Tuesday, September 22nd @ 10AM – 1PM PDT (5PM - 8PM UTC)
Patch Number:   1.4.11.0
Patch Size: ~300 MB 

Greetings MechWarriors,

The second 'Mech of Resistance 2 is now being delivered to all eligible pilots. With a service record that reaches back to the days of the Star League, the Black Knight is once again stomping across the battlefields of the Inner Sphere in full force.
The Black Knight is releasing with full standard Pattern functionality. For release dates regarding the remainder of the Resistance 2 'Mechs, other Collection items such as Badges, Titles, and Premium Time, along with Early Adopter rewards release dates and Faction Content selections, check out the release schedule in the Resistance 2 FAQ.

Our MechWarrior Academy Public Test session ran from August 26th until September 4th, and it was great to see your response and feedback fill the MechWarrior Academy PTS forum. Designed to prepare new pilots for the rigors of fighting on the battlefields of the Inner Sphere, the new MechWarrior Academy is intended as a 'living' tutorial and training system.
Beyond its initial release in this patch, MechWarrior Academy will continue to receive new Challenges, Persistent Features, and refinements in future updates.

We've made some revisions to the Home screen in this patch, with the introduction of three new informational overlays outlining your Pilot Info, Unit Info, and Current BattleMech Info. You will also now be able to view your current Pilot Skill Rating Tier through the Pilot Info pane on the Home screen, along with a progress bar to track your progress toward the next Tier (or descent into a lower Tier). Post-match changes to your PSR are now reflected in the End of Round screen, so you will be able to determine if the results of that match had a positive, neutral, or negative effect on your PSR.

The results of the community poll for public display of PSR Tiers through your web profile came out heavily in favor for the opt-in system. That system is planned to roll-out to the web site later this week.

Rounding out the patch we have a fix for 1080p portraits in the Select 'Mech screen, the introduction of a 'latest news' pop-up window when first logging in to the client, the ability to rotate your 'Mech in the Home screen, a fix for rare ballistics collision issues with breakable objects, and more.

We would also like to thank everyone who participated in the recent Re-balance PTS session, and we want to formally acknowledge the fact that our messaging prior to the activation of the Re-balance PTS was not up to the necessary standard. While the changes seen during the PTS were a seemingly drastic departure from the current state of balance in MechWarrior Online, the changes seen in the initial PTS session were only the initial steps in a much-broader plan and did not reflect the final form or the entirety of this re-balance. We are planning a second Re-balance PTS session soon, and will keep everyone apprised on the intent and direction of that PTS as we approach the PTS date.

Until then MechWarriors, keep reading for all the details of this patch and we'll see you on the battlefield!

- The MechWarrior Team

Change Log

New 'Mechs

The second 'Mech in the Resistance 2 collection is now available in-game for eligible Resistance 2 owners.

Black Knight (Heavy)

Originally designed for the Star League Defense Force as a front-line command 'Mech capable of both delivering and sustaining heavy damage, the Black Knight was an extremely rare sight in the post-Star League era until ComStar activated their remaining units for service during the Battle of Tukayyid. The Black Knight's long period of disuse has led to many adjustments and concessions by its inheritor Factions in order to accommodate the loss of the advanced engineering capabilities that defined its creation.

While the Black Knight may not live up to the heights of its Star League origins, and while some pilots may deride its lack of high-mounted hardpoints, the Black Knight is an extremely formidable Inner Sphere 'Mech that should not be underestimated.
As a 75-ton Heavy 'Mech comprised almost entirely of Energy hardpoints, the Black Knight holds sufficient power and protection to excel at almost any range.

Release Date for MC: December 15th 2015
Release Date for C-Bills: January 19th 2016

Loadout details and discussion of this new 'Mech can be found in a dedicated post here.

New Home Screen Information Overlays

Information overlays have been added to the Home Screen. Each of these overlays can be minimized, but the minimized state does not currently persist between matches.

Pilot Info

• Pilot Name

• Title

• Pilot Skill Rating Tier

• Pilot Skill Rating progress bar

• Current Faction

• Unit Name

• Unit Tag

• Number of Members

Currently Selected BattleMech

• Class

• Tonnage

• Chassis

• Variant

• Nickname

• 'Mech Efficiency Level

• Quick-access XP > GXP Conversion

Other Changes

• The current 'Mech model can now be rotated in the Home Screen.

MechWarrior Academy and Tutorial

New Introductory Tutorial

Before being able to access the standard game modes, new pilots will first launch into an Introductory Tutorial that will guide them through the basics of piloting a BattleMech:

• Powering-up your 'Mech.

• Field Manual and Key-Map References.

• Basic Movement Controls.

• Basic Weapon Controls.

• Timed Pilot Challenge.

• Basic Targeting and “How to kill a ‘Mech”.

• Introduction to the MechWarrior Academy.

Completing various stages of the Tutorial and MechWarrior Academy will grant new and old players alike with Achievements and C-Bill Rewards!

The MechWarrior Academy

Designed to prepare new pilots for the rigors of fighting on the battlefields of the Inner Sphere, the MechWarrior Academy provides a new introductory tutorial training session for new players as well as a persistent live training and testing system that can be re-visited with any of your BattleMechs.

Beyond its initial release in this patch, MechWarrior Academy will continue to receive new Challenges, Persistent Features, and refinements in future updates.

Established pilots will have the choice of going through the Introductory Tutorial or launching directly into MechWarrior Academy from the home screen with your currently selected BattleMech.

Persistent Features:

• 'Mech Swapper: Pilot any one of 11 other ‘Mechs arrayed in the MechWarrior Academy.

• Shooting Range: Test the range limits and damage potential of your weaponry. Dummy Target Turrets display the damage done to them every 1.5 seconds.

• Hot and Cold zones: Test the heat efficiency of your weapons under different ambient temperatures.

• Time of Day changer: Allows you to run your Training and Challenges under different lighting conditions.

Challenges:

• Pilot Challenge: Race to achieve your best time.

• Rapid Fire: Destroy as many targets as you can before the timer expires. The targets get tougher with every round until you can’t keep up anymore.

• Target Practice: Use your targeting data to find and exploit the weak points on dummy 'Mechs to destroy them as efficiently as possible.

• Gauntlet: Run through way-points and survive attacks from stationary enemy BattleMechs. After each round your enemies will get tougher and more aggressive. Train your ability to torso-twist and maneuver to spread damage away from critical or otherwise damaged components.

• Running Cored: Run the Gauntlet with a critical center torso to train your survival instincts.

In-Match Field Manual and Default Key-Map Reference

• Pressing F1 will now bring up a quick-reference image showing the default Keyboard key-maps. This reference is geared toward new players, and will only display the default mappings.

• Hitting ESC now gives the player the ability to click on any visible HUD component to access a Field Manual entry covering the details of operation for that HUD element.

Gameplay Fixed and Changes

• Added a 'Pilot Skill Rating Change' section to the End of Round Player Stats screen:

• Green 'Up' arrow means you gained PSR value.

• Yellow 'Equal' sign means there was no change in PSR value.

• Red 'Down' arrow means you lost PSR value.

• Your current PSR tier is now displayed in the Home Screen Pilot Info overlay.
  

Other Fixes and Changes

• A 'Latest News' pop-up will now appear upon logging-in, which can be minimized/maximized in any front-end menu screen.

• New Basic Tutorial has been added.

• MechWarrior Academy has been added.

• New information overlays are now available in the Home Screen.

• 'Mech model can now be rotated in the Home Screen.

• Fixed an issue where breakable objects could sometimes block ballistics.

• Fixed an issue where Select 'Mech portraits could appear translucent.

• Select 'Mech portraits will now be captured at 1080p regardless of the current client resolution.
  

Known Issues

• Home Screen: Minimization of the overlays does not persist between matches or Testing Grounds.

• Home Screen: The minimize/maximize arrow does not change its appearance.

• Home Screen: The minimize arrow for the Currently Selected BattleMech overlay is not oriented correctly.

• MechWarrior Academy Rapid Fire Challenge: Turrets are still target-able even after they are destroyed.

• Tutorial: If the player unbinds the Power-Up/Down button and enters the Basic Tutorial, they will get stuck in-game and must force-quit the client.