Patch Date and Time - Feb 18 2025 @ 10AM - 1PM PACIFIC

Version Number: TBA

Size: TBA

Please note that due to compression differences Steam patch size may be larger than the standalone client patch size.

Patch Files (Direct Download) - TBA

Greetings MechWarriors!

This month’s update includes the release of the Fire Moth, weapon adjustments, 'mech adjustments, quirk adjustments, bug and map fixes, and more! As always, a 2 week in-game Patch Science Sale will go live shortly after the patch and include all applicable items for testing. 'Mechs in-game and new 'mechs releasing are subject to future balance changes and tuning, so get out there and do the science so we can hear your feedback! 

-The MechWarrior Online Team

Fire Moth Mech Pack

It’s finally here! The Fire Moth joins MWO this patch. You can PRE-ORDER a Fire Moth now and remember that you have until April 22nd at 11:00 AM PDT to receive the Early Adopter Rewards. Check below for the mech quirks!

FMT-PRIME

FMT-B

FMT-C

FMT-D

FMT-H

FMT-K

FMT-AL

MISC Changes

• AMS missile destroyed will now reward 40 C-Bills per missile shot down.

• The component destruction explosion for headshots are now bright red. This will give a clear visual indicator if you killed your opponent by headshot.

• For the patch cycle of February Patch to March Patch, conquest will be disabled in Quick Play. The conquest win condition ticket count will be raised from 750 to 2000. This will allow some unique Event Queues to be made involving extreme length conquest matches with drop decks(40 minutes) and other mutators. Once March patch hits conquest will be reverted to 750 tickets again and reactivated for Quick Play. This will also impact private lobbies.

• Wolf Dragoons Booster Pack mechs now use Legendary mech naming formats. Their legendary names are “Clan Flea Whitehead,” “Clan Stalker Jamison,” “Clan Archer Jaime,” and “Clan Nightstar Brubaker.” Their variant IDs have not changed.

• Wolf Dragoons Booster Pack chassis names in the mechlab changed to put Clan after the chassis name. Clan Archer is now Archer Clan to make alphabetically sorting mechs in inventory easier for these new Clan tech variants.

• Group tonnage limits increased. 3 man maximum tonnage increased from 210 to 230. 4 man maximum tonnage increased from 240 to 260.

We wanted to reduce the power and sway groups had in our integrated solo and group queue Quick Play. However what we observed indicated that the agency groups had was not reduced in any meaningful way while the tonnage reductions inhibited the enjoyment of players in groups. We’ve decided to ease back those limitations.

Weapon Changes

Gauss Rifle:

• Reduced cooldown to 4.0s (from 4.25s)

Clan Gauss Rifle:

• Reduced cooldown to 4.5s (from 5.0s)

Clan ER Large Laser:

• Reduced Damage to 10.5 (from 11)

• Reduced Heat to 9.0 (from 9.5)

• Reduced Duration to 1.27 (from 1.35)

• Reduced Cooldown to 4.25 (from 4.75)

• Increased Heat penalty multiplier to 6.25 (from 5.75)

This effectively keeps the damage per second and damage per heat the same with the up front alpha damage reduced. We wanted to reduce their trading and poking power without impacting their total damage output throughout the course of a match. This change is primarily targeted at large clan mechs that can “boat” 6 or more C-ERLLs.

Mech Quirk Changes

A note from Tiyos for the balance changes in this patch:

"For a long time we(myself at Piranha Games and the Cauldron) have been aware of the buff cycle we've had in Mechwarrior: Online that's led to some power creep. We release new mechs and want to make sure they're viable but sometimes we get a little too overzealous. We follow that with buffing mechs in the game to compensate. We then follow that with releasing new mechs and so on, and the pattern compounds for years and years. It's no secret that mechs in Mechwarrior: Online operate at a significantly higher power level than in recent years. While I think some power creep is inevitable the longer a game lives and more content is added, there comes a time when harsh reductions are needed.

We know that nerfs are never anyone's favorites. We all have favorite mechs and we're all attached to them. We're no different. We tried to be as fair and balanced as possible while looking at the most oppressive mechs in quick play and toning them down. None of these changes are meant to completely remove the mech from the range of viability, but rather tone them back towards more acceptable margins with other mechs. There are also plenty of mechs that missed this nerf wave, once the dust settles from this we want to take time to reevaluate and decide what changes need to happen moving forward. There is also a high likelihood of another nerf wave following this one. We don’t want to shake too many different mechs in one patch.

There's also buffs in this patch too, so it's not all doom and gloom!"

Clan Flea

• FLE-16-C

• Added 10% Heat dissipation boost

• Added -20% Missile spread

Commando

• COM-D03

• Reduced Laser duration to -10% (from -30%)

Commando IIC

• COM-IIC

• Reduced LL, RL structure bonus to +12 (from +22)

Kitfox

• KFX-G

• Removed -10% Missile cooldown from SO8

• Removed -10% Energy cooldown from SO8

• Removed -2.5% Missile cooldown from LT, RT

• Added -15% Cooldown in SO8

• Added -5% Laser duration in SO8

• Added -5% Laser duration in RA

Adder

• ADR-W

• Reduced LT, RT Armor bonus to +4 (from +8)

Osiris

• All Variants:

• Removed All current survival boosts

• Added +5 Full body structure bonus

Arctic Wolf

• ACW-1

• Removed All current survival boosts

• Added +5 Full body armor bonus (including boost to rear torsos)

Blackjack

• BJ-1X

• Reduced Laser Heat to -5% (from -10%)

Trebuchet

• TBT-5J

• Reduced STD Laser duration to -40% (from -50%)

We got a little carried away with that one.

Roughneck

• All Variants:

• Removed All current survival boosts

• Added +5 Full Body (all components) Armor bonus

• Added +10 Full Body (all components) Structure bonus

• Added +5 CT Armor bonus (stacks with full body)

• Added +10 CT Structure bonus (stacks with full body)

• Added +5 LT, RT Structure bonus (stacks with full body)

Stalker

• STK-5S

• Removed -5% Laser duration

Supernova

• SNV-A

• Added +1s target decay duration

• SNV-B

• Removed -5% ER Laser heat

• Added -5% Laser heat

• SNV-C

• Added Pulse laser HSL +1

BullShark

• BSK-1

• Reduced Heat to -5% (from -10%)

• BSK-2

• Removed -5% Heat

• BSK-6

• Removed 10% Weapon velocity

• Removed -10% STD AC cooldown

Clan BullShark

• BSK-4

• Removed -10% Energy heat

• BSK-M

• Removed -5% Ballistic heat

• Reduced CT, LA, RA Armor bonus to +15 (from +20)

• Reduced LT, RT Armor bonus to +20 (from +25)

Executioner

• EXE-B-A

• Reduced Ballistic cooldown to -7.5% on LA, RA (from -10%)

Stone Rhino

• SR-1

• Reduced LA, LT, CT, RT, RA Armor bonus to +10 (from +13)

• SR-2

• Reduced LA, LT, CT, RT, RA Armor bonus to +10 (from +13)

• SR-6

• Removed Medium Laser family HSL

• Reduced LT, CT, RT Armor bonus to +10 (from +13)

• SR-K

• Reduced LA, LT, CT, RT, RA Armor bonus to +10 (from +13)

• SR-AK

• Removed -20% Crit chance (receiving)

• Reduced Screen shake reduction to -30% (from -100%)

• Reduced LT, CT, RT Armor bonus to +10 (from +13)

Players have pointed out in the past that this is what feels like the umpteenth Stone Rhino nerf. I feel it needs a special note highlighting two points. The first is how strong the mech must have been upon release for it to warrant all of these nerfs. It was. The second point is that we have been attempting to avoid one of the greatest pitfalls of the old PGI balance style. Changes like the old Clan Small Pulse nerf that take a weapon from strong to entirely unusable in a single patch. Instead of hitting the Stone Rhino in one patch and risk making it unusable, we’re instead tuning it on a patch by patch basis and taking it cautiously. By doing this we avoid ruining the mech for all who own it and enjoy it but rather slowly bring it in line with other 100 ton options. 

The Stone Rhino 7 wasn’t forgotten for these changes. With the primary builds on the SR-7 being C-ERLL based, we thought it would be best to see how the mech performs after the C-ERLL refactor before deciding its fate. Expect changes to that mech in the March patch.