Mechwarrior Online releases Spider Mech ahead of double-XP weekend

The engineers at Piranha have been hard at work at their latest robot warrior for free-to-play battler Mechwarrior Online. Disappointingly, the Spider Mech isn't an octolegged monstrosity that traps its flitting opponents in webs of hardened steel. Instead it promises to be the fastest, most maneuverable addition to the Light class - with eight jumpjets to bump up the agility.

According to the press release, "Spider pilots can create nightmares for pilots of heavier Mechs on the battlefield; this is the time to watch your back!" Presumably they're working on a giant, reinforced can of bug spray for a future release.

In addition to the Spider, which is available now, the game will be holding its first double XP weekend from Friday. "Scheduled to run the duration of the weekend, MechWarrior pilots will hunker down at home in order to defend and conquer in the InnerSphere." The XP increase will stack with other boosting bonuses, such as Founder benefits and Premium Time.

"After a much-needed break over the holidays, we're raring to go with exciting 2013 content updates," says Piranha's creative director, Bryan Ekman. "The addition of community-focused features such as the Double XP event, new Mechs and performance tweaks let's us kickoff the New Year in a big way. This is just the beginning of a huge year for MechWarrior fans."

Pilots can also look forward to the Death Knell on January 22nd - another small, fast Mech with four arm-mounted lasers. Boy, they really go over-the-top with their Mech naming conventions, don't they. I guess when it comes to massive robotic killing machines, subtlety stops being a priority.

Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.

Latest in Action
Monster Hunter Wilds palico
The next Monster Hunter Wilds update is set to launch on March 10 and will ensure that when you chop off monster parts, the right monster parts get chopped off
Monster Hunter Wilds weird Palico outfits - Artian
Capcom cooked up some extremely cursed Palico outfits in Monster Hunter Wilds
GTA 5 Enhanced
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced is a bitter-sweet return to Rockstar's money-making machine
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 celebrates 7 years of rat bashing with a new versus map and double XP for all players, but its hotly anticipated weapon pack 'won't be coming out this year'
A hunter with his Switch Axe in sword mode in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Man builds Monster Hunter switch axe, complete with working flamethrower, because why not
Styx: Blades of Greed screenshot showing Styx viewing an underground mansion from a distance
My favourite AA stealth series starring a loathsome centuries-old goblin is getting a new instalment
Latest in News
Staring eyes in a face covered in oil
Death Stranding 2's PS5 release date is in June, let's hope it doesn't take eight months to hit PC this time
An evil-looking demon with red eyes and horns
You can theoretically beat Doom: The Dark Ages without using a gun, but 'You'd have a hard time, that's for sure,' says the game's director
Official Doom Guy art superimposed over Vault 666 Fallout-themed background.
Fallout-themed Doom mod Vault 666 has multiple endings, an OP Dogmeat companion, and a Ron Perlman-impersonating narrator so good, I was worried it was AI-generated at first
The Doomslayer in armor
Doom: The Dark Ages won't end with the Slayer in a coffin waiting for the start of Doom 2016: 'That would mean that we couldn't tell any more medieval stories'
Path of Exile 2 showing the Warbringer ascendancy class bludgeoning his way through a pack of hyenas
Path of Exile 2 speedrunner dominates official race with the game's 'worst' class
Atomfall screenshot
Rebellion CEO puts the studio's recent avoidance of layoffs down to control of scope and cost: 'Sometimes we say, guys, this game's too big'