10	10	15
Shots Per Ton	20	10	5

The Inner Sphere now has access to LB 2-X, LB 5-X, and LB 20-X weaponry.
Though certain values differ, these are Inner Sphere versions of existing Clan LB X weaponry.

	LB 2-X AC	LB 5-X AC	LB 10-X AC	LB 20-X AC
Slots	4	5	6	11
Tons	6	8	11	14
DMG	2	5	10	20
Heat	0.5	1	2	5
Cooldown	0.72	1.66	2.5	4
Max Range	2430	2100	1620	1080
Optimal Range	810	700	540	360
Projectile Speed	1330	1330	1100	1330
Spread	0.35	0.65	0.9	1
Health	10	10	15	25
Shots Per Ton	75	30	20	7

The Inner Sphere now has access to Ultra AC/2, Ultra AC/10, and Ultra AC/20 weaponry.

Though certain values differ, these are Inner Sphere versions of existing Clan UAC weaponry.

	Ultra AC/2	Ultra AC/5	Ultra AC/10	Ultra AC/20
Slots	3	5	7	10
Tons	7	9	13	15
DMG	2	5	10	20
Heat	0.8	1.5	4	7
Cooldown	0.72	1.66	2.5	4
Max Range	1400	1200	900	540
Optimal Range	700	600	450	270
Projectile Speed	2000	1150	950	650
Health	10	10	15	25
Shots Per Ton	75	30	40	21

The Inner Sphere now has access to Rotary Autocannons; a new Ballistic Weapon type unique to the Inner Sphere.

RACs are extremely rapid-fire Autocannons, but can jam if fired for too long. A distinguishing feature of RAC weaponry is the spin-up time required before firing commences, along with a subsequent spin-down time.

RACs are extremely prone to jamming when the Jam Gauge - located in the associated Weapon Group HUD - reaches its maximum/redline state, but will not jam if the pilot can maintain a firing rate within the recommended operating limits. The Jam Gauge is impacted by the spin-up time.

	Rotary AC/2	Rotary AC/5
Slots	3	6
Tons	8	10
DMG	5.82/s	10.91/s
Heat	2/s	4/s
Max Range	1080	900
Optimal Range	540	450
Projectile Speed	1500	1025
Projectile Spread	0.19	0.23
Health	10	10
Shots Per Ton	300	150

The Inner Sphere now has access to ER Small and ER Medium Laser weaponry.

Though certain values differ, these are Inner Sphere versions of existing Clan ER Laser weaponry.

	ER Small Laser	ER Medium Laser	ER Large Laser
Slots	1	1	2
Tons	0.5	1	5
DMG	3.25	5	9
Heat	2.2	4.5	8
Cooldown	2.75	3.35	3.4
Duration	0.75	0.9	1.1
Max Range	400	720	1350
Optimal Range	200	360	675
Health	7.5	7.5	10

The Inner Sphere now has access to Light PPC, Snub-Nose PPC, and Heavy PPC weaponry; three new PPC weapon types unique to the Inner Sphere.

	Light PPC	Snub-Nose PPC	PPC	ER PPC	Heavy PPC
Slots	2	2	3	3	4
Tons	3	6	7	7	10
DMG	5	10	10	10	15
Heat	5	10	9.5	13.5	14.5
Cooldown	4	4	4	4	4.5
Max Range Min Range	1080 90	630 None	1080 90	1620 None	1080 90
Optimal Range	540	270	540	810	540
Projectile Speed	1200	1200	1200	1900	1200
Health	5	10	12.5	12.5	15

The Inner Sphere now has access to Streak SRM 4 and Streak SRM 6 weaponry.

Though certain values differ, these are Inner Sphere versions of existing Clan S-SRM weaponry.

	Streak SRM 2	Streak SRM 4	Streak SRM 6
Slots	1	1	2
Tons	1.5	3	4.5
DMG	4	8	12
Heat	2	3	4
Cooldown	2	3	4
Max Range	270	270	270
Optimal Range	270	270	270
Projectile Speed	250	250	250
Health	7.5	7.5	10
Shots Per Ton	100

The Inner Sphere now has access to Medium Range Missiles; an entirely new Missile Weapon type unique to the Inner Sphere.

These are unguided, low-damage Missiles catered to medium-range engagements. Unlike SRMs and LRMs, MRM firing patterns act as a 'stream' of Missiles, rather than a single volley of clustered Missiles.

	MRM 10	MRM 20	MRM 30	MRM 40
Slots	2	3	5	7
Tons	3	7	10	12
DMG	10	20	30	40
Heat	4	6	9	11.5
Cooldown	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.75
Max Range	450	450	450	450
Optimal Range	450	450	450	450
Projectile Speed	425	425	425	425
Missile Spread	4.3	4.3	4.5	4.6
Health	7.5	10	12.5	15
Shots Per Ton	300

The Inner Sphere now has access to Rocket Launchers; an entirely new Missile Weapon type unique to the Inner Sphere.

Rocket Launchers are one-shot, unguided, mid-damage weapons. While they boast very low tonnage requirements and do not require ammunition, their one-shot nature makes their ideal role very conditional.

	Rocket Launcher 10	Rocket Launcher 15	Rocket Launcher 20
Slots	1	2	3
Tons	0.5	1	1.5
DMG	17.5	26.25	35
Heat	3	4	5
Max Range Min Range	540 50	450 50	360 50
Optimal Range	540	450	360
Projectile Speed	400	400	400
Missile Spread	4.7	4.7	4.7
Health	7.5	7.5	7.5

New additions are in bold. Existing equipment variants are listed for reference.

The Inner Sphere now has access to Stealth Armor; a new Armor type unique to the Inner Sphere. Stealth Armor can only be equipped by ECM-capable 'Mechs, and only when ECM is currently equipped.

Stealth Armor operates under an On/Off toggle state, and is toggled with the 'M' key (by default).

When active, Stealth Armor will make your 'Mech invisible to Enemy Sensors and Targeting systems, remaining visible only to the naked eye. When Stealth Armor is active your ECM will automatically switch to Disrupt, and will function in that state as normal.

Your Sensor Range is also reduced by 75% while your Stealth Armor is Active.

When Stealth Armor is active your 'Mech will be prevented from dissipating any Heat your 'Mech is generating. In hot environments this will cause a gradual build-up of Heat, even when your 'Mechs is not in motion or otherwise engaged.

When Stealth Armor is deactivated any retained Heat is quickly dissipated, and any passive Heat related to Stealth Armor activity from environmental or 'Mech effects is no longer generated.

Once Stealth Armor is deactivated, you must wait for a period of 10 seconds before it can be reactivated. However, Stealth Armor can be immediately deactivated once it is activated.

Stealth Armor requires 12 Critical Slots, but does not save you any tonnage.

	Ferro-Fibrous	Light Ferro	Stealth
Slot Requirement	14	7	12
Tonnage Reduction	-1.1	-0.6	0

The Inner Sphere now has access to Light Ferro-Fibrous Armor; a new Armor type unique to the Inner Sphere.

Light Ferro-Fibrous requires only 7 Critical Slots, but saves you less Tonnage than regular Ferro-Fibrous.

	Ferro-Fibrous	Light Ferro	Stealth
Slot Requirement	14	7	12
Tonnage Reduction	-1.1	-0.6	0

The Inner Sphere now has access to Light Fusion Engines, a new Engine type unique to the Inner Sphere.

Lighter than a Standard Engine, but heavier than an XL, Light Fusion Engines only occupy 2 Critical Slots in each Side Torso. Inner Sphere 'Mechs are able to survive the loss of a Side Torso when a Light Fusion Engine is equipped. However, the loss of a Side Torso will incur a 40% reduction to Engine Heat Sink Efficiency, and a 20% reduction in Top Speed.

The Inner Sphere now has access to Targeting Computer technology.

Though certain values differ, these are Inner Sphere versions of existing Clan Targeting Computers.

		TC Mk I	TC Mk II	TC Mk III	TC Mk IV	TC Mk V	TC Mk VI	TC Mk VII	TC Mk VIII
Slots		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Tons		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Zoom Level 1 Boost		8%	13%	18%	23%	28%	33%	38%	43%
Zoom Level 2 Boost		11%	17%	24%	30%	35%	40%	45%	50%
Adv. Zoom Boost		15%	24%	33%	42%	50%	56%	63%	69%
Sensor Range Boost		2%	3%	4%	5%	6%	6%	7%	8%
Targeting Time Boost		18%	28%	38%	48%	56%	64%	71%	79%
Projectile Speed Boost Beam Range Boost		3% 4%	8% 5%	13% 6%	18% 7%	23% 8%	28% 9%	33% 10%	38% 11%
Critical Chances	1. 2. 3.	1% 0% 0%	2% 1% 0%	3% 2% 0%	4% 2% 1%	5% 3% 1%	6% 4% 1%	7% 4% 1%	9% 5% 1%
Health		7.5	7.5	10	10	12.5	12.5	15	15

The Inner Sphere now have access to Laser AMS. While Laser AMS does not rely on ammunition like its standard counterpart, it does generate Heat while responding to incoming enemy missile fire; the system will deactivate automatically and cease generating additional Heat if there are no valid missile targets incoming within its range.

However, manually deactivating Laser AMS to manage your Heat buildup while taking Missile fire will be vital for using it expertly. AMS can be toggled using the tilde (~) key by default, or by deactivating it in your Weapon Group interface.

Though certain values differ, this new Laser AMS equipment is also available to the Clans.

	Laser AMS	AMS
Slots	2	1
Tons	1.5	0.5
DMG	105/s	105/s
Heat	3	0
Max Range	250	250
Optimal Range	165	165
Projectile Speed*	100	100
Health	7.5	7.5
Ammo Required	No	Yes

* Projectile Speed value only affects the visual behavior of the AMS fire particle effect, and has no impact on the mechanics of the weapon.

New additions are in bold. Existing weapon variants are listed for reference.

The Clans now have access to the Light Machine Gun and Heavy Machine Gun.

Though certain values differ, these new Machine Gun Types are also available to the Inner Sphere.

	Light Machine Gun	Machine Gun	Heavy Machine Gun
Slots	1	1	1
Tons	0.25	0.25	0.5
DMG	0.7/s	1/s	1.4/s
Max Range	500	260	160
Optimal Range	250	130	80
Projectile Speed*	200	100	100
Missile Speed	0.2	0.6	1.1
Health	3.5	3.5	3.5
Shots Per Ton	2500	2000	1000

* Projectile Speed value only affects the visual behavior of the machine gun bullet particle effect, and has no impact on the mechanics of the weapon.

The Clans now have access to the ER Micro Laser; a unique addition for the Clan arsenal of ER Lasers.

	ER Micro Laser	ER Small Laser	ER Med Laser	ER Lrg Laser
Slots	1	1	1	1
Tons	0.25	0.5	1	4
DMG	2.4	5	7	11
Heat	1.7	3.5	6.3	10
Cooldown	2.25	3.2	3.75	3.75
Duration	0.75	1.1	1.25	1.35
Max Range	300	400	800	1480
Optimal Range	150	200	400	740
Health	3	5	5	6

The Clans now have access to the Micro Pulse Laser; a unique addition for the Clan arsenal of Pulse Lasers.

	Micro Pulse Laser	Small Pulse Laser	Med Pulse Laser	Lrg Pulse Laser
Slots	1	1	1	2
Tons	0.5	1	2	6
DMG	2.7	4	7	12
Heat	1.7	2.4	4.75	10
Cooldown	1.6	1.9	3	3.2
Duration	0.5	0.6	0.9	1.09
Max Range	180	297	561	840
Optimal Range	90	165	330	600
Health	3	5	5	7.5

The Clans now have access to Heavy Lasers; these are an entirely new type of Laser weapon unique to the Clan arsenal.

Heavy Lasers are distinguished by their potential for extremely high up-front damage potential at relatively low Tonnage requirements, but at the cost of high Heat and long Cooldown duration.

	Heavy Small Laser	Heavy Medium Laser	Heavy Large Laser
Slots	1	2	3
Tons	0.5	1	4
DMG	6.5	10	18
Heat	4.25	8	16
Cooldown	4	5	5.75
Duration	1.2	1.45	1.55
Max Range	230	540	900
Optimal Range	115	270	450
Health	3.75	5	6

The Clans now have access to Light TAG; a new type of TAG unique to the Clans.

	Light TAG	TAG
Slots	1	1
Tons	0.5	1
Max Range	450	750
Optimal Range	450	750
Health	7.5	7.5

The Clans now have access to Advanced Tactical Missiles (ATM); an entirely new class of Missile weapons unique to the Clans.

ATMs are guided Missiles with range-based damage potential, dealing higher amounts of damage at close-range but lower amounts of damage at long range.

	ATM 3	ATM 6	ATM 9	ATM 12
Slots	2	3	4	5
Tons	1.5	3.5	5	7
DMG	6	12	18	24
Heat	2.5	4.5	7	9
Cooldown	5	5	5	5
Max Range Min Range	1100 120	1100 120	1100 120	1100 120
Optimal Range	270	270	270	270
Projectile Speed	200	200	200	200
Missile Spread	3	3	3.5	3.5
Health	3.5	5	7.5	10
Shots Per Ton	90

New additions are in bold. Existing equipment variants are listed for reference.

The Clans now have access to the Light Active Probe; a new type of Active Probe unique to the Clans. The Light Active Probe weighs half as much as its standard counterpart, but provides smaller boosts to associated attributes.

	Light Active Probe	Active Probe
Slots	1	1
Tons	0.5	1
Range Boost Targeting Gain Time Boost 'Mech Detection Range Boost Health	15% 15% 90 5	25 25 150 5

The Clans now have access to Laser AMS. While Laser AMS does not rely on ammunition like its standard counterpart, it does generate Heat while responding to incoming enemy missile fire; the system will deactivate automatically and cease generating additional Heat if there are no valid missile targets incoming within its range.

Though certain values differ, this new Laser AMS equipment is also available to the Inner Sphere.

	Laser AMS	AMS
Slots	1	1
Tons	1	0.5
DMG	105/s	105/s
Heat	3	0
Max Range	250	250
Optimal Range	165	165
Projectile Speed*	100	100
Health	7.5	7.5
Ammo Required	No	Yes

* Projectile Speed value only affects the visual behavior of the AMS fire particle effect, and has no impact on the mechanics of the weapon.

The majority of 'Mechs have not yet been retrofitted to support the distinct visual appearance of new weaponry. For example, the Rotary Autocannon will appear as an Ultra Autocannon when equipped onto the majority of 'Mechs. Support for these new weapon visuals will be released in stages in future patches starting in August.

Until then, placing new weapons onto a 'Mech which does not yet support the unique visuals will cause those weapons to appear as their similar counterparts. For example, Rocket Launchers will appear as LRMs.

The following 'Mechs however do support the distinct visuals of new weaponry in this patch:

• Black Knight

• Crab

• Enforcer

• Grasshopper

• King Crab

• Mauler

• Panther

• UrbanMech

• Wolfhound

• Zeus

• Annihilator

• Cougar

• Uziel

• Mad Cat MK II

Civil War Hero variants

Civil War Store Page

Uziel Release Dates

MC Release Date: September 5th 2017

C-Bill Release Date: October 3rd 2017

Cougar Release Dates

MC Release Date: October 3rd 2017

C-Bill Release Date: November 7th 2017

Annihilator Release Dates

MC Release Date: November 7th 2017

C-Bill Release Date: December 5th 2017

Mad Cat MKII Release Dates

MC Release Date: January 9th 2018

C-Bill Release Date: February 6th 2018

You can check out the Quirk information for all these new Civil War 'Mechs as part of our Countdown to Civil War post here.

These new 'Mechs also bring with them a total of 12 new Colours for purchase with MC in-game. Early Adopters of a Civil War 'Mech Pack receive their associated colours for free.

Coinciding with the release of new technology, a number of value changes have been implemented for existing technology. These adjustments, outlined below in full, are also reflected within the reference tables located in the previous New Tech section of these notes.

This patch also sees minor additions and changes to the Skill Tree.

Aside from the new Quirks applied to the Civil War 'Mechs, there are no Quirk adjustments in this patch.

With the release of new technology and equipment, the Skill Tree has received a handful of low-impact changes and additions.

Firepower

New Flamer Ventilation Nodes

2 new 'Flamer Ventilation' Nodes have been added to the Firepower Tree. These Nodes have been slotted into previously empty locations.

Flamer Ventilation Nodes will increase the dissipation rate for 'ramped' Heat generated when engaging Flamers.

UAC Jam Chance > Enhanced UAC / RAC

UAC Jam Chance Nodes have been replaced with Enhanced UAC/RAC Nodes. Rather than reducing the chances of incurring a weapon jam, these Nodes will now instead reduce the Jam Duration for UACs and improve the dissipation rate of the Jam Gauge for RACs.

These Nodes provide the following benefits:

• UAC Jam Duration -7.5% per Node

• RAC Jam Gauge Dissipation -7.5% per Node

'Mechs which already had the previous UAC Jam Chance Node(s) unlocked will automatically have the new Enhanced UAC/RAC Nodes unlocked. Any Skill Points previously assigned to the UAC Jame Chance Node(s) will instead be assigned to the new Enhanced UAC/RAC Node(s).

Enhanced UAC/RAC Design Notes: The previous UAC Jam Chance Nodes placed us in a spot where the initial test values were impacting the upfront, sustained DPS of UAC weaponry a bit too much; leading us into a position where we could not provide the Node with significantly more value than what it was previously tuned for without adversely affecting weapon balance. As an alternative, we have changed the functionality for UACs to provide a percentile reduction to Jam Duration, rather than Jam Chance. This allows us to provide a more significant benefit without impacting the upfront DPS of the weapon. Instead, we are simply enabling a reduction to the recovery time needed before getting back into the fight.

Additions to Magazine Capacity & Missile Rack Nodes

Newtech Ammo and Missile types have been added to the Magazine Capacity and Missile Rack Nodes, respectively.

Increase to Gauss Charge Nodes

The benefit provided from Gauss Charge Nodes has been increased to 0.75 (from 0.25).

Survival

AMS Overload

The benefit provided from AMS Overload Nodes has been decreased to 0.75 (from 1.25).

AMS Overload Design Notes: We're happy to see AMS effectively utilized, but feel that the previous 71% damage uptick provided a bit too much of a boost to the equipment, particularly in light of recent baseline changes to AMS. We have therefore chosen to reduce the value provided from the AMS Overload nodes to instead provide a total boost of 41% to AMS damage when both nodes are applied.

Sensors

Enhanced ECM > Enhanced ECM Systems

The Enhanced ECM Nodes have been expanded to include functionality for the new Inner Sphere Stealth Armor. In addition to the existing boost for ECM, these Nodes will also reduce the Cooldown Duration before Stealth Armor can be re-activated.

Auxiliary

Changes to Enhanced Coolshot

Boost provided from Enhanced Coolshot Nodes has been reduced to 15% per Node (down from 25%).

Enhanced Coolshot Design Notes: With the original Enhanced Coolshot providing a bit too much in the realm of benefit when it came down to cost-benefit ratio, this change aims to bring the skill investment a bit more in line with the node count cost needed to max out Coolshot-based skills.

• Clan and IS UAC Weaponry: Fixed an issue where weapon jams could occur when holding down the fire button.

Inner Sphere AC10

• Added Heat Penalty when firing more than 3 AC 10 weapons simultaneously.
• AC10 Heat Penalty group is now linked with new IS UAC10.

Inner Sphere AC20

• AC20 Heat Penalty group is now linked with new IS UAC 20.

Inner Sphere and Clan Standard Machine Gun

• Damage increased to 1/s (from .95/s).

• Optimal Range increased to 130 (from 120).

• Max Range increased to 260 (from 240).

Machine Gun Design Notes: With the introduction of two new Machine Guns for both Inner Sphere and Clan, we wish to both level out the damage of the standard MG and provide it with a slight Range boost to better align it against its new counterparts.

Inner Sphere and Clan Standard Gauss Rifle

• Heat Penalty group is now linked with PPC.

Gauss Rifle Design Notes: For some time now, Gauss/PPC combinations have skewed much higher than nearly every other weapon combination when it came to pure pinpoint damage and kill potential. As a result, we've had to balance all Gauss and PPC weaponry changes around that combination, rather than what was best for the weapons individually. This was a mentality we carried with us into the New Tech PTS testing, attempting to preserve the weapon combo. That testing showed the various Gauss/PPC combinations provided with the release of new tech reliably outperformed nearly everything else on the PTS; when taken outside the combinations however, the individual weapons vastly under-performed from where we wanted them to be.

As a result, and with the current behavior of the combinations prior to the release of new tech also in mind, we have re-evaluated our stance on the combinations. This change will link Gauss and PPC weaponry together for the purpose of scaling Heat penalties. This will allow us to better balance the individual weapons as needed in the future, both within the existing lineup of weaponry, and with the new weapon types introduced in this patch.

Inner Sphere Small Laser

• Damage increased to 3.25 (from 3).

• Heat decreased to 1.5 (from 1.7).

Small Laser Design Notes: A few changes to IS Small Lasers in this patch, as part of continued refinements to the recent Energy weapon re-balance. These changes bring the IS Small Laser better in line with the newly introduced IS ER Small Lasers.

Inner Sphere Small Pulse Laser

• Heat decreased to 1.7 (from 2).

• Cooldown duration reduced to 1.9 (from 2).

Clan Small Pulse Laser

• Heat decreased to 2.4 (from 2.7).

• Cooldown duration reduced to 1.9 (from 2).

Small Pulse Laser Design Notes: The recent changes to Small Pulse Lasers have brought them into much better alignment with the rest of the weapon lineup around their size, but we feel we can nudge them a bit more in their Heat and Cooldown properties to provide with a tiny bit more DPS, while also have a bit more sustainability to play into their overall role.

Clan ER Small Laser

• Heat increased to 3.5 (from 3).

• Cooldown duration increased to 3.2 (from 2.7).

• Max Range increased to 400 (from 360).

Clan ER Medium Laser

• Heat increased to 6.3 (from 6).

• Cooldown duration increased to 3.75 (from 3.5).

• Optimal Range decreased to 400 (from 405).

• Max Range increased to 800 (from 688).

Clan ER Laser Design Notes: With the recent PTS we tested IS ER Lasers at double the Range to see how the dynamic held up for the their intended roles. We were satisfied with the results, so we wish to shift a similar design mentality over to the Clan side, providing them with increased Max Ranges to bring them in better parity with the new IS ER Lasers, and additionally, to further tune their overall performance against the rest of the lineup.

Clan Medium Pulse Laser

• Damage decreased to 7 (from 7.5).

• Heat decreased to 4.75 (from 5).

Clan Medium Pulse Laser Design Notes: We're implementing further tuning to the C-MPL to account for the ER Medium Laser changes, and in light of recent tuning implementation for this weapon coming up a bit short of where we wish the weapon land in the context of the recent Energy weapon balance pass.

Inner Sphere Medium Laser, Medium Pulse Laser, and ER Medium Lasers

• The standard, Pulse, and ER Medium Laser types now share a linked Heat Penalty group.

Inner Sphere Large Pulse Laser

• Heat increased to 7.25 (from 7).

Large Pulse Laser Design Notes: The Large Pulse Laser is still skewing a bit too high compared to its counterparts in the Large Laser family. We are nudging its overall Damage Per Heat ratio down slightly.

Inner Sphere ER PPC

• Velocity increased to 1900 (from 1300).

Clan ER PPC

• Heat increased to 14.5 (from 14)

• Velocity increased to 1500 (from 1300).

ER PPC Design Notes: As mentioned in the earlier entry for Gauss Rifles, we previously balance the ER PPC around their combination potential with Gauss. With the weapons now linked to the Gauss Rifles, it affords us the ability to boost the velocity of these weapons to make them better at longer-ranged trades. The Clan ER PPC pays for this increased Velocity with a bit more Heat given its existing solo-weapon potency.

Expansion of Eligible 'Mechs

'Mechs with a bracketed designation - such as Champion [C] or Founder [F] 'Mechs - are now eligible for use in Competitive matches as long as they have a standard, non-bracketed counterpart currently available for purchase with C-Bills. For example, the GRF-1S [C] Champion 'Mech will now be eligible for use, as the standard GRF-1S can be acquired with C-Bills.

As a result, [C], [F], [G], [I], [NCIX], [P], [R], [S], [L], and [O] 'Mechs are now eligible for use if they have a standard counterpart currently available for purchase with C-Bills. When applicable, any additional bracket designations introduced in the future will also be made eligible for use according to their release structure.

Hero 'Mechs and their OmniPods are still not eligible for use in Competitive matches, as they do not have C-Bill counterparts.

Please Note: If you are an active participant in the Competitive Mode feature and acquired a standard C-Bill variant of a non-C-Bill 'Mech already in your inventory for express use in Competitive Mode due to the previous restrictions, please contact Support services at accounts@mwomercs.com if you wish to request a full refund for whichever standard 'Mech(s) you purchased specifically due to those previous restrictions.

This offer only applies to active Competitive Mode participants, and will only cover C-Bill purchases conducted between June 16th and July 18th for 'Mechs now eligible for use in Competitive Mode due to this change.

If you subsequently sold your special 'bracketed' variant prior to or after acquiring its C-Bill counterpart, but would not have done so if the special variant had been eligible for use in Competitive Play, please contact Support services at accounts@mwomercs.com; they will attempt to work with you to arrive at a favorable resolution.

Other Improvements

• Floating Chat can now be accessed while waiting in the Competitive Play Launch Queue.
• Teams can now be reported for Offensive Names/Tags from within their Team Details screen. Abuse or misuse of this reporting feature may result in moderation action against you and your Team.

• Clicking a player within the Global Comp Chat will now display their Competitive Team Tag in the context menu.

• Visual design of the Invite Member confirmation window has been improved.

• Fixed an issue where the timestamp within the Match Results screen was using colons for the date, rather than hyphens.

• Fixed an issue where Comp Play Leaderboard was referring to Pilot, rather than Team.

• Fixed an issue where the Comp Play Leaderboard wouldn't display all Teams until you left and re-entered the Leaderboard menu.

Tournament administrators now have access to a Competitive API system! This will enable third-party competitive leagues to easily query raw match result data for use in their own tournaments and tournament websites.

For Tournament Participants and Administrators

The End of Round screen for Private Matches now contains a 'Publish Match Stats' button. When the round is concluded, anyone in the match can click the button to the submit the data for that match to the Competitive API system.

Upon doing so you will receive a confirmation window listing the Match ID and informing you that the ID has been copied to your clipboard. Someone in the match must manually provide it to the Administrator(s) of the third-party Tournament in which you are participating, as the Administrator(s) will require the correct MatchID in order to access the match data.

If Match Stats are not submitted at the End of Round screen, or if the correct MatchID is not provided to them, the Tournament Administrator(s) will not be able to access the match data!

For Tournament Administrators

To enable access to querying the Match Data API for use in your Tournament system you will first need to generate an API Key through your MechWarrior Online Profile, located here:

https://mwomercs.com/profile/api

Once you've done that, accessing the Match Results for a specific match requires that you append its associated MatchID to the Match API URL, followed by ?api_token= and your API Key.

For example:

MatchID: 10089989298

API Key: hwkooERBhcFMyBKAkz8ypSurD1R6qsYaeyZ80cxnW1lLl15AzUCHgBZbn53QhwkooERBhc
FMyBKAkz8ypSurD1R6qsYaeyZ80cxnW1lLl15AzUCHgBZbn53Q

Would be:

https://mwomercs.com/api/v1/matches/10089989298?api_token=hwkooERBhcFMyBKAkz8ypSurD1R6qsYaeyZ80cxnW1lLl15AzUCHgBZbn53Qhwko
oERBhcFMyBKAkz8ypSurD1R6qsYaeyZ80cxnW1lLl15AzUCHgBZbn53Q

This query will then return a JSON-formatted output of the match data for use in your tournament system. This system only allows you to access raw match data for Private Matches submitted to the Competitive API, and only if you have the associated MatchID.

Please note that this Competitive API simply enables you to access match data in its raw form; it is not a 'complete' system! You are still required to implement your own method for interpreting and displaying this data on your Tournament website!

An array of new Cockpit Items are included with this patch as part of the Civil War 'Mech release. Along with their complementary delivery to eligible Pack owners (when applicable), these Items are also available for purchase in-game.

Steel Viper and Nova Cat both receive Medallion and Banner Items in this patch due to their presence as rewards within the Faction Reputation system; Warhorns for these two Clans will be released in a future patch.


Steel Viper Banner Standing Item 750 MC	Steel Viper Medallion Hanging Item 500 MC


Nova Cat Banner Standing Item 750 MC	Nova Cat Medallion Hanging Item 500 MC


Tablet IS IS Civil War Standing Item 750 MC	Hologram Arm IS IS Civil War Hanging Item 500 MC	Magnetic Speaker IS IS Civil War Warhorn 750 MC


Tablet Clan Clan Civil War Standing Item 750 MC	Hologram Arm Clan Clan Civil War Hanging Item 500 MC	Magnetic Speaker Clan Clan Civil War Warhorn 750 MC


Uziel Walk Uziel Early Adopter Standing Item 750 MC	Annihilator Walk Annihilator Early Adopter Standing Item 750 MC	Cougar Walk Cougar Early Adopter Standing Item 750 MC	Mad Cat MK II Walk Mad Cat MK II Early Adopter Standing Item 750 MC


IS XP Medallion Hanging Item Uziel + Annihilator Collector Packs	IS C-Bill Medallion Hanging Item Uziel + Annihilator Collector Packs	IS XP Hologram Standing Item Uziel + Annihilator Ultimate Packs	IS C-Bill Hologram Standing Item Uziel + Annihilator Ultimate Packs
Not Purchasable In-Game These Items can only be equipped onto Inner Sphere 'Mechs These Items can only be acquired through the purchase of associated Pack combinations


Clan XP Medallion Hanging Item Cougar + Mad Cat MKII Collector Packs	Clan C-Bill Medallion Hanging Item Cougar + Mad Cat MKII Collector Packs	Clan XP Hologram Standing Item Cougar + Mad Cat MKII Ultimate Packs	Clan C-Bill Hologram Standing Item Cougar + Mad Cat MK II Ultimate Packs
Not Purchasable In-Game These Items can only be equipped onto Clan 'Mechs These Items can only be acquired through the purchase of associated Pack combinations


"The Solitary" Cougar Standard + Collector Packs	"The Carnivore" Cougar Collector Pack


"The Jaws" Mad Cat MKII Standard + Collector Packs	"The Predator" Mad Cat MK II Collector Pack


"The Angel" Uziel Standard + Collector Packs	"The Fallen" Uziel Collector Pack


"The God" Annihilator Standard + Collector Packs	"The Decimator" Annihilator Collector Pack

8 new Decals are featured in this patch, all from the various Civil War 'Mech Packs. While the Decal release in this patch is quite light, additional Decal sets inspired by community requests will be released in future patches!

• Caution - Jump Jet Thrust

• Kaiju

• 'Mech I Would Like To Fight

• Rawr

• Rumble Seat Equipped

• Shark

• Snake

• Squid

Floating Chat & Notifications

• Floating Chat is now accessible while waiting in the Competitive Play Launch Queue.
• Social button will no longer flash when a Unit MOTD is updated.

• The Notification Settings section of the Settings > Game screen has been expanded to allow for toggling Notification settings for most Chat channels. These 'frontend' Notification toggles have all been standardized into the existing Notification Settings section. These toggles will allow you determine whether you wish to see Notification alerts for the following items, on an individual basis:

• Enable Chat Notifications (Existing toggle)

• Receive Direct Message Alerts (New toggle)

• Receive IS/Clan Chat Alerts (New)

• Receive Faction Chat Alerts (New)

• Receive Unit Chat Alerts (New)

• Receive Officer Chat Alerts (New)

• Enable Faction Chat (Existing)

• Call to Arms Notifications (Existing)

• Group, Comp Team, and Global Comp Chat Channel toggles will be added in a future patch.

• Certain existing toggles which previously existed within the Notifications Settings section, such as Enable Team/All/Lance Chat and the Reward Display Mode, have been moved into a distinct Match Settings section.

• Placement of MechLab cameras has been adjusted slightly to accommodate the height of the Annihilator. The visual impact of this on 'Mechs viewed within MechLab is fairly minor, but less of the MechLab floor will now be visible, with a greater portion of the space above 'Mechs visible instead.

• Floating Chat: Fixed an issue where chat entries could appear duplicated.
• Floating Chat: Fixed an issue where chat messages sent to a player who has closed the tab could appear out of order.
• Group: Fixed an issue where the Leader crown could be dragged from and back onto the Leader in one action, causing 'Leader Changed' spam in the Group chat.
• Inner Sphere Map: Fixed an issue where images used for the Move and Rotate control references were swapped.
• Inner Sphere Map: Fixed an issue where the Occupying Planet tag in the Planet Details tab would display no tag.
• MechLab: Fixed an issue where the player could receive an Insufficient Funds error, blocking them from adding items to a Loadout without the intent of actually saving that Loadout.
• MechLab: Damage value within the tooltip for AMS now correctly displays any bonus damage as an increase to DPS.
• MechLab: Trial 'Mechs no longer display XP x2 and Chassis Bonus statuses.
• MechLab: Fixed an issue where Arm and Hand Actuators were classed as ECM equipment types in the information tooltip.

• Inventory: Prior to selling a 'Mech players are now alerted that they will lose any 'Mech XP and Skill progress for the variant if they sell it.

• Skill Tree: The current 'Mech designation has been to the top left of the Skill Tree screen.

• Skill Tree: The 'Purchase SP' window now retains the full variant designation when the player has assigned a custom name to the 'Mech.
• Skill Tree: Fixed an issue where the XP cost of an SP purchase could appear off by 1.
• Steam Packages: Fixed an issue that could cause Steam Package redemption failures for certain accounts.

Patch Files (Direct Download)

To make the patching process easier for players with limited download caps, we'll be providing direct download links for the patch file(s) that comprise this patch. This will allow you to download the patch file(s) elsewhere, for manual injection into the MWO patcher through a Patch Cache folder.

Aside from allowing you to download the patch file(s) elsewhere, on another connection, there are no additional benefits to performing the patch this way; the patching process itself will be the same.

This direct patch download process will only work for players running the standalone client. It does not apply to players running MWO through Steam.

Patch File(s): http://patcher.mwomercs.com/patch/Production/frontend/FrontendPatch_307.zip

How to use these patch files

• Download the above file(s)

• For sake of ease we recommend creating a dedicated folder for the patch file(s), such as 'MWO Patch Cache'

• You do not need to unzip or unpack the patch file(s)

• Launch the standard MWO launcher or MWO Portal

• If launching with the standard MWO Launcher, click the gear icon in the top right of the launcher window. If launching with the new MWO Portal, select the three horizontal lines in the top left of the Portal Window

• Choose the 'Specify Patch File Cache' option

• In the field that appears, paste or enter the location in which you saved the patch file(s) and hit OK

• For example, C:\Users\<username>\Documents\MWO Patch Cache

• Click the blue Patch button

• The launcher will now check the Patch Cache folder you defined. If it locates the required patch files, it will unpack and use those files to apply the patch.

• Once the patch is complete, launch the game

Known Issues

• Bitchin' Betty: No audio is present when Rocket Launchers are destroyed.

• Bitchin' Betty: LRM Destroyed audio will be triggered when ATMs are destroyed.

• Machine Guns: Standard Machine Gun SFX may sound 'heavier' than Heavy Machine Gun SFX.
• MechLab: Adding a 2 Slot Weapon to the CT while no Engine is equipped can cause the Engine increment widget to report an 'undefined' Engine.
• MechLab: FPS dips may be encountered while making Loadout changes to a 'Mech under certain system configurations. This issue is of particular priority.

• Skill Tree: The Magazine Capacity tooltip can get cut off at low resolutions.
• Uziel UZL-3P is currently missing a -20% UAC Jam Chance Quirk.

• Uziel UZL-5P currently has a -20% UAC Jam Chance Quirk, but should have a 20% Machine Gun Rate of Fire Quirk instead.

• Uziel UZL-6P currently has a Machine Gun Rate of Fire Quirk, even though it has no Ballistic Hardpoints.
• Zeus 9S2: RAC2 and RAC5 weapon geometry can appear to clip the weapon casing 'Mech while rotating.

Patch Notes - 1.4.126 - 18-JUL-2017

by Alexander Garden in [ Patch Notes ] on, Jul 15, 2017 1:00 AM UTC 686 comments

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