This is A Cost Breakdown. Is MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries DLC Shadow of Kerensky by Pirhana Games worth the $20?
This DLC has a lot to unpack.
Let’s start with the basics.
- 12 new missions to continue the story.
- New Contracts in contested territory
- introduces 16 Clan or Omnimechs, and all the clan tech you could want
- New Inner Sphere weapons, 13 new variants,
- 17 new Biomes
- the new Bullshark Mech
- Elite MechWarrior pilots with traits
But is it worth your money?
Regardless of what brought you to the MechWarrior Franchise, be it your love of driving robots that are several story tall and destroying things, the storyline, or the table top game… this game captures the look and feel I would expect from this franchise. Let’s face it, focusing on the return of the clans is a great time for conflict.
As a long time fan, dating back to table top with hex maps and painted minis, I applaud how well this stuck to the lore I remember. Both this and MechWarrior 5 Clans has renewed my interest and I have spent a lot of time in both games (over 250 hours combined).
Time played
Mercenaries (base): 164.8 hours
Clans (base): 81.3 hours
Clans: Ghost Bear – Flash Storm DLC: 12 hours
Some considerations:
- 12 new missions sounds like a lot, it is not.
- Playing the main campaign in this DLC is 6 to 8 hours at best.
- I personally play games for story. This pushes the story forward.
- At 8 hours played this means my cost is $2.50/hour. But is that good?
Based on my play time and cost here is a cost per hour break down:
I personally feel that $2.50/hour while a significantly higher then the base games is not too much to pay.
Where I live it costs about $15 to go see a movie. I asked ChatGPT to give me the average run time of the top 10 highest grossing movies by year for the last three (2) years.
2023: 136 minutes
2024: 112.4 minutes
2025: 128 minutes
The average of those three (2) years is 125.6 minutes or 2 hours 5 minutes. That would mean the cost per hour to go to the movies is about (125.5 / 60 = 2.09) would be $15 / 2.09 for about $7.18/hour. That doesn’t even count if you also got popcorn and a beverage and/or snack.
If we compare this to the average cost per hour for Mechwarrior (any of the above) that make any of them look absurdly cost effective. So is it worth the $20? You’ll have to decide for yourself. Other then feeling a little too short for me, it definitely is.
Thanks for all the fun!
– tmib