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





Greetings MechWarriors,





The Javelin has arrived, and is now en-route to the MechBays of eligible MechWarriors. Built around a blend of mobility and firepower, the Javelin was originally designed as a mobile scout with enough firepower to deter or punish pursuit. Over its 300 years of active service within the military's of the Inner Sphere, the Javelin has gained a reputation as a premier ambush and strike 'Mech.

After a number of iterations, delays, and Public Test Sessions, the all-new Skill Tree is finally arriving in this patch, offering pilots greater control over how their 'Mechs are optimized according to their Loadout and desired role. The Skill Tree section of these Patch Notes is quite extensive, so we'll save you a bit of reading in the intro here. Check out the associated section for all the details!

A number of gameplay-related tweaks are also featured in this patch, such as the decoupling of agility-related stats from your equipped Engine size (otherwise known as 'engine desync'). W ith the release of engine desync in this patch, 'Mech agility stats are now determined by the overall tonnage of the chassis itself, not the size of its equipped Engine. It is important to note however that the Speed of your 'Mech will not be impacted by this; speed remains tied with Engine size. For full details on this change and its impacts, check out the associated sub-section of these notes.

In addition to the usual 'Mech-related Decals, seven of the original Clans are also receiving emblem and word Decals in this patch. We'd like to thank all Clan pilots for their patience waiting for these long-requested Decals. We'd also like to note that Decals for the five remaining Clans active in the current timeline are already complete and will be released this June, along with the missing word Decal for Clan Star Adder.

As part of the Skill Tree release, the Cadet Bonus 25 Achievement will now provide the player with 48,000 GXP in addition to the existing reward for that Achievement of 200,000 C-Bills. This GXP reward has also been retroactively provided to all players who have already achieved Cadet Bonus 25 at the time of this patch.

Rounding out the patch we have the MC release of all Clan Wave 1 Hero 'Mechs, missile weapon retrofits for the Quickdraw and Victor 'Mechs to provide them with accurate weapon visuals according to Loadout, and a small number of general fixes and changes.

We would also like to alert everyone that the downtime required during this patch window will be longer than normal to perform some necessary database work as part of the player account transfer process into the new Skill Tree. We are expecting this patch downtime to last ~3 hours in total.

Read on for all the details of the May patch, and we'll see you on the battlefield!

- The MechWarrior Team













Welcome to the all-new Skill Tree, MechWarriors!





The Skill Tree marks a major shift from the previous Skill system. At its core, the current Tree you'll see in this patch essentially aims to address two fundamental goals:

• Provide greater depth and control to the player over the customization and specialization of their 'Mechs • Address the heavy 'progression walls' seen under the previous Skill system by removing the Rule-of-3 variant leveling system and integrating Modules directly into the Skill Tree

The primary purpose of the Skill Tree feature is to enable a level of customization for 'Mech capabilities not available under the previous system, with a heavy focus toward 'Mech specialization. We additionally wish to move away from the previous Module-based system.

We have paid great mind to the cost-benefit ratio of the more heavily-desired Skills, and have attempted to balance the Skill Tree accordingly. At the heart of supporting the above point is the way the Tree Nodes are structured, arranged in a non-linear arrangement. This structure forces players to make real and impactful choices about how they approach the Skill composition of their 'Mech. We are taking this approach to help mitigate a 'min-max' approach; high-value Skill Nodes will require a serious commitment.

The Nodes within the Skill Tree have been arranged and balanced around the overall number of Nodes it takes to maximize any given Skill type. As an example we'll take a look at the Weapon Cooldown and Weapon Heat Gen Skill nodes within the Firepower Tree.

While containing different Node counts, and wide distribution throughout the Tree, the Cooldown and Heat Gen Skill types require around 28 Nodes of investment to maximize any one of those two Skills. To achieve this you need to sacrifice 30% of your total Active Skill Point allotment for a 'Mech. Due to the non-linear arrangement of the Tree, subsequent investments in other Nodes becomes much more cost efficient. While maxing either Cooldown or Heat Gen requires an investment of around 28 Nodes, proceeding to max both of those Skill types only requires 11 additional Nodes. This works toward our goal of a greater degree of give and take within the Skill system through specialization.

Beyond the 3-variant system required for Mastery under the previous Skill system, the previous system required a heavy amount of grind for very little gain to the average player. Unlocking Speed Tweak or achieving full Mastery could see an average player spend large amounts of time in-game for very little substantial gain. The new system aims to make the leveling process much more rewarding for the average player by having Skill advancement and 'Mech 'leveling' come at a much steadier rate, with more noticeable steps along the way, providing a greater sense of accomplishment and progress.

Beyond these primary goals, the fundamental changes to 'Mech potential facilitated by the new Skill Tree will inevitably introduce new challenges and balance questions. We've taken care to address a few balance components in this patch, but as with inherent 'Mech Quirks the state of balance under the new Skill Tree will be an ongoing process of iterative improvements.

We want to assure everyone that balance remains a core focus of the design team, and we will be working heavily to monitor and improve it after the release of the Skill Tree in May, the release of new tech in July, and on into the future.















Before we run through all the details of the new Skill Tree there are some key terms that need defining to better explain how the Skill Tree works.

Skill Tree Technically refers to the Skill system as a whole. In casual usage this will also likely be used when referring to Skill Classes, such as "the Firepower Skill Tree".

Skill Class Classes of Skill Nodes encompassing a specific set of Skills. • For example: The Firepower Skill Class contains weapon-based Skill Nodes.

Skill Node A single Node within a Skill Class. Most Skill Nodes are part of a set; you'll need to acquire the full set to receive the full Skill benefit for the equipment or ability the Node relates to. • For example: The Range 1 Skill Node within the Firepower Skill Class. There are ten Range Skill Nodes in total, all within the Firepower Skill Class.

Locked Skill Node A single Node within a Skill Tree that you have not yet acquired. All Skill Nodes start as locked by default, and must be unlocked/acquired by purchasing the Node with a Skill Point. Locked Nodes possess an orange lock icon. Once a Skill Node is acquired it is immediately made Active. • For example: The player has not yet acquired the Laser Duration 1 Skill Node within the Firepower class.

Active (Equipped) and Inactive (Unequipped) Skill Nodes When a Skill Node is Active its benefit is being applied to the 'Mech. When a Skill Node is Inactive its benefit is not being applied to the 'Mech. Active Nodes are visually highlighted; Inactive Nodes are not. De-activating a Skill Node has no cost associated with it. Re-activating a Skill Node requires 400 XP. You do not need to spend another Skill Point to re-activate a Skill Node you previously acquired. • For example: The player has acquired the Range 1 Skill Node. That Node is currently Active. The player has previously acquired the Range 3 Skill Node, but that Node is currently Inactive.













SP (Skill Points) Purchased per-'Mech using a combination of C-Bills and XP, Skill Points are used for purchasing Skill Nodes. Once a Skill Node has been purchased it is considered 'owned', and can be de-activated or re-activated later at any point without needing to acquire a new Skill Point. • Purchasing 1 Skill Node requires 1 Skill Point. • All 'Mechs possess a maximum of 91 active Skill Points. • Skill Points are only required for the initial purchase of a Node.

GSP (General Skill Points) A general form of Skill Points. General Skill Points work much the same as regular Skill Points, but they are not locked to any specific variant. You can use General Skill Points to purchase Skill Nodes for any 'Mech you wish. General Skill Points can not be purchased; they are currently only received as part of the refund/transfer process from the old Skill Tree.

HSP (Historic Skill Points) Historic Skill Points carried over from your account prior to the release of the new Skill Tree. Historic Skill Points are a 'transition' currency to account for Skill Statuses from the old Skill Tree. Put simply, the Skill status of a 'Mech under the previous system is converted into an associated number of Historic Skill Points (HSP). You can then assign any amount of HSP to a specific variant or its duplicates for use in the Skill Tree.

XP ('Mech XP) A 'Mech-specific experience type. • 'Mech XP can only be used toward the purchase of Skill Points for the specific 'Mech on which that 'Mech XP is present.

GXP (General XP) A general experience type. • GXP can be used toward the purchase of Skill Points for any 'Mech.

HXP (Historic XP) Historic XP carried over from your account prior to the release of the new Skill Tree. • 'Mech XP from the previous Skill Tree (whether spent or unspent) will be returned to the associated variants as a shared HXP pool. • GXP spent on 'Mech Skills from the previous Skill Tree will be returned to the associated variants as a shared HXP pool. • HXP must be converted into 'Mech XP before it can be used for Skill Unlocks. There is no cost associated with converting HXP into 'Mech XP. • You can find a more complete rundown on HXP and how it relates to the new Skill Tree in the Navigating the new Skill Tree section of this post.

Respec Performing a respec refers to the act of un-equipping one or more Skill Node on a chosen 'Mech for the purpose of 'respecing' it with new Skills.













The Refund Ledger outlines all pertinent details of the transition and refund of your 'Mech and Pilot Skills, experience, 'Mech Modules, and Consumables. We've taken great care to ensure that none of your Skill progress is lost and that your existing Module inventory has been accounted for.

You can also view your Refund Ledger data from your website profile! Access it through your standard Profile page here: https://mwomercs.com/profile, then click the 'View Skill Tree Refund Ledger' text.

In this section we'll run through each component of the Refund Ledger using an example account.

The Refund Ledger data for your account will reflect your account status and inventory as it appeared on May 16th at approximately 10 AM PST.

Upon your initial login after this patch you will be presented with your Refund Ledger. You can click the circular information icon in the top left of the Ledger for summaries of each Ledger component, as seen in the image below. Once closed the Refund Ledger can be accessed through the 'View Ledger' button within the 'Mech Enhancements window of your Skill Tree screen.

Each section of the Refund Ledger is expanded by default, and you can collapse and expand sections by clicking the associated header. Each section provides full itemized details for the associated refund components.













Modules purchased after December 3rd 2016 - the date of the original Skill Tree announcement at Mech_Con - are being refunded in the form of C-Bills.

Modules purchased prior to December 3rd 2016 are being refunded in the form of General Skill Points (GSP), which can be consumed to unlock Skill Nodes for any 'Mech you wish.

Let's run through each of the entries you may see in your Refund Ledger, depending on your account. Note that some entries may not be populated in your Ledger if your account inventory doesn't apply to the items being addressed. For example, if you have no MC Consumables in your Inventory.

REFUND FROM CONSUMABLES (CB) This is the total refund in C-Bills you are receiving for all of the Owned C-Bill Consumables present in your Inventory as of May 16th 2017. Due to changes we've made to Consumables in this new Skill Tree any Consumables in your Inventory have been removed and their purchase values have been refunded in full.

This is a 1:1 refund of the original C-Bill purchase value for all your Owned C-Bill Consumables! If applicable you'll also receive purchase value C-Bill 'refunds' for any Owned C-Bill Consumables you acquired without purchase, such as through special events.













REFUND FROM CONSUMABLES (MC) This is the total refund in MC you are receiving for all of the Owned MC Consumables present in your Inventory as of May 16th 2017. Due to changes we've made to Consumables in this new Skill Tree any Consumables in your Inventory have been removed and their purchase values have been refunded in full. This is a 1:1 refund of the original MC purchase value for all your Owned MC Consumables! If applicable you'll also receive purchase value MC 'refunds' for any Owned MC Consumables you acquired without purchase, such as through special events.













REFUND FROM MODULES (GSP) This is the total refund in General Skill Points (GSP) you are receiving for all of the Owned (Non-Consumable) Modules in your Inventory as of May 16th 2017 (if they were acquired prior to December 3rd 2016). Modules acquired after that date are being refunded to you in full in the form of C-Bills.

The amount of GSP you receive for your Owned Modules is determined by the Total Purchase Value of all your Owned Modules divided by 45,000 (the C-Bill cost of a Skill Point). For example, a total Purchase Value for all your Owned Modules of 50,000,000 C-Bills would result in you receiving 1,112 General Skill Points (the final value is rounded to to the nearest decimal). These General Skill Points can be consumed to unlock Skill Nodes for any 'Mech you wish without needing to spend the usual 45,000 C-Bill and 800 XP cost associated with purchasing a standard Skill Point directly. As a result, the Module > GSP refund process provides you with a great deal of free XP integrated into the GSP conversion. In the above example, 889,600 free XP has essentially been provided to the player in the form of their 1,112 GSP.

Any eligible LTD Modules acquired as a bonus item from a Clan Wave 1 purchase made before December 3rd are being refunded in the form of GSP. For example, a single LTD Radar Deprivation Module (with an assigned value of 8,000,000 C-Bills) converts to 177.8 GSP.















REFUND FROM MODULES (CB) This is the total refund in C-Bills you are receiving for all of the Owned (Non-Consumable) Modules in your Inventory as of May 16th 2017 (if they were acquired after December 3rd 2016).

These Modules are being refunded as C-Bills due to our original intent to provide full C-Bill refunds for all Owned Modules. We understand some players made Module purchasing decisions based on that original statement, so all purchases made after that statement are being refunded as C-Bills. This is a 1:1 refund of the original C-Bill purchase value of your Owned Modules acquired after December 3rd 2016! If applicable you'll also receive purchase value C-Bill 'refunds' for any Owned Modules you acquired without purchase, such as through special events.

Any eligible LTD Modules acquired as a bonus item from a Clan Wave 1 purchase made after December 3rd are being refunded in the form of C-Bills, at the purchase value of their standard counterpart plus an additional 2,000,000 C-Bills in value.













REFUND FROM PILOT NODES This is the total refund in GXP you are receiving for all Pilot Nodes you unlocked with GXP under the previous Skill system. This is a 1:1 refund of all your GXP previously spent for unlocking Pilot Nodes! Any unspent GXP on your account remains as unspent GXP.













'MECH MASTERY BREAKDOWN This is the transfer of Skill Progress from all of your 'Mechs under the previous Skill system. The 'Overall Progress' column in your Refund Ledger refers to the total number of Skills you had unlocked for a listed 'Mech.

Put simply, the Skill status of a 'Mech under the previous system is converted into an associated number of Historical Skill Points (HSP). You can then assign any amount of HSP to a specific variant or its duplicates for use in the Skill Tree. Each Skill from the previous system is converted into a specific HSP value. For example, Cool Run (Basic) equates to 1 HSP, while Fast Fire (Elite) equates to 10 HSP.



Basic Original XP Cost Skill Point Refund Cool Run 750 1 Kinetic Burst 1000 2 Twist X 2500 4 Heat Containment 1000 2 Hard Brake 1500 2 Twist Speed 2500 4 Arm Reflex 1500 2 Anchor Turn 3500 6 Total Basic 14,250 23 Elite Original XP Cost Skill Point Refund Quick Ignition 4000 6 Fast Fire 6000 10 Pinpoint 3000 5 Speed Tweak 8500 13 Total Elite 21,500 34 Master Original XP Cost Skill Point Refund Module Slot 21,500 34 Grand Total 57,250 91

The HSP value is determined according to the XP investment required to unlock the Skill under the previous system; for every 630 XP you spent to acquire a Skill under the previous system you'll receive 1 SP (rounded up). Full Basic status equates to 23 HSP. Full Elite status equates to an additional 34 HSP. Full Master status equates to an additional 34 HSP. A fully Mastered 'Mech therefore receives a base amount of 91 HSP in return. Those 91 points can then be used to acquire full 'Master' status under the new Skill system without needing to spend any C-Bills or XP to unlock the Skill Nodes.

Additionally, the amount of HSP received from the Skill status of a 'Mech under the previous Skill system is multiplied by the number of duplicate variants you own of that 'Mech. For example: A player owns three CDA-2A 'Mechs, and had achieved full Elite status for the CDA-2A chassis under the previous Skill system. As part of their transition and refund process they would thus receive a total of 171 HSP for use with their CDA-2A 'Mechs (57 HSP * 3 variants).



















