BattleTech is a turn-based tactical combat game developed by Harebrained Schemes and released in April 2018. The game takes place in the long-running BattleTech universe originally developed by FASA for their tabletop miniatures wargame, and focuses on small unit combat between pilots in 10-20 meter-tall, heavily armored walking war machines called BattleMechs, often referred to as 'Mechs.
Set in 3025, during the Third Succession War, players assume command of a mercenary unit employed by a deposed queen fighting to regain her throne. The player can take on randomly-generated side missions in between plot-crucial missions, and must deal with contract negotiation, DropShip upgrades, crew management, and 'Mech repair and maintenance in between combat missions. In combat, players deploy a lance of four BattleMechs. While unit size in missions is set at four, players can amass a larger pool of 'Mechs and MechWarriors from which to choose, rotating in fresh pilots and rotating out those who've been injured, and swapping out different 'Mechs as the situation calls for it.
Prior to missions players can outfit their 'Mechs in the Mechbay with different loadouts. Weapons can be bought from stores at each planet or obtained as salvage after missions. Players can negotiate contracts to include first picks of salvage in exchange for less money upfront. Weapons in the single-player campaign can also sometimes appear as upgraded versions with extra critical effects, like bonuses-to-hit, improved critical chance, or additional damage. In multiplayer however, all weapons act as their base version (all Large Lasers, for example, have the same range, and cause the same damage) for balance reasons.
The developers have confirmed multiple times that there are no plans to bring the game to consoles, although it is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and SteamOS.
DLC
The first DLC, Flashpoint, was released in November 2018 alongside the version 1.3 update and added new mission types, story events, biomes, and three new 'Mechs.
The second DLC, Urban Warfare, was released June 4, 2019. This added new urban biomes with fully destructible environments, electronic warfare, two new 'Mechs, new Flashpoints, three new enemy vehicles, and a new mission type.
The third DLC, Heavy Metal, was released November 21, 2019. This added Seven classic 'Mechs from the Battletech universe, and one original 'Mech designed specifically for this DLC, eight new weapons systems, and a new Flashpoint campaign.
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