The MechWarrior series is easily one of the most underrated franchises in gaming history. Fans of this series have been salivating for a proper entry in this franchise since 2002, but only received disappointment for the longest time — then came the release of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.
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All of a sudden, fans of the series could finally play a new game in the MechWarrior series after an agonizing wait that lasted almost two decades. That being said, one has to admit that MechWarrior 5 is anything but a perfect game. There is a litany of issues that might take away from the overall experience. But, with the use of the following mods, players can definitely optimize their experience with MechWarrior 5 substantially.
Paint Theme Saving
A big part of any mecha game is undoubtedly the act of customizing the mech that players control. This is definitely a feature in MechWarrior 5, even though its implementation is rather woeful.
A big offender in this regard is the fact that the colors of a player's mech can't be saved. It's an issue that is rectified with the Paint Theme Saving mod, although it should've been a part of the game to begin with.
Improved Laser Beam Visuals
A mecha game would be incomplete without lasers. So, it's only fitting that MechWarrior 5 features a host of laser attacks. However, they might not look all that great at times.
Thankfully, with the use of the Improved Laser Beam Visuals mod, these beams now feature greater visual fidelity. Blowing up enemy mechs into pieces will never look better.
Weather Improvement Mod
The scenery of MechWarrior 5 isn't really anything to write home about. This is especially true when it comes to the weather patterns, which feel rather underwhelming
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Thankfully, the Weather Improvement mod takes care of these issues. Now, players can experience debilitating snowstorms, clouds that move at normal speed, sunny days, and dark nights, all of which contribute a ton to the overall immersion of the game.
Realistic Weapon Velocities
There is a wide array of weapons to choose from and use in MechWarrior 5. While the vast majority of these weapons are quite satisfying to use, one has to admit that these weapons do feel rather floaty to use at times due to their unrealistic velocities.
Players who are plagued by this issue can use the Realistic Weapon Velocities mod. True to its name, this mod fixes the velocity of the weapons and ensures that they emulate real-world weapons as much as possible. The weapons affected by this mod are Autocannons, PPCs, Gauss Rifles, and LRMs.
MW5 Mercs Save Editor
Sometimes, playing through a game and achieving things the right way isn't exactly the most satisfying way to play the game. After all, there's a reason why cheat codes and the like are so prominent and beloved in most video game titles.
So, in a bid to enable a workaround that allows players to cheat in MechWarrior 5, modders have released a save editor that allows players to achieve the same. The MW5 Mercs save editor allows players to adjust company funds, add or remove inventory items, change weapon tiers, add or remove mechs, alter faction reputation, and change the values of both skill caps & experience points for the pilots in the game.
Coyotes Mission Pack
There was a time when the phrase "procedural generation" used to be perceived with a sense of awe. However, over time, players have realized that most forms of procedurally generated content not present in roguelikes or other such genres end up serving as a way to lazily cram content into a game.
Uninspired mission structures are rife in MechWarrior 5 and do end up taking away from the overall experience. However, with the Coyotes Mission Pack mod, players can now engage with more diverse procedurally generated content that is genuinely fun to play through.
Yet Another Weapon
For the most part, the range of weapons present in MechWarrior 5 is quite impressive. However, there are bound to be some gamers who would want this title to feature a greater selection of artillery that can mow down the opposition at a moment's notice.
This is where the Yet Another Weapon mod comes into the picture. This mod integrates a whole host of unique yet familiar weapons in the game that are a blast to use… quite literally, at times!
Enhanced HUD (With Advanced Zoom)
A HUD is easily one of the most critical parts that govern a player's experience with the game. A good heads-up display ends up communicating everything that a player needs to know without going overboard — something that MechWarrior 5 can struggle with, at times.
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Players who want the HUD of MechWarrior 5 to be as perfect as possible should ideally check out the Enhanced HUD mod. Along with the advertised zoom feature, this mod also repositions the minimap, adds parabolic effects, allows players to set a custom color for their HUD, adds new reticles, and integrates a bevy of other changes to ensure that players don't suffer from an overload of information in a tense battle.
Better Spawns
Enemy spawns are critical to keeping the level of conflict constant in any action game. While MechWarrior 5 does manage to do the same with its spawning system, one has to admit that some enemies appear way too unrealistically in the game, at times.
Thankfully, with the Better Spawns mod, this issue will become a thing of the past. Now, enemies spawn further away and appear in a realistic manner, which helps out a ton in keeping the level of immersion intact.
MW5 Mercs Reloaded
The sheer level of work put into the MW5 Mercs Reloaded mod makes it the best mod that players can download for MechWarrior 5 by a country mile. It integrates a bunch of features into the game that significantly overhauls the entire experience.
For starters, this mod unlocks the full potential of the mechlab, allows mechs to be affected by environmental heat, integrates thermal vision, adds a targeting computer, and changes up the upgrade system significantly. These are just a few of the many changes that make the MW5 Mercs Reloaded a must-have for any player who wants to significantly improve their enjoyment with MechWarrior 5 and its various systems.
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