Harebrained Schemes and Paradox released BATTLETECH on 24 April 2018. It is turn-based lance combat set in 3025, in a Periphery region called the Aurigan Reach, where you run a mercenary company for High Lady Kamea Arano against Director Santiago Espinosa's Aurigan Directorate. Four mechs drop per mission, five initiative phases resolve per round, and the MechLab makes you argue for every half ton. Three expansions followed: Flashpoint in 2018, Urban Warfare in 2019 and Heavy Metal later that year.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Coromodir | Five phase initiative order basics | Medium Mech skirmisher | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Weldry | Evasion pips and Sensor Lock mastery | Medium Mech skirmisher | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Panzyr | Called shots on prone and shutdown targets + gear | Light Mech scout or Medium Mech skirmisher | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Smithon | Build optimization | Light Mech scout | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | The Argo | Min-max | Light Mech scout or Sensor Lock spotter | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Coromodir)
Capital world of the Aurigan Coalition and the setting for both ends of the campaign. The prologue puts you at Kamea Arano's coronation when Santiago Espinosa's coup begins, and the final liberation mission brings you back to the same world with an entire lance of assault mechs instead of a training exercise.
Level/Difficulty: Prologue at half a skull, finale at 5 skulls Key Rewards: Campaign resolution, the highest tier salvage pool in the story missions, and the Directorate's heaviest mech opposition
What to Do in Coromodir
- Learn Five phase initiative order. Each round runs through five numbered phases, with the higher numbers resolving first. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Medium Mech skirmisher as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Negotiation sliders are not symmetrical in value. Early in a campaign, salvage is worth far more than C-bills because a salvaged Shadow Hawk is worth several contracts of payout, while money only buys repairs you could have avoided.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: PPC or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Five phase initiative order fundamentals
- Medium Mech skirmisher selected and functional
- Coromodir main content cleared
- Ready for Weldry
Phase 2: Early Game (Weldry)
The first proper strike against the Aurigan Directorate. Kamea leads the Restoration Army against the main spaceport while your lance runs a separate attack on the Icebox facility, which means you are fighting without the option of retreating toward friendly lines.
Level/Difficulty: Around 3 skulls, expect heavy mech opposition Key Rewards: Story progression to the Panzyr operation, Restoration reputation, and salvage from a defending garrison that fields heavier chassis than earlier contracts
What to Do in Weldry
- Work on Evasion pips and Sensor Lock. Movement generates evasion chevrons that cut incoming hit chance, and every attack removes one whether it connects or misses. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for PPC if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Three matching mech parts assemble a full chassis at the default setting. That means targeting the same enemy model repeatedly across contracts, and shooting legs rather than centre torsos, since a legged mech leaves more intact parts in the salvage pool.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Panzyr.
- Consider whether Light Mech scout might suit your playstyle better than Medium Mech skirmisher.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Evasion pips and Sensor Lock integrated into gameplay
- PPC acquired
- Weldry fully cleared
- Ready for Panzyr
Phase 3: Mid Game (Panzyr)
Supported by the 2nd Decimis Fusiliers, your job is destroying a Directorate dropship control centre so their ships cannot navigate Panzyr's orbital debris field. Allied units on the field mean you can let someone else soak the first volley for once.
Level/Difficulty: Around 3 and a half skulls Key Rewards: Story progression to Smithon, allied Fusilier support during the fight, and objective salvage from destroyed Directorate lances
What to Do in Panzyr
- Master Called shots on prone and shutdown targets. Attacks normally roll hit location from the firing arc. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward AC/20 Autocannon. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Called shots are only available against prone or shutdown targets, or when you spend morale on Precision Strike. Building your turn around producing a knockdown first, then calling the head, is the fastest way to remove an Atlas from the field without chewing through its armour.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Heat and stability damage for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Called shots on prone and shutdown targets mastered
- AC/20 Autocannon acquired or in progress
- Panzyr fully cleared
- Ready for Smithon
Phase 4: Late Game (Smithon)
A battle of attrition where the Restoration Army is grinding against Directorate forces and you are sent after a munitions dump. It is the mission where players usually discover that ammunition explosions cut both ways, since the objective itself detonates.
Level/Difficulty: Around 4 skulls, assault mechs present Key Rewards: Story progression toward the Coromodir finale, plus salvage from the heaviest Directorate lances the campaign has fielded so far
What to Do in Smithon
- Finalize your build. You should be running Light Mech scout or Medium Mech skirmisher with optimized gear.
- AC/20 Autocannon should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Sensor Lock consumes the spotter's shooting action but removes two evasion pips. Against a mech that has sprinted and stacked four pips, that single action can raise the rest of your lance's hit chance by more than any weapon upgrade you could fit in the same tonnage.
- Contract negotiation and salvage shares optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into The Argo.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- AC/20 Autocannon upgraded to max
- Smithon fully cleared
- Ready for The Argo
Phase 5: Endgame (The Argo)
A derelict Argo class dropship your company recovers and then spends the entire campaign rebuilding. Upgrades bought here cut mech repair times, add MechBay slots, improve pilot training and raise morale, and the crew includes XO Darius Oliveira, Chief MechTech Yang Virtanen, navigator Sumire Meyer and Doctor Farah Murad.
Level/Difficulty: Available from early campaign onward, permanent for the rest of the run Key Rewards: Extra MechBays, faster repair and refit, morale generation, medical bay for injured pilots, and the training modules that raise pilot skills passively
What to Do in The Argo
- The Argo tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Reserve is undervalued. Holding a heavy mech until phase 1 lets you see where every enemy moved before you commit, and Master Tactician at Tactics 8 also strips stability damage when you reserve.
- The endgame loop: run The Argo, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Sensor Lock spotter for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Contract negotiation and salvage shares mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- The Argo fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Taking maximum C-bill payout on every contract. Money buys repairs, but salvage buys entire mechs, and a company that never negotiates for salvage is still fielding mediums at 4 skull difficulty while its rivals field assaults.
- Alpha striking every turn. Firing every weapon on a hot chassis produces shutdown, which hands the enemy a full round of free called shots against a stationary target. Two good weapons fired twice beat one alpha strike followed by a shutdown.
- Sprinting a Light mech into the middle of the enemy line to scout. Evasion pips help, but any single AC/20 or PPC hit removes a 20 ton mech's centre torso, and losing the Sensor Lock pilot early breaks the rest of the lance's accuracy for the whole fight.
- Ignoring stability damage. Players focus on armour numbers and never notice the unsteady indicator, then wonder why their assault mech is lying on the ground taking called shots. Bracing costs a turn and saves a pilot.
- Repairing every point of armour after every mission. Repair costs money and days, and a mech at 90 percent armour drops fine on a 2 skull contract. Save the full refit budget for the story missions where the opposition is actually heavier.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Negotiation sliders are not symmetrical in value. Early in a campaign, salvage is worth far more than C-bills because a salvaged Shadow Hawk is worth several contracts of payout, while money only buys repairs you could have avoided.
- Three matching mech parts assemble a full chassis at the default setting. That means targeting the same enemy model repeatedly across contracts, and shooting legs rather than centre torsos, since a legged mech leaves more intact parts in the salvage pool.
- Called shots are only available against prone or shutdown targets, or when you spend morale on Precision Strike. Building your turn around producing a knockdown first, then calling the head, is the fastest way to remove an Atlas from the field without chewing through its armour.
- Sensor Lock consumes the spotter's shooting action but removes two evasion pips. Against a mech that has sprinted and stacked four pips, that single action can raise the rest of your lance's hit chance by more than any weapon upgrade you could fit in the same tonnage.
- Reserve is undervalued. Holding a heavy mech until phase 1 lets you see where every enemy moved before you commit, and Master Tactician at Tactics 8 also strips stability damage when you reserve.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More BATTLETECH Guides
- BATTLETECH BATTLETECH Overview
- BATTLETECH Best Builds
- BATTLETECH Tier List
- BATTLETECH Beginner's Guide
- BATTLETECH Tips & Tricks
- BATTLETECH Weapons Guide
- BATTLETECH Combat Guide
- BATTLETECH Boss Guide
- BATTLETECH Maps & Locations
- BATTLETECH Crafting Guide
- BATTLETECH Classes & Characters
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