How to Control Your Squad in MechWarrior 5: Clans

Squad control in MechWarrior 5: Clans plays a major role in battle success. Whether you’re leading AI-controlled BattleMechs or coordinating precise strikes, issuing the right commands at the right time can make all the difference. Without proper control, your squad may engage recklessly, waste ammo, or fail to position itself effectively.

This guide will help you master squad control, covering everything from issuing movement commands to managing attack strategies and fixing AI issues. Understanding these mechanics will maximize your team’s efficiency and improve your performance in every mission.

How Squad Control Works in MechWarrior 5: Clans

A Lance is a squad of AI-controlled BattleMechs that follow your orders during missions. Each squad member has an assigned role and will respond based on your movement, attack, and defensive commands. While AI teammates are helpful, their effectiveness depends on how well they are managed.

Unlike previous MechWarrior games, MW5 Clans offers more advanced squad control, allowing better positioning, coordination, and tactical decision-making. Learning these controls ensures your squad supports your strategy instead of fighting independently.

Core Squad Commands in MW5 Clans

A squad’s positioning can determine how well they handle enemy engagements. You can:

• Move to Location – Orders your squad to a specified area on the battlefield.
• Follow Me – Keeps AI mechs in formation behind you, useful for leading charges or repositioning.
• Hold Position – Forces mechs to remain in place, ideal for defensive plays.
• Flank Enemy Position – Sends AI teammates to attack enemies from the sides.
• Cover a Specific Area – Assigns a mech to watch a designated zone, preventing sneak attacks.

Movement commands are essential for ambushing enemies, avoiding heavy fire, and setting up long-range attacks.

Defensive & Support Commands

How AI mechs engage targets impacts damage output and efficiency. You can issue:

1. Focus Fire – Orders all squad members to concentrate firepower on one target, quickly taking down high-value threats.
2. Engage at Will – AI selects their own targets, offering flexibility during chaotic fights.
3. Cease Fire – Forces AI to stop attacking, useful for stealth-based missions or conserving ammo.
4. Suppress Enemy Movement – AI mechs fire strategically to disrupt enemy positioning.
5. Prioritize Light or Heavy Targets – Helps adjust squad tactics based on battle conditions.

Coordinating fire orders properly prevents wasteful shooting and ensures damage is directed where it matters most.

Defensive & Tactical Orders

Sometimes holding ground is more important than attacking. Use defensive commands wisely:

• Defend Position – AI mechs secure a chosen area, preventing enemy advances.
• Guard a Specific Ally – Assigns a mech to protect another teammate.
• Regroup – Pulls the entire squad back to your position, useful for retreating from danger.
• Rotate Defenses – AI units swap frontline positions to prevent overheating or excessive damage.

Balancing offensive and defensive squad control makes missions easier and squad survival more likely.

Best Strategies for Squad Management in MW5 Clans

Below are some of the best strategies for managing your squad.

1. Optimizing Squad Positioning for Tactical Advantage

• Keep long-range mechs behind cover while frontline mechs take enemy fire.
• Avoid clustering your Lance in open areas, as this makes them an easy target for AoE attacks.
• Use the environment for cover, forcing enemies into bad engagement zones.
• Position AI teammates near escape routes to reduce the chance of getting overwhelmed.

Squad placement affects damage output, protection, and overall combat efficiency.

2. Coordinating Attacks for Maximum Efficiency

Squad damage output is most effective when fire is concentrated. If each AI mech targets a different enemy, damage is spread too thin, prolonging engagements. Instead, prioritize high-value targets, such as enemy Heavy and Assault Mechs, to eliminate threats quickly before they can deal excessive damage.

Additionally, using fast-moving AI mechs to bait enemies into bad positions can help your squad set up stronger firing angles. Directing part of your squad to flank enemies while the rest maintains fire from a distance creates a tactical advantage.

However, be mindful of ammo usage—AI mechs can waste high-energy weapons if left unchecked. Managing their weapon efficiency ensures they remain effective throughout longer fights.

3. Advanced Squad-Based Combat Tactics

Here are advanced squad-based combat tactics to maximize efficiency and ensure battlefield dominance:

• Send a fast-moving mech behind enemy lines while your main force engages upfront.
• Use choke points to trap enemies, then unleash focused fire for quick eliminations.
• Keep AI mechs spread out to prevent getting hit by missile barrages or AoE damage.
• Deploy AI units to harass slower enemy mechs, creating distractions that allow you to strike effectively.

Advanced positioning tactics ensure your squad operates efficiently under different combat conditions.

Common Issues & How to Fix Squad Control Problems

Here are common issues players face when controlling their squad in MechWarrior 5: Clans and how to fix them effectively:

• Squad Not Following Orders? – AI mechs sometimes ignore commands due to pathfinding issues, engagement priorities, or terrain obstacles.
• AI Mechs Overheating Too Fast? – Excessive energy weapon usage and continuous fire commands can lead to rapid heat buildup and shutdowns.
• Why AI Pilots Keep Dying Too Quickly – Poor positioning, lack of cover, and inefficient retreat commands can cause AI-controlled mechs to be destroyed early in fights.

Fixing AI issues helps maximize efficiency and survivability in battles.

Conclusion

Mastering squad control in MechWarrior 5: Clans makes missions easier and more efficient. By issuing precise commands, adjusting positioning, and managing AI behaviors, you can turn your squad into a powerful combat force.

Strategic squad management ensures better survival rates, improved coordination, and fewer mission failures.

What are your best squad tactics? Share your strategies in the comments below!