Heroes of The Inner Sphere is the best DLC, by far, for Mechwarrior 5. It adds a new mode, tons of new mechs and variants, new weapons, and other game additions that deeply enhance replayability. That said, I feel that the new Career Mode should have been included in base Mechwarrior 5, not in a paid DLC.

Career mode is the story campaign without the story missions. Do whatever you want with that information. Yes, you get different starts, but the meaningful differentiation with these starts is not enough. I would rather see more differences than just different mechs you start with. Starting your mercenary career during various periods should have you fighting in campaigns or mission sets within a conflict in the Succession Wars, depending on who you chose to ally with. In all my Mechwarrior 5 runs, I have always started a campaign.

The Cantina mechanic gives a new way to round out your mechs capabilities. I liked this inclusion; the Cantina can be improved with mods like most things in Mechwarrior 5. The Cantina is one thing that makes this DLC a must-have.

In terms of new mechs and variants, you get the Marauder II, which is one of my favourites, and I use it regularly. The Hero Mechs you get are also very good in some instances, so again, this is another reason to buy this DLC.

The new biome is nice; the artillery and airstrikes add more challenges to some missions and allow you to call in airstrikes of your own should you choose to. The artillery strikes, in particular, changed my playstyle to be slightly more LRM-heavy so I could target them at range.

Regarding new equipment, the short-burn lasers stand out as straight upgrades over the regular lasers. This is especially true with the right Cantina upgrades. You also have ECM and such, but I noticed little difference when using them against the campaign's AI mechs. However, the Active Probes help keep a lock when you lose line of sight. Buy this DLC if any of those interest you.

I only experienced a few minor HUD bugs with this DLC when I played it. I give it a solid 8/10 and mark it as a must-buy for anybody who does not own it. The lower rating is because Career Mode should have been included in the base game. This is similar to what PGI did with Mechwarrior 5: Clans and gatekeeping multiplayer behind DLC.

Heroes of The Inner Sphere is the best DLC, by far, for Mechwarrior 5. It adds a new mode, tons of new mechs and variants, new weapons, and other game additions that deeply enhance replayability. That said, I feel that the new Career Mode should have been included in base Mechwarrior 5, not in a paid DLC. Career mode is the story campaign without the story missions. Do whatever you want with that information. Yes, you get different starts, but the meaningful differentiation with these starts is not enough. I would rather see more differences than just different mechs you start with. Starting your mercenary career during various periods should have you fighting in campaigns or mission sets within a conflict in the Succession Wars, depending on who you chose to ally with. In all my Mechwarrior 5 runs, I have always started a campaign. The Cantina mechanic gives a new way to round out your mechs capabilities. I liked this inclusion; the Cantina can be improved with mods like most things in Mechwarrior 5. The Cantina is one thing that makes this DLC a must-have. In terms of new mechs and variants, you get the Marauder II, which is one of my favourites, and I use it regularly. The Hero Mechs you get are also very good in some instances, so again, this is another reason to buy this DLC. The new biome is nice; the artillery and airstrikes add more challenges to some missions and allow you to call in airstrikes of your own should you choose to. The artillery strikes, in particular, changed my playstyle to be slightly more LRM-heavy so I could target them at range. Regarding new equipment, the short-burn lasers stand out as straight upgrades over the regular lasers. This is especially true with the right Cantina upgrades. You also have ECM and such, but I noticed little difference when using them against the campaign's AI mechs. However, the Active Probes help keep a lock when you lose line of sight. Buy this DLC if any of those interest you. I only experienced a few minor HUD bugs with this DLC when I played it. I give it a solid 8/10 and mark it as a must-buy for anybody who does not own it. The lower rating is because Career Mode should have been included in the base game. This is similar to what PGI did with Mechwarrior 5: Clans and gatekeeping multiplayer behind DLC.