Is MWO worth returning to in 2025?

[Dark Sun Gwyndolin]

Title. I used to be a major fan of MWO, but quit when I realized I was spending more than I was comfortable with on mech packs. Nowadays, I'm much more cautious with my spending, and don't feel I would run into the same problem again. I bought MW5:Mercs thinking it would replace MWO for me, but for some reason, I don't feel the desire to continously play it like I did MWO, even though I generally have fun when I do play it. I've mostly been playing Instant Action for a few sessions, then ignore it for months.

What's the state of gameplay and business model in 2025? Have the graphics been updated to match MW5? How active is the community?

[spartanspud]

You do recognise some names from match to match. But there's more that you don't.

[Mayakashiii]

Originally posted by Toaster:

Originally posted by Mayakashiii:

There are more around 2-3k players. Check the leaderboards instead of Steam-only numbers.

Jarls show 22800 monthly active players. I dont remember the requirement to be included in that but it wasnt much. Still, its something.

I don't really understand Jarl's numbers, though. Russ said in a podcast that they had around 10k active players when MWO had reached peak. He also said they are now in the low thousands. I wonder where these numbers are coming from?

[Black Hole]

For me no, I last played this back in 2015 after the clans were released it just stopped being fun after that.

[Toaster]

Originally posted by Mayakashiii:

Originally posted by Toaster:

Jarls show 22800 monthly active players. I dont remember the requirement to be included in that but it wasnt much. Still, its something.

I don't really understand Jarl's numbers, though. Russ said in a podcast that they had around 10k active players when MWO had reached peak. He also said they are now in the low thousands. I wonder where these numbers are coming from?

Likely 10k at the same time. Steam peak shows 4111 and it doesnt include their own launcher which was still popular around that time.

[G O G G L E S]

People will judge a game based on their currently playing population instead of how many players played overall.

[spartanspud]

There's definitely some relevance to that metric. But I would say 20K a month on a decade old game shows it's not so bad.

[Chrysanther]

I mean, looking through season 102 leaderboards there's at least 7000 players this season

[SharkPlush]

Originally posted by G O G G L E S:

People will judge a game based on their currently playing population instead of how many players played overall.

It's fair to ask if there's a cook in the kitchen when you've been waiting for food.

But yeah enough people play MWO, same as it ever was, get a mech in each weight class and play what the matchmaker is indicating it needs.

[Preacher]

You will quickly remember why you left

[waldo]

arcade mech warrior free to play

what is not worth returning to?

are there a lot of choices out there in the rotating torso mecha genre?

This is how it is, so this is how I get to play it?

Good game with pay for arcade aspects so expect it to be that.

Doesn't mean it's not fun!

I win I lose I don't pay

fun is free?

[zahlenmaler]

You can still use the same aimhelpsoftware like 4 years ago,
Or play a light with Vigor's Paketlos addon to avoid getting hit.
So its like 4 years ago, but wait here are more p2w mechs now because its 4 year later. :D

[waldo]

"You can still use the same aimhelpsoftware like 4 years ago,
Or play a light with Vigor's Paketlos addon to avoid getting hit.
So its like 4 years ago, but wait here are more p2w mechs now because its 4 year later. :D"

I like to think that those kind of cheats are what kills PC gaming.

Then everyone wants to blame the game maker for the garbage instead of ostracizing the the garbage makers and those who will use the garbage? Who wants to play games with people who do that in the first place, eh?

In a poker game they used to shoot each other under the table when they got cheating?

So they want the internet as a place to cheat rather than do anything correct like play a game fairly?

Same as vandalism.

"more p2w mechs"

?????

Those are pay to cheat mechs, not pay to win.
I like to think as that is why you can play free, as those who did pay for PC games before had to have cheaters ruin them and therefore lost their trust in buying multiplayer competition PC games.

So now we end up with this format of free to play, pay to cheat.

Because the cheaters, have to be?

[Wrangler]

Yes, sure it's older game. However, it's mech combat. It's also the PEOPLE who PLAY IT. Which makes it more worth playing. It's tight community, it has 100 or so people playing. I'm not waiting but couple minutes per match. I fine with it, I read little while I way which isn't as long as it was years ago.

New maps have been added last year, new mechs are now rolling in again thanks to MW5 games. Game developers are getting by enough to get put some money back into it again. Due to copyright agreement, at moment same game engine remains. Which is fine with me, I don't need extra horse power to run game. Frankly it's goto play enjoy company with fellow enthusiasts of MW and BattleTech

[salamatmahal]

MWO looks P2W if you have a brand new free account and want to be competitive in hour 1 and also don't want to use one of the readily available and already tuned trial mechs.

If you play for a few days, you can have whatever non-premium mech you want customized and fully skilled as you desire. If you are competitive at that point or not depends on you as a mech-engineer and as a player.

As new mech-packs are released, they tend to be slightly over-tuned to drive sales. A couple months after release, they are nerfed if they were demonstrated to be over-tuned. AFAIK, there is no mech that is 'best' or better than all of the others.

Player skill in QP will dominate over build quality, as you can see below.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2187939425

If there is any cheat software being used by the general population, I'm not aware of it and I'm certainly not seeing people get strange results on any kind of regular basis.

[Cowboygeeker]

Recently got into ALL of Battletech, tabletop, and PC. I played MWO when it first came out and it did get overshadowed by games like Overwatch. I recently came back because it has a lot more thoughtfulness to it. It;s not ALWAYS a one shot kill... Unless your running a light mech and I have been DONGED in the head with a one shot. Personally I find this game really satisfying to return to, I have very little trouble finding games, I tend to have HBS Battletech on a second monitor if there is any noticeable wait and then I get DOUBLE Battletech. There is a lot of PAY stuff, and sometimes it feels like it is pay to win... Until you find a mech you click with and then YOU feel over powered! For a couple matches then you come across someone that immediately wrecks your build so you go back and tinker... It's the tinkering I love. Just trying out different builds. I recommend TTB videos for some starting builds as that Youtuber is fresh, there is Baradul and he is a joy to watch but his are older and a bit outdated for skill trees and for changes that have happened but it gives you a good idea of a certain mech.