Piranha Games announces Legend of the Kestrel Lancers will arrive on September 23rd for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries on all systems, adding a story-focused expansion to the mech combat game. At the same time, a free update will also come to the game. This will add new features, including melee combat, for those who prefer Pacific Rim-style punch-outs. Here's a Teaser Trailer and a longer Features Trailer for the expansion. Here's a briefing:

The Legend of the Kestrel Lancers expansion departs from the sandbox structure seen in past campaigns and offers a more story-focused experience set during the “Fourth Succession War,” one of the most famous conflicts in BattleTech lore featuring 14 missions and seven “Battle Quests” featuring large-scale conflicts set on custom battle grounds. Improved urban warfare also awaits with Mega Cities that are significantly larger than any Urban Centers previously seen in the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. In addition, players can look forward to more All-Out War scenarios, designed to make your hulking squad of building-sized ‘Mechs feel like part of a larger force in the field. All this comes with over 20 new Mech variants, new Jungle and Tourmaline Desert biomes, and a wide array of procedurally generated missions to take Mech warfare to the next level.

Players can also look forward to a free update to the base game, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries adding significant first-in-series features, including the introduction of Melee Combat! For the first time in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, players will be able to get up-close and personal with rival Mechs with the ability to swing and punch. In addition, for the first time, players will be able to switch between any of the AI-controlled Lance ‘Mechs on a mission. This seemingly small update introduces huge impacts on gameplay, essentially allowing the player to bounce between direct control of each Mech in their squad with the push of a button.